Hunting Human

  Braden gently gripped her elbow and pulled her up from the bed, guiding her toward the door. “You have to understand, Beth. As far as Markko’s concerned, you’re affiliated with our family now. That alone would be reason enough to hate you. That you killed his brother ensures that he’s not going to stop coming after you. Not until you’re dead.” He paused in the doorway. “I know you’re angry, God knows you’ve got every right, but you’re safest here with us. Let us help. Please.”

  Head racing with everything he’d divulged, all she could do was shrug.

  “Alright. How about breakfast?” he asked, gesturing toward the stairs.

  Her stomach growled at the thought of food and she tucked away her whirling thoughts for the time being. There’d be time to examine them later. Braden pressed close behind her as they ascended the stairs, heating her back and infusing her awareness with him. The way he moved, the way he smelled…

  Beth derailed that train of thought before it led her down a dangerous path. The moment they were in the hallway she lengthened her stride to put some distance between them.

  They crossed through a huge family room, honey-colored wood floors gleaming in the morning sun streaming through the wall of floor-to-ceiling windows. Two huge leather sofas bracketed a large river stone fireplace on the far wall. A book lay facedown on the arm of the sofa, waiting for the reader to return. She felt as if she were looking at the room through the lens of a filmmaker’s camera. The picture was warm and inviting, but she felt strangely disconnected to it, as though it were a hollow imitation of the real thing.

  “This used to be our weekend home when I was a kid. My parents moved out here permanently after my dad retired,” Braden said, breaking the silence between them.

  Beth turned to face him. “And where, exactly, is here?” She tried to keep her tone flat and neutral.

  Braden winced and stuffed his hands in his pockets. “Sorry. We’re still in Oregon, not far from Washington, actually.” He shifted under her flat stare. “On the coast, west of Portland.”

  “Oh.” The longer Beth watched him—the way his shoulders drooped, the way he cautiously stared at her, the tentative voice he used to speak with her—the faster her anger began to slip away. Unwilling to deal with whatever emotions would be left behind, she moved toward the kitchen.

  The typical noise of a family breakfast filtered out to her as she moved closer. Forks clanked against plates and irregular laughter burst through the door and down the hall. As she entered, the aroma of bacon, eggs and hash browns assaulted her senses. A huge granite island dominated the room, and several counter-height barstools circled the arched edge, creating an eating space. Mr. Edwards sat on the corner farthest from the door, drinking his coffee and reading the sports page. A woman, most likely Mrs. Edwards, stood on the opposite side, turning bacon in the pan directly across from the eating area.

  The normalcy jarred violently with everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours.

  “Hey! Burrito bandito, get your own tortilla!” A young woman with pale blond hair and the clearest complexion Beth had ever seen slapped away the hand grabbing for the burrito on her plate.

  “Why? Yours is right here.” The young man sitting next to her made another grab, scowling when she yanked her breakfast out of harm’s way.

  Beth narrowed her eyes. The guy she recognized. He’d been with Braden yesterday, had bound her hands and shoved her in the trunk. She wrapped her arms around her middle, her aching ribs reminding her that he’d also Tasered her.

  “Lucy. Chase. Cut it out.” The woman pointed her spatula at the two in a way that reminded Beth strongly of Angie. “Come on in, you two, and have a seat,” she said, stepping away from the stove, moving calmly toward them, a warm smile on her face.

  Beth jumped when Braden’s warm hand settled heavily on her lower back. She stepped out of his grasp but pulled up short. Everyone stared. Even Mr. Edwards glanced over his paper in their direction.

  “Hi, honey.”

  Beth stiffened, completely unprepared for the warm embrace that engulfed her.

  “Sorry.” The woman stepped back and awkwardly ran her hands through her hair. A gesture she shared with her son. “I’m Anna, Braden’s mother.” She slipped her hand into Beth’s and pulled her into the kitchen. “You’ve already met my husband, of course. But I don’t think you’ve been properly introduced to these two.”

  Anna gestured to the two sitting at the counter. “This is Lucy.”

  “Hi.” Lucy smiled, glancing over Beth.

  In another reality, Beth might have thought she was being weighed and measured in an attempt to determine if she was suitable for Braden.

  “And this is Chase.”

  Steady eyes caught hers. “We’ve met,” he said.

  “I’m aware you’ve met.” Anna’s sneer perfectly complemented her tone. “I said properly introduced, didn’t I?”

  He ducked his head, but Beth caught the smile that quirked his lips. “Yes, ma’am.”

  For a long moment, Anna stared at him, hands on her hips, expression fierce. She threw up her hands, muttered something Beth didn’t catch and moved back to the stove. “The two of you move over so Elizabeth and Braden can sit together.”

  There was bit of shuffling, a little shoving and a lot of plates and forks clanking together, but they moved down toward their father, leaving enough empty stools for Beth and Braden to sit next to each other at the end and still have a few vacant in the middle.

  “Now Elizabeth, how do you like your eggs?”

  The casual question took Beth off guard. She floundered for what to say and glanced around at everyone else’s plates. “Scrambled is fine.”

  Beth watched, Braden hovering beside her, as Anna cracked a couple of eggs into the pan and began to briskly beat them with a fork.

  “Mike’s on his way. He should be here in a few minutes.” Anna’s stern glare turned on Braden. “You should never have let him leave last night, knowing she was hurt.”

  “I’m fine.”

  “You aren’t.” Braden looked at her wrists, which were still raw and painful, even after she’d done her best not to irritate them in the shower.

  Beth opened her mouth to contradict him. She was fine. She didn’t want to see Mike, whoever he was.

  “Please don’t argue.”

  She jerked her hand away when he tried to cover it with his own. He clenched his fingers, but pulled away.

  “Mike’s our family doctor. Let him check you over, make sure everything’s okay.”

  “You call the family doctor for all the people you kidnap?” Beth let the full force of anger consume her face when Braden opened his mouth. “I’m sure that’s simple to explain. Sorry to call you out here doc, but we Tasered a girl, then tossed her in the trunk of the car yesterday. We just want to make sure she’ll live.”

  “Nobody said anything to me about a Taser!” Anna’s irate voice broke through most of Beth’s anger. “A Taser, Braden? How could you?”

  Braden jerked away from his mother. “That was Chase!”

  Anna rounded on Chase. “Apologize. Now.”

  “But…”

  “Both of you. Now.”

  “Sorry.” They muttered at the same time, obviously unwilling to ignore their mother’s edict. Braden wouldn’t look at her and Chase suddenly took a ravenous interest in his breakfast. Anna pushed a plate of freshly scrambled eggs and steaming bacon in front of her.

  “What would you like to drink?”

  “Uh…”

  “We’ve got orange juice, milk, water, coffee…”

  “Orange juice is fine.”

  Anna turned away and pulled a glass out of the cabinet.

  “That was awesome!” Lucy leaned across the two empty chairs between them, a huge smile broadcasting perfect teeth. “No one can make them cower like Mom.” Her eyes danced with amusement. “I bet if you squeeze out a few tears she’ll actually hit them with her spatula.”

&nbsp
; Despite herself, Beth grinned.

  “Eat your breakfast, Lucy.” Anna placed a glass of juice in front of Beth and handed her a fork. “Go ahead, you must be hungry.”

  She was, Beth realized. She’d thrown the sandwiches Braden had brought her at his head last night and she hadn’t been tempted to touch them later. Picking up her fork, she speared a fluffy bit of eggs. “Thanks.”

  “Sure.” Anna gave her a small smile of approval as she ate the first bite. Then she turned to Braden. “You can get your own plate.”

  Braden huffed, but slid out of his chair without further protest and grabbed a plate.

  “Do I smell bacon?” Another man, close in age to Braden, walked through the door, dropping a small bag from his shoulder to the floor. Tall and a little rangy, he had a narrow face that sported a pair of frameless glasses. He was obviously at home in their kitchen and there was something deeply familiar about his smile.

  “You do. Are you hungry?” Anna asked, already reaching for another plate.

  “You bet.” He pulled the chair out next to Lucy and ruffled her hair.

  “Hey!” She shoved him in the shoulder, complaining around a mouthful of eggs.

  “Don’t talk with your mouth full, Lucy.” Anna set a plate in front of Mike. “Mike, this is Beth.”

  “Oh, Beth. Hi.” He smiled widely and held out his hand.

  Transfixed by the familiarity in his face, Beth absently shook his hand.

  “Nice job by the way.”

  “What?”

  He reached across the counter and snagged some bacon off the plate by the stove. “The cut I stitched up on Braden’s head was a beauty.” He laughed over her shoulder, obviously taunting Braden. “He must have done something to seriously piss you off—you look too nice to wield blunt instruments at men’s heads as a hobby.”

  Beth smiled again, finding it difficult not to relax a little in the strange family dynamic that permeated the room. She studied Mike’s face as he chewed his bacon. “Have we met?”

  “Nah, I don’t come into Portland too much. These guys keep me too busy out here.”

  “You look familiar.”

  “I’m told I have my mother’s grin.” He smiled again, as if to give her a comparison. “What do you think?”

  “I think I’d have to meet your mother.” For some reason Beth couldn’t fathom, he burst out laughing.

  Confused, she glanced around the kitchen.

  “Mike is Angie’s son,” Braden explained. “He’s, ah, aware of our situation. Helps us out from time to time.”

  Beth turned back to Mike. “And is your mother aware of their situation?”

  “Lord, no!” He chuckled, shaking his head.

  “So she doesn’t know you provide medical services to people who kidnap women?” Beth couldn’t quite keep the humor out of her expression when Mike choked and turned horrified eyes on her.

  “Oh God, you aren’t going to tell her I had anything to do with this, are you?” He sounded genuinely terrified.

  Lucy burst out laughing. “I knew I’d like you.” She seemed to bounce out of her chair, clapping Beth on her shoulder as she went. “I’m going to go catch a shower and change.” She paused by the door. “I’ll run into town later and grab you some things—fresh clothes, a toothbrush. Write down your sizes, okay?”

  Beth faltered under the easy gesture of friendship, but said, “Okay.”

  “Cool,” Lucy said as she flitted out of the room.

  “Seriously, though. You aren’t going to tell her, right?” Mike’s eyes were still wide as he stared at Beth. The horror of what his mother would say written clearly across his face.

  “I don’t know what I’m going to tell her.” Beth grimaced. “I’m sure she’s worried. I didn’t show up for my shift this morning.”

  “Don’t worry about that,” Braden said. “I called her last night, said you had to fly home for a family emergency. She’s not expecting you back for the next week or two.”

  “I guess you thought of everything,” Beth said and turned back to her breakfast.

  ***

  “Well, all things considered, you’re in pretty good shape.” Mike gently taped off the bandage he’d wrapped around her wrist. “Try to keep these clean and dry. I’ll leave some triple antibiotic cream with you. Use it after you wash the cuts. Morning and evening, okay?”

  Beth nodded and pulled her hands away from him. “Okay.”

  “One last thing. If it’s alright with you, I’d like to take a blood sample, run a complete work-up.”

  “Is something wrong?” Beth asked.

  “No. Nothing I’m worried about specifically. But from what you’ve said in the last half hour, and what Braden filled me in on, you weren’t bitten and turned in a conventional method. I’m betting you have some distinct knowledge gaps where your physiology is concerned. A complete work-up will help us fill those in.”

  “Knowledge gaps?” Fear skittered across the back of her mind. “Like what?”

  “Well, when we were talking earlier you mentioned you’d been taking some prescription drugs.” He flipped through his notepad. “Medication for depression—anxiety and a sleep aid, right?”

  “Yeah. But I haven’t taken them in a while.” She rubbed her hands back and forth across her jeans and tried to ignore the way Braden suddenly stepped away from where he lounged against the wall.

  “Because they didn’t work, right? Probably made you feel worse, instead of better?” Mike asked.

  “Yeah. How’d you know?”

  “Werewolf physiology is just…well, different, for lack of a better word. Some medications work just fine and very few are truly dangerous. But some medications, particularly those that influence the mind, do more harm than good. Lots of people who’ve been turned report that medications like the ones you were taking make them feel skittish, jumpy. And I’ve never met a werewolf that hadn’t experienced exasperated side effects from sleep aids.”

  “I used to wake up so disoriented. I’d feel heavy, uncoordinated. Sometimes for hours,” Beth supplied.

  “Right. That’s a consistent reaction with everyone else I’ve treated. I want to make sure all of the medications are out of your system. I can also see if there are any supplements or dietary recommendations I can make to you.” He reached into his bag and pulled out a tourniquet, vial and butterfly needle. “I can do this another time if you’re uncomfortable. But it really should be done sooner rather than later.”

  “It’s fine.” Beth rolled up her sleeve and let him slip the tourniquet around her upper arm. She looked away as he pulled the needle out of the sterile packaging.

  Her head spun as he closed fingers around her arm. So many questions raced through her mind; she couldn’t catch one long enough to figure out how to voice it. Her questions had gone unanswered for so long.

  There so much I still don’t know.

  “That’s it.” He announced a few minutes later, removing the tourniquet and storing the vials in his bag. “I’ll be back to check on you tomorrow morning.” He stood and snapped off his rubber gloves.

  “I’ll be fine. You don’t need to come back out.” She’d heal, with or without the visit. Still, she was reluctant to see him go. He’d acted as a comforting buffer between her and Braden. Since they’d moved into the living room, he’d been a solid presence between them. And, if Beth was being completely honest, an amusing one as well.

  He’d laughed and joked as he gently inspected her wrists, then carefully lifted her sweatshirt, gently probing at the bruises the Taser had left. Focusing on him helped her ignore Braden every time he pushed away from the wall and fell into a routine of pacing and glaring.

  “I’m sure you’ll be fine, too.” He said as he packed all of his medical supplies into his bag. “But I’m still going to come out and see if you need anything. I’m afraid tonight might be more difficult than what you’re used to.”

  The blood drained from her face. Tonight? “What do you mean?”
/>
  He glanced up at her question and his face softened. “Oh, nothing. Just that with the amount of stress you’ve been under and how sore I know you are…the shift tonight will probably be a little rougher than normal. So I’ll be out here first thing to check up on you.”

  Beth smiled weakly and rose from the sofa, folding her arms against her chest. “Thanks.”

  “Sure.” He must have sensed her unease because he joked, “I’ll even charge Braden double, if it’ll make you feel better.”

  “I’ll see you tomorrow, I guess.”

  The moment Mike left, Braden moved toward her, concern creasing his forehead. “You okay?”

  “I’m fine.” She wished it were true. How had she forgotten about the full moon? She never forgot.

  “You aren’t.”

  Irritated, Beth moved away from him and toward the huge windows overlooking the front lawn. “I said I’m fine.”

  “Was that Mike leaving?” Lucy came down the stairs, barefoot in jeans and a pink henley.

  “Yeah.” Braden shoved a hand through his hair and turned to his sister. “He’ll be by in the morning.”

  “Okay.” Lucy shrugged. “Mom!”

  “Don’t shout, Lucy, I’m right here.” Anna strode out of the kitchen, digging through her purse. “Have you seen my keys?”

  “They’re by the door.”

  “Okay. Grab some shoes and we’ll get going.”

  “Where are you guys headed?” Braden asked.

  “We’re going to run a couple of errands in town.” Anna slid a slim pair of glasses onto her face. “We’ll be back by dinner. I’m going to pick up stuff to make the apple turnovers Angie sent me the recipe for.”

  Mystified, Beth watched Lucy and Braden exchange a worried glance.

  “Elizabeth, we’re going to pick a few things up for you, do you have any preferences regarding toothpaste or anything?”