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“Tell me,” Hunter hissed.
“Noah?” Mrs. Dean was coming closer. She sounded worried.
Hunter drew his weapon and cocked the hammer. He added weight to Noah’s throat.
“Tunnels,” gasped Noah.
“Tunnels? What tunnels?”
“The—the tunnels—”
The woman’s flip-flops smacked the driveway. Hunter was either going to have to shoot this woman or let Noah go.
If he couldn’t shoot Calla, he sure as hell couldn’t shoot an unarmed non-Elemental who was looking for her son. He let the kid go and slipped into the shadows.
The boy hadn’t made it to his feet by the time his mother came around the side of the house, but he was sitting up, rubbing his throat.
She was at his side in a heartbeat, touching his face, asking if he was all right, assuring him he could take a few days off from school if that mean older boy wouldn’t leave him alone. Then a hug and a promise of chocolate chip cookies.
Hunter felt his fists clench. It took a while to figure out this emotion.
Jealousy.
He had to shove thoughts of his mother out of his head.
Thoughts of Kate were quick to replace them. Not the feel of her body in the parking lot, the way she’d yielded to his kiss and practically melted under his hands. Instead, he thought of that moment in the woods, when she’d breathed power on his neck to heal the knife wound there.
The way she’d put a hand on his wrist that morning when he’d told her what happened with his grandfather.
The way she’d acted like she cared.
He wished, for just an instant, that one moment of it could be real.
CHAPTER 23
Hunter got to the top of the driveway and sighed.
Michael was waiting on the front porch.
It was almost midnight, and the brothers’ car was in the driveway already, so Michael had to be waiting for him.
Casper was on the porch next to him, but the dog bolted to Hunter’s side when he climbed out of the jeep. Hunter rubbed his muzzle absently, wondering how it was possible his dog could take to this new home so readily while Hunter felt more like an outsider now than ever.
He still had no idea where Calla was hiding.
He had no idea why her friends were drawing Guides here.
He had no idea what else they might be planning.
And here he had a whole weekend where he’d be trapped in the Merrick house.
Michael had a mug beside him on the step, and he was leaning back against the bannister. He didn’t move when Hunter approached. “Forget something?”
Hunter frowned. “No.”
“Do you remember me promising your grandfather three hundred bucks? Remember saying you’d help with jobs until it was paid off?”
Hunter flushed and looked away. He had forgotten.
