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Hyenas and lions didn’t get along. Curran recognized this. They were still his to command, but he left them enough autonomy to solve their own problems.
I had to take her to Aunt B. She was a scary bitch, but I’d rather reason with her than with Curran.
I bent over Andrea. “I’m going to take you to the hyena pack.”
Her eye widened. She shuddered, moaning. “No. Can’t.”
“Don’t argue. We have no choice.”
I slid my arms under her. Lymph wet my hands. I smelled the sharp odor of urine. She probably weighed close to a hundred and thirty pounds. I locked my teeth and heaved. Her deformed arms clutched at me.
God, she was heavy.
I headed for the vault door.
When I was a child, my father made me run grueling marathons with a loaded rucksack on my back.
Back then the only thing that kept me going was knowledge that the pain would eventually end. And so I murmured it to myself now, as I slowly climbed the stairs. Pain was good. Pain would end. Every moment I delayed, Andrea edged a little closer to dying.
I unloaded her into the buggy. “Julie?” I whispered.
“Boy. Shaman boy. Took Julie.” Her voice died in a gurgle.
Damn it, Red. At least, without the monisto, the reeves shouldn’t be able to find her. “Hang on for me.
Stay alive.”
I ran back inside, taking the stairs two at a time. Derek was still out like a light. I shook him. “Wake up!”
He snapped at me, his fangs scratching my hand, and instantly was up on his feet, whining in embarrassment.
“Never mind. I need help.”
He followed me down and froze midway on the stairs, his hackles up, his back humped, growling and snarling.
“Derek, please. I know it smells weird, but I need your nose. Now. Please.”
I coaxed him down the stairs. He gave the buggy a wide berth and looked at me.
“Can you pick up Julie’s scent?”
He put his nose to the ground and jerked back as if struck. He backed away, circled the buggy, circled wider, sniffed the ground, recoiled again, and whined.
Too much wolfsbane. Red covered his scent well.