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full moon? I mean,do you have any idea how much laser hair removal and cosmetic dentistry costs these
days?"
Orpheus sighs. He blinks a few times, then slides back into human form. It really is a fascinating
transformation and I find myself watching closely, briefly wishing I had a video camera to record it and
throw it up on YouTube for all to see.
"All I wanted was a pack to call my own," he mumbles, head in his hands. "The Order was so dismissive
of me. I never fit in there. I wanted to create a new line of Lycans who would be, would be . . . my
friends."
I stare at him. Is he crying?
Suddenly I feel a pang of empathy for the guy. I know more than anyone what it's like not to fit in. For
everyone to think you're a crazy freak and not want to be your friend. But still. . .
"You can't force people to become your friends by infect-ing them with a virus," I reason. "People have
to want to be your friends."
"No one ever wanted to be my friend."
I can't believe I'm feeling pity for the guy who's kid-napped me and tied me up. "Look, I understand
what you're going through. I'm an outcast of sorts as well. I don't fit in with anyone at school. And none
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of the vampires like me ei-ther. But you know what? I'm going to have to be okay with that. And not be
so angry and hateful all the time. Take my old best friend, Mandy."
"Shewas friends with Mandy?" I hear Mike whisper to Trevor. I'd forgotten for a moment we had an
audience.
"See, dude, I told you she was a cheerleader."
"Funny thing about Mandy," I say, ignoring the peanut gallery,"Ithought for years that she had ditched me
to be-come one of the popular kids. That she didn't think I was cool enough to hang out with her. But I
found out this week that it may have been me who ditched her. Because I was afraid she was leaving me
behind, I started rebelling in the other direction. Scorning everything she wanted to become because I
was afraid I couldn't become it myself."
"I was always the weakest," Orpheus confesses. "I couldn't run as fast. I couldn't catch any game. None
of the female wolves liked me. So I decided to leave and start my own pack. Show them that I didn't
need anyone."
"One thing I've learned, Orpheus, is that we can't be afraid to need people in life. I know it makes us
seem helpless and weak, but sometimes, admitting you need help can be strong in and of itself." Wow,
that sounded pretty good. Especially since I made it up on the fly. Maybe instead of see-ing a shrink, I
should become one.
Orpheus rises to his feet. "You seem like a smart girl, Rayne," he says, sounding apologetic. "I'm really
sorry I'm going to have to kill you."
Kill me? Fear shoots through my heart. "Why would you have to kill me?" I cry.
"I have to kill all of you." He shrugs. "The Order knows what I did, thanks to you. Soon they'll find my
den and they'll use you as evidence against me. I'll be hanged for my crimes against the pack. And I can't
let that happen. So I'll have to kill you and eat the evidence."
Okay, being killed is bad enough. But being eaten as well?
He shape-shifts again, back to wolf form. He slowly ap-proaches me, step by step, paw after paw.
Desperate, I flip myself over and attempt to wiggle away like a worm the most stupid escape attempt
known to mankind. My heart pounds in my chest. My body grows numb. Oh my God, I can't believe I'm
going to actually die. Die and be eaten by a werewolf. And Jareth will never know what happened to me.
Jareth, please help me!I cry one more time.
A moment later, the wolf is on me, grabbing my leg in his mouth and yanking me backward. Teeth dig
into my flesh, piercing my skin as I'm pulled back into the cave. I scream and kick at his face, but he's
too strong.
This is it. I'm going to die. But not right away. I'm a vam-pire and immortal. So I'll be alive for all of it.
Every last bite. Until he clamps down on my neck, sharp fangs ripping through sinew, severing my head
from my
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a bat sweeps into view with a high-pitched screech. I look up. It's big, it's
black, and head-ing right toward Orpheus's face. He drops my leg, letting out a bellow of surprise as it
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attacks, beating its rubbery wings against the wolf's eyes, his nose, his mouth.
I watch, amazed. Could it be? It's impossible. Jareth doesn't have any powers. And the other vampires
would never rescue a slayer. Still, I can't imagine this is just some random bat. Somehow or other I've
been rescued. The undead cavalry has arrived.
A moment later the bat poofs into a cloud of smoke and suddenly Jareth himself appears on the hillside.
I burst into tears, I'm so happy to see him. Big, bad, beautiful Jareth. My true love. My hero. He's
dressed all in black, looking gor-geous and powerful. And best of all, he's got a gun in his hand, aimed
straight at the wolf. (How he transported that gun while in bat form, I'll never know.)
"No one messes with my Raynie," he states, just before squeezing the trigger.
The gun goes off. The wolf yelps once, then collapses onto the cave floor. It convulses a few times, its
chest rising and falling, then goes completely limp.
I stare at the wolf, then up at Jareth, tears of joy now streaming down my face.
He reaches me in an instant, throwing his arms around me and pulling me close. "Oh, Rayne," he
murmurs. "I was afraid I'd get here too late."
I bury my face in his shoulder, sobbing and laughing all at the same time. Jareth. My wonderful Jareth.
The vamp who saved my life. My blood mate. Forever and always.
"Jareth," I cry. "I'm so glad you came. I was afraid you couldn't hear me."
"Of course I could hear you," Jareth says, leaning down to untie my hands and feet. "I heard you the first
time you cried out. It just took me some time to track you down." He rips a piece of his shirt and ties it
around my leg to stop the bleeding. Then he helps me to my feet.
I kick Orpheus with my toe, to make sure he's really dead and it's not going to be one of those horror
movie scenes where the corpse always rises one more time. But he's total dog meat.
"Silver bullet," Jareth explains. "Just like in the movies."
"I'm so sorry about yesterday," I say, covering his face with kisses. "Well, the last month actually. I've
been so stu-pid. So selfish. You've been wonderful. Everything I could want in a blood mate. And I took
it all for granted. I guess I just. . . panicked. I mean, I felt trapped in a way. Like, I couldn't believe I'd be
with someone forever. But then, when I realized I'd lost you, I knew I couldn't face forever without you
by my side."
He smiles and kisses me back. "I'm sorry, too, Rayne," he says. "I should have been more sensitive to
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