The silence held.
“What thefuck, Ryan?” Cally found her voice, rushing to Noah and pressing her fingers into the side of his neck. A faint pulse throbbed beneath her touch. “Have you gone insane?”
“He’s not the insane one,” Zoey said grimly. “It’s Antoine.”
“What?”
“If I had to guess,” Ryan drawled, “I’d say Noah just received a contradictory or impossible compulsion. From that reaction, maybe more than one.”
“Antoine’s feral, Cally,” Zoey said, her tone flat. “He doesn’t know what he’s doing.”
Cally closed her eyes in pain. “I get it. He didn’t mean to, he just… But why Noah? Why not Zoey too?”
“Don’t know,” Ryan said. “Best guess? He’s fixating on him for some reason. Noah’s his number one, right?” He engaged the safety and pushed the tranq gun back into his belt. “I think the danger has passed, but don’t try mind linking to him, Zoey.”
“Not planning to. I’m not stupid.” She sniffed. “At least it means we’re getting close.”
Ryan turned to take back the wheel from Brent, who’d stepped in.
Cally checked Noah again; he was heavily sedated, but breathing regularly. “Will he be all right?”
“He should be, if Antoine stops,” Zoey replied. “Or we get him out of range.”
“What was in that thing?”
“Veterinary tranquilizer mixed with a potent opioid,” Ryan answered with his back to them. “Enough to take down an elephant.”
“How long will it last?” Zoey asked, sliding off the bench to come and check on Noah.
“No idea,” Ryan said. “A while. It wasn’t intended for a thrall.”
“Shit,” Zoey said. “You used a tranq designed for Antoine on Noah?”
Ryan grunted dismissively. “It seemed better than the alternative.”
“You could’ve killed him!” Cally protested.
“Nah. He’s a thrall, not a human. Problem is, I now only have one dart left, and that won’t be enough.”
“For Antoine you mean?” Cally said. “You won’t need it. I’ll help him.”
Ryan turned, his eyes narrowed. “Do you know what happens when a vampire goes feral?”
Cally would never forget what Belle had told her, hearing her voice in her head as though she were standing with them in the cabin.
“He hunts whatever is closest, in the hope it will sate his craving. This is dangerous, as such a vampire hunts without caution. In Antoine’s case, when it is not enough, he will hunt again. And again. Can you imagine what would happen?”
“Yes. I know.”
“Well, then. You’ll know you can’t help him.”
“There’s no one else.”That can.But she left it unsaid.
Zoey caught her eye and looked away.
“I know you bear his mark,” Ryan said, “but trust me when I tell you to stay out of it. With Antoine feral, he won’t feed. He’ll destroy.”
“It’s my problem to solve.”
