"What did Corey say?" I asked, my voice low, a spark of anger igniting in my gut. "If he implied there was ever anything between me and Daniel--"
"It's not you. It's Daniel."
"What?"
He hesitated and seemed ready to brush it off, then backed up, putting more distance between us, cracking his knuckles. "You and Serena drew straws to see who would ask Daniel to a dance a couple of years ago, right?"
"Yes, but--Wait, who told you that?" Only Serena and I had known about the game.
"She told Daniel."
"What? No. Why--?"
"You drew straws and you let her win."
"Whoa, wait. No. I never told her that I let--"
"But you did, right?"
I paused. "Yes, because she was crazy about him."
"And you weren't. He was just a friend."
"Exactly."
Rafe nodded, as if it was what he expected. So why were we even having this conversation?
"Wait a second. Serena told Daniel that I let her win?"
He nodded.
"Why would she do that?"
"Because she knew he'd only go to the dance with her if he knew you weren't asking him and that you weren't asking because you didn't want to."
"I . . . I don't understand."
"Don't you?" Rafe's voice softened. "Daniel wanted you to ask him to the dance. I don't know why he agreed to go with Serena. The obvious answer is that he hoped to make you jealous, but that doesn't sound like him. I think he agreed because they were friends and it would be rude not to. That sounds more like Daniel."
"No." My heart beat so fast my words came out breathy. "It wasn't like that."
"Yeah, it was. He went to the dance with her because he felt he should. And maybe, a little bit, because you broke his heart."
I looked up sharply. "No. I never--"
Rafe held up his hands. "Not on purpose. Corey said it wasn't like that. Daniel didn't go out with Serena because he was mad at you. He just . . . I don't know. Corey figures he was killing time, maybe trying to show you he'd be a good boyfriend, maybe even hoping you'd realize you did have feelings for him. Only you didn't."
I thought of what Daniel had told me a few days ago, about his relationship with Serena. We were doing fine. But it wasn't . . . going anywhere. When she first asked me to that dance, I didn't feel right saying no. She was a friend, and--
And . . .
He'd stopped there. Just stopped and looked away.
And you didn't want to ask me.
No, it wasn't like that. Rafe was wrong. Corey was--
"Corey told you this?" I said. "When did he tell you? Why would he tell you?"
"It was at Salmon Creek, after you and I started getting together. He was trying to scare me off. If you dated summer guys, that was fine. But this didn't look like a summer thing and he wanted me to know, in no uncertain terms, that you were taken. I ignored him. Sure, I could tell Daniel liked you, but if he hadn't made a move, that was his problem. You snooze, you lose. I thought he couldn't have been serious about it or he'd do something. But then, when we were hanging outside that helicopter, and I saw his face--he was going to hold on to you even if it meant he fell out that door with us. . . ."
Rafe shook his head, turned away, and took a few steps before stopping, his back still to me. "I realized I hadn't seen things right. Daniel wasn't sitting on the sidelines because he wasn't sure how he felt about you. He was waiting. Waiting for a sign from you, because he was afraid to make a move and risk losing you as a friend. I felt bad for him because I was sure you didn't feel the same way. And then . . ."
He turned now, slowly. "When I got back to Salmon Creek, it was just . . . this whirlwind of stuff. You were so happy to see me that I couldn't doubt what you felt for me, especially after I confessed about being wired and it didn't make a difference. You wanted me. No doubt. When you insisted on telling Daniel about the wire, I told myself that was the right thing to do, as a friend. Nothing more. But it was like turning on a switch. A little tickling doubt, and now every time his name is mentioned or I see you two together, I'm watching for signs. And I'm seeing them. Something changed after that helicopter crash. I notice you two looking at each other, whispering together, and maybe whatever I'm seeing was always there, but I don't think it was like this."
He took a deep breath and walked back toward me. I stood rooted, unable to move, much less speak. Rafe stopped right in front of me, then rested one hand on my waist.
"I need you to tell me I'm imagining things, Maya."
"Wh-what?" I managed.
He leaned in and a strand of hair fell forward on his cheek. I stared at that strand. I wanted to reach out and tuck it back, laugh, and tell him he was crazy. But I couldn't. Underneath the panic swirling through me was something harder. A tiny core of anger. Not just anger. Hurt. Confusion. Betrayal.
"Tell me I'm wrong, Maya. Tell me you feel absolutely nothing for Daniel except friendship."
"Or what?"
He blinked at my tone. "I--"
"We are getting ready for what could be the most important meeting of our lives," I said, brittle words snapping as I forced them out. "I have spent the last few hours struggling not to run behind the nearest tree and puke. We have to pull this off or I might never see my parents again. And you decide we need to do this now? No, you decide I need to do this now. Forget everything else. My boyfriend is feeling jealous so I need to reassure him?"
His eyes widened then. Sparks of panic. He said something, but I didn't catch it. Blood pounded in my ears.
"--right," Rafe was saying. "It can wait. I never meant to talk about this now." He paused, then squared his shoulders. "But at some point we do need to talk about it. He's in love with you, Maya--"
"No, he's not."
"Yes, he is, and everyone knows it. Not just Corey. That's why Sam hates me. She thinks Daniel deserves what he wants, and what he wants is--"
"No, it is not!"
The words came out as a roar that had Rafe stumbling back. Tears filled my eyes, the forest shimmering through them. My chest tightened until I had to pant to breathe. Slowly I lifted my gaze to look at him.
"Why would you tell me this? He's my friend. My best friend. And now every time I look at him, I'm going to know he wants more, and . . ." Quick breaths, gasping for air. "And it'll never be the same. That's what you wanted, isn't it? To make sure that even if it is just friendship, it will end."
A scent wafted past on the breeze. When I tried to catch it, it was already gone, but somehow it lingered in my brain and swirled with the anger and the hurt and I felt my hands start to throb. I clenched them into fists.
"That's not what I want, Maya. I would never come between--"
"You just did!" I said. "I have been through hell this past week. I thought I saw you die. I watched my parents at my funeral. I found out my entire life is a lie and I might never get any kind of normal one back. And do you know who got me through? The one person I can count on--always count on. Maybe you're jealous because that's not you, but as crazy as I am about you, there's someone who's been there a hell of a lot longer and that's who I needed. But you couldn't handle that, so you took it away. When I need it most, you yanked it away."
I took off his bracelet and set it on a tree stump. He stared at it, then at me, and I saw the panic in his face. I saw regret, too, and shock, and I wanted to seize on that. He's sorry. He didn't mean it. He made a mistake. But all I could think about was Daniel, and what this meant and how I felt about it and, oh God, how did I feel?
And that smell. That tendril of scent that I couldn't catch, that made something in my gut throb and made my hands throb and--
Rafe reached for me. I stumbled back, wheeled, and took one step away and when I did, I took another, then another, starting to run, crashing through the forest, branches whipping me, running faster and faster, feeling my body shifting, screaming at me to stop, just stop, let it finish, but I kept going, Rafe behind me, yel
ling my name, spurring me on, until finally I tripped and blacked out before I even hit the ground.
THIRTY-EIGHT
WHEN I WOKE AS a cat, it was as if I hadn't done more than stumbled and fallen. I sprang up and kept running, pushed by the distant sound of Rafe's voice and pulled by that smell, that damned smell. Danger, that's what my gut said. It smelled like danger and I had to focus on this. Find the source of the threat before it found us.
I tore through the woods, following that teasing scent. Running here was different. The forest was different. Not my rainforest, but thick deciduous woods, the ground heavy with vines and undergrowth. After I tripped a few times, I forced myself to slow down and find a path. Then I flew along it until the ground blurred beneath me.
"Maya!"
The voice came from in front of me and I skidded to a stop, panic rising.
"Maya?"
It came clearer now, accompanied by running footsteps and I recognized those steps, just as I recognized the scent. My heart gave a little thud. A good thud. A relieved thud. Until Daniel stepped onto the path and everything Rafe said flooded back.
"I thought I saw you. Yes, I know, I'm supposed to be resting, but Ash snores even louder than you." He grinned. "I had to take a walk."
I looked at that grin and I heard Rafe's words. He's in love with you. But I didn't see love. Not the kind Rafe meant. I just saw Daniel with his open, infectious, happy-to-see-you grin. Nothing else. Not in his smile. Not in his face. Not in his eyes.
That was good. Corey was mistaken. Maybe there'd been a time when Daniel thought we could be more than friends, but then he got together with Serena and that changed. He might not have fallen in love with her, but he'd realized he didn't feel that way about me, either.
Relief. That's what I should feel, looking into Daniel's face and seeing nothing more than friendship. So why didn't I?
My stomach clenched. I turned to leap into the forest.
"Hey!" Daniel said, jogging toward me. "What's up?" He paused, then scanned the woods. "You're playing with Rafe? Is that it? I'm interfering."
He tried for a smile, but there was something about--No. There wasn't. It was just a smile.
He stopped about a meter away. "You guys out blowing off steam?"
I shook my head.
The grin returned. Brighter? God, stop analyzing.
But that's how it was going to be now, wasn't it? Analyzing. His feelings. My reactions.
"Maya?" He hunkered down. "Is everything okay?"
The scent wafted past again and I seized on that. I made a show of lifting my nose and sniffing.
"You smell something?" He pushed to his feet, shoulders tightening as he scanned the forest. "Someone's out there. Okay, let's deal with this. You lead . . ."
He said something more, but all I caught was that scent, wafting around me now, filling my head.
"Maya? What's--"
I bolted.
As I raced through the forest, I told myself I was just following the scent. But the fact that it happened to lead me away from Daniel helped. Focus on this. This is real. This is important.
The scent grew stronger. Dog? Human? No, it wasn't dog and it wasn't human. It was something in between--
The answer hit me as the scent did, a full blast of it, as if my target was right in front. . . .
But all I saw was darkness. I'd plunged into a thick copse and I could make out the faint glow of a birch tree, but that was it. The rest was black--
Two eyes swung my way. Bright green eyes. Peering at me from the darkness. Then that darkness erupted. A massive form flew at me, black as midnight, green eyes glowing. And fangs. Huge white fangs, bearing down on me.
I turned to run, but the beast was too close. It hit me in the side and knocked me down. Before I could scramble up, before I could even see what it was, the beast sprang. Teeth clenched my throat and pinned me to the ground.
"Derek!"
A girl's voice. The beast stiffened. Not a beast. A werewolf.
He kept me pinned. He didn't clamp down harder, though--just held me there.
"What is that?" the girl asked.
Those green eyes shifted to her, his grip on my throat relaxing a fraction. I unsheathed my claws and swatted at his chest. It wasn't a hard swipe. Just enough to scratch him and just enough to startle him. He let go. I flew to my feet and twisted, backing up, showing him a hissing mouthful of my own sharp teeth.
"T-that's--" the girl stammered. "I guess they aren't extinct around here after all."
The clouds blew from the moon and light streamed down, and I finally saw what I was facing. It looked like a wolf . . . if wolves grew to two hundred pounds. A massive black wolf with green eyes fixed on me, assessing, considering.
"Okay," the girl said. "It's backing away. Everything's o--"
I glanced over and she stopped short. She was a little younger than me. Tiny, with reddish-blond hair and blue eyes. I swore I could smell fear waft off her. The wolf smelled it, too, and bristled, growling at me.
"No," she said, then again, firmer. "No. It's okay. Everything's okay. We'll just let it leave."
The wolf growled again.
The girl's voice rose. "I said we'll let it leave, Derek. It's not attacking us and I don't want it getting hurt if we can help it. You, either."
The werewolf--Derek--snorted and gave me a look that said he considered personal injury highly unlikely. My hackles rose and I drew back my lips. He seemed to take that as a challenge, shifting forward, almost swaggering, like a schoolyard bully, certain his smaller target will back down. I considered it. For the sake of making nice, I should retreat. Surrender. Submit. But that was weakness and everything in me rebelled at the thought. So I held my ground.
"Derek."
The girl's voice was low, annoyed now, and it was almost comical when he shot her a sheepish look. He turned back to me. Considered. Took another slow step--
"No!"
The familiar shout hit with an equally familiar sonic boom of force. It knocked the werewolf off his feet. The girl let out a shriek and ran forward. Daniel raced through the trees. The wolf scrambled up and swung around on him.
I sprang between them. I lowered my forequarters and let out a snarl, fur standing on end. That made the wolf stop. He stared at me. Then his gaze lifted to Daniel behind me. I snarled again.
"The cat--" the girl said.
"Is not a cat," Daniel said. "Like that's not a wolf."
"Y-yes. I mean, no, he's a hybrid. Part-wolf, part-dog. I--"
"He's a werewolf," Daniel cut in. "And she's a skin-walker, another kind of shape-shifter."
"She . . . ?"
"A friend of mine. Like he's a friend of yours. And I'm going to ask you to back him off. Can you do that, Chloe?"
The wolf's head shot up at the name.
Chloe. The necromancer. That made sense. The other girl was a witch and would have tried a spell by now.
"So you understand me. Derek, right?" Daniel moved up beside me as his voice took on that special tone. "I'm going to ask you to take a step back. Maya will do the same. I'm sure she hasn't attacked you or tried to attack Chloe, so there's no threat here, right?"
The wolf snorted and looked at me.
"Don't even think about it," Daniel said, an edge creeping into his voice. "You attack her? You attack both of us."
The wolf snarled. They locked gazes. When it was clear neither was backing down, Chloe came forward and grabbed Derek by the scruff of the neck.
"Come on," she said. "Please. Just step away." She looked at Daniel. "You're on his territory, which is never good with a werewolf. Your friend--Maya--startled him, even if she didn't mean to. Plus he really doesn't like you knowing our names."
"Well, I do know them, which shouldn't come as that big a surprise. Do you really think a couple of kids with supernatural powers are going to accidentally stumble on you? We were at the house earlier. I'm sure Derek smelled us. We were waiting in the forest until morning
to make contact, so we wouldn't spook you."
I chuffed.
Daniel shot a smile over at me. "Yeah, that one didn't work out so well."
"All right," Chloe said. "We're backing up. Right, Derek?"
He snorted, but took a step back. So did I. We both retreated a few more, until I was at the clearing's edge.
"I don't suppose you remember where you left your clothing," Daniel murmured to me.
Chloe gave a soft laugh. "That's always a problem, isn't it? Okay then. You two go find that. We'll meet you here. Hopefully everyone will be in human form." A wry smile. "Though I'll warn you, he's not a whole lot more pleasant that way. At least as a wolf, he can't talk."
The wolf growled, but she only laughed and gave him a pat, then tugged him away as we went to retrieve my clothing.
THIRTY-NINE
AS HAD HAPPENED BEFORE, after I'd passed out, I'd seemed to sleep-undress, which was handy. So my clothing was where I'd left it, still intact.
When I stepped out from my hiding spot, Daniel rose and came over to me. "You didn't get bitten or anything, did you?"
I shook my head.
He exhaled. "Good. I was worried. I don't know if that's how you really do become a werewolf." He paused. "It could be kind of cool, though. A werewolf and skin-walker hybrid. Time to shift? You pick your form."
He grinned and I managed a soft laugh. "My luck, it'd be a mix of the two. A shaggy, brown monster with retractable claws and an irresistible urge to chase sticks."
"As long as it's not an irresistible urge to hump legs and sniff crotches."
I laughed again, a real one now. "This is why I'll stick with feline, thank you."
"I'm glad you're okay. Seeing you facing off with that monster was scary enough. I can't imagine what it was like to be the one facing off with him." He shook his head. "We need to have a little chat with your brother about werewolves before he decides to challenge one."
"Nah. I say we let him try. Take his ego down a notch or two."
We both laughed and I looked at him, and I felt . . . okay. I looked at his expression and listened to his laugh and I saw nothing more than I'd always seen. My friend. My best friend.