Bite Marks

Teen Me squealed. Sew kewl! I rolled my eyes. But I did have to agree. Because, holy crap, were they large !

When the first roo began to graze again, Raoul crept forward, motioning for us to follow. I moved my hand around toward my back. My jacket creaked and Raoul jerked his head toward me. Parallel reaction from Cole. I shrugged, dropping my hand, trying to ignore the growing prickles that felt like my rash had erected tents and dug a fire pit.

Raoul motioned first to himself, then to me.

What?

He made the motion again.

No! Have you seen how big these hoppers are? I thought we were going after, you know, little ones!

Again with the motion, this time insistent and combined with a jab from Cole’s elbow. I sighed and nodded. I’d play up to a certain point, but no way was I going to get up close and personal with a creature whose feet looked like they were made specifically to crush my spine!

Raoul and I split, taking opposite tracks around to the back of the herd. Cole began to move forward. I gathered the plan was for him to try the pettage on his own. But if it didn’t work, Raoul and I were supposed to spook the roos into hopping toward him, in which case he’d have multiple shots at success.

I finally found a spot I liked where I could observe the landscape from between the split fingers of a grass tree. Jack sat beside me, his ears twitching as he followed the action. Which was progressing, but slowly. Cole now crouched within reach of a five-foot female that seemed completely occupied with her meal. At least he’d picked one that was too young for motherhood. Maybe, without that protect-the-baby imperative riding her, she wouldn’t try to cave his skull in when he touched her. Maybe she’d just squeal and run.

He stretched out his hand. His fingers were so close to her shoulder you couldn’t have slipped a bar of soap between them when the female startled, veered away, and ran. The whole mob caught her mood and suddenly they were on the move.

Raoul leaped up from his hiding place, yelling, “Ha! Move! Hop! That’s it!” Pause. “Jasmine, they’re coming toward you!”

But it wasn’t organized like a cow stampede. Fifteen kangaroos had chosen fifteen different directions out of that copse, and I was only guarding one exit.

A big male hopped at me, looking surprised and somewhat pissed. An expression I found eerily familiar.

But that was no help, and I couldn’t imagine how me yelling like a cowboy with his nuts in a wringer was going to turn the animal around. In fact, I kinda thought I was going to get pummeled. So I drew Grief and took a shot. Relax, I made sure it hit the ground.

Actually a couple of the roos did too. The sound must’ve scared them so much that they lost their footing. But they found it again and decided, as a group, that it should lead them away from me. At least three of them agreed that meant they should hop toward Cole. But this wasn’t a leisurely stroll. This was run-for-your-life-dammit! They pounded toward him, covering six feet at a stretch. And he just stood there, grinning.

“Move, you fool!” I yelled.

“Good thinking!” he shouted back, wheeling around so he could pace the group for the fraction of a second it would take to claim his prize.

I watched him reach for a male the size of a giraffe. And then another roo veered into him, sending him rolling like a skater who’s just missed his board.

Raoul and I ran up to him together, but before either of us could reach him he’d bounced back to his feet. “Did you see that? Was that not the most awesome moment ever? Tell me you saw that!”

“Yeah, yeah. You do know you’re lucky to be alive, right?” I asked.

Cole dusted off his jeans, which had developed holes in both knees. “What’s your point?”

“I…” I looked at Raoul, who was wearing the same this-kicks-ass expression on his face that I saw on Cole’s. “I’m just saying, you missed.”

“I know. That means we’ve got the whole thing to do over again.” Cole held up his fist and Raoul, who was apparently a close observer of modern gestures, gave it an enthusiastic bump with his own. Which was why I dropped the protest.

I don’t get guys half the time. But—I smiled to myself as we turned back for the house— they can be awful damn fun.

CHAPTERTWENTY-ONE

When we got back to the house, the Wheezer was parked in the drive beside Ruvin’s Jeep. Cole raced to the front door and threw it open. Vayl and Ruvin, who’d been sitting on the couch, talking quietly, jerked their heads toward him.

“Cassandra! You’ll never guess… Oh yeah.” By the time we’d crowded in behind him he’d decided his high-tops needed a polish and was rubbing one on the back of his pants leg. He glanced back at us. “I, uh”—he stuck his finger in his ear, wiggled it a few times.—“I need to pee.” He nodded to Ruvin as he strode from the room.

I looked up at Raoul. “What was that all about?” I asked.

“Maybe he’s worried.”

“Cassandra can take care of herself.” I didn’t buy a word of it and I’d just said it.

I swallowed my concern, told myself Cassandra wasn’t back yet because the exits were probably guarded, which meant we’d have to go get her as soon as we finished the mission. But that otherwise she was probably just fine. Really. Then I settled on the chair next to Raoul’s. Jack, reacting to the mood, dropped to his belly and laid his chin on my shoe. He began to chew at my laces.

Bergman left his post in the hallway to come hover behind us. I’d never seen him so grim. Which would’ve been enough to concern me. But I could almost see the gears turning as he stared toward Kyphas’s room.