The Scent (The Bryn and Sinjin Series Book 2) (13 page)

“Well, then, we will agree that we have no plan and therefore need to come up with one,” I replied grumpily. I refused to look at either one of them because I couldn’t help my feelings, but that didn’t change the fact that I still felt how I felt. “But as to Kinloch Kirk, we can’t go back because we don’t belong there.”

“What do you mean, you do not belong there?” Sinjin insisted, spearing me with an irritated expression. “Of course you belong there! You should be with your sister and your own people.”

“You aren’t my people!” I snapped before remembering my cool. Facing forward again, I inhaled a deep breath.

“Then Luce is?” Sinjin demanded, but I refused to respond to him. Instead, I changed the subject.

“I don’t belong in Kinloch Kirk,” I repeated glumly. I found it hard to look at him even though I couldn’t avoid the weight of his gaze on me. I found it far easier to look at the never-ending blur of trees outside the window that were interrupted only by the intermittent motion of the wipers as they cleaned the rain off the windshield.

“Then you prefer that I return you to your own people?” Sinjin asked angrily. He seemed to be taking turns looking at the road and glaring at me. “You want me to return you to Luce? Even after you and Betta escaped from him?”

“No,” I answered immediately. I was more than keenly aware that Betta was gaping at me from the backseat. At the thought of being returned to Luce, my entire body nearly caved in on itself. No, I refused to return to the torturous existence I’d endured for the last three weeks. I knew I didn’t belong with my sister and her people, but I also didn’t feel right with my own. I was no longer one of them; and after what Betta had done, neither was she.

“No, we obviously can’t go back to the tribe,” I started with a sigh, because I didn’t really know where that left us. Alone, it seemed. “But that doesn’t mean we should join my sister and her people either.” I couldn’t bear to witness the disappointment that suddenly flashed in Sinjin’s eyes. Instead, I focused on the raindrops that trickled down the passenger-side window. “We don’t belong anywhere. I guess we’re just wanderers.”

“You are acting quite dramatic, my little paramour,” Sinjin replied as he turned to face me and his eyes burned into mine. I held his gaze for maybe a second before I had to turn back to the window, not feeling strong enough to stare him down. “But what I will tell you is that I did not come all this way simply to leave you to your own defenses.”

“Come all this way?” I scoffed, turning to face him so the anger that was building inside of me could suddenly burst forth. I was surprised at the overwhelming onslaught of resentment that erupted through me, but I also couldn’t seem to hold it back. “Yeah, let’s talk about that for a minute,” I spat at him, now unable to peel my gaze away. “If it were so important to my sister and you to rescue me, why the hell did it take you three weeks to do it?” My voice began elevating of its own accord.

“Bryn,” Betta began worriedly.

But I held my hand up, letting her know I refused to be silenced so easily. “No, Betta, I want to know his answer.”

Sinjin faced forward for a few seconds, as if he were collecting his thoughts. When he turned back to me, his eyes were icier and narrowed into skinny, azure slits. His jaw was clenched tightly and I could tell my words hadn’t exactly been well received. “In case you fail to remember, Princess,” he started and said the word “princess” with as much disdain as he could muster, “I have not sampled your blood in a very long time.”

“So what?” I threw his words back at him with a shrug like his comment held no weight.

But Sinjin didn’t lose his cool. He never lost his cool. “So … if you recall, the only way by which I can track and locate you is through your blood.”

I didn’t say anything, but only returned his stare as if to suggest he needed to further explain. So he did.

“And tracking you through your blood first requires that I drink it.” He glared at me for another few seconds, during which time I said nothing. I simply frowned back at him, and was not at all comfortable beneath his irritated expression. “Hence, owing to the long duration since I last had the pleasure of tasting you, my ability to trace your whereabouts was scant, at best.”

“Well, it couldn’t have been that scant, considering you managed to trace me from Scotland to Montana!”

But Sinjin shook his head, and appeared to be perturbed, to say the least. “I merely guessed that you were in the States, based on my prior knowledge of Lurker camps.”

“Lurker camps?” Betta repeated, sounding puzzled.

“That’s their name for us,” I responded as an aside. My exasperation only mounted as soon as I returned my attention to Sinjin.

“Interesting,” Betta answered.

“Once I arrived on American soil,” Sinjin continued, now sounding defensive and angry at the same time, “it took all my ability not only to pick up on your scent, but to follow it. Furthermore, the fragrance of your blood became so faint as to mislead me along the way more than once. If you must know, I traveled as far as Minnesota, South Dakota and Wyoming.” His gaze remained fixed on the road ahead of us, as if he didn’t want to look at me. I wasn’t sure why, but that bothered me too. “Thus, my little fury, you might consider yourself more than lucky that it took me merely three weeks to find you, rather than three months.”

I swallowed hard, choosing to not say anything more because I hadn’t exactly mastered the art of admitting when I was wrong and, more so, I was still feeling sorry for myself.

Well, snap out of it, Bryn!
I railed mentally.
Since when did you start feeling sorry for yourself? Since never! And you’re not about to start now!

“And for your added information, Princess,” Sinjin continued, practically spitting the words at me. “As soon as Luce absconded with you, I came after you. I did not rest nor quit despite the odds of achieving such an impossible task. I refused to let up until I had you in my custody and could ensure you were safe and well.”

I still found it hard to respond. So I just gulped down my own humiliation and the ensuing anger over said humiliation.

“Well, I’m glad you found us when you did,” Betta interjected in a soft voice. She started chomping on her gum again as she faced me. “Better late than never, right?”

“One would assume so,” Sinjin answered for me. He glanced at me from the corners of his eyes, while keeping his head facing forward.

Maybe it was a personality flaw, but I found I couldn’t say I was sorry and I couldn’t say thank you. Instead, I just sat there, fuming, but mostly at myself because I knew I owed Sinjin an apology and my gratitude.

“So where and how did you get this car?” I grumbled, trying to change the subject so I wouldn’t appear like a total ass.

“I simply hired it.”

“What is it?” I persisted, struggling to pull the words out of my mouth.

“A Porsche,” Sinjin answered, keeping his lips just as tightly pressed as mine.

“Where are we going?” I continued, refusing to look at him.

“You tell me.”

“Anywhere but Scotland.”

“You will have to be more specific.”

“Anywhere but Kinloch Kirk.”

“That was the opposite of specific!”

“Oh my gosh, will you both please stop it?!” Betta interrupted, sounding exasperated. “You both are way too old to be acting like school kids!”

“Well said, Betta,” Sinjin agreed with a nod to her reflection in the mirror. But when he looked over at me, his lips were tight again. “As to you, Bête Noire, if you promise to return my ball, I will allow you to play in the sandbox.”

I was quiet for a few seconds as I looked at him and found his expression completely stoic and serious. And then I could no longer control myself as a laugh came rumbling out of my mouth.

***

As to where we were headed, it wasn’t so much under my control as Sinjin might have led me to believe. The impending dawn made itself known in a streak of daylight that appeared behind the otherwise black mountains before us, and we pulled into a parking lot of a motel, located off the highway.

“Why are we stopping?” Betta asked as she chomped on her gum, which I assumed was flavorless by now.

“Because, my dear, human Lurker, vampires do not do well when exposed to the sun’s rays,” Sinjin informed her. He put the Porsche into park and opened his door, stepping outside and pulling the seat forward so Betta could get out.

“Ah, I bet you wish you were a Daywalker right about now,” she said as she climbed over his seat and stepped outside. She took a few seconds to stretch. “They are just like you, like vampires, but they can walk in the sun, you know?”

“Yes, I am quite aware of what Daywalkers are,” Sinjin answered as he turned to face me where I stood just outside the passenger door. “And no, I do not wish I were a Daywalker. I am quite content to be a vampire.”

I didn’t respond to his comment, but watched his cool, confident smile as I shook my head, not daring to encourage him. He started for the door of the nondescript motel, Betta and me obediently following him.

“How are you feeling?” Betta asked as she took my elbow and attempted to help me walk even though I felt fine enough to walk on my own.

“I’m okay,” I said while Sinjin turned around and eyed us both with what appeared to be irritation.

“Is it possible for you both to please stop dawdling?” he asked, tapping his foot impatiently. “I daresay the sun is nearly upon us! If I wait any longer for you, I fear I shall be reduced to a pile of ash!”

“And you accuse me of being the dramatic one?” I grumbled. I separated myself from Betta and walked the remaining few feet on my own. Although I felt remarkably better than I did in the forest, I still wasn’t quite as spry as normal. Whatever happened to me with Jack had really wiped me out.

“What is the matter with you?” Sinjin demanded as soon as we caught up to him and headed inside the small lobby of the motel. It consisted of a multi-colored linoleum floor, two vending machines in one corner, and a smallish desk in the other, where a little, old woman was poring over a crossword puzzle.

“What are you talking about?” I replied in an irritated tone as he took my arm and led me up to the front desk.

“You look as if you have not slept in many days and you are much too thin,” Sinjin whispered back to me. He didn’t allow me the chance to respond because only moments later, he was addressing the little, old woman who observed the three of us with unmasked curiosity. “Hello, madam,” Sinjin started, his English accent suddenly much more pronounced.

“Hello,” the woman answered, and her parched lips spread into a grin, revealing three absent teeth.

“My wife and I would like one room please,” Sinjin said as he smiled down at me and I frowned back up at him, all the while wondering what he was up to but lacking the energy to ask. “And our lady friend would like a room of her own,” he finished as he inclined his head in Betta’s direction.

“Okay,” the old lady answered, and, moments later, she handed Sinjin two keys.

“Shall we, my dear?” Sinjin inquired with an arched brow as he glanced down at me with a knowing smile. I just shook my head and thought if I had to deal with Sinjin from here on out, I’d need a lot more sleep.

TEN

“I’ll go sleep in Betta’s room,” I announced once Sinjin closed the bedroom door of the old-looking motel behind me. The structure was a two-story that appeared somewhat small, with maybe twenty rooms. It was painted white, but the paint had faded in some areas and was chipping in others, which gave the place a dilapidated sort of look. I had to admit to my surprise that Sinjin would even consider staying in such a place, but the sun was quickly on the rise so I guessed vampires couldn’t be choosers.

As far as our two rooms were concerned, Betta’s was directly adjacent to this one, and a door in the center of the wall connected them. Betta only agreed to leave me alone with Sinjin once I promised her he was a friend and not considering me as his next meal. Even though they seemed chummy enough in the car, apparently, Betta still wasn’t totally convinced where vampires were concerned. And that was just as well, because in my mind, it was better to trust no one and be happily surprised rather than vice versa.

“Very well, you are free to seek your repose wherever you desire,” Sinjin started, but the expression on his face said loud and clear that he actually wasn’t going to give in so easily. “But first I must insist that you and I have a little conversation.”

“A conversation?” I repeated, my eyebrows reaching for the ceiling as I wondered what he wanted to discuss. Furthermore, there
was
that little problem known as the morning sun, which was due to rise any second. “Don’t you have to hole up in the closet or something? So the sun doesn’t turn you into charcoal?”

Sinjin nodded and sighed in what appeared to be slight disinterest as he finished pulling the dusty, navy blue drapes closed over the only window in the room. With its aluminum frame, it looked circa 1970. He peeked out the window, which offered a panoramic view of the parking lot, as if to ascertain just how bright the day was becoming outside. The nascent glow of early morning was definitely in full effect, exposing itself in a light blue that bleached the shadows of the previous night. “Perhaps thirty minutes remain before the sun will reveal itself fully,” he responded as he turned to face me, studying me intently.

“What?” I didn’t feel very comfortable beneath his stringent gaze and was even less comfortable when he didn’t respond right away. Instead, he stood there in his black pants and long-sleeved black shirt with the top buttons undone. I could make out the indentation between his clavicles. A flashing image of Sinjin naked from the waist up immediately popped into my head as a distant memory, and I had to beat it back into oblivion. There was a time when Sinjin and I definitely harbored … sexual feelings for one another, but that was long ago.

Bryn, it wasn’t that long ago,
I told myself.
It was barely three weeks ago.

Three weeks? I didn’t know how it was possible, but those three little, unassuming weeks felt more like three centuries. So much had happened in the span of twenty-one days that it almost didn’t seem fair to label the memories in terms of days, hours, minutes and seconds. Not when everything was so drastically different now. Not when I was so drastically different.

Feeling ill at ease with the stark nudity of my thoughts, I returned my attention to Sinjin. I couldn’t help but notice how his black hair was clean and trimmed short around his ears and face, while the top was a bit longer than the sides. He was every bit as stunningly handsome as I remembered him—just as ideally perfect as the image of him that came to mind almost every day I spent in prison.

“Explain why you are not comfortable returning to Kinloch Kirk,” he demanded, and his deep voice sent chills up and down my spine. He crossed his arms over his chest and had an expression like someone who was mentally prepared for a response he wouldn’t like.

I cleared my throat and rubbed the back of my neck, not at all comfortable with the way Sinjin made me feel. I couldn’t say that the feelings he drummed up inside me were of a purely sexual nature, because I couldn’t imagine ever feeling desire for another man again; but whatever they were, they were real, all the same. “I thought I already explained the reasons why I couldn’t go back to my sister’s when we were in the car.”

“The Porsche,” Sinjin corrected me with a boyish smile. He tapped his long index finger against his chin and continued to stare at me as if he were reading the book of my thoughts right off my face.

“My mistake,” I grumbled, with no sincerity. If anything, I was irritated that he was correcting me and, worse, was so damned attractive while doing it. And that realization gave me cause for pause.

Why are you surprised that you’re still attracted to him?
I questioned myself.
You’ve always been insanely attracted to Sinjin! You think three weeks away from him could really change that?

But I knew my surprise had nothing to do with the length of separation between us. No, it had everything to do with what had happened to me over the last three weeks. Now I felt like I had nothing in common with the woman I’d once been. And given that stark reality, I didn’t think I could ever find any man attractive again.

“Yes, you came up with a rather clumsy response to my question while we were en route to this motel,” Sinjin started. He sounded all businesslike again as he returned to the subject at hand. “But as you can probably assume, I did not and do not find your reasoning wholly intact.” He didn’t say anything more for the span of a few seconds, but continued to stare at me with those ice-blue eyes, which made me feel like a naughty child being scolded for acting out of turn. “I daresay your pride is still wounded; are you so disappointed that I did not find you sooner?”

I swallowed hard as soon as I heard his words because the thought of him finding me quickly led to thoughts of where I’d been when he found me. But as to Sinjin’s question, no, I couldn’t say I was still angry. His explanation regarding my weakened blood trail made sense. “No, I understand why it took you as long as it did.”

“I am pleased to hear that,” he answered with a slight yet somewhat furtive, nod. “Furthermore, I will have you know that your sister was a wreck where you were concerned. Not a night went by that she did not contact me and inquire as to whether or not I had located you.” I didn’t say anything, but inhaled deeply as the thought of my sister made me feel hollow inside, somehow … even sad. “When I informed her that I had finally picked up your scent, she was overjoyed,” he continued, coming closer to me until I suddenly felt the irresistible urge to take a few steps back. There was something about Sinjin that intimidated me. “Your sister loves you.” He said the words with finality, and his piercing eyes bored into mine. His expression was pensive, earnest and so intense, I felt like he could see right through me. I cleared my throat, but was overcome by the inability to form words. All I could do was stare into his eyes. I could only wonder if he were bewitching me or if this was just how it was between the two of us. “And you love her,” he finished.

“I,” I started but then lost the flow of my thought.

“She rang me earlier, after you collapsed when I came across you and Betta in the forest,” he continued, glancing down at his long fingers and inspecting his nails with practiced ennui. Moments later, he looked over at me again and studied me with his poker face. “You do realize I must make contact with her shortly to inform her that I have taken you and Betta into my custody?” I nodded and he continued. “Furthermore, she will want to know what your plan is; and, of course, whether I should return you to Kinloch Kirk.”

I just nodded, acknowledging that he was right in his thinking. But I didn’t say anything.

“Shall I inform her then, that the three of us
are
returning to Kinloch Kirk?” Sinjin inquired before a frown marred his handsome face. He turned his attention to the door that led to Betta’s room. “I am, of course, assuming that your traveling companion will not remain true to her Lurker heritage, based on how she assisted you in your escape.”

“Betta isn’t a Lurker,” I responded absentmindedly, because I was still trying to figure out what I planned to do about my impending future and whether or not I wanted to return to my sister.

“Very good,” Sinjin replied with a brief nod as he faced me again. His lips were still just as tight as before. “Then, the only subject we have left to discuss now is you.” I nodded, but still couldn’t respond because I didn’t have an answer for him. I didn’t know where I wanted to go or what I wanted to do.

“I don’t want to discuss me,” I announced.

“I am afraid that the subject is unavoidable,” Sinjin responded, his tone of voice deliberate. “Your sister will want an update from me shortly.” He paused for a few seconds and studied me behind stern eyes. “I do not want to disappoint her.”

Even though his expression said he was waiting for me to respond, I couldn’t find words.

“I hope you changed your mind about my returning you to Kinloch Kirk and your family?” he pressed.

But the idea of returning to my “family” turned me ice-cold.

You can’t go back to Kinloch Kirk or to Jolie,
the voice inside my head piped up.
Do you really think you’ll be able to pick up where you left off and carry on like everything is okay? Do you think you’ll be able to pretend like everything is rainbows and sunshine? Are you going to be able to pretend like you’re the same person you were the last time you saw your sister?

No.

My stomach dropped as I faced the bare facts. There was no way I could return to the life that I formerly had.

“Your sister is awaiting word,” Sinjin said in a deep yet soft voice, almost as if he realized he was interrupting my internal debate. I was fully aware that as soon as Sinjin called her, she’d want to talk to me. And it wouldn’t be an easy conversation by any stretch of the imagination. On the contrary, Jolie would want to know what happened to me over the last three weeks, and if I was okay. And I wasn’t sure how to answer her, because I wasn’t okay.

“I don’t want to talk to her,” I announced.

Sinjin didn’t seem pleased with the news. “She will most assuredly want to speak to you.” He paused for a few seconds. “She would have already reached out to you in thought but I warned her that Luce could very well intercept any telepathic conversations you both have.”

“And he wouldn’t be able to intercept any cell phone conversations we have?” I asked with a brazen laugh.

“Not when the Prophetess protected my mobile against would-be eavesdroppers,” Sinjin retorted.

“Well, either way, I don’t want to talk to my sister and I don’t want to go back to Kinloch Kirk,” I spouted with a devil-may-care attitude. “End of story.”

What was more, I never wanted to discuss what happened to me with anyone … ever. Instead, I planned to permanently bury that information in the vault of my thoughts where it could never resurface again. Even though I obviously had no control over what happened to my body, I could control my thoughts. I still reserved the right to never revisit the subject again. And that was the choice I intended to make.

“Explain to me why not.” His voice was curt and unsympathetic.

I shook my head immediately, not at all ready to open up to Sinjin and allow him to glimpse the horror I’d endured for the last three weeks. No one needed to know that information. No one except Betta and me. And, really, even that was one person too many. “That’s my business,” I answered with tightened lips as I glanced back up at him. I was beginning to realize that from here on out, it had to be just Betta and me. Why? Because Betta had no one just as I had no one. She was becoming my new family merely by default, merely because she’d witnessed the horror I’d lived through, and that made her the only one who knew my secret. She was the only person I didn’t have to hide from, and the only person who truly understood me. I felt like I was eons away from the person I used to be.

“What happened with Luce?” Sinjin asked, eyeing me pointedly. “What happened to you after you were taken prisoner?”

I gulped, and my heart began to race as bullets of sweat beaded along my forehead and the small of my back. However, I forced myself to hold his gaze because I didn’t want to acknowledge the terror that was snaking through me. “That’s my business,” I replied dryly.

“Of course you were punished for your disloyalty?” Sinjin persisted, his narrowed gaze suggesting he wasn’t going to back down. But there was no way he could win this battle. There was no way I would willingly part with the information.