Page 13 of Gone Hunting

“I mean hot. Really hot.” He nudges Koda. “Hey. Isn’t she hot?”

“Liam,” Koda spits out through his teeth. He motions to where I’m standing and not smiling anymore.

“Oh, sorry,” Liam says. “I meant sexy. Is sexy a better word for you Aric?”

My mouth pops open. How has Liam survived this long?

Celia’s hand covers her face. It doesn’t quite hide her blush, nor keep her from turning into a shy kitten instead of aformidable tigress.

“Thank you for the clothes,” she stammers. “If you could, I really need to find a way back to Jersey.”

“Why?” Gemini asks. “Who’s there?”

“My sisters and foster mother,” Celia replies. Again, she’s guarded, not wanting to give too much away.

“You have sisters?” Liam asks. “How many?”

Celia crosses her arms. “Three.”

“Cool,” Liam says. He inches closer to her. “Are they pretty like you?”

“We have similar features,” Celia cautiously answers.

“They’re golden tigers, like you?” Liam presses. He holds out his hands. “Wait. I know—

don’t tell me. They take the forms of other big cats. A lion, maybe? How about a cheetah? I like cheetahs. Well, the ones I’ve seen on T.V., anyway.”

Celia stiffens. Liam needs to back off, and I should tell him. Except, like the rest of us, he’s curious and wants to know more.

“I’m the only one with an inner beast,” she replies. “They . . . they’re different.”

“Different from you?” Liam asks.

“From everyone,” Celia responds. Her demeanor turns grave. I don’t quite understand it. It’s like her sadness is too much to bear. “We’re different from any race of human,were, or vampire on earth.”

“Weird,” Koda infers.

Celia’s tiger eyes replace her own and hurt and anger flake off each word she speaks. “That’s one way to describe us.”

Koda glances away. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you.”

I didn’t like how Koda referred to Celia or how his comment affected her. I came close to storming over and making him apologize. Except, for all Koda is like a dangerous cloud waiting to storm, he’s not cruel, especially when it comes to females.

Liam blows blond hair away from his face and grins. “You didn’t answer my question, Celia. Are your sisters pretty, like you?”

Another splash of red against her cheeks is just what Celia needed to erase her anger. The truth I scent behind her words lift her lips into a small smile. “They’re beautiful,” she replies.

I return her smile, but it doesn’t last.

Dread punches me in the gut and I whip around in the direction of the woods. That smell—that disgusting festering smell I caught earlier—saturates the air and coats it in a vile yellow mist, snuffing out the fresh breeze.

Gemini’s twin wolf barks with pure rage and dashes into the woods. We growl as a pack, including Celia. There isn’t a need for words. Something evil this way stalks and it’s up to us to destroy it.

I prowl forward, my friends and Celia following closely.

Gemini’s twin cries out in agony, the sound of splintering bone cutting off his tortured whimpers.

Gemini’s eyes fly open. “No!” he yells.

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