can’t afford to go off-script just yet.”
“Ah.” She hunkered down in front of me. “This is a performance piece. Well, that makes more sense. I’d be concerned if you’d really gotten taken captive again. Especially given your cellmate.” She waved at Rae, lying on her side on the floor, unconscious. “Care to give me the Cliff’s Notes version?”
I did, and then I said, “I kinda expected they’d stretch out their good-guy routine a little longer. The last thing I remember I was in the back of a van with Rae. A woman was talking to me, and then I woke up here. Gassed? Sedated? Knocked out? I suppose it’s not important.” I blinked hard and looked around. “This isn’t quite what I hoped for, but I can work with it.”
She laughed, a high girlish laugh. “You should hear yourself, Chloe. Knocked out, tied up, held captive—huh, I can work with this.”
“Not quite the girl you met in Lyle House?”
She went serious, pushing her hair back. “Not exactly, but not all that different either. You had guts, even then. You just didn’t know how to use them. Now you do. We’ve all changed. Evolution, though, not devolution. That’s what Derek says.” She sat cross-legged. “Speaking of the big guy, I’m guessing he followed you here and is lurking around outside.”
“That’s the plan. Except not exactly as you might—”
A commotion sounded outside the door. Then, a snarled, “Get your hands off me. Am I trying to escape? You made your threat, and I’m coming along peacefully, and if you use that damned cattle prod again…”
I didn’t hear the rest of the threat, cut short by Liz’s gasp as she said, “Derek?” and then ran through the wall as I hissed, “Stop! He’s—”
She was gone. A moment later, the door opened. I’d already dropped to the floor, eyes shut. I listened as they shoved Derek inside, with him still cursing and snarling threats.
“Can I sedate him again?” someone said.
“Mike said it just takes longer with werewolves.” A soft thud. “And there he goes. Better lie down, kid. That’s a long way to fall, and you’re going to hurt yourself—”
A bigger thud as Derek slumped to the floor. The man sighed. “I tried to warn him. Okay, two down, two to go. Send out the rest of the team. If the necro and the wolf are here, then cat-girl and the witch-hunter won’t be far behind.”
The door shut. I scrambled up. Liz was kneeling beside Derek. As I crawled over fast, he opened his eyes. Then, he rose, sitting, and gave himself a shake, blinking hard.
“You’re all right?” I said. “That sounded like a hard drop.”
“Yeah, I gotta work on my pratfalls. Having my hands tied doesn’t help.”
He blinked harder, lips curling in a yawn.
“The sedative?” I whispered.
He nodded. “It’s not enough to knock me out, but I could really use a nap.” He made a face. “Just give me a couple minutes.” He shook himself and then peered over. “You’re okay?”
I nodded.
“Yeah, should have asked that first. Definitely a little fuzzy.”
“Are you going to be all right?”
“Eventually. Just hope they don’t come barreling through that door in the next five minutes.” He craned to see his hands. “They’ve done a good job with the bindings. I’ll need to be more awake before I can snap them.”
“Liz thinks she can help me untie mine. If I can do that, you can save your strength.”
“Hey, Liz.”
“Hey, sleepy,” she said, smiling. “You’re a lot friendlier when you’re tired, you know that?”
I relayed the message. He only chuckled, his eyelids flagging. Liz hunkered down, watching him, her head tilted.
“You’ve both learned a lot, Chloe,” she said. “But one lesson he’s not picking up? That you can take care of yourself. I mean, it’s really sweet that he worries about you and looks out for you. You don’t want a boyfriend who doesn’t care. With Mitchell— Oh, wait. I haven’t seen you since Mitchell
“Ah.” She hunkered down in front of me. “This is a performance piece. Well, that makes more sense. I’d be concerned if you’d really gotten taken captive again. Especially given your cellmate.” She waved at Rae, lying on her side on the floor, unconscious. “Care to give me the Cliff’s Notes version?”
I did, and then I said, “I kinda expected they’d stretch out their good-guy routine a little longer. The last thing I remember I was in the back of a van with Rae. A woman was talking to me, and then I woke up here. Gassed? Sedated? Knocked out? I suppose it’s not important.” I blinked hard and looked around. “This isn’t quite what I hoped for, but I can work with it.”
She laughed, a high girlish laugh. “You should hear yourself, Chloe. Knocked out, tied up, held captive—huh, I can work with this.”
“Not quite the girl you met in Lyle House?”
She went serious, pushing her hair back. “Not exactly, but not all that different either. You had guts, even then. You just didn’t know how to use them. Now you do. We’ve all changed. Evolution, though, not devolution. That’s what Derek says.” She sat cross-legged. “Speaking of the big guy, I’m guessing he followed you here and is lurking around outside.”
“That’s the plan. Except not exactly as you might—”
A commotion sounded outside the door. Then, a snarled, “Get your hands off me. Am I trying to escape? You made your threat, and I’m coming along peacefully, and if you use that damned cattle prod again…”
I didn’t hear the rest of the threat, cut short by Liz’s gasp as she said, “Derek?” and then ran through the wall as I hissed, “Stop! He’s—”
She was gone. A moment later, the door opened. I’d already dropped to the floor, eyes shut. I listened as they shoved Derek inside, with him still cursing and snarling threats.
“Can I sedate him again?” someone said.
“Mike said it just takes longer with werewolves.” A soft thud. “And there he goes. Better lie down, kid. That’s a long way to fall, and you’re going to hurt yourself—”
A bigger thud as Derek slumped to the floor. The man sighed. “I tried to warn him. Okay, two down, two to go. Send out the rest of the team. If the necro and the wolf are here, then cat-girl and the witch-hunter won’t be far behind.”
The door shut. I scrambled up. Liz was kneeling beside Derek. As I crawled over fast, he opened his eyes. Then, he rose, sitting, and gave himself a shake, blinking hard.
“You’re all right?” I said. “That sounded like a hard drop.”
“Yeah, I gotta work on my pratfalls. Having my hands tied doesn’t help.”
He blinked harder, lips curling in a yawn.
“The sedative?” I whispered.
He nodded. “It’s not enough to knock me out, but I could really use a nap.” He made a face. “Just give me a couple minutes.” He shook himself and then peered over. “You’re okay?”
I nodded.
“Yeah, should have asked that first. Definitely a little fuzzy.”
“Are you going to be all right?”
“Eventually. Just hope they don’t come barreling through that door in the next five minutes.” He craned to see his hands. “They’ve done a good job with the bindings. I’ll need to be more awake before I can snap them.”
“Liz thinks she can help me untie mine. If I can do that, you can save your strength.”
“Hey, Liz.”
“Hey, sleepy,” she said, smiling. “You’re a lot friendlier when you’re tired, you know that?”
I relayed the message. He only chuckled, his eyelids flagging. Liz hunkered down, watching him, her head tilted.
“You’ve both learned a lot, Chloe,” she said. “But one lesson he’s not picking up? That you can take care of yourself. I mean, it’s really sweet that he worries about you and looks out for you. You don’t want a boyfriend who doesn’t care. With Mitchell— Oh, wait. I haven’t seen you since Mitchell
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