The Serpent in the Stone (The Gifted Series) (13 page)

He paused for a long minute, struggling with conflicting emotions.
“
You saved my life.
Thank you.
”

She gave a stiff nod.

“
How did you get away from me at the cliff?
”

“
I changed into a bird,
”
she said.

Excitement flashed along every nerve in his body, betraying him.
He had to force himself to remain still, when all he wanted was to jump up and grab her in his surprise.
“
Can you talk to them?
Other animals, when you change?
”

“
I—I
’
ve never tried.
”

His mouth dropped open. “Do you realize the advances we could make in animal behavior if we could communicate with them?”

“What do you expect me to do, start a road show?”

“
Sara, this could change science as we know it.
”

“
I can
’
t tell anyone!
”
she protested.
“
If people find out I can do these things, what do you think is going to happen to me?
”

He watched her a few seconds more. Her shoulders arched as if she expected an attack. Her fingers, clasped on her knees until the knuckles were white, shifted once, twice, three times. He realized then that her fear lay not in his knowledge of her abilities, but that he would expose her to others.

Would I?

For a frightening second, he thought he might.
Her very existence made her dangerous.
And valuable, to the right people.

She looked away, rubbing her arms. When she met his stare again, her eyes had changed back to hazel, wide and intent. He knew she was wondering what he’d do, now that he’d heard her secret. And he knew he couldn’t betray her, no matter what she was.

But he could learn about her.
“
I
’
ll make you a deal.
”

She jerked in her seat and pursed her lips as if she were trying to bite back words.
For a moment, there was only the sound of water lapping against the boat.

Hardly able to believe his own mouth was forming the statement, he added,
“
You help me with my birds, and I say nothing about any of this.
”

“
Are you serious?
”

He tossed her the boat keys and cursed his own madness.
“
Let
’
s just get off the water.
”

****

They arrived back at Ian
’
s camp by midday.
He entered the tent ahead of her.
Dropping her coat, he grabbed a flannel shirt lying rumpled at the foot of his bed.

Sara caught sight of several long, faint scars criss-crossing his back.
Lean muscle rippled under the damaged skin.
She drew in a breath, but couldn
’
t stop staring.

He pulled the shirt over his shoulders and turned around.
He stiffened as their gazes met.
She felt the blood drain from her face.

Hostility flickered in his expression, then vanished into resignation.
“
Don
’
t ask.
”

“
How do you expect me to trust you if you get to ask all the questions?
”

He shoved his hand into his pocket, then came out with the amulet and demanded,
“
What is this thing?
”

“
I don
’
t know.
”

“
You don
’
t know.
You
’
re getting shot for it, and you don
’
t know what it is.
”

“
That
’
s right.
Can I have it back now?
”

He came forward and handed it to her.
She took it and looped it over her head, then tucked it into her shirt.

“
If you have no idea what it is, why do you hide it?
”
he asked.

“
You tell me about those scars on your back, and I
’
ll tell you what I know about this necklace.
”

He opened the first-aid kit on his table.
“
Sit down.
”

Stalking to his cot, she flopped on the edge and began pulling at the strips of cloth over her wound.

“
I
’
ll get it,
”
he said, sitting beside her and putting the open kit at his feet.
He slid the point of a pair of scissors under the makeshift bandages and cut them away.

She gave a nervous chuckle.
“
Next injury
’
s your turn.
”
When he didn
’
t respond, she fell silent and watched him work.
At last she added,
“
Tell me about your back.
”

“
Tell me about your necklace.
”

“
I asked you first.
”

“
Are we doing the grade-school thing now?
”
He gave her a brief look of amusement that washed away the serious look on his face and set her belly fluttering, at complete odds with her apprehension.
When he applied antiseptic to her wound, she cringed at the sting.

He jerked his hand away, but she couldn
’
t tell whether he was still leery of her, or sorry he
’
d hurt her.
“
Fine,
”
she said irritably.
“
We think Dad was murdered for this necklace.
We don
’
t—
”

“‘
We,
’
meaning you and Faith.
”

“
Yes.
Can I finish, since you want to know so badly?
”

He went back to applying the antiseptic.
“
Go on.
”

She suspected it was easier for him to look at her injury than meet her gaze.
That stung more than the wound.
“
We don
’
t know what it is, and we don
’
t know what it does.
It
’
s old.
It
’
s important enough to kill someone over.
It
’
s a stupid piece of rock, and I want my father back.
”

Ian picked up the first-aid kit and set it on his knees.
He looked at her at last.
Something dark and heart-rending flashed in his eyes and was gone before she could interpret it.
He shrugged his good shoulder.
“
Why fix the thing, if you don
’
t know what to do with it?
”

“
My sister...
”
She trailed off, wary of speaking about Faith.
Talking with Ian was a swampy, trackless journey with no indication of where to step next.
She swallowed.
“
Our father would have destroyed it if he hadn
’
t intended to do something with it.
What about your back?
”

He looked down at the kit and concentrated on tearing open a package of tape stitches.
His jaw muscles twitched.
This close, she smelled a chalky scent on his clothes, and under that, a warm, undeniably male scent that unsettled her to her very bones.

But then he spoke.
“
Knife scars.
I was ten.
It
’
s what you get when you try to protect your parents from a telekinetic.
”

He said it so fast, it took her a few seconds to absorb the meaning of his words.
The world shifted sideways.
“
Th-There
’
s another one?
”

“
There
was
.
The cops shot him.
”
Ian pressed the tape stitches over her wound and closed up the kit.
He sprang up from the cot and dropped the kit on his camp table.
“
I don
’
t think I need to explain any more of what happened.
We
’
re done here.
”

In shock, she bent to scoop up her coat from the tent floor.
Her hand trembled so hard it took a second try.
Her gaze found his broad back as if she could see the scars under his flannel shirt.
“
I d-don
’
t know what to say—
”

“
You can
’
t undo what happened.
”

She ached and shook and stared at him, frantic for answers, afraid to ask the questions.
Who was the man?
What had he wanted?
Why had he hurt Ian
’
s family?
She couldn
’
t imagine using her power to hurt another human being.

Ian turned on his heel.
By the look of censure on his face, he could imagine such a thing well enough.

Sara
’
s hurt gave way to a stab of righteous indignation.
She stood up.
“
Thank you for going with me to Mainland.
I won
’
t ask you for any more favors.
”

“
You still owe me.
”

She jerked to a stop.
“
Owe you?
You just forced me to blow any protection I have against people who might want to exploit—
”

“
The birds.
That
’
s all I
’
m asking.
”

She shuddered.
“
You
’
re willing to hate what I am, but not so much that you won
’
t use it to your own advantage?
”

He had the grace to look ashamed—for a moment, at least.
That dogged expression returned to his features, as though he were compelling himself to face her.

As though she might shapeshift into a monster and bite him.

She rushed out of the tent without waiting for him to speak further.

All the way back to the dig, she tried not to think of him.
The memory of his vicious glare pierced her over and over.
She had never told anyone but Faith about her gifts.
Now she knew why.

The sun threw long late-afternoon shadows by the time she got to the camp.
She found her sister taking samples of earth to be shipped back to Eurocon.
When Faith spotted her, she climbed out of the dig trench.
“
How
’
d it go?
”

Sara struggled to find enough anger to push aside the hurt.
“
Next time you ask me to take Ian somewhere, you
’
d better recheck your gut feelings.
”

Faith glanced toward the dig, where Dustin and Thomas still labored in the afternoon sun.
When she looked back, her gaze fell on the bloody tear in Sara
’
s coat sleeve.
Her sun-bronzed skin paled.
“
What happened?
”

“
We had some trouble, but the amulet
’
s fixed.
I
’
m tired.
I
’
m going to lie down for a while.
We
’
ll talk later.
”
Ignoring her sister
’
s concerned frown, she turned and hurried away to her tent.

The minute she entered it and closed the tent door, hot tears spilled down her cheeks.
The scars on his back flashed in her memory again.
So many of them, and he was just a boy when they
’
d happened.
Her stomach turned.