Stefan's Salvation(32)

subject, asked her a question about her life, or he distracted her with sex. Not that she

was complaining, but they had to talk about it eventually. Admittedly, it had been she

who'd distracted him with sex last night. Well, maybe it had been a mutual seduction.

A small smile played at her lips. And while she didn't regret it, she knew she couldn't

go on like this much longer. She had to know what her options were and what he'd

meant that day when he said she could become like him.

She loved him. Of that there was no doubt. What was in doubt was how their

relationship would proceed from here. It was time to make some decisions. Tonight she

would make him sit down with her to talk and she would not allow him to distract her.

She grinned wryly. Well, she'd give it her best shot. Stefan could be most distracting.

Throwing back the covers, she rolled out of bed. Standing, she raised her arms over

her head and stretched. Her body protested the movement and she groaned. Stefan's

lovemaking sure gave her a workout. A soak in a hot bathtub would do wonders for the

slight aches in her muscles.

She'd have to make a quick trip to town at some point today to mail some orders

that had come in through her website. She decided that she'd get all her work done

around home early in the day and go to town later in the afternoon. Decision made, she

hurried down the hall to the bathroom as fast as she could, which wasn't really that fast

at all considering she felt so stiff. But she was smiling when she turned on the taps and

started running hot water into the tub.



Laurel Rose was smiling again later that afternoon as she drove up the curving

mountain road, winding her way home. Her packages were mailed and her trip into

Salvation had been uneventful. When she'd checked her postbox at the post office, she'd

been pleasantly surprised to find another order for one of her rugs, complete with a

check for several hundred dollars. It was from a regular customer who had bought

several of Laurel Rose's rugs for her family and friends. She'd made a quick stop at the

bank and deposited the check before stopping at the grocery store on the way home.

Anytime you got unexpected money, Laurel Rose thought, a celebration was in order

and she'd used the order as an excuse to pick up a container of cookie dough ice cream.

She glanced at the bag lying on the seat next to her, wishing she had a spoon so she

could dig right in and have some of the treat. It wasn't often she indulged, but when she

did, she enjoyed it to the fullest. She wasn't sure if Stefan would want any. He ate very

rarely, mostly content to watch her eat. But every now and then he had a few bites of

something she cooked. She'd asked him about that, her curiosity getting the better of

her. It had surprised her to find out that he could eat small amounts of food and that he

enjoyed wine on occasion as well. He didn't need it to survive, but his body could

handle food in a controlled quantity.

That was just one more piece of information that she filed away in her mind.

Perhaps she wouldn't mind being like Stefan if she could occasionally indulge in cookie

dough ice cream. Her stomach growled and she laughed at herself. She'd be home in

another five minutes and two minutes after that she'd be digging into her treat.

The truck jerked to the right at the same time Laurel Rose heard a loud popping

sound. Her hands clenched the steering wheel, trying desperately to control the vehicle

as it swerved off the road. There was barely any shoulder and no railing on the

winding, narrow stretch of road and the truck slid off it and down over a small bank.

Tree branches scraped the sides of the truck as she hit several more rocks. The truck

bounced over the uneven ground as she pressed down on the brake and struggled to

turn the wheel. There was no way to avoid the stand of trees in front of her. Nowhere to

go.

The impact jarred her and she hit her head just before the airbag deployed. Her

seatbelt snapped her backward, pulling tight across her hips and chest. Glass shattered

and metal groaned as the vehicle came to a sudden stop. Dazed, her first thought was

for her ice cream, which was no longer on the seat next to her. Instead, a huge tree

branch filled the space on the passenger side. It had broken through the windshield and

skewered the seat. If there had been anyone sitting next to her, they'd probably be dead.

Laurel Rose swallowed hard and looked away. The absolute quiet after the grinding

crash was unnerving. The whole incident was surreal. Memories of the last accident

she'd been in threatened to overwhelm her, but she shook them off. She couldn't help

herself if she panicked.

Concentrating with all her might, she forced her hands to unlock their death-grip

on the steering wheel. Taking a deep breath, she took stock of herself. She wiggled her

toes and immediately relaxed. There was no pain in her legs and they both seemed fine.

Her head, however, was another matter. Raising her hand, she touched the side of her

face. It was sticky and when she drew her hand away, her fingers were coated in red.

She was bleeding.

Her hands were shaking as she fumbled for her seat belt. It took her three tries to

get the buckle undone. She groaned as the belt slid away from her body. It had

probably saved her life, but she was going to have one heck of a bruise. Her midsection

already felt tender. She blinked as blood trickled into her eye and she made another

swipe at her forehead. It was surprisingly hard to do. She felt incredibly tired. All she

wanted to do was close her eyes and go to sleep.

No! Forcing herself to focus on her surroundings, Laurel Rose knew she had to get

out of the truck. She was far enough off the road that anyone passing by probably

wouldn't even see her. She needed to climb up the side of the bank and start walking

toward home. The road wasn't traveled very often, but someone might see her and help

her. But that wouldn't happen if she didn't move.

Licking her dry lips, she took a deep breath. It was going to hurt, but she had to

move. Her mind registered the sound of something crashing through the bushes a

second before the driver's side door was wrenched open. The grating sound hurt her

head and she closed her eyes and moaned.

"Laurel Rose, are you all right?"

The voice was familiar and she resisted the urge to groan again. Just when she

thought it couldn't get worse. She knew she should be grateful, and she would be, but

right now she was cursing the fates. Why did her rescuer have to be Jeremiah Stoner?

Opening her eyes, she saw concern and then relief on his face. "I'm okay."

"Good. When you went over the side, I was afraid you'd be killed." His voice

settled into its familiar deep, hypnotic tones.

"I had a blowout." Everything was becoming clearer to her now. She remembered

the sound of the tire popping before she lost control of the truck. It was just her bad

luck for it to happen on such a winding, bad spot on the road. It couldn't have

happened at a worse place.

"I know."

Something in the tone of his voice caused her stomach to clench, but she forced

herself to relax. She might not like the man, but he was a pastor at a local church for

heaven's sake and he was here to help her. "Just bad luck, I guess." She forced herself to

move, swiveling in her seat so that she could climb out of the wreck. Jeremiah stepped

back to give her room, but he was still far too close for her liking. But there was no

getting around the fact that she needed his help.

"More like divine providence." Her head snapped up and she really looked at him

for the first time. His eyes gleamed with maniacal glee as he wrapped his hand around

her upper arm. A beam of sunshine caught the barrel of the rifle slung over his

shoulder. "I waited several hours for you to come home. I would have been very angry

with you if you'd gotten yourself killed before it was time."

"You shot out my tire." She could hear the surprise and disbelief in her voice. Her

head was spinning as he dragged her out of the truck. The unexpected motion made her

stomach churn and she swayed.

But Jeremiah just laughed. "It's time, Laurel Rose. Time for you to repent your sins.

Time for you to give me your powers." He half pulled, half dragged her up the side of

the bank.

She caught herself on her palms as she slipped and fell, scraping them on the rocky

ground. She swallowed back the bile that started to rise up her throat. This was no time

to get sick. She had to watch for an opportunity to escape him. The man was crazy. She

could hardly believe that he'd actually tried to kill her.

No, not kill her. Just incapacitate her so he could kill her later.

All she had to do was stay alert and alive. Stefan would come for her. As if Jeremiah

had read her thoughts, his next words almost shattered her resolve.

"And don't think that your devil-boyfriend will save you. He's being taken care of

at this very moment. In fact, he might already be dead." Jeremiah's laughter echoed in

her head as she gritted her teeth to keep from crying out in anguish. She would not give

him the satisfaction. She'd know if Stefan were dead. In her heart, she would know.

Holding on to that thought, Laurel Rose concentrated harder than she ever had in

her life. It was becoming increasingly difficult to focus on anything. Darkness

threatened her mind as her vision began to dim while Jeremiah dragged her behind

him. Her entire body ached and blood trickled into her mouth from the gash on her

forehead. But still, she forced herself to do it.