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Authors: Dana Cameron
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then. Danny’s sleeping in and gonna work from home today.”
“We’ll bring him coffee.”
I found a CVS and bought panties and a toothbrush—I realized my toothbrush was still in the bathroom in Salem and I hadn’t had time to do laundry. I love pharmacies that are open twenty-four hours; you can get almost anything there. Ma always said you were ready for anything if you had a pair of clean knickers, a toothbrush, and your passport. I did have my passport, from two years ago, when we drove up to Nova Scotia in an attempt to distract me from Will.
Purchases made, I got Sean away from the motor sports magazines and we grabbed some coffee before heading back to Danny’s apartment.
We were crossing a lot that was between teardown and rebuild when I stopped.
“Something’s wrong,” I said, a prickling growing at the base of my skull.
“Zoe, relax. It’s a vacant lot.” He was right; I couldn’t see anyone. “And who’s going to bother you with me around?”
He might have had a point if we’d been dealing with anyone but…them. Not that he didn’t enjoy trouble, the getting-into and the getting-out-of, but most troublemakers would take one look at his size and I’ve-got-nothing-to-lose demeanor and decide it wasn’t worth the effort.
My bad feeling persisted and grew, however, until finally I wasn’t sure I could go any farther. Every part of me hummed with a warning so bad, I was reminded of the time outside the cinema. Then the really bad time.
I didn’t want any repeat of that. Definitely not in front of Sean. “Let’s get out of here. Now.”
“Zoe, I don’t think—”
Too late.
A sensation washed over me, telling me the Beast was near. Irretrievably, irrevocably, irresponsibly here, in an urban center, in broad daylight.
“Sean.” My mouth could barely form human words as I found myself being sucked under the onrushing current of Beastliness. Never mind him not seeing me; I couldn’t afford to bite Sean. He’d be a terrible werewolf.
A growl. “Run.”
And then it was too late again.
Chapter 5
Four figures came from the shadows of the construction trailer, three men and a woman. At least, I thought it was three men; one of them had a snake head. Scales, fangs, pinpoint nostrils, wide eyes…Hugo Boss suit.
Sleestack? Silurian Lizard Man? He wasn’t the one in the cemetery…he’s new, he means business, something’s changed…they’re not asking me, cajoling me, anymore.
Then the Beast was on me in all its glory and violence. I let it wash over me for two splendid seconds.
Enough of these ambushes.
I dropped the coffee with a wet splat.
Enough of these surprises. Let’s end this now.
I turned, snarled at Sean (
get going!
) and launched myself at the nearest figure. Snake-man dodged me, incredibly fast, held his hands up.
I don’t want to fight.
Tough luck, buddy. I do.
I leaped again, then zigged when they were expecting a zag. Pinned one down, and then—I wasn’t exactly sure what to do.
He wasn’t fighting back. He wasn’t cowering. He didn’t even flinch. I expected him to transform himself—the smell of the Beast was all over these guys, a heady perfume from deep within—but he didn’t.
I knew these were dangerous people, but like the dog chasing the car, now that I’d finally caught one, I didn’t know what to do with it.
If I were human, I could ask questions. With the Beast, I could intimidate most people. But if he refused to be scared, and I couldn’t interrogate him, how could I get anywhere?
So I bit him. Hard. He was already a werewolf, or a weresnake, or whatever. It wasn’t going to be like
I
did it to him.
That got a reaction. I felt a surge of Beastliness roll over him (
it felt good, it felt right
), and being on top of him, in contact with his bare skin, was like a chemical reaction, sizzling and popping. I yelped and dodged away.
Risking a quick glance, I saw no sign of Sean. Good, he got himself gone. I could explain, maybe,
“We’ll bring him coffee.”
I found a CVS and bought panties and a toothbrush—I realized my toothbrush was still in the bathroom in Salem and I hadn’t had time to do laundry. I love pharmacies that are open twenty-four hours; you can get almost anything there. Ma always said you were ready for anything if you had a pair of clean knickers, a toothbrush, and your passport. I did have my passport, from two years ago, when we drove up to Nova Scotia in an attempt to distract me from Will.
Purchases made, I got Sean away from the motor sports magazines and we grabbed some coffee before heading back to Danny’s apartment.
We were crossing a lot that was between teardown and rebuild when I stopped.
“Something’s wrong,” I said, a prickling growing at the base of my skull.
“Zoe, relax. It’s a vacant lot.” He was right; I couldn’t see anyone. “And who’s going to bother you with me around?”
He might have had a point if we’d been dealing with anyone but…them. Not that he didn’t enjoy trouble, the getting-into and the getting-out-of, but most troublemakers would take one look at his size and I’ve-got-nothing-to-lose demeanor and decide it wasn’t worth the effort.
My bad feeling persisted and grew, however, until finally I wasn’t sure I could go any farther. Every part of me hummed with a warning so bad, I was reminded of the time outside the cinema. Then the really bad time.
I didn’t want any repeat of that. Definitely not in front of Sean. “Let’s get out of here. Now.”
“Zoe, I don’t think—”
Too late.
A sensation washed over me, telling me the Beast was near. Irretrievably, irrevocably, irresponsibly here, in an urban center, in broad daylight.
“Sean.” My mouth could barely form human words as I found myself being sucked under the onrushing current of Beastliness. Never mind him not seeing me; I couldn’t afford to bite Sean. He’d be a terrible werewolf.
A growl. “Run.”
And then it was too late again.
Chapter 5
Four figures came from the shadows of the construction trailer, three men and a woman. At least, I thought it was three men; one of them had a snake head. Scales, fangs, pinpoint nostrils, wide eyes…Hugo Boss suit.
Sleestack? Silurian Lizard Man? He wasn’t the one in the cemetery…he’s new, he means business, something’s changed…they’re not asking me, cajoling me, anymore.
Then the Beast was on me in all its glory and violence. I let it wash over me for two splendid seconds.
Enough of these ambushes.
I dropped the coffee with a wet splat.
Enough of these surprises. Let’s end this now.
I turned, snarled at Sean (
get going!
) and launched myself at the nearest figure. Snake-man dodged me, incredibly fast, held his hands up.
I don’t want to fight.
Tough luck, buddy. I do.
I leaped again, then zigged when they were expecting a zag. Pinned one down, and then—I wasn’t exactly sure what to do.
He wasn’t fighting back. He wasn’t cowering. He didn’t even flinch. I expected him to transform himself—the smell of the Beast was all over these guys, a heady perfume from deep within—but he didn’t.
I knew these were dangerous people, but like the dog chasing the car, now that I’d finally caught one, I didn’t know what to do with it.
If I were human, I could ask questions. With the Beast, I could intimidate most people. But if he refused to be scared, and I couldn’t interrogate him, how could I get anywhere?
So I bit him. Hard. He was already a werewolf, or a weresnake, or whatever. It wasn’t going to be like
I
did it to him.
That got a reaction. I felt a surge of Beastliness roll over him (
it felt good, it felt right
), and being on top of him, in contact with his bare skin, was like a chemical reaction, sizzling and popping. I yelped and dodged away.
Risking a quick glance, I saw no sign of Sean. Good, he got himself gone. I could explain, maybe,
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