Eliza Gayle Witch Bundle (paranormal romance), Eliza Gayle [books suggested by bill gates txt] 📗

She stumbled when Noah stopped unexpectedly, and was headed for the water face first when a large, strong hand shot out to catch her.

“Let’s save the swimming for the pool, okay, babe?”

She turned her head to give him an idea of what she thought about his sarcasm and looked into the depths of his dark blue, snappy eyes and the wry grin on his face. Her heart stuttered and her stomach flipped. She let the words she’d been about to slap him with die on her lips. Instead she smiled back at him and let him pull her upright again.

“Thanks.” Her voice was barely a whisper.

Steady on her feet again, she finally noticed the boat sitting on the water twenty feet in front of them. The small, dark green boat looked big enough to hold two people—just the right size for not only maneuvering around some of the tight spaces in the swamp—and also easy to hide if they had to.

“Get in the front.” Jessie rushed into the boat while Noah hurriedly untied the rope from the tree before jumping in behind her. A flick of the switch on the small motor hanging on the back, and it hummed to life. If anyone was close by they would definitely hear, but they’d lost contact with their pursuers at the edge of the swamp, so it likely wouldn’t matter. She hoped. At this point she could use some luck on her side.

“How are we going to keep them from just following the magick?” She was worried they wouldn’t get far.

“Well, Denn is working on something, but for now it’s up to us to stay one step ahead of those bastards back there.”

Jessie struggled with the emotions that his voice at her back called up. She needed to get away from him and fast, before she did something they’d both regret. Apparently even a few weeks in a fucking dungeon didn’t put a damper on her libido when it came to one Noah Scott. Unfortunately, she suspected now more than ever if he found out what she was, things would go bad—very bad.

“How far are we from the city proper? I have a suggestion.”

“Probably about six or seven miles, cherie. Without any further trouble it shouldn’t take us long to get to where I have a vehicle stashed up river.” His easy slip into a local accent did funny things to her insides.

“There is a place down off Charles Street that could easily confuse anyone looking for magick. Some of the Voodoo shops down there that cater to the locals have such a strong resonance of dark magick anytime of the day or night, we should be safe there, at least temporarily,” she spoke eagerly.

“Do I even want to know how you know that?”

“Probably not.”

She felt the heat of his eyes boring into the back of her head. He might let her explanation go for now, but he was a hunter through and through. He would eventually circle around back to it.

Chapter Two

A couple hours later, Noah’s black SUV stopped in front of one of the seedier no-tell motels on Charles Street. She surveyed the area for any sign of trouble and found only a few streetwalkers roaming the area looking for johns.

“Wait here.”

“But—” she started to protest.

“No. I want no potential witnesses seeing any sign of you around here. Voodoo whispers in the night, giving away your secrets when you least expect it. So, you will stay right there and wait for me to return.”

She sighed, realizing he was right. She had no protection against that kind of thing, and if Scott was still using her power he would have a definite edge over them. A fact she’d have to share with him sooner or later.

“Don’t worry, Jessie. I won’t be gone more than a few minutes and we won’t be staying here long. I need a little time to make a few arrangements and you look like you need the rest. What did he do to you anyways?”

“Just go do what you have to do, Noah, we can talk about me later.” She relaxed into the comfortable leather seat, letting her head fall back against the headrest. He was right, she needed to rest, recharge. Come up with a new plan. Seems like a new theme for me, she thought. Rest and plan. Rest and plan. Problem was, she hadn’t come up with any good plans in a long while.

* * *

Goddess, he hated seeing her like this. His every instinct to protect and shelter her had kicked into high gear, and it was pissing him off. He shouldn’t care. The woman had left him without a backwards glance eight months ago, turning her back on his loyalty and love. If he was smart he’d walk away now before things got worse between them. A heavy sigh rolled through his shoulders. He couldn’t do that, either. He had made a promise to his brother and hers that he would see her safely back to them, and he never upped and quit on a commitment like that. Never.

Shaking off his thoughts, he surveyed the lobby area before throwing open the door. The clerk at the desk jumped at the sight of him. Noah gave himself a cursory glance in the reflection of the window glass and laughed. Black T-shirt, black cargo pants, and black boots all caked with mud and smelling like swamp. Well, the night man was just going to have to get over it. He and Jessie needed a quick temporary place to hide, and this was as good a place as any.

“I need a room for tonight.”

“That will be—uhh—I will need state ID and a credit card.”

“Noah pulled out a fat wad of cash from his pocket and laid it on the counter. About one hundred more than the usual fee he would guess. “Will this do?”

The clerk hesitated for a second. His tongue darted around his lips and he gave Noah another quick glance. “Sure thing, but I don’t want no trouble here.”

“No trouble, just some rest and a shower. Can this place handle that?”

“Sure can.” He handed a key