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something that purebred shifters could do all the time, even with one they were not Called to. He wondered if Julia would be able to have that sense once she learned how to shift.
    Mara's scent was strong, and in one spot it branched into multiple directions. Damien knew the trick, knew that it would take him time to figure out which track doubled back and which led forward. He trotted along, nose to the ground, trying not to get too frustrated when the ground dropped out from under his feet and he had to scramble backwards. It was rocky here, with gaps in the forest floor that led down who knows how far into chasms and canyons. Damien had stopped yipping to avoid giving himself away, although if Mara were near she would likely be able to scent him in the general area. The darkness around him was complete without being able to hear anything or sense by landmark the shape of the forest. Each step for him, then, was a step into the unknown.
    Then the wind changed for a split second, and the air in front of him resolved into scent so strong it raised the fur on his spine. Mara .
    Before he had the time to tense, Mara bowled into him from the side. Damien expected claws to tear down his stomach, but instead she rolled away after knocking him down.
    "Got you," she growled, teasing him with her tone.
    Damien backed up from the sound, his every sense focused on Mara and when she would move forward again. If she tensed, he would know she meant to jump at him—
    "No!" Mara's cry came just a split second before her leap, and Damien shifted his weight back on his hind legs before realizing where he was. In darkness, he felt himself lose his balance and fall backward into empty space.
    In a split second he realized his mistake. His paws slipped down rock face too smooth to hold onto. His claws scratched at the dirt in front of him. Damien yipped, frantic to sense his surroundings, to measure the depth of the fall before he hit ground. The rocks around him echoed his yips back everywhere, disorienting him even more. Then the ground fell out from underneath him and his stomach rose into his throat.
    The last image that came into his mind before he slipped off of the edge was Julia's face; the last emotion, sorrow. He hadn't told her that he loved her.

CHAPTER SEVEN
    Julia
    Julia fumed as she headed back into the house, not sure if she was more angry at Damien or at herself for letting him go. Katherine met her at the doorway.
    "Julia, don't worry. They'll be fine."
    Julia pulled on her jacket and grabbed the car keys. Katherine watched her movements without comment until Julia stopped at the front door and turned to look at her.
    "Didn't Damien say we should stay here?" Katherine asked.
    "No," Julia said matter-of-factly. "He said I wasn't allowed to go with him. But I'm not planning on sitting here worrying." She tugged on one sleeve. She was already worried about Damien. If she stayed in the house she would go insane, she was sure of it.
    "Where are you going, then?" Katherine asked.
    "The college bookstore," Julia said, deciding right then that it was just the thing to take her mind off of Damien. "I've got to get some books for my classes. Coming with me?"
    On the way to the bookstore, Julia inhaled fresh air and tried not to think about Damien going off after Mara.
    "So," she asked Katherine, "did you decide on what courses you're going to take?"
    "Just botany," Katherine said. She leaned back in the car seat, her arm casually slung outside of the window. "See how I like it."
    "It'll take you a while to get a degree at that pace," Julia said, laughing.
    "What do I need a degree for?"
    Julia turned into the bookstore parking lot and looked over at Katherine, who was being utterly serious.
    "Well, to get most jobs you need one," she said.
    "Yeah, but we don't need jobs," Katherine said.
    "How ... why?"
    "Most shifters have plenty of money saved up, just because we never really need it," Katherine said. "I mean, it's useful if you want