Page 9 (1/2)
Mary-Lynnette’s hearing had gone funny Sheheard Kestrel’s words like a character re a
phrase In a bad hed In a very strange way
This is going to be really rotten for hiht, curiously dispassionate I h this, which we’re not, it would be really rotten for hiirls, and sort of pessieneral
"Why don’t we all sit down?" Rowan said with astifled sigh "We’ve got to figure this out"
Mark threw back his head and gave another shortbark of a laugh
"Why not?" he said "Let’s all sit dohy not?"
They’re fast as whippets, Mary-Lynnette thoughtIf we run now, they’ll catch us But If we sit, and they
get co
"Sitl" she ordered Mark briskly Rowan and Kestrel moved away from the deer and sat Jade
stood with her hands on her hips for a , Mark was still acting punch-drunk Hewaved the flashlight around "You girls aresoirls are really-"
"We’re vahed quietly to hiain
Mary-Lynnette took the flashlight away from him She wanted control of it And it was heavy plastic and
metal It was a weapon
And while one layer of her htmoment andthen
hit oneof the:Shemeans they’repeoplewhothinkthey’re vampires;peoplewith
that weird disease that ht as well faceit;they’re
real
Mary-Lynnette’s world view had been knocked rightout of the ballpark
"Don’t you justhate that," Mark was saying "You irl and she seems pretty nice and you
tell all your friends and then before you know it she turnsout to be avampireDon’t you just hate it when
that happens?"
Oh God, he’s hysterical, Mary-Lynnette realized She grabbed his shoulder and hissed in his ear, "Get a
grip, now",
"I don’t see what the point is in talking to the "You knoehave to
do"
And Roas rubbing her forehead "I was thinkingwe ht influence them," she said in an
undertone
"You knohy that won’t work" Kestrel’s voice was soft and flat
"Why?" Jade said sharply
"They followed us for a reason," Rowan saidtiredly She nodded toward the hole "So they’ve
been suspicious for a while-for how long?" She looked at Mary-Lynnette
"I saw you dig the hole Tuesday night," MaryLynnette said She nodded toward the hole "Is that
your aunt in there?"
There was a brief silence and Rowan looked selfconscious Then she inclined her head slightly
Gracefully
"Oh, hell," Mark said His eyes were shut and his head was rolling on his neck "Oh,hell They’ve
got Mrs B in a bag"
"Two days," Rowan said to Jade "They’ve suspected for thole days And we can’t remove
We’d never knoe got the for the last two days," Jade said
Kestrel snorted "And have twoaround with lost time?"
Mary-Lynnette’s mind went click "Todd Akers andVic Kiive
them amnesiaI knew there had to be a connection"
"There’s no other choice for us," Kestrel said quietly to Rowan "And you know it as well as I
do"
She’s not being malicious, Mary-Lynnette realizedJust practical If a lioness or a wolf or a falcon could
talk, it would say the sa "We have to either kill or die; it’s as simple as that"
Despite herself, Mary-Lynnette felt so like fascination-and respect
Mark had his eyes open now And Roas looking sad, so sad It’s awful, her expression said, but
soet hurt
Rowan bowed her head, then lifted it to face MaryLynnette directly Their eyes ed slightly and she nodded
Mary-Lynnette knew that in that instant they wereco the
other as an alpha fehtand die for her kin
Meaning they were both big sisters
Yes, soht You threaten ht back
She knean understood Roas going to really hate killing her
"No," a voice said passionately, and MaryLynnette realized it was Jade And the next second
Jade was on her feet, hands clenched, words erupting like a stea "No, youcan’tkill
Mark I won’tletyou"
Rowan said, "Jade, I know this is hard-"Kestrel said, "Jade, don’t be a wi, body tensed like a cat ready to fight Her voice was louder than either of them
"You just can’t do itl I think -Ithink-" "Jade-"
"I thinkhe’s my soulroaned "Oh, dear"
Kestrel said, "Oh,sure"
They were both looking at Jade Focused on her Mary-Lynnette thought, now
She swung the flashlight viciously at Kestrel, wanting to take her out first, betting that Roould stay
behind if Kestrel were hurt But the swing never connected, Mark threw hi
into her arm
"Don’t hurt Jade!"
Then everything was just afeet Jade and Mark both
yelling for it to stop Mary-Lynnette felt the flashlight wrenched out of her hand She found long hair, got
hold of it, yanked Someone kicked her, and pain blossoged backward Mark was holding her, pulling her away fro on top of Kestrel and clutching at Rowan
Everybody was panting Mark was al
"We just can’t do this," he said "This is terribleThis is all wrong"
Meanwhile Jade was snarling, "He’swith himdead!"
"He’s not your soulmate, idiot," Kestrel said in a somewhat muffled voice She was facedown on the
carpet of needles "When you’re soul, and you know that’s the one person
in the world you were meant to be with Youdon’tthink you’re soulmates; you just know it’s your destiny
whether you like it or not"
So stirred in alars
to worry about
"Mark, get out of here," she said breathlessly ?Run!?
Mark didn’t even ease his grip "Why do we have to be enemies?"
"Mark, they’re killers You can’t justify that They killed their own aunt"
Three faces turned toward her, startled A half-fullmoon had risen above the trees, and Mary-Lynnette
could see thenantly
"What made you think that?" Rowan askedMary-Lynnette felt heropen "Be cause
you buried her, for God’s sakel"
"Yes, but we found her dead"
"Sopine needles out of her golden hair "Probably a
va
about that"