Part 29 (1/2)

Were it not for the implications of that statement, his relief would have been amusing. Claire glanced down at her watch. The second hand lay motionless over the two. ”Great.” Once Diana reached the area controlled by the dark forces, she'd be moving in a totally different time. At a totally different time? Prepositions just weren't set up for this sort of thing. According to her watch, Dean and Austin weren't moving at all. On the bright side, that should keep them out of trouble.

Austin poked Dean's rigid arm with a paw and snorted. Walking around the phone, he took a closer look at the watch on the wrist below the hand holding the receiver. Stopped.

”Fortunately,” he said, trotting to the end of the counter and leaping carefully down, ”time waits for no cat.”

And with any luck, the fridge door would be open.

The weight of a constant regard between her shoulder blades spun Claire around. ”What?”

Sam blinked. ”Nothing.”

”Well, stop it.”

The weight didn't change. She turned again. ”What did I say?”

”Weren't you listening either?”

”Did Diana tell you to watch me?”

”Why would she do that?”

”Are you watching me?”

He licked his shoulder. ”I don't know what you're talking about.”

”A cat may look at a king,” Arthur observed, grinning.

”Yes . . .” Claire s.h.i.+fted emphatically on the cus.h.i.+on, feeling a bit like a b.u.t.terfly on a pin. ”... but he's not looking at you.”

shunk kree, shunk kree.

You can't see me. You can't see in . . . us. You can't see us.

Diana repeated the mantra silently, hoping it would be enough. She could make it enough. The smallest act of will would slide that flashlight beam right on by. But the smallest act of will would break the Rules, strengthen the bad guys, and get her in major s.h.i.+t with Claire and the rest of the lineage.

So all she had was hope.

Hope, and Kris' warm body pressed tightly against her as they squeezed into the darkest part of the shadow.

Okay. The situation wasn't all bad.

The gla.s.s behind her s.h.i.+vered at a sudden impact, but the beam never wavered and the step/drag of the old man's approach didn't change. How had he not heard that?

”I know you're here. Soft, round flesh not to be touched.”

shunk kree, shunk kree.

Maybe he hadn't actually crossed over. Maybe he couldn't hear the music and the boots banging against the gla.s.s because he was walking the borderland between the world and the Otherside.

”Pliant, flexible, heated limbs. Can't hide forever. I will find you. Oh, yes.”