All his thoughts were open to her now. His relief that they were safely in the blue time, out of the reach of the law, and his grim determination to get this job done. She could even taste the tiny, well-nibbled corner of guilt he felt for going to this extreme.

“Don’t worry, Rex. What they don’t know won’t hurt ’em.”

“Just tell me if you think you’re pushing too hard.”

“You’ll be the first to know.”

They got out of the car, Melissa performing a quick mental sweep. Nothing around yet, but it was early. No creature that lived in the blue time would have spent the daylight this far into town.

Rex’s eyes flashed as he searched for signs.

“You should see this, Melissa. They’ve been creeping around everywhere. More every night.”

“Good thing Jessica doesn’t stay home much.”

Rex’s annoyance sizzled in the air, the predictable result of even the vaguest reference to Jonathan Martinez. At least it wasn’t jealousy, which she tasted enough of at Bixby High. Just Rex’s wounded seer’s pride that he didn’t control everything in the secret hour.

A moment later Melissa felt him squash the emotion. “Yeah, the guy’s finally good for something,” he muttered.

They crept through a backyard and then hid themselves in some bushes across the street.

“He coming?”

Melissa cast herself deeper into the night, and flavors came to her from every corner of midnight. Jessica was right there, waiting expectantly in her room. Dess was still at home, happily working on toys. The slithers were stirring at the edges of Bixby, more agitated every night these days.

And coming from the other side of town, a swift-moving presence.

“On his way.”

They settled deeper into the bushes.

A few minutes later Jonathan landed.

It had been a year since she’d seen him in action, Melissa realized. She remembered his grace now as his body corkscrewed downward to land softly on one foot, soundless and in slow motion. She might not ever fly with Jonathan, but at least Melissa could taste his mind when it was filled with the simple pleasure of flight.

Next to her Rex allowed himself a moment of quiet amazement.

“Hey!” Jonathan called into Jessica’s room.

“Hey, yourself.” Jessica crawled out her window, ran to him, took both his hands.

Melissa couldn’t hear what they said then, but she could taste what passed between them, clichéd and daylight: Jessica vanilla. The two spoke quietly, so focused on each other that a darkling could have easily flown down and taken them both. After a solid minute on the lawn they half turned to face the same direction. Side by side, holding hands, they bent their knees and jumped, effortlessly coordinated, almost a single creature.

Two seconds later they were gone over the trees.

“Cute couple,” Melissa said, pulling herself out of the bush.