“She—it is the furthest thing from a Seeker I’ve ever seen. If a Seeker had any idea how to find us, it would have brought an army.”

“And they wouldn’t have found anything. But she—it got in, didn’t it?”

“It’s almost been killed half a dozen —”

“Yet it’s still breathing, isn’t it?”

They were quiet for a long time. So long that I started to think about moving out of the cramped ball I was curled in, but I didn’t want to make any noise by lying down. I wished Ian would leave so I could sleep. The adrenaline left me so worn out when it drained from my system.

“I think I’m going to go talk to Jeb,” Ian eventually whispered.

“Oh, that’s a great idea.” Jared’s voice was thick with sarcasm.

“Do you remember that first night? When it jumped between you and Kyle? That was bizarre.”

“It was just trying to find a way to stay alive, to escape.…”

“By giving Kyle the go-ahead to kill her—it? Good plan.”

“It worked.”

“Jeb’s gun worked. Did she know he was on his way?”

“You’re overthinking this, Ian. That’s what it wants.”

“I don’t think you’re right. I don’t know why… but I don’t think she wants us to think about her at all.” I heard Ian get to his feet. “You know what’s really twisted?” he muttered, his voice no longer a whisper.

“What’s that?”

“I felt guilty—guilty as hell—watching her flinch away from us. Seeing the black marks on her neck.”

“You can’t let it get to you like that.” Jared was suddenly disturbed. “It’s not human. Don’t forget that.”

“Just because she isn’t human, do you think that means she doesn’t feel pain?” Ian asked as his voice faded into the distance. “That she doesn’t feel just like a girl who’s been beaten—beaten by us?”

“Get a hold of yourself,” Jared hissed after him.

“See you around, Jared.”

Jared didn’t relax for a long time after Ian left; he paced for a while, back and forth in front of the cave, and then sat on the mat, blocking my light, and muttered incomprehensibly to himself. I gave up waiting for him to fall asleep, and stretched out as well as I could on the bowl-like floor. He jumped when my movement made noise, and then started muttering to himself again.

“Guilty,” he grumbled in scathing tones. “Letting it get to him. Just like Jeb, like Jamie. Can’t let this go on. Stupid to let it live.”