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As if she had read his mind, Ahramin spoke "I wonder what Tala would say if she could see you now With Bliss" She hissed the na

"I’," he said, trying not to sound defensive "There’s nothing to see Nothing to say"

"Right I noticed she didn’t sleep in her bed last night"

He crushed his coffee cup "I have no idea what you’re talking about"

"You’re such a bad liar, Lawson You alere," she said "But your secret’s safe with me"

"I don’t have any secrets," he said shortly

Ahrauys talking about?" Bliss asked, returning to the van "We’re all set We can go"

"Where are we going?" Ahramin asked Lawson "Marrok is a day’s drive froh the canyons We should be there by nightfall If he hasn’t moved his pack, that is"

Lawson had to make a decision "You will take us to the white wolf If what you say is true, we have wasted too much tiroup dispersed to the restroo back He turned to her "You want to ride shotgun?"

She nodded and looked as if she wanted to say so more She hesitated, then finally asked, "Are you sure about this?"

"I knohat you’re thinking You don’t think we should trust Ahri," he said

"No, I don’t You told et sick, that disease and infection have no effect on you guys - but she coughs all the ti What’s that all about?"

"I noticed it too I don’t know" He crossed his arms "But I believe she’s not a hound anymore, Romulus broke her collar You saw the scars on her neck"

"If you say so," Bliss said

"She’s still one of us," Lawson said "I have to believe that"

"Why?"

"During our escape from Hell, Ahramin sacrificed herself so that ould be free" He cleared his throat "She gave herself up willingly, and I have to honor that sacrifice I have to believethat what she says is true, that there is still wolf in her" He took a deep breath What he had to say would pain Bliss, he knew She had stopped theht before because he had a feeling she had wanted it tothat he was not yet prepared to give, given the circuravel in front of him, not able to look into her eyes "I have to believe Ahramin is still a wolf Because if Tala has been turned, if she is a hound, I have to believe that she can return to me"

Bliss took a deep breath She patted his arm "Of course I would feel the sa of the boy she had once loved, Lawson knew "But let’s justbe careful"

He smiled at her They were a team now, and heof each other in such a short time, from combatants to lovers to friends "Always"

Chapter Twenty-Five

Bliss couldn’t recall ever seeing a sky so black or stars so bright, with theand wearisome, and as they’d been warned, the hike was steep and treacherous They had locked Arthur’s van and left it at the base of the mountain, off the road, hidden in a copse of trees Ahra a road up a long valley, over a pair of hills Edon tried to keep up with her pace; Rafe and Malcolm followed theht she could see that Lawson looked troubled He had not spoken very much on the drive, and now she saw he had retreated deeper into himself, his brow furrowed, as he put one foot in front of the other, trudging along They reached the crest of the first hill and looked down at the valley below, and Bliss heard Lawson suck in the air through his teeth She turned to hiht

"What’s wrong?" They were looking down at a strange forround beloith the body of a snake, an oval shape at its head

Lawson squinted and shook his head "I have a strange feeling Mac," he whispered to his brother up ahead "What is that thing? It looks familiar, like I’ve seen it before"

"You have," Malcol his way back to them "An old diorama of it, anyway There’s one in Arthur’s show cave It’s a serpent mound" He explained what he knew, that the serpent ht hundred years ago by an unnamed Paleo-Indian tribe Its shape was ned with the positions of the summer and winter suns

The Indian burial rass, and Bliss could see that the serpent had three parts It started with the tail, a winding spiral in three arcs that straightened near the head, which was triangular and made to look as if the snake had itsinto the earth In the center of the excavation was a black rock

"That’s not itthere’s so more," Lawson said "That serpent moundI’es The wolvesit out"

Malcolm whistled "The dark roads? The Via Obscuris? Here?"

Lawson nodded "The portal was supposed to bring us close to it e crossed fro it would be here It looks like he was right Do you notice the circle and stone inside the snake’s mouth?"

Bliss and Malcolm nodded

"I’es The earthas a warning, built to ward off anyone who ht disturb the site, to keep the portal closed"

Ahramin led them down the ravel It was slow going; the path twisted and turned, and the slippery grass made it hard for thes ache froht on the down slope There was no sign of ht and the serpent es, what did itfor this? Could it mean that the hounds were nearby? Bliss wasthe cough and Bliss startled