“—completely. I wanted to force them to stop breathing. I wanted to suffocate each of them for what they were doing to my family.” Meg’s breathy, raspy voice was barely recognizable.
“But, you didn’t, Meg. That’s not who you are. You’re not a killer unless you’re forced. None of us are.” Cole kept glancing over at the girl he knew with every ounce of his being that he loved more than ever. “You controlled yourself, Meg. It’s only natural in the face of all that power that you’d struggle wielding it just right, but you did. You saved us all!” Cole tried to soothe.
“I just showed the world what kind of freak I really am. Every camera caught what I just did and there’s no explanation except mass hypnosis—mind control.” She turned in her seat to check Evan by reading his faint emotional energies. He was passed out cold. She narrowed her eyes at Sloan to read her take on Evan’s condition. She was terrified out of her mind and kept looking at Meg with saucer-wide eyes. Meg ignored her and kept talking to Cole.
“What, with Alik’s glowing indigo eyes and hulking figure, Farrow’s skilled hand-to-hand combat and you manhandling those trained soldiers as if they were third graders. None of this will go over well with the humans. They’ll be hungry for more. They’ll fear us. They’ll see us as a threat and will hunt us. And I guarantee they will not show the same restraint I just did when it’s our lives in the balance. They will crush us if they can. Or worse, use us.”
“Meg, just breathe. Calm down and breathe. We’ve been in bad scrapes before. We’ll figure something out.” Cole pulled sharply into the vet’s parking lot and looked back at those in the bed with an apologetic shrug.
Her eyes scanned the parking lot looking for the woman’s van she knew would be there. She found it parked under the shade of a tree at the edge of the lot.
Meg flung her door open and stalked right to the entrance.
Meg was still pumped up with adrenaline. Her dark eyes flashed like an animal’s in the night as she scanned the smallish waiting room. The bloodstains on her face just made her look all the more terrifyingly beautiful. There, in the corner, was the woman and sitting beside her was a pale-faced Danny.
“Meggie!” he yelled the moment he saw her. He bolted across the room and jumped directly into her arms. “You came for me! You came back for me!” he heaved a sob. Plump tears rolled down his cheeks briefly before he smushed his little face into her neck and cried tears of relief.
“Shh, Danny. I promised I’d come for you. I always will, little man. You’re family, and I always take care of my family.”
The woman had made her way to Meg with wide, still somewhat dazed eyes. She waited until Meg looked at her before speaking. “I don’t know what happened, or why I felt so compelled to come here, but I’m glad you have come for your brother. He was very worried about you.” She reached out and offered her hand. “I don’t believe we’ve properly met. I’m Harriet.”
Meg looked down at the woman’s hand and took a deep breath. She didn’t know if she could stand touching anyone right else then, but out of thankfulness and courtesy, she reached out and let the woman shake her hand. “Meg Winter and this is Danny.” She said stiffly.
“You have a little something on your face dear. Here, I always keep some wet wipes in my bag for just such moments.”
Just such moments? Like bloody faces? Meg thought. Shoot, I may have fried this woman’s brain.
The woman shuffled through her large purse and produced a small plastic container filled completely with soft, wet wipes. She handed one to Meg and motioned to what was undoubtedly dried blood around her nose and mouth.
Meg accepted the cloth but knew the bleeding was likely to happen again anyway. Exhausted, Meg reached out and touched the woman’s arm, hoping to increase her ability to connect with her even in her weakened state.
“You have been very helpful, Harriet,” Meg coaxed, Danny still in her arms. “But I have one last favor to ask you. I need you to trade vehicles with us.”
The woman blinked twice then just stared. “You want the van. Of course, here are the keys.” Meg tossed them to Cole standing six feet behind her and held out her hand for the keys to the truck. She didn’t even have to look to catch them perfectly in her one available hand. “Here are the keys to the red truck outside. Get home safely, Harriet and know you made a difference here today.”
“Thank you,” she murmured and smiled as she walked toward the exit and directly out to the truck. Meg turned to Cole. “Tell the others to trade vehicles. Get Evan in the back.”
Cole was already heading out the doors, on the heels of the “influenced” woman when he called out, “I’m on it.”
“Danny, you ready to get Maze?”
Danny nodded tears still slipping freely from his eyes.