Chapter Two

Two

“Okay, we’re good!” Renee whispered as she peered up the zoo’s stone wall. The soft sound of Jackson’s Jeep’s door shutting turned her around. Guilt flashed and was gone in a wash of rationalization. Jackson had told her she could borrow it. But she was pretty sure using it to get off installation without even a cursory search to find August hiding in the back under a tarp hadn’t been his intent.

It was dusk, and the dim light accentuated August’s odd build as he came to stand at her shoulder beside the huge trash bins smelling of fried food and corn syrup. “Do you think you can fly up there?” she asked, and when August shrugged, wing knuckles clicking together over his head, Will’s words cautioning her to be careful drifted through her. The man hadn’t been happy with her plan to sneak August out, but not letting someone know where they were going seemed foolish. As if this isn’t? she silently added, squinting at the wide top. What am I doing?

But as Vaughn had said, this might be the only time August would have to see it without a media circus.

“Okay.” She shifted her shoulders and touched the wall. “Can you give me a boost?”

August’s eyes unnictitated, the deep brown glinting with gold. “Boost?”

She smiled. Of course a being with wings wouldn’t know. “Lift me closer to the top. Like this,” she said, spreading her feet wide, leaning against the wall, and cupping her hands.

His head bobbed as understanding dawned. “Boost,” he said firmly, mimicking her position. “Ingenious.”

Pulse fast, she stepped into his cupped hands, her breath catching as he smoothly lifted her up, straining slightly. Yes, it was odd that he knew a word like ingenious and not boost , but Will used it a lot. Her fingers scrabbled for a hold, and she pulled herself up to straddle the wall. The park was closed on Tuesday to give the animals a break, and though the zoo was never empty, this was their best shot. At least, that was what she told herself as she scanned the empty walkways and shuttered food kiosks. The hoot of a howler monkey drew her attention, and she grimaced as more joined in, clearly having seen her.

At least my headache is gone, she thought. The dull ache had dogged her until she’d brought up their outing to August, whereupon it had vanished as if by magic. “We’re clear. Come on up!” she whispered.

August looked behind himself, then spread his wings. Renee’s breath caught as he beat them several times. They were huge, and they didn’t move him an inch.

“Keep going!” she whispered, lying flat on the wall and extending her hand down for him. Her hair whipped wildly, and when his long fingers fitted into hers, she pulled.

The drag on her suddenly eased, and Renee sat up and back, ducking as his wings cleared the top of the wall and he alighted. Eyes wide, he settled himself, his wings neatly folding against his back. “You’re not that heavy,” she said. “But maybe it was because your wings were doing most of the work.”

“Yes,” he said, but his eyes were on the park as a long, odd whistling click came from him. “This is a zoo? It is much like a park.”

She grinned, wondering if she could repeat the new Neighbor word. It had sounded like a swear word. “Yep. Most big cities have one. Cincinnati’s is, like, amazing.” She hesitated, pulse quickening in daring. She’d told Will that they were only going to peek over the wall. “You, ah, want to go in?”

He turned to her, a hand going to his meticulously pleated ribbon shirt.

“You can snap to the embassy from here, yes?” she asked, and his eyes slowly nictitated, glowing in the light from a nearby streetlamp.

“Yes,” he said, and she shuddered, imagining she could feel something pressing on her, making her wonder if she was becoming sensitive to his body tech. “The embassy has many Neighbors now. Enough to borrow what’s needed to snap that far.”

“Then let’s go.” Interesting, she thought as she looked down and planned how to get to the pavers. There were a hundred Neighbors at the embassy at any given time now, a hundred beds full. The zoo was about ten miles away. Maybe it was simple math.

“I’m beginning to envy you with your wings,” she said, but her motion to swing her legs over hesitated as her phone hummed. It was Jackson, and she winced at the flash of guilt. Her eyes went to his Jeep parked by the dumpsters, and she ignored it. The howler monkeys were still yelling, and he’d guess in a second where she was.

“Okay?” August asked.

Why am I doing this? she thought, a hand going to her head as it began to throb again. But then she looked at August and his obvious eagerness. Vaughn was right. He should have one night before the press swamped him. And like that, her headache eased. “Okay,” she said as she twisted to hang from the wall and drop.

Her feet hit with a jar to shake the last of her headache away. “Let’s go!” she added, her lips parting as August spread his wings, black against the deepening blue of the evening sky. He didn’t even move them, just sort of stepped out into nothing. His feet grasped the hem to change his wings’ shape, catching the air and bringing him gently to the pavement.

“That is so cool,” she said, and his eyes glowed as they nictitated in embarrassment.

“I’m not sure I can fly here,” he said, gazing at the sky and the earliest stars. “Maybe in a fast wind.”

Renee nodded as she led him to the first enclosure. “I’ll take you to one of the hang gliding cliffs when things ease up. If a person can do it with piping and nylon, you should be able to do it with those monstrosities.”

He smiled, his white teeth catching the nearby light. “Yes. And I take you Nextdoor to ring game so you can see what flying really is.”

“Deal.” Something in her quivered at the thought, and then she halted before a moat-ringed drop of paradise. “There she is,” she said, pointing out a sand-colored cat grooming herself among the fake rocks.

August stared for a long moment, and when the cat didn’t move, he turned his attention to the placard fixed to the low wall between them. “Do I read this right?” he said, long fingers touching the range and population graph. “Cheetah species is…vulnerable?”

She leaned, squinting at the faded print. “I didn’t know you could read at all.”

“Will teach us,” he said shortly. “Cheetah is not a domestic cat. Why are so many in cap…capvitdidy?”

“Captivity.” She leaned against the wall, watching the big cat. She could hardly see it in the low light, but August didn’t seem to be having a problem. “Sometimes animals are housed in zoos because they are injured and can’t return to the wild. Sometimes they are born in zoos and weren’t taught how to survive on their own. They become ambassadors to keep the public caring about them. You can’t care for something you don’t know anything about.”

“Ambassadors…” he said softly. “Will says all Neighbors in embassy are ambassadors.”

She stiffened. “You are not in a zoo, August.” Though sometimes she thought the animals here had better conditions. “?‘Ambassador’ is a word for someone who brings new thoughts and ideas, one who represents a bigger whole.”

He nodded, watching the big cat as it stretched and went to claw its tackboard. “You, as a species, care for ambassador animals. Even ones who can harm you.” He gestured to the moat. “It’s the prey in you, I think.”

Renee turned to him, thinking he looked almost scary in the dark, his wings draped and his horns catching the light. “How is caring for a predator a prey thing?”

August’s gaze went past her to the howler monkeys, quiet at last. “Prey remembers what it’s like to be pursued, be at a disadvantage, be in danger. You have…empathy?” He fumbled over the word, and Renee nodded. “Empathy for the helpless. The one in need. Maybe we made a mistake killing all the predator species.” He smiled at her and began to move to the next exhibit. “Your need to protect might be stronger than mine.”

Head down, she fell into step with him. It was too dark for her to see much, but August could with his big, deep eyes. “I can’t imagine living in a world with no animals or plants. Just people. I’m sorry.”

He settled at the railing to watch the anteater rolling a log to get at the food dish under it. “I know nothing else. The eco collapse happened long ago when there were many portal connections. Generations before I’m born. The portals were closed, but too late to stop the piscys. Nix sent them to hurt us.” His wings pulled tight to himself. “Very effective.”

No wonder he smeared the pixy to paste, she thought, looking at the shadow of the anteater shuffling about.

“That’s why I’m here,” August said as he touched his chest. “I won’t let it happen again with Earth’s pest species. Mice and cats might be why there are no piscys here, but they might do more damage than the piscys.”

A chill dropped through her. She tried to stifle a shiver, failing when her phone hummed. The light from the lit screen made August’s eyes nictitate, and she immediately blanked it. It was Jackson again. He’d left a message this time.

“Jackson?” August questioned, and she stuffed her phone away.

“He can wait,” she said as she hooked her arm in his and moved him to the next railing. “You’ve got to see the rhino.”

They settled in before the large beast placidly chewing, the silence growing between them. She couldn’t see more than a gray blob softly blowing, but August was enchanted.

“August, what are you hoping will happen in an open-portal relationship?” she asked as she turned, putting her back to the low railing to watch the empty sidewalks instead.

“Long term, find a few species to help Nextdoor,” he said. “Maybe fix our ecosystem with an Earth species?” He shrugged, wings lifting. “Short term, erase Neighbors’ concern of humans with new, chrrr , novelty food and…Earth toys.”

She nodded, sighing as she settled in to wait until he was ready to move.

“So many species here,” he said as he touched the tree overhanging the enclosure. “It makes me sad for my people. Noel and Jackson are right to want to begin to share.”

“I hope you’re right,” she said, remembering her twinge of fear at his silhouette, bat wings spread against the night. “Hey, you want to see the birds? You can walk right into their enclosure. They’re probably asleep, but I bet you can still see them. Your night vision is amazing.”

August seemed to freeze. “Yes,” he said softly. “I’d like that very much.”

“It’s through here,” she said as she led him to an arch-covered walkway. He was hot on her heels as she went through the first of the air lock–like doors and held it for him. His enthusiasm was charming, endearing almost. But even as the thought occurred to her, it was colored by Vaughn’s opinion that she only liked people whom she didn’t have a chance at developing a real relationship with. Safe.

Her phone hummed as she opened the second door, and the soft sound of settling birds drifted over them with the warm scent of feathers and rotting fruit.

“Check it out,” she said, hanging back when she noticed it was Will. “I should take this.”

August stepped forward, and she hit the accept key when the tall mer stopped stock-still as if afraid to move. The birds were still active, some of them singing in the dimming light, and she felt good for bringing him here. It was worth Jackson griping at her.

“Hi, Will,” she said cheerfully as she latched the door behind her. “Everything okay? Jackson has been trying to call me.”

“Doctor,” Jackson said coldly.

Her lips parted, and her eyes went wide. August had begun to wander, a hand upraised as if trying to coax a bird down. His eyes were a shocking gold, almost glowing. It was a Neighbor’s version of tears. Seeing him overcome strengthened her resolve.

“Dude, if I had wanted to talk to you, I’d have picked up. Don’t you ruin this for me. I’m being careful. We’re fine and no one has seen us.” She smiled as August crept closer to a feeding tray where a bird worked over a pealed banana. “We both needed to get out before Yasmin’s PR machine nailed us to a schedule. August has to see what he’s working to protect.”

“Where are you?” he said, his voice so cold she began to doubt herself. A flash of gratitude hit her; Will hadn’t told him.

“The zoo,” she said shortly. “And don’t worry,” she added when an outraged “The zoo!” echoed loudly. “He can snap to the labyrinth if we run into anyone.” A faint smile eased her worry as August crouched, pointing his wrist holo to take a picture of a pair of ducks sleeping beside an engineered stream. “He’s a little overwhelmed. If nothing else, he’ll have some great pictures for his show-and-tell Nextdoor.”

“I told you she had this,” Will said faintly, and Jackson sighed heavily.

“Renee, I can’t keep pulling your ass out of the fire if you insist on sitting in it,” Jackson complained. “How did you even get in there?”

“Climbed the wall,” she said shortly, and he groaned. “Did you not just hear me say he can snap home if there’s any problem? Chill out. We’re in the aviary. No one can see us.”

“Next time answer your phone,” he said tersely. “We missed Gorman. Witnesses say he was headed for the installation, and that was two days ago. Stay where you are. I’m coming to get you.”

Renee’s smile faded, and August turned, his eyes glowing in the dark to make her shiver. “Are you sure?”

“Stay where you are,” Jackson said again, his voice breathy as his footsteps on the hard tile sounded. “If he’s been watching the installation, he might have followed you to the zoo. Send August home now.”

“Okay,” she said, but he had disconnected and she was looking at the stoic-faced picture she’d snapped of Jackson last week at the lunch table, staring at an untouched salad. “Hey, ah, August?” Her voice quavered as she joined him on the little bridge over the fake river. “Jackson says you need to snap home.”

August shook his head as he peered at the understory trees and scrubby bushes, seemingly at home in the moist, muggy air and dim light. “I will stay until Jackson comes. You may be in danger from Gorman.”

Wow, he heard every word. Renee’s brow furrowed. “No. Jackson is right. You need to leave.” She hesitated, cringing at the thought of Jackson finding her, yelling at her without raising his voice, telling her she had made a bad decision by his silence. “Can you snap us both, maybe?”

His gaze went to the ceiling and the soft fluttering. A single feather drifted down, and he watched it spiral as if it was gold. “I snap me. I fling you,” he said, pointing out the subtle distinction. “I can’t fling you. Not enough creation energy. Nextdoor, sure. Here, no.”

She took his hand to lead him off the bridge and into a more certain dark. “I’ll be okay. Gorman might have followed us here. This was a mistake. You need to go.”

August took a breath, but his words faltered as he squinted up into the canopy. “Someone is here,” he whispered. “Not Jackson.”

She shrank deeper into August’s shadow. The scent of almonds rose between them, and she shivered. His wings were no longer politely down his back. They were slightly extended in a show of aggression. “Is it Gorman? Do you feel him?” she whispered.

August nodded, eyes nictitating at the small squeak of the door shutting. “I feel someone. Maybe Gorman. Maybe a zoo doctor.”

“That’s a handy trick,” a low, masculine voice said, and they both stiffened as an average-size man scuffed to a halt on the far side of the footbridge, his silhouette indistinct. “Do all of you have the ability to sense auras, or just you special ones who can do magic?”

Crap on a cracker, it’s Gorman, Renee thought as she recognized his voice from the video. Panic iced through her, fueled by the memory of him ogling the eviscerated, mutilated remains of Han and Raphael. “August, go,” she whispered, putting him behind her when Gorman took a step onto the bridge. Damn it all to hell, he had a phone camera aimed at them.

“Say hi to the world, Dr. Caisson,” Gorman said, then frowned, his eyes shifting to his phone. “Huh,” he added, fiddling with it for a few seconds before his aim steadied again. “I’ll give Yasmin credit. She’s fast. I’d rather do a live broadcast, but delayed works.”

“August, go!” she said, trying to get him to leave. Jackson is coming, she thought, her fear easing as the chance to find something good here showed itself. “You followed me?” she said to keep him talking. “Good for you. I have a few questions.” Then to August: “I said go!”

August touched her shoulder, and then, with the suddenness of a snapped flag…he was gone.

“Holy shit, they really can translocate,” Gorman said.

Renee tensed as Gorman came closer. He had lowered his phone, but his toothy, not-nice smile was ugly. His jeans and pullover shirt were marked with dirt, and his hair was too long from a shower. The faint scent of motor oil drifted from him.

“So, I’m curious,” she said as anger began to push out her fear now that August was safe. Please, may August be safe… “Did Tayler give you the bodies to plant in that farmer’s field before or after they were cut up?”

His grin widened. “You’ll never know,” he said as he backed toward the exit. “Thanks for the video. It’s dark, but with a little tweaking, it will do. I never thought I’d see one of them snap like that.”

“Snap?” she whispered, the familiar word lighting through her. “Hey!” She took a step after him. How would he know it was even possible if he hadn’t been in communication with someone from the installation? Someone, she realized, was working with him. Tayler…

“Gorman!” She started after him, pulse fast. “Do you know where Mikail is? Hey! Is he alive?”

But Gorman never turned, and she lunged for him, desperate to stop him as he reached for the door.

Gorman grunted in surprise as she hit—and then they both went down. Swearing, he shoved her off. Renee struck the soggy, bird-crap-coated ground with a thump, and she lurched to grab him again.

“Give me your phone,” she said, yelping when he smacked her. Birds twittered, and she fumbled for his phone, gasping when something slammed into her gut. “Give it!”

But he had at least fifty pounds on her, and she cried out in anger when he kicked her off him and got to his feet and ran for the door.

“Give me your phone!” she shouted again as she snagged his foot and gave it a yank. Bellowing in anger, he fell, twisting to land on her. Eyes wide, she rolled clear, then scrambled for a handhold, her grip slipping when he flung out a hand and caught her on the face.

Pain shocked through her. She gasped in surprise, her butt on the wet earth as Gorman got to his feet again. “I tried to be nice,” he said. “You made me hit you,” he added as he brushed at his jeans and the black stain.

“You won’t get out of here,” she vowed. “You’re going to have to do more than hit me.”

“Don’t tempt me.” Gorman sniffed in derision as he turned to leave—only to stumble back, suddenly terrified.

August hadn’t snapped to the installation. He was there, blocking the door, his wings extended and eyes glowing in the faint light.

No, Renee thought as she scrambled up. He hadn’t been there a second ago. He looked like the devil incarnate, his arms over his chest to make his biceps bulge. His wing knuckles were high, and with his eyes and little horns catching the faint light… Damn!

“You will not hit Renee again,” August said. He took a step forward, and Gorman yelped, turning to run right into her. She cried out as they both fell, Gorman’s elbow smacking into her solar plexus when they went down.

Tears spotted her eyes, but she fumbled for his phone, taking another hit as Gorman thrashed wildly to get up, his only thought to flee. His palm ground into her shoulder and his knee jammed her gut; the man was clearly panicked.

“Don’t touch me!” he shrieked, giving her a shove as she found his phone. Her head hit the hard walk. Stars danced, and she curled into a ball, trying to breathe.

And then Gorman was gone, his frightened shout pulling her head up as he was suddenly thirty feet away, having been flung into the foggy glass wall of the aviary. “You will not hurt Renee!” August shouted as Gorman slid down to hit the dirt. And then August turned to her, his eyes a brilliant gold. “Run.”

She froze, shocked at his strength. He had thrown Gorman as if he were a pillow.

“Run!” August said again, hand extended, and she put her fingers into his.

She gasped as he yanked her upright. And then she found her feet, August pushing her to the door as Gorman groaned. “August, go,” she panted, vision swimming as she stumbled, hands reaching for anything. It was dark. She could hardly see as they went through the twin air lock doors and the night air revived her. “You shouldn’t be caught here.”

Because now there were lights playing over the zoo, making the howler monkeys hoot and a big cat roar. Men shouted in the distance, and furtively moving shapes darted from shadow to shadow. “Go!” she said again, pushing at him. “Snap out of here!”

And then she spun, swallowing back her fear when Gorman burst from the aviary, slumped and staggering. “You took my phone!” he shouted.

“Go together,” August said, grabbing her about the waist and yanking her close.

“August!” she exclaimed when his wings pushed down and her feet left the earth. “What— Look out!” she shrieked, her arms covering her face as they crashed upward through the tree. August half jumped, half flew from limb to limb, his wings somehow never tangling as they sought the top.

“You are heavy for your size,” he gasped as he jumped, his wings making a ponderous push on the air as they were suddenly free of the upper branches.

“Oh nooo!” she let out as their brief, upward trajectory faltered and they fell. Holy crap on a cracker, they were going to land in one of the enclosures!

A fast, whistling click exploded from August, and then they hit. August wrapped them both in his wings as they rolled and tumbled to a halt at the bottom of one of the moats.

Please not the lions. Please not the lions, she thought as August’s arm slipped from her. Her elbow was in agony, and she sat up, holding it close as her breath hissed in through her teeth. Squinting, she looked up at the enclosure, then the railing. There was no furry face peering down at them through the dark.

“August. Are you okay?” she whispered as he rolled to a kneel, bent low with his forehead almost touching the dirty cement and his wings draped awkwardly. “Oh no. You’re bleeding.”

Men were shouting. She thought she heard Gorman. Lights played over the trees, but so far, no one knew they were down here. Her head hurt, and she felt as if she might throw up. August still hadn’t moved, and she touched his shoulder.

“August?”

And then her hand spasmed at a sudden wash of warmth filling her. August jerked, his eyes wide and golden as they found hers. Something tingling slipped from him to her. Breathless, she wavered where she sat, lips parting. Everything looked thin, the shadows sharper, the colors deeper. The feeling of an abacus ticking off sums racked through her, stiffening her spine as she felt the answer total and a satisfaction not hers suffuse her and vanish back the way it had come—taking every last twinge of pain with it.

Lips parted, she blinked at August. “What was that?” she warbled, and August whistled in pain. “August?” she cried out as his head drooped and he seemed to collapse. Amid a smattering of calls, lights arrowed down to them before shouts for rope rose high. Someone said that the bears were inside, and she heaved a sigh of relief.

Until the swinging lights steadied on them and she realized that August’s wings were scraped and raw, road rash making his beautifully smooth hide rough and oozing.

“Renee, are you okay?” he rasped, and she cupped his face, leaning close to look in his eyes for any sign of a concussion. His eyes were nictitated and it was hard to tell.

“I’m fine,” she said, not knowing how her skin could be unmarked when her clothes were torn up. Her elbow didn’t hurt at all. Her ribs, either. Even that come-and-go headache that had been plaguing her since she had talked to Vaughn was gone. “But I wasn’t,” she whispered, helping him to his feet. Crap on a cracker, he was hurt bad, blood sheening his wings. “Thank you. I don’t hurt anymore.” She was hungry, though, she realized, her stomach suddenly pained. “You should have healed yourself.”

August looked up at the lights and lifted a hand to shadow his eyes. “It was creation spark, not me,” he said, head down again. “Neighbors use it to snap and understand new language,” he added, wincing as he shifted his wings closed. “Nix used it to trick the mind. Sometime see the future and past. Piers use it to heal.” His eyes found hers. “You felt it heal you?” he said, and she nodded, so hungry it hurt. “My spark…” He touched his chest. “Don’t tell Noel. She will poke-and-prod.”

Renee flexed her hand, wondering at the incongruity of it not hurting when there was blood all over it. Even the scrapes were gone. “Don’t tell Jackson, either,” she said, jumping when a rope snaked down, quickly followed by Jackson himself. He was in full combat gear, looking bulkier and heavier than usual right down to his dull brown boots. His dark eyes held a heavy anger.

“You are lucky they put the bears in tonight for tomorrow’s health check,” he said, and she shifted to put her shoulder under August’s arm. “What were you thinking? No, that’s right. You weren’t.”

“How was I supposed to know Gorman was here!” she exclaimed, and a laugh filtered down, quickly stifled.

“You would have if you had answered your phone!” Jackson shot back, and August sighed heavily.

“Yeah.” Renee frowned, head going down. “You’re right. I should have answered your call. I’m sorry. August needs help. He didn’t appreciate Gorman manhandling me and tried to fly me out.”

Jackson jerked. “He hit you?” he said, and Renee stiffened when he leaned close to see. “Are you okay?”

She backed up a step, not liking that August was whistling in pain. “I’m fine. Can we please get out of here?”

“Jackson,” August wheezed. “This was my error, not Renee’s. She told me to go many times. I tried to fly her to safe spot. Made everything worse.”

Jackson’s expression shifted, worry pinching his brow as he noticed the blood oozing from him. “Shit. August, can you snap to the embassy like that?”

“Get Renee safe first,” he rasped, but Renee shook her head. He could hardly stand on his own.

“I’m not the one hurting,” she said.

“I need a ladder or a sling!” Jackson shouted up, and an acknowledgment sounded. “Of all the foolhardy stunts…” he began, his shoulder slipping under August’s other arm to help him stand.

“Okay, okay!” she admitted, shifting to take more of August’s weight. “Going to the zoo after hours was dumb,” she said. “I don’t know why I did it. Blame Vaughn. It was his idea.”

“You used my Jeep.” He was almost pleading now as he looked past August’s shaggy head between them. “Do you have any idea how much trouble I’m in?”

Her shoulders slumped. “I said I’m sorry, and I’m sorry! None of this was supposed to happen.”

“That’s the truth,” he muttered, looking up at the railing and the loud voices. Apparently they had gotten Gorman. “I suppose I should thank you.”

She brightened. “Because if not for us, you never would have caught Gorman?”

He shook his head, hand going to the ladder when it rolled down. “No. You were up for promotion. Now I don’t have to give it to you. Actually, I think I’m going to have to confine you to quarters.”

“Wait. What?” Shit, if she was confined, she’d never get the dirt on Tayler.

August sighed as she held his weight. “I’m sorry, Renee.”

“This is not your fault,” she said hotly, and Jackson grimaced as he held the ladder steady. “You can’t confine me to quarters. How am I supposed to find Mikail and nail Tayler’s ass to a judge’s courtroom?”

“I ought to do worse,” Jackson said. “You left the installation with a Neighbor. Snuck him out.” He turned to August. “I can’t confine you, but I have to inform Noel.”

August peered up at the railing, eyes nictitating at the flashing lights. “This is not Renee’s fault. It’s mine.”

“She should have known better.” Jackson hesitated. “One of you needs to get up this ladder. Now.”

“August, you first,” Renee said, and the battered mer nodded, disentangling himself from her for a brief instant before vanishing. There was a cry of surprise from the railing, and then he was there, looking down at her.

“Neat trick,” Jackson muttered, gesturing for her to go up. “Are you sure you’re not hurt? He’s a mess.”

“I’m fine. Hungry,” she admitted, hand on her middle. “He wrapped his wings around me and took most of the scrapes.” But that was both the truth and a lie, and, embarrassed, she grabbed the ladder and started up. It was supposed to have been a nice, after-hours visit to the zoo with no crowds, then back home for a laugh.

“Good,” he said as she started up. “Because I would hate to think you were hurt before I confine you to quarters.”

“Yeah?” she muttered. “If it wasn’t for us, you never would have gotten Gorman. I’m telling Hancock that we were flushing him out for you. You can either go along with it or look dumb when I say you are lying to avoid getting in trouble for when things went sideways.”

“That’s not going to fly, Renee,” Jackson said sourly from the bottom of the moat. But friendly arms in camouflage green were there to pull her over the side. Even with their help, she almost fell. Stumbling, she made her way to August as Jackson scrambled up. The mer was sitting on a wall a little apart and alone, his eyes glowing red in the flashing lights as Gorman was led away. Again, hunger pinched her middle. From the healing? she wondered. For everything, there was a price, and she was starving. He won’t really lock me in my room, will he?

“Okay, pack it up!” Jackson said as he pulled himself up and over. “Simon, check in with the front about our presence. I’m taking the doctor and August with me.”

“Yes, sir,” came out of the dark, and Jackson slipped an arm under August’s to help him rise.

“Not very heavy, are you,” Jackson said in surprise, then started for the gate.

“Hollow bones,” August said, looking odd as Jackson supported his much taller frame.

Feeling left behind, Renee lurched to catch up. “You got Gorman because of us,” she said again, then blanched at the glare Jackson shot at her.

“Which is rubbed out by the fifteen seconds of live feed he got of you and August in the aviary before Yasmin crashed the tower.” Annoyed, Jackson waved off one of his men, struggling. August wasn’t heavy, but he kept craning his neck to try to see the passing exhibits, throwing them both off-balance.

Renee paced along beside them in the dark, the soft jingling of combat gear and casual conversation making her feel alone. “You, ah, want Gorman’s phone?” she offered, and Jackson seemed to start. “It might not work. I’m pretty sure I landed on it.” She took it from her pocket, wincing at the spiderweb of lines, but smiling as it lit up. Password protected. Of course. “Works,” she said as she held it up, and August winced, eyes nictitating at the bright light.

“This doesn’t change anything,” Jackson grumped as she shoved it into one of his jacket pockets.

Confined to quarters, my ass…

The lights were up at the gates to make a bright line between two puddles of black. Three vans waited at the curb, and Gorman began to shout as they pulled him toward one. Even as she watched, Jackson’s Jeep pulled up, a private getting out to help force Gorman into the van. A light was on in one of the offices, and the woman inside looked frazzled as she talked to a man in combat gear with a rifle. She never saw them as they filed through the gates.

“See, the zoo was closed,” Renee said, and Jackson grunted, his pace even as he helped August. “It was a quick trip in and out. This was the last night before Yasmin took over our lives. Damn it, Jackson, the zoo was closed!”

“And yet, Gorman was able to follow you,” he said.

He followed me, she thought as she passed under the gate and the comforting dark took her again. “He followed me,” she said aloud, focus blurring. “But how did he know the Neighbors were here? At this installation? How did he know to come here ?” she added, and Jackson frowned at her. “No, listen. How did he know to come here looking for them? He wasn’t surprised when August snapped. He even called it that. Snapped.”

“Yeah?” Jackson slowed, then angled his path to his Jeep.

“Yeah,” she echoed. “How would he know that unless someone here fed him the information?”

Jackson halted six steps from his Jeep. His face was hard to read in the dark, but Renee shivered all the same. Tayler…

“It’s Tayler,” she said, voice hushed as his team loaded up around them. “Let me talk to her. If Mikail is alive…”

Jackson looked her up and down, August whistling in pain as he stood there, awkward and uneven. “That’s funny,” Jackson finally said. “Gorman says his contact is you. That you told him you would be here and to meet you here with his video ready for some…what was it? Sweet-ass footage.”

“What!” Renee shouted, but Jackson shook his head and turned to help August into the Jeep. “Me?” She pushed forward, tucking under August’s shoulder when Jackson opened the tailgate. August’s wings were too damaged to sit on, and this was the best option. “I never met the guy until tonight,” she said as she helped August slowly, painfully get in and stretch out along the open back. “Dude, I just broke a rib trying to get his phone and keep him occupied until you got here!”

“You okay, August?” Jackson said softly, and when the Neighbor clicked that he was, Jackson gently shut the tailgate. “Renee, I believe you,” he said, and her shoulders fell. “But you can see my problem. I can’t accuse Tayler until I have proof. I have to find out who Gorman’s contact is and how far up it goes first. And until that, you are in your room. Not your lab. Not the embassy. It’s for your benefit, not mine.”

“I can’t clear my name if I’m in my room,” she complained, then jerked, eyes widening when Jackson suddenly stepped forward, getting into her space.

“You are confined to your room until I say different,” he said loudly, and then his mood and voice softened. “This goes higher than Tayler, and if I accuse her, whoever is helping her will twist it back on me. Do you understand? Do this for me, Renee.”

Pulse fast, Renee inched sideways down the Jeep to get out from under him. “He’s lying. They both are. You know it.” He was going to promote me?

“Maybe, but if you’re locked up, you can’t be blamed for whatever they do next.”

They turned when August tapped on the window, clearly overhearing them. “I am sorry,” he said loudly. “I apologize very much.”

Flustered, Renee yanked open the front passenger door. “It’s not your fault,” she said as she got in, then put a hand to her face, not liking that she was flushed, as Jackson got in as well, sighed, then held his hand out for his keys. There was a set already in the ignition, and, frowning, she handed them over.

“Thank you,” he said crisply. “For once, I agree with Renee. It’s not your fault, August. It’s hers. She knew better.”

Renee settled back in the seat and glowered. The thing was, he was right. This had been a really dumb idea. What was I thinking?

“But she’s also right that we got Gorman and his phone.” Jackson started his Jeep, pulling out slowly to serve as vanguard to the small caravan back to the installation. “The video that he put out didn’t have you in a bad light. Yasmin can use it. Unfortunately I can’t promote Renee thanks to Gorman saying you’re his contact. That leaves Tayler in a position of power. Damn it, Renee, I had this all set.”

Renee put a knuckle to her mouth, staring out at the passing light. Good and bad, but mostly bad.

“I can get you out of your lockdown for the interview, but that’s it. August, I can’t limit your movement, but I will inform Noel of what happened tonight.”

“Okay,” came drifting out from the shadowed back.

“Aren’t you lucky that you’re both too valuable to put in jail,” he muttered as they pulled to a halt at a red light. “Honestly, Renee. What if Gorman had been planning on killing you and blaming August for it?”

“I would fling him to sun,” August said, and Renee twisted to put a hand on his, not feeling the alien length and thinness of his fingers, but the warmth of his grip. That ought to keep Jackson up at night, she thought sourly.

But it brought the truth of the situation into stark relief. Despite the screwup, one thing was perfectly clear. They could not control the Neighbors. When in enough numbers, they were dangerous, held in check by traditions and morals she knew nothing about.

Sort of like humans.