The Protectors Series Bundle - By Nana Malone Page 0,27

to the miniscule desk in the corner and the bedside tables. She even swept a cloth over the wood frame of the bed. Her bare feet raced over the worn, beige, carpet as she flew swiftly around the room. “If they’re on their way, they’ll know we've been here. Maybe someone saw us. I pushed the desk clerk, but I was really depleted. Maybe it didn't hold. I'm not willing to take chances though.”

She propped her shoulder under his arm and holding his waist, she helped him limp to the car. Large puddles welled on the ground, but no rain drops created ripples in the mini lakes. After she slid him into the passenger side, she backed out of their space and floored the gas. All the while, gut tearing pain gnawed at his ribs.

“This doctor, can you trust her?”

He clenched his teeth. He wished they didn’t have to entrust Cassie's life to her. “I’m not sure, but we have no choice.”

Chapter Eight

Seth was right. As they screeched onto the highway at a wrap-your-car-around-a-tree pace, dark cars with tinted windows approached their hotel. Cassie thanked God the back parking lot kicked them right onto the two-lane freeway. If they had stayed one second longer, they’d both be dead.

Cassie slid a glance at him in the passenger seat. Seth had started shaking and passed out a half an hour ago. He was going through the transformation, but she couldn't fathom why he would. Unless they’d shot him with something other than Nisulin. What truly astonished her was the precognition. He knew Trackers were coming for them. If she hadn’t given him the benefit of the doubt, she would have been caught. They would have been caught. She oscillated between weaving in and out of traffic like a bat out of hell and coasting behind soccer moms not to draw any attention to their car.

The real question was how the Trackers had found them. She’d disabled her tracking chip. Maybe she had been careless, missed some detail. Maybe she should have been more worried about their safety than finding out how good it felt to be in Seth’s arms. She flushed and looked at his sleeping frame. His face had also started to change. His cheeks were leaner and his bone structure more pronounced. The muscles around his neck were thicker as well. The change in his pectorals was hard to miss. From gently muscled to bulging.

As they left the motel, he complained about the pain in his legs. She didn’t doubt they were going through the same transformation as the rest of him. Something was happening to him and she was responsible. The question was why? Was it the solution in those dammed bullets or her healing his wounds? Or perhaps she’d done something to him when they made love. She didn't know how he'd react to the changes. She should have left him behind. So he could be killed? No. For the time being, he was stuck with her.

Following the directions he gave her before he passed out, Cassie veered toward the exit for Coral Gables. He seemed uncertain about trusting the doctor, but as things stood they had no choice. If they went to an emergency room, explanations would be necessary. She couldn’t just leave him in his current state. Yes, you can. The small voice inside her beseeched her. You could take him to the nearest ER or to his doctor friend, and then drop his ass off and ghost. Except, the mere thought of leaving him behind made her stomach clench and ache.

On her own, she wouldn't have to worry about protecting him from the Trackers. But she'd gotten him in this mess, and with the way things had changed between them, what they'd already been through, could she walk away and leave him to fend for himself?

Seth stirred as she drove up to the tidy Spanish-style house. The red, tile roof, smooth stucco siding and deep door opening was complemented by Mediterranean arches above the porch. Each house was a carbon copy of the next, with manicured lawns and professionally landscaped roses, begonias and birds of paradise. Every other house had an Audi, BMW or Mercedes in the driveway.

Cassie pulled the car into the driveway and made a mental note to move the Jetta once Seth was settled. She wasn't sure if she could leave him behind, but at the very least, she needed to get him inside. When she opened the passenger door, his head