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  After a few minutes, Cynthia turned her face from the window to look at me again.

  "So, you don't think you're the ass-kicking type of female, or at least, you haven't been one in your life so far. That's fine. I think you have a lot of growth potential, and you're about to enter a situation where you'll have ample opportunity to flex some leadership muscles, if you decide you're up for it. I really hope you decide that you are, though...there's about fifty Gifteds in Haverwood in desperate need of a leader."

  "And not a single one of them has managed to be up to the task in the past few months?"

  I found that kind of hard to believe.

  Cynthia snorted, shaking her head. "Oh, a few have tried...but, unfortunately, no one in particular has really settled into the role of leader. This is probably due in no small part to the fact that because they had to be pulled from all different parts of the country because of our little Angel problem near the state line, we've got kind of a ragtag group of Gifteds in Haverwood. Most of them were pulled and reassigned because things weren't really working out at their former posts for various reasons.

  "Some of them suffered failed relationships that made them want to leave; some of them were injured during battles and traumatized by it; and others of them aren't the most skilled Gifteds in the world, to say the least. I think most of them are just demoralized and burned out on trying, frankly. They need a leader, and we in Washington are really hoping it can be you, Jayme. Not to get too 'out there' or deep on you, but it almost seems to be your destiny, what with the fact of the near-perfect timing of you discovering your powers just when the group needs a Gifted leader most, and also considering the fact that you just happen to be one of only a dozen or so 'double Gifteds,' being both a levitator and a zapper, in the entire country."

  Studying my face, Cynthia paused for a long moment, and her eyes began twinkling.

  "No pressure, though. Whether you become one of the best Gifted leaders this nation has ever seen is entirely up to you. I suppose all of us in Washington will just be happy if you can accomplish your main task of determining which of the two shifter leaders is secretly in league with the Angels...and I imagine that will keep you plenty busy enough at first."

  Up in front, S.A. Ulstad suddenly cleared his throat, like perhaps he was embarrassed to have my "special assignment" mentioned. If that were the case, I didn't blame him. I was embarrassed to have it mentioned in the presence of two men. Honestly, I would have still been embarrassed to hear Cynthia speak about it even if it had been just the two of us in the car.

  Seeming to take a hint from S.A. Ulstad's throat clear, she quickly changed the subject, speaking to me while examining her flawless red manicure. "Their names are Cameron Scott and Elliot Maxwell, by the way, though most everyone in Haverwood calls them Commander Scott and Commander Maxwell. And in case you're wondering why this new community requires two shifter leaders when we normally appoint just one...well, that happened by way of a bureaucratic snafu, I'm afraid.

  "To make a very long story short, there were wires crossed, and they were both pulled from different defense villages in the Midwest, and they both arrived in Haverwood simultaneously. They worked as co-leaders while we in Washington tried to sort the mess out and determine who should remain as sole alpha, but by that time, we began to get reports indicating that one of them might be covertly working with the Angels."

  The car began heading down a bumpy paved road badly in need of pothole maintenance, and Cynthia paused for three loud bumps, one right after another, before continuing.

  "So, at that point, wanting to keep them together so that we could determine which one of them is the guilty party, we told them that we really feel that it's best to keep two leaders in Haverwood indefinitely, just because the brand-new community needs the strength and expertise of two alphas with a lot of fighting experience. They both seemed to buy this reasoning with no problem at all, as did everyone else in the community, so it's important, Jayme, that you never even accidentally drop any hints that you know otherwise.

  "This goes for everything else as well...you can't tell anyone about your secret task, ever. Not until you complete it and we're able to remove whichever leader has changed sides on us. You need to keep your mission completely secret, even from close friends you may make in the village, and obviously from the two men you'll be investigating. You can't tell a soul. No texting or calling friends or family members about it, either, and also no telling them in person, if you go back to visit Hastings.

  "There's too great a chance you could be overheard or otherwise found out by way of someone repeating the information. The only person you're going to communicate with about the situation and your findings is me, which you'll do by text, and only when you're reasonably sure which of the two leaders is working with the Angels, or if you have some emergency. Then, you'll immediately delete the text from your phone. Don't forget that. And before I forget, let me give you my card."

  She grabbed her large black bag from the seat between us, fished around for a few moments, and handed me her business card, which I tucked into the pocket of my shorts. Not a moment later, two different things happened at once. The first was that I spotted some massive dark shape emerging from the trees maybe a few hundred feet in front of the car, and to my left. The second thing that happened was that Cynthia announced that we were almost to Haverwood, and she said this with her gaze on me, which meant that she wasn't also seeing the dark shape. Before I could even alert anyone to it and ask what it might be, S.A. Watterson swore and then spoke through what sounded like gritted teeth.

  "Something's up ahead. A wolf, looks like...and I think its eyes are red."

  Cynthia made a quiet gasp, and I did as well, even though that was kind of ridiculous, since I didn't even know exactly why she'd gasped in the first place. Her alarm had just somehow been contagious, not to mention that the tone of S.A. Watterson's voice had somehow filled me with dread.

  With the car heading up the road at about fifty miles an hour, and with the dark shape heading toward us seemingly just as fast, I could now clearly see that it was a wolf, as S.A. Watterson had said, and that its eyes were glowing red.

  Straining against her seat belt, Cynthia looked at it with wide eyes.

  "Just keep driving, Jack. Whatever is happening, we'll just pass it, and then I'm sure our wolves will come after it. It'll be fine."

  S.A. Watterson, whose first name was apparently Jack, tightened his hands on the steering wheel in response but didn't speak, and within two seconds, we'd passed the giant red-eyed wolf, who continued charging south, adjacent to the tree line.

  Cynthia exhaled in a rush. "Oh, thank God. I thought he might try to stop the car or something."

  After watching the wolf fade into the distance, I whipped my head back around to look at her. "What was that thing?"

  Still clearly rattled, she took a deep breath and let it out slowly before responding. "One of the Angels' new fighters. They've recruited some shifter wolves from all around the country to fight for their side...and they've also done some sort of enchantment to them to give them strength even beyond what shifter animals normally possess. That's the reason for the red eyes...it's some side effect of the enchantment."

  "Well, where is that wolf going? What's he trying to do?"

  Slowly exhaling again, Cynthia shook her head. "No clue. Probably a group of them attacked Haverwood, and maybe he got by while our wolves were occupied fighting. Don't worry, though...he won't get to Hastings or any of the other towns to the south. Our wolves will chase him down before he even gets close. It'll be fine."

  Just then, Jack swore for the second time, glancing up at the rear view mirror.

  "He's circling back around. Seems like he decided we make a more interesting target than wherever he was headed."

  Cynthia glanced back through the back window, gasping. "Step on it, Jack!"

  He did, accelerating so quickly that I was jolted back against my seat. "Hold on, ever
yone."

  I joined Cynthia in looking out the back window, alarmed to see that the wolf was very quickly gaining on us. In fact, within seconds he was within a hundred feet of the back bumper. A few more seconds, and he was close enough for me to see his bared fangs glinting in the sunlight.

  I turned from the sight to look at Jack, who was glancing up at the rear view mirror, white as a sheet.

  "You've got to go faster! Just floor it!"

  Jack shouted back that he was, and I turned back to look at the wolf, who was now within feet of the bumper, snarling and snapping his mighty jaws. Just a split-second later, he suddenly increased his speed, ramming the back of the car with a sort of headbutting motion. Cynthia and I screamed. I was pretty sure I even heard S.A. Ulstad made some high-pitched, scream-type noise. The car lurched forward, then swerved. The wolf headbutted us again, now on my side, and the force of it was like being hit by another car.

  I screamed again, reflexively shutting my eyes. I could hear the screech of brakes and could feel we were still hurtling down the road, but sideways somehow, and I just knew we were going to roll. Somehow, though, probably miraculously, we didn't. Within a few seconds, I felt the car screech to a stop, and I opened my eyes. Wearing an almost human-looking leer, the wolf was maybe ten feet from the car, on my side, pawing at the ground as if ready to charge or something. Sounding as if he were repeatedly stomping on the gas pedal, Jack shouted that the car wouldn't accelerate.

  Not taking my gaze off the wolf, I spoke in a near-whisper. "I have to try to use my powers on him, or else he's going to kill us all. I'm going to see if I can do it through the window."

  Next to me, or rather behind me, because of how my body was turned toward the window, Cynthia made some sort of a strangled whimper. "That won't work, though. If you try to levitate or zap, it'll just shatter the glass."

  "I'll roll my window down a few inches, then."

  With a trembling finger, I was already pushing the button. Once the window was down a few inches, just enough space for me to direct my right palm through the gap, I released the button and zapped a silvery beam of light at the wolf. Or, I tried to, anyway. But the stream of light that shot from my palm was so thin it could barely even be seen. And it didn't even come close to connecting with the wolf, who was now slowly stalking forward. Suddenly sweating buckets, I tried again, willing a strong stream of light to shoot from my palm, bending my entire being toward it, and this time, my zapping was as strong as it had been at the park. Seemingly taken off guard, the wolf didn't even make a motion to jump out of the way before the light beam connected with his head, making him instantly drop to the road, seizing.

  The four of us in the car had all of about two seconds to breathe sighs of relief. Quickly shaking off whatever pain I'd inflicted on him, the wolf was now back up, and he was mad. Snarling, he tore around to the other side of the car, seeming to want to avoid me. Shrinking into me, Cynthia screamed. Not a second later, the wolf leaped into the air and head-butted her door, making the car rock. Mind racing, I realized that if he head-butted Cynthia's window next, and it broke, he'd probably be able to stick his head in the car and kill her with one snap of his powerful jaws. And I wouldn't be able to zap him because Cynthia would be in the way, and I wouldn't want to hurt her accidentally.

  Before I'd even fully thought things through, I found myself opening my car door and getting outside, praying that my supernatural powers were up to the task of taking down a wolf.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Cynthia began screaming for me to get back inside the car, but I just ignored her and slammed the door shut. Alerted by the commotion, the wolf raced around to my side of the car within a blink, but I was faster. I met him with a blast of silvery light, the most powerful beam I'd shot yet. It connected with his head and he dropped like he'd done the first time I'd zapped him, but this time I didn't make the mistake of letting up for a second. Alternating between hands, I shot him repeatedly, slowly moving away from the car as I did so. My plan was to lure him away so that if he was able to get up at any time, at least he wouldn't be close enough to immediately hurt everyone left in the car.

  After maybe a dozen brief zaps, I paused just long enough for him to shake himself off and get to his feet. Several spots of his scraggly coal-colored fur were smoking, and he looked unsteady on his feet, which was just what I'd been hoping for. Knowing that shifters and Angels could only be killed by being decapitated by other shifters, I knew I couldn't kill the wolf directly myself, but I just needed to subdue him, knock him out maybe, until shifter wolves from Haverwood arrived. And if they didn't arrive, chasing down the wolf like Cynthia thought they would, I had to hope that we could get the car going just long enough to get us to Haverwood. If we couldn't get the car going, maybe we could just run, considering that Cynthia had said we were almost to the village when the wolf had first emerged.

  Holding my palms out, ready for more action, I continued slowly walking backward, leading the wolf away from the car. Unsteadily, he followed me for at least ten feet, eyes narrowed, before pausing and sinking to a crouch. Thinking he was surely ready to pounce, I immediately zapped him, filling the near-silence of the back country road with the crackle of electricity. Once again, he went down, but I didn't continue zapping him this time. I wanted to get him a little further away from the car before I really got to work on him.

  After leading him back maybe another ten feet, he appeared to be quickly regaining strength, not stalking toward me as unsteadily, and I prepared to zap him again. But just then, I backed right into one of the potholes littering the crumbling road, and I instantly went down on my rear. From twenty-something feet away, coming from the window I'd rolled down just a few inches, I heard Cynthia make some sort of a strangled shriek. I made some sort of a strangled shriek myself, seeing the wolf launch himself into the air to pounce on me. With my muscles seeming to be working faster than my mind, I whipped a hand up and levitated him without a fraction of a second to spare. Hovering almost directly above me, he howled, flailing his limbs, and I sprang up from the ground, zapping him before I was even fully on my feet.

  Unfortunately, I was only able to hold him aloft for several seconds before the arm I was holding up to do that began to feel so heavy I could barely keep it pointing skyward anymore. Scuttling backward, I let the wolf drop, then zapped him with my other hand. To my surprise, though, he managed to remain standing for this zapping, maybe because the beam of electricity shooting from my palm had suddenly become thin.

  "Damn."

  Using my other hand, I immediately zapped him again, but the beam of electricity that came forth was just as thin as the last had been. Swearing again, I realized that supernatural powers were maybe something like a muscle, in the sense that maybe they had to be used and built up a lot before a Gifted could expect to have them remain in full force for any extended length of time.

  After taking a deep, steadying breath while the wolf shook off the pain from his last zap, I raised a palm and levitated him, then zapped him with a thin stream right away, wondering just when the hell he was finally going to fall unconscious. I was also wondering just when the hell the Haverwood wolves were going to arrive. All I knew was that one or the other had better happen soon, because my zaps were getting weaker and weaker. I was also growing incredibly tired, as if using my supernatural powers was steadily draining my energy bit by bit. Yet, at the same time, adrenaline rushing through my veins was making me tremble all over as if I were freezing, when the reality was that the June afternoon was almost unbearably hot.

  Becoming so weak I could barely stand up, I let the howling wolf drop to the road after several seconds, desperately hoping that maybe a passing motorist would come up the back country road, thinking we could flag them down and escape to Haverwood. Now I could clearly see why Jack hadn't been able to make the car accelerate; somehow in our swerving and screeching to a stop, the two wheels on the side of the car I'd been sitting in had been bent in a strange way to
where the wheel wells were almost flush with the road. Even if Jack could get the car to accelerate again, the best we could hope to do would be donuts.

  Knowing that we were all running out of time, I lifted a palm the instant the wolf hit the road, intending to try to zap him again with whatever feeble power I still had left in me, but before I even could, loud snarling coming from somewhere nearby caught my attention. Terrified that maybe the red-eyed wolf I was fighting had friends who were coming, I whipped my face in the direction of the snarling and saw two enormous gray wolves barreling down the road toward me.

  "Oh, no. God, no."

  They were racing in my direction so fast they were both just twin blurs of gray and white fangs. Tearing around the car, they'd be on me within a second. Reflexively, as if preparing to be hit by a bus, I turned my body away, covering my face. A second ticked by, but I felt no impact. Didn't feel myself being knocked to the ground and ripped limb from limb, as I'd thought I might. Someone was getting ripped limb from limb, though.

  I opened my eyes and bit back a scream of absolute horror. The two gray wolves were both biting at the coal-colored wolf, sending jets of blood in the air. Already there were several pools of it on the road, the dark liquid glinting in the sun. I'd always had somewhat of a weak stomach, and the sight triggered my gag reflex right away. Choking bile back, I turned from the scene, stumbling over to the side of the road.

  When I'd first seen the two gray wolves, I had no idea why it hadn't occurred to me that they could be Haverwood wolves, especially since I'd been waiting for them, but it just hadn't. And now it didn't even matter. All that did was that the three agents and I were safe, and not a moment too soon.

  Literally weak with relief, I knew my rubbery legs weren't going to get me back to the car, so I just sat down right in the ditch and covered my face in order to not have to see any more of the carnage. The three wolves, or maybe just the two attacking ones, I couldn't tell which, were snarling and snapping maybe twenty feet away from me, just far enough away that I was reasonably sure I was out of blood spatter distance.