Tamed: A Huntress Spin-off Novel by Adria Wade Page B

broken the bones in your face.”
    I looked up at him, caught off guard for a moment. I didn’t think he was paying me any mind with the banter going on.
    “Succubus?” I asked.
    “Yeah, only the most sadistic yet seductive creature you would ever meet.” His brows furrowed. “You didn’t know what she was?”
    “No. I’ve heard the name before, but I don’t know what they are or what they do.” I shrugged. “I didn’t think it would come to any importance to know.”
    “Not many people know exactly what they are capable of doing. They like to remain mysterious and hidden away. I’m actually the only one in this group that has come in contact with one… until now, that is.”
    Athena yanked her hand from Violet’s grasp. “Fine.” She rubbed the pain out of her wrist, closing her eyes, and let out a breath to calm herself. “Paige, I don’t mean to be rude, but you showed up and made it so much more complicated for me and everyone else. We had to watch our own backs, make sure you didn’t get killed, and get Andie out safely. That’s why I wanted you to stay home. I was only trying to protect you.”
    “We decided in the car that we would take Andie to Bram Manor and then come get you so you could say your final goodbye. You didn’t get any closure with Tessa, so I wanted to make sure that that didn’t happen with Andie,” Taylor said with a scowl still on his face.
    Oh, I was getting closure after all…now I felt like an idiot.
    “Game plan, guys,” Eli said.
    “She’s coming to Bram Manor so we can watch over her,” Lucas said.
    “I’m coming,” I said.
    “Wow, kid, you really like danger, don’t you?” Hunter said.
    Violet groaned. “She’s impossible to get through to.”
    “Yeah, that would have been okay if she was dead, but she’s not. There will be a blood crazed newborn vampire in the manor. It’s not safe. Please, just go home,” Taylor begged, desperate for me to see reason.
    I shook my head. I didn’t like the idea. She was in pain and I wanted to stay by her.
    “I will bring you to see her in the morning. I promise you that if you listen this once,” Eli said.
    There was silence in the air as every eye was on me, waiting for a reply, hoping that I wouldn’t put up a fight.
    I scowled and nodded. “Okay.” But only because he promised me tomorrow.
    Relief flooded his face. “Good. I’ll take you home.”
    I sighed and slowly walked to the car, my heart heavy with sorrow. They didn’t understand that home was wherever Andie was going.

Chapter Eight
     
    I got in the car, my mind reminding me of one daunting fear. What if she died during the change and I wasn’t there to hold her hand until the end? I didn’t even know if it was possible for her to die during her transition. I felt like I was reliving the tragedy with Tessa all over again; only this time I wasn’t responsible for what happened. I could feel myself slip away, deep into my mind. I couldn’t block out Tessa.
    I exhaled and started to shake my leg, feeling a surge of anxiety fill my nerves as I settled in the car. There it was, the flashback, the headlights of the car I was mere seconds from crashing in to. Tessa screaming my name before the impact. My hand reaching out to her and no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t reach her. I squeezed my eyes closed, forcing the images out of my head. Nothing is going to happen. Deep breaths, Paige, just try to stay calm.
    Eli slid in the car beside me, his brows knitting together as he looked down at my leg. “What’s with the leg shaking?”
    “Nervous habit.”
    “What are you nervous about?”
    He placed his hand on my knee and I automatically stopped. The warmth from his hand was enough of a distraction.
    “Calm it, thumper.”
    I burst into laughter. “Thumper?”
    He grinned. “Yeah, your leg was moving a mile a minute.”
    “I have…issues with cars.”
    “What, like a phobia?”
    “Yeah, something like that.”
    “You drove here,