Chapter 5

I inadvertently jerked the wheel at the same time I jerked my attention to Piper. Correcting my mistake, I narrowed my eyes, but I didn’t say anything. Piper was a Pendragon? I thought they were all dead. If the stories were true and her coven was decimated by dragons, how did she and her sisters survive? Why had they been hiding all this time?

Not that I knew a ton about the Pendragon Coven, but legend said they were once royalty, the single most powerful coven in the world. If that were true, why hadn’t Piper and her sisters announced their presence and reclaimed their lives? They shouldn’t have to worry about anyone taking them out if they were all powerful.

“I’m sure I don’t need to explain why neither of you can say anything about who Piper really is, right?” Isach asked.

Abby cleared her throat. “No, of course not. We won’t say anything.”

“Thank you,” Piper said. “There are a lot of people, witches, who want us dead, so it’s for our own protection that we stay hidden. We’ve become very good at it.”

Well that answered one of my questions, but I still had a million more. “Then why come out of hiding now? Other than your dislike for Ivy?” I raised a brow.

“I told you. We wanted to help Isach.” Piper twisted back around in her seat. “We know what it’s like to lose everything and everyone, to have a fellow witch want to destroy you. Isach and I have become friends, and friends help each other.”

“And what happens when Ivy finds out who you are?” I asked.

Sudden, sharp fear pierced my heart. I already wanted to kill Ivy for everything she’d done, but if she so much as thought about hurting a hair on Piper’s head… I’d make sure Ivy suffered. There would be no merciful death for her. Not if I had my way.

I glanced in the rearview mirror. A silver sedan had been following us for the last couple of miles. The car wasn’t close enough for me to see who was driving, but they weren’t getting too far behind, either. My instincts sharpened, and I adjusted my hold on the steering wheel.

“She won’t figure it out,” Isach said, his tone full of warning.

“Right. Just like she didn’t figure out you were planning to double cross her.” I shot Isach a dirty look. “If not for that, none of us would be here right now, but we are, and we have to face the facts—Ivy has always been one step ahead of us. She’s going to find out we’re aligning ourselves with Pendragon witches.”

“Then we kill her before she can tell anyone,” Piper said.

I broke into a satisfied smile.. “That’s a plan I can fully support.”

Okay, so maybe this girl was kind of perfect for me. I shoved the thought away as quickly as it had popped into my head. She was from a coven of witches that were supposed to be dead. No way would things ever work out between us. Still, a pesky glimmer of hope remained somewhere deep in my heart.

“Wait, so that hotel… The Pendragon Palace… that’s your home?” Abby asked.

“Yes.” Piper nodded.

Yet, she’d told me she’d never been in that hotel before. Why had she lied about something so insignificant?

“It’s beautiful. Why on earth do you and your sisters live in that rundown house?”

“Because reclaiming our home would mean coming out of hiding, and it’s not safe for us to do so. Yet.”

Abby leaned forward so she was wedged between the front seats. “So, is it true, then? Are dragons real?”

Piper laughed. She didn’t do that nearly enough, but each time she did, my heart felt like it wanted to burst free from my chest.

“Yes, they’re very real, and they can be nasty creatures. Very temperamental. Like cranky pants over there.” She subtly motioned toward me before she glanced out the window, her expression thoughtful.

I smiled faintly, vowing to keep being cranky just for her benefit.

“Except when they’re in human form. Then they’re not so bad,” Piper said.

“Hold on. You’re telling me dragons have a human form?” Abby’s tone dripped with disbelief.

“They’re a lot like werewolves, only dragons can shift whenever they want,” Piper explained.

“Werewolves are real, too?”

Isach chuckled. “You can believe in vampires and witches but not werewolves and dragons?”

Abby flopped back against the seat. “I mean, I’ve seen vampires and witches. I’ve never seen a dragon or a werewolf. Let me guess. Ghosts are real, too?”

“We prefer to call them spirits, but yes. Angels, demons, fairies… all real. There’s an entire supernatural world that most humans are completely oblivious to.” Isach’s voice was wistful.

“Wow,” Abby said. “Are all of these other… beings dangerous? Or are there good ones, like you guys?”

“It’s an equal mix,” Piper said.

I glanced in the rearview mirror, then the side mirror. The silver car had picked up a bit of speed, but the driver wasn’t passing us, despite the other lane being wide open. If they’d get just a little closer, I’d be able to see who was behind the wheel. I eased my foot off the gas, and the car following us did the same.

“Um, Jax…” Fear permeated the air around Abby.

“I see it,” I said.

“Close your eyes, Abby. Right now.” Piper’s tone was sharp and commanding, and now was so not the time to have a physical reaction to the sound of her voice. She began to whisper a chant, her attention focused solely on Abby.

“Hang on,” I said.

I jerked the car hard to the right, then sped up before shaking across the rumble strips along the side of the road. My grip on the wheel was brutal and unmoving as I whipped across two lanes of traffic. A car that had been exiting the highway slammed on the brakes, tires screeching. The smell of burnt rubber and asphalt hit my senses a split second before a horn blared. I gave the driver a teasing smile, to which he flipped me off.

Piper raised her hand toward the back window, closed her eyes, and recited a spell. The silver sedan blew out a tire, causing it to spin uncontrollably. A cacophony of screeching brakes, horns, and crunching metal as cars collided sounded around me.

My eyes widened with surprise and a whole lot of respect. Piper had taken out that car without so much as blinking. Maybe she was as powerful as Isach claimed. Easing to the side of the road, I jammed the car into park and glanced in the back seat. Adrenaline had me on edge, and my bloodlust roared to life. Who the hell was following us? And why?

“Are you okay?” Isach asked Abby.

She nodded. “What was that?”

“Witches,” Piper said, her tone angry. “They were using a spell to see the interior of the car through your eyes.”

“Why me?” Abby’s voice trembled.

“Because you’re human and vulnerable.” Isach took her face into his hands and peered into her eyes.

I eased back around in my seat, my gaze scanning the area around the car. I didn’t see anyone suspicious, nor did I hear anything out of the ordinary. Still, sitting here like this was a bad idea. We needed to keep moving.

“Why were they doing that?” Abby asked.

“Ivy knows you and I are together.” I met her gaze in the rearview mirror. “But now she knows we’re not traveling alone. I’m guessing she’s desperate to find out who’s with us.”

“Exactly. Isach is cloaked, but I’m not. So, if they were able to see anything…” Piper twisted around to look out the back window. “I’ve slowed them down for now, but you should probably get going again. And Jax?”

“Yeah?” I shifted the car into gear.

“Drive fast.”

I grinned. “All right, Little Miss Witch. Time to show us just how powerful you really are.” I sped down the road toward the next on ramp. “Cloak all of us and the car, and I’ll get us home as fast as possible.” I infused my words with an unmistakable challenge. Let’s see exactly what she was capable of.

A blast of heat pushed through the car like a wave. “Done,” Piper said. “No one will be able to see us.”

“And Abby?” Isach asked.

“Protected. No one will be able to use magic on her until I lift the spell.” Piper smiled at Abby.

“Thank you.” Isach breathed the words.

For the next several hours, no one spoke. My focus was on driving as fast as possible while making sure we weren’t being followed again. Although, if the car was cloaked, no one should be able to see us. Still, I wasn’t willing to take any chances, so I remained extra vigilant.

My mind raced, though. Piper hadn’t hesitated to stop the witches from using the spell on Abby. Nor had Piper hesitated to do what was necessary to protect Abby. She hadn’t needed to be asked—she’d simply done it without question.

If not for Piper’s quick action, we’d all be in trouble right now. I’d been subjected to Ivy’s torture once before, and I was in no hurry to go through that again. Piper had saved our asses, and in doing so, she’d earned my trust.

The gaslight on the dash blinked, then dinged with warning. “We need gas,” I said.

“I need food,” Abby said.

I needed to feed, too, but not anything I could buy at a roadside convenience store. All the more reason to get home as quickly as possible. “I’ll pull over at the next stop, but we should be quick about it. No lingering. Get in, get what you need, and get out,” I said.

Minutes later, I exited the highway and drove another ten miles to an out of the way gas station. As soon as I stopped the car, Abby got out and stretched. Isach was right behind her, followed by Piper.

I took a second to breathe in a lungful of air that wasn’t tainted with Piper’s scent, but that was a joke. Everything about her lingered. Groaning, I got out to pump gas.

“I need to find a bathroom,” Abby said.

Fear flashed across Isach’s face.

“I’ll go with her.” Piper rested her hand on his arm. “I promise she’ll be safe.”

Turning my back to them, I twisted off the gas cap and smiled. Once again, Piper hadn’t hesitated to step up to ensure Abby’s safety. The more she did that, the more I realized I’d been wrong about her. She was proving trustworthy.

Isach returned with an armful of food. He set it in the back seat, then leaned against the side of the car. He was on one side of the gas tank, and I was on the other. We both stared silently at the pump as the price continued to climb higher.

“Thank you for taking care of Abby,” he said.

“I didn’t do it for you.” I crossed my arms and sighed. “I did it for her. And Chloe.”

“I know.” He nodded. “I realize I’m going to have to spend the rest of my life making up for what I did, and I will. I’ll do whatever it takes to make things right with her.”

“She doesn’t deserve anything less.” My words had an edge to them. “It’s not just Abby you need to make amends with. Your actions hurt a lot of people.”

His shoulders sagged with a heavy breath. “You of all people should know what this is like. Doing the wrong thing for what you think are the right reasons.”

He had me there. The gas pump clicked off. I squeezed a few more cents into the tank, then replaced the nozzle before twisting the gas cap back on.

“Then take it from someone who knows.” I pinned him with a hard stare. “No more lies. No more sneaking around. No more sacrificing yourself.” I yanked open the driver’s door. “You might be surprised by just how fiercely loyal we are to our own.” I climbed into the car before he could say anything else.

Isach remained standing outside, and when Abby and Piper returned, he opened their car doors. Well, that didn’t make me look like a total jackass, did it? I rolled my eyes and reminded myself once again that I didn’t want to be too friendly with Piper. I didn’t want anyone to know how I actually felt about her, not until I had time to make sense of it.

Isach handed me a slice of pizza, and I glared at it. He didn’t really expect me to eat this crap, did he? For the sake of being polite—despite what Piper and her sisters thought, I did have manners—I took the pizza and tore off a large bite. Then I gagged it down.

After torturing my taste buds, I glanced behind me. Abby had her head in Isach’s lap, eyes closed. Isach’s lids were growing heavier by the second, too. Piper was still wide awake, though. I settled in the seat, one hand on the wheel, the other resting on my thigh. Soft snores sounded from the back seat. That didn’t take long.

“Are you going to yell at me again if I turn on the radio?” Piper’s voice was soft in the dark car, which lent too much intimacy to her words.

“Depends what kind of music you pick.” I sliced a look at her.

Her hair framed her face and hung in natural waves around her shoulders. Her eyes full on sparkled in the dim lighting cast from the dashboard lights. She reached for the dial and flipped through various stations.

“I’m learning a lot about you on this trip,” she said.

“Oh yeah? Like what?”

“Well, for starters, you’re cranky all the time. You’re bossy. Have a total lack of manners. And apparently, you’re picky about your music.” She flashed me a teasing grin, and my body clenched with need.

“Guess I should warn you I’m a total food snob, too.”

She laughed. “That doesn’t surprise me.”

We fell silent as she searched for a decent radio station. Finally, she settled on one that played a mix of genres from various decades. When she sat back, I raised a questioning brow. She lifted her shoulder in a dainty shrug and rested her head on the back of the seat.

I shifted to get more comfortable. “Thank you for what you did for us back there.” I cleared my throat. “Stopping that car full of witches and protecting Abby.”

Without lifting her head, she turned her face toward me. “Be careful. You’re mean vampire façade is slipping. I might start to think you like me.”

I laughed. “I can be grateful for your help while still disliking you.”

“Do you? Dislike me, I mean?”

And for the first time since I’d met her, there was just the slightest bit of hesitation in her voice, an uncertainty that I wanted to stamp out completely. After I got done kicking my own ass for putting that doubt in her mind in the first place.

“No, Piper. I don’t dislike you.”

Her face glowed with the most vibrant smile I’d ever seen. “So, you really do know my name. You just choose not to use it.”

I rolled my eyes. “Like you have any room to talk. Cranky vampire isn’t my name.”

“No, but it suits you.”

She reached over and rested her hand on top of mine, and my entire body tensed involuntarily. Her palm was soft and warm. She gave my hand a gentle squeeze, and suddenly, other parts of my body were at full attention. I shifted uncomfortably, careful not to move in a way that would cause her to pull her hand from mine.

“I know you don’t trust me yet, and I know you’re worried what will happen once I’m near your family, but I swear to you, Jax, I’m not the bad guy.” Her words were packed with sincerity. “I like Abby, and I want to see her and Isach happy. They deserve a long life together.”

“I agree.” I had to force the words past my lips because the feel of her touch had set me ablaze, and I was seconds away from combusting.

“Truce, then?” she asked.

“Truce.”

With a warm smile, she released my hand, and I blew out a pent-up breath. She twisted so she was now facing away from me, curled up in the seat, and rested her head on the window. Within moments, she was asleep.

I flexed the hand she’d touched and wiped my palm on my jeans. If something as simple as her touching my hand could set me off into a spiral of need, how the hell was I supposed to survive being in the same house with her for God knew how long? Better yet, how the fuck was I going to keep the truth hidden from my brothers? Having gone through it himself when he first met Chloe, Trent would be able to easily tell the shift in my demeanor.

Piper hadn’t said a word, or even hinted at knowing she was my soulmate. Maybe she had no idea. If that were the case, I needed to be extra careful because I was not going to come right out and ask her. At least, not until I got to know her a little better. Maybe not even then.