He returned my smile with one of his own. "Hey. How are you feeling?"
I shifted atop the thin mattress sheet. "Weak."
He nodded. "I'm not surprised. You took a pretty heavy dose of dried wolf's bane." I tried to sit up, but my arms wobbled beneath me. Orion jumped from his chair and wrapped his arms around me before I fell back. "Easy there. You were out for over half the day."
I looked past him at the closed window. It was then I saw there was no light behind them. "What time. . .is it?" I choked out.
He propped me up on the pillow and sat back down. "About nine at night." A mischievous smile slipped onto his lips. "The doctors didn't think you'd wake up today, but I knew a good mystery couldn't keep a good reporter down long."
I snorted and shook my head. "A good reporter. . .wouldn't have gotten herself into that kind of mess."
He leaned forward and set his hand over mine. His eyes looked into mine and he winked. "For what it's worth, I think you did a pretty good job of getting out of that mess. It's not everybody who can face a crazed werewolf and get out unscathed."
I frowned. "So it was the Sickness?"
He sighed and nodded. "Yeah. I probably got it from fighting too many infected people, and it took a few days to show up. I came to a few hours after you tossed the bane into my face and managed to get us both to the hospital."
I furrowed my brow. "What kept you from changing sooner?"
Orion pulled the covers up to my waist and smiled at me. "Wolf's bane is the main ingredient in the Sickness antidote. The doctor's are guessing my natural immunity also warded off the Sickness, at least for a little while."
I rolled my eyes. "Is there a werewolf survival guide I can get a hold of so I can know this stuff before I end up in the hospital?"
He chuckled and shook his head. "Nope. Besides-" he leaned forward and wagged his eyebrows, "-I happen to admire your posterior in that gown."
A hard blush came to my cheeks and I glared at him. "You perverted-" My tirade against his lecherous ways was interrupted by a knock on the door.
We both turned our eyes on the door. Orion frowned. "Come on."
The door opened. The first to enter was a bouquet of roses followed by the person who held them. It was Mayor Darnell. She slipped inside and closed the door behind her. A smile lay on her lips as she strode over to the bed.
"I'm glad to see you're well, Miss Lyal," she commented. Her eyes fell on Orion. "And you, as well, Orion."
Orion pursed his lips and stiffly returned the compliment. "Good evening, Mayor Darnell. What brings you here?"
She held up the bouquet. "I thought I would bring these for the newest member of our community." Her eyes flashed and her voice tensed. "And a warning."
Orion stood and stiffened. I noticed his hands flexed at his sides. "What kind of warning?"
She strode over to the table beside the bed and placed the bouquet in an empty vase. Her hands deftly arranged the flowers as a small smile curled onto her lips. "Your mate's life was threatened because you chose to ignore our gentle hints." She turned to us and her smile fell from her face. Her eyes narrowed and she pursed her lips. "Please do not interfere with this investigation."
Orion's eyebrows crashed down. He balled his hands into fists and a growl rumbled from this throat. "So there is a cover-up."
Darnell frowned. "It is merely a precautionary action. If the town was to know there was a strange among us they would understandably be concerned." She nodded to me. "For proof you need only recall the last city council where your mate was introduced to them."
Orion narrowed his eyes. "So this is for the greater good, is that it? You let some infected maniac run loose because you don't want to deal with your own failure at catching them?"
"We have the situation under control," she insisted.
He scoffed at her. "Like a chicken in a fox's mouth. Whatever this thing is, it's in an entirely different league from the police squad."
Mayor Darnell sighed and shook her head. "I had hoped reason would persuade you, but I see I was mistaken." She strode over to the door and grabbed the handle, but paused and looked over her shoulder at us. "I have given you several warnings. This is my last. Do not interfere, or I cannot be held responsible for the consequences." She slipped out and shut the door behind her.
Orion curled his lips back and let loose a deep, reverberating growl. "That bitch. She's willing to get everybody infected just so she can claim the credit of capturing that thing."
I leaned forward and wrapped my hand around his arm. He looked to me and I gave him a smile. "Easy there. Mab's nickname for you is starting to show."
Orion's shoulders slumped. He sighed and set his hand over mine. "Yeah, but I won't let her win this fight. You and I are going to bring down both this monster and the mayor."
I arched an eyebrow. "Brave words, but where do we even start?"
He smiled and tapped the side of his nose. "With this, and our eyes."
I frowned. "We already tried those. That's why I'm laying in this bed."
He chuckled. "Now this is serious. Now the hunt is on." He held his hand out to me and our gazes met. "I won't let them beat us. Will you?"
I snorted and clapped my palm into his. "Hell no. But first-" I glanced down at myself, "-where the hell are my clothes?"
Orion pulled a paper bag from beneath his chair and presented it to me. "At your service, madam."
I took the bag and pointed at the door. "Out."
His face fell. "Is that any way to reward me for holding your clothes."
I pushed him toward the door. "If you stay in here I'll never get these clothes on, now out."
He sighed and shuffled outside. A quick change and I felt like a new, and healthier gal. I opened the door and found Orion leaned against the wall on the right of the entrance to my room. The hall stretched to the left and right, and was filled with plain white doors. A small wide spot with a pair of elevators was situated a few yards to the right of my room.
I stepped in front of him and smiled. "All right, junior reporter, where do we start using our sniffers?"
He pushed off the wall and smiled. "So now I'm a junior reporter?"
I shrugged. "I thought I'd promote you. You've been mildly useful so far."
He took my arm and looped it through his own as he led me down the hall. "I thought we'd start where they left off at the meadow."
I arched an eyebrow. "Why there? Wouldn't the cops have gone over that place?"
He nodded. "Yes, and that's exactly why we need to go back."
I frowned. "Explain it to me, or I'm demoting you."
Orion chuckled. "It's elementary, my dear reporter. Their prey is smarter than them, otherwise they would have captured him a long time ago. That means that they're the ones being hunted, and not the other way around."
I furrowed my brow. "So that means that wherever they went, the werewolf followed behind them?"
He grinned and nodded. "Now you're starting to think like a Hunter."
We reached the elevators and took one from my third floor suite to the ground floor. To our right ran the long hall to the corner of the building, and to our left lay the front lobby with its sitting room and doors to freedom. On the left stood the front desk, and on the right were the fabled doors.
Orion and I strolled down the hallway and into the lobby. Behind the long, tall desk was a white-coated doctor and the front desk secretary. They both examined a clipboard.
The doctor looked up at our coming. "Orion! Miss Lyal!" He gave the clipboard to the secretary and hurried around the desk to cut off our hasty retreat. "Where are you going?"
Orion nodded at the front doors. "Out. We need some fresh air."
The doctor shook his head. "I'm afraid I can't let either of you through. You need a few more days of observation to make sure neither of you are infected."
Orion frowned. "Both of us? Even after I've been cured?"
The man nodded. "Yes. It's a new precaution
set up by emergency decry of the mayor."
My eyes flickered to Orion. "That lady is thorough."
Orion pursed his lips and nodded. "Very."
The doctor gestured down the hall from where we came. "If you would both follow me I can take you to the isolation area."
Orion shook his head. "I'm afraid not, doc. We really have to be going."
Orion grabbed my hand and pulled me in the opposite direction of the doors. "Wait! Come back!" the doctor yelled.
"Is this a good idea?" I yelped as he dragged me at high-speed down the white corridor. In front of us was the end of the building and the right-turn around the corner.
"Do you have a better idea?" he countered.
He skidded to a stop as a pair of blue-uniformed officers rounded the corner. I bumped into him and frowned. "Yeah, like not getting caught."
"Then do I have a plan for you," he quipped as he dragged me into the room to our left.
The sole bed was occupied by a white-haired gentleman. He sat up at our coming and winced when the door slammed against the wall. "Orion, what are you two-"
"I'll talk later, Mr. Aude!" Orion interrupted him as we raced past the foot of the bed.
On the wall opposite the doorway was a large window that looked out on the brown lawn that surrounded the hospital. My eyes widened as Orion tightened his grip on my hand and positioned himself in front of me. He leapt into the air, taking me with him. His shoulder crashed into the glass, shattering the window into a million twinkling pieces. We were showered with shards of glass and our feet crunched down on the broken pieces strewn over the lawn. That was one obstacle down, a few more to go to freedom.
18
We hit the ground running and took off across the lawn toward the parking lot that surrounded the grass. I glanced over my shoulder. The officers leapt through the hole in the window and raced after us. They were just a little faster.
"We have. . .a problem!" I gasped.
Orion looked over his shoulder and frowned. "I see what you mean." He pulled me into his arms and picked up speed. The officers didn't gain any more ground between us, but we weren't losing them.
We sped across the black pavement and yellow lines, and into the depths of the town. Orion slid into the nearest alley and ran down the dirt path. He pulled something out of his pocket and dropped a leather bag into my lap. The top was closed with a thick mess of string.
"Open the string and toss the bag over my shoulder!" he ordered me.
I picked up the bag and fumbled with the drawstring. "Why do guys always have to make these things so tight!" I growled.
I finally got the string untied. The top opened and I was hit with a powerful blast of fishy smell. I clapped my hand over my nose and coughed. Never was I so happy to get rid of something as I was to throw that bag behind us.
My aim wasn't great and the leather bag hit the exterior of a nearby garage door. The impact occurred even with the lead officer. The policeman skidded to a stop and raised his nose to the air. I could see his nostrils flare as he turned his head left and right. The others behind him stopped and did likewise. One of them whipped his head to the left where lay the bag. He lunged at the container just as his fellow officers figured out what they knew. They tackled him, and what ensued was a massive brawl for the bag.
We reached the end of the alley and turned a sharp right down the street. Orion didn't stop until we were halfway up the hill toward the tree road. He slipped into the mouth of an alley and set me down.
I sniffed my hands and wrinkled my nose. The scent lingered on my fingers. "What was that stuff?"
He grasped the corner of a fenced yard and peeked around the other side. "Salmon-scented fish bait. Most of the police for is full of were-bears, so I always keep some handy whenever I have trouble with them." He turned to me and smiled. "Besides, the fish love it."
I arched an eyebrow. "So you're telling me even a scent can throw a were-person into a feeding frenzy?"
He shrugged. "It has to be the right scent, and it has to be strong."
I stuck my hands into my pockets. "You're telling me."
He turned away and glanced around the corner again. "But it looks like the coast is clear. We should head out before they get a hold of themselves."
"Where exactly are we heading out to?" I asked him as he led me out of the alley and up the street.
"A friend of mine has a place outside of town. We can stay there until the patrol passes and then start our reporting," he explained.
We hurried up the hill and in a few minutes we reached the turn in the road. To our left lay the dirt road to the strange tree. I paused and glanced down its dark depths. My mind recalled that strange pull that led me down the lane to that mysterious grove. I felt a small bit of that, enough that I took a step toward the path.
I jumped when Orion's hand slipped into mine. He tugged me away from the lane and back to the road. "Come on. We don't have time for a detour."
I glanced one last time at the tree lane before he pulled me across the road to the forest of trees. We dove into a narrow, little-used path that wound its way through the thick trunks and brambles. Our steps had taken us twenty feet when we heard the wail of sirens behind us.
Orion ducked us behind a large tree and pulled my head down. The sirens stopped on the road, and I heard car doors open and shut. He peeked around the trunk. "Looks like they're checking out the tree first before they get to this side," he whispered to me. He took my hand and led me down the path. "That gives us some time to reach the junkyard."
I arched an eyebrow. "The junkyard? That's your hideout?"
He looked over his shoulder and smiled at me. "What better place for a couple of discarded werewolves? Besides, my friend runs the place. He'll shack us up for at least a night."
We zigged and zagged our way through the forest for a couple of miles before the path opened in front of us. The tree line stopped on either side of us and we stepped into a clearing some two hundred yards wide and long. In the center five yards from us and surrounded by an eight-foot tall metal-sheet fence stood the town junkyard. Stacked cars, fridges, and twisted hunks of metal towered above the fence.
Orion guided me over to the fence. He knelt beside a sheet of metal and peeled back one of the bottom corners. He turned to me and swept his hand toward the opening. "After you."
I squeezed through the hole and held the sheet open for Orion to wiggled through. He stood and brushed himself off as his eyes inspected the area. "Not a bad place, is it?"
I followed his gaze and cringed. Piles of diapers, rotten food, and broken appliances stood nearby. The stench of garbage invaded my nose. I clapped my hand over my nose and shuddered. "Just wonderful."
He grasped my hand and lowered it. "Don't do that in front of our host."
I arched an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean?"
He nodded at a nearby pile of composting junk. "See anything strange about that pile?"
I leaned forward and squinted. "Other than its resemblance to an ink blot, no."
He chuckled. "Your stripes are showing, Jerry."
My eyes widened as a group of orange and banana peels slunk off the pile on all four limbs. Orange paws crushed the cans beneath its toes and a long, ringed tail swung from side to side behind it. The creature lifted its head and revealed itself to be a large tiger. Its long black whiskers twitched as it stalked toward us.
I yelped and leapt behind Orion. He laughed. "Don't worry. It's just Jerry."
The tiger stopped five feet from us and raised itself onto two feet. The creature's form shifted into a half-man, half-tiger where the face wasn't quite as elongated and its back legs were longer than the front ones. I could discern the faint facial features of a man of Near-Eastern descent. "I thought I had you fooled."
Orion smiled and shook his head. "Almost, but your whiskers always twitch when you get excited."
The man brushed his fingers over his whiskers. "I will improve on that, but what has b
rought you here? Do you wish to buy some of my precious things?"
Orion pursed his lips. "This is more of a personal call, Jerry. We need you to hide us for the night."
Jerry raised one of his fur-covered eyebrows. "Hide? From whom are you hiding?"
The call of the police sirens came to our ears. Orion jerked his thumb over his shoulder. "From those."
Jerry frowned. "From the police? But why?"
Orion shook his head. "There's no time to explain. Just think of it as I owe you big time."
Jerry sighed and nodded. "Very well. Follow me."
He shifted into full tiger mode and loped into the jungle of junk. Orion swept me into his arms and we flew after our furry guide. The yard was a maze of piles and stacks. Everything from trucks to tea sets lay among the rotting debris. We reached the opposite end of the junk yard and found an oasis of clean among the desert of debris. A two-floor house stood in the far left corner of the junkyard. Its exterior walls were painted a bright white, and around its perimeter was a lush green yard.
To the left of the house lay the large front gates that stood on rollers. They were open, and a dirt road led around a bend in the trees and to the fence. A plow truck stood just inside the open gates. The noise of the sirens echoed down the road.
The front door to the house opened, and a familiar, and striped, face rushed out. It was Jasmine. Her eyes fell on us and she rushed over. "What's happened?"
Jerry nodded at us. "Take them to the basement room. I will speak with the police."
"But-"
"Please do as I ask," he insisted as he turned her back toward the house. He glanced at us. "Please follow my daughter. She will help you."
Orion smiled and nodded. "With pleasure."
I glared up at him. "Not with too much pleasure."
"Come with me," Jasmine spoke up.
She rushed back to the house, and we followed with the call of the sirens close at our heels.
19
We rushed inside to find the house as clean as its exterior. The smell of spices permeated the halls. In front of the entrance was a staircase to the upper floor, and below that was an open staircase to the bottom. We swung around the railing of the lower staircase and down to a landing. At the end of the short landing was a doorway.
Jasmine led us through the door and into the dark, cool dry basement. My inexperienced eyes made out shapes that hung from the ceiling, and my experienced nose was bombarded with the scents of strong spices.