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Suddenly hungry, I filleddown as we sorted out our plans We were too tired tonight, and toht, we could drive up into the mountains and search for the cave And--with a little luck--we’d find the seal before anybody was the wiser

CHAPTER 10

For the first ti if Chase would ever be in it again At first, exhausted though I was, I tossed and turned, unable to sleep I thought about getting up, sneaking downstairs to watch late-night trash TV with Menolly before she had to go to work But she was still pissed atany questions about Chase right now So I padded over to theseat and shifted into cat form I hopped up on the cushioned bench and curled into a ball, staring out at the moon

Sometimes life made more sense when I was in cat form I was still s didn’t seem quite so important or quite so painful I inhaled deeply and let it out with a soft purr So Chase was screwing around Did it reallyrun, would it ainst the demons, and who knew if any of us would be around in a year? We ht be called back to Otherworld Chase ht just be a blip in the road map of my life

I stood, stretched, and turned around three or four ti to find the most co in for a much-needed doze, there was a faint knock on the door, and then it opened and Menolly peeked around the side She glanced around the rooht ofover here, furble?" She silently crossed the room and, in one swift lanced up at her, not sure I wanted to change back just yet She caught me up in her arms When I was in cat form, I was especially sensitive to Menolly’s scent She reraveyard soil and old bones and dusty roohtly sweet, like overripe fruit, but it was so faint that most people would never catch her scent on the wind But the Fae--and Weres--we could sot creeped out by the thought that my sister was a vampire Our family had been ripped apart by her death and rebirth Caether until help arrived, and one thing Father never knew--nor did Menolly--was that I’d been there I’d seen the whole thing, but I’d been in cat forh the door like a bloody terror, Carabbedfor et away

I’d run for help but had been so frightened that I couldn’t change back, and it had taken Caed to lure Menolly into the safe room and lock her up--a roooblins--Camille had continued to scream

When I realized that she hadn’t followedfor help, I’d doubled back and cli roo, and out into the streets

After that, I lost track of what happened, but it wasn’t long before Father arrived hoed to shift back, and I came in like I’d been away all afternoon I was too ashaer to help Carateful Later, she tried to convince ive s were vastly different, but the memory of what Menolly had first looked like when she burst through the door, aher face, covered fro the way--stuck in the back of e to erase Caet past it, but I still couldn’t So I tried to spend extra time with Menolly, to overcome the web of fear that still wove itself around a corner of my heart

Menolly scoopedsoftly I shook off ently

"Kitten, I know you can hear ain a few o He wants you to call him; he wants to talk to you He said he’d be up for another hour or two"

She paused, then let out a long sigh Menolly didn’t have to breathe When she did so it was purely for effect, though so exercises to cope with the bloodlust when it hit her With a scritch between my ears, she whispered, "You should call hihtened out one way or another"

Obviously, she wasn’t going to let this go I leapt out of her ar to have to talk to her soht as well be now But before I could shift, I felt a lurch in an to hack It was like having a hair caught in your throat and trying to spit it out, only I didn’t have fingers and I couldn’t feel around insideonce--loudly--before I began to cough and then it was there, sli to expel it frohed "Hairball? Oh, Kitten, I’rooms you more Or I can brush you if you like Let me knohich you prefer" As she spoke, I opened unk ricocheted out ofIt was always the rug, or the bedspread, or the pillow Never the floor Nope, no matter how hard I tried, I could never land one on the hardwood floor, where it would be easier to clean up

As soon as the hairball was free, I shifted back I’d had enough playing kitty cat for one night I stretched and yawned as I shirinned atnudist, I see?" She ran her eyes up and down lanced down Oh shit, I’d changed into cat forit over enta pajama bottoms to match and slid into thes I searched through the nightstand drawer until I foundopen the wrapper, I bit into the gooey treat, sighing as the taste of chocolate coated my throat

I stared at the candy bar "Soht, and when they do, they get it right in a big way"

Menolly shrugged "I wouldn’t know At least not now But I re of chocolate Kisses from one of her trips We hatI don’t reh Ca with the Coterie of the Moon Mother They were good, I re’s too sweet foranother bite of the chocolate bar "You aren’t going to let it drop, are you? About Chase?"