Rabidity (Jane Loft-series #1)

Chapter 12

Summer and I find the boys after walking another ten minutes in an awkward silence. Xavier, Trevor and Fang are discussing something with whispered voices, while Lewis is checking out the motorcycles. The blonde at my side doesn't say a word when she stalks off and joins the boys. I sigh; I have honestly no idea why she reacted the way she did when I asked her to be actual friends instead of just allies. Maybe I pushed her too far.

I shrug and walk towards Lewis. I reckon we have some lost time to make up for.

The moment Dana sees I'm not going to go to her, she barks in an offended way, changes into a sparrow and flies towards me. She picks my ear when she lands on my shoulder.

"I'm sorry," I apologize, "but I haven't seen him in a long time. The rest doesn't like him yet, so I'm doing my best to be nice."

She chirps indignantly.

"Are you talking to your sparrow-dog-eagle thingy?" Lewis asks when we reach him and he hears the last words of our one-sided conversation.

Dana flies off my shoulder, lands on the floor and transforms into her dog form. The beautiful grey hound with the two different eyes pulls up her lip and growls at the foreign man in front of her. I kneel immediately and pat her head.

"Easy there, hotshot," I shush her. "This idiotic boy doesn't realize how important you are to us. Don't listen to him."

Lewis narrows his eyes and makes a face. I wink at him, grinning widely.

"Say you're sorry," I tell him and he rolls his eyes.

"To a dog?" he asks. "Hell no."

Dana growls again and his eyes widen.

"What did you say?" I put my hand behind my ear, pretending I didn't get what he said. "I'm sorry, I think the infection is now attacking my hearing."

"Don't laugh with your... situation," he forbids me. I cock an eyebrow and point at Dana.

He rolls his eyes again. "All right, then. I'm sorry, Dana."

The dog stops growling and lies down at my feet, completely relaxed now. I smile when she closes her eyes. She might be an animal that's able to transform from a dog to a bird and other animals, but she sure as hell is the sixth member of my Circle. She's the one who brings joy to this mission, sometimes even peace. That's just as important as Xavier's intellect or Fang's strength.

Lewis whistles a long, high tone and I look up. The sunlight makes his hair gold with white strands of hair. He's just as beautiful as I remembered. "Where did you get these? Your father?"

He remembers. He remembers the years when he and my father went into the shed behind our house and discussed old pictures of motorcycles when I spent some quality time with my mother. He remembers my dad's passion for this vehicles and most of all, he remembers me. When I saw his face an hour ago, my heart skipped a few beats and I was unable to breathe. I thought he had forgotten about me, or he had left me when I was twelve because he hated me, or because I did something wrong. Only now I realize he must've had a good reason. Lewis is not the kind of person who leaves his friends after they made a mistake, but the one who helps them to fix the damage. He left me for a good reason, it has to be.

So I shake my head and smile. "We found them in the weapon shed in Macaria."

He raises his eyebrows. "How do you like it?"

"What?"

"Macaria." He walks around my motorcycle and swings one leg over the saddle. He closes his eyes and sighs. I know he's enjoying this. All we used to talk about was riding motorcycles. Even after my folks died.