“Hey, lawyer. Bowman.”
Peter jerked awake, and I could see the black eye. He’d been roughed up pretty good. I couldn’t help but feel a little satisfaction.
“What do you have in your house for food?”
“You’re letting me go?” His good eye narrowed. “For what?”
“We’re not letting you take the kid, dumbass. You bring food, and we’ll think about it.”
“Right.”
“Perhaps you could have your wifey whip something up for us. She’s French, isn’t she?”
“You’d be disappointed. She’s a horrible cook.”
“Ah, well, those European women make it up in other ways, I bet.”
The ribald joking continued, and I willed for Peter to do something, anything, to distract them so I could grab one of the vials of “prototype”. They didn’t say what it was, but I could only guess it was a vehicle—complete with viral vector—for the bird flu vaccine. Finally, I’d had enough and gave the kid’s knee a little nip. Not enough to break the skin, but it definitely got his attention.
His cry reverberated off the stone walls, and I jumped away, the noise harsh in my newly hypersensitive ears.
“What the hell?”
“Shut that kid up!” The tall one with the hook nose and beady eyes hauled Peter to his feet and ushered him outside the cave. The other one followed to help control the kid, and I saw my chance. I grabbed one of the sealed vials with my mouth and dashed out of the cave behind them.
A low growl stopped me in my tracks, and I saw Peter, the two scientists, and Lance cornered by two wolves, one yellow wolf and one smaller black one. They crouched on the bank, their eyes aglow. The breeze brought me their scents, and amidst the musky odor of wolf, I recognized Ron’s familiar scent, but the other one must have been Kyra. Now I knew who had attacked me and Peter. But why had they attacked? I didn’t have time to think about it. I leapt over the stream and followed the other bank. They were so distracted by Lance’s cries and the commotion made by the three men they paid no attention to me. I wondered if a spirit-wolf such as myself would even have a scent.
The moon, waning but still bright this far away from the city, dappled the path, and I had to consciously focus my attention on the task at hand. The night forest proved to be a gauntlet of intriguing rustlings, wisps of scent begging to be followed, and glowing eyes that blinked shut when I looked directly at them. My stomach growled, but I dared not hunt, at least not until I delivered the vial to Iain.
So they got you, too?
The familiar voice reverberated in my head, and I stopped, confused. Where did it come from?
Who’s there? I asked, trying out my mental voice. Robert?
He stepped on to the path, a lean wolf with glossy black fur. His tongue lolled to the side as he sat and looked me over. I sat on my haunches and watched him, unsure of what to do next.
Where are you headed, pretty wolf lady?
I have a delivery to make. I tried to remember who I was and how hurt I had been, but in my wolf form I was mercifully separated from all those silly human emotions.
So I see. To whom?
Who do you think?
Iain, I presume.
Yep.
I’m afraid I can’t let you.
I tried to gauge his seriousness as well as a possible escape route.
Why not?
You got your one chance earlier. My loyalty, although forced, is with Cabal. If the FDA finds out about the viral vectors in the vaccines, the higher-ups will kill my wife.
I narrowed my eyes. And that would be a bad thing?
Don’t let the wolf take over your humanity, Joanie. She’s pregnant.
The statement hit me in the gut, the force of this second betrayal almost enough to knock the vial out of my mouth.
How far along is she?
Three months.
I did some calculations with my eyes closed. That was when we were still together. I opened them to find him breathing in my face.
She wanted a baby. I thought it would help keep her distracted and out of the way so I could carry on with you. Then all this happened.
I backed up until my tail brushed against a tree. You did use me. You’re no better than sleazy Peter Bowman.
C’mon, Joanie. We could get out of this together, and then they’d let Sarah go, and it would be just as before.
For a moment, I was tempted. I could almost smell the faint chemical odor of the lab, the scent of his leather sofa as he lowered me on to it so we could make love again, just as before. Wasn’t that what I had been missing, yearning for ever since our fateful meeting?
But married men always go back to their wives. This was a lesson I had learned all too well. And this one had ruined my career so he could keep stringing me along. With a growl, I leaped aside just as he lunged for me, and I heard the crack of his skull against the tree. I didn’t look back to see if he was hurt—if he was, well, I could let the wolf take over that part of my humanity, because I didn’t want to admit to my broken heart and the fact he’d almost fooled me again.
Chapter Twenty
I returned to Wolfsbane Manor and realized, although I had meant to give the vial to Iain—and as far as I could smell, he was still alone there—I had one small problem: I didn’t have opposable thumbs, and all the doors were closed and likely locked. So I did the next best thing—I went around to the side door by the kitchen and rang the doorbell with my long nose. I heard Iain pad through the kitchen and pause by the window by the sink. I knew I had told him to be careful, but I hadn’t counted on it working against me. The door opened. He looked down, and his eyes widened in surprise.
“Well, hello there,” he crooned. “What’s a pretty girl doggie like you doing here?”
I carefully placed the vial on the mat and sat on my haunches.
“What’s this, then?”
It’s a sample of the serum, idiot. But all that came out was a whine.
“Have you been to the lab in the woods? Did you see Joanie? Is she okay?”
As okay as one can be separated from one’s body. I hoped his saying my name wouldn’t keep me from being able to return, but he was likely too far away from my physical self to have an effect.
Iain still didn’t pick up the vial. Instead, he glanced behind me and gave it a quick nudge with his foot. It rolled until it rested in a crack between the mat and the threshold stone with a clink.
I realized something was horribly wrong, and I turned to see the barrel of a gun pointed straight at my head by the charming Sheriff Knowles. All trace of friendly mountain cop was gone, his expression determined.
“You know keepin’ wild animals as pets is illegal, don’t you, Scotty? Especially ones not indigenous to the area.”
I tried not to growl. Good for you, Sheriff, that’s a big word.
“My name is Iain, and it’s not a pet. It just appeared.”