Libra Ascending: An Epic Urban Fantasy Romance (Zodiac Guardians Book 1) by Tamar Sloan (top ten books of all time txt) 📕

A side road, probably a driveway, zips past them. “I’ve got an idea. Hold on.”

The SUV lines them up. The Skins sneer as they wait, wanting to make them sweat.

“What idea? Tristan—”

The moment the Skin twists the steering wheel, Tristan slams his foot on the brake. The truck screeches and slides to a halt as the SUV streaks over the road, no longer having something to bounce off. It jolts over the verge, careening as it tries to change direction. Tristan holds his breath, only to watch the vehicle quickly right itself.

“Of course, they do,” mutters Tristan. Crashing into the side of the road and exploding in a ball of fire would’ve been far too convenient.

A quick glance makes sure Brielle’s still bracing herself, and Tristan accelerates as he jerks up the handbrake and twists the wheel. The rear end of the truck spins around, and in a blink, they’re facing the other way.

Tristan’s foot slams down on the accelerator. The driveway they just passed has got to be only a few yards away. A quick glance in the rearview mirror shows the headlights of the SUV swinging around.

The Skins are about to give chase.

“Are you holding on?” Tristan asks. Hopefully this is the last crazy move he’s going to have to pull off.

“I haven’t let go!” snaps Brielle.

Tristan flashes her a smile. “That’s m’girl.”

The turn he takes onto the sideroad is fast and aggressive. Gravel and dust spew out, rising like a cloud behind them as the rear end of the truck swerves wildly. Tristan straightens it up and powers down the side road. Ahead is just what he was hoping there would be.

A barn.

Cutting the lights, Tristan veers off the track and bounces over the grass. The moment they’re behind the building, he turns off the engine. Hopefully the cloud of dust they left behind obscured their little detour.

The silence that follows is short-lived. The furious sound of the SUV rumbles toward them. Tristan and Brielle freeze, not even the sound of their breath puncturing the air in the cab. He almost shakes his head. It’s not like the Skins would hear them breathing. They either saw them drive behind the barn, or the truck managed to slip out of view just in time.

Still, Tristan doesn’t give his aching lungs what they want until the SUV zooms past and around the next bend.

He sags, his head thumping against the steering wheel. “Man, that was close.”

Brielle doesn’t move. “Are you sure they’re gone?”

“We’ll give them a few minutes, then get the heck out of here.” Tristan straightens, studying her profile. “The irony that the Skins didn’t see us will have us smiling one day.”

Brielle swallows, keeping her gaze straight ahead. “I hope so. I’m pretty sure my face is forever frozen in a scream.”

Tristan shifts across the seat, brushing a strand of Brielle’s hair from her face. “That was one hell of an introduction to the Skins. Are you okay?”

Brielle rubs her arms as if she’s cold. “They were trying to kill us, weren’t they?”

“From what I can tell, we’re worth more to them alive. But yes, dead is a close second.”

She shivers and Tristan wraps his arms around her. “We need to get home. Things will be different once you have your stone.”

Brielle curls into him, gripping his shirt. “Nothing’s ever going to be the same again.”

Tristan’s chest aches at the truth in those words. “But we’ll do it together.”

Brielle nods into his chest and protectiveness engulfs Tristan. The feeling of connection with this girl is overwhelming. The sooner she has her tanzanite in her hand, the better.

He pulls back. “It looks like we’ve lost them. Let’s get you somewhere safe.”

Brielle nods, wiping at her eyes. Tristan presses his face in close, his heart jolting as his eyes connect with hers. “Together, okay?”

The smallest of smiles tips up Brielle’s lips. “Okay.”

Sliding back behind the wheel, Tristan drives them back out to the road with the headlights off. His eyes spend just as much time scanning his mirrors as he keeps them on their ticket out of here.

It feels like neither of them take more than a shallow breath until they hit the tarmac. The streetlights feel warm and welcoming, the sight of another car zipping past has the noose around Tristan’s airway loosening.

He glances at Brielle’s pale face. “The good news is my place isn’t far from here.”

Brielle’s quiet for a moment and Tristan wonders exactly how freaked out she is. None of this would be easy to assimilate, especially when it’s thrown at you in an attempt to kill you.

She angles her head. “Where did you learn to drive like that?”

Tristan turns to face the road again. It seems Brielle isn’t so freaked out that she’s not wanting some answers. “Driver training started when I was twelve.”

“Twelve? That’s not exactly legal.”

“Neither is ramming someone off the road. Zarius figured that if I have to choose between death and dipping my toes on the wrong side of the law, we’d go for option B every time.”

Brielle twists even further to face Tristan. “Zarius?”

“Zarius is the palace soldier who was sent to protect me. He’s taught me everything I know—how to drive, how to fight, what we’ll need to defeat Chardis.”

“You sound close.”

“Zarius and Tess raised me. It’s a long story, but they’ve been the most amazing parents someone like me could have.”

Brielle nods slowly. “You’re very lucky, then.”

Tristan knows she’s thinking of her own chance at a happy family. He considers telling her the Pierces potentially know who and what she is, but he knows now’s not the time. He clasps her hand. “I’m looking forward to you meeting them.”

Brielle goes quiet but Tristan doesn’t have time to ask what’s going on. They’ve just turned onto his street, and his house is at the end of the block.

He pulls the car over, stopping.

Brielle straightens, looking around. There’s nothing but a park on one side and a corner store on the other. “What’s wrong? Where’s your