The Calling (Darkness Rising 2)

I lifted my brows.

"Someone who can be charming to achieve their own ends, but ultimately doesn't care about others. And, no, I'm not studying crazy people. I've read case studies in my uncle's texts."

Criminal law texts. Daniel wanted to be a lawyer, and although he was still two years from university--and even more from law school--he was already preparing.

"Do you get that vibe from her?" I asked.

He shook his head. "I'm not sure I would, if she's the same thing I am. But I agree about the hot and cold part. I don't think she's a sociopath, but it is--"

"Troubling. I shouldn't take off alone with her anymore. None of us should."

"Agreed."

It was a quiet walk, but the silence became peaceful, happy even. We weren't lost any longer. We were walking through wilderness just like the one surrounding Salmon Creek. A wooded playground. Lakes to swim in. Streams to fish in. Cliffs to climb. Hollows to fill with bonfires and beer bottles. Nothing scary about that.

No one trudged now. No one bitched when I led them through thick brush to get a drink. We were still a long hike from the cabin, and everyone was thirsty.

When we found the stream, tumbling over rocks into a pool below, you'd think it was the first time we'd seen a waterfall. Shoes and socks came off. Shirts followed. Or Corey's and Daniel's did, then mine, Hayley gaping like I'd stripped naked, though I was wearing a bra. She kept her shirt on. Sam didn't take off anything, but she sat on a rock, looking almost content, as the rest of us splashed in the water, washing off the filth.

As we got out, I imagined lounging out on the flat rocks surrounding the pool, dozing in the sun, letting my aching muscles relax. But there was no time for that kind of break. We'd had our drink. Time to hit the trail. The end was near.

We'd reached the bottom of the mountain when Kenjii stopped. Her ears swiveled forward and she glanced up into the trees.

"Cat," I said to the others.

Corey looked at Kenjii, who was silently scanning the treetops. "Yeah, you can tell by the way she's going crazy, barking and racing around to drive off the despicable feline. Your dog is weird, Maya."

"No, she's just accustomed to Fitz," Daniel said.

True, but Kenjii hadn't minded felines even before Fitz--a three-legged bobcat--adopted us. She'd grown up with a wild cat--a partial one, at least.

A sudden yowl made Hayley jump and Kenjii stiffened, her expression not nearly as friendly now.

"Cougar," I said, motioning the others back.

A flash of tawny flank ten meters overhead confirmed it. I continued to back everyone up slowly. The cat was high in the tree, stretched out on a sturdy branch. A female. I could tell by the size, and the first thing I thought was It's Annie. She's come looking for Rafe.

But it wasn't. Like me, Annie had a paw-print birthmark on her hip. There was no mark on this cat's flank.

The cat peered down at us, her black-tipped ears swiveling, long, thick tail flicking. When I kept moving the others back, Corey said, "I get that cougars are dangerous, Maya, but this one doesn't look that big."

"Because she's way up there," Daniel said.

I nodded. "It's a female. She's smaller than a male, but she's still bigger than Kenjii. One chomp of those fangs would be the last thing you felt. And she wouldn't hesitate to do it if you got in her way. So let's just give her some room. Please."

The cat yowled again, then got up and stood on the branch, lowering her head to peer down at us.

"I think she's hungry," Sam said.

I shook my head. "It's not winter yet. She isn't starving, and she wouldn't attack five of us even if she was. Something's wrong."

It wasn't odd that the cat had let us get so close. Cougars are masters of camouflage. We might have passed right under her if it wasn't for that yowl. Which is how I knew something was bothering her. No way should she have let out that cry and given herself away.

Something was bothering me, too. A black pit of anxiety swirled in my gut. I found my gaze drawn up to the cougar. As I met her eyes, I felt a fresh jolt of fear. The cat paced along the branch, and I knew it wasn't my own anxiety I was feeling.

"Uh, Maya?" Corey called. "You said she was dangerous, so can we leave the kitty alone now?"

"Something's really bothering her."