"How about we read it together for a while? I can't stay long but I'll read a paragraph then you take the next one."
"Sweet," I answered. I tilted the book in her direction and pointed to the place where she should start.
Her shoulder nestled against mine as she snuggled deeper into the couch and asked, "How about you read the short paragraphs and I read the long ones?"
I looked at her and smiled. How could you not love this girl? She was frickin' perfect. Mim started reading and I was so busy watching her lips that I kept losing my place. "Your turn," she kept reminding me as the next hour flashed by in a heartbeat.
"Will I see you tomorrow?" I asked as I followed her out to the garage. Before she could answer, I captured her against the side of her car and rested my hands lightly on her hips.
Trapped against the car door, she turned the most charming shade of pink. "I have to work," she stammered. "But I'll see you at the first aid class tomorrow night. It starts at seven."
I didn't think I could make it to seven o'clock. "What time do you get off?" I pressed her.
"Four," she answered, the tip of her tongue flicking across her lips as her gaze skittered away from me.
Four o'clock. If I played my cards right, I could spend three hours with her before the class. I lifted her chin with my fist and made her look at me. "I'll be there when you get off," I promised then opened her car door and closed her inside. With my hands in my pockets, I watched her car until it disappeared on the road below.
Back inside the house, I found the rest of the pack waiting for me in the dining room. I tossed my knife on top of the others and joined them at the table, wondering why a meeting had been called.
Victor got right to the point. "We should probably plan a lone flight around Pine Grove," he started as soon as I had a chair underneath me. "It might tell us if a harpy followed you from Limon yesterday."
"A lone flight?" MacKenzie questioned uneasily.
Victor rested his elbows on the table and clasped his hands in front of his mouth. "A single harpy would never take on a whole pack of gargoyles but she'd have a hard time resisting one alone in the air. If there's a harpy nearby, a lone gargoyle will probably draw her out."
"If the gargoyle isn't attacked, then we can assume we're safe and there aren't any harpies nearby," Valor added. He reached for MacKenzie's hand on the table and laced his fingers with hers.
"What happens to the lone gargoyle if he is attacked?" MacKenzie demanded like she thought the idea was nuts.
"He'll use a cell phone to call for reinforcements," Victor answered easily.
"And fly like a bat outta hell for home," Havoc added.
"And fly like a bat outta hell," Victor agreed with a quiet chuckle. "Once we feel relatively confident that we're not being watched, then we can take the next step and maybe return to Limon for another look around."
"I don't like it. It sounds dangerous," MacKenzie complained. "And will you really know anything for sure? What if there's a harpy out there but she doesn't attack? What if she decides to hang around and watch you, trying to decide who you care about? Who she can use against you? That's what the last one did."
"If we were on the ground, I'd agree with you. But a gargoyle is more vulnerable in the air. Easier to take down. Harpies know that." Victor sent MacKenzie a reassuring smile. "I'll take Valor's phone and call if I need help."
Defiance leaned forward in his chair and pinned Victor with a sharp look. "You? You can't go. As the leader of the pack, you can't risk your life. As second-in-command, that's my responsibility."
"Actually, it's my responsibility," I cut in.
During Reason's absence, his duties should have fallen to me but Defiance had edged me out, arguing that even though I was born before him, I was younger because I'd spent more time in my stone form. When I insisted on a vote to settle the matter, the pack had agreed with Defiance. They were always overprotecting me. I knew they had my best interests in mind but it was fricking annoying. "I'm the second oldest after Reason and now that I have wings I should be the one to—"
"Technically, you're seventeen," Defiance barked, interrupting me.
"Officially, I'm nineteen," I shot back.
"Actually, if you want to get technical, you're eight hundred and nineteen," Havoc pointed out on a dry chuckle. "Which makes your difference in age somewhat irrelevant."
Victor held up his hand for silence and the pack fell quiet…all except for me. "It's my responsibility," I insisted on a low mutter as I slumped back in my chair.
"You don't have any barbs," Victor pointed out calmly. "If there's a harpy out there, she won't be able to scent your venom and you won't be able to draw her out."
Defiance sent me a smirk but it faded when Victor said, "I'll go."
"My wings are stronger," Defiance growled, banging his fist softly on the table. "I can fly farther."
"I'm faster," Victor countered.
Defiance opened his mouth to argue this point but Victor's tone was final when he added, "I'll take Valor's phone and call MacKenzie if I run into trouble."
"Okay, but keep it turned on the whole time," MacKenzie insisted. "Don't wait until you're in trouble."
"I'll do that, m'dear." He flashed her a brilliant smile and collected the phone from Valor. MacKenzie had given it to him for Christmas but we all knew how to use it to make calls.
I was disappointed Victor wouldn't let me make the flight. Now that I had wings, I was eager to finally take my place as second-in-command and become a useful member of the pack again. My frustration probably showed on my face as we walked over to the park at the end of the day. I lagged behind the pack with Hooligan but Victor dropped back and joined us. "I know you're tired of us always looking out for you," he said quietly as we made our way up the snowy trail through the trees.
"You guys don't have to take care of me anymore," I grumbled. "I have wings now."
"That's not why I didn't let you take this flight."
I knew he was right, of course. Without barbs and venom, I wouldn't be able to pull in a harpy. "I just don't want to be babied all my life," I muttered.
"Believe it or not, I feel the same way," Victor murmured.
I snorted in response.
"As the leader of the pack," he explained, "I'm not supposed to expose myself to danger. And I get tired of watching my brothers and cousins take all the risks. After what happened to Reason when he volunteered to go to Texas in Valor's place, I can't stand by again and watch another member of the pack put himself in danger while I do nothing."
Silently, I nodded. It hadn't occurred to me that Victor would be struggling with the same emotions that troubled me. Feelings of inadequacy and guilt and even worthlessness. But if it was true that he understood how I felt, then I hoped he would consider my next proposal. "Do you want to put your money where your mouth is?"
He gave me a measuring look. "What do you mean?"
"You won't let me take part in tonight's mission because a harpy wouldn't be able to track me, right?"
"That's right," he replied.
When I stopped, he turned to face me in the deepening twilight. "Then that makes me the perfect choice to go to Limon and look for a sign of Chaos and the others." I held my breath, afraid Victor would immediately come up with some reason why I shouldn't go. Thankfully, he didn't. But he didn't give me carte blanche either.
"I think that's a good idea," he said slowly. "Although I'd rather we all made the trip together, with Reason's help. That would be the safest option. The first aid class is tomorrow evening and after that we'll have to make a decision about waking my brother. But if he's not awake on Thursday morning, why don't we make plans for you to go at the end of the day? I don't want to wait any longer to search the Limon area."
It was a reasonable offer and I was satisfied. We grasped arms to seal the deal.
"There's something else I want to say while we're alone," he added, keeping a grip on my arm.
"Wh
at's that?" I asked as I watched the rest of the pack pull farther away up the trail, Havoc helping Valor with MacKenzie.
Victor eyed me sternly as he stepped back and crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm a little insulted that you'd think I'd steal something that was yours. I'd never take anything from you or anyone else in the pack. No matter how much I wanted it."
He was talking about Mim, of course. He was telling me the same thing I'd told her the day before. He wouldn't make a move for her knowing how I felt about her. And as he held my gaze, I realized that Victor couldn't possibly feel the same way about Mim as I did. Because I'd have done anything for her. I'd have stolen her from Victor in a heartbeat and never have regretted it. 'Course I didn't tell him that.
I rolled my shoulders and shoved my hands into my pockets. "Mim's not mine," I muttered.
"Yes, she is," he insisted evenly.
"What makes you think so?"
"Because I was with her when she was looking for a way to give you wings. That girl was intense. Except for the measuring and fitting, it was like she hardly even knew I was there. Believe me, Dare. She's yours."
"You think so?" I asked while a smile tugged at the corner of my mouth.
He grinned as he looped his arm over my shoulders and pulled me toward the rocks. By the time we reached the cliffs, I felt better about everything.
At the edge of the outcrop, Victor handed off his jacket and T-shirt to Valor then gave MacKenzie an easy smile. "I've got the phone turned on and I'll keep in touch the whole time."
With those words, he took off and left an apprehensive pack of gargoyles temporarily without a leader. But thankfully, the mission went off without a hitch. I've gotta say, modern technology is wonderful. We talked to Victor during his entire hour-long flight and it saved us a lot of worry. He returned home safely after making a wide sweep of the area.
Back at the house, we sat down to a dinner of soup and sandwiches and were just finishing up when a car bounced up the driveway. I didn't recognize the engine but Defiance did. "It's Whitney," he said, his face hiding any emotion he might be feeling. I don't know who he thought he was fooling. We all knew how he felt about the willowy blonde.
Mac headed for the front door while the rest of us turned in our chairs to greet Whitney. She stepped into the entry carrying a large plate, piled high with iced cookies. "Sorry I couldn't be here for New Year's Eve," she announced as she swept into the dining room. "Who won the Parcheesi tournament?"
Havoc lifted his hand from the table in a minimal wave.
"Did you get a prize?" she asked. She maneuvered between Havoc and Defiance and slid the plate onto the table.
"Alas, no," he answered, acting all dramatic. He normally collected a kiss from one of the girls whenever he won a game. But he hadn't claimed his prize from either MacKenzie or Mim on New Year's Eve, probably because he didn't want to ruin his relationship with his brothers.
"I was afraid of that," she laughed. She leaned over and dropped a kiss on his cheek.
Havoc was clearly pleased. "Thanks, Whitney, dear. You're a good sport." He leaned forward, reached for a cookie and made eye contact with Defiance. "Isn't she, Defiance?"
Defiance's answering look was a shade on the murderous side. His expression suggested it was a good thing she hadn't kissed Havoc on the lips. For the next half hour, he was his usual silent self while the girls chatted, but his eyes followed Whitney's every movement with the intensity of a hawk.
While Havoc and I took care of the dishes, everyone else moved into the living room with the cookies. By the time we'd finished in the kitchen, and had rejoined the others, MacKenzie was telling Whitney about the first aid class we'd signed up for.
"Have you ever had to help someone who was drowning?" Defiance asked casually, though none of us doubted the reason for his question; he was fishing for information that might help us with Reason.
Perched on the end of the coffee table with her legs angled gracefully to the side, Whitney lifted a cookie to her lips. She nibbled off the edge before answering. "No, thank God. When I'm on duty at the pool, most of my job is just telling kids to slow down and stop running. But I know a guy who was involved in a rescue, once."
Defiance's gaze locked on hers. "What happened?"
"Rescues can be tricky," she explained. "A lot of the time, the victims have swallowed a bunch of water. When the water comes back up from their stomach, they can aspirate the stuff into their lungs and end up dying from that. My friend gave the guy CPR and artificial respiration, but he died anyway. It was really sad. The victim was a young father with two children. Lifeguards are encouraged to call 911 if there's a drowning and just use CPR to keep the blood flowing to the brain until the experts get there."
Defiance shared a sober look with Victor. It was beginning to look like a do-it-yourself rescue might be riskier than we'd thought.
"That reminds me," MacKenzie spoke up, using the opportunity to explore Reason's situation a little further. "Mim's been having this recurring dream where she's trapped in the water."
"Sounds like a recurring nightmare," Whitney commented. She licked the icing from her fingers while Defiance's keen gaze followed her actions with minute precision.
MacKenzie resettled her cast on the coffee table and continued. "She says she's caught beneath a sheet of intense blue and the light's pouring in though a slit. Any idea what that might be?"
A small ridge formed between Whitney's elegant eyebrows. "Sounds like a pool cover."
"Pool cover?" Victor questioned sharply.
Whitney nodded. "Most people cover their outdoor pools in the winter. It sounds like that's what Mim's seeing when she looks upward—a blue pool cover with a tear in it."
"That's it!" MacKenzie exploded quietly. "He…she must have been trapped beneath the plastic pool cover and couldn't get out of the water."
Chapter Twelve
From the corner of my eye, I saw Victor's head drop a few notches. I think we all felt a little queasy at that point, upset by the idea of Rees trapped in the pool with no way out. Before Whitney could notice, MacKenzie changed the subject and asked about her horse, which she was more than happy to talk about. But she probably wondered why the rest of us were so quiet when she left a little later to meet with the girls from her basketball team.
When I went to bed, Victor was sitting down in the family room watching his brother. I felt bad for him. We couldn't go back to Limon to look for Chaos until after we had tried to wake Reason. We couldn't try to wake Reason until after the first aid class. And even after we'd taken the class, we couldn't wake Reason without the sun's cooperation.
Happily, the sun was still with us the next morning. We just hoped it would hang around for another twenty-four hours and show its face on Thursday. But the weather forecast wasn't promising anything more than cloudy with a chance of snow. Still, we were hopeful. The weatherman wasn't always right and sunless days are rare in Colorado.
A little after three-thirty, I grabbed my trench coat from the peg in the entry then backed up a few steps so that I could talk to Havoc and Defiance who were sprawled on the couch in the living room. "I think I'll head over to the rec center," I announced, and slipped on the coat.
"But the class doesn't start until seven," MacKenzie pointed out as she stumped from the kitchen with a book in one hand and a half-eaten apple in the other.
I shrugged the coat over my shoulders. "I'll meet you guys there later."
"How are you going to get there?" Valor asked sharply. "You aren't going to fly are you?"
I shook my head and laughed. My brother's suspicion wasn't completely undeserved. I'd taken a lot of chances in my life and he knew it. And he probably knew I was tempted to break out my new wings. "It's all downhill, I can get there in twenty minutes."
He shared a brief look with Havoc and decided I'd be alright.
"You'll have to run," Havoc drawled as he refocused his gaze on the television.
I felt like running. Anyt
hing that would get me to Mim faster.
If there hadn't been a foot of snow on the ground, I'd have cut through the woods. But the snow would have slowed me down so I stuck to the winding roads, which were clear thanks to the county's big orange plow trucks. As I ran, my unbuttoned coat flapped behind me like a black cape and the few people who passed me stared at me through their car windows. I wasn't exactly dressed for jogging.
When I reached the rec center's parking lot, I headed for the bottom of the stairs that climbed to the front doors of the brick building. Bracing my hip against the long metal handrail, I waited while people of all ages came and went. A bunch of teenagers emptied out of the building and streamed down the steps, apparently a swimming class if their damp hair was anything to go by. One or two guys acknowledged me with a nod; I'd met them on the day I shadowed MacKenzie at school. A few more girls smiled, their heads turning in my direction as they passed. I watched the top of the stairs and waited for a glimpse of Mim.
At last, she slipped through the door, her heavy backpack weighing her down on one side like a small ship taking on water. Hurrying to meet her, I blocked her path halfway down the stairs. Even though I stood on the step below her, I was still taller than her. The wind blew her dark hair across her face and I tucked it back behind her ear as I leaned down to kiss the corner of her mouth. I wanted everyone around us to know she was with me. That she had a boyfriend. I wanted her to know she had a boyfriend.
"Give me that," I growled. I slid the heavy pack from her shoulder and lifted it onto mine.
"Where are we going?" she asked a little breathlessly.
That was a good question. Pine Grove didn't have a lot in the way of popular destinations. But there was a little coffee shop next to the grocery store that could be reached by a short drive or a long walk. "Do you have your car?"
"Uh-huh," she answered.
"Let's try the cafe."
As I started down the steps with Mim's hand in mine, I felt an especially nasty presence behind us. I threw a glance over my shoulder to the top of the stairs where Alexa had just stepped through the heavy metal doors. I'd met Alexa before and, while she wasn't the nicest person I'd ever run it to, she wasn't the worst, either. The guy she was with was something else, however. I figured he must be a real jerk to be giving off such a negative vibe.
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