I thought about how volatile Taran’s magic had been lately. “Sure. Taran, stay behind me. Emme, you’re in front of Shayna.”

“Yee-ha,” Taran mumbled.

She tucked her arm beneath her shirt, trying to shield it from the sun, but when we stepped into the jungle it fired up like a glow stick. She shook it hard, as if trying to rid it of its eerie glow. “Son of bitch. Great. That’s just fucking great.”

She waved her arm. Good heavens, it looked like a plastic light saber. My steps slowed. It reminded me of something that she’d done last night but for the life of me, I couldn’t remember what. “Maybe your arm is capable of more than you’re giving it credit for,” I reasoned as I pushed forward. “I’m wondering if you just need to figure out how to use it.”

Despite the darkness of the jungle, I caught her eyes glistening with tears. “The only thing this thing is good for is grossing out big bad beasts and chasing them away.”

The hurt in her voice made me want to cry for her. “Taran…” was all I could say.

“Don’t sweat it, Ceel. Some things aren’t meant to be. No matter how bad you want them.”

She needed a moment, so I let her walk ahead of me. As I watched her hug her body, I thought about what she’d said. Her words, while disturbing, fueled my need to make things right with Aric. We’d been through too much. I wasn’t ready to let him go. I needed him.

And he needed me, too.

A jaguar cut along the path, growling and licking its chops. I yanked Taran back and growled louder. It lifted its paw and rushed away in the opposite direction.

That’s right, kitty. In a cat fight, this tigress is going to win.

Snakes slithered around us. I could hear them sliding over the drying leaves and through the thick vegetation. Their colors made them almost invisible, but I could smell their leathery skin. Knowing where they lurked would help keep us safe.

My sisters nodded when I pointed them out, and we gave them a wide berth. Considering our walk was short, we encountered several snakes and a few frogs I was very leery of.

Taran motioned ahead with her glowing arm to where the trees thinned. When she caught herself, she tried to tuck her arm under her shirt again. “Shit,” she muttered.

We walked up the incline, staying quiet, and stepped onto a field of what I still believed was waist-high white grass. The long thick stalks swayed majestically around the perimeter of the building, despite the subtle breeze.

Shayna lifted her machete, ready to clear a path. I snatched her wrist before she could bring it down. “What’s the matter? The grass is too thick to walk through, Ceel.”

I tried to keep my voice steady as I realized what was in front of us. FYI, I failed miserably. “That’s not grass.”

Taran swore and jumped back with Emme, who bit back a scream. Long white arms with sharp black fingernails sprouted through the ground, waving to us, and beckoning us closer.

Taran withdrew further. “Oh shit. Shit, shit, shit.”

Shayna swallowed hard. “Well, at least they’re not tentacles,” she offered.

I just looked at her. Even when faced with freakish arms protruding through the jungle floor, Shayna’s glass remained half full. I didn’t have it in me. Neither did Taran.

“This is all sorts of fucked up,” she said.

“Yup,” I added.

“Maybe we should go?” Emme suggested. “The vampires are semi-reasonable beings. They would understand if we left, given the circumstances. Don’t you think?”

“No,” the rest of us answered.

Agnes would toss us into the ocean of arms, no questions asked.

I glanced to the closest hand that waved my way and pointed toward the building. “I think Shah’s inside.”

“And what if he’s not?” Emme’s voice cracked. “Celia, death by creepy hands isn’t the way I want to go.”

She jumped when another arm sprouted from the ground and smacked her in the ass.

I didn’t appreciate the gesture. “You be nice,” I reprimanded.

Emme pointed to herself from where she hid beside Taran. “Me?”

“No. Shah.”

My sisters gaped at me. “Do you see him or scent him, Ceel?” Shayna asked.

“No. But I recognize his personality.” My eyes homed in on the building. “He’s in there. I’m sure of it.”

The sea of hands applauded all at once. Maybe Shah meant to be funny, but it only raised the Freak-O-Meter that much higher.

“Aw, hell,” Taran muttered. “If we live through this, I swear I’m going to need some serious therapy.”

Yeah. What she said.

Another hand punched through the ground and tugged at my shorts, pointing in the direction of the old building. “You want me to come for you, don’t you?”

The hand didn’t have a face, but it seemed to consider me before pointing again.

Taran clasped my wrist. “You’re not seriously going to do this—listen to an arm, are you?”

I sighed. “I don’t think we have a choice. For whatever reason, Shah wants me in there.”

“How do you know he doesn’t want to kill you?”

I shrugged. “He’s not mean.” I thought about Dilip and his lip-syncing belly. “Well, at least not to me. I think he didn’t like Dilip. He felt used.”

Again, the hands applauded.

“Will you stop that!” Taran yelled at them.

That only made them clap louder.

“Be nice, Shah,” I said again.

The applause subsided, but I couldn’t help thinking the arms and hands were laughing at us. A hand reached out to me. My tigress chuffed. She was freaked out, too. But I took it, allowing it to pull me forward and on to the next. The hands were surprisingly warm and gentle.

“How is it, dude?”

I glanced over my shoulder at Shayna. I hadn’t realized how far I’d walked until then. “Odd, even for us, but okay. Like I said, I don’t think he means any harm.” I smiled at the hand that patted my hand next. “Do you, Shah?”

Shayna stepped forward. “Mind if I go through?” she asked. “Celia’s my sister. I have to watch out for her.” She yipped when the arms hauled her forward.

Taran and Emme stayed put. “Come on, peeps,” Shayna called to them. “They’re not so bad.” She laughed nervously. “Not so bad at all.”