“What the hell…? What did you do?”

“I…” I struggled for the words to explain what I had done. I’d already decided to tell Roland and Peter about my power but I thought I’d have more time to think of a way to show them. But this – I wasn’t sure what I’d just done. How could I explain it to him?

“Look.” He pointed ahead and I looked up to see rats disappearing between the narrow slats beneath the pier. I reached out to lay the rat on one of the rocks and he scampered after his pack without a backward glance.

I resumed my climb over the rocks. “Let’s get out of here,” I whispered. There was no guarantee that what had infected the pack would not return and we had to make our escape while we could. I sensed that Roland was brimming with questions but he followed me quietly, as eager to get away from there as I was.

We made it over the rocks without further incident and came to the end of the dock and our only cover. We listened for our pursuers and I heard them still searching the boats. The whole encounter with the rats had only lasted a few minutes although it had felt longer and I’d half expected to find the men right on top of us. I allowed myself a small sigh of relief. One man still watched the entrance but there was more than one way out of the marina if you didn’t mind getting dirty. And we were already wet and filthy.

Roland followed me as I let myself slide back into the water, clinging to the slats and ropes along the side of the pier. My body hung flush against the pier as I moved sideways, pulling myself along as fast as I dared with my head just above the water. The sun had disappeared while we were under the dock and a steady wind tossed the water, camouflaging the ripples caused by our progress. Guess that storm is on its way.

My feet touched bottom again and I trudged the last few yards to shore where I sank wearily on the narrow strip of rocky beach beneath the clubhouse’s deck. Using my power on the rats had not drained me as much as I would have expected and I just needed a few seconds to catch my breath. At least I wasn’t freezing anymore; that was one good side effect of my power. I hoped Roland was okay. I knew werewolves could withstand extreme temperatures but I didn’t know if that applied to their human form.

Roland risked a peek round the building and pulled back quickly, shaking his head. He held up a finger and pointed to tell me he’d seen one man standing by the clubhouse door. The parking lot was less than twenty feet away but there was no way to get to it without being seen.

I saw the worry on his face and gave him what I hoped was a reassuring smile as I examined our situation. The only way out from our current location was if we followed the beach for about fifty yards then cut across the parking lot of the nearby seafood restaurant. There was a good chance of being seen by the men on the docks and I wasn’t sure if it would give us enough headway to lose them if they gave pursuit. It was getting darker by the minute because of the approaching storm so our best option was to wait until the light faded enough to obscure us and hope the men searching the marina did not think to look down here for us.

I whispered my plan to Roland and he nodded grimly and settled down beside me to wait. Above the rising wind and the lapping waves, we heard the sounds of activity from the marina as the workers hurried to finish their preparation for the storm. I couldn’t hear our pursuers but I knew they were still there. I didn’t know what beef they had with Malloy, but with his business it could be anything and I didn’t want me or Roland dragged into it. The men had not mentioned either of us by name so hopefully they had no idea who we were or how to find us.

Thirty minutes later we stood shivering while Roland checked the parking lot again. His mouth formed a thin line as he faced me again. These guys did not give up easily.

We could not afford to wait around here any longer. It was dark enough to risk the beach escape route so I motioned for Roland to follow me since I knew the area better. Picking our way along the rocks in the near dark was hard going but we were too glad to be getting out of there to care. Thankfully, both of us had worn dark clothes today and we managed to blend in well with the beach. Before long, we reached the restaurant and scurried like mice across the parking lot to the street where we set out for my place at a run.

When the lights from the waterfront came into view, we slowed and caught our breath. The wind had really picked up and I felt cold raindrops against my face. We were already soaked from head to toe so rain was the least of our worries. Still, I couldn’t wait to get home, peel off my stinking wet clothes and sick into a tub of hot water. Normally I’m a shower person, but I make exceptions for special occasions and this certainly qualified as one.

“I’m sorry I got you involved in that – whatever it was,” I said when it felt safe enough to talk. “I swear nothing like that has ever happened before.”

“It’s not your fault. I insisted on going remember? And I’m glad you weren’t alone, though you handled it all better than I did.” He grew quiet for a minute. “What happened with those rats? You did something to them. Is it some Mohiri thing?” he probed. “I don’t know what you did but I know you made those rats back off.”

We had just spent a harrowing hour jumping off a boat, hiding under a dock in freezing salt water and running from a group of men who wanted God only knew what, and the one thing Roland zeroed in on was something I was not ready to talk about.

“I did do something. There are things I need to tell you about me and I promise I will soon… just not right now. Can you wait a few days?”