“Cycle?”
“We’re reborn every one thousand years,” she said as if it were an inconsequential point. “Isabelle, I think ending this cycle will turn off our abilities. Completely.”
Now she had my attention. The idea of walking into a room full of people and feeling absolutely nothing...hell, yes. Maybe they were crazy. But she knew things no one could know. And I’d seen the way the werewolves and Urbat could change from man to dog. There was at least some truth to this craziness. And if there was some truth, why couldn’t getting rid of our crappy gifts be true, too?
“All right. I’m in.”
“Just like that?” she asked.
“Just like that.” I stood. “I need a shower. Can anyone point me in the right direction?”
“To the left, down the hall,” Carlos said from behind me.
I nodded and glanced at Ethan. Though I was willing to go along with them on the chance of getting rid of what I could do, I didn’t trust them. Especially not with Ethan.
He gave me a slight shake of his head then turned to look at Carlos and Grey.
“Got any food around here?”
He always thought he was so tough. He was. But these people were tougher.
I looked at Bethi. She watched me closely.
“Go,” she said. “Shower. Everything will be fine for five minutes, I think.”
I went down the hall.
The hot water felt great as I washed and rinsed. I’d even brushed my teeth with a new toothbrush I’d found in the medicine cabinet before getting in the shower. It’d been long overdue. I felt fresh and, despite the emotions from those down the hall, tension free as I turned off the water. A towel hung on the bar toward the back of the tub. I grabbed it and dried off. Too bad I’d have to put my dirty clothes back on. I regretted that we hadn’t had time to grab our bags.
When I stepped out of the tub, I found a full set of clean clothes on the toilet seat. I hadn’t even heard the door open. I stared at the jeans. They weren’t mine. I tended to avoid jeans because they never fit my butt right.
With a sigh, I tried to put them on. It wasn’t going to happen. I tossed the jeans aside then put on the shirt and underthings. I didn’t care if they were someone else’s. They were clean.
Skipping any form of pants, I opened the bathroom door and squeaked at the sight of Carlos leaning against the opposite wall.
“Creep much?” I said, taking in his crossed, bulging arms.
He appeared completely relaxed as he gazed at my bare legs.
“Jeans didn’t fit?”
His slow, deep words made my middle mushy. I didn’t do mushy.
“Obviously not.”
“I’ll see if I can find something else,” he said, straightening. “Stay here.”
He walked down the hall toward the kitchen.
I couldn’t believe he’d just told me to stay. Did I look like a dog?
I started following him, then stopped at the base of a narrow staircase. Grief and worry pulled at me. Sighing, I moved up the stairs into a loft with a slanted ceiling on both sides.
Clay sat on the bed, his back leaned against the headboard. In his lap, he cradled Gabby. He didn’t look up as I approached or as I sat on the edge of the bed.
“When I came to, she had my head in her lap. 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.”
Clay finally looked up at me.
“I’m so sorry for what I did to her. But what they would have done...”
“I know,” he said.
“If there would have been another way, I would have taken it.”
He nodded and looked back down at her. I felt his love.
“Give her a few more hours. She’s sleeping off the best high of her life.” I stood. “And when she comes to, keep her away from me. I’m crack. Highly addictive.”
He nodded but didn’t take his eyes from her. I went back to the stairs. At the bottom, Carlos waited with a pair of black leggings.
“Perfect. Thanks,” I said, reaching for them. He gave them up, and I went back into the bathroom. Walking around without pants didn’t bother me. But the idea of being in the open and unstable while putting on pants did.
The hallway was empty when I opened the door again, so I veered for the kitchen. The same group of people still waited. Only this time there was a sandwich on the table right in front of an open chair. I sat and, without asking if the food was mine, dug in.
A sandwich had never tasted so good. After I swallowed several bites, I figured everyone staring at me wanted conversation. So I gave in.
“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.”
That wasn’t very reassuring.