Then, we were packed onto the bus. Now I had something else to worry about. I couldn't help but picture TS in his wolf form, the long fangs and the sharp claws, not to mention the sheer size of him. The memory of him clearing an entire stairway in one bound and closing his jaws around Nathaniel's neck flashed through my head. If real werewolves turned into monsters during the full moon, I couldn't imagine how we'd control him. I remembered that TS had told me he couldn't hurt his soul-packmate. Maybe Thomas would be able to keep him restrained until the sun came up.

After my bags were checked and my ID was swiped, I walked slowly down the hall, hesitant to get on the ship alone. To my relief, I spotted TS waiting for me by the stairs.

"Let's go," he said, when I joined him.

"Aren't we going to wait for Thomas?"

TS shook his head. "He's got to deal with some business and then go..." He hesitated and looked around. "He's going to go get dinner."

"What sort of business?"

"Tell you in a tick." We didn't linger in the hall, but went straight to our room. As soon as the door was shut, TS elaborated. "Mark can't stay on the ship. It's too risky to have him around this many people until his turning is over. And... Well, the ship isn't exactly the safest place to be, right now. Tom's making some arrangements for him."

I nodded. We made our way into the room, and I tossed my bag onto my bed. "What are we going to do, tonight?"

"Do?"

"You said it's a full moon," I said.

At that moment, Dani walked in from the living room. "Hey, hey. How was the Amazon?"

"It was grand," TS said. "Where's Charlie?"

"A professor caught him and started talking. He'll be back, soon. Am I still picking up Tom, later?"

"I think so. I'll let you know if anything changes."

"Fair enough. I still have to grab Mariana, too. Don't think her trip is back, yet."

I excused myself and went to the bathroom. When I returned, TS was unpacking and Dani was flipping through a textbook, humming to himself. I started to unpack too. I had a few things put away, when I glanced outside and saw that the sun was almost all the way set.

"TS!" I cried. "The sun!"

He looked up, and his eyes widened in horror. "Bloody hell!" He dove for the living, room and Dani slammed the door behind him.

Then, Dani grabbed me and backed away. We stood silently for several agonizingly long seconds. Then, I heard growling.

"Oh my God, what do we do?" I gasped.

Before Dani could answer, the door burst open, and TS stalked into the room, snarling. And then, he lunged. Dani shoved me out of the way and dove at TS. They crashed into each other and rolled across the floor. TS snapped and growled at Dani, while Dani frantically tried to hold him off. I watched in horror as they fought. They were halfway onto one of the beds, when Dani somehow got TS in a headlock. TS flipped himself over backward, and they both tumbled to the ground.

"Ow!" Dani cried out. "Crap, ow! Get off!"

To my surprise, TS immediately scrambled off of him. He sat down and cocked his head to one side. "Sorry, you okay?"

My jaw dropped; he was talking. Dani put a hand over his stomach and sat up with a wince.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He looked at me and grinned. "It was worth it for that expression."

I realized that I was still standing there in shock. TS looked at me with his tongue lolling out. He laughed for a moment, and flattened his ears against his head and in concern.

"You aren't too mad, are you?" he asked.

My heart was still pounding, but I was too relieved to be mad. "I'm not mad, but you both really freaked me out."

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"Sorry," TS whimpered.

"Don't be. I'm sure it was Dani's idea."

Dani stood, still looking a bit pained. "I'm sorry, too. But it's not every day you find a magic who expects a werewolf to go all Lon Chaney, Jr. during a full moon."

I could tell he was actually sorry, and something about the fact he felt comfortable enough playing a prank like that on me was actually sort of nice. I'd always liked the idea of an older brother who joked around with me. I had a feeling that pranks were one of Dani's ways of showing affection. As annoying as being on the receiving end was, I didn't mind.

"It's okay," I said. Dani's eyes still swirled with amusement, but I could see a touch of gray, too. I glanced at TS’s long claws. "Did he scratch you?"

Dani shook his head. "Just kicked me, is all. Clumsy mutt." He patted TS, harder than necessary, on the head.

TS pulled away, and his tail drooped down. "I kicked you in the stomach? Bugger, I'm sorry. Are you sure you're alright?"

Dani shrugged. "Nothing a swim won't fix. I might as well head out, anyway. Mariana should be back soon and I don't want her to have to wait too long in the port."

The door opened, and Charlie walked in. "That's the last time I stop to speak with a professor. I'm pretty sure I just heard tomorrow's entire lecture." He looked at TS. "It's after sunset, already? Ashes, that took a lot longer than I thought. Dan, when are you getting Mariana?"

"Was about to leave. I'll probably bring her back and then get Tom too."

Charlie studied him, and his eyes smoldered in concern. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," Dani said. He started for the balcony.

"Your stomach is bothering you," Charlie said. "When did that start?"

"I'm fine," Dani repeated. "TS stepped on me. It's nothing serious."

"How did he step... You know what, I don't want to know." Charlie followed Dani out onto the balcony.

After Dani dove off of the side, Charlie rejoined us. He sat on the edge of the bed near TS. "Did you actually step on him, or was his stomach acting up before?"

"We were wrestling, and I accidentally landed on him. He was grand before that."

Charlie nodded. "Okay. Toasty."

Their conversation piqued my curiosity. "Is there something wrong with Dani's stomach?"

For a moment neither answered. Then, Charlie sighed. "Yeah, he's got an old abdominal injury that never healed properly. It still bothers him now and again."

That made me even more curious. Dani healed so rapidly I couldn't imagine something not healing right. I'd seen TS recover from a shattered bone in a single day, and I was sure Dani would have, too. "But he heals so fast," I protested.

"He was dehydrated at the time," Charlie said softly. "By the time he got enough water, some of the damage was already permanent."

"Oh..." It was a bit disheartening to come across something else I hadn't known about magics.

A phone started ringing.

TS groaned. "Put that on speaker for me, will you?"

Charlie and I both looked around for the phone.

"Where is it?" Charlie asked.

"Must have fallen out of my pocket when I shifted." He stuck his nose under a blanket he and Dani had knocked to the floor. A moment later, he pulled back out with his phone in his mouth. He handed it up to Charlie, who hit a few buttons and held it out.

"Agent Conall," TS said. A gruff, yet feminine voice answered in another language. TS’s tongue lolled out, and he eagerly replied. Charlie set the phone down on the floor, and TS settled in next to it.

Charlie started unpacking, and I returned to my suitcase, as well. As TS talked, my year of high school French came back to me, and I recognized the language. I'd forgotten far too much to follow the conversation, but I caught a word here and there. By the time the conversation was over, I was fairly sure that he was talking to his mother.

"Jen, do me a favor and hang up?" he asked, after saying goodbye.

I went over and hung up the phone for him. I was about to ask why he didn't just turn back into a human, when I remembered that he couldn't turn into a wolf during a new moon. "Are you stuck as a wolf during full moons?"

TS snorted in amusement. "I wouldn't call it stuck. But, you're right. I can't shift back until sunrise."

He hopped up onto a bed and turned in circles a few times. Then he curled up and heaved a content doggy sigh. I re-packed my souvenirs in what I hoped was a more secure way and stowed them in the closet. It looked like everyone's purchases had started to pile up. I glanced at the clock; the ship was leaving in an hour.

"Has Thomas fed yet?" I asked.

"Not yet," TS said.

I was curious about just how much TS could sense. "What's he feeling?"

"Bored and bit irritated. Probably doing paperwork. And..." TS cocked his head thoughtfully. "I'd say he's nowhere near done yet."

"Can you really tell all that?"

He nodded.

I looked at the clock again. "Will Thomas have time to feed and get back on the ship?"

"He's not in any hurry. Dani's going to get him."

Charlie walked in from the living room. "Hey, Jen, what plant are you doing for Peru?" He held the textbook for our plants class.

I hadn't even thought of class for days. I groaned at both the reminder that we were still taking classes in between fighting vampires and at the fact I hadn't even started my essay. "I don't know."

"Clinker, neither do I."

We sat down at the table together and flipped through the book. By the time we picked our plants and started our essays, Dani was back. He slung two large duffle bags onto the balcony and then flipped back off of the ship. Seconds later, he was back with Mariana. Then, he and Charlie ran out to get food. I felt guilty that they were taking such a risk, as TS and I were the only ones who needed it, so I was relieved when they made it back safely. After we ate, we gathered on the balcony to watch the port vanish into the distance as the ship pulled away. When the lights from the port were just tiny dots, we went back into the room. I returned to my essay, but found it hard to concentrate. I was starting to get concerned about how far from the port we were getting.

"Dani? Tom's about ready."

Dani stood and stretched. "Splashy. I'll be back." He went out onto the balcony and dove off.