Once more, she found herself fighting for breath, suddenly behind a tree and unsure of how she got there. A moment later, Tiernan’s hulking frame appeared a few feet away.
“You can’t outrun me, Caleb,” he said, shaking his head. “And you don’t dare risk a shift.”
Another blur of movement and Ava was face-to-face with a door.
“Go inside,” Caleb urged. “I’ll draw him away.”
“What?” Ava shook her head. “What’s happening? Where am I?”
“It’s your dorm,” he hissed. “Hurry, before he—”
“Really, Caleb?” Tiernan’s mocking voice interrupted him. “This is getting tiresome, don’t you think?”
Caleb turned, squaring his shoulders. “You’re not taking her.”
A flash of red and blue lights drew their attention, and Ava breathed shakily at the sight of a police car driving up the path.
Tiernan glared at Caleb. “This isn’t over,” he said.
And then he was gone.
Two city cops stepped out of the car, hands resting on their weapons, one shining a flashlight toward them. Caleb pulled Ava through the door into the dorm.
“What are you doing?” Ava asked. “We need to tell them he was back.”
“Not a good idea,” Caleb muttered. He grabbed her wrist, heading down the hallway, but she yanked out of his grasp.
“Caleb, what the hell’s going on?” she asked, stepping back warily from his angry gaze. “How did you do that . . . move so fast? What happened out there?”
“We don’t have time for this,” he snapped.
She reached for the door, Caleb’s eyes following the movement. Her challenging gaze focused on Caleb as she whipped the door open to run to the police and tell them what had happened.
At least that was her intent.
But before she even turned the knob, Caleb had her across the hall, all but carrying her around the corner.
She gasped. “What . . . what are you?”
Caleb frowned. “That’s not your concern.”
He placed a hand on her forehead, and the world went black.
Ava awoke again in her room, dizzy and disoriented and completely alone. Her head was a muzzy mix of disjointed images, and she sat up slowly on the sofa, rubbing her temples absently. A knock sounded at her door, and she stumbled up from the couch, pausing for a moment to regain her balance. A glance at the clock indicated it was a little after midnight.
What happened? Where was Lucy?
That’s right. Her roommate had gone to the concert with some friends and decided to stay the night instead of walking home alone. She remembered talking to her on the phone just before she left work.
That memory was crystal clear. She could picture the couple in the corner booth sipping coffee and smiling—most likely a first date. Jake banging around in the kitchen, Lucy’s half-drunk voice on the phone.
But then . . .
She remembered leaving work—or at least getting ready to leave work—but the walk home was a blur.
Another knock shook her from her thoughts, and Ava peeked through the peephole to find a uniformed police officer standing outside.
The police. Why were the police there?
There was a reason . . .
She searched her mind for the answer but got nothing in return.
Ava opened the door, squinting out into the bright light of the hallway. “Yes? Is everything okay?”
“Miss Michaels?” The dark-haired officer nodded at her slightly. “Are you all right?”
Ava swept her hair back from her face. “Yeah. I was just . . .” She waved back into the room absently. “Sleeping?” She wondered why it came out as a question.
“Are you sure?” the officer asked, stretching to peek over her shoulder. “There was a report of suspicious activity outside.”
“ ‘Suspicious activity?’ ”
“One of your neighbors reported a man lurking about. A man matching the description of your attacker.”
Ava rubbed circles into her temple when a headache sprouted up out of nowhere. “Are they sure?”
“So, you didn’t see anyone, then?”
Ava shook her
“You can’t outrun me, Caleb,” he said, shaking his head. “And you don’t dare risk a shift.”
Another blur of movement and Ava was face-to-face with a door.
“Go inside,” Caleb urged. “I’ll draw him away.”
“What?” Ava shook her head. “What’s happening? Where am I?”
“It’s your dorm,” he hissed. “Hurry, before he—”
“Really, Caleb?” Tiernan’s mocking voice interrupted him. “This is getting tiresome, don’t you think?”
Caleb turned, squaring his shoulders. “You’re not taking her.”
A flash of red and blue lights drew their attention, and Ava breathed shakily at the sight of a police car driving up the path.
Tiernan glared at Caleb. “This isn’t over,” he said.
And then he was gone.
Two city cops stepped out of the car, hands resting on their weapons, one shining a flashlight toward them. Caleb pulled Ava through the door into the dorm.
“What are you doing?” Ava asked. “We need to tell them he was back.”
“Not a good idea,” Caleb muttered. He grabbed her wrist, heading down the hallway, but she yanked out of his grasp.
“Caleb, what the hell’s going on?” she asked, stepping back warily from his angry gaze. “How did you do that . . . move so fast? What happened out there?”
“We don’t have time for this,” he snapped.
She reached for the door, Caleb’s eyes following the movement. Her challenging gaze focused on Caleb as she whipped the door open to run to the police and tell them what had happened.
At least that was her intent.
But before she even turned the knob, Caleb had her across the hall, all but carrying her around the corner.
She gasped. “What . . . what are you?”
Caleb frowned. “That’s not your concern.”
He placed a hand on her forehead, and the world went black.
Ava awoke again in her room, dizzy and disoriented and completely alone. Her head was a muzzy mix of disjointed images, and she sat up slowly on the sofa, rubbing her temples absently. A knock sounded at her door, and she stumbled up from the couch, pausing for a moment to regain her balance. A glance at the clock indicated it was a little after midnight.
What happened? Where was Lucy?
That’s right. Her roommate had gone to the concert with some friends and decided to stay the night instead of walking home alone. She remembered talking to her on the phone just before she left work.
That memory was crystal clear. She could picture the couple in the corner booth sipping coffee and smiling—most likely a first date. Jake banging around in the kitchen, Lucy’s half-drunk voice on the phone.
But then . . .
She remembered leaving work—or at least getting ready to leave work—but the walk home was a blur.
Another knock shook her from her thoughts, and Ava peeked through the peephole to find a uniformed police officer standing outside.
The police. Why were the police there?
There was a reason . . .
She searched her mind for the answer but got nothing in return.
Ava opened the door, squinting out into the bright light of the hallway. “Yes? Is everything okay?”
“Miss Michaels?” The dark-haired officer nodded at her slightly. “Are you all right?”
Ava swept her hair back from her face. “Yeah. I was just . . .” She waved back into the room absently. “Sleeping?” She wondered why it came out as a question.
“Are you sure?” the officer asked, stretching to peek over her shoulder. “There was a report of suspicious activity outside.”
“ ‘Suspicious activity?’ ”
“One of your neighbors reported a man lurking about. A man matching the description of your attacker.”
Ava rubbed circles into her temple when a headache sprouted up out of nowhere. “Are they sure?”
“So, you didn’t see anyone, then?”
Ava shook her
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