Bex nodded once, and then sprinted down the alley toward Titan. The sirens grew closer. Jared squeezed my hand and kissed my cheek. He opened the passenger door, and brushed the broken glass from the seat, and then repeated the process on his side. We drove south, stopping just outside of town. Claire and Ryan were waiting in Ryan’s Tundra truck.

“I figured you would need a vehicle with windows for your road trip,” Ryan smiled, tossing Jared the keys.

“Thanks,” Jared said.

Claire pointed to the bed of the truck. “We brought your luggage. Good thing you were going on a trip, anyway.” I nodded, feeling a little lost. Claire offered a sympathetic expression and a hug. “Sorry about Sasha. You’ll be soaking up the sun on vacation, and I’ll be here finding out who tried to kill you. Whether they’re human or not, they won’t bother you again.”

I frowned, and then tears pushed over my eyes and fell down my cheeks. I squeezed her tight.

“Don’t worry,” she said, making a point to look into my eyes. “This will all be over soon.”

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve

Road Trip

South on Interstate 95. With my head rested against the passenger side window, I kept the beat in my head with the white lines as they zoomed past and out of sight. My body felt empty and numb; I didn’t know if I was awake or asleep. Traumatic events should have been second nature to me. Maybe that was why I wasn’t a crying, shaking mess. I wasn’t coping—or maybe I was. Maybe I was simply feeling acceptance, but it was hard to know without feeling anything.

Jared moved a piece of hair from my face. “Why don’t you try to sleep?”

“I don’t know if I can.”

“Try,” Jared said, rubbing my arm. It was just a comforting gesture; we both knew I wasn’t cold. Bean coming sooner rather than later suddenly seemed a relief. Summer was unbearable for any pregnant woman, but considering my heightened temperature, it could mean trouble. Jared’s hand left my arm and rested on my stomach.

My eyes finally shut sometime soon after entering the Bronx, and didn’t open again until we were just south of Philadelphia’s City limits. It was still dark when I awoke, my hair plastered against my cheek, warm and moist between my face and the console. Jared had made the distance in half the time it should have taken.

It wasn’t long before I processed where we were and why, and then the tears came. “Oh,” I said, wiping my cheek. Being unsettled and upset was a strange relief. I was normal, after all.

“It’s going to be okay, sweetheart,” Jared said, leaning over to kiss my hair.

“Have you heard from anyone?”