"I made a mistake," Mac dropped his face in both hands. "A really big mistake."
"No logs, no indication they met with anyone, but their fuel tanks are full and that shouldn't be. There are no records of the boat being in port since they were in the panhandle of Florida more than two weeks ago," Del slapped his report on a desk at Houston's FBI Headquarters.
The woman behind the desk frowned at Del. "You've seen the other sites—what do you make of this?"
"I don't know, but I don't trust those red, slimy bodies one bit."
"They're holding them in special bunkers and exposing them to more sunlight before beheading—just to see if it kills the disease."
"And if it's something else? Something unexpected?"
"We've taken precautions. That part is out of your hands, Agent Reeves."
"Are there other reports coming in?"
"Not yet."
"Don't you find that unusual—for bodies whose brains aren't functioning properly? How do they suddenly know to hide from us? Wait," Del hesitated. "Are we needed here any longer?"
"I suppose not."
"Is there a flight we can catch back to Dallas?"
"If you can find one with enough empty seats." The woman flipped open the report folder.
"Thank you. We'll be in touch."
"You'd better be ready to go if we find more bodies."
"Of course." Del was already heading for the door.
"I put Erly and Hunter in bedrooms across the hall from one another on the third floor," Janie told Val as he settled on a barstool and lifted the bag containing the bullet and fragments. Ari had labeled it carefully.
"Mac upset Ari, and now she's gone. Nico's trying to reach her," Janie went on.
"You think any of this is on TV yet?"
"I'm afraid to find out."
"I'll do it. I figure we'll look at the ravine tomorrow morning. I think Ari may have saved our cattle and eliminated the task of putting Franks' herd down at the same time."
The doorbell rang at that moment; Alejandro rushed into the kitchen. "The Sheriff and the media are here," he breathed.
"I'll go let them in," Janie said. "Put that bullet somewhere safe."
"We weren't at home when it happened," Val told the Sheriff, whose clothing looked scorched on the left side. "What's this about Mitchell Franks getting hit by lightning?"
"It's how my uniform got singed," the Sheriff snapped. "Denton got thrown a few feet; had to get the paramedics to take him to the hospital. His father was hauled to the morgue looking like burned barbecue. Denton has a broken leg, at the very least."
"You think it was really an earthquake?" Janie asked.
"That's what it looks like. USGS is still fussing about it, so we'll probably have more information in the morning."
"Perhaps fracking may be to blame?" Alejandro suggested.
"Hmmph. Don't say that out loud around here—too many oil and gas wells are feeding the economy. You're fighting a losing battle if you start on fracking," the Sheriff huffed.
"Earthquakes from fracking are very real and very dangerous," Alejandro said. "I suggest," he added, placing compulsion, "you should remember that if anyone asks."
"I'll remember," Sheriff McCullough nodded. "I'll add that to my notes."
"Mr. Jordan," a reporter held out a microphone as the Sheriff turned to leave. "What was it like? Did it shake the house?"
"I heard that it did shake the house. Unfortunately, I was away from home at the time. Good-night," Val said and shut the door in the reporter's face.
"Have you tried contacting her?" Mac asked. Nico, sitting on the side of his bed with head in hands, didn't bother looking up at Mac's question.
"No," Nico mumbled. "I guess things were further along than I thought."
"You mean than I thought," Mac sat heavily beside Nico. "This is my fault. The stone is speaking to her through the imprint, and I didn't have a clue. No wonder she's been out of sorts—the stone is always agitated this early in the war. It's from showing you the dreams and—other stuff."
"Yeah. I wonder if she'd come back for Renault, if he asked. She saved his life, using the imprint."
"Nobody's ever done that before, and there have only been a few who were able to ghost from one place to another. Vamps are hard to kill, but a fragmenting bullet to the brain can do it," Mac said.
"How many have been able to ghost?"
"She's the third."
"We really need that talent, don't we?"
"I'm afraid we do. The stone certainly thinks so. It's teaching her, when I should have been doing it. I decided to wait instead, and that could have turned deadly tonight."
"I think we need her help with Hunter and Erly," Nico dropped his hands and turned to blink at Mac. "They're feeling out of place, and I worry it will get worse before it gets better."
"Then maybe you should try contacting her," Mac let his shoulders sag. "She won't listen to anything I have to say—that's for sure."
Ari, tucked inside her favorite cave in Palo Duro Canyon, surveyed the park lying below. She'd changed to mountain lion shortly after ghosting to the park—it was one of her favorite places to spend a full moon.
Nearby, her clothes were folded and piled neatly out of the way; she'd need them again but for now, she was content to enjoy the night breeze caressing her fur, the sounds of nocturnal animals and birds, and the scent of far-off rain.
Ari? Nico's voice reached her, startling her from a peaceful reverie. Ari, I need you, he told her. I know you don't really need or want us, but, he floundered for words.
I doubt very much that Mac needs anybody, Ari responded. Unless it's to verbally abuse in some way.
He messed up. We both did, okay? He thought you weren't progressing—that you were too tied up with your personal life. I guess you had foresight the rest of us didn't. The stone can make you irritable when the future is this unstable. Deep down, you felt it, and the onset of the full moon made it worse, I think. Will you give us another chance? We really need your help. Mac thinks the zombies have gone into hiding so they can, uh, transform.
Into what?
Demon servants for the Adversary.
They'll answer to the enemy?
Claudio says the same thing.
How is Renault?
Alejandro says he's healing. They're afraid to tell him you're missing—or whose fault it is that you're missing.
Don't tell me feather butt is worried about that.
He messed up and he knows it, Nico responded.
Then I'll think about coming back—after the full moon.
Hunter and Erly may need your help. Val will do what he can for Hunter, but Erly—he's a black jaguar. Do you know how rare that is? He said he hasn't seen another cat shifter in years.
You want me back for the full moon, don't you?
It would make me feel better, Nico admitted. Where are you, anyway?
Palo Duro Canyon.
I should have known. Will we see you tomorrow?
Probably.
Thanks, Ari. I owe you.
Mac owes you. You don't owe me anything.
"She's coming back tomorrow, and she called you feather butt," Nico told Mac.
"She really cares about you," Mac rose from Nico's bed to stretch and yawn. "I'm going to bed. You should, too. Tomorrow's gonna be a long day."
"Mac, Ari's the only family I have left. I know I'm young. I understand she's a woman and not the type you've worked with before. Stop pushing us, okay? We're doing our best not to let you down."
Mac had gone still for a moment, listening to Nico's words. "Yeah," he nodded, then turned and walked out of Nico's bedroom, closing the door softly behind him.
"Honestly, they should cover this ravine with dirt and let it go," Val told Mac the following morning as they stood at the fence separating the Franks property from the Jordan Ranch.
Bloated cattle filled half the ravine, all of them dead either from the lightning or the fall into the ravine's depths.
"Any word on Denton?" Mac asked, while he mentally considered the amount of power Ari expended to create the enormous crack in the earth. The lightning strike required even more power; no doubt she wanted to kill the herd quickly and avoid lingering deaths.
"Still in the hospital this morning—they fixed his leg and kept him for observation. I can't say I'm sorry at all about Mitchell."
"Carrying a mostly metal object during a thunderstorm isn't the wisest thing to do."
"Is that Denton's wife?" Mac asked as a woman walked toward the opposite side of the crater.
"Yeah. That's Maurine."
Mac and Val watched as she approached the yellow tape tied to stakes along the western edge of the ravine. Although it was quite a distance between them, Mac's sharp eyes watched her pull a cell phone from her pocket and tap on it before putting it to her ear. Seconds later, Val's cell phone rang.
"Maurine?" Val sounded surprised as he answered the call.
"Yeah—I'm sorry to hear that," Val said after listening for a few moments. "Are you sure that's what he wants?" he asked after listening again. "All right. Have him call Burke if he's serious," Val said. "Thank you, Maurine. Let us know if there's anything we can do."
Val pocketed his cell phone with a heavy sigh. "She said Denton doesn't have the will or the strength to keep the place up. I interpret that to mean he's broke and can't afford to clean up the mess. She told me he wants to sell the place and said to offer it to me first."
"For a quick sale, no doubt," Mac grunted.
"Because I offered to buy it from him once before," Val replied. "Shortly after they moved in and started taking short cuts in handling the cattle."
"Which are now all dead," Mac said.
"Yeah. The stock pens are a wreck, and will drag the price of the place down, and not only because they're too close to the house and carry such a stench."
"Well, provided he doesn't change his mind, he'd be a fool not to take any offer you make."
"I'll make a fair offer for what he has left," Val scuffed his boot against a clump of grass beneath the fence. "Deep ravine full of dead cattle included."
"Ari," Janie rushed forward to hug Ari when she walked into the kitchen close to lunch time. "Are you all right?" Janie asked as she pulled away.
"I'm fine. I just needed to think about things after last night."
"Mac says you pulled Mitchell's bullet out of Renault," Janie lowered her voice to a whisper.
"I left it in a bag on the counter for Val," Ari reminded her.
"Oh, my goodness. It's in a kitchen drawer," Janie hurried to the drawer in question and pulled the bag out.
"I think it will match the bullet that killed Val's heifer," Ari said. "Can I make some coffee? I haven't had any yet."
"I'll have some with you. You have no idea how thankful I am that you were able to help Renault. I shudder to think what would have happened if the old bastard shot Henry or Kevin."
"He was a crazy old man who should have had his guns taken away long ago," Ari said, moving toward the coffee maker and pulling out the pot to fill it with water. "You'll never convince me that he mistook Renault for a deer, and that would have been his second murder—that I know of."
"And one that wasn't on his property—again," Janie agreed as she watched Ari scoop ground coffee into the filter.
As the scent of fresh-brewed coffee permeated the kitchen, Ari pulled two mugs from the cabinet and set them beside the coffee maker.
"Lunch will be ready in a few," Mary Kate told Ari as she checked a pan of lasagna in the oven.
"Want coffee?" Ari asked her.
"No—I've had four cups already," Mary Kate said.
The back door opened; Ari scented Val, then—Mac.
"Mom, Maurine called while we were checking the ravine," Val said. "She says Denton wants to sell the ranch, and is offering it to us, first."
"It'll take a lot to put it back to rights," Janie sniffed as Ari set a cup of coffee in front of her.
"Want coffee?" Ari asked Val.
"I'd take some." He settled on a barstool next to Janie.
"Want coffee?" Ari turned to Mac after she handed the cup she'd intended for herself to Val. He refused to meet her eyes.
"I'd take coffee," Mac dipped his chin in agreement while choosing a barstool for himself.
Ari poured two more cups, setting one in front of Mac, before taking the barstool on Janie's other side. It left a barstool between her and Mac, putting distance between them.
"If Denton doesn't cover that ravine, the stench will get worse really fast," Janie said.
"Which will drive the price down further and prolong the sale. Nobody will want to buy it as is," Val pointed out. "I'm not willing to do anything about it until I have a signature on papers," he added.
"No realtor will consider offering that mess until something is done about rotting, putrid cattle," Janie agreed.
Can you do something about covering up that mess? Mac asked Ari.
If I have to. Ari sipped her coffee, refusing to look in Mac's direction.
Good. I hear Lance and his FBI groupies are on their way out, Mac continued. Mona spent the night here. I figure we'll be having a conference after lunch. They have news—we have news. I think Laronda should stay here for the full moon shift tonight.
I hear Erly is a black jaguar, Ari said.
He is. He may be interested in meeting you and Laronda. He says Hunter is the only shifter he's had contact with in years.
Cats are generally loners—certainly not as social as other shifters, unless they're a family unit, Ari said. I used to take my mother to Palo Duro Canyon all the time.
Look—I'm sorry, Mac apologized. We've all been on edge, and I didn't realize my concerns were affecting my judgment and my interactions with you—and with Nico. He pointed it out to me last night.
Nico is the only family I have left, Ari finally turned to lock eyes with Mac's. No matter what you say or do, I will protect him as long as I can.
That, oddly enough, is exactly what I'd ask you to do. I should have known you'd be willing to stand between him and danger, no matter what.
That's right.
Nico also said you called me feather butt. I deserve that.
And not just because it's true?
At least you didn't call me featherbrained.
I'll save that one for later.
Mac snorted a laugh, causing Janie and Val to stop discussing the sale of the Franks' ranch and turn toward him and Ari in pointed curiosity.
"It's nothing," Ari waved a hand and smiled.
"Janie says lunch is ready," Ari walked into the game room. She'd volunteered to let Nico and the others know, since she hadn't met Erly and Hunter yet.
"Hear that?" Mona rose from the sofa and smiled at Hunter.
"I'm ready for some lunch," Erly rose to his feet.
"You must be Erly," Ari held out her hand to him. He shook with a grin.
"Haven't seen another big cat in a while," Erly told her. "Pleased to meet you."
"Same here," she told him. "Haven't seen another since my mother passed a few years ago."
"Sorry to hear that. Hunt, you hungry?" He turned toward Hunter.
"Yeah," Hunter rose. "You're Ari? Nico says you're family to him."
"He's the only family I have left," Ari replied, shaking Hunter's outstretched hand. "Mary Kate has lasagna ready. It smells like heaven," Ari told him, letting his hand go and urging him and Erly toward the door. "Wash up and join us in the kitchen. You, too, Nico."
"You don't have to tell me twice," Mona said, rising from the sofa. "I'll be there in two shakes. Glad to have you back," she said softly as she walked past Ari.
"Yeah. Things are sorted for now."
"Come on, Ari," Nico called from the stairway. "We'll eat it all if you drag your feet."
"That sounds like a threat," Mona said. "Come on, Lance should be here any minute, and he loves lasagna. If we waste too much time, we cou
ld lose out on Mary Kate's specialty."
"I'm coming," Ari declared, following Mona out of the room.
Chapter Twelve
"It looked like pale, red jelly," Del described what was left behind on the boat deck after two bodies had been removed. "Have you seen anything like that before?"
"I haven't," Mac replied. Everyone, including Del and Laronda, were sitting around the formal dining table, enjoying a lasagna lunch. In minutes, the conversation turned to the yacht investigation.
"Did it have a scent?" Ari asked Laronda.
"It smelled like rotted gym socks," Laronda made a face. "I let Del get close to it, since his nose isn't as sensitive."
"It did sort of smell like gym socks—the kind with mold growing on them," Lance nodded at Laronda's assessment. "I guess that means it was a whole lot worse for you, huh?"
"Every time—you being mostly human and all," she teased.
"You have no idea how good it feels to lay that out in the open and be comfortable in your own skin," Erly gave Lance a nod. "Thank you for letting me come with Hunter," he told Val.
"It's no trouble—I was worried Hunter would feel alone, after his aunt refused to come with him."
"If she'd known there was gonna be lasagna this good, maybe she woulda changed her mind." Erly's smile lit up his eyes, turning them to a golden brown.
Ari noticed; the full moon pulled on every shifter at the table. Erly's eyes would be gold when he shifted.
"I've never met a black jaguar before," Janie held up her glass of iced tea. "Good to have you here—and Hunter, too."
"I can make myself useful," Erly offered. "I have carpentry skills."
"He does, and he put Aunt Cathy's new roof on last year," Hunter agreed.
"Then we'll talk salary next week," Val told Erly. "We have to hire outside help if we need building repairs done, and there's always something that needs doing."
"If we buy the Franks' property, he could help with that, for sure," Janie told Val.
"They're selling?" Lance sounded surprised.
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