The Rising (Darkness Rising 3)

"Like I said, though, I don't want him following you off to shift. You need to be careful or he'll take advantage. Which he'd better not do while I'm around."

I could say that I'd been successfully dating so far without a brother to watch out for me. But it was kind of sweet, in a misguided "girls need a guy to look after them" kind of way.

"He doesn't take advantage," I said. "If he did, I wouldn't have let him come with me. Hell, if he did, I wouldn't be dating him."

"Good," Ash grunted. A few more steps. "Is he shifting yet?"

"Nope. Developmentally, the guys are all lagging behind." I shot him a grin. "As usual."

He rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath, and we continued on to the campsite.

THIRTY-SIX

THE KEY THE HALF-DEMONS had given me was for a gym locker. We wer

e at the gym when it opened that morning, Daniel and Ash sneaking in to retrieve the contents--fake IDs, real passports, tickets, and everything else we needed. Then we were off.

One long plane ride took us across the country. A bus carried us over the border. A second bus deposited us, the next morning, in the small Pennsylvania town near where the Project Genesis subjects were hiding. According to Antone's message, we had a ten-mile walk. That didn't sound too bad to all the Canadian kids, who heard "kilometers" instead. The extra six kilometers were a lot when you were running on junk food and a few hours of sleep.

Daniel suggested we try to get better food from a corner store before we left. When he asked for fruit, the clerk pointed to dusty cans of peaches.

"We're not on the West Coast anymore," I murmured.

"Thank God," Ash said, grabbing two chocolate bars in one hand and a Coke in the other.

"There are protein and energy bars over here," Daniel said. "We'll get that, milk, and some juice."

Ash stared at him, then at the rest of us as we headed for the milk and juice.

"You guys aren't really teens, are you?" Ash said. "They've brainwashed you into miniature adults, full of responsibility and good eating habits. I'm surprised you haven't bought a--" He noticed the toothbrush in my hand. "Seriously?"

"Haven't used one of those in a while, huh?" Hayley said. "Let me guess. You haven't been dating in a while, either. News-flash: the two are not unconnected."

He scowled at her. "I have one in my pack." He pointed to Rafe's toothbrush. "Have they infected you, too?"

"Your sister gave it to me. I think it's a hint. Use it or keep my distance."

Another scowl. "Better keep your distance anyway. We don't have time for that crap."

Rafe was about to shoot something back when Daniel waved us to the register. "We're losing daylight, guys. Time to move."

We were careful on the walk, though Antone had said not to worry about being spotted by the St. Clouds. They were only doing periodic spot checks on their wayward subjects.

As for how they found them, a werewolf bounty hunter had tracked down the group a few months ago. That's when the St. Clouds had decided to let them stay "on the run" for a while. Wear them down until they were tired of hiding. It's not like they were going anywhere. Sure, after a few months in one place, they'd hit the road again, but they kept the same van . . . which now had a tracking device on it.

"What types have we got again?" Ash asked as we hid in the forest behind the Genesis subjects' farmhouse.

"For the kids--werewolf, necromancer, witch, and sorcerer," I said. "For the adults, a sorcerer and a doctor with necromancer blood, but apparently no powers. I'm guessing the werewolf explains the conveniently located forest."

Daniel nodded. "He's also the biggest threat."

Ash snorted. "Your average wolf is about seventy-five pounds. Even Maya could take him on in her cat form."

"Um, thanks," I said. "But you weren't paying attention to Antone's message, were you?"

"Considering how long it was, I don't think anyone was. The guy just goes on and on. I see where you get it from."

I made a face at him. "He said that werewolves in human form have the same extra-sharp senses as skin-walkers, but they get super strength, too."