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I moved to the other side of the house and looked out the way I'd been heading. It seemed like scrub land beyond the last street. Pretty open. Too open? It was hard to tell.
When I heard a creak, I crept toward the stairwell, staying down on all fours and peering out from behind a partial wall. No one was there. I waited. Still nothing. As I turned to go back to my post, I caught what looked like a blur of motion, but when I spun, I saw nothing.
My hands started to itch. I rubbed them hard and inhaled deep breaths. This really wasn't the time to shift.
Or was it? I could move lower to the ground as a cat. I could climb and balance better, too. If someone came after me, I could disappear into one of these houses and be on the roof before they navigated across the first level.
But they didn't need to get close to me to fire a dart. Earlier today, I'd had the foresight to change into the darkest clothing they'd provided, in case Antone's "opportunity" came knocking. In cat form, I'd be easy to spot with my tawny fur.
So I needed to calm down before I shifted. Which was easy, because in contemplating which form was better, I had calmed down, and the process reversed.
I chuckled to myself. Good thing I hadn't decided I wanted to shift. I crawled back to the open window frame and was rising to look out when a floorboard creaked behind me. I whirled and saw that same strange blur, now coming straight at me. I dived to the side. Hands grabbed my ankle. I wrenched and got my foot free. I scrambled to the side and started leaping up, but something hit my side. Not "someone." Something, like an invisible force that sent me staggering.
When I caught a glimpse of my attacker, I stumbled back in surprise.
"Dr. Inglis?" I said.
"Your father entrusted me with your safety," she said. "I'm not going back and telling him you got away."
"No, he . . ." I stopped myself. If he hadn't told her he was behind this, I needed to protect him.
"He might not want me to come back," I said quickly. "After what happened with Nicole, he . . . didn't seem so convinced it was the right place for me."
A flash of guilt crossed her face. Then her eyes narrowed and I felt a chill. I wanted to brush it off. This was Dr. Inglis. I'd known her all my life. She may have played a key role in the experiment, but she'd always seemed genuine about wanting to help us.
"What did he say?" she asked.
"N-nothing. It's just . . ." I swallowed. "It wasn't safe for me there. You saw that."
"I saw that you were having trouble, Maya. Serious trouble, however much your father wants to deny it. You're reverting."
"No, I'm--"
"Stressed? Anxious?" She shook her head. "You forget how well I know you, Maya. You're strong and you're capable and you're one of the most level-headed young women I've ever met. If you haven't broken after everything that's happened, you're not going to break now. You're reverting. Deep down, you know that. If I let you leave, you could endanger your friends. What would that be like, finding Daniel, feeling relieved that he's alive . . . only to lose control and attack him."
The first heat of anger washed through me. They all knew my weakness and they'd exploit it every chance they got.
"How about Rafe?" Dr. Inglis said. "You could hurt him. Or your brother, Ashton. Or Corey or Hayley."
"I'm not going to hurt anyone," I said, and charged her.
I didn't plan to attack her. Just knock her out of my way. She didn't move. Just started saying something I didn't understand. When I was within striking distance, I froze, just like I had in the alley.
"It's called a binding spell," she said. "Yes, I'm a witch. I tried to tell the Nasts that my sensing spell was good enough to find you, but they insisted on sending in their own witch. I am going to take you back to your father, Maya. He hasn't told me otherwise, so I can't be faulted for my efforts, can I? And I'm not about to let you slip away."
As she spoke, I struggled against the spell. I knew why the Nasts had called in their own witch--because Dr. Inglis wasn't good enough. We'd faced off outside Salmon Creek, and she hadn't used her spell. Or she'd tried and it hadn't worked. Now, as I fought it, I felt one of my fingers move. Then another.
Dr. Inglis continued, oblivious. "You're my best work. You and Daniel. The others may catch up eventually, but for now you two are the shining examples of everything I promised the St. Clouds when we started Project Phoenix."
As she spoke, a man appeared behind her. Just . . . appeared. Like he'd been zapped there. I'm sure I wouldn't have been able to hide my shock . . . if I'd had more control over my body. The beefy blond man looked at me and smiled, then lifted a syringe and pointed at Dr. Inglis, his other fingers going to his lips.
She tensed, as if she'd sensed something. I managed to get my mouth open.
"Nicole," I said quickly, my voice muffled, jaw barely opening. "You drugged her. That's why you offered to test her. To hide the fact that you drugged her and let her into my room to kill me."
The man eased forward.
"No, Maya. I was listening in. I would have interfered if she hurt you, but I knew you'd save yourself." Dr. Inglis gave a faint smile. "You always do. You'd save yourself and we'd prove Nicole was unstable, and make sure they took her far from you."
