Covet (Clann)

surrounding woods now turning to shades of gray in the fast growing dusk. “Even if the Clann comes after us, they can’t find us out here. We didn’t leave a trail, and no one knows about this place, right?”
    “They do not have to know about it. If the Clann is determined to find us, the odds are in their favor that they will. Do not forget, they have both spells and the Keepers to aide them.”
    Oh lord. I had forgotten about the Clann’s alliance with the Keepers, a group of families also originally from Ireland who in the old country had agreed to have a permanent shapeshifter spell placed upon them that spanned generations. Once shifted into the form of giant black panthers, the Keepers could read Clann minds, including mine and probably still Tristan’s, too. My best friend’s ex-boyfriend, Ron Abernathy, was one of a long line of Keepers.
    Could the Clann force him and his family to help them hunt us?
    I swallowed the growing knot in my throat. We were deep in the woods hours away from Jacksonville. How would the Keepers scent us—by following the smell of our car exhaust?
    “If we stay away from the surrounding towns, we should be fine here,” Dad said. “But we must remain cautious. And if you sense any sort of magic being used, you must let me know at once. They may try to use a spell to track us down if they become truly determined.”
    Oh great. I hadn’t thought of that. At a loss for words, I nodded.
    I could sense when magic was used near me. It would hit me as a sensation of pins and needles stabbing the back of my neck and arms. But would I still feel it if it was being used far away? I had to hope so. To be on the safe side, maybe I should try to do some sort of invisibility spell on us to block any tracking attempts. Nanna told me once that all spells were simply willpower and focused intention. Surely I could cook up something to keep our location out here hidden.
    “So about Tristan’s training,” I began, my fingertips drumming against the bark of the tree I leaned a shoulder against. “You’ve got a plan, right?”
    “Not exactly. Every fledgling is a unique situation, and even the council members occasionally fail to help a fledgling overcome the initial bloodlust. And of course there will be the added problem of Tristan’s magical skills to contend with, which I can assure you no sire before you has ever had to deal with.”
    “So we just have to figure this out on our own?”
    The cabin door creaked open again, and my heartbeat raced even faster.
    Tristan.
    I forced my mind to go blank.
    A second later Tristan was at my other side. “Hey. I woke up and no one was around.”
    “Just out getting some fresh air,” Dad murmured. “It is a lovely sunset, is it not?”
    Tristan watched me, trying to read my emotions when he couldn’t read my thoughts. “Are you okay?”
    I made myself smile. “Everything’s fine. How’d you sleep?”
    He shrugged. “Okay, I guess. I woke up thirsty, though.”
    Dad’s gaze darted to meet mine. He turned toward us. “We should go back inside and feed.”
    But Tristan wasn’t listening. Frowning, he raised his chin and sniffed the air. “What is that?”
    I sniffed, too. “What?” I smelled the chimney smoke, the dead leaves under our feet, the dirt. But nothing more.
    And then Tristan was gone. He was so fast even my vamp eyes couldn’t follow his movements.
    Shocked, I looked at Dad.
    “Deer hunters,” Dad growled.
    Oh God. Tristan had scented humans somewhere in the woods.
    We took off after him, with only the newly disturbed leaves to show us which way he had gone.

ISBN: 9781459241282
    Copyright © 2012 by Melissa Darnell
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    This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business