Parahuman (Parahuman Series) (26 page)

    
“He’ll wake up in a few minutes; a little groggy but fine.” Devan confirmed,
looking uncomfortable.

     Laney
stared at him in bemusement. The things he knew and could do were a little
overwhelming. He’d fought Jarrod with little effort. Well, actually he hadn’t
fought, but he’d held him off without difficulty. This had probably been one of
the less extraordinary things he’d done, but combined with everything else…it
could overload a mind.  

     Hali
chuckled apprehensively. “I thought only Spock was able to do that Vulcan nerve
pinch.”

     Devan
looked at her in confusion. “Who’s Spock?

    Laney
couldn’t hold back a small nervous laugh. Devan switched his gaze back to her.
“No one real.” She answered. “We should get him up off the ground.” Laney said,
bending down to grab one of Jarrod’s arms. Devan gripped his other arm and did
most of the lifting to get Jarrod up and over to a lounge chair in the backyard.

     Laney
patted Jarrod’s cheek to see if she could get a reaction. No reaction from
Jarrod, but Devan made a low rumble sound from his throat. She looked over at
him questioningly, but he’d already straightened up.

    
“Should we hang out till he comes to?” Hali asked.

     “I
don’t think I should, but I don’t want to leave you two with him alone either.”
Devan stated emphatically.   

    
“Devan, you should definitely go before he wakes up; we’ll go get Lee or John
to come get Jarrod. We’ll tell them something and have them take him home if
he’s still out.” Laney was beginning to get really anxious for Devan. She
didn’t want him to get caught in a situation where he thought he would have to
pack up and leave.

     Devan
stood hesitantly staring at her for a moment; then he was gone, walking swiftly
down the drive, away.

     Hali
chuckled next to Laney as she watched him walk away. “Well, that was exciting.
We should hang out with him more often.”

     Laney
just looked after him sorrowfully. It was completely unfair that he was the one
that had to go.   

CHAPTER TWENTY

    
Devan
drove straight home doing his best to not think about the expression on Laney’s
face, but to no avail. The look of alarm on her face spoke volumes. She wasn’t
going to want to have anything to do with him now, and he didn’t blame her.
Their association with each other seemed steeped in conflict. It was one of the
reasons Devan had tried to stay away.

     He
hadn’t been able to though. He longed to be near her, hungered for her scent,
yearned to hear her voice, ached for her touch. He was drawn to her in a way
that was hard to explain, rationalize, or logically define. It was something
beyond his sphere of knowledge.

     It
just was.  

     But
her look after he’d subdued Jarrod had been alarmed. She was rightfully fearful
of him, because when Jarrod had come after him with his fists appearing to not
care that Laney was in the way an indescribable anger had overtaken Devan. His
first priority had been getting Laney safely out of the way, and after he had
Devan had been able to get the anger under rigid control, but it had still been
there boiling under the surface. If Laney had been hurt in any way Devan was
unsure of how he would have reacted. Something told him that it wouldn’t have
been pretty though. 

     When
he arrived back at the house Devan went directly to Brett’s office. Forcibly
pushing Laney to the back of his mind Devan focused on the immediate
problem—finding out why this wolf seem to have wanted him so badly.  

    
Placing the samples from the wolf on the desk Devan began the process of
analyzing them, starting with the tissue samples. Swabbing blood from the
sample he set it under a microscope to observe any irregularities. 

     They
didn’t have the multi-million dollar equipment that the facility did, but what they
had been able to procure over the internet would be sufficient for what was
needed. They used the equipment to keep tract of Devan’s development, making
sure he wasn’t acquiring any blood or organ anomalies. 

     What Devan
was able to see from this microscope was that this wolf was definitely all
animal—the nuclei in the center of the cell testified to that. It would have
been better to have another wolf sample to compare it to so he could establish
if they were completely identical; any slight difference between the two cell
samples would be significant. He had to settle for an internet search which
revealed nothing irregular. Without realizing it a form of reassurance filled
him knowing that the animal’s blood wasn’t anything close to what his was. 

     Devan’s
blood was a mix of cells that were both animal and human. If you were to
transfuse animal blood into a human you would only kill the person, and
vice-a-versa. Somehow, because of the genetic manipulation done to Devan’s body
he was able to house both of them together, but that didn’t mean he was able to
receive human or animal blood intravenously. That’s why he had a supply of his
own blood on hand, his was the only blood he could accept; no one else had his
type. 

     The
fact that the wolf’s blood cells were all animal wasn’t completely reassuring
though. The animal’s unusual largeness and tenacity just didn’t seem normal. 

     Devan
made sure to run the standard tests for rabies and other common feral animal
diseases. They all came back showing that the animal was healthy…unnaturally
healthy. Wild animals typically had some bacteria or worm infestation; it was
the result of living and eating in the wild, but this animal had nothing. 

    
Further appraisal of the blood revealed vaccination antigens. This animal had
received the necessary medicines to prevent the frequent diseases that wild
animals habitually acquired, but who would give this wolf that kind of medicine
and why? 

     Devan
knew some animals were tagged and followed but they weren’t normally
vaccinated. The individuals who were involved in wild animal studies didn’t
like to interfere with the natural evolvement of the animal’s existence. 

     It
was possible the wolves were part of a specially tagged pack…it wasn’t unheard
of. There had been no tags on the outside of the animal to attest to this, but
it was possible there was an internal device.

     This was
going to necessitate another trip to the vets.  

     Going
through the particulates Devan had collected from the wolf’s coat he found the
expected leaves, dirt, and twigs. It all seemed rather standard and he was
about to write it off, when he came across a particulate that wasn’t standard;
at least for the Colorado region.  

     Devan’s
ponderings on this interesting detail was interrupted by a rumbling sound. For
the last ninety minutes the house had been completely silent, except for the
far off sounds of birds, chipmunks, squirrels, and other small animals going
about their daily business. These sounds were all background ambiance, which he
mostly ignored, but the rumbling of a small engine disturbed that ambiance. He
knew it wasn’t Brett because of the distinct sound of the engine.

     Devan
went over to the surveillance monitor behind the desk and punched in the
driveway. There were cameras situated all around the perimeter of the house and
forest to keep them one step ahead of anyone trying to sneak onto the property,
and at the moment the driveway camera displayed an ATV coming his way.

     Someone
driving up to the house unannounced wasn’t something he was accustomed to. The
house was self-sufficient and didn’t require utility workers to check meters,
and they didn’t have a mail man.   

    
Logically, he was confident it wasn’t The Company. They would come at him in
force, quietly; not in a one manned small engine vehicle. Punching in the other
camera locations Devan didn’t see any other movement, but just the fact that
someone unfamiliar was coming to the house set his instincts to ‘run’. 

     Going
back to the driveway surveillance Devan was able to see that the person on the
four-wheeler was slight in frame, and closer examination revealed black hair
peeking out from the bottom of the helmet.

    
Laney…Devan’s heart stuttered in response.     

    
Sprinting outside, he was waiting on the porch when she drove up to the house.

     He
stood there completely still as she parked behind his jeep and pulled her
helmet off. Her hair spilled down her back and Devan clenched his fists at his
sides, but otherwise remained still as stone. Her whole demeanor seemed
hesitant, her eyes uncertain. She was afraid of him and it tore at his
insides. 

     She
walked up to him. “I just wanted to let you know Jarrod’s fine.” She stopped at
the steps of the porch. Her gaze seemed to search his   

     “I
told you he would be.”  Devan’s voice was taut from nerves. 

    
“Well, it was just a little alarming when he just passed out.” She said, with a
slight acerbic tone. “Where did you learn to do that?” Her gaze was intent as
she looked at him, and Devan realized he’d forgotten his glasses again. No
wonder she was looking apprehensive, after what he’d done his eyes doubtlessly
frightened her now reminding her of the animal inside of him. Predator’s eyes
may be fascinating to look at, but to forget what they were attached to could
be dangerous. He focused his gaze above her head not wanting to make direct eye
contact.  

    
“Where do you think?” Devan answered her.

     “Why
would they teach you stuff like that?”

     “I
was the prototype for a genetically enhanced soldier; they taught me a lot of
stuff.”  He replied stiffly, uncomfortable with the subject.   

     She
was silent for a moment as she absorbed this, and he kept his face impassive as
she did.  It was likely that everything Devan had told her this morning was
actually starting to sink in. She walked up the steps and leaned against the
railing of the porch across from him. Devan automatically moved back against
the opposite railing, putting distance between them. Being in her presence was
enough of a distraction, standing near her would only make it worse.    

     “Were
you
to become a soldier; are those the plans they had for you?” She
asked.  

     “Brett
says no, they were going to let him keep me as his test subject.”

     “You
say that so casually, like you were a piece of property.” She frowned. 

    
“That’s what I was…am to them; a billion dollar piece of property.” Devan
stated brusquely. You couldn’t really dispute the origins of your birth.

     “But
you’re not.” She stated forcefully. 

     Devan
shrugged, he was what he was. 

     “Are
you mad at me?” She asked in bewilderment.

     “No.”
He said, frowning at her.   

     “You
sound upset.” She commented dryly.   

     “I’m
not.” Devan replied evenly.

     “What
you did with Jarrod back at the vet’s; I understand why you did it, but that
doesn’t mean I wasn’t shaken by it. I’d never seen anything like that before
and it alarmed me for a moment. ” 

     Her candid
statement loosened the vice that had been tightening around Devan’s heart and he
let his eyes make contact with hers. She was looking at him with a somber
expression that had no fear or anger in it. Maybe he had read her interpretation
of the incident wrong.

     “I
didn’t want to hurt him; it was the only option at the time.” He offered
repentantly.   

     “I do
know that.” She smiled softly. “The way you tried to keep him away without
actually touching him said a lot about your intentions.” 

     “Like
I said before, I can’t be associated with confrontations of that kind.” 

     “I
hated that you had to be the one to leave when Jarrod was to blame for it all. I
feel like it’s my fault that he keeps coming after you.” She sighed in
frustration. Turning away she walked to the swing hanging from the porch.

     “It
is.” He answered truthfully.  

     She
spun around at his comment, her mouth open in disbelief.

     “I’m
not trying to be rude or cruel.” Devan said hurriedly, taking a step toward
her. “Jarrod has intense emotions in regards to you; it seems to override all
rational behavior on his part. So when I declared that it was your fault I
meant it in an indirect way. He’s the one responsible for his actions though.”
Devan felt like hitting himself in the head; even he knew that definitely could
have come out better.  

     She
sat down slowly in the swing, her posture depressed. “He didn’t say anything to
me when he woke up. He just looked at me angrily and walked away. We’ve known
each other forever, but in the last couple days he’s become a complete stranger
to me.” 

     Devan
was happy and relieved to hear that Jarrod hadn’t tried to go after her; he had
not felt comfortable leaving the two girls alone with Jarrod; however, the
misery in her voice distressed him.

     “You
know, his behavior is indirectly tied to me also. It’s not just you he has
intense emotions to.” He presented in hopes of making her feel better.

     “It
is not anywhere
near
your fault.” She stressed heatedly, her posture
straightening. “I take responsibility for not seeing his deeper feelings for
me, but the way he’s handling them is all on him.”

     Devan
stood there silently, not really sure what to say to her on the subject. Relationships
were far from his area of expertise. His stomach did the speaking for him by
growling…loudly. An involuntary smile broke out over her face. “Are you
constantly hungry, because you stomach does that a lot?”

    
“Sorry,” Devan apologized. “And pretty much. I let the time get away from me,
and it’s past my mealtime.”

     “Hey,
when you’re hungry, you’re hungry.” She acknowledged with a grin.

     And
as if it was contagious her stomach rumbled also…although not as loudly. She
bit her lip trying to stop a smile from overtaking her face. An answering one
spread across his. 

     “I
guess so.” Devan observed, and then they both laughed in unison. That was twice
now she had made him laugh and it was amazing how good it felt.

     “Didn’t
you eat at The Diner?” He asked.

     “I
ordered, but when I saw you drive past I ended up forgoing it to find out what
you were up to. Afterwards, I just wasn’t in the mood.” She made a face. 

     “If
you want to come in I could make you something to eat” Devan offered
hesitantly.

    
“Sure,” she responded readily with a smile, rising from the swing. 

     He
led her awkwardly inside the house to the kitchen. Grabbing a pair of glasses he
had stored on the refrigerator Devan covered his eyes; being without them
around her left him feeling too exposed. She frowned but she didn’t say
anything.

     Brett
had made an elk lasagna last night, so Devan popped that into the microwave to
heat up.  Buttering some French bread, he sprinkled it with garlic and parsley
and set that in the broiler. Collecting milk, two glasses, a couple plates, silverware
and napkins he set them on the table. The act of getting a meal ready eased his
discomfiture somewhat. Besides being outside, the kitchen was Devan’s next
favorite environment to be in.