of me.”
He didn’t have many tells, but he had one big one—that muscle in the hard line of his jaw when it bunched. “Text me tonight when you decide to stop,” he growled. “I want to know where you’re staying and how you’re doing.”
She nodded. “You text me when you make it back to the office.”
“I will.” He muttered something under his breath and swooped in for another fierce kiss. Then he bent to pick up the bag and thrust the strap into her hand. “Go, damn it.”
Turning, she strode back to the Subaru. This time she was the one who walked away, but she still felt raw and empty, like she was leaving a vital organ behind. Setting the bag on the passenger seat, she climbed in the driver’s side and buckled her seat belt as she looked back at the path.
He still stood there, watching. Somehow she knew he wouldn’t leave until she did. Lifting one hand, she started the car, pulled out, and drove away without a backward glance.
This isn’t goodbye, he had muttered. Although it should be.
The sensation of Josiah’s mouth lingered as she drove through the city streets. It only faded when she reached Interstate 20.
She had a week and a half to get to New Orleans, which meant she had time to kill. And she had a teacher to find. Should she check the centers of the Elder Races demesnes? That would take a huge amount of driving since they were scattered all over the US.
She ran through all seven demesnes in her mind. The seat of the Wyrkind demesne was in New York City, the Elven demesne in Charleston, and the Dark Fae’s demesne was centered in Chicago.
There was also the Light Fae demesne in Los Angeles. Demonkind, like the Wyr and Nightkind, consisted of several different types of creatures that included goblins and Djinn. Their seat was based in Houston. The Nightkind, including Vampyres, controlled the San Francisco/Bay Area and the Pacific Northwest, while the human witches demesne was based in Louisville.
She knew from her research that witches were considered part of the Elder Races due to their command of magical Power. Heading for that demesne would make the most sense, but the dream woman had told her to follow the signs.
As she approached the entrance ramps, the westering sunlight hit a bank of clouds just right and illuminated a feathery line of fiery light. Well, damn if that didn’t look remarkably like an arrow. It pointed straight toward the setting sun.
“Okay,” she murmured. “I’ll take that as my first sign. West it is.”
Josiah texted as promised when he had returned to the office. All is well here. You?
She sent him a smiley face.
Don’t speed, he had said. That was harder to do than she had at first thought. She set the cruise control and let the Subaru take over, watching the mileage gauge and taking note of each milepost as it passed.
Fifty miles away.
Seventy-five miles away.
A hundred.
When she crossed into Alabama, she thought, I may not know where I’m going, but I do know one thing. I no longer live in Georgia. That thought set wings to her mood.
Originally she had intended to drive only far enough to cross the state line, then look for a motel, but when she crossed over, she changed her mind.
It had cost so much to get to this point, and she had worked so hard. She couldn’t quit now. She stopped only once to fill her gas tank and go through a drive-through. When she grew too tired to drive safely, well past dusk, she stopped at a motel.
As she turned off the car, exhaustion settled in. Using one of her prepaid Visa cards and her new driver’s license, she checked in. There was only one awkward moment when she needed to sign her name and she had to check her license first. (Felicia Johnston? Really?) But the sleepy desk clerk had turned away to swipe the card, so he didn’t notice.
Ten minutes later, she carried the bag Josiah had packed for her into a cool, dark room. After latching the security chain, she dumped the contents onto the bed. Clothes, a toiletries bag, and the manila folder with the rest of her personal documents tumbled out.
She set the manila folder aside to explore later and looked through the clothes. Nothing was expensive, but he had a good eye and had picked things that would look nice on her.
He had also thought of details like