Bone Dry_ A Soul Shamans Novel - Cady Vance Page 0,87

I asked Nathan, even though I was certain he didn’t have an answer to that question any more than I did. She wouldn’t know anything, and her parents probably wouldn’t either.

“Because we’ll do whatever we have to do. Explore every option.” He made a left into a typical suburban neighborhood dotted with basketball hoops, box houses and discarded bicycles. “Follow every lead. Maybe she knows something.”

“Not likely,” I mumbled.

“Hey,” he said in a soft voice. “Remember in Astonishing X-Men, Issue 24, when it seemed like it was all over for Kitty Pryde and that she wasn’t going to make it? Everyone lost hope. But you know what? That wasn’t the end of her.”

I turned sideways and leaned my cheek against the seat, looking at Nathan’s profile. It was funny how the smallest thing like that could make me feel better. I knew it was fiction and that the X-Men story didn’t change a thing for me and my mom, but just hearing it, I got a little bit of hope back. Nathan’s eyes met mine, and I saw a burning in them when he looked at me, a reflection of the burning I felt, too. But with everything going on, I couldn’t give into the feeling that all I wanted was to kiss him again, to feel his lips on my skin.

I cleared my throat. “Thanks, Robin.”

He tilted back his head and laughed, his deep voice echoing in the car. A moment later, the car slowed and he pointed out a one-story brick house, yard littered with an odd assortment of jumbo-sized dinosaurs. They all stood in a row like some sort of plastic T-Rex battle line.

Nathan angled the truck into driveway just as my phone beeped with a text message from Laura.

Dad let me out of the house. Checked on ur mom. Will stay here 4 a few hours.

I closed my eyes and sighed. Laura rocked. I sucked for getting her into trouble with her dad, but I was really glad she was there to be with my mom. It made me feel a little better about leaving Mom there by herself, during her last hours while I ran through the state searching for answers.

Audrey stepped outside just as I slammed the passenger-side door. I recognized her as the girl from the picture. Her reddish hair glistened in a flash of rare sunshine from the sky, and her lanky frame shifted nervously in a loose-fitting t-shirt and jeans.

Nathan and I waved and walked closer. She cocked her head and stared at me, like she wasn’t sure what to think. Her eyes moved to Nathan; she scanned him from head to toe. We must have passed some sort of test because she motioned us over and walked back inside, holding the front door open.

Once inside the house, she led us to a back room. Toys were scattered across the floor and mounds of DVDs were stacked next to a large-screen TV. She pointed to a spot on the couch next to an XBox controller. Nathan and I settled in, sinking into the microfiber that looked like it had survived a slew of food spills and pet stains. I placed my elbows on my knees and cleared my throat. I had no idea what to say.

“So, why are you guys really here?” She lifted her eyebrows and sunk into the fluffy cushions of a recliner.

I quirked my mouth. “You’re a lot less believing than Tyler’s mom.”

Her eyes narrowed, eyes flitting back and forth between me and Nathan.

“Okay, we’re here because my mom was attacked by a shaman a year ago, and I’m looking for him. I don’t know anyone in the shaman community, but I found a guy who gave me some information, and it’s taken us on this trail. It led to Tyler. Apparently, he ran off to join a weird cult or something, and his mom gave us your name.”

Nathan gave me a reassuring smile and placed his arm around my back to give me a quick squeeze. I was glad when he didn’t pull away after.

Audrey blinked. I guessed she hadn’t been expecting me to be as honest as I was. I hadn’t even expected me to be that honest.

“A shaman attacked your mom?” she asked, folding her legs underneath her.

“Yeah, and I think he’s somehow connected to Tyler,” I said. “Since following that shaman’s trail led me to your friend.”

“Wow.” She drummed her fingers against the arm of the recliner in a hectic beat. “I knew that