Chapter 80

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Daniel sat down with his breakfast, picking the seat right across from me. Such an unusual gesture meant he wanted to talk, and that had me carefully maintaining my bored expression.

"What on Earth did you three do out there last night?"

Nina glanced at me, suddenly curious, although Nicky yawned and stabbed her pancakes a few times just to make sure they were completely dead.

I shrugged and pretended I didn't know the real reason behind his question. "We wrestled a bit, then had a screaming contest, although you probably heard that. Afterward, we hunted down a couple of rabbits and enjoyed a few games of hide and seek."

"From the number of trails I found, I think you three ran down every road and large trail. And what did you do along the boundary? The smell of Nightstalker was so strong it practically cloaked my previous scent trails."

I chuckled darkly and grinned just enough to let the tips of my upper teeth glint in the stark white lights of the LEDs above. "I took them on a tour of the area," I said with false innocence. "We made enough trips to ensure anyone who passes by will know they stopped for a visit."

"Their scent overwhelmed your scent wall?" Luke asked Daniel, somewhat skeptical, although he tried not to show such rude behavior.

"Take a quad and go smell it for yourself," he replied while casting me an accusing glance.

Luke shook his head. "I'll take your word for it. If it's that strong, I'll let it air out for a few days."

Luke might not know as many tricks as Nightstalkers did, but he knew some ways to weaken his scent, and he was also aware Nightstalkers had an entire repertoire of methods to make their scent far more potent.

Kelly and Travis had been eager to create a confusion of scent trails. There was no way Daniel would have been able to tell which ones had the amplified scents, which were unaltered, and which ones we'd partially masked. Even if he tried to track the most recent trails, he was bound to be unsuccessful after what the three of us had managed to accomplish in five hours.

It was going to take weeks for the smell to fade.

"Are they still around or did they continue traveling after your visit?" Luke asked me.

"They're in the area and will probably hang around for a few days." I gave Daniel a pointed look. "They did request that you don't try to discover where they are staying. If you want to talk with them, they're willing to meet a handful of people this evening."

Nina looked quite excited. "I'd love to meet them."

Logan gazed at her, somewhat concerned. I knew he was worried about Daniel potentially being outmatched by two Nightstalkers, especially if they were heavily armed.

"I'd like to come," Luke murmured.

Turning to my sister, I said, "And they want to meet you, so you might as well come."

"Me?" she asked, taken aback.

I tilted my head and raised an eyebrow pointedly. "Yes, you. They traveled with me for a couple of weeks while I searched for you. They detected your scent on my clothing right away."

"They knew my scent?"

"The scarf," Luke murmured.

"Oh, right. I guess I can come."

"I assume you told them about the three drugs?" Daniel asked, so focused on this conversation he hadn't even touched his food yet.

"Yes." I gave Nina a level look. "I also told them a scientist was here, and they're willing to talk with you, but one of them has problems with bloodlust. Humans on this trip will have to cloak their scent to the best of our combined abilities. That means a shower with scented soaps and shampoos, clean clothes, and you will have to rub that herb mixture over your skin again. You should also share your perfume with the others."

Nina eagerly nodded in acceptance of my terms. "Of course."

This lady was far too enthusiastic about meeting zombies.

"Don't look so excited. These two have never been close to humans, and they aren't exactly thrilled about testing their control. You can bring two vials of controlex since they might take those with them, but don't bother packing the cure."

Nina schooled her features so she didn't look like a kid before Christmas and nodded in a more diplomatic fashion. "Duly noted. Do we know what time they will be ready?"

"About two hours after dinner."

Nina's eyes still betrayed her excitement. It was an effort to keep from sighing.

"Is there a dress code?" Jess asked, glancing down at her grass-stained jeans. "Or anything I should know about meeting strange zombies?"

"Be polite, minimize your scent, don't stare at them, and remember they aren't huge fans of humans." I rubbed my chin, trying to think of anything else my sister needed to know. "There's a good chance Kelly might come closer to greet you. Keep it friendly, but don't intrude on her space or be too forward."

"I'll try."

"No worries," Nicky piped up. "I'll come along and keep her out of trouble."

"So says the one who's most likely to cause the trouble," Daniel muttered.

Nicky snorted. "Right. I'm better at reading Nightstalker body language than you are. Your presence is going to unnerve them more than anything I can do without coffee."

Daniel frowned at her logic, but he also knew the two Nightstalkers would be keeping an eye on him just because of his rank. He finally looked at me. "Is it wise for her to come along? How many people should we allow in this welcoming group?"

"She'll be fine as long as she behaves," I replied. "I'd keep it to our current group. They aren't used to crowds, and this will be the most people they've been around since they turned."

"Um, I planned on picking some herbs to the east," Jess said, fiddling with her napkin. "Is that going to bother them?"

"Stick within eyesight of any trail the side-by-side can fit on, and you'll be fine," I reassured her.

"Could I also convince you to come along and find a few herbs for me after lunch?" Jess asked. "There's a dozen types I've been trying to find for a week, but I think I need your nose again."

"Sure. Daniel just won't have as much help with the fence today."

He waved that concern off. "No worries. One day won't make much difference. Besides, I was bored last night, so I had the guards turn on a couple of the floodlights to light up the area where we left off, and I kept digging."

"In that case, I'll assume it looks like a minefield," I said dryly. "Have any zombies fallen in those holes yet?"

"I didn't check this morning, although I think I heard one fall in while I was working."

"I wonder what would happen if zombies dug through the ground like gophers?" Nicky pondered, nibbling on a piece of toast.

"Sounds like a good horror story," I commented. "I'll let you think about that one while you work."

"Nah. Nothing's worse than imagining zombies sneaking up on you when you're outside the fence."

"Do you mind if Logan comes along on our patrol and helps me find some plants?" Jess asked me. "They aren't in my books, so I don't know what they look like."

I cast a glance at the man. "I don't see why not. Has he seen your driving skills yet?"

"I've been practicing!" Jess flushed. "And it's much better now that the brakes actually work."

"Then count me in for the afternoon trip too," Nicky piped up. "We need to wear those things down a bit so they don't stop so quickly when you slam your foot on the pedal."

"One," I began, "brakes are supposed to slow down a vehicle when you stomp on them. Two, there are only two seats in that side-by-side."

"Brakes are a lot like tires. There are many different definitions of 'good enough'," Nicky said without batting an eye. "As for Logan, he can stand in the back and hang onto the roll cage bars like Rambo."

"I believe Rambo held onto a gun," John mused, "although it's been a while since I've seen the movies." Even as Nicky turned her unimpressed gaze upon him, John realized his error and quickly added, "Not that it's relevant to this situation. I just hope you aren't planning on driving in a similar fashion."

After a long, hard look, Nicky sighed. "If it had just been Logan, I'd be burning donuts, but my driving is seriously curtailed when Trinity's sister is in the side-by-side."

"What about you, Trinity? There won't be room if I come along," Logan said quietly.

"I'll jog beside them. Are you up for this sort of joyride?"

"I can hang onto the roll bars. I don't think it will be too bad."

He had clearly never seen Nicky's driving.

"Take my advice and get out of the vehicle if Jess does," I told him solemnly. "Otherwise, it might be too much temptation for Nicky."

He looked confused but nodded.

I had a sneaking suspicion he'd be much wiser by the end of the afternoon.

~

       Logan stood in the back with a firm grip on the bars on top of the side-by-side. I had to give him credit for handling the ride so far. He never trusted himself to just one hand, and his knuckles had only gone white a few times.

"Over here," I said, veering away from the trail as I located one of the plants Jess wanted.

"Oh, good," Jess said, getting out as the side-by-side stopped beside the waist-high shrub I found. "I was hoping to find one of those. It could take me a bit to pick some of these buds off."

"Take your time," I told her, "although you might want to mark it on a map so you can find it in the future."

"That's a good idea!"

Nicky turned the vehicle off and twisted sideways in her seat with a yawn. Against my recommendation, Logan hadn't gotten off the side-by-side yet, although he was fairly safe since it wasn't running. Nicky also noticed this and regarded the man, who was staring vacantly at a nearby tree.

She followed his gaze, craned her neck a few ways, then peered back at him. "If you stare at that tree any harder, I'm going to think Nina is hiding behind it."

That caught his attention, and his startled – and faintly guilty – gaze snapped over to her. Completely taken by surprise, he stammered out, "Err, what makes you say that?"

"Seriously? Nina and Daniel may have the non-scientific observation skills of a gnat, but some of us can see the light at the end of the tunnel."

"What tunnel is this?" Jess asked, only half paying attention as she carefully trimmed off every third bud.

Nicky slapped her forehead in exasperation. "What is it with you unobservant scientist people?" She turned to me. "Please tell me you noticed."

"Of course."

"Thank goodness..."

"Noticed what?" Jess paused to focus on the conversation.

In a serious tone, Nicky told me, "I really think we need to send your sister back to university and enroll her in classes that do something besides teach her fancy words."

Jess finally broke down and came over. "What am I missing?"

Nicky rolled her eyes. "That Logan has a crush on Nina."

At this point, the man's lips were mashed together, and he winced as his secret was announced loudly enough that every gossip, squirrel, and bird within a hundred-foot range would have heard it.

"He does?" Jess gasped, turning to gawk at him. "Have you told Nina yet?"

He quickly shook his head.

"But- Why not?" Jess asked, her shock turning into complete confusion.

In the face of his prolonged silence, a glint of cunning entered Jess's eyes – the sort that usually only ever appeared when a younger sister was about to resort to blackmail. "I'll tell you what. You tell us why you haven't told her, and I won't tell anyone else."

He shifted his weight reluctantly but realized the threat was real. "It's just... well... I once dated a woman who occasionally got really overemotional. I'm not sure how to react to that sort of thing, and I don't want to mess up."

"Nina isn't like that," Jess quickly reassured him.

"As if men have any room to talk," Nicky scoffed. "I lost track of how many times I saw them practically reduced to tears because their favorite sports team lost an over-glorified game of fetch."

His head came up as defiance flashed in his eyes. "Sports weren't fetch."

"I'll stand down and let you keep your dignity intact. We both know the truth."

Quickly realizing this discussion was going off-topic, Jess interrupted, "Back to Nina. What do you think about her?"

Logan lost his edge and shook his head. "I'm not sure. She's smart, thoughtful, kind, and has a number of the same interests that I do." He must have noticed his reply was starting to sound more like a serious infatuation than a mere crush. He shrugged. "Women have always confused me. And no two ever seem alike."

"Ah," Nicky said sagely, "that is the beginning of wisdom. When you understand why pizza is round, packed in a square box, and eaten as a triangle, you'll finally have a chance at understanding women."

He gazed at her quizzically. "Pizza is round because they traditionally spun it in the air, and it was cut into triangles to give even-sized pieces wherein each one had an equal amount of the crust as any other piece. The box was square because that was the easiest and cheapest way for the machines to fold them."

Nicky pursed her lips. "Well, judging by that answer, even if you never figure out women, I think you and Nina were made for one another in some kind of crazy and logical match-making heaven."

"Have you thought about telling her?" Jess pressed, still excited about this new discovery.

Logan shook his head once more. "I think I'll wait. It gives me a chance to get to know her, and I'm kind of worried about how Daniel might react."

"Huh. You got a point there," Nicky conceded, scratching her head. "That guy is almost as bad as one of those overprotective brothers or fathers."

"Overprotective dads can be scary, but an overprotective sister is worse," Jess said, casting a sidelong glance at me. "A really overprotective dad might not mind jail time, but an older sister can kill someone, hide the body, and still be back in time for dinner."

"I've never done that yet," I protested mildly. A couple of her past boyfriends had seriously tempted me a few times, but I hadn't followed through with those murderous daydreams. Of course, now that I was a Nightstalker, even my regular glare would carry far more weight if I bestowed it upon a hapless suitor.

"It's the yet part that worries me," Jess muttered with a smirk. To Logan, she said, "You're probably going about it the right way. Take your time. Friendship is a good first step."

"But you better stop staring at her so much," Nicky added, "or you'll end up with more restraining orders than I have."

He nodded slowly, accepting her suggestion. "I didn't realize it was so obvious."

"If it helps, I didn't notice anything," Jess said, trying to make him feel better.

"I bet you also didn't notice the zombie coming down the trail," Nicky told Jess. "You have two minutes to finish torturing that plant."

With a quick glance at the zombie behind us, she ran back to the shrub and hastily began picking more buds before her time ran out.


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