You certainly did. I shook my head, amazed. No one can say that you didn't come back, just like always.
Thanks for that. Her voice was faint. I couldn't tell if she meant for my words now, or if she meant the bigger picture, bringing her here.
I was suddenly exhausted, and I could feel that she was, too. Now that my stomach had settled a bit and felt almost halfway full, the rest of my pains were not sharp enough to keep me awake. I hesitated before moving, afraid to make any noise, but my body wanted to uncurl and stretch out. I did so as silently as I could, trying to find a piece of the bubble long enough for me. Finally, I had to stick my feet almost out the round opening. I didn't like doing it, worried that Jared would hear the movement close to him and think I was trying to escape, but he didn't react in any way. I pillowed the good side of my face against my arm, tried to ignore the way the curve of the floor cramped my spine, and closed my eyes.
I think I slept, but if I did, it wasn't deeply. The sound of footsteps was still very far away when I came fully awake.
This time I opened my eyes at once. Nothing had changed-I still could see the dull blue light through the round hole; I still could not see if Jared was outside it. Someone was coming this way-it was easy to hear that the footsteps were coming closer. I pulled my legs away from the opening, moving as quietly as I could, and curled up against the back wall again. I would have liked to be able to stand; it would have made me feel less vulnerable, more prepared to face whatever was coming. The low ceiling of the cave bubble would barely have allowed me to kneel.
There was a flash of movement outside my prison. I saw part of Jared's foot as he rose silently to his feet.
"Ah. Here you are," a man said. The words were so loud after all the empty silence that I jumped. I recognized the voice. One of the brothers I'd seen in the desert-the one with the machete, Kyle.
Jared didn't speak.
"We're not going to allow this, Jared." It was a different speaker, a more reasonable voice. Probably the younger brother, Ian. The brothers' voices were very similar-or they would have been, if Kyle weren't always half shouting, his tone always twisted with anger. "We've all lost somebody-hell, we've all lost everybody. But this is ridiculous."
"If you won't let Doc have it, then it's got to die," Kyle added, his voice a growl.
"You can't keep it prisoner here," Ian continued. "Eventually, it will escape and we'll all be exposed."
Jared didn't speak, but he took one side step that put him directly in front of the opening to my cell.
My heart pumped hard and fast as I understood what the brothers were saying. Jared had won. I was not to be tortured. I was not to be killed-not immediately, anyway. Jared was keeping me prisoner.
It seemed a beautiful word under the circumstances.
I told you he would protect us.
"Don't make this difficult, Jared," said a new male voice I didn't recognize. "It has to be done."
Jared said nothing.
"We don't want to hurt you, Jared. We're all brothers here. But we will if you make us." There was no bluff in Kyle's tone. "Move aside."
Jared stood rock still.
My heart started thumping faster than before, jerking against my ribs so hard that the hammering disrupted the rhythm of my lungs, made it difficult to breathe. Melanie was incapacitated with fear, unable to think in coherent words.
They were going to hurt him. Those lunatic humans were going to attack one of their own.
"Jared... please," Ian said.
Jared didn't answer.
A heavy footfall-a lunge-and the sound of something heavy hitting something solid. A gasp, a choking gurgle -
"No!" I cried, and launched myself through the round hole.
Chapter 16: Assigned
The ledge of the rock exit was worn down, but it scraped my palms and shins as I scrambled through it. It hurt, stiff as I was, to wrench myself erect, and my breath caught. My head swam as the blood flowed downward.
I looked for only one thing-where Jared was, so that I could put myself between him and his attackers.
They all stood frozen in place, staring at me. Jared had his back to the