Page 94 of Blade

We really needed to leave town.

“Alright, new to-do list.” The way Serena’s gaze dropped to her notebook had me wanting to sigh. “We can do this.”

Women were really scary…and Type-A women with something to prove were the most dangerous. However, we managed to escape after another hour of planning and designing the background she was going to start slowly dropping in hints around town.

“Do I look like the been-to-jail type?” I had to remind myself to focus on the road, not the mirror, as we drove back to the trailer. “I’ve always thought I look too innocent for that.”

Blaine couldn’t decide if he wanted to laugh or groan. “Avenging your first love will get you a lot of leeway in the South…not even that much could’ve changed. It will also provide a good cover story and will help make everyone want to keep your past hidden.”

We definitely weren’t coming back until this had all died down. In fact. I hated saying this. “I know we’ve been working down the to-do list very logically, but?—”

Blaine cut me off with a matter-of-fact tone. “But we need to leave tonight.”

“I think that’s for the best?” I’d been trying to let him work his way through dealing with his past and the grief I knew he must be feeling, but my anxiety was flashing like a neon sign and I could just feel something ready to go wrong.

“You don’t have to dance around this.” Taking a deep breath, he focused forward but reached out to take my hand, sending mixed signals about his mental state. “It’s necessary and will make us both more relaxed about the situation.”

Had my stress been that obvious?

I hadn’t lied about it…but that was mostly because he hadn’t asked about it.

“Besides, you’ve got a surprise for me and I think we’re both ready for a change of scenery.” That actually rang true but the way his fingers were barely caressing over mine said he was processing something. “I just have one thing I need to do first,so…so how about we pick a drive-thru before we leave the big city of Lumberton and then…”

Pausing, he took a breath as his hand squeezed mine again. “And then I’d like us to stop by the hospital.”

To see his Ida.

She seemed to have almost been another parent for him, and based on what he and Serena had said, she’d known him most of his life. She was also the only parental figure he could actually see and talk to, which had to be traumatic for several reasons.

“We can do that.” Giving him space while I got us more burgers since his shifter side seemed to prefer more meat-heavy meals, I did my best to actually stay quiet.

My goal was to let him process but before he was halfway through his second burger, he glanced over at me. “I know you’re trying to be nice but the quiet is actually creepy.”

Great.

“You needed time to think, not me blabbering about everything that comes in my head. I was being understanding.” I was kind of annoying to most people, and even though he didn’t seem to mind, eventually he had to need some quiet from me. “You’re supposed to thank me for it.”

He winced. “No. My mate always talks to me because it makes both of us happy. He likes sharing in a variety of ways but talking is one of the key types. This actually feels like you’ve been replaced by a pod person.”

Before I could ask him if he knew what that reference was, he glared at me. “I had to look that up because someone online said it and now I might have nightmares. You’re making me have to relive my trauma.”

He was very dramatic when he was trying to distract me…and himself.

“And I had a surprise for you. I was going to have you take me to the adult store in Lumberton, but we’ve got to leave townbecause people are nosy and ridiculous and your family will find out about all this somehow.”

I should’ve focused on the family thing but I was an easily distractable squirrel. “What did you want to buy?”

His groan said I just had to wait out his drama a bit longer but his stubbornness kicked in once he wasn’t upset any longer.

Being distracting worked against me.

“No, there will be other stores we can stop at as we drive.” Five minutes of pestering and all he did was shrug. “I have it on good authority that those stores are located along every major interstate.”

Technically he wasn’t wrong.

“We can make a detour. The chances of anything happening tonight are astronomical.” It couldn’t take that long to buy a few toys.

I was going to explain that but he started to moan and groan again. “I can’t believe you said that. We’re going to end up in some kind of alien invasion. Like that movie. Or the weird one with the plant that says something about some man named Seymour needing to feed him.”