And Rowan was rubbing her forehead. "I was thinkingwe might influence them," she said in an undertone.
"You know why that won't work." Kestrel's voice was soft and flat.
"Why?" Jade said sharply.
"They followed us for a reason," Rowan saidtiredly. She nodded toward the hole. "So they've been suspicious for a while-for how long?" She looked at Mary-Lynnette.
"I saw you dig the hole Tuesday night," MaryLynnette said. She nodded toward the hole. "Is that your aunt in there?"
There was a brief silence and Rowan looked selfconscious. Then she inclined her head slightly.
Gracefully.
"Oh, hell," Mark said. His eyes were shut and his head was rolling on his neck. "Oh,hell. They've got Mrs. B. in a bag."
"Two days," Rowan said to Jade. "They've suspected for two whole days. And we can't remove memories that are interlaced with other things for that long. We'd never know if we got them all."
"Well, we could just takeeverything for the last two days," Jade said.
Kestrel snorted. "And have two more people wandering around with lost time?"
Mary-Lynnette's mind went click. "Todd Akers andVic Kimble," she said. "You did something to give them amnesia.I knew there had to be a connection."
"There's no other choice for us," Kestrel said quietly to Rowan. "And you know it as well as I do."
She's not being malicious, Mary-Lynnette realized.Just practical. If a lioness or a wolf or a falcon could talk, it would say the same thing. "We have to either kill or die; it's as simple as that."
Despite herself, Mary-Lynnette felt something like fascination-and respect.
Mark had his eyes open now. And Rowan was looking sad, so sad. It's awful, her expression said, but somebody here is going to have to get hurt.
Rowan bowed her head, then lifted it to face MaryLynnette directly. Their eyes met, held. After a moment Rowan's face changed slightly and she nodded.
Mary-Lynnette knew that in that instant they werecommunicating without words. Each recognizing the other as an alpha female who was willing to fightand die for her kin.
Meaning they were both big sisters.
Yes, somebody's going to get hurt, Mary-Lynnette thought. You threaten myfamily,I fight back.
She knew Rowan understood. Rowan was going to really hate killing her....
"No," a voice said passionately, and MaryLynnette realized it was Jade. And the next second Jade was on her feet, hands clenched, words erupting like a steam boiler exploding. "No, youcan'tkill Mark. I won'tletyou."
Rowan said, "Jade, I know this is hard-"Kestrel said, "Jade, don't be a wimp-"
Jade was trembling, body tensed like a cat ready to fight. Her voice was louder than either of them.
"You just can't do itl I think -Ithink-" "Jade-"
"I thinkhe's my soulmate!"
Dead silence.
Then Rowan groaned. "Oh, dear..."
Kestrel said, "Oh,sure."
They were both looking at Jade. Focused on her. Mary-Lynnette thought, now.
She swung the flashlight viciously at Kestrel, wanting to take her out first, betting that Rowan would stay behind if Kestrel were hurt. But the swing never connected, Mark threw himself in front of her, slamming into her arm.
"Don't hurt Jade!"
Then everything was just a mad tangle. Arms, legs,grasping fingers, kicking feet. Jade and Mark both yelling for it to stop. Mary-Lynnette felt the flashlight wrenched out of her hand. She found long hair, got hold of it, yanked. Someone kicked her, and pain blossomed in her ribs.
Then she felt herself being dragged backward Mark was holding her, pulling her away from thefight.
Jade was lying on top of Kestrel and clutching at Rowan.
Everybody was panting. Mark was almost crying.
"We just can't do this," he said. "This is terrible.This is all wrong."
Meanwhile Jade was snarling, "He's my soulmate,okay?Okay? I can't do anything with himdead!"
"He's not your soulmate, idiot," Kestrel said in a somewhat muffled voice. She was facedown on the carpet of needles. "When you're soulmates, it hits you like lightning, and you know that's the one person in the world you were meant to be with. Youdon'tthink you're soulmates; you just know it's your destiny whether you like it or not."
Somewhere, deep in Mary-Lynnette's brain, something stirred in alarm. But she had more urgentthings to worry about.
"Mark, get out of here," she said breathlessly. ?Run!?
Mark didn't even ease his grip. "Why do we have to be enemies?"
"Mark, they're killers .You can't justify that. They killed their own aunt."
Three faces turned toward her, startled. A half-fullmoon had risen above the trees, and Mary-Lynnette could see them clearly.
"We didnot!" Jade said indignantly.
"What made you think that?" Rowan asked.Mary-Lynnette felt her mouth hang open. "Be cause you buried her, for God's sakel"
"Yes, but we found her dead."
"Somebody staked her," Kestrel said, brushingpine needles out of her golden hair. "Probably a vampire hunter. I don't suppose you'd know anything about that."
Mark gulped. "Staked her-with a stake?"
"Well, with a picket from the fence," Kestrel said. "She was already dead?" Mary-Lynnette said toRowan. "But then why on earth did you bury her in the backyard?"
"It would have been disrespectful to leave her in the cellar."
'But why didn't you have her taken to a cemetery?"Rowan looked dismayed.
Jade said, "Um, you haven't seen Aunt Opal."
"She's not looking so good," Kestrel said. "Kind ofhard and stiff. You might say mummified."
"It's what happens to us," Rowan said almostapologetically.
Mary-Lynnette slumped back against Mark, trying to get her new world view into place. Everything was whirling.
"So... you were just trying to hide her. But ... you did do something to Todd Akers and Vic
Kim-"
"Theyattackedus," Jade interrupted. "They were thinking very bad things and they pinched our arms."
"They-?" Mary-Lynnette sat up suddenly. All at once she understood. "Oh, my God. Those jerks!"