With each moment that passed, Lexi put more and more distance between her and her old life. She knew it wouldn’t be easy, that there wasn’t a chance in hell Chad would take what she’d done lying down.
But she didn’t’ care. She was free.
An hour passed, the two of them tearing through the woods, moving as quickly as they could. Eventually, the scent of shifter gave way to the scent of human, the lights of the town Jason had mentioned appeared in the distance.
Jason stopped and shifted back.
“There,” he said, once Lexi had shifted back and approached his side. “That’s it.”
“And we’ll be safe there?”
“We’re not going to be safe anywhere. But there’s a motel and a bus station, and if we play it smart, we can be in Seattle by noon tomorrow.”
“Then let’s do it.”
He nodded and stepped forward, taking his wallet out of his back pocket and leafing through the bills. Lexi spotted a few hundreds, and nothing else. It wasn’t much, not nearly enough to start a new life with.
But they didn’t have any other choice.
They reached Pine Hill, a small town nestled on a bluff that rose over the forest. It wasn’t much of a place—Lexi guessed there weren’t any more than a few hundred people living there—but it would be enough for the night.
The motel, called Pine Hill Inn, wasn’t much either. The town was off the beaten path, far from the highway, which meant they likely didn’t get much in the way of visitors.
“What is this place, even?” asked Lexi.
“Logging town. People move in for the season, do their work, and leave. Perfect place to stay for the night.”
They stepped into the inn, the elderly woman seated behind the desk snapping out of her nap the moment they entered.
She looked Lexi up and down, and Lexi glanced down at her dress, seeing it was covered in dirt.
“Uh, honeymoon suite?” she asked.
Jason grinned. “That sounds perfect.”
He paid the fee and took the key, a heart-shaped keychain on the end. Moments later, they were around the building, stepping into the second-floor room.
“Oh my God,” said Lexi. “This is...something else.”
The room was about the tackiest thing she’d ever seen. The bed was heart-shaped, the bathtub was heart-shaped, and the switch on the wall allowed them to change the lights from normal to red to orange.
“Humans know how to do romance,” said Jason with a smirk.
Lexi dropped onto the bed, undoing her hair and letting it fall around her. Jason laid down next to her, and without thinking, she leaned her head against his shoulder.
“This is...this is insane,” she said. “Right now, Chad’s probably realizing that I’m not coming.”
“He’s a shithead,” said Jason. “Knowing him, he’s probably too drunk to get what’s going on. Bet you anything he’ll wake up in the morning with a killer hangover and not even think to start looking for you by noon.”
“That’s a hell of an assumption.”
“It’s an assumption based on me knowing what a dumbass he is. But right now, you’re safe. Even if he decides to come looking, he won’t think to check Pine Hills—no one knows about this place, and we’re far from the highway.
Fear washed over Lexi.
“My family,” she said. “They annoy the hell out of me at times, but they’re still my blood. I can’t let them think...”
Jason rolled over on his side, staring deeply into her eyes.
“We’re not going to let them think you’re dead. When the time is right, we’ll drop word that we’re OK. Right now, the only thing that matters is keeping you safe.”
Lexi still didn’t know how much she could trust Jason. But at that moment, for whatever reason, she knew he was the only one who cared about her, who knew what she really wanted.
He grinned.
“Come on—I know what you need.”
She was confused, watching as Jason hopped off the bed and headed over to the heart-shaped tub. He bent over and turned on the faucet, hot water rushing out and into the basin.
“A bath?”
“A bath. Trust me—it’ll do you good. And after all that running, your shifter scent’s going to be more powerful than ever. You get clean and it’ll make it harder for Chad to track you.”
As crazy as it sounded, a bath actually struck her as kind of nice.
“There’re a couple of shops downtown—they might still be open. You hit the tub and relax, and I’ll see if I can find you something to wear other than that, uh, interesting dress.”