“You keep showing up like a bad penny,” I said.
“I was about to say the same thing to you,” he replied with a feral smile.
“I remember back when you were three years old,” I went on conversationally. “You were so cute—before you got huge and wolfy.”
“Like you ever paid attention to me,” he said, and I was surprised to hear sincere bitterness in his voice. “I was trapped in that place too, but you shut me out.”
My mouth dropped open. “But you were normal,” I blurted. “And Jeb’s son.”
“Yeah, Jeb’s son,” he snarled. “Like he even knows I’m alive. What did you think happened to me while you were off playing house with my father? Did you think I just disappeared?”
“Okay, there’s one knot unraveled,” Fang muttered under his breath.
“Ari, I was ten years old,” I said slowly. “Is all this back history why you’re tracking us now? Why you’re trying to kill us?”
“Of course not.” Ari spit on the ground. “I’m tracking you ’cause that’s my job. The back history is helping me enjoy it.” He smirked.
I shot him the bird. (Get it? I shot him the—never mind.)
He was morphing, and when he smiled, his muzzle seemed to split in half, like a dog’s. From behind his back he pulled something small, with brown fur and two white—
“Celeste!” Angel cried, and started to scramble down.
“Angel, no!” I shouted, and Fang yelled, “Stay put!”
But my baby jumped, landing lightly on the ground a few feet from Ari.
The other Erasers surged forward, but Ari snapped up his hand to hold them back. They stopped, coiled tightly, their cold, wolfish eyes locked on Angel.
Ari shook Celeste playfully, and Angel stepped forward.
I dropped down to the ground, adrenaline pouring into my veins. Again the Eraser team lunged, and again Ari held them back.
“Touch her and I’ll kill you,” I promised, my hands curled into fists.
Ari smirked, his dark curly hair catching the last bit of afternoon sun. He shook Celeste again, and Angel quivered by my side.
“Give me the bear,” Angel said, low and intense.
Ari laughed.
Angel took a half step forward, but I grabbed her collar.
“Give. Me. The. Bear.” Angel sounded odd, not like herself, and she was staring intently into Ari’s eyes. His smile faded, and a look of confusion crossed his face. I remembered how Angel had influenced the woman to buy Celeste for her.
“You’re—” Ari began, then seemed to choke slightly, coughing, putting his hand to his throat. “You’re—”
“Drop the bear now,” Angel said, hard as concrete.
Seemingly against his will, Ari’s clawed, powerful hand unclenched, and Celeste fell to the ground.
Almost faster than my eyes could follow, Angel snatched Celeste and leaped back up into the tree.
I blinked and wondered if I looked as surprised as Ari did.
The other Erasers sprang into motion, as if it had taken them a few seconds to realize Angel was gone. Ari’s arm shot out, and an Eraser crashed into it.
“You have your orders!” he barked at the team. “Don’t ever question them!” He turned back to look at me thoughtfully. “You can’t question them,” he said in a normal tone, speaking directly to me. “Even if they seem stupid. Even if you’d rather just rip the flock apart.”