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bcc4548
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We'd been walking for about thirty minutes when Daniel asked me to do another treetop check. I'd been avoiding it--really couldn't afford to stumble into another pit of grief and regret right now
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Kelley Armstrong |
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10c670f
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She stalked off ahead. Daniel shrugged at me, then went back to collect Corey and Hayley. I caught up to Sam. "Don't," she said. "Just don't, okay?" "I was only going to say that we need to head that way." I pointed. "Right." A soft, choked laugh. "Kind of ruins the dramatic effect if I'm storming off in the wrong direction, doesn't it?"
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Kelley Armstrong |
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801f87c
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We need to slow down for you. You're in pain and you're not going to remind us of that." "It isn't that bad. Really. I--" "See? Gotta be a tough guy." I lowered my voice so the others wouldn't hear. "How's your head?" "I didn't hit my head. Not yet anyway." "You know what I mean. Your headaches." "I'm fine." --
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Kelley Armstrong |
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465155a
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You're in pain and you're not going to remind us of that." "It isn't that bad. Really. I--" "See? Gotta be a tough guy." I lowered my voice so the others wouldn't hear. "How's your head?" "I didn't hit my head. Not yet anyway."
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Kelley Armstrong |
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85c5ae5
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Unfortunately, any discussion of my powers led to thoughts of shape-shifting, which led to thoughts of Annie, which led to worry. Worry? Hell, no. Let's call it what it really was. Outright panic. If I even started thinking of it, my heart pounded and my mouth went dry. When I tried to skate over the subject, Daniel brought me back, and we hashed it out. Turning out like Annie wasn't a certainty--she was the only subject we knew who'd begun..
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Kelley Armstrong |
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b0eab99
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Next thing I knew, I was waking to Kenjii licking my face and Corey saying, "Now this is when I really need a camera." I'm sure that when I fell asleep, I'd been lying on my back, looking up at the sky as I talked to Daniel. But when I woke up, I was on my side, nestled with my back against him, his arm over me. I jumped up so fast I kicked him in the shins and he let out an "Oomph." Corey's laugh rang out through the silent forest. "Oh, co..
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Kelley Armstrong |
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b1299ef
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I I saw a Whether there's anyone in it or not--" "Who cares?" Corey said. "It's civilization. Let's go." He broke into a jog, and his knee gave way. I managed to catch him before he fell. "The only place you're going is flat on your ass," Daniel said."
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Kelley Armstrong |
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4f71660
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When I saw a white shoe peeking from under a bush, I crept closer and whispered, "It's me." Corey started at the sound of my voice, then caught himself. "You guys shouldn't have come back." "We did. Now, , before I regret it." I crawled under the branches and gave him a quick, one-armed hug. I whispered that we'd wait a minute to make sure all was clear. Then I said, "We're going to crawl out of here until we get to Daniel, so he can help ..
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Kelley Armstrong |
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9973422
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I finally snapped out of it when I realized we'd started walking uphill. I blinked and looked around. Fewer trees. More rocks. Ahead? Pitch black. I had to crane my neck way back to see stars dotting the night sky. "A mountain." "Hmm?" Daniel said. I jumped, and realized he was right beside me. Probably had been for a while. He put his hand on my back to steady me and said, "What'd you say?" "I know why I couldn't see lights from the treeto..
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Kelley Armstrong |
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8a2e346
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I--" I swallowed. "I--" Daniel took both my wrists and turned me to face him. "You were sleepwalking, Maya." "It just...I could hear Rafe and he was hurt and I was trying to get to him and--" My breath hitched. "It seemed real." Daniel pulled me into a hug and I let myself collapse against his shoulder. I kept thinking about how real it had seemed and how I'd never sleepwalked before and... And what if I hadn't been sleepwalking? What if I'..
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Kelley Armstrong |
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194a4de
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I think we should try to find Rafe." I turned to her. "I know you liked him. Everyone's focusing on me, but you lost him, too." "No, I didn't. He was yours."
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Kelley Armstrong |
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0ff161b
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I think we should try to find Rafe." I turned to her. "I know you liked him. Everyone's focusing on me, but you lost him, too." "No, I didn't. He was yours." "He didn't belong to any--" "I only started flirting with him to make Corey jealous. Then I guess I did kind of fall for him. But the guy I was crushing on wasn't Rafe Martinez. Not the real one, anyway. I get that now. He was showing me someone else. He was showing us all someone else..
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Kelley Armstrong |
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f2abf4e
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When I heard the burble of a stream, I picked my way through a patch of bramble to get to it. Hayley was right behind me, fighting through the branches instead of ducking them. Sam got poked in the eye. When she cursed, Hayley jumped and slipped on a muddy patch. Corey ripped his shirt on thorns helping her up. All three complained, loudly and bitterly. "We need more water," Daniel said. "Which means you need to get to it, because we can't ..
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Kelley Armstrong |
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c7b07f9
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Forget it. I shouldn't have--" I caught his hand. "Don't. You want to talk about this, right?" He hesitated. Then another humorless smile. "I'm not sure is the right word. More like confess."
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Kelley Armstrong |
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fc97a32
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He swallowed. Rubbed his neck again. Looked around. Then he motioned at the rock. "Can we lie down again? I think I'll do this better..." "If you're talking to the sky?" A half laugh, half snort. "Yeah. Lame, I know."
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Kelley Armstrong |
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e8df093
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You gotta admit, that's one sweet power," I said. "You think so?" "Um, yeah. Duh." He glanced over. "Well, I think being able to change into a cougar is cool, which you obviously aren't so sure of. Maybe we can switch." I laughed. "I wish. Shape-shifting will probably be cool, eventually, but changing from human to cat? I don't think that's going to tickle. Persuasion, though? I don't see the downside." "No? So if I have this power, how do ..
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Kelley Armstrong |
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a809394
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So if I have this power, how do I know why people agree with me? Was I right when I persuaded the others not to go back for Nicole? Or did Hayley and Sam just agree because of my power?" "No, you were right. And even if you did use your mojo, it obviously didn't work on me." "That's good." He looked at me. "If I do have this power, I hope it never works on you. I wouldn't want that." "Don't worry. You can count on me to keep telling you yo..
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Kelley Armstrong |
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7ff711a
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I think you have to switch it on, like you do sometimes." He nodded. Another quiet moment. Then, "So you can tell when I switch it on?" "I can." "Good. If I ever do it with you, accidentally, stop me, okay?" "You think I wouldn't?" I knocked his shoulder. "Believe me, you are not using any of that mojo on me. Ever. You want to convince me of anything, you gotta be you." "Good." He caught my gaze and held it for a moment, then looked away q..
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Kelley Armstrong |
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53c7ec7
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It had to be killing him to walk, but when I asked if he wanted to stay behind, his response was an emphatic no with an edge of panic. "Can I apologize again for snapping?" he said. "No." I sat back on my haunches. "We need to slow down for you. You're in pain and you're not going to remind us of that." "It isn't that bad. Really. I--" "See? Gotta be a tough guy." I lowered my voice so the others wouldn't hear. "How's your head?" "I didn't ..
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Kelley Armstrong |
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069ead7
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She came for the deer," I whispered. Seeing the cougar from another angle, I noticed her hanging teats. "She's lactating, which means she has cubs close by. The ATVs have probably been scaring away the game. She's getting desperate." "I appreciate the Nature Channel commentary," Corey said. "But it's really not helping, Maya." "Sorry." "Think you could use some of that animal whisperer mojo? Tell her the deer looks tasty, but she can have i..
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Kelley Armstrong |
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0d8651d
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She came for the deer," I whispered. Seeing the cougar from another angle, I noticed her hanging teats. "She's lactating, which means she has cubs close by. The ATVs have probably been scaring away the game. She's getting desperate." "I appreciate the Nature Channel commentary," Corey said. "But it's really not helping, Maya." "Sorry."
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Kelley Armstrong |
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6143cfe
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Think you could use some of that animal whisperer mojo? Tell her the deer looks tasty, but she can have it. In fact, I insist." "You've forgotten everything my dad taught us all about dealing with big cats, haven't you?" "Oddly, it's slipped my mind. Something to do with seeing six-inch fangs a foot from my throat."
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Kelley Armstrong |
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ef3202c
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You've forgotten everything my dad taught us all about dealing with big cats, haven't you?" "Oddly, it's slipped my mind. Something to do with seeing six-inch fangs a foot from my throat." "They're two inches, tops, and she's a meter away." "Maya..."
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Kelley Armstrong |
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e62937b
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How about we back up?" he said. "What?" "Back up to before we went in the cabin. I was going to tell you what I thought was going on. With you. It starts with that old woman at the tattoo studio. The one who said you were a skin-walker." "I--" "Not yet. This is my chance to look brilliant."
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Kelley Armstrong |
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04ffb5e
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I rubbed my face. "It's back to normal, " Daniel said. "What?" I peered at him through my fingers. "Your face. It looks normal, so you can stop rubbing. It wasn't bad before anyway. Just a little...different."
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Kelley Armstrong |
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88043bc
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I rubbed my face. "It's back to normal, " Daniel said. "What?" I peered at him through my fingers. "Your face. It looks normal, so you can stop rubbing. It wasn't bad before anyway. Just a little...different." He reached to pull one hand from my face. "I know you're worried about what happened to Annie and whether it will happen to you. You're probably worried about the whole 'changing into a cat' part, too. But it's going to be okay. We'll..
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Kelley Armstrong |
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8133528
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I'm sorry," he said. "About what?" "Yesterday. I made that bone-headed comment about werewolves, and you decided not to tell me yet." "No, that's not--" "Liar. It was a dumb thing to say." "Um, no, I'm pretty sure that changing into an animal does qualify as a crazy idea." "Sure, but in a crazy cool way. I'm jealous. What do I get? Some kind of sonic boom shout? As superpowers go, very lame."
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Kelley Armstrong |
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66589fb
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The dreams started a few months ago," he said. "Dreams of fields. Fields of grapes and olives, which is weird enough. I'm not even sure if I knew how olives grow, but in the dream, I knew that's what they were. I--" "Daniel?" Sam's voice. We could hear all three of them tramping through the bushes. Kenjii got up, growling. "You tell them, girl," Daniel muttered. "No rest for the weary." "No," I said. "No rest for the endangered."
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Kelley Armstrong |
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9faaa6c
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Okay, it's freaking amazing that Nic is alive. I have no idea whether we should look for her or not, but I'm pretty sure we need to discuss a few other things. Like what the hell happened to Maya back there." "She's a shape-shifter," Daniel said. "Eventually she's going to be able to turn into a cougar. Sam and I? We're demon-hunters." Corey studied Daniel's face, then mine. "This is going to be a long talk, isn't it?" he said at last. "Yep..
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Kelley Armstrong |
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428b5a4
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She's a shape-shifter," Daniel said. "Eventually she's going to be able to turn into a cougar. Sam and I? We're demon-hunters." Corey studied Daniel's face, then mine. "This is going to be a long talk, isn't it?" he said at last."
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Kelley Armstrong |
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9987ad0
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Corey kept saying, "Are you sure?" tentatively, as if he didn't want to insult our intelligence, but he couldn't help thinking there had to be a logical explanation. Hayley just stared at me. When I finally stopped talking, she said, "Are you crazy?" "Hey!" Sam said. "No, seriously. You think you're going to change into a cougar? Maybe in thirty years you'll start thinking college boys are kinda hot, but that's the only sort of cougar you c..
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Kelley Armstrong |
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c33947f
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When I finally stopped talking, she said, "Are you crazy?" "Hey!" Sam said. "No, seriously. You think you're going to change into a cougar? Maybe in thirty years you'll start thinking college boys are kinda hot, but that's the only sort of cougar you can turn into, Maya. Anything else is nuts."
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Kelley Armstrong |
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f4edfbb
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Uh, Maya?" Corey said behind me. "Maybe...this isn't such a good idea." I turned. The others were ten feet back, barely inside the tree line. Nicole and Hayley had moved closer to Corey. Sam hung back, looking into the woods as if I was asking her to jump off a cliff. "The fog's gone in here," I said. "It was marine fog. It doesn't penetrate the forest." "Yeah," Corey said. "I'm thinking the fog's not such a problem. It's very...dark. We do..
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Kelley Armstrong |
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7a4e91d
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We told them everything--well, almost everything. I was saving the stuff I'd found out at the cabin. This was enough for now. Too much actually. Despite having seen our powers in action--my near-transformation and Daniel knocking out the pilot--Corey and Hayley couldn't seem to process it. Corey kept saying, "Are you sure?" tentatively, as if he didn't want to insult our intelligence, but he couldn't help thinking there had to be a logical ..
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Kelley Armstrong |
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ff0b7c0
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Does medical research explain why Rafe thought he was a skin-walker, too, when he'd never even been to the clinic?" "I...I don't know." Hayley squared her shoulders. "No one ever saw Rafe do anything magical. He just he was one of these skin-walkers. That's from your religion or whatever, right?" "My religion?" I said. "The stuff you people believe in." "You people?" Corey said. "Holy hell, Hayley. Did you really just say that?" She went ..
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Kelley Armstrong |
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669b5a8
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I don't have the same symptoms as you guys," he finally said. "But I know you think I'm something, too. Something supernatural." "There were two other terms on that list," Daiel said. " and ." "Which are...?" "I have no idea."
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Kelley Armstrong |
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7c19367
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He was looking for something in Salmon Creek. Something he really needed to find, to help his sister. He didn't mean to hurt anyone." Not Hayley and the other girls he'd chased and cut loose. Not me, the one he'd finally caught, only to admit he'd pursued me for a reason. I understood that now. I wished I could have understood it then. I wished I could have said something in that last moment, before he let go. He'd told me it was okay. His..
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Kelley Armstrong |
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b2bbbd9
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I seemed to be establishing a pattern here. Muster my strength and charge forward. Collapse in a puddle of grief and guilt. Charge forward. Collapse again. I said as much to Daniel and the others chimed in, making mock bets on who would spend the most time in therapy after this, and whether we could get group discounts.
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Kelley Armstrong |
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c3580b5
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You can do this, Sam," Daniel said. "You know you can." He kept reassuring her as I worked on the radio. Why wasn't anyone answering? The pilot had been talking to someone just before he collapsed. Or had he? Even if he had, I realized it was probably whoever he worked for. Whoever told him to drug the mayor and fly us off course. And who was that? Who do that? The same people who'd chased us through the blazing woods? "You're doing great..
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Kelley Armstrong |
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8eb790d
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When I could finally speak, I twisted to face Daniel and said, "It's my fault Rafe's dead." "No, it isn't," he said fiercely. "I'm the one who knocked out the pilot."
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Kelley Armstrong |
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364543e
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The first people who come for us will likely be the kidnappers. It'd be safer to get to a phone and call our parents." Everyone looked around. The mainland was a dark blob on the eastern horizon. To the west was Vancouver Island. About a kilometer of water separated the two. "Umm..." Corey began. "Not to question your judgment, buddy, but that's a bit of a swim. The water's damned cold. I bashed my knee good in the crash, and I'm not the on..
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Kelley Armstrong |
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350ecb3
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Maybe there's something out there. Giant eels or whatever." "Giant eels?" Corey let out a whoop of a laugh, too loud and too long. Desperate to cast off the fear and unease and find his old self again. "Hey, I'm not the moron who was worried about great white sharks," said Sam. "Um, that was Nic." "It doesn't matter what happened," Daniel said, "only that no one was hurt." He looked at me, then Nicole. "You're both okay, right? Well, I mean..
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Kelley Armstrong |
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c37ac97
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Maybe there's something out there. Giant eels or whatever." "Giant eels?" Corey let out a whoop of a laugh, too loud and too long. Desperate to cast off the fear and unease and find his old self again. "Hey, I'm not the moron who was worried about great white sharks," said Sam. "Um, that was Nic."
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Kelley Armstrong |
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6c0cd35
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The fog's gone in here," I said. "It was marine fog. It doesn't penetrate the forest." "Yeah," Corey said. "I'm thinking the fog's not such a problem. It's very...dark. We don't know what's in there." "Yeah, we do," Sam said. "Bears, cougars, wolves..." "None of which are nocturnal," I said. Actually, they were crepuscular, which meant they were most active at twilight--both dawn and dusk. In others words, right about now. But I wasn't tell..
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Kelley Armstrong |