Zach tensed. Jessie didn’t buy into Cara’s fantasy world, did she? “You know about the Cryptids?” he asked Jessie, keeping his voice neutral.
Jessie’s face was pale, but her expression determined. “Oh, yeah,” she answered.
That wasn’t exactly an I’ve-bought-in-to-the-wacky-lady’s-story type comment. But then Jessie followed it up with, “How did you know we were in that facility?”
Zach swallowed. He didn’t want to admit just how warped he was, especially to Jessie.
Cara sighed. “Tell her, Zach.”
Was Jessie thinking he was a perverted kidnapper better than her thinking he was crazy? Either way, his chances of buying her tea and cupcakes anytime in the future were basically nil.
Jessie pressed. “The police asked if I screamed. They said you heard someone scream. It wasn’t me. And I don’t remember hearing any screams, either.”
Cara swerved in and out of traffic on the four-lane stretch of Main Street. The crystals in her braids clanged against each other with every abrupt movement. Zach kept his gaze focused out the windshield. “I was lying about the scream,” he admitted. “That’s not how I found you.” His fingers drummed on the dash. “I can sense people’s emotions. I was in the area for a delivery, and I felt your fear and pain.”
Jessie’s eyes were huge. “You can hear people’s thoughts?”
“Not thoughts,” Cara corrected. “Emotions. Zach is a Cryptid Empath.”
Zach winced. “I had a terrible accident when I was seventeen. Cracked my head open and was in a coma for two months. Since then, I’ve been Superman in a totally useless way.”
After a moment Jessie said, “Well, it wasn’t useless this time. If it hadn’t been for you, I’d still be there.”
Zach twisted again to meet her eyes. “You believe me?”
Jessie’s gray gaze was steady. What he sensed from her wasconviction. So he knew her answer before she spoke.
“Considering what I’ve seen... Yes, I do.” She leaned forward to address Cara. “Where is this Neil?”
Who the hell was Neil? Zach glanced at Cara.
“Kade’s bringing him back to my place,” she said.
Kade? Apparently, there was an entire cast of characters Zach knew nothing about. Which only revealed how little he knew about Cara.
“Who is Kade?” Zach asked.
“You don’t know him?” Jessie asked. When he shook his head, she added helpfully, “Kade is a werewolf.”
Jessie’s sense ofconvictionnever wavered. She believed what she was saying.
When Zach’s mouth dropped open, Jessie asked Cara. “How bad is it?”
Cara’s mouth set into a grim line. “It’s bad.”
Zach sat back in the seat and stared out the window. The biggest difference between animals and humans was honesty. Not honesty to others, although there was that. But rather honesty toself.
People lied to themselves all the time. Talked themselves into believing things that weren’t true.
Zach regarded Cara through narrowed eyes. “Is this Kade connected to how you ended up with Jessie?”
“Yes,” Cara admitted. “Jessie was attacked last night.”
“Attacked?” Zach’s heart accelerated. “What do you mean, attacked?”
“I was attacked by a werewolf,” Jessie provided. “Kade saved me.”
Zach’s world was rapidly spiraling down a rabbit hole. “Kade, the werewolf, saved you from another werewolf?”
