was going to so much trouble to keep her safe. But it was more than being tired. Her heart hurt. She had been prepared for this madness—at least as much as she could have prepared. But her destiny had cost her friend her life.
Regret would be with her for the rest of her own life—whether that was a week or eternity.
Clinging to Rune’s broad shoulders, Teresa became numb to what was happening around her. A sudden stop, the fires that covered Rune would snap off and then come to life again before his blurring speed sent them back on the run. Again and again, he continued on, long into the night until blackness and fire were all she could see.
That made sense to her. Her soul was dark now, too, with the flames of rage burning at its center. Always she had prepared for this day, for her witchcraft to materialize and for her Eternal to show himself. But she had never expected to gain and lose so much all at the same time.
Rune stopped again and the fire surrounding them died away. This time, though, he didn’t flash them forward; he stayed perfectly still, holding her in the circle of his arms. They must be stopping for the night again and she was grateful for the reprieve.
She took comfort from his touch, so she forced herself to step back and away from him. He released her, as if he knew that she needed some space. For an immortal warrior, he was proving to be surprisingly understanding. If only he didn’t look at her with eyes that accused her of crimes she couldn’t even remember committing.
The moment he let her go, Teresa missed his warmth, his strength, but she had to stand on her own two feet. Regain her inner power. Soon the Mating ritual would begin and to face Rune as an equal, she had to find balance. She must become the witch she was destined to be. So she had to be strong in her own right.
Looking around, she couldn’t see anything beyond the star-filled sky overhead and the inky darkness of the desert. “Where are we?”
“Just across the border. We’re in Mexico.”
Chico lifted off her shoulder and flew in circles above their heads, as if the tiny bird had needed a break, too. She watched him for a second, then nodded to Rune and pulled in a deep breath. Grateful to be away from Sedona, she said, “Good. That’s good. How far from Chiapas?”
“Far enough,” he told her. “For now, anyway. There’s a village ahead.” He pointed and Teresa shifted her gaze in that direction. All she saw was a smudge of pale light in the utter darkness ahead of them.
“We’re staying there?” Surprise colored her voice because for the last two days he’d deliberately kept her away from people.
“No,” he told her. “We’ll get some supplies, then head back into the desert. We’ll continue on after we’ve rested.”
Sleeping in the desert wasn’t something she could look forward to, Teresa thought, her mind filling with images of snakes and tarantulas and God knew what else. At least last night she hadn’t actually had to sleep on the sun-baked sand. Instead, Rune had found an abandoned shack for them to rest in.
She looked around again and realized there were no shacks out here. Then she turned her head and looked toward the distant village. There would be people there—so it would be dangerous. She could hope that word of what had happened in Sedona hadn’t traveled this far south already. But the reality was that the MPs were probably on their trail and who knew how far their reach extended.
Rune started walking, his long, easy strides forcing her to run to keep up with him. Her boots kicked at dirt and sand, and she had to fight past the fatigue clawing at her. She hadn’t slept well last night. Her dreams were haunted not only by her own past but also by images of what her enemies had done to Elena. All she really wanted, Teresa thought, was to find some safe, quiet corner where she could curl up and whimper.
Which sounded so damn cowardly, it made her shudder. In response to that stray wienerlike thought, she straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin.
She looked toward the few lights shining in the desert blackness. “Should be safe enough there, right? I mean, the feds are looking for us in Sedona.”