Midnight Wolf (Shifters Unbound #11)(49)

Angus clamped his mouth shut, willing himself to stop talking. He expected the next words out of Tamsin’s mouth to be All right, then. No. But she said nothing.

They went on, Angus cutting south of Austin, skirting San Marcos, and north into darkness again. Ciaran dozed behind them, worn out from the excitement and his worry that they’d lose Tamsin. It had been Ciaran who’d caught sight of her leaping from the field and yelled at Angus to stop.

“We need to pull off somewhere so you can sleep,” Tamsin said sometime after Austin’s lights had faded behind them. “Ciaran too. I’ll keep watch.”

Angus gave her a quick look. “You really think I’d do that? First, no way am I letting you decide to run off while I’m asleep. Two, there’s nowhere to stop. Kendrick’s place is out—Dylan will simply corner us there. Every Shifter in Kendrick’s group and the Austin Shiftertown will know by now that Dimitri lent me this truck, so they’ll be looking for it. We need to find different transportation and only then a safe place to rest—far, far from here.”

“Wherever here is,” Tamsin said, peering out into the dark. “Too bad—I like this truck. I hate to give it up. It’s cozy.”

“It’s conspicuous. Shifter Bureau might not know about it, but every Shifter in Texas will soon.”

“Out of the frying pan, into the fire. That’s the saying, right? Where are we, do you think?”

“River country west of Austin. At least that’s what the signs all say. There’s a map in the dash.”

Tamsin pulled out a thick, folded-up paper map. “Oh, I love maps. The paper ones are much more visceral than ones on a phone screen, right?” The map rustled as she unfolded it, then she flipped on an overhead light to study it, while Ciaran, who’d awakened, looked over her shoulder. “Let’s see. Here’s Austin. There’s the lake. The river goes that way to—Llano?”

“Passed it. We’re on the 71.” A sign flashed by to confirm that.

“Next town is called Brady.” Tamsin’s finger touched it. “Not much out here. Very small towns. I like small towns, but I kind of stand out in them.”

“No kidding.” With Tamsin’s brilliant red hair and laughter, bouncing in and out of people’s lives, she must make herself memorable. “We’ll head for San Angelo,” Angus said. “It’s a big enough town to let us be somewhat anonymous, and we can find another ride there.”

Tamsin traced the line on the map. “Yep, that’s where this road goes. How do you know so much about the middle of Texas?”

“I’m a tracker. I know a lot about a lot of places. Plus I used to drive all over the country when I was a trucker. And the biggest clue is we just passed a sign that said San Angelo was eighty-five miles from here.”

“Smart-ass,” Tamsin said. “Can you stay awake that long? Maybe I should drive.” She gave him an eager look.

“Yes, I can, and no, I’m not letting you drive. You and Ciaran try to get some sleep, and I’ll wake you when we get there.”

“All right,” Tamsin said. She shook out the map, folded it perfectly—Angus could never get the things to fold up again—unbuckled her seat belt, and climbed into the back with Ciaran.

“Not on the bed,” he said. “Too dangerous if I have to stop suddenly or someone runs into me. You could go flying.”

“Sheesh,” Tamsin said in mock outrage. “I haven’t accepted the mate-claim and already you think you’re my lord and master.” She buckled herself in next to Ciaran. “Let me tell you, Mr. High-and-Mighty, I don’t care if I accept your claim and do the sun and moon ceremony with you. I’m not about to be an obedient, submissive little mate who does everything you say.”

“Good.” Angus stepped on the gas. “I’d gag if you were.”

“Just so we understand each other,” Tamsin said.

“Oh, I think we do.”

Angus’s tension eased a bit as Tamsin stuck out her tongue at him, then drew Ciaran against her, leaned back, and closed her eyes. Ciaran snuggled happily into Tamsin’s side, opening one eye to give his dad an admonishing look.

She hadn’t instantly rejected the claim. For some reason, this made Angus warm, and a hope he hadn’t felt in years rose. A need as well. He looked forward to reaching San Angelo, finding a place to rest, and continuing the conversation.

Bright lights flashed in Tamsin’s face. She jumped awake, fearing to find police and Shifter Bureau bearing down on them, but what she saw made her sit up straight and point over Angus’s shoulder.

“Hey, there’s a good place to hide.”

There was a carnival, a wide empty lot covered with machines bearing screaming people aloft, lights flashing and blinking, music reaching them through the closed windows of the truck.

Plenty of semitrucks were parked around the periphery, with cabs of all colors. RVs and trailers mixed with them, the carnival workers’ traveling homes.

Angus was silent, as though trying to think up an argument. There were plenty—the carnival people would notice them slipping their truck in among theirs, they weren’t pulling a trailer, Ciaran might eat too much cotton candy . . .

Angus slowed the truck and turned, rolling across a cattle guard to a dirt road that led to the lot full of semis. He drove carefully, easing the black cab in between a red one and a brown, killing the lights and the engine.