“Play,” I told him. “I’ll… I’ll keep score.”
He looked at me, his lips pressed into a thin, rigid line. “I’m not really in the mood for playing a game.”
“They need you.”
He snorted.
“C’mon, Ian,” Jamie urged.
“I want to watch,” I said. “But it will be… boring if one team has too much advantage.”
“Wanda.” Ian sighed. “You really are the worst liar I’ve ever met.”
But he got up and started stretching with Wes.
Paige set up goalposts, four lanterns.
I tried to get to my feet—I was right in the middle of the field. Nobody noticed me in the dim light. All around, the atmosphere was upbeat now, charged with anticipation. Jeb had been right. This was something they needed, odd as it seemed to me.
I was able to get onto all fours, and then I pulled my good leg forward so I was kneeling on the bad. It hurt. I tried to hop up onto my good leg from there. My balance was all off, thanks to the awkward weight of my sore leg.
Strong hands caught me before I could fall on my face. I looked up, a little rueful, to thank Ian.
The words caught in my throat when I saw that it was Jared whose arms held me up.
“You could have just asked for help,” he said conversationally.
“I —” I cleared my throat. “I should have. I didn’t want to…”
“Call attention to yourself?” He said the words as if he were truly curious. There was no accusation in them. He helped me hobble toward the cave entrance.
I shook my head once. “I didn’t want to… make anyone do anything, out of courtesy, that they didn’t want to do.” That didn’t explain it exactly right, but he seemed to understand my meaning.
“I don’t think Jamie or Ian would begrudge you a helping hand.”
I glanced back at them over my shoulder. In the low light, neither had noticed I was gone yet. They were bouncing the ball off their heads, and laughing when Wes caught it in the face.
“But they’re having fun. I wouldn’t want to interrupt that.”
Jared examined my face. I realized I was smiling in affection.
“You care about the kid quite a bit,” he said.
“Yes.”
He nodded. “And the man?”
“Ian is… Ian believes me. He watches over me. He can be so very kind… for a human.” Almost like a soul, I’d wanted to say. But that wouldn’t have sounded like the compliment it was to this audience.
Jared snorted. “For a human. A more important distinction than I’d realized.”
He lowered me to the lip of the entrance. It made a shallow bench that was more comfortable than the flat floor.
“Thank you,” I told him. “Jeb did the right thing, you know.”
“I don’t agree with that.” Jared’s tone was milder than his words.
“Thank you also—for before. You didn’t have to defend me.”
“Every word was the truth.”
I looked at the floor. “It’s true that I would never do anything to hurt anyone here. Not on purpose. I’m sorry that I hurt you when I came here. And Jamie. So sorry.”
He sat down right beside me, his face thoughtful. “Honestly…” He hesitated. “The kid is better since you came. I’d sort of forgotten what his laugh sounded like.”
We both listened to it now, echoing above the lower pitch of adult laughter.
“Thank you for telling me that. It’s been my… biggest worry. I hoped I hadn’t damaged anything permanently.”
“Why?”
I looked up at him, confused.
“Why do you love him?” he asked, his voice still curious but not intense.
I bit my lip.
“You can tell me. I’m… I’ve…” He couldn’t find the words to explain. “You can tell me,” he repeated.
I looked at my feet as I answered. “In part because Melanie does.” I didn’t peek to see if the name made him flinch. “Remembering him the way she does… that’s a powerful thing. And then, when I met him in person…” I shrugged. “I can’t not love him. It’s part of my… the very makeup of these cells to love him. I hadn’t realized before how much influence a host had on me. Maybe it’s just human bodies. Maybe it’s just Melanie.”
“She talks to you?” He kept his voice even, but I could hear the strain now.
“Yes.”
“How often?”
“When she wants to. When she’s interested.”
“How about today?”
“Not much. She’s… kind of mad at me.”
He barked out a surprised laugh. “She’s mad? Why?”