by Aimee Carter
Malcolm paled. “He wanted to control—?”
“You can say it, you know,” said Simon. Both men stopped and looked at him. “My father was the Beast King’s heir.”
The brothers gaped at him for several seconds before Darryl rounded on Malcolm. “You told him?”
“Of course not.”
“Have you told Nolan?” Darryl said, and Malcolm faltered.
“We had to. If he shifted into a member of another kingdom without any warning—”
“Malcolm didn’t tell me,” said Simon. “But I know now, so you can stop pretending.”
Darryl headed over to the couch, sitting beside Simon and clasping his hands together. “That’s exactly why we did this, your mother and I. You mentioned you know about the Alpha seeking the pieces of the Predator—”
“What are you talking about?” said Malcolm. “Mother isn’t—”
“Of course she is,” said Darryl. “Why do you think she’s been manipulating the other kingdoms into following her?”
“For peace,” said Malcolm. “Since she’s brokered the treaties, there haven’t been more than a few skirmishes—”
“Except between the mammals and the birds,” said Darryl.
Malcolm scoffed. “The birds refuse to join the pact. Isabel assured Mother that as soon as Orion died and she became their ruler—”
“If she trusted Mother so much, then why did she ask me to hide Simon?”
Silence settled over them, and now it was Malcolm’s turn to pace. “I don’t know. And if you’re going to tell me Mother had something to do with you faking your death, too—”
“Mother has everything to do with it. She and Orion,” said Darryl. “I had to protect Simon. Their war over the kingdoms, their fight to best each other—Mother’s been collecting the pieces of the Predator. She wants to put it back together, and when she does, she’s going to kill whichever boy inherited Luke’s powers, and then she’s going to seize control of all five kingdoms.”
Simon found nothing gratifying about having his worst fears confirmed, and hearing his uncle lump Orion in with the Alpha nauseated him. His grandfather was nothing like the Alpha, even if he had known Simon’s father was the Beast King’s heir. Orion hadn’t been the one to send the rats after them, and he hadn’t been the one to try to kill his family. He had saved Simon.
Malcolm’s face twisted as though he’d smelled something horrible. “I don’t believe you.”
“Think about it, Brother.” Darryl closed the distance between them, taking Malcolm by the shoulders. “Mother’s been holding Nolan hostage, using him against Isabel to make her scour the country searching for the pieces. Why else would Mother send her traveling so often? It wasn’t for diplomacy. Isabel spent years researching the Beast King and the Predator with Luke. If anyone was capable of finding the pieces, it was her.”
The hot knot in Simon’s chest returned, and everything turned to static as Darryl’s words settled over him. His mother was the one putting the weapon together. That was why she almost never came to see him. That was why he’d never had a real family. If she was doing the Alpha’s bidding, then she must have been watched closely, which meant it was a risk every time she’d visited him. But she’d done it anyway. She’d still wanted to be part of his life. And that, he realized, must have been why Darryl stayed in the city the whole time. So Simon could have that relationship with his mother.
Knowing the truth didn’t wash away the bitterness or fill the hollow ache inside him, but at least now Simon had an answer. At least now he knew that his mother really did love him.
Malcolm shoved his brother away. “And why should I believe a word you say? You abandoned us. You lied to us—you lied to me. For twelve years, you let me think I was alone, and now—” His entire body trembled. “I don’t believe you.”
“Mother knew I was alive,” said Darryl. “Maybe for years. She sent the rat army to our apartment yesterday after Orion found us, and they took Isabel. They would’ve taken Simon if I hadn’t stopped them.” He took another step toward Malcolm, using his height advantage to look down at him. “If she doesn’t trust you with that much, what else is she keeping from you?”
An inhuman snarl cut through the air, and in a flurry of teeth and fur, Malcolm shifted and leaped at Darryl, knocking him to the grass.
Darryl roared. In an instant, he also shifted into his wolf form, and Simon jumped back as they collapsed in a heap of limbs and claws.
The wolves snarled and ripped at each other’s fur, pawed each other’s snouts, and rolled over and over again as they each fought to gain control. Simon knew he should have panicked—they could kill each other, and he couldn’t lose Darryl, too. But he stared at them, frozen, his mind reeling. There was something off about the fight. After several seconds, he realized what it was.
Neither wolf was drawing blood.
At last the larger wolf—Darryl—pinned the smaller one to the ground, putting all his weight on Malcolm’s torso. “You’re the only one I can trust now, do you understand? Mother wants the twins for their abilities, and I need your help to stop her, Brother.”
Malcolm gasped for air. “Mother—only wants peace. She loves—she loves Nolan. She would never—”
“Are you willing to bet his life on it?” Darryl jumped off him, and both men shifted back into human form. “She already has four of the pieces. All she needs is Orion’s.”
Wheezing, Malcolm sat up and rubbed the red marks on his neck. “If it’s true—if—then you know I’d never let anything happen to the boys. But you’ve given me no proof, no reason to trust you, no plan of action—”
“The rats said they took my mom to the Den,” said Simon suddenly. Both men turned to face him. “If she’s here, then where would the Alpha hide her?”
“She wouldn’t,” said Malcolm. “It’s a school, not a prison.”
Darryl snorted. “Tell that to Isabel.”
“I’ll have the pack scour the grounds, but I promise you, she isn’t here,” said Malcolm, climbing to his feet.
“But what if we do find her?” said Simon. “Will you believe us then?”
Malcolm’s nostrils flared, and his knuckles went white. “Yes. Then I’ll believe you.”
Darryl clapped his hand on Simon’s shoulder. “We will not be looking for her. You will stay safe in the pack’s care. Is that understood?”
“But—”
“I’ve already lost you once,” he said, his dark eyes flashing. “I won’t lose you again. I know every room, every tunnel, every brick below the zoo. If your mother’s here, I swear I will find her.”
Simon slumped and nodded reluctantly. He didn’t doubt his uncle, but he also didn’t trust Malcolm, not completely.
When dinner finally arrived, Simon was too tense to eat much. He was painfully aware of both Darryl and Malcolm watching him as they talked tersely about the past twelve years, so he forced down a few bites, but all he could think about was where the Alpha might have hidden his mother. It wasn’t until later, after he’d excused himself and headed to his bedroom to read more of his mother’s notebook, that his uncle’s words echoed back to him.
I know every room, every tunnel, every brick below the zoo.
Simon’s insides tightened. Of course. Of course. He was an idiot for not thinking of it sooner. Darryl could search the Den all he wanted, but Simon knew exactly where he would hide an Animalgam right under someone’s nose, and it wouldn’t be a place where someone could accidentally stumble across her.
No—if he was going to hide a golden eagle, then there was only one place that made sense: the Central Park Zoo.
15
NIGHT OWL
With his heart pounding, Simon dashed out of his bedroom and onto the balcony, looking down into the atrium. “Darryl?” he called, but his uncle was already gone. Instead, Vanessa sat at the base of the spiral staircase, whittling something.
“They’ve gone on patrol,” she said, craning her neck to see
Simon. “Anything I can do for you?”
Simon shook his head. “No, I just—wanted to ask him something. I’ll do it in the morning.”
He returned to his bedroom and closed the door firmly behind him. If he couldn’t tell his uncle where he thought his mother was, that left only one choice.
“Felix?” said Simon. The little mouse crawled out of the corner where he’d made a nest of socks, bleary-eyed and yawning.
“If this doesn’t involve food, I’m not interested.”
Simon offered him a napkin full of bread and cheese he’d saved from dinner. “When you looked for my mom, did you search the zoo aboveground?”
Felix’s whiskers twitched. “I was going to, but the idea of being eaten didn’t appeal to me.”
A small thrill of hope ran through him. If Felix hadn’t looked up there, then it meant there was a chance Simon was right. “I need to get into the zoo without anyone finding out.”
“There are tunnels,” said Felix, his tiny cheeks stuffed with bread. “All over the school. They’re big enough for people, and they lead to the zoo. There’s one—” He tore off another bite of bread and chewed. “There’s one in your evil twin’s room.”
Simon glanced toward the door that led into the bathroom they shared. “Is that the only one?”
“It’s the closest.” Felix shuddered. “Unless you want to go into the reptile section.”
Braving a nest of snakes was infinitely more appealing than letting Nolan catch him snooping around. But Simon knew the pack would be watching his every move if he tried to leave his bedroom, let alone the Alpha section, and that meant the tunnel in Nolan’s room was his only option.
He sneaked into the bathroom and carefully cracked open the door that led into Nolan’s room. His brother sat at his desk, reading through a textbook, and Simon closed the door again. “We’ll have to wait until he’s asleep,” he whispered to Felix. “Can you watch him?”
Felix made a face. “If he sees me and tries anything, I will bite him.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything less.”
Returning to his room, Simon stretched out across the bed and read his mother’s notebook. It was crammed with information, and though Simon didn’t understand a great deal of it, the more he read, the clearer it became: Darryl had been right about his mother’s knowledge of the Beast King.
Just as he was reviewing the list of animals his mother had written, Felix scampered back into the bedroom. “He’s gone—he went through the tunnel.”
“Nolan?” Simon hid the notebook under his pillow and scrambled to his feet. Had Nolan overheard their conversation and gone to look for their mother? No—Malcolm had said Nolan wandered off into the zoo. This must have been how he did it.
Simon followed Felix into his brother’s empty bedroom. “It’s underneath the desk,” said Felix as he bounded over. “There’s a door—I saw him open it, the weasel.”
Simon ducked underneath the mahogany desk. At first he didn’t see anything, but as his eyes adjusted, he spotted a faint outline. He nudged it, and the door popped open with ease. Behind it was a brick tunnel.
“Stay here and make sure Darryl and Malcolm don’t come in,” he said, examining the narrow entrance. He would have to crawl. “If they do, let me know, okay? I’ll be by the birds.”
“Really? You want me to follow you into a building full of creatures who eat my kind for dinner?” said Felix.
“Right. Then just—hide. And don’t let anyone find you.”
The tunnel was dark and sloped upward, and Simon couldn’t tell how long he crawled. Ten minutes, twenty—it felt like he would never find the end, and twice he considered turning back, but if Nolan had gone this way, then it had to let out somewhere.
At last he spotted a dim light in the distance. As he grew closer, he realized it wasn’t a light at all: it was the moon. Simon pushed a metal grate aside, wincing as it creaked. The tunnel ended behind a statue of an eagle at the edge of a square in the Central Park Zoo, next to a building that smelled like fish. It was lighter than it had been in the tunnel, but it was still too dark for Simon to spot his brother.
Now all he had to do was figure out where they kept the birds. He searched for any sign of a map, but even though he had to be close to the entrance, he didn’t find one. While the zoo was small, it was full of winding paths, and the last thing Simon wanted was to get lost.
Shivering in the cool night air, he started forward. The bird habitat couldn’t be far. He would comb through every single building if he had to, and even if it took all night, he would find his mother.
Something rustled nearby. Simon stilled, and as soon as he was sure no one had spotted him, he dashed toward a set of concrete stairs, climbing upward. He heard the sound again—closer this time—and he turned a corner and ran past a high window. He’d been in the zoo for only a minute, but already he was sure he was lost.
A flash of white beyond the window glass caught his eye. A ghostly figure slept on the rocks, his massive chest rising and falling. A polar bear. What was a polar bear doing out this late?
Another figure moved at the edge of Simon’s vision, and he stopped. For a moment he couldn’t make out the details, but when the figure turned, he saw the same face he’d seen in the mirror his whole life, and he exhaled. It was his brother.
Except Nolan wasn’t taking a nighttime stroll. Somehow he had climbed into the polar bear enclosure and stood atop one of the large rocks overlooking the water, his arms outspread as though he were about to fly. Simon’s blood ran cold. What was he doing?
Before he could call out, Nolan did the single stupidest thing Simon had ever seen.
He jumped in.
16
POLAR BEAR CLUB
Simon watched in horror as Nolan fell into the water. He disappeared beneath the darkness, and Simon broke out into a cold sweat.
“Help!” he yelled. Someone had to be close by. The pack had found him in minutes the night before. “Help!”
The polar bear roared, and the hair on the back of Simon’s neck stood up. How long before the bear realized Nolan was inside his enclosure and went after him?
Simon watched the water, searching for any sign of his brother. Nothing. Seconds ticked by, and Nolan didn’t resurface. If Simon didn’t help him, no one else would.
The polar bear roared again. “Intruders!” he cried. “My water. My rocks. My fish.”
“No one’s going to eat your fish.” Simon managed to pull himself up the wall. “If you stay out of the water, I’ll bring you a whole bucket, okay?”
The polar bear shook itself. “My fish!”
“Your fish.” Simon reached the top of the rock. Nolan still hadn’t resurfaced. “I’m going in now. Don’t eat me,” he said, and taking a deep breath, he jumped.
The cool air rushed around him, and he hit the water hard. Darkness surrounded him. He didn’t know which way was up. The icy water attacked every part of his body, turning him to stone. It was cold—so much colder than he ever thought water could be. His feet hit the bottom, and his legs unlocked as they pushed against it. His muscles burned, but he forced himself to kick upward. Air. He needed air.
At last he surfaced. Gasping, he spun around, searching for Nolan. His muscles seized, and his skin was numb. He had to get out of there, or else Malcolm and Darryl would be dragging two bodies from the water instead of one.
Simon started to swim toward a ladder on the other side of the habitat. It wasn’t far, but in the cold water, it might as well have been a mile away. He was only a few strokes from the wall when something grabbed the bottom of his jeans, pulling him down into the icy water once more.
Nolan. Simon struggled against his grip. He was going to drown them both. Simon yanked his leg as hard as he could, over and over again, and at last Nolan let go. Simon surfaced once more, water splashing in the quiet night.
Gasping for air, Simon waited several seconds for Nolan to join him. He must have been able to push off
the bottom, too. But he didn’t. He didn’t surface at all.
Panic rushed through him. Nolan had been underneath the water for almost a minute by now. If he didn’t get any air soon, he would drown. Simon glanced toward the ladder. If he swam for it now, he could pull himself up out of the water and onto the nearby ledge, and maybe a member of the pack would be close enough to help.
But if they weren’t, if Simon and Nolan were all alone out here, his brother would die.
It wasn’t a choice. Taking a deep breath, he forced himself down into the freezing water again, groping around in the blackness. At first he felt nothing, and his heart pounded. Nolan had to be conscious—he had to be.
But at last, cold fingers closed around his, and Simon grabbed Nolan’s hand. The ladder ran up the side of the wall only a few feet away. Simon just had to drag his brother close enough so that they could both climb up to the ledge.
He started to pull. Nolan didn’t resist, and Simon feared he had already blacked out. Digging his heels in, he yanked his brother over, and at last his hand touched the first rung of the ladder.
“Help!” he sputtered as he surfaced. He was completely numb now, and he struggled to drag Nolan above the water. Using the last of his strength, he pushed him onto the ledge. Nolan’s legs felt heavy, but Simon hauled them out of the pool before finally climbing up himself. He collapsed, too cold to shiver. His skin didn’t feel right. He could barely move, but he somehow managed to clumsily roll Nolan over.
Was he dead? Simon couldn’t tell. His eyes were closed, his face white in the moonlight, and he didn’t move. He wasn’t breathing.
Simon forced himself to his knees. He had never done CPR before, but he had to try something. Sucking in a deep breath, he pushed against Nolan’s chest. His sweater squelched, and Simon tried again, harder this time. “Come on,” he said roughly. “Come on. If you’re waiting for me to give you mouth-to-mouth—”
Suddenly an impossible amount of water gushed out of Nolan, and he coughed hard and rolled onto his side. Relieved, Simon fell back against the wall. He was alive. They were both alive.