"Hey, she's up," someone called out.
I glanced over my shoulder to see a Neanderthal-looking guy holding a gun. His head was shaved and he seemed to be in the habit of periodically flexing his muscles as though to draw attention to his amazing biceps. I couldn't see the lights of town, but I could see that the headlights of some vehicle had been strategically placed so I was in the spotlight. This didn't bode well.
I watched as hiking boots came into view and then Mason was crouching in front of me.
"Hey," he said, like we were buddies about to exchange homework answers.
He tugged on my braid. I jerked my head back, trying to break free of his hold. But my hair was too long, and all I accomplished was to give myself a case of whiplash when he jerked me back toward him.
"Play nice," he said.
"Why? You don't."
"Which is why you should." He studied my braid as though he'd never seen hair before. "So is this the color of your fur?"
"You mean the fur that lines my parka? No, it's more a golden brown." My answer made me think of Connor. If I concentrated on him, maybe I could get through this ordeal.
Mason tugged harder.
"Ow'"
"I don't like smart-asses," he said with an edge to his voice that made me wonder if he'd gone off the deep end.
"I don't like stupid questions. My fur? I don't know what you're talking about."
"You're saying you're not a werewolf?"
I rolled my eyes. "You still think they really exist?"
"I know they do. Do you know Devlin?"
Who didn't? He was Lucas's brother. The one who'd betrayed us. He was dead now, but Mason obviously didn't know that. I wasn't about to enlighten him. "Of course, I do. He's a certified nut job."
Mason smiled. "He told me that werewolves live in this area. We caught one. Lucas."
I arched a brow, pleased that I was able to give a cocky facade when I was actually pretty scared. "Lucas is a werewolf? You've, like, what? Seen him go all furry?"
Mason's expression became defensive and mulish. "No, but Devlin told me. And the wolfs fur…it was the same shade as Lucas's hair, which you have to admit is a fairly unusual combination of colors."
"Doesn't mean it was Lucas. I mean, really, listen to yourself. Werewolves?"
"I know the sherpas are werewolves. You're a sherpa, so don't deny it. I know it's how you protect your secrets within the national forest, how you keep outsiders from getting in. You control where campers and hikers can go."
He knew a lot more than I'd given him credit for.
"How many ways can I say this? Werewolves don't exist." It was the mantra Shifters were sworn to repeat. How else could they keep their existence a secret?
"You're going to shift for me, one way or a—"
"She's human," someone said.
Mason twisted around. "Are you sure?"
I looked past Mason to see Ethan striding toward us. He'd been part of the group we'd led into the forest earlier in the summer. He was so pale that we'd pegged him for the indoor type right away but we hadn't thought anything about it since Dr. Keane had claimed he was taking his biology students into the wilderness to study it.
"Blood doesn't lie," Ethan said. "Hers is human."
They'd taken my blood without me knowing? The bastards' I didn't think I'd ever be as grateful as I was at that moment that my mom had slept with a Static.
"But the other one"—Ethan grinned—"bingo'"
"What other one?" I asked, dread tightening my stomach.
With a smile as broad as Ethan's, Mason glanced over to the side. I followed his gaze. That's when I saw their other prisoner, lying on the ground, with his hands tied behind his back, his ankles bound together, and his eyes closed.
Connor'
TEN
"We've got ourselves a werewolf," Ethan said.
"Are you sure?" Mason asked again.
"Oh yeah. There's a little bit of human, but mostly it's wolf."
I felt everything within me sink into despair.
"You don't seem surprised by the revelation that he's a werewolf," Mason said.
I jerked my gaze up to his. In retrospect, I suppose I should have had some sort of stunned reaction, a gasp, an "Oh my God," but I'd been too worried about Connor. Connor, on the other hand, would have taken offense at being referred to as a werewolf. He was a Shifter. I shored up my bravado. "I'm simply at a loss for words. Your little group is beyond insane—"
He sliced his hand through the air, nearly hitting my nose, cutting off my words. "Save it," he said. "The proof is in the blood."
Which hopefully could be explained away as…I didn't know what, but surely as something. That was all they'd ever have. I knew Connor would never shift in front of them. He'd never confirm what they suspected. No matter what they did to him.
My blood suddenly chilled with the thought of what they might have in mind for him.
"All righty, then. Let's pack up," Mason suddenly barked.
"What about the girl?" Neanderthal asked. "Let her go?"
"No," Mason said in a tone that was normally used when addressing idiots. "She'll tell the others. She comes with us. Besides, I have a feeling we can use her to get what we want from the werewolf."
As Neanderthal wrapped his beefy hand around my arm and lifted me to my feet icy fear ripped through me. Connor wasn't the only one in danger. I didn't even want to contemplate what Mason had in mind for me.
They dumped us in the back of the van, slammed the door closed, and locked it. Other doors closed as people got in. Mason looked over the backseat at us. His expression reminded me of hunters admiring the deer they'd shot. "Don't try anything. Johnson here has a stun gun and a tranquilizer gun."
I could see the back of Johnson's head. I wasn't surprised to discover he was the Neanderthal. A guy who could have passed for his twin was driving. Ethan was in the front passenger seat.
"Where are we going?" I asked Mason.
"The lab. It'll make it easier to study wolf boy."
"What is it you want to learn?"
"Didn't Kayla tell you?"