Just be quiet. Can’t you see how he loathes me? Anything you say will make it worse. We’re dead.

But Jared’s alive, Jared’s here, she crooned.

The quiet in the cavern dissolved; whispers came from every side, all at the same time, as if I’d missed some cue. I couldn’t make out any meanings in the hissing murmurs.

My eyes darted around the mob of humans—every one of them an adult, no smaller, younger figure among them. My heart ached at the absence, and Melanie fought to voice the question. I hushed her firmly. There wasn’t anything to see here, nothing but anger and hatred on strangers’ faces, or the anger and hatred on Jared’s face.

Until another man pushed his way through the whispering throng. He was built slim and tall, his skeletal structure more obvious under his skin than most. His hair was washed out, either pale brown or a dark, nondescript blond. Like his bland hair and his long body, his features were mild and thin. There was no anger in his face, which was why it held my eye.

The others made way for this apparently unassuming man as if he had some status among them. Only Jared didn’t defer to him; he held his ground, staring only at me. The tall man stepped around him, not seeming to notice the obstacle in his path any more than he would a pile of rock.

“Okay, okay,” he said in an oddly cheery voice as he circled Jared and came to face me. “I’m here. What have we got?”

It was Aunt Maggie who answered him, appearing at his elbow.

“Jeb found it in the desert. Used to be our niece Melanie. It seemed to be following the directions he gave her.” She flashed a dirty look at Jeb.

“Mm-hm,” the tall, bony man murmured, his eyes appraising me curiously. It was strange, that appraisal. He looked as if he liked what he saw. I couldn’t fathom why he would.

My gaze shied away from his, to another woman—a young woman who peered around his side, her hand resting on his arm—my eyes drawn by her vivid hair.

Sharon! Melanie cried.

Melanie’s cousin saw the recognition in my eyes, and her face hardened.

I pushed Melanie roughly to the back of my head. Shhh!

“Mm-hm,” the tall man said again, nodding. He reached one hand out to my face and seemed surprised when I recoiled from it, flinching into Jeb’s side.

“It’s okay,” the tall man said, smiling a little in encouragement. “I won’t hurt you.”