Chapter 43: Emerging

I pull over in a small town for gas, and at a late-night deli for food. There is no hostel, and I'm just as glad. Stopping right now will only put us in unnecessary danger.

We park in an abandoned farmyard to eat and have a quick rest, the hulking, empty house shadowing us from sight. Sage devours his food as quickly as he had before, though he seems more aware and less savage about it. I allow a few hours to close my eyes in the shelter of the empty home and crumbling outbuildings. We probably shouldn't stop, but I have to catch rest when I can. I can't burn out until I've found what I'm looking for.

A solid five hours of sleep does me a world of good, though I shudder at the black holes of the home's dark windows, feeling as though it's watching us, waiting to see what we'll do. Abandoned places have always given me the creeps, reminding me of years of loneliness I'll never get back.

Sage wakes when I do, finishing the last of my half-eaten meal as I fire up the engine and drive off again. I think about his demand, his desire to know of my past, what made me as I am. And shudder from ever telling him. How could he possibly understand the things I was forced to endure, to do, to survive my youth and young adulthood at the hands of the Dumonts? He would never be able to cope. Never. Then again, am I not giving him enough credit? He loves me for who I am. Still loves me now, though I've led him to the brink of his death, to danger and life as a fugitive. It's possible Sage would simply accept and I could finally talk to someone about the past without fear.

Maybe someday. Maybe. For now, he loves me, yes. But he's with me because he has to be. Because without me, he'd be dead. I can't trust I'm his first choice until this is all over and he's healed. If he still wants me, isn't pressured into a life with me, perhaps then I'll consider it. But in this time and place, telling him won't solve anything, and could drive him away.

If I were him, I wouldn't be anywhere near me, knowing what I know about what I've done.

Dawn breaks lovely over the eastern horizon. Morning finds us nearing the Austrian border and I finally relent when Sage looks longingly out the window at a town appearing in the distance. We need to get out and stretch our legs anyway, and we've come so far so quickly I'm fairly confident we're safe for the moment.

The little border town is just outside Sopron, a small collection of stone-built homes and little shops on a picturesque main street. Sage steps out and immediately turns on his heel, a grin on his face. He hasn't smiled or spoken much since last night's conversation, so I find his sudden enthusiasm encouraging.

"I smell meat." He drifts toward the door of a deli and I follow him, eyes scanning the street. I really need to dump this car as soon as possible. It's morning, and the owners will certainly have it declared stolen by now.

I'm slow to follow Sage inside, but when I hear his growl, I run for the half-open door. The butcher stands behind the counter, face white as old ash, hands trembling around his cleaver as Sage leans over the counter, trying to grab the raw meat on the slab.

I have to risk using power, slamming it into Sage to knock him back. He spins on me, eyes a wolf's, hands curving into claws, though not fully transformed. I pin him with magic, mind locking on his.

ENOUGH. I'm his dominant and his wolf knows it. It retreats while Sage staggers, hand pressing to his forehead where beads of sweat stand out. The butcher stares at us while I struggle with what to do, what to say.

"Sorry," I offer with a weak smile. "He's a bit of an animal when he's hungry."

Oh, Charlotte.

The butcher tries to smile, licking his lips nervously as my magic encourages him to forget what he saw, chalk it up to his imagination. My wolf whispers to him while my heart pounds with worry. All this power use is going to draw attention.

We have to get out of here.

I lead Sage toward the door as the butcher relaxes, shrugs and goes back to work, though still shaken. Sage fights me when I drag him out onto the street, shaking him a little.

"Pull it together," I snarl in his ear.

"Starving," he pants back at me.

"I know." I feel his hunger, the blood lust of his rising wolf. "I'll find you something. But we have to go now."

Sage whimpers, but returns to himself. "Sorry," he says. "Charlie, I'm so sorry."

I shake my head, leading him to the car. "It's not your fault," I say, in pain for him. "This is my fault."

"Funny," a familiar voice says, "you're not the only one blaming yourself for this mess."

I look up with a gasp to find my sorcerer friend-and one time mate possibility-Piers Southway, leaning casually against the bonnet of our stolen car with his arms crossed over his chest. His gray longcoat is dusty at the hem and he has a bruise on one high cheekbone. But his grin is as jaunty as ever, if tight with bitterness, shining blond hair hanging over one narrow shoulder.

"Piers." I breathe his name, panic rising all over again. "Please, you have to let us go."

He stands, arms falling to his sides. A hint of sadness flickers across his face before he comes to my side, touches my cheek. Sage growls at him, but Piers ignores the threat.

"I'm here to help," he says.

"I used magic." I tug Sage toward the car. "The Enforcers will track it."

"They would," Piers says with a grin, "if I didn't get here first and use sorcery to block it."

I could kiss him, right there in the street, but Sage is between us, glaring at Piers. I know it's not him, it's the wolf rising in him, but it's enough of a distraction to hold me back.

"Thank you," I say. And hesitate. "You want us to go to Austria?" The border is a short skip away, though Castle Wilhelm is not on my list of tourist stops.

Piers shakes his head, opening the passenger door for me. "The vampire plan was a terrible one," he says. "They will know you're with Sunny the moment you set foot at Wilhelm."

Leave it to Piers to agree with me. "Then what?" I'm used to working on my own, but having him here makes me feel better. Guilt over that when I'm still holding Sage in my arms makes my heart ache.

"Dunno," Piers says. "Though I've always wanted to be a fugitive."

I gape at him. "You're not coming with us."

Piers's grin is tight, angry. "Yes," he says. "I am. I can't transport you directly-my mother is watching my power output. She'll know if I move more than me. But I can come with you and make sure you have backup if you need it."

His presence is going to make things more complicated, but only with Sage. My love snaps and snarls from the front seat as I push him into the cushion. "We have to find another car," I say, grateful for Piers as he firmly closes the door.

"Simplicity itself." He touches the roof and the entire shape twists, transforms. Colors shift from dirty yellow to deep green. I circle to check the plate, watch it change as well. "Now," Piers says, reaching for the driver's door. "Are you coming or not?"



***