Darkest Powers - The Awakening Part 26

As we pa.s.sed the front window, I swore every eye inside followed us. I caught a few looks: sympathy, pity, distaste, disgust. Derek moved between me and the window, blocking my view as we walked.

"They didn't need to do that," he said. "Those kids, sure. They're idiots. But the grown-ups should know better. What if you were were mentally ill?" mentally ill?"

He led me around to the parking lot, then stopped at the back, under the shadow of the building overhang.

"You'll never see them again," he said. "And if they'd treat a real mentally ill person like that, then you shouldn't care what they think. Bunch of morons."

I said nothing, just stared out at the parking lot, s.h.i.+vering. He s.h.i.+fted in front of me, trying to block the wind.

"W-we should go," I said. "You need to eat. I'm sorry."

"For what? Talking to yourself? So what? People do it all the time. They should have ignored it."

"Would you?"

"Sure. None of my business. I-"

"-wouldn't laugh or stare. I know. But you couldn't ignore it. Maybe you'd pretend not to notice, but you'd still think about it, about the person doing it, what was wrong with her, whether she was going to freak out and pull a gun or..." I wrapped my arms around myself. "I'm babbling. But you know what I mean. I was sitting in a restaurant, carrying on a conversation with someone and I never even guessed she was a ghost."

"You'll figure it out."

"How? They look look like people. They like people. They sound sound like people. Unless they walk through the furniture, there's no clue. Do I have to stop talking to strangers? Ignore every person who walks up to me? like people. Unless they walk through the furniture, there's no clue. Do I have to stop talking to strangers? Ignore every person who walks up to me? That'll That'll look normal." I gave my head a sharp shake. "Babbling again. I'm sorry. And I'm sorry you got caught up in that." look normal." I gave my head a sharp shake. "Babbling again. I'm sorry. And I'm sorry you got caught up in that."

"You think I care?" He put one hand on the wall and leaned down to me. "You'll work it out. Other necromancers do. You just need to figure out the tricks of the trade."

"Before I get locked up?"

"Much more of this on-the-run stuff, and you might be going into restaurants, talking to yourself on purpose, trying to get locked up someplace with a bed and a hot shower."

I managed a smile. "Right now, I'd settle for hot food."

"How about hot chocolate?"

"What?"

"On the way here I saw one of those fancy coffee places, some Starbucks knockoff. Big armchairs, a fireplace...Didn't look too busy. This isn't exactly a five-dollar-coffee town."

I pictured curling up in a chair, in front of a fire, sipping a huge, steaming hot chocolate. I smiled.

"It's settled then," he said. "We'll get brownies or cookies to eat. A real nutritious dinner. Now I think it was this way..."

We set out.

The coffee shop had been on the street with the bus stop. We tried to get there-and out of the freezing cold-as quickly as possible. After cutting through a couple of parking lots, we saw our next potential shortcut: a playground. When I started to cross the street, Derek stopped me.

"That's not always the kind of place you want to be at night."

He was right, of course. It looked innocent enough-a narrow strip of park with a line of swings and slides, a big plastic play center at the end-but between the equipment and the trees were a lot of shadows. After dark, when the kiddies had gone home, it made the perfect place for bigger, more dangerous kids to hang out.

Derek scanned the park as he sampled the breeze.

"Empty," he said finally. "Let's go."

We jogged across the road. Out in the open now, the wind got even worse, swirling around us, bitter cold. The swings twisted and creaked. As we pa.s.sed, a sudden gust sent one slamming into my shoulder. I stumbled back with a yelp and caught a mouthful of sand, whirling up from the ground. As I sputtered, Derek's head shot up. I spit out the sand and turned to him. He'd gone still, face lifted.

"What do you smell?" I asked.

"I'm not sure...I thought I-" The wind changed and his nostrils flared. His eyes went wide. "Run!"

He gave me a shove and I broke into a sprint. In the last few days, I'd done this "running from danger" stuff often enough that my brain kicked my legs into high gear automatically, my aching feet forgotten.

Derek stayed behind me, footsteps pounding.

"Chloe!" he yelled as a figure stepped into my path.

Derek grabbed me by my shoulders, my feet flying off the ground before I'd even stopped running. He backed us up against the plastic play set. A man was sauntering our way. Another walked from the other direction. Two escape routes, both blocked. Derek glanced up at the play set, but we were against a solid wall of plastic, a crow's nest ten feet overhead. There was a fireman's pole ten feet away, but that wouldn't take us anywhere useful.

The men looked like they were in their twenties. One was tall and lean with blond hair to his collar. He wore a plaid jacket and boots, and looked like he hadn't bothered with a razor in days. His companion was shorter and beefier, swarthy with dark hair. He wore a leather jacket and sneakers.

Neither looked like the kind of guy you'd expect to hang out in a park, ha.s.sling kids for cigarettes and pocket money. Hanging out at the monster truck races, maybe, ha.s.sling girls for their names and phone numbers.

They didn't seem drunk either. They were walking straight and their eyes looked clear, glittering in the dark like...

I shrank back.

Derek's hands tightened on my shoulders and he leaned down, whispering, "Werewolves."

Thirty-four.

T HE TWO WEREWOLVES STOPPED HE TWO WEREWOLVES STOPPED a few yards away from us. a few yards away from us.

"We're just pa.s.sing through," Derek said, voice steady. "If this is your territory-"

The blond one cut him off with a laugh. "Our territory? Did you hear that, Ramon? He's asking if this is our territory."

"I know you're werewolves and I know-"

"Werewolves?" Ramon drawled. "Did he say werewolves?"

The blond lifted a finger to his lips in an exaggerated "shhh!" and jerked his head at me.

"She knows," Derek said.

"Tsk-tsk. That's against the rules, pup. You don't go telling your girlfriends what you are, even the cute ones. Didn't your daddy teach you better than that? Who is your daddy, by the way?"

Derek said nothing.

"He's a Cain," Ramon said.

"Think so?" The blond squinted, his head tilting. "Guess he could be."

"If you'd met more than one, Liam, you wouldn't be questioning. That"-he pointed at Derek-"is a Cain. Three things every Cain has in common. Big as a house. Ugly as a mud fence. Dumb as a brick."

"Then he's not-" I began before Derek shushed me.

Liam stepped closer. "Did you say something, cutie?"

"We're just pa.s.sing through," Derek said. "If this is your territory, then I apologize-"

"Hear that, Ramon? He apologizes apologizes." Liam took another step closer. "You have no idea whose territory you're on, do you?"

"No, I don't know you. If I should, then-"

"This is Pack Pack territory." territory."

Derek shook his head. "No, the Pack is in Syracuse-"

"You think they claim one city city?" Ramon said. "Their territory is New York state state."

"You do know what the Pack does to trespa.s.sers, don't you, pup?" Liam said. "Your daddy must have shown you the pictures."

Derek said nothing.

"The pictures?" Liam pressed. "Of the last guy who trespa.s.sed on Pack territory?"

Still Derek said nothing.

"Your daddy didn't like you much, did he? 'Cause if he did, he would have shown you those pictures, so you didn't make the mistake you're making right now. The last time a mutt got too close to Pack turf, they carved him up with a chain saw. Then they took photos, and they pa.s.sed them out as a warning to the rest of us."

My stomach lurched. I squeezed my eyes shut until the image pa.s.sed. They were just making this up to scare us...and it was working-at least on me. My heart pounded so loudly I was sure they could hear it. Derek squeezed my shoulder, his thumb rubbing, telling me to stay calm.

"No, I haven't seen them. But thanks for the warning. I'll-"

"Who is is your daddy?" Ramon asked. "Zachary Cain? You're darker, but you've got his look. You're about the right age, too. And that might explain why he didn't raise you right." your daddy?" Ramon asked. "Zachary Cain? You're darker, but you've got his look. You're about the right age, too. And that might explain why he didn't raise you right."

"Him being dead and all," Liam said. "But if it was Zack, then you should know know to keep off Pack territory." to keep off Pack territory."

"Should I?" Derek said, his voice emotionless.

"Don't you know how your daddy died? Dumb a.s.s decided to join an uprising against the Pack, got himself caught. Tortured to death, right up there in Syracuse." He looked at Ramon. "Think they used the chain saw?"

Derek cut in, "If the Pack's so bad, why are you you on their territory?" on their territory?"

"Maybe we're Pack."

"Then you wouldn't be talking like you were, saying 'their' territory, what 'they' do."

Liam laughed. "Check this out. A Cain with brains. Must come from your momma."

"Do you want to know why we're here?" Ramon said. "A mission of mercy, and we're the ones praying for mercy. See, we hooked up with this kid from down under last year. We quickly found out why he'd left home."

"Man-eater," Liam said.

"M-man-eater?" I didn't mean to say it aloud, but it slipped out.

"It's a disgusting habit. Now hunting humans? Killing them?" He smiled. "That's always good sport. But eating? Not my style. Well, unless you count that time in Mexico-"

Derek cut him off. "So if you're you're allowed on Pack territory, I'm sure they won't bother me. I'm not causing trouble." allowed on Pack territory, I'm sure they won't bother me. I'm not causing trouble."

"Can I finish my story?" Ramon said. "So this Aussie, he's not very discreet about his bad habit. The Pack catches wind of it. Next thing you know, all three of us are on their hit list."

"The Aussie dude goes to ground," Liam said, "leaving me and Ramon holding the bag. The Pack doesn't care if we're man-eaters or not. We've had some run-ins with them before so, as far as they're concerned, we've used up our free swings. Batter out. They already caught up with Ramon once. Luckily, he got away. Or most of him."

Ramon pulled up his s.h.i.+rt. His side was pitted and puckered with healing scar tissue, the kind of thing I'd only seen in SFX demonstrations.

"So now you're heading up to Syracuse to talk to the Pack," I said. "Set them straight."

"That's right. Or that was the plan. But it's Russian roulette, see? We throw ourselves at their mercy, and we might never stand up again. Then we caught an amazing break."

He looked at Ramon, who nodded. For a moment, neither said a word. Liam stood there, a smirk playing on his lips, as he dragged it out.

"The break?" I asked finally, knowing Derek wouldn't.

"I had to take a p.i.s.s. About two miles north of here. Pulled off the highway, got out of the car, and guess what I smelled."

"Me," Derek said.

"The answer to our prayers. A Cain?" Liam shook his head. "What did we do to get so lucky? The Pack hates Cains. Bunch of Neanderthals too stupid to keep out of trouble. If we hand them you, tell them you you were the one snacking on humans..." were the one snacking on humans..."

I felt Derek s.h.i.+ft behind me.

"Thinking of leaving, pup? That would be rude. You bolt, we'll have to grab your girl, hold on to her until you decide to come back and hear me out."

Derek went still, but I could feel his heart thumping against my back, hear his shallow breaths as he struggled to stay calm. My hand slid into my pocket, grasping my knife. Derek squeezed my shoulder, rubbing it again.

"It's okay," he whispered. "It's okay." But his heart kept pounding, telling me it wasn't.

"Sure," Liam said. "It'll be just fine. The Pack aren't complete monsters. This poor orphaned kid just screwed up. He'll never do it again. They'll understand. He's probably got a-" He glanced at Ramon. "Fifty-fifty?"