Elizabeth-Ronan"s mate-and Cherie, Scott, and Rebecca, another Kodiak bear, were with Olaf, Ronan hulking in the background while he talked to Spike and the Morrisseys.
"Thank you, Olaf," Maria said, taking the pencils and putting them into her purse.
"Why did you get up early to take a test?" Jordan, Spike"s four-year-old cub, asked her. "That"s no fun."
"You should write the answers on your hands," Scott said. A large bear Shifter of about thirty years, he seemed calm this morning, not in the frenzy of his Transition. "Always worked for me."
"It"s not that kind of test," Maria said, laughing. "I think they check for that anyway."
"Aw. Too bad." Scott grinned.
"I still don"t see why she has to go," Jordan said. "Stay home and play with me, Maria."
Connor, who was waiting impatiently at the bottom of the porch steps, said to Jordan, "You"ll understand when you"re older, laddie. We need to go."
Difficult to leave when all of Shiftertown-at least this block-had turned out to see her off. Maria had talked about her ambitions to very few, but this morning, so many seemed to know her secret, and they were excited for her. Hard to keep anything quiet in Shiftertown. Maria warmed though, at the send-off.
Spike"s mate, Myka, a human woman who trained horses for a living, was also making an early start. Horses liked early, she said. She hugged Maria. "You"ll bust chops," she said. "That means you"ll do well."
Glory almost lifted Maria off her feet with her hug. "You go, girl. I"m so proud of you."
Andrea had another hug, and this time Kenny was awake and talking to himself in wordless sounds. Maria kissed both him and Andrea.
That made Olaf and Jordan clamor for kisses and hugs before she went. Maria bent down to hug each in turn, having to pry them away from her and promise more hugs when she came home.
The only Shifter missing was Ellison. She kept glancing at his closed house, but she heard nothing from within. Maybe Ellison had simply gone inside and fallen asleep after staying up all night watching her house from his porch. He had to sleep sometime.
Maria swallowed her disappointment and turned to follow Connor to Dylan"s pickup, which she and Connor were borrowing. Tiger was tinkering with something under the hood, and he dropped the hood closed, watching Maria quietly with his strange eyes when she and Connor approached.
Ellison still didn"t appear as Maria took the keys from Connor and got into the driver"s side of the truck.
"You know, I do know how to drive," Connor said, hopping into the pa.s.senger seat.
"I know. I"ve ridden with you. I want to get there in one piece."
Maria looked behind her, but Ellison"s house remained quiet, the doors closed. Well, she would go over when she came home. She and Ellison weren"t mates or married. Just friends.
And lovers. Maria shivered as the heat of yesterday afternoon slid over her again. She started the truck, smiled at Tiger, who returned her look without changing expression, and pulled onto the street.
Behind her the Morrisseys, Ronan"s family, and Spike"s family all waved and cheered for her. A warmth spread in Maria"s heart. She"d been trying so hard to survive on her own that she hadn"t realized she"d created a family for herself right here, without knowing it.
"Test me while we go," Maria said to Connor.
Connor unfolded the sample book he"d had ready in his hands, and started asking her questions. Maria had chosen to take one of the biology subject tests. She"d studied and studied, with Connor"s help, for the last six months. She"d learned so much-knew the sample tests back and forth-but knots formed in her stomach. What if she went blank when the actual test lay in front of her? What if she couldn"t remember anything?
She shouldn"t have let Ellison take her out yesterday. She should have broken away from him and shut herself in the house. She was tired now, and so distracted by thoughts of Ellison, bare in the water . . .
"I said, what is found in DNA but not RNA?" Connor asked. "Is it, a) . . ."
"Um. Thymine. Right?"
"Yes, right. Concentrate."
"I"m trying."
Connor shook his head as he turned the page. "That"s what mating frenzy does to you. Clouds your brain to everything but mating. At least, that"s what I hear. I won"t have that joy for a few years yet."
"I don"t have mating frenzy," Maria said firmly. "I"m not a Shifter."
"But you had s.e.x with Ellison, you can"t stop thinking about it, and you want to do it again. That"s mating frenzy."
Maria clutched the steering wheel. "Who told you that? Why can"t Shifters mind their own business?"
"Well, that would be boring, wouldn"t it, now?" Connor grinned over at her. "And it"s true, isn"t it? You didn"t have to tell me anything. Scent doesn"t lie."
Andrea had known too, right away. Maria heaved a sigh. "If I admit that yes, I had s.e.x with Ellison, will you stop talking about it?"
"Nah." Connor laughed. "It"s fun to see you blush. So what about it? Ellison"s dying for a mate. Sun and moon, eh? We"re loving all the mating ceremonies around here. Nice excuse to get drunk and party."
"Connor. I have to take my SATs this morning. Can we talk about mating later?"
"Sure. Next question . . ."
Fortunately, the drive to the school that was administering the test didn"t take long. Maria parked in the front parking lot, her stomach knotting even more. Connor got out of the truck with her and gave her a long hug.
"You"ll do great. And I"ll be right here to pour you back into the truck when you"re done and take you home. Or out for a drink. I remember when I finished my SATs. I was all wound up, and I wanted to sleep for a week."
"Thanks, Connor." Maria returned the hug. Connor had dark hair and blue eyes like his uncles and grandfather, his body already filling out to their formidable bulks. Girls liked to stare at him, and when Connor finished his Transition years from now, he was going to be in high demand. "You"ve helped me so much."
"Hey, we have to stick together. I"m not old enough to take my place in the hierarchy yet, so who knows where I fit in? You"re trying to figure out your place too. That makes us automatic friends."
He pulled Maria close for another hard embrace. Rea.s.surance, comfort-Shifters knew how to give it. Maria hugged him back, grateful for his unconditional acceptance.
Finally Connor released her, patted her shoulder, and held out his hand. "Cell phone."
Maria turned it over. Cell phones and the like weren"t allowed at the test. She had to go alone with her calculator and the host of number 2 pencils Olaf had given her. Connor pocketed the phone, clasped Maria"s shoulder again, and sent her off toward the building with a little shove.
Maria looked back as she walked down the curved sidewalk. Connor had climbed into the bed of the truck, leaning back with his feet up, to read a newspaper. He"d wait for her. He"d be here, her anchor.
The kids who"d come to take the test this Sat.u.r.day morning were all about ten years younger than Maria, excepting a few adults who, like her, were hoping to go to college for the first time. America was a fine place, she thought as she walked. Here, a person of eighty years old could decide it was time to get a college education and go. It cost money, but there were ways to find it and people who would help. Maria had explored every avenue and put together a plan to combine scholarship opportunities with working. It would be tough, but she would do it.
An air of antic.i.p.ation hung over the building Maria entered. She checked in, following the directions to the room where she"d take her test. Kids who knew each other talked excitedly, hiding their nervousness, while others found seats, eyes wide with antic.i.p.ation.
The current of anxiousness was palpable. Maybe Maria had lived with Shifters too long, because she picked up every nuance of worry, fear, and excitement.
She chose a desk near windows that overlooked the parking lot. Maria could see Connor lounging in the truck fifty yards from her, the sight of him rea.s.suring. Connor had been such a help to her ever since she arrived. She couldn"t imagine surviving this long in Shiftertown without Connor. Or Ellison.
Ellison. No, Maria needed to focus. She"d suck it up, do the test, and then relax on Dylan"s porch with her friends, and let thoughts of a bare Ellison run through her head all she wanted. He"d been beautiful as his wolf, his fur itself quivering with his strength. She"d loved stroking him . . .
"You may start," the man who was proctoring the test said.
Maria jumped, watery fear running through her, and opened the test booklet. She looked at the first question with numb eyes, and let out her breath again.
She knew that one. She could do this.
Maria answered a few more questions with confidence, then looked up and out the window to rea.s.sure herself with Connor"s presence again.
And saw him slumped over in the truck, his body limp. She also saw two men she didn"t recognize climb into the front of the truck and drive it away.
Chapter Eleven.
Maria jumped out of her seat. The other test-takers looked up and around in irritation.
"You need to sit down," the proctor said.
Maria remained standing, watching the truck speed up and out of the parking lot. She turned around, blindly afraid, and made for the door.
"You can"t leave until the break," the proctor said, rising and following her.
"I have to. This is an emergency."
The man looked annoyed. "If you leave the room, you"ll need to turn in your test and forfeit your fee."
Meaning she"d have reschedule the test for who knew when and save up more money for the fee. But someone was busy abducting Connor, and all thoughts of tests, university, and the rest of her life went away.
"Sorry," she said. She shoved her incomplete test at the proctor and ran out of the room.
Outside she stared at the parking lot from which Connor had disappeared in dismay. He had her cell phone, and she was in a building whose offices were shut up for the day, and the campus was deserted, everyone here today focused on testing. The proctor might have a phone she could borrow, but he"d decidedly locked the door after she"d run out. She needed a phone and needed it now.
An ordinary person might have given up. But Maria had grown up in a tiny town with few luxuries in the middle of a desert, and she"d learned to be resourceful. She started jogging down the street, heart in her throat, wishing Ellison was with her, and knowing she needed to find him.
Ellison held down his sister"s wolf, growling at her. He was dominant. She needed to obey.
Deni snarled and fought. She"d woken up out of a bad dream this morning, confused and forgetful again. She"d charged out of her room in wolf form, attacking Ellison as soon as he"d walked in the front door after standing guard over Maria all night.
Deni and Ellison had fought a silent battle on the floor for a long time before Deni had suddenly gone limp, giving up. Ellison had carried her back to bed and turned to get dressed again to go with Maria and Connor to where she"d take her test, only to discover that Deni had been playing possum.
As soon as Ellison turned to leave Deni"s bedroom, Deni had come out of the bed and leapt onto his back. He"d heard Connor and Maria drive away while he"d fought off several hundred pounds of wolf.
Will and Jackson had already left for the day, their jobs starting at first light. Ellison and Deni battled it out alone, she too strong and swift to give him time to call for help.
Ellison pinned her with his large wolf"s body, Deni swiping with claws and teeth, a mad light in her eyes. Both their Collars snapped sparks, the pain biting Ellison deeply.
This was insane. And heartbreaking. One day Deni would go too far and seriously injure Ellison or her own cubs, or Ellison would have no choice but to kill her.
The idea sent a wash of pain through him at the same time he staved off her attack, she trying to rip out her older brother"s throat.
The phone pealed into the rumble of growls and snarls. Deni jerked, her attention diverted, but Ellison didn"t dare let go of her to answer it.
He knew, though he didn"t know how, that the person on the other end was in danger. Jackson and Will were out there, neither wanting to stay home from jobs they liked. Connor was out there too, with Maria . . .
Ellison tried to get up. Deni used his distraction to attack, jaws open, fangs bared.
Ellison caught her as he shifted, hands digging into her fur, swung her around, and threw her across the room.
Deni tumbled, howling, and crashed into the wall. Before she could get herself up again, Ellison dove for the phone.
"Ellison." He heard Maria"s panting relief, and his fears skyrocketed.
"Where are you?" he said, his voice guttural. "What"s wrong?"
"Connor. I couldn"t stop them. I was taking my stupid test. He was waiting in the parking lot for me because I was nervous . . ."
"Wait. Stop. Tell me."
Maria drew a long breath and told him in simple words what had happened. "I"m at a convenience store at Congress and Ben White. What are we going to do? We have to find him."
"You stay right where you are. I"m on this. Aw, s.h.i.t."
Deni crashed into him, yanking the landline phone out of the wall. The phone went dead, Maria"s voice vanishing.
Deni"s eyes were red, the feral in her taking over. Her Collar shocked more sparks deep into her, but the pain didn"t slow her down.
They fought out of the kitchen and to the living room, Ellison trying desperately to stop her. He"d have to knock her out somehow and get away from her. Connor needed help now.
The back door banged open. Ronan charged in, already throwing off his clothes, and became a giant Kodiak bear before he hit the living room.
Seriously hit it-the doorframe broke and a table full of Deni"s knickknacks went over. Deni rolled away from Ellison and faced this new threat.
Ronan roared, a colossus enraged. Deni laid her ears back and bared her teeth, ready to fight. Her stance told Ellison that she expected her brother to join her in beating back the intruding bear.
Ronan raised a paw to knock her senseless. Ellison jumped at him, instinctively defending his sister, his pack.
Ellison"s leap ended on Ronan"s ma.s.sive paw. The Kodiak tried to pull his punch, but the blow smacked Ellison head over tail to land him on the couch. The couch broke into a pile of wood and stuffing, Ellison"s wolf buried in the debris.
In that moment, sanity flooded back into Deni"s eyes. She rose and flowed back into human form, her face ashen. "Ellison!"
She rushed to Ellison and put her arms around him, stroking his fur, while Ellison lay stunned, trying to catch his breath. Ronan subsided, watching them both anxiously.
"I did it again, didn"t I?" Deni asked, her voice broken. "Ellison, what are we going to do?"