Free Timeless Moon by C. T. Adams, Cathy Clamp Page B

over into the street — right in front of the SUV.
    There was no getting out of the way as the boom extended from the sheer force of the impact against the asphalt, and the SUV slammed headfirst into the basket hard enough to raise the back wheels off the road. She slowed her pace and continued to watch in the rearview as feeling left her fingers, causing a pins-and-needles sensation, and an odd drowsiness threatened to overtake her.
    The men on the sidewalk ran toward the SUV. They were safe and whole. As for the snakes in the SUV, they'd heal. Or not. She really didn't care either way.
    "Can't die —" Whispered words turned into a shout. "CAN'T DIE!"
    Josette felt tears well as they passed by the caf é, and a very pregnant woman holding a bagel stopped from getting into her blue sedan to see what the commotion down the street was, just as sirens rilled the air. "And she's not going to, sweetie. She's not going to."

Chapter Six
    There were any number of things necessary in preparing the cabin for his absence. Rick hoped it wouldn't be a long one, but something told him it might be. A phone call to Lucas just after dawn had been useful. Raven Ramirez had discovered some information in the computers before he'd crashed the system by remote command. It might be a clue to the location where Josie was headed. But, it was far too sensitive to discuss by phone, so Charles had decided Rick should drive to Colorado where they could talk in person.
    Unfortunately, there was no telling whether Josette would be at the location, or whether the information would just be the first in a long trail of near misses until he could find her. She was very good at hiding her tracks —she'd had plenty of practice over the centuries.
    Amber had insisted they all get a few hours sleep, with only Bruce staying awake to guard them. Morning had come too quickly, his dreams filled with snakes and twisted by the emotions of the others in the house.
    He didn't know what to think about his shower earlier. He could swear Josette was standing in the room watching him. But when he pulled aside the curtain, the room was empty … although it smelled of vanilla, musk, and fur, a combination he'd never been able to erase from his mind, even after all these years. Maybe it was a premonition. Part of him hoped so. Another part of him feared being in easy reach of her formidable anger. A shudder overtook him as he struggled to close the stretched-taut leather saddlebags that fit on the back of his motorcycle. He put them beside the door and stood staring at the wall for a moment, tapping one finger against his hip — trying to remember whether he'd completed his list of tasks.
    The others were now safely on their way to wherever they were going to weather out the crisis, and Rick decided it was worth taking the time to shut down the house before leaving. The water and gas were first, then draining the pipes so that he wouldn't come back to splits from a hard freeze. Next, he cleared all the perishable foods from the fridge and cupboards, taking them to the edge of the windmill tank for the animals to feast on. Hopefully, the windmill would still be standing when he returned, but he just couldn't deprive the wildlife of the water they'd come to depend on. For better or worse, they were partners in the life he'd made here, even though they were no substitute for the partner he'd once had.
    A sigh eased from his chest and he shook his head. It would have been easier if he had some clue as to how long he'd be gone, but he really didn't know. It could be anything from a few weeks to years. He did know he wanted to come back here eventually. This was his home in a way few places had been in his life. Only the cabin he'd shared with Josette in what was now Illinois had ever been more dear to him.
    While closing up the house took hours from when he started at dawn, packing was accomplished in a matter of a minutes. He didn't want or need much: a couple changes of