The cut along her jaw was starting to clot, but her neck was streaked with blood and her shirt reeked of vomit, erasing the usual lure of her blood’s scent.

Pretty sure that she was too sick to be confused about him being naked, Simon shifted to human and crouched beside her. “Meg? What did you see?”

“We have to hide. Have to hide from...” She retched. Sam whined. The other pups backed away, finally seeking protection from the adult Wolves.

“Who has to hide?” Simon asked.

“We do. The Wolves.” She focused on him. Her eyes looked weird—too big, too black instead of gray. “Joe’s face looks like that.”

Like what? Simon wondered. Before he could ask Vlad was beside him, reaching past him to wrap a hand around Meg’s arm.

<You’re between forms,> Vlad said. Then to Meg, “Did you see anything about the rest of us? Meg? Do the rest of us need to hide or just the Wolves?”

She stared at Vlad with eyes so blank Simon wondered if something had broken inside her brain.

“Just... Wolves,” she finally said. “And people living in little wood houses.” A pause. “Cabins. Fire. Burning.”

“Okay.” Vlad gave her arm a gentle squeeze before releasing it. “The Wolves will hide with you until it’s safe. The rest of us will send the warning to as many packs as we can.”

Simon looked at Vlad. <Jackson?>

<His prophet pup is scared sick and running, just like Meg,> Vlad replied grimly. <Both of them, in different parts of the continent. This is not good, Simon.>

Joe’s face looks like that. <Joe?>

<The warning was sent. I don’t know if it will be in time.> Vlad rose, his legs already shifted to smoke. <Stay here. The rest of us will do what we can. It’s not just the Wolves. The attack is also aimed at the Intuits.>

Everything he and the rest of the terra indigene in Lakeside had tried to do by working with humans was breaking apart. How far was it going to break?

He shifted back to Wolf form, instinctively understanding that it would calm Meg.

<Simon,> Vlad said.

<Go. Do what you can. Warn Steve Ferryman.>

<I’ll do that first. He’ll get the warning out to other Intuit settlements within reach of the bad humans.> The Sanguinati shifted all the way to smoke and raced over the ground.

<More Sanguinati going with Vlad,> Blair reported.

<We will help you keep watch over our Meg,> Jenni said as she, Starr, and Jake perched in the nearby trees.

<Uncle Simon?> Sam whimpered. <I don’t wanna lick my fur clean.>