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stranger fastened a halter over his head, binding him in cross-ties. A dim light from the open
door caught the halter. It glimmered horribly. Silver. For the first time, Jacob was truly
terrified.
Enough! The man spoke, and the sound split the air. The ghouls hanging on Jacob
froze, but did release him.
112 Jeanne Laws
Back to the shadows. You can have him when it s done.
They didn t move, and Jacob wondered exactly how much control the shifter had over
the undead. Jacob recognized now that his captor was a pooka -- the eagle and horse from
the barn yesterday should have tipped him off. While they took many forms, including
humans, pookas favored those two. Control over the undead, however, was not one of their
powers.
The pooka growled and lifted his hand toward the ghouls. Jacob saw a black mark, an
odd scrolled pattern that looked as if it were burned into his palm.
The undead creatures immediately scuttled back, making eerie moaning noises.
The pooka smiled and cocked his head to the side, reminding Jacob of its eagle form.
Now, Horse, we wait.
Jacob s legs burned where the ghouls had mauled him, and the pain of the silver
binding him was excruciating; it was nothing compared to the sting of self-recrimination.
Amanda was now defenseless. He was trapped. The pooka would use him to get to her, and
there wasn t a damn thing he could do about it.
Animal Dreams 113
Chapter Nine
Mandy was dreaming; the scene in her sleep was familiar.
It was the middle of the night and her mother and father had just wakened her. In her
dream, Mandy looked from one to the other in alarm, taking in their disheveled appearance
and the strange light in her mother s eyes.
Get up. We re leaving.
Mandy stared, disbelieving. She couldn t possibly leave Lyndell now. She seemed to be
troubled, but her mother s face was unyielding. Mandy shivered.
When she looked deeply into her mother s eyes, however, she felt calm. It was time to
leave.
Her mother smiled approvingly as Mandy allowed herself to be shepherded into the
car. In the moonlight, she looked up at her mother s smiling face, sinking into those blue
eyes. They glowed.
There was a breeze, and Mandy shivered, suddenly cold. Her vision wavered, and the
glowing eyes turned deep amber.
Mandy sat bolt upright in bed, breathing hard. It was still dark in the room, and she
reached out for Jacob, only to find the bed empty and the place where he d slept cold.
114 Jeanne Laws
* * * * *
Mandy pulled on a T-shirt and shorts and rushed out of the bedroom.
Jacob? She checked the kitchen and then the living room, already knowing what she
would find. Jacob was not in the house.
Mandy retrieved the baseball bat from the hall closet and walked over to the couch.
She shook Boone roughly.
Hey, hey, hey!
Mandy cut him off. We need to find Jacob. Something s wrong.
Boone sat up, immediately alert. You need to stay in the house, Mand. He said it s the
only place you re safe.
She put up a hand to cut him off. I ll be fine. I just need to find Jacob.
Boone growled. You stay here. I ll go get help. I can bring back a bunch of the guys --
I don t have time for this, Boone. She turned and started for the front door. I m going.
Boone jumped off the couch and bounded to her side. This is a really shitty idea.
Mandy didn t answer, but silently acknowledged that this might not be the wisest
course of action. Maybe they could use some help. She leaned over to put a hand on Boone s
back.
I don t know who these friends of yours are, but maybe you should go get them.
Will you wait inside until I come back?
Mandy shook her head. No.
Boone sighed. Shit.
They paused on the edge of the front porch, and Mandy felt the uneasy stillness that
was now familiar. Boone licked the back of her hand.
Be careful, Mand. I ll be back as soon as I can. He took off running for the tree line, and
quickly disappeared from sight.
Animal Dreams 115
Mandy lifted her head slightly, testing the air, then set off in the direction of the barn.
* * * * *
Although she didn t know how much good the baseball bat would do against whatever
was on the other side of the closed barn doors, its weight was comforting in her hands. Jacob
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