And then, as I reached the very mouth of the great cave, the sounds became even clearer, and relief washed through me—because the babble of voices was just the same as it had been my very first day here. Murderously angry.
They had to be human voices.
Kyle must be back.
Relief warred with pain as I hurried into the bright sunlight to see what was going on. Relief because my humans were safe. And pain because if Kyle was already safely back, then…
You’re still needed, Wanda. So much more than I am.
I’m sure I could find excuses forever, Mel. There will always be some reason.
Then stay.
With you as my prisoner?
We stopped arguing as we assessed the commotion in the cavern.
Kyle was back—the easiest one to spot, the tallest in the crowd, the only one facing me. He was pinned against the far wall by the mob. Though he was the cause of the angry noise, he was not the source of it. His face was conciliatory, pleading. He held his arms out to the sides, palms back, as if there was something behind him he was trying to protect.
“Just calm down, okay?” His deep voice carried over the cacophony. “Back off, Jared, you’re scaring her!”
A flash of black hair behind his elbow—an unfamiliar face, with wide, terrified black eyes, peeked around at the crowd.
Jared was closest to Kyle. I could see that the back of his neck was bright red. Jamie clung to one of his arms, holding him back. Ian was on his other side, his arms crossed in front of him, the muscles in his shoulders tight with strain. Behind them, every other human but Doc and Jeb was massed in an angry throng. They surged behind Jared and Ian, asking loud, angry questions.
“What were you thinking?”
“How dare you?”
“Why’d you come back at all?”
Jeb was in the back corner, just watching.
Sharon’s brilliant hair caught my eye. I was surprised to see her, with Maggie, right in the center of the crowd. They’d both been so little a part of life here ever since Doc and I had healed Jamie. Never in the middle of things.
It’s the fight, Mel guessed. They weren’t comfortable with happiness, but they’re at home with fury.
I thought she was probably right. How… disturbing.
I heard a shrill voice throwing out some of the angry questions and realized that Lacey was part of the crowd, too.
“Wanda?” Kyle’s voice carried across the noise again, and I looked up to see his deep blue eyes locked on me. “There you are! Could you please come and give me a little help here?”
CHAPTER 55
Attached
Jeb cleared a path for me, pushing people aside with his rifle as though they were sheep and the gun a shepherd’s staff.
“That’s enough,” he growled at those who complained. “You’ll get a chance to dress ’im down later. We all will. Let’s get this sorted out first, okay? Let me through.”
From the corner of my eye, I saw Sharon and Maggie fall to the back of the crowd, melting away from the reinstatement of reason. Away from my involvement, really, more than anything else. Both with jaws locked, they continued to glare at Kyle.
Jared and Ian were the last two Jeb shoved aside. I brushed both of their arms as I passed, hoping to help calm them.
“Okay, Kyle,” Jeb said, smacking the barrel of the gun against his palm. “Don’t try to excuse yourself, ’cause there ain’t no excuse. I’m plain torn between kickin’ ya out and shootin’ ya now.”
The little face, pale under the deep tan of her skin, peeped around Kyle’s elbow again with a swish of long, curly black hair. The girl’s mouth was hanging open in horror, her dark eyes frantic. I thought I could see a faint sheen to those eyes, a hint of silver behind the black.
“But right now, let’s calm everybody down.” Jeb turned around, gun held low across his body, and suddenly it was as if he were guarding Kyle and the little face behind him. He glared at the mob. “Kyle’s got a guest, and you’re scarin’ the snot out of her, people. I think you can all dig up some better manners than that. Now, all of you clear out and get to work on something useful. My cantaloupes are dying. Somebody do something about that, hear?”
He waited until the muttering crowd slowly dispersed. Now that I could see their faces, I could tell that they were already getting over it, most of them, anyway. This wasn’t so bad, not after what they’d been fearing the last few days. Yes, Kyle was a self-absorbed idiot, their faces seemed to say, but at least he was back, no harm done. No evacuation, no danger of the Seekers. No more than usual, anyway. He’d brought another worm back, but then, weren’t the caves full of them these days?
It just wasn’t as shocking as it used to be.
Many went back toward their interrupted lunch, others returned to the irrigation barrel, others to their rooms. Soon only Jared, Ian, and Jamie were left beside me. Jeb looked at these three with a cross expression; his mouth opened, but before he could order them away again, Ian took my hand, and then Jamie grabbed the other. I felt another hand on my wrist, just above Jamie’s. Jared.