Several times during the night, a cool cloth pressed against my cheek as I lay in the circle of Carlos’ arms. Each time, his care brought a drowsy smile to my lips before I drifted back to sleep.
In the morning, I woke alone and stretched slowly. My face hurt, but it was nothing new and nothing to cry about. I’d been hit hard plenty of times in my life. And each incident was my own fault. This time was no different. I shouldn’t have played quite so hard to get.
“Good morning, Isabelle.”
I looked over at the bedroom doorway. Carlos stood there, dressed for the day in his pressed pants and pastel polo shirt. His hair was neatly combed, and he looked freshly shaven. The sight of him made me feel light and happy, and not just because he was holding a plate of food.
“Good morning.”
Patting the bed beside me, I pushed myself up into a sitting position. He joined me and handed over the plate. Scrambled eggs and hash browns.
“I’m so glad you can cook,” I said, loading my fork. “I suck at it, and TV dinners like to go straight to my butt.”
He didn’t say anything. I paused with my fork halfway to my mouth as I eyed him. I took my time studying his features, trying to guess at his mood since I couldn’t feel anything, as usual. Something about his eyes seemed almost sad, but the set of his lips was slightly tight.
Four days ago, I would have thought his expression neutral. Now what I was seeing was the barest of changes. That I was really starting to know Carlos warmed my middle.
I set the fork back down.
“What part are you upset about?”
“The part where I took you outside.”
“Really? Because I liked all of it. A lot. Until I got hit in the face. That guy pissed me off.”
He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. I took the opportunity to lean forward and kiss his neck.
“Isabelle.” The warning in his voice made me grin.
“Carlos,” I said, using the same tone. “Does this mean you’ll chase me again?”
“No.”
“Not even around the couch?”
His lips twitched, and I grinned.
“Did you almost smile?”
“Almost. Eat your breakfast.”
I took a quick bite, chewed, and swallowed.
“You’re thinking about it, aren’t you. Chasing me around the couch.”
“I love you, Isabelle.”
My heart stopped then restarted with a different, faster beat.
“I saw you fighting in Ethan’s bar and wanted to kill the man who was trying to hurt you. When I saw Ethan touch you in the field, I wanted to kill him, too. Then, I started seeing you for what you are. A fighter. I’m not okay with that,” he said, touching my bruised face, “and I’m always going to want to protect you. But fighting is part of who you are, and I’ll need to learn to deal with it.”
I swallowed hard as he continued to watch me.
“Wow. Uh, that was a lot.” As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I wanted to cringe. I was screwing this up. He’d just told me he loved me, and I couldn’t say it back because I always hurt the people I loved.
I set my plate aside and pushed back the blankets to get to my knees. He watched me closely.
Swallowing hard, I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him. Just a hug. He hugged me in return, smoothing a hand down my back.
“You feel like home,” I whispered, hoping he’d understand.
I turned my head, laying it on his shoulder. We held each other for a long while before I pulled back. As he let me go, he reached up and ran a gentle finger along my cheek.
“How is it feeling today?”
“Better than it should be. Thank you for taking care of me last night.”
“Last night and every night.”
His words made me warm. How could he make me feel everything like he did? Happy being with him, more loved than I ever had in my life, and sad on his behalf because I wasn’t ready to bite him. I held his gaze. Why wasn’t I ready? It was too soon. Too soon since meeting him and too soon since Ethan died. Yet, so much had happened. It didn’t feel too soon. It felt like months. Still, I couldn’t bring myself to bite him.
I looked down at my hands.
“I know what you want,” I said quietly. “That level of commitment seems…” I exhaled heavily and met his gaze. “I still feel like I don’t know you. I need a hint of what you’re feeling sometimes. I feel so blind with you. Everyone else I can read. Not you.”
“I see what everyone else’s emotions do to you. I don’t want what I feel to hurt you.”
“So, you’re going to hold yourself back forever? When you’re mad, I want to know it. When you’re happy, I want to laugh with you.”
“Once you Claim me, I won’t be able to keep it locked up.”
“What?”
“When you bite me, you’ll feel what I feel.”
I frowned.
“So, the floodgates would always be open?” I remembered the few times I had felt what he’d felt. Emotions so intense they’d taken me over. How would I deal with that? I couldn’t. Letting a bit out here and there would be fine, but if I had access to everything…
“You’d end up like my parents,” I said, thinking aloud.
“I don’t think so. Grey and I discussed this at length. According to Bethi, you siphon the emotions you feel around you. What you and I would have…it’s different. We will feel each other in our minds.”
Slowly, I shook my head.
“It’s not a risk I’m willing to chance.”
“I understand. But what if I told you we could try it, and if you didn’t like it, you could break the Claim?”
“Really? How?”
He shrugged.
“There are several different ways. The point is that we could try.”
I thought back on Bethi’s conversation. She’d said mating was the only permanent bond.
He watched me as I thought it over. We’d already kissed, and he’d been fine each time. I could bite Carlos and know what he was feeling. If the connection made me twitchy or took over, I could say I wanted out. There didn’t seem to be a downside, nothing to lose. A thread of excitement filled me.
“So do I need to light candles for you or something? Or just pounce?”
His pupils dilated and a shudder ran through him.
“Pounce.” The word was already rough with his slipping control.
It amazed me that I did that to him. With a grin, I knocked him back onto the bed.
His shaking grew more pronounced as I set my hands on his shoulders and buried my face in his neck. I inhaled deeply, smelling Carlos. The urge to nibble at his skin gripped me.
A small, happy noise escaped me as his hands settled on my waist. He pulled me over him, so I straddled his stomach. It made it easier to run my lips over his skin, trailing kisses. His hands moved from my waist to my back, pressing me closer, until we were chest to chest. My pulse pounded with the need to bite him. I opened my mouth and scraped my teeth along his skin. He groaned.
I grinned at his response then gave him what he wanted, a nip on the neck. It wasn’t as satisfying as I’d thought it would be.
He shook as I pulled back.
“Well?” I said, looking at him.
His arms tightened around my waist.
“More.” The word came out a broken growl.
He wanted me to bite him more? I looked at the red mark I’d left on his skin. It was already barely visible, even though I’d bitten him pretty hard.
“Whatever floats your boat,” I said, bending down to nibble his skin again. I trailed little nips down to his collarbone. Without a doubt, I was enjoying what I was doing and so was he. His shaking grew worse with each pinch of my teeth.
“Isabelle.” The drawn out syllables of my name sounded pained. “Break the damn skin.”
I pulled back in surprise.
“You want me to what?”
His arms wrapped around me, and he slowly drew me back to his neck.
“Bite me. Bite me like you’re mad at me. Bite me like it’s the only way you’ll get free. Because it is. I’m not letting go until it’s done.”
I tried pulling back again, and he didn’t budge. Instead, I turned my head so I could see him.
“You really want me to hurt you?”
“It won’t hurt. I promise.”
I continued to stare at him, doubting his words, even as the urge to bite him like he’d asked rode me hard.
“Please.”
The begging won me. I turned my head and bit hard enough to draw blood.
His yell shocked me.
“You said it wouldn’t hurt!” I jerked back from him, wiping my mouth while looking at him with concern.
He exhaled heavily and closed his eyes.
I felt relieved and relaxed and very turned on. I wasn’t that turned on a minute ago. I wanted to kiss him but held myself back, waiting. What was I waiting for? My heart swelled with love for him. He was perfect. Everything I wanted. And so beautiful. Whoa, what? Carlos was handsome. Hot. Rugged. Intense. Nowhere in there did I think him beautiful. It was way too girly a term for him.
“What the hell is going on?” I said, staring at him.
Emotions continued to tease me, but not in the way I was used to. They weren’t filling me. They were just in me.
“How do you feel?”
“I wouldn’t know. You’re in my head.”
“I mean, is what I’m feeling causing any problems?”
“Yes, you’re so horny I can’t think straight.”
He grinned. A full, show-me-your-teeth grin. It was sexy as hell.
“Is there a volume control for this?” I asked.
He closed his eyes again and some of the feelings gradually mellowed. The love didn’t. That emanated with an intensity that made it hard to breathe.
I eased out of his arms, slightly overwhelmed by the new experience. He let me go and sat up, watching as I grabbed my plate. I began to eat the cold eggs while I considered what I was feeling from Carlos. I was used to sorting through a whirlwind of emotions, but this was different. The emotions were strong but not in a way that brought me to my knees. Instead, they wrapped around me like a warm blanket on a cold day.
His love was the easiest to feel and know. Then awe and pride. Because of me. Because I’d found him worthy enough to Claim him. He humbled me with those emotions. But behind them hid a layer of anger and pain so thick that it took me by surprise. Was he feeling that way because I’d messed up the bite? How was I supposed to know I had to bite that hard? I ate another mouthful of eggs as I blushed, thinking of all the unnecessary nipping I’d done. A slow heat crept up my neck.
“Why are you worrying?” Carlos said once again looking at me.
“Why are you mad?”
The anger melted away, but the pain remained.
“The bite didn’t hurt, right?”
“The bite was perfect.” He leaned toward me and kissed my forehead. “Do you need more ice? Biting didn’t hurt your cheek further, did it?”
I shook my head, still trying to puzzle out the anger and pain.
“We need to meet up with the others,” he said. “It’s almost time.”
I nodded and watched as he stood and walked out the door. He was more complex now that I could feel his emotions, not less. If I hadn’t screwed up the bite, then why was he in pain? What had hurt him that much?
Forking the last bite of eggs into my mouth, I stood and made my way to the kitchen. Carlos was by the dryer, taking out our clean clothes. I’d forgotten about them.
I left my plate on the kitchen counter and went to the bathroom. Only my hairbrush and toothbrush waited by the sink. He’d already packed up his things. We were obviously not staying longer.
Brushing my teeth hurt. A few of my molars protested, and I eased up on the scrubbing. When I spit, there was pink in the foam, and I got angry all over again at the man who’d hit me. Blake had so much to pay for. I wished I could be a fly on the wall when the crap-storm we were about to create hit home for him.
After running the brush through my hair, I packed up my things and opened the door. Carlos was waiting with my jacket, shoes, and our bags.
“Everyone is waiting for us by the cars.”
“We’re not staying?”
“We’re packed just in case. We don’t know if Charlene’s contact will be able to get us on the air or not. If she doesn’t, we’ll need to wait until she can. If she does, it would be better to leave the city.”
“More long car rides…sounds fun.”
A wave of love washed over me.
“Was that a mental hug?”
“Something like that.”
My insides warmed, and I tried to send what he made me feel back to him.
“All right, big guy, let’s roll. If we’re lucky, I’ll get to hit someone today.”
* * * *
“This time, Charlene will get us in,” Grey said as we stood outside the news building.
I nodded, more than willing to let someone else take the lead.
People moved around us, keeping up with their everyday chaotic rush. Since leaving the apartment, I’d maintained my balance of near emptiness by siphoning and draining. In those brief moments when I inhaled the emotions of those around me, I got a read on our group. Anticipation was heavy, but trepidation was a close second.
Carlos stood behind me, his hands wrapped around my arms. I wasn’t sure if it was a loving embrace or restraints. Either way, his touch helped calm some of the storm as did the gentle surges of love I felt from him.
Charlene and Thomas started out, followed closely by Winifred. The rest of us fell in loosely behind them. As a group, we entered the building and made for the elevators where we split into two groups.
“We’ll meet on the twelfth floor,” Winifred said.
Bethi, Luke, Gabby, Clay, and Grey stepped into the elevator with Carlos and me.
“Congratulations,” Clay said quietly, looking at Carlos.
Behind me, I felt Carlos nod.
I was puzzled for a moment until Carlos gave me another one of those mental hugs.
Bethi’s eyes went wide as she stared at me.
“Shut up…”
I gave her a crooked grin.
“Bet you didn’t get a hand shoved in your face,” she said.
“Will you ever let me forget that?” Luke asked.
“Nope.”
Gabby glanced at me.
“It’s strange at first, but you’ll get used to him being in your head.”
Hearing her say that relieved me. It was weird having Carlos in there. Not really in a bad way, just…weird.
“I hope so,” I said.
“We’re standing right here,” Luke said.
Gabby grinned at him and leaned back against Clay.
“In your head is a good place to be,” Clay said. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head.
The elevator slowed and binged. When the doors slid open, we stepped out. The other elevator was three floors behind, apparently having stopped to pick up passengers.
We lingered by the elevator bank, waiting. I carefully breathed the emotions in and out. Bethi’s ran all over the place.
“Tone it down, girl.”
She nodded and immediately her emotions muted. They weren’t nonexistent like Carlos’, or silent like the Elders’, but they were quiet enough that she didn’t overwhelm me. She was getting better.
Behind us, I listened to the quiet conversation of the receptionist with another woman and the approaching click of heels. The doors opened to the second elevator. Winifred and Sam stepped out, followed by Charlene and Thomas.
A wave of panic hit me, and the sound of heels stopped. I turned and saw Penny in the hallway, her gaze locked on Charlene.
I stole her panic as she spun on her heel.
“Charlene,” I said in warning before the woman took a second step.
“Penny,” Charlene said. The woman stopped walking and slowly turned.
In an eerie display, all other movement in the large room stilled as well.
The man behind the desk laid his head down, and the woman joined him. Another man, who’d been reading the paper while he waited in one of the reception chairs, folded the paper on his lap then closed his eyes as if to take a nap. A maintenance worker, who was sweeping the floor with an extra-long dust mop, set the mop on the floor, then took a seat. The unnatural actions had me glancing at Charlene.
Bethi had said Charlene could control people but seeing it was scary crazy. I wasn’t the only one affected by the display.
Penny’s fear spiked.
“So much for not abusing your power,” she said, anger shaking her words.
“I don’t abuse my power,” Charlene said. “I only use it when necessary. And you’ve made it necessary.”
“Me?”
“Do you forget what I can do? I know you have a camera in the room, a voice recorder, a new lock on the door, and the police on speed dial. You planned to tape me doing something amazing and then turn me in. It didn’t work the last time you tried, and it won’t work now. That’s not why I’m here.”
“Then you’re wasting my time.”
“I promise I’m not. I have something much more newsworthy to show you. If you take me to one of your recording studios, you can broadcast live.”
Penny narrowed her eyes as she studied Charlene. I could feel her mistrust.
“I don’t have that kind of pull,” Penny said.
“I do.” A wave of regret and fear rolled from Charlene with those words. I could understand her regretting her power, but why the fear?
Penny studied Charlene for a moment. Then a surge of the woman’s triumph hit me, and I wanted to grin. She had no idea what she was in for.
“This way.” She turned and started walking.
When she looked back and saw all of us following, I felt her hesitation and soothed it away. As we left the reception area, I noticed the maintenance worker stand and head toward his mop. Scary.
Carlos threaded his fingers through mine, bringing my focus back to our group as we entered the corridor. After yesterday’s wandering, I didn’t feel so lost when we made several turns before entering a hall with a few glass-windowed doors. Penny reached for one of the darker ones and opened it.
As she stood aside to let us in, she caught Charlene’s eye.
‘Someone is going to ask what I’m doing,’ Penny said.
‘I’ll worry about that,” Charlene said to her then stepped into the room. The rest of us followed. It was a bit crowded.
“Isabelle, Carlos, Winifred, would you go with Penny into the studio to explain? I’ll wait out here for whoever may come.’
‘I’m not taping you?’ Penny asked as she shut the outer door.
‘No. You’re bringing the world bigger news than me, Penny. The news you were meant to reveal.’
Penny was surprised and self-satisfied by Charlene’s last words. Yet, there was still a layer of annoyance and frustration as she opened the studio door for us and led the way in. She turned on the lights, flooding the second room with a brightness that almost made my eyes water. It was a small area with a fake backdrop of the city hanging on the wall behind a couch. Two chairs were positioned on either side of the couch. The staged area faced the equipment inside the room, just in front of the recording booth window.
When the door shut behind us, I enjoyed a new kind of emotional silence. The well-insulated room kept more than sound out.
“I need one of these,” I whispered to Carlos.
Penny’s gaze drifted to me, and her eyes widened in recognition.
“Hi, again,” I said with a smirk.
She glared at me a moment then turned to Winifred.
“So, what are we revealing?” Penny asked.
“The existence of another species,” Winifred said, walking toward the couch. She set down the bag she’d carried and turned to face Penny. Carlos and I stayed by the door.
“What kind of species?” Penny asked, not moving to join Winifred.
Winifred glanced at me, probably wondering if I was really ready for the freak-out this lady was about to have. I nodded.
“The shapeshifting kind,” Winifred said.
Penny laughed then grew quiet when she saw we didn’t share her humor.
“Before I put you on the air, I need some kind of proof. I will lose everything,” her gaze drifted to the booth, “if I don’t have proof.”
Charlene nodded to Penny then pointedly looked at Winifred. Penny’s gaze followed. I could see her frustration with the situation as much as I could feel it.
“You have proof?” Penny asked.
“No. I am proof.”
Winifred held out her hand and changed it to a white paw, then back again.
Disbelief and panic surged from Penny. I took both.
“I’m willing to demonstrate what I am on live TV,” Winifred said. “And will answer your questions after I explain why I’m coming forward.”
As if in a trance, Penny slowly crossed the room to join Winifred by the couch.
“Do it again,” she said, staring at Winifred’s still outstretched hand.
Awe filled Penny as Winifred’s skin slowly disappeared under a layer of fine white hairs. Her thumb shrank back a moment before the rest of her fingers. A paw at the end of a human arm. It was surreal to see. Winifred didn’t leave it like that for more than a heartbeat before everything went back into place.
“Incredible.” Penny sat heavily in the chair.
The door behind us opened.
“We’ll be ready in five,” a man said.
Penny turned with wide eyes.
“Seriously?”
When the man nodded, Penny’s gaze drifted to Charlene, who watched us from the inside of the booth.
“And you’re okay with this?” Penny said, once again looking at the man.
“Of course,” the man said. “It’s breaking news. The public needs to know.”
He withdrew again, closing the door.
“Have a seat,” Penny said to Winifred. Then she looked at Carlos and me. “There’s plenty of room if—”
“They will remain by the door,” Winifred said, moving to sit on the couch at an angle to Penny’s chair.
Behind me, the door opened. Two men came in to operate the cameras angled at Penny and Winifred. A woman came in and stood near some sort of panel. Carlos moved closer, positioning himself between me and the door. Penny patiently watched the booth.
I glanced that way, too, and saw a digital countdown in the window.
When it reached one, Penny turned to Winifred and started to speak.
“You’re coming forward with some astounding information I know our viewers won’t believe. A new species exists among us.”
“Not new,” Winifred said. “We are as old as humans. Here since the beginning.”
“And what are you?”
“The most popular term is werewolf.”
Disbelief and irritation wafted from the others in the room. I breathed both in and watched them closely. They continued to record, or whatever it was they were doing.
“You can’t expect us to believe something like that without proof.”
“Of course not,” Winifred said, standing. Penny stood, too.
“You might want to move back,” Winifred said.
After Penny withdrew two steps, fur sprouted on Winifred’s skin as she began to change forms. It wasn’t a burst like I’d seen during battle, but it wasn’t the slow shift into a paw either. We were on a schedule after all. If this were a live feed like Charlene meant it to be, we needed to reveal then peel out of there.
Winifred stayed upright long after her legs shortened and recurved. Her boobs shrank as her chest expanded, so when her shirt split open with a loud rip, there was nothing but fur to see. Her pants caught on her tail, but she shook the material free before everything fully formed. Her pearl necklace burst apart, sending the little beads everywhere.
As the panic and fear swelled in the room, I breathed it in. For just four people, there was quite a bit of it. My skin started to tingle.
Penny’s mouth had popped open at some point during the display. Seeing a hand was a bit different than seeing the whole thing.
Winifred dropped to all fours and stepped out of her shoes. She was completely transformed, now. I’d never seen a dog or wolf so big. She turned and padded to the bag she’d brought. The cameras followed her every move. She stuck her head into the bag and pulled out her white hotel robe. When she took a step toward Penny, Penny backed up.
“She wants to change back,” I said, off camera. “All she’s got now is her birthday suit.”
Penny glanced at me, then at Winifred, before she extended a shaking hand toward the robe. Once Penny held the covering, Winifred turned away from the camera and sprang back onto her hind legs. The transformation back took the same amount of time.
The stunned Penny didn’t cover Winifred’s exposed backside right away, and Winifred turned her head to glare her overly large human eyes at the woman. The look motivated Penny. She stepped close and held the robe up to cover the almost smooth skin and receding tail. But she left the covering lowered enough to show Winifred’s back.
After the fur disappeared, Winifred threaded her arms through the sleeves and cinched the robe before she turned and sat.
It took Penny a few moments to do the same. Her stunned expression had me grinning while Winifred waited patiently for the first question.
“Are you dangerous? How many of you are there? Was that dog attack earlier this year one of you?” The rapid questions flew from Penny before she took a calming breath then asked, “Why are you coming forward now?”
“I’ve come forward because we are all in danger. We are not the only species hiding within the human population. There is another species, Urbat, who are very similar to us in appearance but not in nature. They would see the human population devastated.”
“Urbat,” Penny said slowly as if testing the word. “Why do they want our population devastated?”
“Because your numbers are a threat to their goal. They want to rule. The population, the planet, everything.”
“What are we supposed to do?”
A very muted knock on the window startled Penny. Winifred and I both looked over and saw Gabby motioning for us to hurry up.
“Our time here is over. The Urbat are coming for us because we’ve shared what they didn’t want us to. Find Blake Torrin, their leader. Cut off his connections. He’s everywhere and has enough money to do much damage.”
Winifred stood and grabbed her bag.
“How are we supposed to tell you apart from the Urbat?” Penny said, standing.
“There isn’t much difference. Only the nails. Ours are grey, theirs are black. Good luck, Penny.”
Winifred stepped toward us, ignoring the cameras that followed her. Carlos opened the door, and I quickly stepped out. The emotions in the booth were thick. I pulled as much as I could.
“How close?” I asked Gabby.
“Two are in the building.”
“Isabelle, I need you to lead,” Charlene said. “I need to maintain my hold until we are out of the building.”
“Perfect,” I said with a nod. “Gabby, Clay, and Grey can ride down with Carlos and me. I’ll see you on the bottom, whole and healthy,” I said to Bethi, pulling away her fear.
She nodded.
Our small group struck out the door, the rest following. The people we passed in the halls and open workspaces watched us, but no one moved to stop us. The emotions were a blend of disbelief and curiosity.
When we reached the elevator bank, the main part of the group hung back near the reception desk while we took the first elevator that opened. As soon as Gabby was in, she ran her hand down the first twelve floors.
“Um…” I gave her a questioning look.
“They’re right here,” she said as the doors closed and the elevator started to descend.
“What do you mean?”
“They’re standing right in front of us. On one of the floors.”
I looked at Grey.
“Tell Charlene to hold the other elevators so the Urbat can’t jump onto one.”
“Done.”
I stared at the doors with Gabby as we slowed. Clay nudged her behind him. Grey made to step forward so he was at the front.
“Stay by Gabby,” I said. “There are only two, and I need the fight.” Too many emotions were floating around the building. As we descended, I absorbed mostly fear and suspicion.
The door slid open. Two people stood waiting.
“Not this elevator,” Carlos said, holding up a hand when they would have entered.
Puzzled, the man and woman stepped back; and the door slid closed.
We checked each floor down to the third. Before the doors glided open, I knew we’d finally found the two we were looking for. I felt the impatience and anger rolling off them.
“Get ready,” I said.
The doors slid open to reveal two men standing side by side. On the floor behind them lay a bloody security guard. The rest of the area near the elevators was empty.
“Hello, boys,” I said with a smile a second before I stepped forward and planted my fist in the right one’s face. His head snapped back, but he quickly brought it forward and growled at me.
“Which one are you? The dreamer or the fighter?”
I hit him again. The blow drove him back a step, spiking his anger.
“Which do you think I am?”
I ducked under his next swing and danced around him so he was further from the elevator. Not that he noticed. He dove for me, and I stepped back several more feet.
Carlos didn’t touch the other man. Instead, he dodged the blows and neatly maneuvered him away from the elevators as well.
“Let the doors close,” he said to Grey.
I could have hugged Carlos.
As soon as they shut, I pushed. The men fell to their knees. Carlos hit his opponent hard enough to knock him out, then turned and knocked out mine before I could protest.
“We need to move. The rest are coming down. Charlene says police are coming.”
He pulled me toward the stairwell, and we raced down two flights of stairs. It was good to get my heart pumping and relieve some of the lingering tension.
On the main floor, we burst into the lobby and complete chaos. Clueless visitors to the building stood in frozen panic as police poured in through the front doors. Gabby, Clay, and Grey had almost made it to the exit.
“No one leaves!” one of the uniformed men shouted.
I glanced at Carlos, wondering how the heck we’d get out of there. He reached for my hand, and I gladly held on. He pulled me close to his side as someone shoved past us. The police were using their shields to push people back into the room. People began to panic and shove against the barriers, causing a ripple effect of jostling bodies. Carlos was my rock, my mountain shelter. No one touched me. Yet, despite his physical protection, the emotions of everyone in the room were getting to me. I started pulling and pushing emotions, just to keep from going under.
Across the room, the elevator doors opened, and Charlene stepped out. All motion stopped. Just froze.
She walked forward, weaving her way between the bodies. The rest of her group slowly followed. Carlos started leading me through the crowd as well.
“We are not the ones to fear,” Charlene said, her voice carrying the length of the room. “The ones you seek are on the third floor.”
She continued to move toward the door, joining Grey, Clay, and Gabby. A few of the people around us slowly started to move toward the exit, too. The police and security remained stationary.
As soon as we cleared the doors, everything inside went back to normal speed. We walked among the crowd of those who also sought to escape the madness. As we walked, I breathed in and out, barely sampling the emotions around me.
On the sidewalks, people were stopped, staring down at their phones or other devices. Disbelief ran rampant.
“They will discredit what they saw,” I said, walking beside Winifred. Oddly, no one seemed to notice her walking around in a robe.
“They might have. But they now have two Urbat,” Charlene said.
I felt her disquiet at the thought. Was she imagining what the government would do to them? I was. Because, since the day I’d figured out what I could do, I’d wondered what would happen to me if the world knew. I shivered.
