Page 50 (1/2)

"Oh Who?" The house, Bridger’s house, had been silent for the two days I’d been holed up in the guest room

"They left as soon as the bodies were disposed of While you were still bunking in the basement"

"I would have liked to ie"

"Why?"

"Because they don’t want you to knoho they are Only Shifters know other Shifters"

"But I aer Why didn’t you tell your dad?"

He slowly raised an eyebrow "How do you know I didn’t tell hi down in the basement, I could hear your conversation," I admitted, too ashamed to h a soundproof door?"

I shrugged "I guess I have good hearing"

"Good hearing? You’re such a liar," he said with a laugh

"But seriously--why didn’t you tell your dad about me? Is it because I’m a mirror? Because my father was a Skinwalker? Would he think I was evil if he knew?"

Bridger’s arhtened around ood or evil It’s how you choose to live your life that does"

"But"--I pulled back and looked right into his eyes--"if uys know her? How did you lose track of her? And ue and severs all ties with us Maybe that’s what happened Or--" Doubt filled his eyes and he looked away froht to know," I said, puttinghis face so he had to look at ain

He took a deep breath and continued "If a Shifter joins the Walkers through e, we sever all ties and erase the Shifter from our records--like they never existed Maybe that’s what happened to your ot erased But she ot you away from them--probably died for it And because of that, you survived Love is a pretty powerful thing"

I restedat the deserted mine For the first time in my life I felt close to my mother, a woman I never knew

"One day er said, tilting my chin up so he could look at me

"And then he won’t care that you … like … er’s ie I arin flickered across ht ‘social class’ to be your girlfriend"

Bridger kissed ? I hoped that was true "The Walkers think I’ht?" He nodded "What happens when they find out I’lanced at the mine shaft "Hopefully that will never happen But now that you’re with us--the Shifters--they’ll think twice about co after you Before, when you were alone, you were a priet"

I stepped out of the safe embrace of his arain, staring at the i, I willed e, expand, i suddenly into focus, the bottoainst darker rotesquely twisted and broken ani intake of breath startled er He scrambled away backward, as if I were a dee dust swirled as he fell heavily to the ground I burst out laughing I’d never seen him trip before--didn’t think it was possible

Slowly, not taking his eyes from mine, he stood and brushed off his pants A smile crept over his startled face

"You are definitely aback to my side "But you’re my cat" He framed my face with his hands and peered down into my eyes "Even if I’m a bird of prey" Then he kissed me

EPILOGUE

The house felt like a place froer had shotseerown the place

Bridger turned off the SUV and I pressed e-and-pink-fra out As my door slammed shut, Mrs Carpenter’s front door opened