Page 126 of Fangs
“Why?”
“Just humor me a second, Freckles,” he murmured. “What else do you hear?”
“Dog barking?”
“Good. Give me three more.”
I had no idea what he was doing, but I strained my ears, “People workin’ on that roof, the wind…” I paused, listening. “Somebody laughin’.”
He grinned at me like we were both in on something, but I had no idea what it was.
“What are you doin’?”
“You breathin’ easier?”
I wrinkled my nose, confused, but Iwasbreathing easier.
“It’s a trick Sable taught us,” he explained, still holding my face. “Focusin’ on stuff you can hear or see or taste orfeel,” his thumbs stroked across my cheeks in emphasis, and goosebumps rose on my arms, “can help distract your brain when you’re panicking.”
I bit my lip, torn between feeling annoyed and embarrassed.
“What scared you just now?” he asked, lowering his voice.
I tried to step back and pull my face out of his hands, but his fingers tightened. It wasn’t enough to hurt, but enough to hold me there.
“Yes, I am holdin’ you hostage until you tell me,” he smirked.
I glared at him as fiercely as I could manage, but he didn’t release me. I knew better than to test my strength against his, so I gave up and whispered, “What if Juck is still alive?”
He blinked in surprise. “He’s not.”
“How doyouknow?”
“I know ’cause we came across what was left of the Reapers’ camp probably a couple days or so after the fight. I looked at Juck’s dead body myself.”
The relief that surged through me made me shaky.
“He’s definitely dead, Em,” Wolf added, reminding me he wasalsohere.
I pulled away from Lee again; this time, he let me go, smirking. My whole face felt hot.
“You know how I’ve always been good at trackin’?” Wolf asked, and I nodded. “I usually just…get a sense of where to go, at least a general direction. But with you, there wasnothin’.” He frowned. “For twelve years, it was like you’d just vanished. Until one day, it came out of nowhere. I was mid-sentence and suddenly knew we had to go west. We followed the trail, and it led us to the Reapers.”
I stared at him, unease trickling through me.
“I can’t say for sure, but it seems like I sensed you again when…when Juck died.”
I wrapped my arms around my torso. “What does that mean?”
“I don’t know,” he said, his voice solemn.
I wished Mac were here.
The clinic door squeaked as it opened, and we all turned to look. Sam stood on the porch, staring at us with a frown.
“Is Sam sick?”
I glanced at Lee when he spoke, surprise giving way to guilt. “Kinda.”
