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Fanny and Jase sat at the table, steaming bowls of soup and cups of coffee in front of them. Fanny made a move to get up, but Gina shook her head. “I’ll get it.”
Before she’d finished, Teo entered, wearing nearly the same outfit as she—minus the fuzzy socks. His were just socks, white, athletic; he had a tiny hole in one heel. His wet hair was tied back; the ponytail had left a damp patch between his shoulder blades.
“Private conversation,” Jase muttered.
Teo opened his mouth, no doubt to tell Jase to perform an anatomically impossible act; then his gaze went to Jase’s mother and, instead, he smiled and crossed the room to help Gina—who’d filled a second bowl and cup upon his arrival—carry everything to the table.
“Did Isaac get back yet?” Gina asked.
“No.” Fanny glanced at the windows, her eyes as dark as the night beyond the panes. “Where could he be?”
No one answered, no doubt thinking of what had happened to the others whose location was now a mystery. Everyone hoped Isaac hadn’t met the same fate.
“The guests will be leaving tomorrow,” Gina said. “Then we can deal with this.”
“With what?” Fanny asked.
Gina took a deep breath, prepared to lay everything out—from the first time she’d fallen through the earth to what had, she hoped, been the last, but a movement in the doorway had them all lifting their heads. Derek hovered between hall and kitchen.
“Growing boy,” Fanny cooed. “You would like more soup?”
“Uh … no.” Derek stepped into the room. “Thanks,” he said as an afterthought, then turned to Gina. “That one blond chick who’s left?”
Gina nodded, tensing. From the instant the blond chicks had come, any mention of them had been followed by something unpleasant.
“She’s standing at the window in the upstairs hall, sucking her thumb and muttering, ‘No, no, no.’” Derek shrugged. “I figured that wasn’t good.” He left as quickly as he’d come, his footsteps thundering up the stairs.
“Damn,” Gina muttered. “I thought she’d sleep the night and we could take her in the morning, but—”
“Let’s take her now.” Jase shoved his chair away from the table and stood. “I’ll get the car; you get the blond chick.”
“How come I always have to get the blond chick?” Gina muttered, but she headed for the front hall. Teo fell into step behind her. Explanations would have to wait.
As they reached the stairs, Jase opened the door. Instead of walking through, he cursed, then slammed it shut again.
Gina, who’d just planted her foot on the first stair, spun. Jase stared at the closed door as if he wasn’t quite sure what to do with it.
“What’s the matter?” Gina asked.
He glanced over his shoulder, then, without a word, stalked into the living room and opened the curtains. Gina followed.
What she saw through the window made her blink, rub at her eyes, glance out, then rub at them again. No matter what she did, the scene remained the same.
A semi-circle of wolves stood in the front yard, barring their exit from the house.
CHAPTER 18
“Everyone’s seeing what I’m seeing, right?”
“Dammit,” Jase muttered.
“I’ll take that as a yes.”
Gina glanced at Teo. He stared at the wolves with a thoughtful expression. At least he wasn’t staring at her with the same look, one that brought to mind a mechanic who just loved to take apart every motor he saw and lay the pieces on a tarp until he figured out what was wrong with it.
“I told you never to go there.”
Gina spun. Isaac stood in the archway between the living and dining rooms. He still held his rifle, which was strange. What possible good could come from a firearm in the house? Although—
