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Simon laughed. “Doesn’t mean we don’t know how to drive. Dad let us start last year, bombing around empty parking lots. ”
“That’s a few minutes at the mall, not eight hours on the highway. ”
Derek grunted, as if to say it’d been no big deal, though I’m sure it couldn’t have been easy.
“We took Andrew’s truck,” Liz said. “After we found…After Derek found his…Well, you know. We probably weren’t far behind you. I helped navigate. ”
“How’d you communicate?”
“Paper and pen. Amazing inventions. Anyway, once we were in Buffalo, I led him here. We couldn’t figure out a way in and he got stressed and apparently that”-she waved at him-“is what happens when a werewolf gets stressed. By then, the garage door was open, some staff guy bringing in a car. He took one look at Derek and decided it was time for a new job. ”
Noises sounded in the hall. Liz went to check it out. Behind me, Derek’s flank twitched. I rubbed it absently, the muscle jumping under my fingers. Then I asked the question I’d been dreading since Aunt Lauren first found me.
“Rae’s dead, isn’t she?” I said. “Dr. Davidoff said she was transferred, but I know what that means. The same thing it meant with Liz and Brady. ”
The look on Aunt Lauren’s face at that moment…I can’t describe it, but if I had any doubt about how much she regretted the role she’d played in all this, I saw it as I mentioned their names. For a second she said nothing. Then she jumped, like she’d been startled.
“Rae? No. Rae isn’t dead. Someone broke in and took her. They think it was her mother. ”
“Her adoptive mom?”
Aunt Lauren shook her head. “Her birth mother. Jacinda. ”
“ But Dr. Davidoff said she was dead. ”
“We said a lot of things, Chloe. Told a lot of lies, telling ourselves it was better for you all, but really, just because it was easier. If Rae thought her mother was dead, she wouldn’t ask for her. From everything I heard, though, they think that’s who-”
Derek’s flank twitched again. I glanced down to see a muscle spasming. Another started in his shoulder. When he caught me looking, he growled, telling me it was nothing, just ignore him and pay attention.
As Aunt Lauren talked, I rubbed the muscle in Derek’s shoulder and he leaned against my hand, relaxing. I knew it wouldn’t help. He was ready to Change.
“We need to get going,” I said. “I’m going to call Liz. ”
She raced through the boxes before I even finished summoning her. Tori’s mom had joined the SWAT team in the next room. Apparently, Derek hadn’t hurt her as much as I might have hoped. She was nursing a killer headache…and a killer grudge. Derek was to be shot on sight-shot dead, not tranquilized.
Reinforcements from a Cabal satellite office were on the way to help sweep the building with manpower and spell power. They were determined to find us before this St. Cloud guy arrived.
“We’re going to have to make a run for it,” I said. “As soon as it’s quiet-”
Derek convulsed, nearly throwing me off him.
“Someone doesn’t like your plan,” Tori said. “And just when I was thinking how nice it was that he doesn’t have a voice. Won’t keep him from arguing apparently. ”
“That’s not it,” I said as Derek convulsed again. “He’s Changing back. ”
“Can it wait, because-?”
Derek’s whole body spasmed, all four legs shooting out, a back claw nicking Simon, a front paw swatting Tori. They both leaped out of the way.
“I think that’s a no,” Simon said.
“We need to clear out,” I said. “As you can tell, this requires room. And it might not be something you want to see. ”
“Tell them I second that,” Liz said. “I caught a glimpse, and that was enough. ” She made a face and shuddered.
I shooed them out, then turned to Derek, lying on his side, panting. “You’ve done this alone now, so I guess you don’t need-”
He caught my jeans leg between his teeth, pulling gently, his eyes asking me to stay. I told the others I was, and said if they heard any sign that the SWAT team was searching this hall, they were to get out-all of them.
“We aren’t leaving you two,” Simon said.
Derek growled.
“He’s agreeing with me,” I said. “For once. You have to go. With any luck, they’ll presume that means Derek and I are someplace else. ”
Simon didn’t like it, but he only grumbled for Derek to hurry.
Aunt Lauren stayed after they’d gone. “If anything happens, you’re coming with us, Chloe. Derek can look after-”
“No, he can’t. Not like this. He needs me. ”
“I don’t care. ”
“I do. He needs me. So I stay. ”
We locked gazes. Again, a look passed through her eyes, surprise and maybe a little bit of grief. I wasn’t her little Chloe anymore. I never would be again.
I walked over and hugged her. “I’m fine. ”
“I know. ” She hugged me back, fierce and tight, then left to join the others.
Forty-seven
DEREK’S CHANGE CAME FASTER now and maybe a bit easier-no vomiting this time. Finally it was over, and he fell onto his side, panting, shaking, and shivering. Then he reached for my hand, holding it tight, and I entwined my fingers with his, shifting closer and using my free hand to brush sweaty hair from his face.
“Whoa,” a voice said, making both of us jump. Simon stood in the entrance to our corner, a pile of fabric in his hands. “You really need to get dressed before you start that. ”
“I’m not starting anything,” Derek said.
“Still…” He held out the stack in his hands. “Dr. Fellows dug up some hospital greens for you. Get dressed and then…whatever. ”
“We weren’t-” I began.
“Have you still got my note?”
I nodded.
“Give it to him. ”
I pulled the folded page from my pocket and handed it to Derek. When he was busy with it, Simon let the smile fall from his face as he studied his brother.
“Is he okay?” he mouthed.
I nodded. I passed Derek the scrubs as he refolded the note, then turned away to let him dress.
“We good?” Simon asked.
