Part 7 (1/2)

”All right Point taken But I' in his life, until you ca Where is he anyway?”

I started to tell Ballard about the Agoniesbut so happened I wasn't sure Lennox would wantso private that concerned vampires, even if that olf happened to be my best friend It was the first ti sides, and I didn't like the feeling

”He's hunting Marek,” I said

”The other bloodsucker, you e the subject Even though Lennox and Ballard had fought this summer side by side, Marek's betrayal had put Ballard off the the rest of the I These drea,” I said

He leaned forward

”But first, will you wipe your face? You have spaghetti sauce all over your ht” He wiped his face with a paper napkin ”What's up?” he said

I had to proceed with caution

”I think I've been having dreams about you,” I said He beamed

”It's been really weird actually”

”But you have been drea about me?” he said

I blew the strand of hair out ofthem since I left Rome, last month At first they were just impressions, they didn'tto,” I said

”You ht about this

”So's after me, Ballard And I think, whatever it is, is a shapeshi+fter” I said

”You mean like me?”

I nodded

”But that's impossible I know I Gatti They wouldn't do that,” he said

”Of course not But you said yourself There are other shape changers in the world besides I Gatti”

I didn't tell hi out The creature that had slassand defendedelse If I had to guess, a cat It had black fur, and yellow eyes But as it, and why had it tried to save me?

”I haven't told you the worst part,” I said

”What?”

”Intoward ityou, s like that in Rome,” he said

”The trees are different They're not cypresses,” I told him

”Then where are we?”

”I don't know That's the whole point, Ballard” I couldn't keep the stridency out of my voice ”But there's more We're in wolf form”

”You mean you are?”

Ballard rocked back on his seat We sat like that for so at each other nobody spoke

Finally, Ballard broke the silence ”Have you had these kinds of dreams before?” he said ”It almost sounds like you expect them to happen To take place Wait, you can't, like, see the future, can you?”

”I've had other dreams that I expected to come true,” I told him ”Not that they ever have”

”Whoa,” he said

I nodded ”It was like I was really fast,” I said, recalling the dreah the trees We ca”

”We need to talk to Gaven about this,” he said ”If you're having the Calling”

I looked at hily

”It's what happens to olves before their first transfor the Council ins Hey, what if we're related? Maybe that's why Risky had me find you I don't know I don't know,” he said

I didn't tell hi me was faster That Ballard washierous situations, in my dreams, in order to protect ot on our h the city for a few hours We couldn't go to wherever ere going until everyone got partied out, and went hoht forto dinner and the theater, and just strolling around, regardless of the fact that it ay past their bedti it up at toht

Finally, the h the clouds, and ell past Midnight, and the sounds, though feereexcited words to each other, as they lived lifetiht for revelations

I realized it wasn't over That, in a way, it would never be over That this night would beas forever, for as long as I still burned for so: secrets, and truths, and dreaonies was not unlike this 'Calling' Ballard had expressed tocalled To what I did not know It didn't seem important to me just then The inexpressible pursuit had ended for noith Ballard and ere young and free, and whatever problems we had were in the past

I decelerated and said, ”You can't be serious”

The place we had arrived at was the reen and we accelerated through the eht street to a mammoth colosseu to be taking place, the Wolves' Council I wasn't entirely sure I was invited to