Bound by Danger (The Alliance #6) - Brenda K. Davies Page 0,47

her soul, but she couldn’t find any solace in them tonight. She had to get away from this man, this whole situation, and everything that had gone so freaking wrong in her life.

The only problem was, she had no idea how she would survive without Lucien. She had no money and no way to get any without her bank card and ID. She couldn’t go home, she couldn’t go to any of her friends, and she had no family.

Her mother’s side of the family disowned her years before Callie was born, and her father was estranged from his parents until Callie turned ten and they got back in touch. However, they were both gone, and he didn’t have any siblings. What was she going to do?

She didn’t know, and the more she pondered it, the worse she felt. There were things she required from her home. Even if she could never get her life back, there was no way she could walk away without her most cherished possessions.

She didn’t know how much time passed before the door opened and Lucien stepped onto the sidewalk beside her. Unable to look at him, she kept her attention on the stars.

Lucien studied Callie while she stared resolutely into the distance. He sensed a distance from her that wasn’t there before as her eyes were icy. He had no idea what made her withdraw in such a way, but he hated the gulf he sensed between them.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“Yes.”

However, her clipped tone and determination not to look at him said she was the exact opposite of okay. “I didn’t harm her.”

“I know.”

Instead, the sound the woman released made it clear she’d enjoyed what he did to her. Just like Callie, that woman enjoyed being in his arms, and Callie wished it was her that he’d held so close.

What is wrong with you? All you got from his bite was pain—no, not pain, excruciating agony.

When she was younger, a pissed-off mare kicked her in the knee. She recalled the stabbing pain of that blow and the unnatural way her leg bent back. She’d walked away from the incident with a knee sprain, but that pain couldn’t compare to what Lucien did to her. Yet, she would have changed places with that woman in a heartbeat.

Yes, she definitely had to get away from him.

“Come on, let’s go to our room,” he said.

Lucien studied her bent head as they walked. She refused to look at him as they made their way to their room near the end of the motel. His thoughts tumbled over each other as he tried to figure out what he’d done to cause this change.

Was it because he fed in front of her again? Was the constant reminder of what he was pushing her away?

But he didn’t have any other choice. If he was going to keep her safe, he had to be strong, and she’d seen him feed before without withdrawing like this. Lucien was so busy trying to figure out what was wrong, he walked right by their room.

When he touched her arm to get her attention, she stiffened beneath his fingers. It was a far different reaction from the one she had earlier when she hugged him as he held her supple body close.

Lucien longed for that moment back. How did he fix this? Was she gone for good?

He had little experience in how to deal with women in his life. Plenty had flitted in and out of his life over the years, but he usually only spent a couple of hours with them. With no experience on how to talk with them, he was scared that if he said or did the wrong thing here, it would drive her away for good.

Apprehension churned inside him as he stopped outside room fifteen and slid the card into the little slot beside the door. The light went from red to green, and he twisted the knob before pushing it open. He held the door while she slipped inside.

Chapter Twenty

“I’m going to get the supplies from the Jeep,” he said.

Callie didn’t look at him as she kicked off her sneakers and headed for the bathroom. Lucien watched as she closed the bathroom door before he stepped outside, shut the door, and jogged across the parking lot to the Jeep.

He kept his senses honed to the night as he scented the air and searched for any hint of a threat. The only thing he detected was the feral scent of wild