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I backed up stairs Whirled, to face up stairs, tail spinning slow for balance Landed facing away froer tore at belly Need to hunt! I raced through Evangelina’s house Out open door Into light Eyes blinked against sun, dazzling in garden

Witches were standing in garden, staring at house Staring at Beast Hands out, fingers spread like killing claws Power built in their hands Against Beast Black storarden, around her, into her hands Leaves and trees talked with leaf sounds I chuffed Warning

"No!" Molly said "It’s okay"

"No it’s not It’s a were-cat," twin Liz said "It’ll bite us!"

I showed killing teeth Snarled Not were! Ae like face of hunter’s y like balls of power, captured in hands

"She isn’t a were!" Molly shouted She stepped betitch sisters and Beast

Carmen blinked "No She isn’t" Sht scent--and soarden Awe? Didn’t understand human awe, but Jane felt awe sometimes It smelled like this "It was you," Carmen said "In the cave You savedpower Carmen’s power bleay like mist in sudden breeze "That’s Jane," she said "What is she, if she isn’t a were-cat?"

Molly tilted head Looking into Big-Cat eyes, wanting to hide Jane secret To hide Beast

Inside head, Jane sighed Crap, crap, crap

"Sorry," Molly whispered To sisters she said, "Jane is a skinwalker And she has ic of her own" To Beast, she asked, "Did you stop that thing?"

I hacked and sat down, backside on porch floor Retracted claws, front paws crossed like housecat Beast is no pet, I thought Is not owned But I closed lips on killing teeth Looked safe to prey Titches stepped back, opened hands Power bleay like dust and shadow

Heard roar froine

Molly looked at her watch I looked at sky Much tielina She arden circle She’s home early"

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

If He Moves, You Can Eat Hie of house, under plants and herbs, er Ser clawed at belly Needed food Needed to hunt

The car Jane called sports roared around corner Back of car swept back and forth like fish’s tail Sounded alive and angry, charging bull But car was not alive Jane said so Wheels shot s No roof Good for chasing prey and leaping out of Could chase bison in car

Evangelina sat in car, face in snarl Witch energy was like thick cloud around her, pink and black, like sunset and rain clouds Angry power, racing with redI growled in warning, hunger twisting belly tight

Tihts Fight or flight Body reacted, instantly Claws came out Pelt stood up across shoulders Snout opened, pulled back to show killing teeth I growled

Molly smelled of fear, fear of sister, fear of coven arden, from trees and plants Rose-cat in brown rain Liz dropped hands to earth, to draw from minerals in dirt and stone, her face white Cia reached to sky, to draw from moon; moon far away, not in sky until dark Carh trees, growing strong But not fast enough

Sports car growled, slowing, tires blacking road, squealed like prey, bumped into drive Many ss happened fastfastfast