I felt dazed and winded, shaky and spent. Maybe this was all a hallucination and I’d wake up on the garden bench with Will pouring wolfsbane down my throat and David swearing at me for overdoing it.
“It’s fun,” the Leshii said in a cheerful voice. “And now I’m rescuing you after all. You were getting lost.”
“Thanks.”
The motion was making me dizzy. I shut my eyes, just for a minute. When I opened them again I was back on the bench, Will bending over me looking worried, lots of yelling in the background. I looked around but saw no signs of the lord of the forest or whatever he was. Maybe he’d gone back to blending in with the lawn.
“Panther grabbed me,” I told Will. “Left him in the woods. Didn’t see any others.”
He nodded and called something I didn’t understand to the others. “They’ll find him,” Will said. “Can you stand?”
How bad did I look? Maybe I didn’t want to know. I nodded yes and was immediately sorry when dark sparkles swam in my vision and my head pounded. “With help,” I amended, and leaned on him as he got me on my feet.
We hobbled inside, or rather I did, and he was nice enough to shuffle along with me.
A white-faced Jack met us and took my other arm. His touch sent a welcome rush of warmth through me. “You don’t look so good,” he said.
“You should see the other guy.” Nausea roiled in my belly. What if I’d killed him?
“I hope to.” Jack sounded grim. “Coming here. Taking you. Will went nuts when he came back and found you gone with panther scent all around.”
The whole thing couldn’t have taken long , I thought muzzily. Then again, I’d blacked out twice. And talked to a blade of grass. Had I dreamed that? My head ached and I gave up thinking. It was enough to put one foot in front of the other, down the hall, up the stairs, to my room.
Jack lifted me onto the couch. He stroked my forehead and I noticed his hand felt hot, but it soothed my headache, so I didn’t complain. Then the two of them prowled the rooms, probably checking to make sure nobody was here but us. When they came back, I saw that Will had a soft knitted throw in hand.
“Are you going to cover me up and tuck me in?”
“Yep.” He shook it out and spread it over me, then slipped off my shoes and covered my feet, too. “Room’s clear. You can close your eyes if you want to.”
Like I could take a nap while chaos reigned around me. But my eye drooped and I realized I was that tired. I couldn’t relax if I had to stay on guard, though. “One of you stay until Zach’s back?”
“Try to get rid of us.”
Wouldn’t dream of it. The gray fog of exhaustion rolled over me. When it let me back up, Zach was there. I was fiercely, wholly, shockingly glad to see him, as if his presence made everything right again. And I acted without thinking, reaching for him, fastening my mouth on his.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
I’D LIKE TO SAY I CAME TO MY SENSES AFTER HALF-CLIMBING HIS BODY and locking lips until oxygen deprivation was a real threat, but it was Zach who drew back far enough to let our eyes meet.
“How do you feel?”
I took inventory. “Headache. Sore muscles. Shaky.”
“Up to talking?”
I nodded and my head didn’t throb in protest, so I took that as a sign of progress.
Jack and Will had left, probably while Zach and I were busy. Zach sat on the couch with me in his lap, running his hands over me as if reassuring himself that I was all in one piece. “Tell me what happened.”
I told him about the werepanther attack, but hesitated before mentioning the Leshii. Would I sound crazy? No crazier than a werepanther bent on kidnapping, I decided, and plunged ahead. “Then a guy dressed like some kind of hunter who called himself the lord of the forest said I was lost and brought me back here. That’s it.”
“That’s it,” Zach echoed, his tone flat. “The Leshii hasn’t been seen since your father died and
“It’s fun,” the Leshii said in a cheerful voice. “And now I’m rescuing you after all. You were getting lost.”
“Thanks.”
The motion was making me dizzy. I shut my eyes, just for a minute. When I opened them again I was back on the bench, Will bending over me looking worried, lots of yelling in the background. I looked around but saw no signs of the lord of the forest or whatever he was. Maybe he’d gone back to blending in with the lawn.
“Panther grabbed me,” I told Will. “Left him in the woods. Didn’t see any others.”
He nodded and called something I didn’t understand to the others. “They’ll find him,” Will said. “Can you stand?”
How bad did I look? Maybe I didn’t want to know. I nodded yes and was immediately sorry when dark sparkles swam in my vision and my head pounded. “With help,” I amended, and leaned on him as he got me on my feet.
We hobbled inside, or rather I did, and he was nice enough to shuffle along with me.
A white-faced Jack met us and took my other arm. His touch sent a welcome rush of warmth through me. “You don’t look so good,” he said.
“You should see the other guy.” Nausea roiled in my belly. What if I’d killed him?
“I hope to.” Jack sounded grim. “Coming here. Taking you. Will went nuts when he came back and found you gone with panther scent all around.”
The whole thing couldn’t have taken long , I thought muzzily. Then again, I’d blacked out twice. And talked to a blade of grass. Had I dreamed that? My head ached and I gave up thinking. It was enough to put one foot in front of the other, down the hall, up the stairs, to my room.
Jack lifted me onto the couch. He stroked my forehead and I noticed his hand felt hot, but it soothed my headache, so I didn’t complain. Then the two of them prowled the rooms, probably checking to make sure nobody was here but us. When they came back, I saw that Will had a soft knitted throw in hand.
“Are you going to cover me up and tuck me in?”
“Yep.” He shook it out and spread it over me, then slipped off my shoes and covered my feet, too. “Room’s clear. You can close your eyes if you want to.”
Like I could take a nap while chaos reigned around me. But my eye drooped and I realized I was that tired. I couldn’t relax if I had to stay on guard, though. “One of you stay until Zach’s back?”
“Try to get rid of us.”
Wouldn’t dream of it. The gray fog of exhaustion rolled over me. When it let me back up, Zach was there. I was fiercely, wholly, shockingly glad to see him, as if his presence made everything right again. And I acted without thinking, reaching for him, fastening my mouth on his.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
I’D LIKE TO SAY I CAME TO MY SENSES AFTER HALF-CLIMBING HIS BODY and locking lips until oxygen deprivation was a real threat, but it was Zach who drew back far enough to let our eyes meet.
“How do you feel?”
I took inventory. “Headache. Sore muscles. Shaky.”
“Up to talking?”
I nodded and my head didn’t throb in protest, so I took that as a sign of progress.
Jack and Will had left, probably while Zach and I were busy. Zach sat on the couch with me in his lap, running his hands over me as if reassuring himself that I was all in one piece. “Tell me what happened.”
I told him about the werepanther attack, but hesitated before mentioning the Leshii. Would I sound crazy? No crazier than a werepanther bent on kidnapping, I decided, and plunged ahead. “Then a guy dressed like some kind of hunter who called himself the lord of the forest said I was lost and brought me back here. That’s it.”
“That’s it,” Zach echoed, his tone flat. “The Leshii hasn’t been seen since your father died and
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