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Chapter 105

Much Too Fast


Leah


We jumped from the benches when the final buzzer sounded.

We had won! But my boyfriend had lost! Should I rejoice now or feel sorry? I was not quite sure. But what I did know was that I wanted to get to him very quickly.

The fact that Marcus lived in Portland didn't make our relationship easy. It was a good half-hour drive, but we just couldn't see each other every day. Except for the weekend, we had generally not seen each other until now. We both had to study for school, we couldn't forget our friends and families, and he still had to work at the diner and do some sports activities. But he wanted to limit the latter so he could come here during the week.

So, it wasn't possible to drop by 'briefly'. Of course, it was possible, but that cost gas for the car and a total of an hour's drive. It would be silly if he had to leave right away again to keep any appointments or deadlines. I had also offered to come to Portland, but he had refused. Also, I could have just shown up on foot, since it didn't take me ten minutes to run the distance, but how was I supposed to explain that, please? So we talked on the phone every evening for ages with each other and had already been able to hardly leave the hands or lips from each other last weekend. But we had had little time alone so far. Of my family, he had only met my parents and Alice and Jasper. I didn't want to present all the vampires to him in one fell swoop. So was the fact that Jake and I were Spirit Warriors. This time I would do it differently than with Ben. I didn't want to tell him outright, but hoped that maybe he would gradually question little things. Like Brandon. Like my mom. Until I could tell him the truth without scaring him. He had even started to do that. After we paused our game on Saturday to supposedly skype with our grandpa, he had noticed the remains of a scratch on the back of my neck. I could think of nothing else but to say that I had unconsciously scratched myself too hard with my fingernails. No idea whether he believed that.

Together with Becky I now ran down the stairs.

Becky jumped into Jake's arms, and he lifted her right onto his hips.

I stormed towards Marcus and literally ran him over .

He rubbed his head, with which he had hit on the floor, and slightly contorted his face.

"Sorry!" I chuckled as I sat on him, stroking the small scar on his eyebrow.

"I don't accept apologies for a greeting like that!" he smiled immediately, tapping my single freckle with his index finger and sliding his hand further down my neck, whereby he pulled me towards his lips.

"Fraternizing with the enemy?" I heard Brandon played rant behind me.

I don't care. I only had eyes for Marcus.

The boys went to take a shower after their exhausting game.

Since tomorrow was school, the victory celebration would not be very extravagant today anyway. In this respect, we decided to celebrate something at our place.


"I had no idea you played basketball!" defended Marcus.

He and Jake were having a war of words about it. Both in a good mood and Jake armed with beer on top of it. So were the rest of us.

Except Marcus. He had to drive. And Claire ... Marcus' cousin and Jason's girlfriend. She was too young, according to Mom and Dad's unanimous opinion.

"You could have mentioned it once, though, along with surfing, lacrosse, golf, baseball, tennis, or Sudoku!"

"It's called Taekwondo, you ass! Besides, you didn't say a word either!"

"Even I didn't know!" muttered Dad inhumanly softly, which only elicited an offended snort from Jake.

Mom and Dad left us alone after Carlisle - quite the doctor - took an extensive look at Marcus' knee, on which he had fallen hard in the game once.

Jake had tripped him up, I thought crossly!

Marcus had been hobbling since the gym.

A fact Marcus wanted to downplay, but of course gave Carlisle no peace.

So, I officially introduced Carlisle as Edward's father, thus quasi my grandfather.

Marcus conceded defeat and let him have his way.

It was blue! And it was the knee with its cruciate ligament tear. But it was only bruised in exactly the right place so that Marcus surely had a few hours of it. Ice on it, wait and see, done.

They sat down in the living room.

All the vampires were there, and Marcus now got to know them all at least briefly. He didn't really seem to be surprised that the even 'younger' vampires weren't sitting with us, but with Mom and Dad.

We, on the other hand, sat with blankets around the fire pit in the garden.

It would probably be the last time this year due to the weather. Autumn had really arrived! Actually, it was almost over again. Lisa, Jason, Claire, Brandon, Jake, Becky, Marcus and me. Our group of friends. Currently! Again and again the group composition changed. Most recently, Ben and Jenny left, while Claire and Marcus came along.

I shared a blanket with Marcus where we lay snuggled in and his hand rested gently under the hem of my T-shirt at my side, nuzzling over my skin.

We had just realized that we were due for a visit to the cinema again and had a lively discussion about the available movies. The guys were unanimously in favor of the latest Bond movie, while we girls would rather go to the new RomCom with Liam Hemsworth.

The hand at my side tightened and pulled me onto my back.

Marcus leaned half over me and looked at me. The hand now on the other side of my pelvis.

"Do you have a crush on him?" he asked, curious and played jealous. "Or don't you have enough romance in real life?" he then pondered.

"Apparently not!" I complained.

Immediately he kissed me and massaged with his lips sensitively mine. I leaned towards him and pushed one leg over his hip. With pleasant firm pressure he massaged over it and came to rest with his fingers under my T-shirt in my back.

Wow ... that tingled inside me.

"I guess we're redundant!" noted Brandon, meanwhile at some point, addressing Lisa.

The two of them became engrossed in a conversation, whereby Lisa announced that she often felt like the fifth wheel with the couples that our group had from time to time. Not least also because of Bran and the so far appurtenant Jenny.

The two headed into a heated discussion.

Not only could the two of them do that very well together, but they sometimes did it with passion. Lisa had always warned him about Jenny, but he didn't want to hear that. They bickered loudly at each other afterwards, standing in front of each other and glaring angrily at each other.

The lively exchange of opinions between Brandon and Lisa unfortunately distracted me from Marcus.

I sighed in disappointment, but after all, we were not alone. I turned back to my friends again.

Their verbal disputes were namely sometimes worth seeing. Once there had been a 'brawl' between Lisa and Brandon. Another time Lisa had given up soaking wet after she was 'accidentally' pushed into the lake by Bran.

"Lisa!" nagged Jason at his sister, while Jake stood already at Brandon's side.

I don't know exactly how it happened, but just a few seconds later, Brandon's lips were on Lisa's. My jaw dropped! As well as all the others. Unable to say anything, unable to take our eyes off them, we just watched them.

It wasn't proper. Definitely not. But we were probably a bit in shock.

The two of them had known each other for over ten years, ever since we started school, but there had never been anything between them. And if there was, then it was always just these silly disputes, in which they brought each other to a boiling point, before they quickly made up again.

"How long was he with this Jenny?" Marcus asked me whispering and wondering.

"Since Independence Day," I answered mechanically, still unable to avert my eyes.

Bran and Lisa only with difficulty released their lips from each other and looked at each other, their arms let lying around each other.

"What's going on with you guys?" asked Jake in surprise.

As if answering, they kissed each other again.


Marcus and Claire left around 10:00 p.m.

He would take her home, stop by his sister's house briefly, and then head back to Portland. He also had school tomorrow. We would meet again on Friday. He didn't know if he could make it in time to pick me up from school, but he was now a weekend lodger for his sister.

The others then left as well.

Our friends were kindly driven home by Dad while the vampires disappeared across the patio.

Except Becky, of course. After the next weekend she wanted to start attempting to sleep at home again, although it already seemed like she was home with us. I also found the thought strange that after the past three weeks, she wouldn't be sitting at the breakfast table with us. Becky was part of my family after all.

Well, Jake and I went for a run anyway. Like pretty much every evening.

Becky stood with us in the garage where we dropped off our clothes.

"That you don't mind the cold at all ..." she laughed good-humoredly, slapping Jake's bare bottom before he phased.

She snuggled into his shaggy fur once more and then went back into the thoroughly considerably warmer living room after we had disappeared out the door.

We ran around town in opposite directions, as we usually do, but we thought of the same thing as we run: Brandon and Lisa. That we could not really believe. We mentally analyzed whether there were any indications that there might be more between the two than their platonic friendship that had lasted for ages. Something had probably escaped us ...


'Marcus!' Jake then thought out of nowhere when we had been on the way for a while.

We were quite a few miles apart, but still wolves.

So not only could I hear his thoughts, but I could also see through Jake's eyes. And I saw Marcus through Jake's eyes. He was strolling hand in hand with a girl along the edge of the forest.

I started growling and I heard similar things from Jake.

Jake tried to get closer without being noticed, already recognizing him through the trees but not hearing him.

Considering that Marcus just hugged the girl very intimately, there was nothing to hear right now either!

I bared my teeth and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up.

I actually thought I was very happy right now and was floating on cloud nine. But my out-of-life little cloud just dissolved, and I landed hard on the ground of facts.

I was already on my way to Jake's.

I wanted to see it with my own eyes, but the truth was already echoing in my head.

Marcus was a player! An asshole! That's why I shouldn't visit him in Portland!

"This has nothing to do with us!" I heard Marcus over Jake's thoughts.

The girl just nodded, leaning against his muscular chest.

She seemed sad. I tried to understand it. Tried to make sense out of these few words. Maybe the girl had found out about me and confronted Marcus? And he was downplaying it now!

I howled with rage.

"The fact that they're getting divorced ... it's not any of our fault. Neither Maggie, nor I, and certainly not you, Jules! ... Even if they go their separate ways now, it doesn't change the fact that they love you! It has nothing to do with us!"

Jules. That was his little sister. And his parents wanted to separate, apparently. Was this the family chaos why he hadn't called when we met two weeks ago?

My tension was gone. I continued to run in Jake's direction, but much more reassured.

"So, when do I get to meet your Leah?" asked Jules then.

I suspected she was trying to distract herself from the subject.

"You wanted to keep playing Play-Station with Ethan. If you'd gone to the game, like you were going to, you would have gotten to know her!" Marcus retorted, played offended.

Oh, yes. I had forgotten. When he said he was coming here today, he mentioned that his little sister might be coming along. That I would meet her then. She was very curious about me.

"It's always so boring. You always win!" complained Jules.

"Not today. We lost."

Jules looked at him suspiciously.

"Who can - please - beat my big brother?" she doubted, with a mocking undertone.

'Well, me, of course! Who else?!' Jake stated snootily in his thoughts.

"Leah's brother!" gritted Marcus' teeth venomously, but it wasn't real, which Jules also noticed.

She laughed at him.

Jake laughed as well.

"And how is he ... umm ...? Besides playing better basketball?" asked Jules lightly and teasingly.

'Charming, kind, handsome ...,' Jake just enumerated.

'Annoying, arrogant, precocious, forward ...,' I completed the list and Jake growled at me in my mind.

"He's pretty cool. I told you they were twins. Everyone I've got to know so far is very nice ..." Marcus began to say.

I was still miles away from Jake and Marcus when I stopped abruptly and raised my muzzle in the air.

A sweet bestial stench burned in my nose.

I concentrated.

It was no one from our family! It took me only a fraction of a second for this realization.

I followed the track and in the further recognized two vampires by the smell.

I hurried on as fast as I could.

The fug led past the city, but still came closer and closer to it. Closer towards Marcus.

Jake had noticed the scent I had picked up and made a beeline around Marcus and Jules. He ran toward me a bit, but stayed within some range of Marcus in case these two intruders would be attracted to the human blood.

Fortunately, we were no longer so inexperienced when it came to our mortal enemies. We didn't train as meticulously as we had in the beginning, but when there was an opportunity to wrestle with Jazz, Em, Alice, or Rosie a bit when they accompanied us, we did. Jazz no longer considered pre-planned training to be absolutely necessary, since he had seen what we were actually capable of in the fight against the four vampires from the South. And he was very satisfied and reassured with that. Moreover, we had destroyed vampires three times now, if one didn't count Samantha. We had encountered one only by chance. About three weeks ago. We had gone back to Sebago Lake with the friends on Columbus Day, but only to hike, when we noticed this stench. We cleared Brandon and Becky and let ourselves fall back quickly. It was pretty unspectacular. We were even disappointed ourselves. Only one had been hanging around the area. He seemed to be downright afraid of being discovered and was looking for a victim for his starved black eyes in the vast woods. Dad suspected that perhaps his companions had been destroyed, which is why he displayed this fear. It was not typical for their kind. Last Saturday was the call from Jazz about the vampire couple. And then there was this encounter with the four vampires.

Now, as Jake stood in front of a couple of vampires, I howled loudly.

The desired effect. They halted. One man, one woman. They held each other by one hand. The clothes not particularly old, but dirty, torn in some places and not matching. Nomads, as we had seen before. They followed their thirst for blood alone, but adhered to the law of inconspicuousness. They clearly looked terrified to run into a behemoth as large as Jake, and my yowl confirmed that he was not alone.

Jake growled loudly at them and bared his teeth, built up to his full impressive size, towering over the bloodsuckers.

Their red eyes widened fearfully.

"What kind of cattle is that?" the man asked, stunned.

Jake just stopped. In a threatening posture. He stalled for time until I got there. However, it felt like I was sneaking.

"A monster," the woman said timidly.

A moment of silence.

"It smells so delicious!" the vampiress blared, as one would deny a lollipop to a small child.

The man put an arm around her shoulders, looked around, seemed to be thinking.

"Maybe he doesn't mean us?" he said, making a leap to the side with his companion.

Jake followed rapidly, making it clear that he meant the two of them.

The two whispered, but Jake didn't understand it. The man made a move to the right, which Jake commented on with a growl. The woman a move to the left, this too Jake followed intently with his eyes.

If they ran apart, Jake would have a problem and the 'Cold Ones' came to the same conclusion.

I rushed through the forest, but I was still too far away.

A blink of an eye. A bright bell sound. One wolf, two bodies. Our spirit was united.

Based on the comment, Jake followed the woman.

Maybe Jules' or Marcus' blood sang to her. Like Mom's blood attracted Dad. The possibility that she would renounce the juice for love, however, I estimated here at about zero point zero!

Jake jumped towards her and pushed her to the ground with his paws. But before he could really do anything to her, he was ripped away from her by the man.

Jake had expected it, but was a moment too slow to respond to him. They wrestled with each other. Hard and merciless. Jake had considerable problems fighting against the two alone, but held his own magnificently. Again and again they attacked him together, yet he managed to free himself every time. He passed over the wounds they had already taught him. The two were not nearly such a challenge as one of the aforementioned four, but still very well attuned to each other and escaped Jake's targeted bites and blows again and again by a hair's breadth.

I was no longer far away.

Fortunately!

The man held Jake unyieldingly in place after my brother took a brutal blow to his hip, but the woman suddenly stopped in mid-motion.

She took a deep breath and in her eyes there seemed to sparkle joyfully. She turned away from Jake and her mate and immediately rushed toward Jules and Marcus.

The two had unknowingly come closer and closer to the showplace.

Not reducing my speed, I tugged at the vampire in running past. He had only gazed incredulously back at his wife and had not seen me coming. I snatched at his leg, yanked him off Jake with it, and, still severing the leg from his body with a powerful bite, threw him several feet through the air.

Jake quickly scrambled to his feet, and I continued to dash after the cold graceful woman.

I didn't need to ask Jake if he could get along on his own. Our thoughts were one. I knew it!

When I ran towards my boyfriend and his sister, the bloodsucker had already reached the little one.

Cries of pain rang through the dark forest. Holding Jules with one arm, she sucked the life out of her wrist.

Seemed to be a popular spot. Mom had her scar almost in the same place.

She had knocked Marcus over, who was staring motionlessly at this scene. He certainly didn't understand what just happened here.

How would he? This was not the world of humans!

When he seemed to slowly realize what could be going on here, he punched and kicked the graceful appearing woman and hurt himself in the process. Blood came out of his hands. With a little push from the 'Cold Woman', Marcus whirled a few meters painfully across the forest ground.

I jumped towards the woman and opened my muzzle.

With luck, a well-aimed bite in the neck would end it all immediately. Of course, I did not have this luck. The vampiress noticed me and turned to me at the last moment.

I flew at her, but she deftly ducked away to the side.

I was flung aside by cold arms and with my body against a tree that groaned under my mass.

A branch had bored into my belly, but had not penetrated too deeply.

I yelped from the brief stabbing pain, but I immediately stood again. I shook myself briefly and the vampiress and I circled each other threateningly. I bared my teeth and growled, she hissed. I deliberately pushed her away from Jules.

Because the 'Cold Woman' seemed to be concentrating on me, Marcus hastened towards his sister, picked her up from the ground and wanted to run away with her. My opponent noticed it. She set after him and pulled Marcus back by his shoulder. The bloodsucker tore Jules out of his arms and he himself flew back a few meters.

I quickly got in his way so he could only bounce against my soft fur, not against a small rock sticking out of the ground right behind me.

For a brief moment, our gazes met. Fear lay in his terror-widened eyes, but it gave way to something else that I could not interpret.

"Leah?" he muttered incredulously.

I had no time to bother about how he could associate me with a giant white wolf. A specimen of my mortal enemy was still living right in front of me. That was more important right now.

Jake had finished off the man and was coming at us from the other side.

In a fighting stance. Jake had arrived to us with a limp, but he cleverly hid it. Carefully, so as not to push Marcus roughly away from me, I stood up and we regrouped.

We growled at the woman, bared our razor-sharp teeth and bristled our neck fur. We fixed her and walked towards her.

The woman's gaze went back and forth between us. Indecisive. Seeking help. Desperate. Only a few seconds. Then her eyes searched her victim. She grabbed Jules, threw her toward us and ran away. Apparently, she thought we would see these two people as our prey and defend them and wanted to save herself. If I had time, I would probably laugh about it briefly. While I was dashing after the woman, Jake jumped towards Jules. They met in the air, he embraced her protectively with his paws, turned in the air with her, and saved Jules from the hard impact with his strong body.

I had reached the woman quickly. A short scuffle, in which she gave me another bestial blow against the ribs and gave me deep scratches on the right and left side of the neck. But this time a few unspectacular bites were actually enough. First into her hands, which tried to tear off my head, then into her neck. Through my targeted blows with the paws she burst into millions of small pieces.

I shook the debris from my fur.

Quickly I ran back.

Marcus just lay there.

This whole situation had to scare the hell out of him.

He watched wide-eyed as the wolf's massive body twisted and seemed to bury Jules beneath it.

Jake was still transforming back meanwhile, whereby he carefully rolled Jules onto the ground.

"Jake?" stammered Marcus shakenly inquiringly, while Jake let himself fall powerlessly beside Jules.

Due to the fight he had been battling alone for some time against two vampires, Jake had been energetically attacked. His pelvic bone had been hit. It wasn't broken, then he wouldn't have been able to run, but there was definitely some chipping. As with many other bones. In addition, he was bleeding in countless places. Jake fought against the pain. Some nerves or arteries must have been cut if the burning was so intense. We could both sing a song about that by now.

Jules cramped in pain and blood ran incessantly from the bite mark.

I phased back.

With the first steps on two legs I collapsed a bit.

The blow to my ribs briefly overwhelmed my lungs and from the blood loss to my neck and abdomen, I felt dizzy. I shook myself and passed over the burning sensation that had just set in. I didn't have time for that now.

"Jake!" I addressed my brother who was lying there with his face contorted in pain, but focused myself on Jules.

I tore off one sleeve of her jacket and pressed it firmly against the wound on her hand.

"Jake!" I tried again, and he reacted.

Haggardly, he looked at me.

"Call Dad!" he mumbled.

"With what?" I asked.

I turned my head toward him.

'With what? We're naked, damn it!' ... Our cell phones were at home! As always, when we were just running our rounds.

Something moved behind Jake.

"Marcus!" I answered myself.

He had just sat there. Probably stiff with fear.

Jake dragged himself toward him.

Marcus' eyes widened in panic, and he backed away, but Jake paid no heed. He continued to crawl toward him, eventually holding him down and searching his pockets until he finally found his phone. He dialed, dropping back to his knees.

"Dad ..." Jake faltered.

He tensed up, dropped the phone, and huddled on the ground together.

"Jake!" I heard Dad anxiously through the phone.

"Marcus was attacked, his sister was bitten, and Jake is just hurt!" I said directly.

No time for superfluous explanations. Of course, we heard each other, even if the cell phone was a few meters away from me.

"How long was he drinking?" asked Dad promptly.

"Just a few seconds, but she's bleeding like crazy!" I informed.

He asked where exactly we were, and I quickly explained.

"What about Jake?" he still wanted to know.

"It's ... already ..." Jake whispered to himself.


It was not long before I heard Edward approaching. Therefore, I remembered what had happened so few moments ago.

It was faster than telling him.

Dad looked at the wound and sucked in the air through his teeth after handing me the small box with our painkillers.

Jake just lay there, as a human being, unwilling to move again, but mumbling something about being fine after Dad addressed him.

"She smells good!" noted Dad. "No wonder she lunged at the girl and not at him ... I've got to try to suck the venom out of her. And you have to rip me off her if I can't stop!" he looked emphatically into my eyes.

He spoke softly so Marcus wouldn't understand any of it.

I nodded, but how would I know the venom was out?

Edward gave me no further explanation, but drank. He took deep draughts.

"You can do it, Dad!" Jake slurred as he spoke what was going through my mind.

Of course, Edward would be able to control his blood thirst! ... 'You did it with Mom! Who else could? I believe in you, Dad! Totally!'

I put my hand on his to somehow make my thoughts clearer.

The seconds passed almost silently, if one ignored Jules' screams.

Marcus now didn't like this whole situation at all. He probably only saw the same picture as before. Someone was trying to take his sister's life. He was about to go after Dad. In a flash, I stood up and got in Marcus' way.

Too ... fast ... I staggered. I looked for support ... and found it in two strong arms that held me.

I lifted my slightly confused head and looked into Marcus' black eyes.

Apparently, it was just an instinctive reaction to hold me. His gaze went to the side. His embrace loosened, but his hands still made sure on my upper arms that I stood on my feet.

He took a step back.

Lime-white on the face.

Somewhere in his head, something still seemed to be working. He took off his sweatshirt and handed it to me. I looked down at myself for a moment.

Oops ... I was naked.

I put it on.

Marcus then did not give the impression that he would move again in the near future.

So that's what one looked like when one was in shock. Interesting.

I knelt down to Jake. I took the box with the syringes and picked out the right one for him.

I needed a moment ... the small letters danced before my eyes. I blinked, but it was only slowly getting better. When I finally recognized Jake's name, I sank the needle close to his pelvis.

We might want to switch to different colored syringes instead of just labeling them.

When Carlisle's remedy finally took effect, Jake relaxed.

It was silent. How long had it been? Was Dad still drinking?

I turned back in his direction, and he was still sitting there. More cautiously than before, I rose and walked toward him.

"Dad!" I said gruffly, but he didn't budge.

Only when I stood directly behind him did he let himself fall onto his back. He was not breathing and looked exhausted.

I squatted down to him and put a hand on his heart.

"Dad," I said quietly this time.

I flinched in shock when he opened his eyes and looked at me.

"Do I look that bad?" he asked, almost smirking.

"Nope! Worse!" I replied.

Worse, but also somehow totally cool at the same time. His eyes were blood red, but the iris still had a very narrow golden ring inside. Like golden smoke that tried to fight against the red. His eyes seemed alive.

He gestured for me to squeeze the wound shut again and went to check on Jake.

Jules' bleeding visibly subsided.

"You look like shit!" mumbled Jake directly.

That was clear. So, he couldn't be doing that badly.

Still, Dad looked at his injuries. Most of them healed already.

Then he turned to Marcus, who had said nothing all this time.

"Marcus ... don't be afraid. None of us will hurt you ... Your sister is going to be fine. She'll live, but we need to get her to Carlisle to have him look at the bite ... Your hands need to be taken care of, too," Dad said in a velvet voice with his raised unarmed hands - not that he needed to.

As he did so, he had moved closer and closer to Marcus and now had his injured, slightly bleeding hands in his own.

Marcus had apparently only looked into his red eyes, without paying attention to any words. At least that's how he looked. Even now.

"What about Jake? And Leah?" was now the first thing Marcus actually said and looked at us with frightened eyes.

Jake, by the way, was still on the ground playing dying swan. Men! They could not stand anything either!

"I'll survive!" said Jake already almost clearly again, trying a grin.

Looked silly.

Marcus' sweatshirt was already ruined by my blood anyway, so I wiped blood from my neck with a sleeve.

The scratches should be almost gone. But at my belly I was still bleeding. And now that I had a brief moment to think about myself, I noticed the burning. It quickly became intense and I tensed up.

Dad already had an injection in hand for me.

"Almost ... over!" I stammered. Not a minute later, while I was kneeling on the ground holding on to Dad, it was already going back. I knew my body!

"You're as bad as your mother!" Dad gave me to understand in a whisper as he helped me back up.

Jake chuckled in the background.

"She's right about that, isn't she?" I retorted snottily. "If one can escape the syringe, everything is good!"

Dad got on the phone with Mom and gave the general all-clear. Then with Carlisle to announce us.

Jake tried to straighten up in the meantime. He held his hip and swayed slightly.

Marcus actually supported him, however.

"You saw what those two can be?" asked Dad after he got through all the calls.

Marcus nodded hesitantly.

"Do you have the confidence to ride on Leah's back?"

"What?" he asked, shocked, and let Jake fall back down, who commented by cursing at his impact.

My whole head, on the other hand, seemed to be on the verge of burning up with heat.


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