"Seriously?" Hayley whispered. "Is he nuts?"
I shushed her again.
"I told you that you need leverage to negotiate, Maya. So do they. Separately, you're just two groups on the run. Join forces and you will all have enough leverage to negotiate a return on your terms." A pause. "That return will include the Delaneys." Another pause. "Your parents. I know that's what you want and I know that's what you need."
We'd all get our families back, he promised. Then he told us everything we needed to know to get to the Project Genesis kids.
When the tape finished, I braced for Hayley's outraged protests. Instead, she was quiet for at least a half kilometer. Then she said, "Okay. So what are our other options?"
"We run."
"Run where? We'd need a goal, right? We can't just run forever."
"There's that guy they mentioned in the car. Lucas Cortez. We could go to Portland, find him, and see if he'd help."
"But his dad is CEO of another Cabal. One that's at least as powerful as the Nasts. I'm getting the impression these Cabals aren't exactly charitable organizations."
"Agreed. It's a possibility, though. Or we can find the Project Genesis group, tell them, and run with them."
"And then what?" She sighed and shook her head. "That's really what it comes down to, doesn't it? And then what. Calvin's right. We can't run forever. We don't want to. I want my mom and my dad and my sister back. And, yes, I want some kind of normal life back. I know that makes me sound like exactly what you'd expect--a spoiled cheerleader--but it's what I want."
"Me too."
She looked at me, surprised.
I shrugged. "I know that 'totally normal' is out of the question. I don't think we ever had that anyway. But I want my parents and I want a life. Plus, we have medical issues--Annie's reversion, Corey's headaches, and possibly more we haven't found out yet."
"Then this really is our only option."
"It seems so."
When we reached the park, I started getting anxious again, thinking about Daniel. Would he be here? How badly was he hurt? Had Rafe made it? Soon my hands started itching, my muscles bunching, my nails thickening.
"You know, that could get really inconvenient," Hayley said as I rubbed my hands and tried to refocus.
"Tell me about it," I muttered.
"Do you know what causes it?"
"Stress. Fear. Anger. Right now, it's door number one."
My arms started throbbing. I rubbed them. Hayley noticed and sighed.
"Okay, change of subject. Let's--" She stopped. "Um, explain to me why we don't want you changing into a big cat?"
"What?"
She gestured at my pulsing arms. "Why not let you change? You can move faster as a cougar. You can see in the dark better. You can sniff them out better."
I stopped rubbing my arms. "You're right."
"Don't sound so shocked." When I protested, she cut me off. "In the van, did you really think I was taking a nap? I was faking it so they'd relax and maybe we could escape."
"Oh."
"Yeah, oh." She rolled her eyes. "Go on and do your shape-shifting thing."
As usual, I passed out to shift. When I got to my feet, I was still groggy enough that I let out a yowling squawk when a voice behind me said, "Wow."
I twisted to see Rafe there.
He crouched to eye level. "I didn't mean to startle you. I thought I heard voices earlier, so I jogged over and Hayley said you were in here. She made me wait until she could be sure you weren't naked anymore."
I chuffed.
"Yeah, I was disappointed, too."
I rolled my eyes. He walked over and crouched again. Then he reached out and ran his fingers along the fur from my chin to my neck.
"Wow," he said. "I am trying so hard not to be envious right now."
I moved closer, rubbing against him, relieved he'd made it. Then Hayley appeared.
"Yeah, yeah," he said. "I waited. She was decent. Although, technically, she's still naked."
"You're such a perv." She turned to me. "Okay, kitty. Lead on. We'll try to keep up."
"Yeah, good luck with that," Rafe said. "If she runs, we're history."
THIRTY-THREE
I MEANT TO KEEP at their pace, but it was infuriating. The campsite was clear across the park. I could be there in a few minutes. I could know if the guys were there in a few minutes. I could know if Daniel was okay in a few minutes. Finally, Rafe told me to go off ahead. He could see me and if they lost me, he'd shout.
We'd found the right path already. It was overgrown in parts, with downed branches in others--not a popular route--but in cat form it seemed like an open highway, as I leaped over every obstacle with barely a hitch in my speed.
Rafe had to call me once and I circled back at warp speed, heart racing with impatience until I heard him yell, "Gotcha. Go on," and I tore off again. I think he might have called again, but I pretended not to hear. I was almost there. I could easily return for them. I raced around the last bend so fast I missed seeing a rodent hole until the last second. My paw hit the edge of the hole and I stumbled.
Pain ripped through my foreleg. I forced myself up and gingerly touched my paw down. A fresh stab of pain. I gritted my teeth--which doesn't really work that well in cat form--and limped forward. I was almost there. Just through these trees and--
The clearing was empty.
I stopped and stood there, flanks heaving with panic. They weren't here. Their faint smell was at least a day old. Maybe two, meaning they hadn't come back after Daniel got hit.
I limped forward. Something rustled and I spun to see a burger wrapper caught in a bush. I went over, put my nose to it, and inhaled. It smelled like Corey. We hadn't eaten burgers before the memorial service. So he'd come back. But where was he now, and--
Another smell hit me as I backed away. Copper. Blood. I stumbled to it and found dried blood seeped into the ground. The spot smelled like Daniel. Oh, God.
Where was he? Had Corey taken him to a hospital? Please, Corey, tell me you took him to a hospital, no matter how much he argued.
I took off, using my sore leg and not caring as I barreled through the thick brush, branches scraping and poking me until--
"Whoa!"
I looked over to see Corey down a path, his hands raised.
"Holy hell, please tell me that's you, Maya."
I hesitated, nose in the air, searching the breeze. Searching, searching . . .
I caught it. I ripped around fast enough to send Corey scrambling for cover. I barreled past him and into another clearing, where I saw a blond head bent over a fire pit, trying to get it started.
As I raced toward the fire pit, Daniel looked up. He grinned. He didn't even look to see if the big cat bearing down on him bore my birthmark. He just opened his arms and let me race to tackle him, stopping and skidding at the last moment as I remembered he was hurt, but it was too late and I skidded right into him and knocked him over, and he only hugged me and laughed and whispered, "I knew you'd come back."
"Yep, that's Maya," Corey said from behind us.
Daniel gave me a bear hug as I wriggled like a kitten, my sore paw forgotten as I rubbed against him, inhaling his scent, letting my pounding heart slow. I snuffled him, trying to find where he was hurt, but he only laughed as if it tickled. I reached up and licked his face. He let out a sputtering laugh and fell back again.
"I see you found them," a voice said.
I looked over my shoulder to see Rafe and Hayley walk out of the woods. Rafe's gaze was fixed on me, his expression cool, and I scrambled off Daniel as guilt darted through me.
"Yep, she did," Daniel said, giving me one last pat before pushing to his feet. He walked over to Rafe and grasped his hand. "Good to see you."
Rafe looked abashed, then covered it with a forced grin. I took a deep breath to still my thumping heart again.
When I relaxed, my paws started throbbing again, telling me the return shift was coming. I walked to Rafe, took
the dangling leg of my jeans between my teeth and tugged him toward the woods.
"Do you want to take the clothes, or . . . ?" he began.
I let go and motioned to the forest.
"Ah," he said, grinning. "Be back, guys. Time to offer moral support, apparently."
He followed me into the forest. When we were out of sight of the others, he set my clothing on a log, then crouched in front of me.
"Okay, you do your thing. I won't look until you're decent. But if anyone asks? I totally looked."
I licked his face.
"Yow. That stings. Like being kissed with sandpaper."
He smiled, then walked to the log and sat with his back to me. I lowered myself to the ground, and almost as soon as I did I passed out, as if my body had just been waiting for its cue.
When I woke, my arm felt better, as if it had only been temporarily twisted. I crept over, took my clothing, and dressed. Rafe stayed with his back turned until I sat down beside him.
"Fully dressed?" he said. "Damn."
"Sorry. Next time I'll leave my socks off."
He laughed and got to his feet. Before we left, he pulled me into a kiss.
"Happy now?" he murmured.
I looked up at him. "Very happy."
"Good. Now go do your healing mojo. Let's make sure he's okay."
When Rafe and I stepped onto the path, there was a guy walking ahead of us. I saw the slim figure, the dark gray T-shirt, the chestnut brown hair, and I froze.
"Ash?"
He turned, and I raced down the path and threw my arms around his neck, hugging him as his armload of sticks jabbed me.
"I thought you'd left," I whispered.
"Why would I?" he said, wriggling out of my embrace.
"Hey," Rafe said. "You must be Maya's brother. I'm--"
"I know who you are." Ash turned to me. "You okay?"
I nodded. "The Nasts aren't going to mistreat potential future employees."
He didn't ask how I got away. He knew he'd get the story eventually.
As we stood there in silence I rocked on my heels, resisting the urge to embrace him again. I could tell that would not be welcome. "I'm really glad to see you here. I was sure you'd leave."
"Why?"
"Um, because I was taken captive. And you were nearly taken captive."
He snorted. "I don't spook that easy. And if they took you, I'm sure as hell not running away, not after you got yourself captured trying to protect me." A glare. "Which was stupid." He didn't pause to let me reply. "You needed my help, so I stayed. That's what I came here for, isn't it? Getting you out of this mess you've gotten yourself into."
"Gotten herself into?" Rafe said.
"Well, thank you." I said to Ash. "For staying." I turned to Rafe. "Although he says he knows who you are, I'm still going to annoy him by being all polite about it. Rafe, this is my brother, Ash. Ash, this is Rafe. My boyfriend."
"Yeah, I figured that when I heard he was taking your clothes to you."
"You were around earlier?" I said.
He shrugged. "Getting firewood. Didn't want to interfere with you and Daniel." A glower at Rafe. "I'm going to strongly suggest you don't go with my sister next time she shifts. Got it?"
"Yes, sir."
Rafe's words were brittle, but Ash didn't seem to notice. Or didn't care. Just waved me back to the campsite.
THIRTY-FOUR
DANIEL WAS FINE. ASH and Corey had been keeping a careful watch on him, ready to grab a taxi to the nearest hospital if he started coughing up blood or feeling sharp pains. The blood I'd found was from a nasty scrape on his arm that had opened up when Corey cleaned it. That was his worst injury. The driver had hit his brakes before impact. He'd knocked Daniel flying, but that was it. Bruises and scrapes, already scabbed over. I still used my healing on him, though. I don't know if it helped, but it made me feel better.
While I worked on Daniel, the guys lit a fire. It was getting cold and they'd decided it was safe enough as long as they kept it small. Once that was going, I explained what happened with us. That took a lot longer than Daniel's story.
First I told them about Sam, Annie, and Kenjii and why they weren't with us.
"And Nic?" Daniel said when I finished talking about the others. His face was drawn with worry. "Is she okay?"
I took a deep breath. "She's . . . fine, and she's not fine. I-I don't know how to tell you this . . ."
"Then I will," Hayley cut in. "Nicole--"
"No," I said sharply, then softened my tone. "Please. Let me."
Rafe stood. "Maya's right. The rest of us can find something else to do. Hayley? Can you explain to Corey?"
Ash seemed unwilling to leave on Rafe's command, but at a whisper from Corey, he followed them out of the clearing.
When they were gone, Daniel lowered his voice and said, "If Nic's been hurt, you can tell me, Maya. I know you hoped there'd be something between us, but there isn't."
And thank God for that. If you had started dating her when I pushed you to it . . .
"We're just friends," he continued. "I'm going to be upset if she was hurt, but you didn't need to send them away. Corey's just as close to her as I am."
"It's--it's not that. She's . . . the experiments . . . Or I think it was the experiments, but I don't know for sure. Maybe it's just her. I . . ."
I saw his confusion, and I tried to think of a way to word it. When no ideas came, the words did, blurted.
"Nicole killed Serena."
He didn't react. He just kept staring at me, blankly, as if processing. Then he said, "Nicole . . . ?"
"Drowned Serena. She's a xana, like we figured. She swam out under the water and pulled Serena down."
I thought of Serena, under the water, fighting for her life while I searched for her. How long had she struggled? How long had she been under there and I could have saved her if only I'd found her, if only--
Daniel put his arms around me, pulling me against him as I shook and the tears started.
I pulled back. "I'm sure."
"I didn't ask if you were."
"I know, but it sounds crazy. I started suspecting her after she was captured. Sam said some things and when I saw Nicole in the camp . . . Things happened that I didn't tell you about. I had to be sure. Then, at the house there, she admitted it. Everyone knows. There isn't any question. Nicole killed Serena."
"Why?"
I took a deep breath. "Because she was jealous that things came so easily to Serena. Nicole worked so hard on her grades and her singing and her swimming, and Serena did better than her without working at all. I know that sounds like a crazy reason to kill someone, but she's . . . well, she is crazy."
"Did she do this?" he asked, touching the side of my neck.
I reached up to feel a faint scratch there. I hadn't noticed it before. I don't think anyone had.
"We . . . had a fight," I said.
"She attacked you." He stopped my protest. "I wouldn't blame you for going after her when she admitted to drowning Serena, but that's not like you. She attacked you. She tried to kill you." His hand tightened on my knee, mouth tightening, too. "Again."
"She's not stable. She--"
"I know. And I should care. Legally insane, that's what the verdict would be, and someone who plans to be a lawyer should understand that. But I don't care. She killed Serena. Her friend. Probably her best friend. After she tried to drown you, she mourned Serena with you and she pretended to be your friend. Then she tried to drown you again, crossing the channel. I don't care how crazy she is. I don't care if they fix her." His grip on my knee tightened even more. "She had better never, ever come near you again, or . . ."
I must have winced as pain shot through my knee. He looked down and yanked his hand away, then swallowed, flexing his hand.
"I wouldn't hurt her," he said finally. "Not if I didn't need to. But that doesn't mean I wouldn't want to. I don't care what that makes me. I just--"
I put my arms around his neck and
buried my face against his shoulder. "I know."
When the others came back, I told them about Antone. That was tough. How to explain that the guy we'd been running from had helped us escape? That he wanted to help us solve our problem?
I focused on the role he'd played in our escape and how he'd championed us against the Nasts, to help Daniel and the others understand why I came to see him--however reluctantly--as an ally.
I kept glancing over at Ash. He sat so far back that if he didn't have skin-walker hearing, I'd have thought he was ignoring the conversation. But he wasn't. I knew that.
I wondered what he was thinking. What he was feeling. Abandoned by our mother. Sent away by the couple who'd taken him in. Repeatedly rejected by foster families. After that, you'd want to flip a middle finger to the world and say, "I don't need anyone." But he'd still feel the longing, the bitterness at missing out on what should be a normal part of any kid's life--family. Then he discovers he has a father who seems to want him--really want him. Only he's playing for the bad guys, and even if he was on our side, could Ash ever trust anyone again? Wasn't it better--safer--not to?
When I finished, everyone went quiet. Then Daniel said, "Antone wants you to go back, doesn't he? Voluntarily."
I looked over at him.
Daniel continued, "I know he wasn't going to let you just walk away. If he cares about you--which he seems to--he knows we can't make a go of it out here. We could find our parents, but that only endangers them. You seem resigned to letting him have Kenjii, which tells me it's temporary. As does the fact that Rafe doesn't seem too anxious about Annie."
"Believe me, I didn't leave her behind by choice," Rafe said. "She figured out we were going to try escaping and . . . and they're helping her. I hate to admit that, but it's true. I'm not sure I would have chosen to leave if . . ." A sidelong glance at me.
"It's okay," I murmured. "You didn't have any choice, either."
I knew what he was saying--that given the option, he might have stayed behind with Annie. Did that sting? Choosing his sister over me? No. I knew where his priorities lay.
"The point is that you're okay leaving her there for now," Daniel said. "She needs their help. Corey needs it, too. Maybe we're all going to have side effects--serious ones." There must have been a look on my face, because he glanced at me sharply. "Maya? Are you--?"
Ash came out of the shadows, cutting him off. "Go back? Did I hear that right?"
"Not go back," I said. "Negotiate a settlement."