Blood Rites (21 page)

Chapter 24

Sally
woke up groggily. It took her a moment
to get her bearings, but then she remembered she was in the
hospital because Jen and Jacque were both healing from the wreck.
She put her hands to her head and moaned, her head felt like it was
splitting open. As she stood up slowly, she realized that there was
singing coming from the bathroom. She looked around and noticed Jen
was not in her bed, and then she remembered that Jacque was really
sick and in the ICU. She looked at the clock on the wall and saw
that it was 5:00a.m. Walking over to the bathroom door, she tried
in vain to remember what had happened last night. She gave up and
knocked on the door. When the singing continued and no one answered
her, she turned the knob experimentally to see if it was locked. It
was. She pressed her ear to the door and realized then that it was
Jen singing. Pressing closer, she strained to hear her.

"You're so hypno-something, could you be the devil,
could you be an angel, your touch is something good, feels like
going floating, leave my body glowing."

"Katy Perry? She's singing Katy Perry in the hospital
bathroom. Just when you think you've seen it all," Sally mumbled.
She knocked on the door again. Still no answer, so she started
banging. Then she was banging and hollering, "JEN! OPEN THE
FREAKING DOOR!" Wouldn't you know, she just sang louder. Why am I
not surprised, she thought.

"They said I'm afraid, you're not like the others,
futuristic werewolves'
different DNA, they like to command you," Jen continued.

"Can't you at least get the words right if you're
going to be so stinking loud!"

Just as Sally was going to resume her, so far
fruitless, banging the hospital room door flew open. She turned to
face the would-be intruder. "Why don't you freaking wolves ever
knock? Has ever occurred to you that we might be naked up in
here?"

Decebel at least had the good grace to look
embarrassed. "I apologize. I heard banging and yelling. Is
everything okay?" He asked, glancing around the room. Before Sally
could answer he spoke again. "Where is Jen?"

Before Sally could answer they both heard Jen.

"Kiss me, k-k-kiss me, infect me with your love, and
fill me with your poison,
take me, t-t-take me, wanna be your victim, ready for abduction
boy, you're a werewolf, your touch is so furry, its supernatural,
extra-werewolf-iestrial," Jen sung as loud as she could.

Sally was shaking her head in disbelief, "This is
gonna be good. I mean, she might actually be embarrassed when she
finds out you heard all that."

Decebel cocked his head as if listening for
something, then he sniffed the air, taking in a deep breath. "I
smell alcohol. Have you two been drinking?" Decebel asked in
disbelief.

"Of course not!" Sally said with obvious offense.

Decebel didn't acknowledge her answer but continued
to ask questions. "Why were you banging on the door?"

"It's locked and Jen won't answer me. It's like she
can't hear me."

"So, she might be drunk and she's trying to take a
shower?" Decebel asked skeptically.

"That. could be. a bad thing, right?" Sally pushed
out the words.

Decebel was already in action, he was banging on the
door so hard the hinges shook. Werewolf strength, must be nice.

"JENNIFER, OPEN THE DOOR!" he yelled.

There was a pause in the singing and all they heard
was the water from the shower. Both of them held their breath
waiting for her response. One beat, two beats. "Knock, knock?" they
heard her ask.

"Jen, open the door. This isn't funny," Sally
tried.

"Jen, open the door, this isn't funny who?" Jen
repeated and snickered.

"Okay," Sally said to Decebel. "You're right, she's
tore up from the floor up."

"Jennifer, I want you to back away from the door,"
Decebel told her.

"What are you going to do, Decebel?" Sally asked him
apprehensively.

Decebel didn't answer her, instead he braced both
hands on either side of the door, pulled his leg back and kicked
hard. The door didn't resist at all, it splintered where his foot
hit and then swung open. Steam came flowing out of the bathroom
looking like a living being, slipping around Decebel, seeming to
pull him in towards Jen. He started to enter but before he could
put a foot over the door jamb, Sally grabbed his arm. "Hey buddy,
she could be naked all up in here so wait. If I need you I will
call."

"You are right, I will wait here. But hurry," Decebel
relented.

Sally stepped into the steam. Jen was standing in the
shower, dancing to music that Sally couldn't hear until Jen decided
to share, that is.

"There is this decibel, on another level, boy, you're
my lucky werewolf, I wanna walk on your wave length, and be there
when you vibrate, for you I risk it all. But you're not an option,
wanna be a victim, ready for objection, and I don't remember the
words, something about poison. You're an alien, wait I mean a
werewolf, let me see your furry paws, don't know what rhymes with
paws." All of this was to the tune of Katy Perry's E.T. song. Man,
she is going to be so freaking embarrassed when I tell her she sang
about Decebel and his paws. Sally actually laughed out loud at the
though., Jen turned at the sound of Sally's voice. Sally saw more
of Jen than she needed to in an entire lifetime.

"SALLY!" which actually came out more like Swally.
"Hey chica, how'd you like my singing, pretty good right? You be my
backup, the Sonny to my chair, or like the, um," Jen screwed her
face up, struggling to come up with an adequate combination, which
she didn't. "Like the black eye to my peas." Jen laughed and nearly
fell over.

Sally jumped forward to catch her friend and keep her
from cracking her skull. "Crap! Jen, stand still."

"Is everything okay? Do I need to come in there?"
Decebel's raised voice caught Jen's attention. Great, just what
Sally need, a drunk, horny, naked chick chasing a werewolf.

"No!" "Oooh, did you bring a boy home, Sally?" Sally
and Jen spoke at the same time.

Of course,
now
Jen was eager to get out of the
shower, now that Sally was thoroughly soaked. Jen untangled herself
from Sally and headed straight for the smashed-in bathroom
door…naked…as in no clothes. Sally was slipping, trying to catch
her. She wasn't going to make it.

"DECEBEL. Incoming, drunk, naked, crazy chick!" Sally
yelled as loud as she could.

A second later she heard Decebel say something that
sounded curiously like Romanian cussing and Jen say, "Oooh, you're
freakin hot, as in h-o-," Jen was attempting to spell out hot, it
obviously wasn't going to happen.

Sally finally made it out of the bathroom, water
dripping off her. She imagined she resembled a very pissed off wet
cat. Decebel had wrapped a sheet from the bed around Jen, who was
at the moment trying to grope him. "Have we met?" she asked, "Cuz
if we haven't then we should, and by meet I mean hook up." Decebel
was gallantly trying to keep Jen's hands in appropriate areas.
Sally supposed she should help but this was just too good to pass
up. She walked over to her backpack and pulled out her phone.

"What are you doing?" Decebel's voice was
incredulous.

"I'm videoing this. This is too good to pass up. Jen
is going to have a freaking heart attack when she sobers up and I'm
going to have it all on video. It will be like a Christmas present
that just keeps on giving. Every time I need a pick me up, I just
turn on the video of Jen drunk off her rocker, groping a werewolf
who has no clue how to handle a drunk, horny teenager! This is like
the best gift ever, someone in the galaxy loves me." Sally was
laughing by the time she was done talking. Decebel, however, was
not.

Jen turned to look at Sally as if realizing for the
first time she was in the room. "Sally! Look it," Jen tried to
whisper like Decebel wouldn't be able to hear her, but it came out
more as a hoarse shout. "What's his name? He is so yummy!"

"Jen, that's Decebel, remember? Fane's werewolf pack
member?" Sally watched Jen for any recognition.

Jen was studying Decebel closely, as in had her hands
on his face. Then she ran her fingers through his hair, close, all
the while staring at his face. "Hmm, he kind of looks familiar now
that you say that..." she continued to study him, turning her head
from side to side.

Decebel looked at Sally as if looking for
instruction.

Inspiration hit. "Say something bossy to her," Sally
grinned at her ingenious.

Decebel growled at her, she shrugged her shoulders.
"Fine, be the first werewolf raped by a drunken teenage girl.
Whatever dude, it's your rep."

Decebel grabbed Jen's hands and looked her straight
in the eyes. "Jennifer, go and get dressed. Now." His voice was as
cold and firm as always.

Jen froze, then giggled as she said,"Decebel. Oh
yeah, I know you. You're so hot when you're bossy." Great, Sally
thought as she rolled her eyes, inebriated Jen thinks Decebel is
sexy when he's bossy, nice.

To Sally and Decebel's surprise Jen finally relented.
"Fine, I'll put on some clothes. But only because you asked so
nicely." Jen began to un-wrap the sheet and she was nearly naked
again when Decebel realized she meant to get dressed right there in
front of him. He moved faster than he ever had before and made a
bee line for the bathroom. "Tell me when she's dressed," he told
Sally.

"Roger that, little buddy," Sally said
sarcastically.

"Do you think he likes me? I think I like him, but I
shouldn't," Jen's voice sounded like a wounded little girl. Oh no,
Jen was going from silly drunk to sad drunk. Sad drunks were the
worst kind.

"Jen, look at me," Sally said in the sternest voice
she could muster. "Why do you think you like Decebel?"

Jen's face was blank, then she grinned. "Why would
you think I liked Decebel, silly? He's bossy, cold, mean, grumpy,
pushy, yummy, sexy, strong, tall."

"Um, Jen." She snapped her fingers in Jen's face,
which had gone all spaced out as she continued her description of
Decebel. This was bad, so very freaking bad. Jen had a crush on a
werewolf who she could never have. Damn, Sally thought, why can't
she be like other girls and like the captain of the football team,
or even some grungy high school dropout? But no, she had to fall
for a werewolf.

Jen's voice was soft. "It's no big thing, he's not an
option." She swung back to the other end of the drunken spectrum
and was spinning in circles with her arms out, singing, "He's not
an option," over and over in the same tune she had been singing
earlier. Sally grabbed Jen and helped her into her clothes and then
hollered for Decebel to join them again. When he walked back into
the room, Jen immediately walked over to him and leaned on him,
looking up at him dreamily. He walked over to the bed as Jen
continued to keep herself attached to him. When they were both
seated he looked up at Sally, "So what exactly happened last
night?"

Sally closed her eyes and rubbed her face roughly
with her hands, trying in vain to remember what happened but there
was just a black spot in her mind.

"I don't remember, Decebel," she answered
honestly.

"Okay, what's the last thing you remember?"

"Jen and I had decided to sneak into the ICU to see
Jacque. We wandered all over the hospital until we nearly got
caught by some guy in scrubs. Jen made me go on without her and
said she would stay and distract the guy."

Decebel growled. "What do you mean she was with a
guy?" He looked down to ask Jen about it but she was sound asleep,
her head leaned against his arm. Decebel gently laid her back and
swung her legs up on the bed, then covered her with the blankets.
He turned back to Sally and pinned her with his gaze. "What the
hell were you two thinking? Did I not specifically say to not do
anything stupid?"

It was clear to Sally that nothing she could say
would calm the pissed off werewolf in front of her, so she didn't
even try. "Look, Jacque is our best friend, she's all alone in a
room with tubes and crap stuck to her, she's in pain, and she's
scared. We were not just going to leave her like that all by
herself."

"I understand that, but you could have asked for help
instead of attempting it on your own," Decebel told her.

Sally's jaw dropped open, baffled by what she had
just heard. "Are you saying you would have helped us?"

"I'm not going to say that I wouldn't have tried to
talk you out of it, but knowing this one," he nodded his head in
Jen's direction, "she wouldn't have relented. So yes, I would have
helped you."

"Wow. Well, next time we want to break some rules we
will definitely recruit your expertise."

"Good, now do you remember anything else? Did you
make it into the ICU? Do you remember coming back to your room?"
Decebel fired question after question at Sally.

"Hold up, Dec. Let me think," Sally told him, holding
her hands up in an effort to get him to stop. "I remember standing
in front of the ICU doors and I was trying to figure out how they
opened and then..." Sally furrowed her brow, trying so hard to
remember what had happened.

"Hold on, you guys got past Skender, right?"

Sally nodded her head yes and watched as Decebel got
up and walked to the door. He stuck his head out and she heard him
ask Skender to come in. Skender walked in, shoulders slumped
forward, and Sally could tell he was getting ready for his butt to
be chewed on by his pack Beta.

"Skender," Decebels' voice was low and demanded
truth. "Could you please explain to me how two teenage girls were
able to get past you?"

Skender looked at Sally and then at Decebel. "It must
have been when I went to the bathroom. I wasn't gone that long, and
the room was so quiet I figured they had gone to sleep." Skender
stumbled over his words as fear rolled off him.