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“At a friend’s place,” I say, glancing at Max.
“Fine, send me the address and I’ll come to you.”
I think for a moment. I would prefer to talk to him in person.And the issue is too important to discuss over the phone. Anyway, the principal didn’t know I was in his house, which means I’m not being watched, at least not right now. So if I want to meet Noah, this is probably the best opportunity.
I glance at Ayden again, who’s still asleep on the couch. Snow is curled up at his feet with his eyes closed. I hope he sleeps soundly too and won’t wake Ayden.
I write a short note for Max and Ayden, which I leave on the desk.
Sorry, I had to go. See you at school. Teresa.
The note is vague, but I expect the conclusion that Ayden will draw from it is that I couldn’t stand being near him – and he wouldn’t be entirely wrong.
I go to the door, and Yoru looks at me questioningly as he quietly follows me. When I touch the door handle, Snow lifts his head and fixes me with his brown eyes. I feel his gaze burning into me, but he can’t stop me. And he seems to understand this. He doesn’t know what I plan to do, and maybe that’s why he lets me go. In any case, I make my way out of the apartment without incident and then out of the building.
I walk a few steps to where I still have a clear view of the entrance. The minutes pass, but nothing happens. I keep checking the time and wondering where Noah is. He uses the doors to move through the world, so it shouldn’t take him long.
“Damn it, where are...” My quietly muttered sentence is cut off when I’m grabbed and pulled around the side of the building. It happens so fast that I don’t even have time to cry out.
As soon as we’re around the corner, I tear myself free. I glare at Noah.
“Are you crazy? What was that about?”
“Sorry.”
He holds up his hands apologetically, but he barely looks at me.Instead, his eyes dart restlessly, looking left and right. But the most unusual thing is that Rain is standing right beside him. He usually stays out of sight. Why is his wolf sticking so close to him?
“Come on, let’s go.”
He holds out his hand, indicating for me to follow him, but I shake my head and glare at him.
“First tell me what’s going on. I don’t hear from you for weeks; you mention something about a mission, but you don’t want to talk about that either, then you finally get back and still won’t tell me anything. And now you’re acting all weird. What’s going on?”
I study his features. I can see the tension in his face. He looks nervous, almost haunted.
“Oh my God, so it’s true!”
Suddenly his behavior makes sense. He’s discovered that someone’s onto us too. The Noctu also know about our friendship.
“Have they been onto us for long?” I glance around, suddenly fearful. “Do you think they’re following us now?”
Noah frowns and shifts his weight nervously from one foot to the other. “I’m not sure what you’re talking about. Let’s take a walk.”
I nod and follow him, but I can’t make sense of the situation. “What is it?” I probe. “Do the Noctu know about us too or just the Tempes?”
Noah stops and turns to face me. I see nothing but confusion on his face. “The Noctu or the Tempes?”
I take a deep breath and tell him about the telephone conversation I overhead.
Noah scowls, and a look of concern spreads across his face. “That’s not good news.” He runs his hand anxiously through his hair. “That really doesn’t make the situation any easier.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I ask. “What situation?”
Noah avoids my eye as if he’s hiding something from me. I’ve never known him to do that before, and honestly, it makes me really nervous. I’ve always been able to count on his honesty.
He can see the anxiety and disappointment in my face and moves a step closer. “Tess, I need to straighten things out first. You’ve been through so much, and now this.” He shakes his head. “I just can’t imagine how they found out about us. And you’re sure that’s what he said?”
“Yeah, it was pretty unambiguous.”
