Savage Craving - Cecilia Lane Page 0,14

starvation diet kind—the man was packed with muscle. His arms bulged and rippled with the turns of the steering wheel that reminded her all too much how easily he’d been able to subdue her.

His cheeks were covered in day-old scruff that she couldn’t tell was intentional or from a hasty departure from the bridge he lived under. Dark hair, dark eyes, dark... bruises. Lilah blinked at the last and reconsidered some of his straight-backed stiffness. Maybe he’d fought harder than she wanted to give him credit for.

That gave her pause. Protective, dutiful, willing to jump into action without hesitation. Plus, he was devastatingly broody. She could easily imagine some woman throwing her hand against her forehead and collapsing into his awaiting arms, overcome with emotion at being saved by such a strong, sexy man.

Not her, though. Not after she’d watched his eyes change.

“Doesn’t look like we’re being followed,” he said finally.

Even so, he stayed tense and alert. Every few seconds, he flicked his eyes to the rearview mirror. Maybe he wanted to put her at ease so she wouldn’t question when he made a sudden pit-stop to get rid of her body.

“Where are you taking me?” she asked primly as they pulled onto the highway. If she knew that much, she could keep watch on the road for bad turns.

Seth slashed a look before turning his not-glowing eyes back on the road. "Safe house," he grunted. "You know, for your safety."

“Like I’ll ever be safe again,” she groused. “How do I know you aren’t going to hand me over to them?”

His lips pressed to a thin line. “If I wanted to do that, why would I bother saving you?”

“Mind games, I suppose. I don’t know what your kind get up to for fun.”

“Not my kind.” He snapped his mouth closed, then opened it to say something that didn’t reach the tip of his tongue. He shook his head and tightened his grip on the steering wheel. “You should get some rest,” he said softly. “We have a long night ahead of us.”

Lilah eyed him from under her lashes. Yeah, not happening. She trusted him enough not to jump from the moving vehicle, but not much more. Keeping an eye on the road felt like a necessary step to her survival.

She wasn’t sure if she’d ever sleep again, truth be told. Not after two attacks in one day. She felt as wired as if she’d slammed back a six-pack of pure espresso. Every instinct screamed at her to run, but she was stuck in the truck of a man she didn’t know and who could probably kill her with his pinky finger.

A shiver worked down her spine, and she slashed another surreptitious glance at her guardian. Taking a chance on her own had to be better than putting her life in a shifter’s hands. No one needed to know where she went. Hell, she’d even dye her hair and do a quick shopping trip for clothes not in her typical wardrobe. Not that she had much of a wardrobe anymore. Or cash. ID. Phone. Wallet.

Fuck.

The night dragged on even as the trees along the highway passed in a blur. Lilah sat ramrod straight, splitting her attention between the road and sidelong looks at the man behind the wheel. The air seemed to thicken inside the truck with every passing second, growing heavier, until she couldn’t sit still. Her leg began to bounce, and she drummed her fingers against her arms.

“They aren’t going to stop, are they?” she asked, surprising herself almost as much as the stranger charged with her safety.

He glanced at her once, then longer a second time. His jaw set in a grim line and he reached for her leg.

The touch was a gentlemanly squeeze of support, lasting only a fraction of a second. His fingers brushed right above her knee and never strayed higher on her thigh. Heat spiraled up her spine, and a shiver worked down, exploding into a sense of ease as they met.

“I won’t let them get to you,” he swore.

Shockingly, she wanted to believe him.

Lilah slumped against her seat once he pulled his hand away. With it, the air cleared and her doubts about life, the universe, and her continued future resurfaced. She smoothed a hand down her skirt before she put another question into the air. “What are you, anyway?”

Seth tilted his head to look at her, then back to the road. “I told you,” he said, throat bobbing with a swallow, “I’m