aLetas get this one thing completely clear. You donat own me. Iam not your slave or your servant, and I donat give a d.a.m.n what color your blood is, how old your family is, or how much money and power you have. I let you stay in my house because you pay me and Iam backed into a corner. Donat think for a moment that Iall let you give me orders and run my life.a She turned on her heel and went into the house. Declan was only a step behind.
Grandmother sat at the kitchen table. Her face was very pale.
Her gaze fixed on Declan, as if he were a murderous maniac. Rose didnat blame her. His eyes were completely frosted over and his face promised a storm.
aWhere are the boys?a Rose asked, noticing Declanas cloak, draped over a chair. So head come here first, and then tracked her down to the back.
aAsleep,a Grandma said, her voice carefully neutral.
aNo need to wake them, then. Declan and Iall go up to the house. Iall come back for the boys in the morning.a Declan swiped his cloak, hanging it on his left arm, bowed, and gently picked up Grandmaas hand, brushing his lips across her knuckles. aJe vous remercie avec tout mon coeur pour votre accueil si chaleureux et de votre gentillesse. Bonne nuit, Madame lonore.a aJe vous en prie. Au revoir.a Grandmaas voice was clipped with tension.
Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer ( Rose bristled. Her knowledge of French was minimal, but she caught athank youa and ayour kindness.a Declan stepped to the outside door and held it open for her.
aRose, you can stay here,a Grandma said quickly.
aIall be fine.a Rose forced a smile and left the house.
She waited until they cleared the lawn and started down the path to her house, before she spun to him.
aWhat did you say to her?a aI said, aThank you very much for your cordial reception and your kindness. Good night, Mrs. lonore.a a aWhat were you doing in my grandmotheras house?a His voice was acid. aLooking for you. You were gone for a long time. I thought you might be in danger, and I tracked you down. It wasnat exactly difficulta"your wheelbarrow left very clear tracks.a She glared at him. aYou terrified my grandmother.a aI was the very soul of courtesy.a aYes, thatas why sheas sitting in the kitchen with a deer-in-the-headlights look on her face. Donat come here.
Ever. My grandmother has nothing to do with any of this.a He stepped closer to her. aNow, you listen to me. There are things going on here that you arenat equipped to deal with, and whether you like it or not, Iave chosen to protect you from them. If that means I have to enter your grandmotheras house or follow you into the Broken, then youall just have to deal with it, because even if the lot of you pile all of your magic together, you canat stop me.a The magic buckled inside her, spurred by her anger. The night gained a pale shimmer, and she realized her flash had leaked into her eyes, making them glow. aI wouldnat be so sure,a she ground out.
His eyebrows came together in disbelief, and then his own eyes blazed white. They glared at each other.
Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer ( aNo more stalling, Rose. Youave lost your job. You have all the time in the world now. Youave promised the first challenge tomorrow. Deliver.a aYouall have your challenge.a aI look forward to it.a aFine.a aFine.a They didnat speak all the way home.
TWELVE.
JACK sauntered into the house, following Rose and Georgie.
Rose headed into the kitchen, Georgie went into their room, and Jack ambled a bit in the living room, deciding what to do. If he went back outside, head have to stay inside the ward lines. He could go to the kitchen and steal something to eat . . .
Jack pa.s.sed by the door to Declanas room and froze. The blueblood sat on the bed. In front of him on a rough canvas lay knives. Many, many sharp knives. The sun filtered into the room through the window, and the light played on the smooth surfaces of the blades.
Declan picked up a knife and drew a soft cloth over it. A spicy scent spread through the air. Cloves.
Jack liked the way Declan smelled. Like pumpkin pie spice, mixed with leather, and sweat. It wasnat a girly type of smell.
Declan raised his hand and motioned for him to enter. Jack snuck in, making no sounds, and stopped by the bed. He didnat say anything, just watched the cloth slide up and down the blades with a very soft sound: whoosh, whoosh, whoosh . . .
aDo you like school?a Declan asked.
aNo.a aWhy not?a aThey make us sit still for a long time.a aIs it hard for you?a Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer ( Jack shrugged his shoulders. aRose says if I want to be a good predator, I have to learn to be patient and do it. She says patient predators donat go hungry as much.a aAnd you want to be a good predator?a Jack nodded.
Declan took another rag, dabbed some oil on it, and threw it to him. Jack s.n.a.t.c.hed the rag out of the air, fast, before Declan could change his mind. He looked at the blades and looked at Declan. The blueblood nodded.
Jackas hand hovered over a large, flashy dagger. No, too big.
Big meant slow. He was a small cat, and he was strong for his size. There were things that were a lot bigger and stronger, but few things were faster.
aTrailing point knife,a Declan said as Jack held his hand over the narrow blade with an upward curving back edge. aThe curve makes the blade longer. Itas light and quick. Good for slashing.a Jack moved his hand to the knife to the right, with a back edge that swooped down in a concave curve to a razor-sharp point.
aYatagan clip. The back edge curves down. Some people leave the back edge false, so itas dull. I like mine sharp. Itas a fast knife. Good for tight quarters and quick stabbing.a Jack stared at them, torn. Slashing like claws or stabbing like teeth? Finally he picked up the yatagan clip and gently drew the cloth along the blade. His teeth did more damage than his claws. Jack drew the cloth along the blade. Whoosh. He smiled.
aDo you know what aanemica means?a Declan asked.
Jack shook his head.
aItas a kind of disease that happens when your body lacks blood or iron. People who have it become tired Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer ( quickly. Theyare usually pale and weak. Have you ever heard Rose mention it when she talks about Georgie?a aGeorgie isnat anemic,a Jack said. aHe would be okay except for Grandpa. Grandpa and all the animals are making him sick.a aGrandpa?a Declan raised his eyebrows.
aWe keep him in the shed out back,a Jack said helpfully. aSo he doesnat eat dog brains.a Declan gave him an odd look. aCharming Edge custom, keeping elderly relatives locked up.a aBecause of Grandpa, Georgie canat fight that good. I protect him in school, but heall go into middle school when heas twelve and I wonat. I donat know what to do about that yet.a Declan gave him another odd look. aIs the schoolwork hard?a Jack shook his head. aBoring. We do word lists. You have to memorize the way words are spelled and pretend to read them back. I donat have to. I already know how to read. Rose taught me.a aWhat about math?a Declan asked.
Jack shrugged. aI can add things together. I already know how many angles are in a triangle. Itas called triangle.
Iam not stupid.a He held on to the knife a bit too long, but made himself put it down and looked at the trailing point blade. Declan nodded.
Jack took the knife into his fingers. He liked the way it felt, light and comfortable. aLunchas awful,a he volunteered. aThey give you fish sticks. They taste like cardboard. Georgie says theyare made from mystery meat. n.o.body eats them.a aHave you ever eaten cardboard?a Jack nodded. aI chewed it.a aWhy?a aI wanted to know if itas good to eat.a Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer ( Jack put the knife down with reluctance.
aWhat kind of animal do you change into?a Declan asked.
Jack narrowed his eyes into sly slits. aIam not supposed to tell you.a aWhy not?a aBecause Rose told me not to talk to anybody about it.a Declan leaned forward and fixed him with his eyes.
Jack tensed. If Declan were a changeling, head be a wolf, Jack decided. A large white wolf. Very smart and with big teeth.
aDo you always do what Rose says?a Ooooh. That was a trick question. If he said he did, Declan would think he was a mamaas boy. If he said he didnat, head have to tell him that he was a cat. Jack thought about it. aNo. But I always know Iam supposed to.a aI see,a Declan said.
Jack decided he had to explain, just so there wouldnat be any doubt that he wasnat a mamaas boy. aMy mom died. My dad left to hunt for treasure. I donat remember him.
He was a good dad, I think, but he might have been not that smart, because when Grandma talks about him, she calls him athat stupid mana sometimes.
She can do that because heas her son, so I donat get mad.a aAha,a Declan said.
aSo until my dad comes back, Iam Roseas cub. So I have to do what she says.a aMakes sense,a Declan said.
aYou like Rose?a Jack said.
aYes, I do.a aWhy?a aBecause sheas smart, kind, and pretty. She stands up to me.
Thatas hard to do.a Jack nodded. That made sense. Declan was hard to stand up to. He was tall and big and he had a sword.
Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer ( aRose is p.r.i.c.kly.a aShe is certainly that.a aSheas nice, too,a Jack said. aShe takes care of me and Georgie. And if you ask her really nice, sheall make you a pie even if sheas tired from work.a aAnd sheas funny,a Declan said confidentially. aBut Iad appreciate it if you didnat tell her that. If she knew I thought she was funny, she might not take me seriously. Women are like that.a Jack nodded. He could keep a manly secret, and it wasnat something that Rose had to know. aIf you win the challenges, youall take Rose away.a aThatas the agreement,a Declan said.
aCan we come?a aYes.a aBreakfast!a Rose called.
Jack started for the door and turned. His eyes flashed with amber fire. aI wonat help you win,a he said.
Declan grinned. aI wouldnat have it any other way.a ROSE crouched by him. Jack wished he were bigger. He disliked it when people crouched to talk to him, but he knew Rose did it so she could look at his eyes.
aFocus, Jack.a He nodded.
aYou donat chase the leech birds. You donat stop to catch a bunny. You run as fast as you can, and when you get tired, you hide as well as you can. Do you understand me?a He nodded again.
aRepeat it.a aRun and hide. No leech birds.a Rose bit her lip. aItas very important. I know that Declan saved you and heas nice to you, but he wonat be nice to me if I have to go away with him.a aHe said we could come.a Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer ( Rose stopped. aWhere?a aWith him and you.a Rose hugged him. aJack, of course he would say that. He would say anything to get the two of you on his side. You canat trust him.a Jack squirmed until she let him go.
Rose sighed and took hold of his bracelet. aAre you ready?a He nodded.
aRun and hide.a aRun and hide,a he repeated.
Rose slipped his wrist out of the bracelet. The room swayed.
The floor buckled and punched him in the face.
ROSE stepped onto the porch. Declan waited for her in the yard, his handsome face serene.
aYou wanted a challenge.a Declan nodded. aIam a-flutter with antic.i.p.ation.a A-flutter. Right. Rose held the screen door open and let Jack onto the porch. He padded out on disproportionately big round paws and blinked at the sun with huge amber eyes. Thick fur, spotted with rosettes of rust and deep brown that seemed almost hunter green, clothed him in a dense coat. Jack wrinkled his muzzle, shaking his white whiskers. The long chocolate tufts of fur at the tips of his large ears trembled.
He looked adorable, like a poufy, stout kitten on long legs, slightly larger than a big house cat, but she knew those big, soft paws hid razor-sharp claws. Even at eight, Jack was deadly. In lean times, when they didnat have meat, he went out hunting and more often than not came back with a turkey or a hare, sometimes slightly chewed up. Jack knew the Wood like the back of his hand. And when he didnat want to be found, even an experienced hunter couldnat discover his hiding place. She had to resort to magic to find him.
Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer ( aHere is your first challenge.a Rose smiled. She crouched and petted Jack on the head. He rubbed against her knee. She whispered, aGo!a Steel muscles tensed under the fur. Jack leaped off the porch, sailing through the air as if he had wings. He landed in the gra.s.s and bolted, his rosettes blending into a blur. A blink and he vanished in the trees.
Declan looked after him. aWhat is he?a aEdge lynx.a Rose straightened. aYou have until morning to catch him. If he returns here free by sunrise, you forfeit.a Declan nodded, picked up a sack lying at his feet, and headed into the forest.
RUN and hide.
Run.
Run.
Run.
A hare scent trail. Tasty. Have to keep running.
Jack leapt over the log and kept going, flying over the forest floor. Heat spread through his muscles. The scents of the Wood bathed his face. He kept going, faster and faster, leaping from one moss-covered trunk to the next. Above him, leech birds circled with guttural cries somewhere high above the canopy.
Run and hide. No leech birds.
He dashed to and fro, confusing his scent trail just in case, leaped and ran deeper and deeper into the Wood, until finally he grew tired and scrambled up the trunk of a huge pine into the dense blanket of needles and lay on a branch, panting.
Birds chirping, little tiny fat birds. Tasty.
A squirrel poked its way out of the hole in the tree.
Jack lay still for a long time. Long enough to make him sleepy. He yawned, closed his eyes, and sank into a warm, happy nap.
Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer ( A long twisting sound echoed through the Wood, jerking him awake. It wasnat like any noise he had ever heard. Like a long wail. It p.r.i.c.ked his ears, and he rose to a half crouch.
It was a trap.
He lay back down.
It was a trap, because Declan was smart.
What made that sound? What if it wasnat Declan? Jack rose again and lay back down. Run and hide. He ran and he hid.
He waited for the sound to come again. He waited and waited, but the Wood was full of little animal noises and no wails.
It didnat hurt to look. He would be very, very careful. Very careful.
Jack slunk up the tree branches, higher and higher, digging his claws into the fragrant bark, until he reached the top of the pine towering above the foliage. The sun shone from high abovea"he had slept for several hours.
In the distance a tiny star sparkled among the greenery.
Jack crouched in surprise.
The star winked at him, a little shiny spot. Oh, he wanted to see it. First the sound, then the star. Curious.
The spot of light trembled and swayed back and forth, glinting.
He had to see it up close. Just to find out what it was. He would be careful. n.o.body would know.
Jack slid down and set out through the branches.
He moved quietly and slowly, like a shadow on soft paws, leaving no sign of his pa.s.sing, taking his time. Up and down the branches, through the tangles of wild whiteberry, through the sea of dense feathery ferns, up the mossy fallen tree, onward and onward, until he came to the edge of a clearing and melted into the Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer ( darkness between the branches.
In the clearing a long lean sapling bent nearly to the ground, held by a rope. The rope was attached to a piece of wood, and that piece of wood was thrust into a stick driven into the ground. A spring snare. Jack had seen those before. The piece of wood was a trigger bar.
There would be bait attached to the trigger bar by a rope. Jack slunk through the shadows, circling the snare. Sure enough, a taut rope was attached to the trigger bar and on the end of that rope hung a star. Jack lay down and squinted against the glare. Not a star but the knife, the wicked, sharp, pretty knife he had cleaned in Declanas room.
Ooooooooooooh.
Jack forgot to breathe.
The knife rotated on the rope, glinting in the sun. Sharp.
Shiny.
He had to have the knife.
Jack lay still, listening, waiting. Traces of Declanas scent hung above the clearing, but the blueblood was long gone.
The moment he touched the knife, the rope would yank the trigger, and the sapling would jerk straight, pulling a hidden loop. The loop would catch him and send him flying through the air.