*    *    *    *

We are in trouble and need a place to stay for the night in North Carolina.  If anyone is willing to help us, please reach out to an Elder.

Winnifred’s message to all of our kind surprised me.  Joshua hadn’t been the only Urbat to infiltrate the pack.

“Isn’t that a big risk?” I asked, glancing at Sam.

Bethi, who’d been quietly resting her head on Luke’s shoulder, popped up.

“What’s a risk?  What’s going on?”

Grey turned to look at Bethi.

“Winnifred sent a message asking for a place to hole up in North Carolina.”

“No!  Why would she do that?”

“We need a place to stay that’s out of the way.  Gabby’s out and Isabelle and Ethan don’t look so good.”

“Joshua wasn’t the only one who—”

“We know,” Grey said kindly.  “That’s why we’re saying yes to each person who is offering.  Only we’ll know which one we’ll take.”

Bethi calmed a little.  I did too.  It didn’t feel any safer.  But with Gabby still out, nothing really did.

The place they chose was an old farm in the country.  As soon as the car stopped, I was out and carrying Gabby to the door.  Sam helped me with the lock and held the door for me.  The scents of the family still lingered faintly.  Most families had gone into hiding when the Elders had sent out the warning weeks ago.

I followed a hall to a set of steps leading up.  There I found a bed in the middle of an open room.

Kicking off my shoes, I settled on the bed, keeping her in my lap.  I hated the waiting, the worry.  It was twice as hard because I knew this wasn’t like the last time.  It wasn’t a simple twelve to fourteen hour wait for her to wake up and ask for water.  She’d be out until whatever Isabelle did to her wore off.  If it wore off.

As the sun faded in the sky, my worry grew.

At some point, the rest came inside and I could hear their quiet conversation in the kitchen.  Bethi introduced everyone to Isabelle and gave a rundown of each of the girls’ abilities.

Then the conversation quieted when Isabelle went to shower.  Downstairs, I heard Carlos asking if any of the girls had something Isabelle could wear.  Michelle offered up some her clothes.

Each second that ticked by, each word that Gabby missed of the conversation downstairs, crawled under my skin.  Why was she still unconscious?  How long had Isabelle knocked her parents out?

The sound of footsteps on the stairs barely penetrated my worry.

“When I came to, she had my head in her lap,” Isabelle said softly as she crossed the room.  “She was stroking my hair like my mom used to do before I broke her.  It was dark in the van.  I could feel we were moving, driving further away from help.  I felt Gabby’s fear and her barely contained panic.  Not far away, I felt the pitiless lust and eager aggression of the men who drove.”

I’d known she’d saved Gabby.  But hearing what she’d saved her from made swallowing difficult.

I glanced up at Isabelle, ready to thank her.

“I’m so sorry for what I did to her.  But what they would have done...”

“I know,” I said.

“If there would have been another way, I would have taken it.”

I nodded and looked back down at Gabby.  There wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do for her.  If keeping her safe meant hours of worry, I would deal with it.

“Give her a few more hours.  She’s sleeping off the best high of her life.  And when she comes to, keep her away from me.  I’m crack.  Highly addictive.”

I nodded.  I’d keep her far away.  When Gabby woke, I’d convince her we needed to go somewhere else.  Not home.  At least not yet.  But when the Urbat stopped looking for her, we’d go back.  I knew how much finishing school meant to her.  Until it was safe, maybe I would be able to convince her living in the woods wasn’t so bad.

Isabelle left me and joined the others in the kitchen.  Her voice carried when she started asking questions.

“How long are we staying here?”

“It’s not safe to move until Gabby’s awake,” Bethi said.  “But, for all we know, the Urbat could be closing in around us now.”

Smoothing a hand over Gabby’s hair, I hoped she would wake before that happened.

“We should be fine,” Winifred said.

“If you need her awake, wake her up,” Isabelle said.  “A good slap will do the trick.  However, she’ll still be loopy.”

Jerking my head up, I glared at the stairs.

No one slaps, Gabby, I sent to Sam.

“Clay can hear you and doesn’t appreciate your advice,” Sam said.  “Neither do I.”

“I’ll be outside,” Isabelle said after a few moments of silence.

The tension that had gathered at her words didn’t leave with her presence because I knew the group was concerned about the location of the Urbat.  It was only a matter of time before the idea of how to wake Gabby was mentioned again.

Each time someone walked passed the stairs my worry escalated.  Sam was on my side, I reminded myself.  He loved Gabby too, though they didn’t see eye to eye lately.  Yet, I could feel the high emotions of everyone downstairs.  Their worry was climbing.  They needed Gabby awake.  So did I, but when she was ready.

When I heard Isabelle come back in, I pulled back my lips.

“Who the hell is worrying so much?” she said.

I took a deep breath and pushed my worry down.

“Gabby still hasn’t woken up.  We’re trying to decide if we should move on without the guidance or continue to wait.”

“I’ve seen people sleep twelve hours after that kind of hit,” she said.

I glanced at the clock beside the bed.  It was almost ten hours now.

“My dad slept, what?  Eighteen?” Ethan said.

Sheeeet.

I dropped a kiss on Gabby’s forehead and pulled her closer to my chest.  The group wouldn’t want to wait eighteen hours.  I could already feel the tension in the air after that comment.

“Okay, just hold tight for a minute,” Isabelle said.

I listened to her approach the stairs.  As much as I wanted to stand up and fight her, I knew it wouldn’t end well for me.  Or Gabby.  I wasn’t about to leave her side, and fighting with Isabelle while close to Gabby would mean that whatever Isabelle did to me would also affect Gabby.  Isabelle had said she was addictive.  I didn’t want Gabby craving what Isabelle could do.

I angrily watched Isabelle clear the stairs.

“What do you think’s safer?” she said.  “Sitting here and waiting, or finding out if the bad guys are getting closer?  I already told you what they mean to do to us.”

“You’re not touching Gabby,” I said.

She smiled.  I didn’t like it.

“You’re right.  I won’t need to because you’ll do it.”

What?  I glanced down at Gabby unable to imagine slapping her.

“You’ll be gentler,” Isabelle reasoned.

She was right.  I would be gentle.  Because I wouldn’t do it.

“Here’s the thing.  When she wakes up, she’ll still be high and loopy.  She won’t act like herself.  But don’t let her go back to sleep.  The effect will wear off faster once she’s awake and moving around.”

Not happening.

“You have ten seconds before I start pulling from you.  I can’t aim, so it’ll just hurt her more.”

I looked up at her.  She knew she had me.

“Ten.”

Glancing down at Gabby, I fought against my anger and revulsion.

“Nine.”

With a gentle touch, I stroked her cheek.  Hopefully, she would forgive me.

“Eight...seven.”

Inwardly cringing, I tapped Gabby’s cheek.

“Pathetic.  And six.”

I growled.  From downstairs, I heard Grey tell Carlos to settle down.  If Isabelle didn’t knock me flat, Carlos would try to.  Didn’t they understand I was trying to protect Gabby?

Son, I don’t want to see her hurt any more than you.  That’s why you need to wake her.

“Five.  Better hurry.”

I closed my eyes, knowing Sam was right.  There were so many threats here.  I needed her awake so she could help us get away from all of it.