In Her Shadows by Michelle M. Pillow

Author:Michelle M. Pillow [Pillow®, Michelle M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: The Raven Books LLC

Chapter Five

The loss of Jaxon was a surprise. She never thought he’d treat her like the others—like a delicate flower to be marked and protected and controlled without so much as a say. He should have asked her first. She would have said no, on principal, but he should have asked.

“I should have listened to my parents and not gone out alone. One mistake as a ten-year-old and I’m doomed,” she muttered to herself. The irony that she was sneaking out of her guardians’ home without their permission wasn’t lost on her. Really, what worse thing can happen?

For a few hundred dollars and about thirty-two hours of travel, she could get to Kansas City by bus. Why Kansas City, Missouri? The ticket was for sale, and she had the money. It was half way across the United States. The Kansas-Missouri border seemed like a place people went to get lost. And, the cost of living was supposed to be cheaper in the Midwest.

The sound of the bus slipping into gear caused a strange sense of relief and sorrow. Olivia’s favorite belongings were stuffed into the messenger bag at her feet, and her clothes were shoved into a canvas bag in the luggage storage. The nearly packed seats were filled with everyone from a crocheting middle-aged woman to twenty-something backers to and older woman who alternated pulling a tissue out of her sleeve to wipe her nose and shoving it back in.

Daylight gave her some protection. Only Hathor and Servaes could chase her during the day, and they wouldn’t realize she was gone for hours. She rested her temple against the window and watched in silence as the city turned into interstate and trees. Before long she was in Idaho, and then Montana. As time slipped by and the day turned to evening, she began watching the countryside for blurs of movement beyond that of the moving bus.

They drove into Missoula, Montana where she’d switch buses. She touched the tip of her tongue to Jaxon’s mark, which drew forth the memory of his passionate kiss. A very treacherous part of her wanted him to follow her.

A tiny movement by her foot caught her attention, and she frowned. Without moving her head, she looked down. The guy next to her was trying to nudge open her bag with the toe of his boot. Her automatic reaction was to slam her foot down on his while turning to grab him by the neck. He gasped, startled.

Seeing his shocked face, she let go. He pushed up from his seat and backed away from her. “Crazy fucking bitch!”

Breathing hard, she grabbed her bag from the floor and hugged it to her chest. She held it tightly as the bus pulled into the Missoula station. Olivia waited until the would-be robber debarked from the bus and watched him through the windows until he was out of sight.

“Which bus did he say, dear?” the tissue lady asked as Olivia stepped off the bus.

She glanced at the old woman in confusion and didn’t answer.

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