“Melody.” Ryne stepped out of the shadows. She started and stared at him in shock.
“Ryne! What are you doing here?” Her voice sounded raspy, but he didn’t have to time to wonder why; she was already backing towards the door.
He moved quickly, grabbing her arm and dragging her towards the stairs before she could reach the doorway. She gave a cry of pain and struggled against him.
“Let me go!” Melody tried to kick him, but he was prepared for the move by now and pulled her flush against him, wrapping one arm around her. She wriggled in an attempt to free herself and Ryne heard her inhaling in preparation for a scream. He clamped a hand over her mouth and manoeuvred so that she was pressed between him and the wall. Her struggles had her body rubbing against his, causing his body to become aroused. Without meaning to, he nuzzled against her, inhaling deeply. Her scent was heavenly, but… He frowned. Something was different. Sniffing again, he tried to place what it was.
Suddenly he gave a muffled cry of pain. She’d bit his palm! Jerking his hand away he opened his mouth to chastise her, but she spoke first.
“What are you doing? And why are you sniffing me? What are you, some kind of a dog?” Melody was pressing hard against his chest. She was breathing rapidly, heat radiating from her, yet at the same time she was shivering, her voice quavering as she spoke.
Grabbing her upper arms, Ryne held her away from him, studying her curiously, his earlier anger momentarily put aside by the new information coming at him from his senses. Her skin was pale, her eyes glassy and slightly unfocused. If he didn’t know better, he’d say she was…
Melody stiffened, gave a cry of pain, and went limp. Ryne reacted without thinking, scooping her up and running up the stairs to her apartment. Shouldering the door open, he laid her down on the couch and then stared at her nonplussed. What was going on? She was unconscious and convulsing slightly. He sniffed again and swore. Damned if she didn’t smell almost like a werewolf, but how?
Not knowing what else to do, he picked up the phone and dialled the number for Kane’s nurse practitioner, Nadia.
“Nadia? Ryne here. I have a question for you.”
The woman was a no-nonsense sort who revelled in the knowledge that she could make even the fiercest Lycan put its tail between its legs. She answered in clipped, impatient tones. “Ryne, I don’t have time for your nonsense. Kane’s just put everyone on high alert and I’m too busy—”
“Too bad.” Ryne wasn’t in the mood for her attitude and had no compunction about throwing his authority around. “Listen to these stats. Female. About twenty-five years old. Unconscious. Giving off heat like a blast furnace. Slight convulsions. Eyes were glassy and unfocused before she collapsed and she seemed to be in some sort of pain.”
“Ryne, I don’t—”
“And she smells like a wolf.”
His last statement stopped the woman’s protests. “Twenty-five, you say? Hmm… Rather old for undergoing her first change… What’s her family background?”
“How the hell should I know?” He ran his free hand through his hair. “Nadia, up until five minutes ago, I thought she was a pure-blooded human, but for some reason her scent’s changed since I last saw her and now it’s distinctly werewolf.”
The woman snorted. “Well obviously, she wasn’t fully human. There must be some recessive were-genes in her background and something triggered them. Did you bite her during sex?”
“No! I didn’t bite her.”
“Was she having sex with another were?”
Ryne thought of Bryan and Daniel, but knew they hadn’t been near her. Hell, if they had, he’d rip their throats out. “No. Just me.”
“Well, something happened. It would take a combination of at least two bodily fluids and sometimes three to activate latent genes.” She listed them off. “You’d need semen, saliva, and or blood; are you sure you didn’t nip each other by accident?”
Thinking back to the last time they’d had sex, Ryne replayed the scene. He’d dragged her into Armand’s office. She’d been drunk, almost playful at first before they’d started to argue. When Melody had tried to leave, his wolf had taken over. He’d pulled her back and they’d struggled before… A groan escaped his lips when he realized he hadn’t used a condom.
“We had sex and I didn’t use a condom, but I’m sure I didn’t bite her.”
“What about in the period following? Could there have been an accidental blood exchange in, oh, say—the next twelve hours? As long as there were traces of semen in her body, a blood exchange could still trigger her recessive genes even without saliva.
Accident? The word had Ryne swearing under his breath as he thought about the bar fight. He recalled falling and landing on top of Melody. His nose had gushed blood everywhere and later on, hadn’t he noticed Melody with a bloody cloth on her arm? Was it possible that his blood had seeped into her wound? Picking up her arm, he pushed her sleeve out of the way. A faint scar marred the creamy surface of her forearm. When he sniffed the area, he had his answer. Damn!
“Nadia, the mystery is solved. I know how it happened, now what the hell do I do about it?”
“It sounds like her body is trying to adapt to the cellular and chemical changes it’s experiencing. That’s tough on anyone, but since it’s the full moon tonight, her body is also trying to undergo its first transformation and she’s not ready for it.”
He tightened his grip on the phone. “So what’s going to happen?”
“She’ll have bad spells like this, interspersed with moments when she feels relatively fine, but in the end she’ll either live or die, depending on how much her body can handle. There’s nothing you can really do about it. If anyone were to ask before attempting this type of thing, medical advice would strongly discourage any genetic changes during a full moon. It’s way too risky.”
“Yeah, well, this wasn’t exactly planned.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “So I just watch her and twiddle my thumbs? That’s the best advice you can give?” Ryne stared down at Melody’s pale face, hating the helpless feeling that was washing over him.
“Pretty much. Try to keep her calm. Cool cloths for the fever. Aspirin not Tylenol—that stuff’s going to be deadly to her from now on.”
“How long before I know if she’s going to make it?”
“It depends on the individual and how many generations back the connection is. Best guess is between two to five days from the initial introduction of the triggering agents.”
Ryne did the mental math. The fight had been Wednesday night. It was now Saturday morning. About two and half days. He sighed heavily. “All right. Thanks Nadia.”
Nadia’s voice softened slightly. “I hope it goes well for your friend. Does she have anything to do with the alert Kane has placed us under?”
“Yeah. Sort of.” He hung up the phone without further explanation and started to pace the room. Shit! Now what was he supposed to do? Melody was turning into one of his kind, but how would she react to the news? Ryne knew of instances when those recently changed embraced their new life while others refused to accept it, eventually going rogue and having to be terminated for the good of the pack. What category would Melody fall into? And did it really matter? She’d already betrayed them.
Ryne sat down beside her and brushed his fingers over her soft lips, tracing her brow and marvelling at her long lashes. Perfect. She’s just perfect for us, his wolf murmured. He ran the back of his hand over her cheek. The skin was hot to the touch. Yes, she might be perfect for his wolf, but what about the pack? He had to think of them first. She was the source of their current predicament.
His earlier rage surfaced. He’d told her there was to be no interview yet she’d expressly gone against his orders. Defying an Alpha, betraying the pack… Curling his fingers around her slender neck, he considered his options. It wouldn’t take much to end all this, just a quick twist and…
Ryne could feel her pulse fluttering against his fingers. His own heart was be
ating heavily, his pulse drumming in his ears, blocking out all other sounds. He licked his lips and stared at her lovely face one more time before bringing the image of Kane’s pack to mind. The good of the pack took precedence; he knew the fact as well as he knew his own name. One last time, he caressed her soft skin with his thumb and then watched with detachment as his fingers started to tighten…
No! He couldn’t do it! Pulling back his hand, his shoulders slumped in defeat. Hell, what kind of a weakling Alpha was he? The safety of his pack came first. But she was his female! The argument bounced back and forth. There had to be another solution. The pack could run, hide… No. If the humans found nothing, they would keep searching; rumours would grow, rewards offered… He and Kane had discussed it in detail. Only by finding something, would the searchers truly believe the supposed ‘lead’ was a hoax.
He could just kidnap Mel; carry her off… And hold her captive for the rest of her life? Eventually she would come to accept her fate… But what if she ever escaped? She’d have to be under around the clock supervision. And then there was Aldrich…
The door suddenly opened and he was forced to abandon his conflicted thoughts. Jumping to his feet, he turned to face an obviously surprised Lucy.
“Ryne, what are you doing here?”
“Hi, Lucy. I… um… ”
She walked up to him and kissed his cheek, before moving to take her coat off. “Never mind. I know the truth.”
“You do?” He stiffened, assuming the worst.
“Of course. You’re sorry for your fight with Mel and came here to make up.”
“Uh… Right. That’s it.” He latched onto the lifeline she’d unknowingly handed him. “I’m here to make things right.”
Lucy nodded, glancing at Melody lying on the sofa, her face quickly changing from a happy to grin to real concern. “Oh, is she sick again?”
“Yeah. She fainted coming into the building and I carried her up here. She has a fever. I was just going to give her an aspirin.”
“I’ll get some from the medicine cabinet.” Lucy turned to go.
“No. I already checked. There isn’t any. Um… why don’t you sit with her and I’ll go to the store.” Ryne felt the need to get away for a few minutes and think things through. Lucy’s arrival had just thrown another curve into this mess.
“Sure. I’ll take care of her while you’re gone. Don’t worry.”
Ryne nodded, gave Melody a lingering look, and took his leave.
*****
Lucy bustled about the small apartment, caring for her patient. She eased Mel’s jacket off and hung it up, then got cold cloths to bathe her face, all the while thinking about Ryne’s unexpected appearance. It was so sweet that he’d come all this way to see Mel. Whatever argument they’d had couldn’t have been all that important; they’d be able to work out their differences. Grinning, Lucy tried to picture Ryne down on his knees apologizing, but then shook her head—no, it wouldn’t happen. The man was too arrogant for that, but his heart was in the right place. He and Mel would work things out and make a fine couple when all was said and done.
Noises were coming from next door and Lucy grimaced, recognizing the sounds. Well, someone was getting lucky. It made her think of Armand and how she’d yet to share a bed with him. Was there a future for her in Stump River with the bartender? She furrowed her brow and wandered to the window considering her own future. Should she finally make the move she’d always talked about and live in a big city like this?
Staring down at the street, she watched the traffic going past, people hurrying along the sidewalks never even acknowledging the other pedestrians. A train rattled by and the whole apartment shook. If she left Stump River, would her new home be this impersonal? Yet wasn’t that what she wanted? To make a new start where no one knew her or her reputation? It might be exciting…
A long black vehicle pulling up at the curb caught her attention. It screamed wealth and power from its shiny chrome to its tinted black windows. It reminded her of something a crime boss might drive, and she wondered who the occupants were here to visit.
The phone rang beside her and she answered, still idly watching the vehicle below.
“Hello?”
“Ms. Greene?”
“No, this is her friend, Lucy Chalmers. Can I help you? ”
“Kindly put Ms. Greene on the phone.”
“I’m sorry; she’s not well right now. Can I take a message?” Lucy glanced over at her friend who was moving about restlessly and muttering in her sleep.
“Tell her to quit playing games with me, Ms. Chalmers, if that’s really your name.”
“What do you mean, if that’s really my name? Why would I make up a name just to answer the phone?” Geez but this town was filled with weirdos.
“Never mind. I know what Greene is up to. If she thinks holding out will get her even more money, she’s sadly mistaken. Either she hands over whatever information she has in the next two minutes, or I’m coming up to get it.”
“Coming up? Where are you?” Lucy had a sinking feeling that she already knew the answer.
“I’m parked right in front of the building. As a matter of fact, I can even see you standing at the window.”
Lucy gave a squeak of surprise and jumped towards the middle of the room. How dare this person act like a Peeping Tom! She prepared to give the man a piece of her mind, but then thought better of it, having heard all about gangsters and crime lords on her tour that morning.
“Listen, Mel’s really sick. And I don’t know anything about a report. Why don’t you come back tomorrow? She’ll likely be feeling better by then, and you can talk all about it.” She used her sweetest, most cajoling voice.
“Nice try, but it won’t work. You have two minutes.” The phone went dead.
Lucy dropped the phone and spun around not knowing what to do. Oh dear Lord, she was in the middle of some sort of crime spree! She’d wanted some excitement, but this was taking things a bit too far. She dared a peek out the window, looking up and down the street for Ryne, thinking he might know what to do, but of course there was no sign of him. Typical man, never there when you needed him! Of course, what did she expect, when he hadn’t even fixed her faucet like he’d promised! Well, she firmed her jaw, she’d just have to defend herself and Mel as best as she could.
Glancing about the small apartment for some form of weapon, Lucy finally found a large carving knife and a heavy frying pan. She was pretty sure she’d never have the guts to use the knife so left it and took the pan instead. Testing the weight of the frying pan in her hand, she took a defensive position by the door.
After what seemed like ages, Lucy heard footsteps approaching down the hall. Flexing her fingers, she checked her grip on the frying pan and braced herself for what might come. The steps paused outside; Lucy took a deep breath and held it as she watched the handle slowly turn. Letting out the breath and taking another to steady her nerves, she waited for the door to open slowly, Instead, it swung inward with enough force to make her jump. Taking no time to think, she swung the frying pan with all her might towards the newcomer. Unfortunately her aim was off and she missed her target, hitting the wall with a resounding clunk.
Before she could comprehend what was happening, something hard hit her across the head and she fell to the ground stunned.
After that, everything was a kaleidoscope of pain, sounds, and blurred images, as she drifted in and out of consciousness. She had the impression of something warm and sticky running down her face and pooling about her cheek where it pressed against the floor. Some instinct for self-preservation kept her from moving or making any noise during those times she was awake. Vaguely she heard a man’s voice talking as if on the phone.
“Aldrich here. I’ll be at the Greyson estate in an hour … That’s right. I’m inspecting the state of the property and I don’t want to be disturbed … Greyson’s incommunicado, but if you insist that I contact him, well, let’s just say that the fallout will be on
your head … I knew you’d see it my way. Have the gates open. Remember, no one is to be outside.”
A clicking sound seemed to indicate the phone being hung up, and through her lashes, she watched feet walking towards the sofa. Someone grunted, the sofa squeaked. An arm dangled near the ground… Mel? Was someone moving her? But why? And where to? The man’s voice, hadn’t he said the Greyson estate? The feet shuffled by her. The door shut and the apartment was quiet now.
Lucy forced her eyes open and stared at the tile floor in front of her. How long ago did she see those feet? Had she passed out again? The pool of blood spreading out around her head was much bigger than she remembered. She needed to tell Ryne. He’d save Mel. A hint of laughter escaped her lips as she slowly moved her hand, dipping her finger in the blood. How cliché. This was just like in the gangster movies; she was leaving a message written in blood. G – R – E –Y – S…
She tried to focus, but her eyes were drifting shut despite her desperate attempts to stay awake. Darkness was creeping in again. Tired… so tired. It felt good to quit struggling, to drift away where there was no pain, where no one knew about her past. Hmm… There was a pinprick of light ahead, flickering warmly, beckoning to her. Should she go? It might be nice for a change…
Chapter 33
Ryne trudged up the stairs to Melody’s apartment, his thoughts dark and heavy with indecision, regret, foreboding… It was more than the usual unease caused by a full moon. Young Lycans, in their first year of transformation found the effects impossible to resist, but mature wolves, such as himself, were much more controlled. If circumstances allowed, a wild and raucous celebration of the celestial event was an entertaining way to let off pent up energy. But not this month; at least not for him nor the members of his pack or Kane’s. Circumstances could hardly be less conducive for a celebration.
His head throbbed dully and he was thankful for the bottle of aspirin clutched in his hand; he’d almost forgotten to get it, having spent the last half hour aimlessly walking around the neighbourhood, lost in thought. He’d almost done it; carried out the Keeping. It was the right thing to do, yet he doubted he’d be able to live with himself afterwards. What he needed was real proof that she was turning on them. Possibly she hadn’t told this Aldrich person. Ryne hung onto that faint bit of hope with two hands. If she hadn’t told anyone and she was now a werewolf herself, well then…