I TURNED TO ISAAC and Phoebe. They were doing their twin talk again. I recognized it more easily now that Zander and I could communicate the same way. I scanned the dance floor for Ruthie and Maverick as I waited patiently. Minutes went by."Where's Ruthie?" asked Phoebe, suddenly noticing her absence."I don't know," I replied. "The last time I saw her, she and Maverick were still on the dance floor.""Wynona and Luke are sitting over there," said Isaac, pointing to a table on the left side of the gym where they were laughing at some of the dancers. "Maybe they've seen them."When we approached, they stood up, their expressions alert as they assessed our moods. "What happened?" asked Luke. "Peter's here," said Isaac with a snarl. Luke cursed."But Zander went to talk with him," I quickly added. "Peter was dancing with Phoebe. He must have erased some of her memories because she doesn't remember why she shouldn't have been dancing with him."Isaac had Phoebe by the arm, but she
"RUTHIE IS A FORCE of nature, Tru," said Phoebe. "There was no way to avoid involving that girl."The weight room's overhead lights flickered with foreboding. We glanced around, wondering what was going on, but then they stopped.Regret etched lines into Maverick's face. "I'm sorry, guys," he said, hanging his head. "I let my guard down, and now ..." His thoughts were easy to deduce. He was assuming the blame. He had allowed himself a little fun - at a high school dance no less - and therefore, Ruthie had been abducted. But it wasn't his fault. No matter what Phoebe said, I knew the fault was all mine."It's okay, man," said Zander. "We'll get her back. But first, can you tell us what happened?" Maverick nodded, deep lines forming between his eyes. "I walked Ruthie to the restroom and went to the men's room. Two guys jumped me inside. I didn't even get to take a swing." He took a deep breath and ran both hands over his pale face. "Before the lights went out, they said somethin
IT ONLY TOOK A few minutes for us to come up with a rough strategy, although it had us going in different directions. That suited my own plan perfectly, though. The second we stepped outside Isaac caught Ruthie's scent and wanted to try tracking her. Phoebe went with him. Luke and Wynona were going to stay at the dance in case Peter was still close by. They said that they'd join us as soon as Peter told me the meeting place. Everyone was trying so hard to help Ruthie. It made me feel more guilty for not telling them I already knew the location, but I pushed the feeling away. I caught Wynona watching me, her eyes clouded with confusion. I tried to calm my racing heart, knowing she could read auras. When we got to my house, Maverick parked my mom's car next to his truck. "Wait here for Peter's text," ordered Maverick. "Call me when you get it and then we'll both head to the location he sends." He was heading to the rec center to pick up reinforcements and "equipment," which I interpr
"WHAT THE HELL, PETER?" yelled Zander, his chest puffing with adrenaline.Peter slowly raised his hands, as if he were trying to calm a frightened animal. "I'm simply here for a trade," he said, speaking as if his request was perfectly reasonable. "You and Tru for Ruthie. Easy stuff." When Zander shook his head, he tried again. "Zander, you've got to understand where I'm coming from." His face pleaded for understanding. "Father is making me do this. It's the only way I can see my mate. Yeah, I met my aramusatu, just like you guys." His eyes darted from Zander to me. "You know how that messes with you." So, he did know about us. The news of him and Shanna was no surprise, but I had to admit that a small part of me was hoping I was wrong. Now that he'd confirmed it, my heart sagged with a sense of hopelessness. How would I ever free my sister when she was tied forever to Peter? Maybe he wasn't as bad as we thought. Maybe he was just a pawn like Dante had been. Maybe Gerard really wa
"TRU!" I heard Zander's worried voice and blinked open my eyes. He knelt in the dirt, cradling me in his arms. "Tru," he said with relief. "You're okay.""No," I croaked, feeling like I'd never be all right again. I felt my chin wobble and tightened my lips to steady it. Zander's face blurred as tears welled up in my eyes. "I remember how Mom died," I said, burying my face in his chest.After Mom's fatal accident, I'd awoken in a hospital with no memory of what had happened. The doctor told us that temporary amnesia was common after a traumatic event. But when the memory loss had continued for almost a year, he'd changed his tune, saying that it might be permanent. "Perhaps it's for the best," he'd said, trying to cushion the blow. I'd lost my temper and yelled at him. I'd behaved horribly, but Dad had simply hugged me, holding me through the sobbing until I'd quieted and we'd gone home. We hadn't talked about it again, even though I'd thought about it all the time, trying everythi
I BACKED TOWARD LUKE. "Holy shit," he said, his hands out ready to do something but unsure what. There was nothing holy about the scene before my eyes, but all I could do was nod.An instant later Peter made a strangled sound as the metamorphosis reversed itself. I watched with nauseating horror as his face and body reshaped into a scaly version of Peter, except for his eyes. They were the last things to return to normal after his scales had blended back into regular human skin. His torn suit hung on him in tatters as he moved his mended arm back and forth experimentally before smiling with satisfaction."What the hell was that?" choked out Zander, his face a mask of disgust. "What are you?"Peter chuckled sourly. "Sorry to spring that on you without warning." He didn't sound sorry. "Just one of the perks of the Blessing.""You call that a perk?" snapped Zander with derision. "You're some kind of demon." Peter sneered, "I'm more powerful than you'll ever be, half-breed." His bo
"THIS IS YOUR LAST chance, Tru," warned Peter. His eyes were wide as he took in the approaching wolf. Several rattlesnakes hissed and hovered over Ruthie, ready to strike. He pressed his lips together, staring at his pets as if communicating with them. Suddenly, they darted toward Isaac. He growled and snapped at them, catching one in his mouth and cutting it in half. The others retreated as he padded toward Ruthie. Peter had made a drastic miscalculation, forgetting that very little could penetrate the skin of a usemi. I saw the moment it dawned on him, and he backed away, moving into another swirl of reptiles while redirecting several more rattlesnakes Ruthie's way. Phoebe took in the crumpled form with initial confusion as lizards and snakes slithered over it almost obliterating the color of the bright orange dress. She gasped with horror when she realized who it was. "Ruthie?" Phoebe rushed toward her, trying to head off the incoming rattlesnakes. She grabbed and tossed them
I TRIED TO GRASP the notion that my best friend had some kind of super power after all. "And yeah, Ruthie is terrified of reptiles," I finally said, feeling my throat tighten.Wynona nodded as if that explained everything. "I've heard of it before, but this is the first time I've seen it. Her aura is telling me that she's scared."I bit my lip, wondering if she was all right. "That means she'd have to be idimmu, right?" I'd lived in fear of this possibility ever since I'd healed her from the shark bite. Phoebe looked at me with concern."Yeah, I guess so," said Wynona with a nod. "Um, I'm not sure how long she can stay out of her body. Whoa!" She stared at my brother, who still had his head cocked to one side looking at what Wynona said was Ruthie's spirit. "I think that guy can see her!" A dog barked and I remembered that Dad and Knox were here, my safe normal world colliding with my impossibly crazy one. I spun around to see Dad kneeling on the ground, his face ashen. He held Kn