We walked so much my legs felt like they were going to fall off. I thought I was supposed to have super endurance, but that seemed untrue. I had been lied to for a year about everything else, so why would my abilities have been accurate? Liam probably lied about that too. Still, I couldn't shake the gnawing feeling that there was something else going on. I didn't know who to trust, so I just didn't trust anyone, not even Pierce. I needed Pierce, but that didn't mean that I believed everything he said.
"Hey, Anna," Pierce asked.
"Yeah?"
"I'm sorry about earlier. I didn't mean to be rude."
"It's okay."
"It's not. I should have been more considerate."
"Yeah, well, it's fine. Just forget about it."
He nodded. "We should be at our destination soon."
"Our destination," I scoffed. "Just tell me where we're going. I haven't felt him in my head since we left."
"He could still be there. Until we can get to someone that can teach you how to block him, I'm not taking any chances."
"Why can't you teach me? Isn't it common knowledge?"
"No. I was born pure. I've never needed to block or be blocked."
"Oh."
I hated to be skeptical of everything, but I couldn't be naive in this. Being naive got me into this situation and it wouldn't get me out.
We finally came to a break in the forest to the side of a dark road. A single car sat about a mile up the road. Pierce did not hesitate to head in the direction of the car, but I wasn't so sure. Anyone could be in that car. What if Liam got ahead of us and was waiting there?
"Pierce," I warned.
"It's okay. It's for us."
So this was how he planned to get across the countries. I guess it worked, but it did seem a little risky to me. What if someone spotted us?
"Are you sure it's safe?"
"No, but it's the best option we have."
"What if the person helping us is really working for Liam?"
"Then I guess they are and we're screwed, aren't we?"
He had a point. I hated to trust people when I didn't even know the plan. I wished he would just tell me so I knew what was happening, but I understood his reasoning.
I reluctantly followed him to the car and set Zeus in the backseat. It wasn't anything special which surprised me a little. It looked more like a car my family would have driven, not a duke. The seats were black leather, but it was only a Honda.
"Lay down," I told Zeus. He didn't need to be told twice. He laid in he backseat with his chin rested on his giant paws.
"He listens?" Pierce asked as I slid inside the front seat.
"I trained him well."
Instant relief rushed through my legs as I sat in the car. I hadn't realized how exhausted I was until I sat for a moment.
"Why don't you get some sleep, Anna," Pierce suggested.
"I'm okay."
He didn't respond. Instead, he started the car and pulled onto the road. He drove in silence for awhile. I wasn't sure what was on his mind, but I didn't want to go to sleep, however tempting it was.
"How long is this drive?"
"Why do you keep asking questions about our destination?"
"Come on. Just tell me."
"I don't know. Probably nine or ten hours now."
"Are we driving straight through?"
"I don't know."
"How don't you know?"
"Do you want to stop to sleep and eat?"
I shrugged though I doubted he could see me in the dark.
"How are we going to eat?"
"The old fashion way. Catch a human."
"No thanks," I rejected.
"You've never tried straight from the vein?"
"That's disgusting."
"You mean to tell me you've been bottle fed this entire time?" He asked, clearly shocked.
"I don't drink from a bottle," I defended.
"Cup, whatever."
"So?"
"So that's a little pathetic. You are an apex predator. You shouldn't be drinking your meals from a cup."
"So you kill innocent people just for their blood?"
"I don't kill them, but I do feed from them often."
"That's disgusting."
"What's disgusting is that you have never done it. You're a vampire, Anna. You would feel satisfied for much longer periods of time if you drank straight from the source."
"I'm not going to hurt people."
"Quite the opposite. There's a reason people are fascinated by vampires. The experience is rather pleasurable for the human."
"And what do they get in return?"
"Depends on what they want. Some want money, others want blood."
"They want your blood?"
"Not mine in particular. They just want vampire blood. It induces a high much like PCP, but without the side effects."
I grunted in response. It wasn't very ladylike, but I had a feeling Pierce didn't care at the moment.
"Seriously, Anna. Try to sleep. You're keeping me on edge."
"I didn't do anything," I protested.
"I know, but Liam could be watching through you and to be honest, it's a little creepy."
I crossed my arms, but I understood what he meant. It was weird that Liam could find us just by looking in my mind. Even though I couldn't feel him, I knew he could still be there. There were plenty of times I didn't feel him in my mind, but he was searching through it. I wondered how often he did that just to stay a step ahead of me.
I closed my eyes and leaned the seat back to get more comfortable. Zeus shoved his face in the tiny crack between the door and the seat just to rest his mouth on my forehead. I relaxed a little knowing that Zeus had my back if anything happened while I was asleep.
-------------------------------------------
I woke to Pierce lightly touching my arm and the distinct smell of salt water. I glanced around the car, confused. I knew I hadn't been out that long, but we were already at the ocean.
"How long was I sleeping?"
"A few hours. Let's go."
"Where are we?"
"English Channel. Not too much longer now."
"It's not?"
"Maybe twelve or thirteen hours."
"That's a long time."
I stretched out a little from my cramped position and examined the scene in front of me. There was something about this that did not feel entirely right. I had ignored my gut feeling before and it got me kidnapped and then played by a man I thought I loved. I would never make that mistake again.
"Something isn't right."
"It's fine."
"No it's not. I can feel him."
"You can?"
I nodded. "He's here. I know it."
Panic welled in me, but I worked to control it. I had never feared Liam before, but I didn't know what he was capable of after that.
"Thank God," Pierce muttered.
"You're happy about that?"
"Don't be mad," he started.
"About what?" I had a feeling I already knew what he was going to say. He was selling me out to Liam. He probably got offered a deal because he was Liam's cousin, but someone still had to take the punishment and I would be that someone. I knew I never should have trusted Pierce. I should have escaped on my own and figured things out for myself.
"I couldn't tell you. Look, it's not what you think. The council found a way to track your thoughts so they had to believe that you didn't know what was going on."
"I'm confused."
"I know. Just trust me though. It's all going to work out."
"It's not going to work out! He's here and he's going to kill me!"
"No, he's not. I know you're afraid of him-"
"That's the understatement of the century!"
He shot me a pointed look. "But it's still Liam. There is a lot you don't know about this situation."
"Like what? Was there another reason he was going to execute me?" I asked sarcastically. I shoved my hair out of my face and slapped my hands against my thighs. I was panicking and I knew it. I needed to calm down so I could think clearly.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him. He was approaching the car slowly, but he was definitely coming. Nothing about him had physically changed, but the way he walked was different. He was careful. My eyes locked with his, but there was something in them I hadn't seen before. I couldn't quite place it and I didn't want to find out what it was.
"Pierce, please don't do this," I begged.
He gripped my hand tightly. "It's okay, Anna. I promise."
"How is this okay? He wants me dead!"
A light tap on the window alerted me to his close proximity. I couldn't believe Pierce was doing this to me.
"Open the door," Pierce said.
I shook my head.
"Come on, Anna. Just let him explain."
"No."
"It's not what you think."
"Then what is it?"
"Open the door and let him explain."
If I hadn't been so shocked, I probably would have cried out of fear. Still, what choice did I have? I was trapped. Liam was outside and Pierce was giving me up. I reached over and slowly opened the door. Liam pulled the door open and stepped away from the car. I stepped out and wrapped my arms around myself. I looked back to see Zeus watching the interaction carefully.
"Anna, I presume?" He asked.
My attention shot to him. What an odd way to address me.
"I understand your hesitation," he offered. His accent was much thicker than it had been previously which caught me off guard.
"What happened to your voice," I questioned.
"My voice," he mused. "Yes. I suppose I could start there. The man you met before was not me. Well, I mean, it was me, but not really-"
"What are you talking about," I rushed. I was growing impatient with him.
"For the last two years I have been possessed by an entity hired by my council."
I was sure my expression was one of disbelief. I wasn't sure what that meant as far as I was concerned, but I needed to know.
"So, what does that mean?"
"It means I don't know who you are. I only know your name because Pierce told me."
"But . . . But I-" I didn't know what to say. How was I supposed to take that? I had fallen in love with him we had spent countless hours talking and being around each other and he didn't know who I was? I mean, I guess it was a good thing that he wasn't playing the entire time, but I didn't know how to take this.
"I know it's confusing. Trust me, when Pierce finally found a way to bring me back, I was confused."
"I'm not confused."
"You're not?"
"I don't know what I am right now. I fell in love with you. I was going to marry you until a few hours ago," I ranted.
"Pierce told me. Look, I know you didn't have anything to do with this and I am sorry things happened this way."
I pulled my arms tighter against me. "Yeah, well, sorry doesn't bring back my parents or change the last year."
"Is there anything I can do?"
"No."
"I see. Well, as Pierce mentioned, we are not simply going to turn our backs on you. We will get you to Ireland and you can stay under his care until you choose to leave."
Like that would help.
I nodded a little.
"It's still not safe for you in Germany. The council still wants you gone."
"But I didn't do anything."
"The entity that they paid was not supposed to involve you. He bought you without permission from them."
"So you're saying I never should have been in this situation?"
"The auction house took you on their own accord. You would have been sold regardless. It's simply bad luck that you were the one he wanted."
Of course it was. Of course it was my luck that I end up with my entire life ruined.
"So the entire time you were possessed?"
"Yes. However, I have learned quite a bit about you," he said lightly.
I felt my eyes set in a glare. "Don't bother. After this is over, I don't want to see either of you again."
"And what exactly do you plan on doing?"
"I don't care. I'll do what I have to. Maybe I'll go home and try to reassemble the shambles of my life."
"I don't think-"
"To be honest, Liam, I don't care what you think. You don't even know who I am so it shouldn't matter what I do."
"But Pierce knows you and he believes you would be better off with us."
"Pierce doesn't know me either. He thinks he does, but he doesn't. Can we just get this over with?"
He looked caught off guard. Had he expected me to go along with this? Just a few hours prior, I was going to marry him and now he told me he doesn't know who I am.
"Alright. Let's go."
I trudged behind him with Pierce following a safe distance behind me.