So, fine. Get some R&R, Maximum, Ari thought acidly. Your time is coming. And I’ll be there waiting for you. I’ll always be there.
The hatred coiled in his gut, twisting his insides, and he felt himself morphing, his facial bones elongating, his shoulders hunching.
He watched as the coarse hair covered his arms, lightning fast, and ragged claws erupted from his fingertips. He wanted to rake these claws down Max’s face, that perfect face. . . .
Anguish welled up and choked him, turning his world black, and without thinking, he sank his fangs into his own arm. Clenching his jaw hard, he waited for the physical pain. Finally, gasping, he sat back, his mouth red with blood, his arm coldly numb with pain. Ah. That was better.
PART 2
PARADISE OR PRISON?
22
Guess how many bedrooms Anne’s little country shack had. Seven. One for her, one for each bird kid. Guess how many bathrooms it had. Five. Five bathrooms all in one house.
“Max!” The Gasman pounded on my bedroom door.
I opened it, my hair still wet from my long, incredibly hot shower.
“Can I go outside?” he asked.
“Gee, I had forgotten the natural color of your skin,” I told him. “I was convinced you were kind of dirt colored.”
He grinned at me. “Call it camouflage. Can I go outside?”
“Yeah, let’s all go together, give Iggy some landmarks.”
“What is that, like, a plane hangar?” Nudge asked.
A grove of trees had hidden the big red building from the house, but now that we were doing recon, we were finding all kinds of things.
“It’s a barn,” said Fang.
I was keeping an eye on him. As soon as he started to look tired, I was going to send him back to the house.
“A barn with animals?” asked Angel excitedly.
Just then, Total started barking, as if he’d picked up something’s scent.
“Yep, guess so,” I said, scooping Total up in my arms. “Listen, you,” I told him. “No more with the barking. You’re going to spook somebody.”
Total looked offended but stayed quiet as long as I held him.
“That first one is Sugar,” said Anne, coming up behind us. She’d given us free rein of the place after she’d shown us our rooms and stuff.
We stood in the open barn doorway and watched Sugar, a pale gray horse who was looking back at us with interest.
“He’s beautiful,” Nudge whispered.
“He’s big,” said the Gasman.
“Big and sweet,” said Anne, opening a box and taking out a carrot. She handed it to Nudge and nodded at the horse. “Go on. He likes carrots. Hold it flat in your hand.”
Cautiously Nudge stepped forward, holding out the carrot. This is a kid who could break a man’s ribs with a well-placed kick, but she was almost trembling as she approached the horse.
Sugar very delicately lipped up the carrot, then crunched it with satisfaction.
Nudge turned to me, her face glowing, and my heart caught in my throat. It was like we were inner-city kids getting a week on the farm as part of a social service program. We were surrounded by beautiful scenery and fresh air, there were animals, and—