Anthony inspected me over Eli’s shoulder with one eyebrow quirked.
“Are you two taking me up here to rape and kill me? If you are, just tell me so we can get the fight over with, because I won’t go down easily.”
Anthony huffed. “Here I thought you’d begun to trust us.”
I peered up at the clear blue sky, pondering his words. Realizing Ihadbegun to trust them, I soldiered on.Why do I? What the hell is it about them?
An overwhelming bolt of pain shot through my temples. It made my previous headache seem like a paper cut. I hit the ground hard and was so focused on the agony in my head, I didn’t register the pain in my knees and hands. Elias and Anthony reached me so fast that I was surprised they didn't catch me on my way down.
A voice shot through the pain."Riley! They're right behind you, and they're gaining on you! RUN NOW!"As swiftly as it came, the pain was gone.
"Run!" I took off, launching from my crouched position, trusting them to catch up and lead me to our destination. "Whoever is chasing me is right behind us." My feet pounded the forest floor as I weaved between trees and leaped over roots and fallen branches. I again found myself glad for the years of training that had increased my stamina. Anthony pulled ahead of me, out of sight, and Elias kept right on my heels.
"Riley! What happened? What made you run?" Elias asked.
"I heard the voice again.” I panted the words out. "Whoever it is, they must've pushed pretty hard to get through whatever that barrier is." I couldn't say more. Even in my good physical condition, I was moving fast enough to lose my breath.
Anthony's voice came out of nowhere. I was too focused on making sure I didn’t kill myself by falling flat on my face in the undergrowth to see where he was. "We’ll hide in the old stables. I'll scout ahead and provide a distraction in case anyone is out on that side of the property."
A few minutes later, we broke through the forest onto a lush green lawn. I spotted an old horse barn to our left and sprinted there, Elias breathing down my neck. Throwing the doors open, I ran in and doubled over, hands on my skinned knees, gasping for air.
Elias wasn't winded. His hair was barely ruffled, the jerk.
I inspected the barn as I caught my breath. The smell of fresh hay made my nose tingle, and I almost squealed at the sight of a couple of horses peeking out of their stalls at me. The interior was stuffy and oppressive after running through the unseasonably warm October mountains, though it would become cozy and inviting when winter decided to eventually move into eastern Tennessee.
"Who’s after me? And where did Anthony go? Is he safe?" Once I could speak, the words came out in a rush and almost a yell.
"Shhhh, we're trying to keep you hidden, remember?" When he put his arms around me, I had an even harder time catching my breath. His strong chest smushed my face, so I pushed him back a little—but didn't make him let me go. I’d already decided to trust them, if not forgive them, so allowing a small bit of comfort seemed fair.
"There’sstillmore to tell you." He let go and clenched his jaw. "We don't have time for details, but your boys are showing some traits that typically only turn up in pure Supay. That’s why we were tasked with watching you after Michael died, why they allowed me to integrate myself into your life. David started showing his powers a few months after he came here." The familiar gape was on my face again. Every time they opened their mouths to explain something to me, I became dumbfounded.
"We watched you to see if you were some sort of supernatural being, another Unseen. Different species of Unseen have always intermarried, but children produced by the unions have been one species or the other. It depends on which species has the dominant traits. We’ve learned enough about science and biology from our human lessons to recognize that the Supay are always the dominant species, dominant genes."
"So, you think I'm some other species besides human?" I asked, the incredulity clear in my voice.
"We thought you might be. That's why we watched you. When it became clear that you lived as a human, we needed to get closer. That's when I began to train you. I didn't expect to come to care about you. Being your friend wasn't a part of the assignment. It happened naturally, and I won't apologize for it."
"You sure could apologize for betraying that friendship, though.That,you could well and truly apologize for," I replied, the anger fresh again.
"I know. If you let me, when we get out of this mess, I'll find a way to make it up to you." His words left a tiny warm spot in my heart. I mentally stomped on that nasty little warm spot.
"For now, though, I need to go see if I can figure out exactly who the Junta sent to chase us. They've figured out that we've told you the truth, and they won't be happy about it."
Elias pulled me over to an empty horse stall. "Hide in here for now. There shouldn't be many Supay here; there was a big party at the Collins’ house in Charleston this week. Most of the adults will be there." I stood, arms crossed, one eyebrow raised. “The Collins are another old Supay family. I can’t explain more now.” Elias shut the stall door and motioned for me to get down. "Anthony or I will return as soon as we can."
I listened to the creak of the barn door and crouched down. The hay was surprisingly soft and smelled fresh.At least he put me in a clean stall.I burrowed myself into the corner to wait. And wait and wait. I pulled out my gun to have something to do. I unloaded it and practiced twirling it like in an old western movie. Then when that got boring, I waited some more, until my eyelids started to droop.
My mind drifted into a semi-conscious state, as I was too freaked out to actually sleep. I heard the soft sounds of the horses eating and padding around their stalls. I dreamed of my boys, my mind bringing up the images from the picture.
The sound of the barn door opening and masculine voices broke through my dream. I jerked awake and rose to my knees. My gun was still in my hand, so I trained it on the stall door.Oh no. It’s not loaded.I had dozed before reloading it. I loaded the oiled gun quietly as I listened.
"We had a tail, Danyelus. Someone knew we were coming and tracked us up the mountain. We tried to lose them by hiking in through the woods, but they followed on foot. I could hear them crashing through the brush behind us as we broke through the barrier. They’re probably still out there."
A strange voice replied. "I know, Anthony, these are grave times. The Junta are accusing you both of telling the human woman our secrets. They believe you are plotting to return her children to her. Please tell me they're wrong and this is a power play on their part to undermine the authority of our last two pure male Supay."
Neither spoke for several seconds. "We have no plans to return her children to her. The Supay belong together. They’d become rogue as they aged if they stayed in the human world with her."
Danyelus seemed to take him at face value and didn't question him further. "Good man. I didn't truly believe you would betray us."
