Everwild (Skinjacker 2)

Finally Danny's spirit turned to her. "Allie?" And the moment he saw her, the light on his face vanished and he dropped into the pool. Allie was close enough to grab him. She pulled him out, and into her arms. He looked at her with lazy eyes. "So that's what you look like," he said and yawned.

was speechless. She didn't know whether to be horrified or amused. "Have you lost your mind?" she told him. "I won't be your slave! The answer is no!"

"Do not misunderstand," said Milos, still moving the pool net in a pointless figure eight. "I have a higher purpose now, and I am giving you this opportunity to be a part of it. You should not throw it away so lightly."

Allie looked toward Squirrel, who nervously brushed his hand over his bad mohawk. "C'mon, Milos," he whined. "We can't stay here--she won't like it! She won't like it!"

"Quiet!" growled Milos.

"What do you mean 'she'?" Allie asked Squirrel. "What 'she' are you talking about?"

Milos fumed at Squirrel, and Squirrel seemed to shrivel. Even the skull tattoos on his fleshie appeared to cringe.

Milos sighed, then gave her the full story. She almost wished he hadn't. "There is only one force in Everlost worth aligning with," Milos told her. "You know of whom I speak. She has ideas ... she has vision ... and so do I."

Allie was shocked, but not entirely surprised. Milos was all about jockeying for higher position. It made perfect sense that he would set his sights on Mary.

"You once told me that skinjacking can change the world," Milos said. "Well, Mary Hightower has envisioned a way to do that, and I am a part of her plan. You should be too."

"I won't have anything to do with Mary Hightower," she told him.

"How can you be so naive?" Milos said, a little too loudly. "Who do you think can help you? Your friend the Ogre? I can assure you that Mary will defeat him, if she has not done so already."

"Yeah, yeah!" said Squirrel, chuckling as he imagined it. "I'll bet she's gettin' him real good there at Graceland."

Allie snapped her eyes to Squirrel. Nick was here in Memphis? Now?

Milos was even more angry at Squirrel than before. "Go clean the pool!" he snapped.

Squirrel grabbed the equipment clumsily, and moved down to the other end of the pool, looking guilty.

So Nick was here in Memphis, and Mary had planned some sort of ambush. Allie had to warn him, but how? She couldn't even see Everlost as long as she was stuck in the boy--how could she warn Nick if she couldn't even see him?

"Danny?" called his mother. "Danny, are you okay out there?" She peered out of the screen door, the phone still to her ear.

"S'all right, Mom," Allie said, just as Danny would. "I was just telling Curtis about all the bugs in the drain."

"You let them work, Danny. Don't be a pest!" Then she retreated back into the house, satisfied that everything was under control.

"One year," said Milos. "One year with us, and then you will be free to go. That is my offer."

Allie was about to tell him exactly where he could go, with or without a coin to get him there, but then she thought about Danny. Even now he was hiding behind her, listening to everything, but not understanding any of it.

--There's an ogre? What kind of ogre? Is he bad?--

It had only taken two weeks for her to know this boy better than any other human being, and she couldn't help but care about him. In any other situation, her refusal to give in to Milos's demands would mark her integrity and self-respect, but here it would mark nothing but selfishness ... because by refusing Milos, she'd be condemning Danny to share his life with an uninvited spirit. The only way to free Danny was to accept Milos' offer.

"C'mon, c'mon--we gotta go!" nagged Squirrel. "Jill and Moose are waiting at the bridge!"

Milos ignored him. "This is the last time I ask you. Do you wish to be free or not?"

Allie took a deep breath and closed her eyes. But they weren't her eyes to close, were they? As much as she hated it, there was only one answer she could give. "Yes," she told him. "If you can get me out of here, then the answer is yes. I'll do whatever you want."

Milos smiled. "Very good. Now tell the boy to come out."

Danny retreated even further behind Allie's thoughts.

It's all right, Danny, Allie told him. He won't hurt you. I promise. Danny timidly came forward, taking control of himself once more. Milos must have recognized the transition, because his own expression changed--no longer the sharp, piercing gaze he had shown Allie, but the inviting, disarming gaze meant for a child.