The Werewolf Whisperer (The Werewolf Whisperer Series Book 1) (45 page)

"Get
'em!" Lucy took off after the Weres without hesitation.

Pursuing
the Ferals at a good clip, Lucy and Xochitl followed the side street up a hill
and out of town. They quickly came to a narrow bridge traversing a small
rushing creek. The water wound its way into the forest, and Lucy saw the Ferals
splash along the stony banks and disappear among the trees. The road stopped on
the other side of the bridge, turning into a narrow dirt path. Lucy and Xochitl
abandoned the path and angled toward where they thought the Ferals would
emerge.

The
spring sun had gently warmed them while in town, but the temperature dropped
several degrees as soon as they entered the shadowed thicket. Lucy shivered.

The
fragrance of earth and sequoias filled Lucy's nostrils, and the damp air
caressed her skin.

They
couldn't continue their all-out run amidst the trees but hurried along with
caution. Lucy's senses awoke, and she felt very in tune with her surroundings
— colors were a little brighter, sounds clearer, scents sharper.

"This
way," Lucy whispered. "They aren't far."

Xochitl
gave Lucy a look that said, "I'm not going to ask," and pulled her
Bowie knife from its sheath.

They
hadn't gone more than a dozen steps, careful of their footing through the
raised roots and soft dips of the forest floor, when howls and whines intercut
with a volley of high-speed Mandarin echoed through the trees.

In
the clearing ahead stood a tall, muscular man —
white male, mid-to-late twenties, approximately six foot three, dark blond
buzz cut, green field jacket, washed out jeans.

The
tall man casually held Kai by the nape of the neck, dangling him three feet
above the ground like a helpless puppy. The boy kicked and flailed, but the man
didn't budge.

"No
phones, dawgie," he said and tucked Kai's cell phone into one of the cargo
pockets of his jacket. "Don't fuss." His words had a soft lilting
drawl Lucy couldn't place.

Kai
shook himself and yelled, "Fàng wǒ xìa lái! ¡Cabrón!" He flexed
his entire body and swung himself forward with gravitational impossibility. "Gǒu
níang yǎng de! I'm gonna bite your face off."

The
man laughed out loud but held tight. "Well, aintcha just a regular Tower o'
Babel."

Catching
Xochitl's eye, Lucy pointed to Kai and described a half circle with her index
finger. Then she pointed to Xochitl and flicked her fingers toward the man.

Xochitl
nodded, understanding. She stepped into the clearing.

"Hey
pendejo, put him down!" Xochitl shouted and flourished the long knife.

Lucy
picked up a thick branch and held it with both hands like a cudgel. She circled
around the man, hiding herself behind the trees until she stood nearly behind
him.

"Aitcha
cute as a punkin'," the man called out to Xochitl. His voice was warm and
deep. "Why don't ya put down the knife so we can discuss this, darlin'."

"Kiss
my ass!" Xochitl sounded insulted. "Let go of Kai, cabrón!"

Lucy
took a chance and dashed into the clearing, ready to bash the man on the head
with her makeshift cudgel. A low growl stopped her. She skidded to a stop to
see the three large Ferals who had chased Kai stalk toward her from behind a
boulder.

Wait! Those can’t be Ferals. They're too
big.

They
were all adult males, dressed in similar denim and flannels. They had sharp,
angular features and long wild hair. Their lean bodies reminded her of hungry
desert wolves. Their eyes gleamed.

Not Werebeasts either.

They
slinked toward her, sharp teeth bared. Their hands slowly and deliberately shifted
into claws.

Lucy
took a step back.

Holy shit! They're controlling their
transformation. How?

"Looks
like we got us another critter," the tall man said. "Git it!" he
commanded, and they charged.

"Off!"
Lucy shouted.

The
creatures stopped in their tracks. Lucy heard Kai drop to the ground and swear.
She looked over to see Xochitl leaping forward to retrieve the boy.

"Down.
Stay!" Lucy called out.

The
trio crouched and whined, turning their heads to the man. He stood still,
having let go of Kai and not moving toward Xochitl. Anger flashed in his bright
green eyes, his calm broken.

"Fuck
me!" he rasped.

Kai
sat on the ground, head tilted and awaiting Lucy's next command.

"Kai,
go with Xochi!" Lucy ordered him away from the man. "Xochitl, go get
the gun and the cuffs."

"You
'got' him?" Xochitl's eyes were big and round. "Is he a Werebeast?"

"No."
Lucy felt short of breath. "Something else."

"Be right back." Xochitl
grabbed Kai by the hand, and they disappeared into the forest.

*

"I
hate the woods," Xochitl mumbled and motioned for Kai to take point. They
headed out of the woods and back over the small bridge that linked the town to
the forest. She grasped her Bowie knife tight, her adrenaline pumping in her
veins making her both jittery and acutely aware of her surroundings. Kai seemed
on edge too. Not since they'd rescued him in San Pedro had Xochitl seen the kid
so vulnerable, and she wondered if his encounter with the Alpha Dog and his
pack had been too much for the teen Were.

Driven
by urgency, Xochitl picked up the pace. They sprinted onto Main Street and past
The Trading Post where the sight of El Gallo made Xochitl feel a little more
centered.

 
Everything'll
be okay. I'll get the Remi, get Lucy and get the hell outta Dodge.

*

Lucy
and the man stared at each other. His face was narrow, high cheekbones and a
fine straight nose giving his features a chiseled appearance. His eyes glowed a
preternatural green, and his lips pressed together in frustration. He struggled
to break free from her command; she could see him straining his neck.

His
companions settled comfortably on the ground, gazing at Lucy in adoration. Lucy
almost snickered. The man looked like he wanted to kick his Betas.

"Who
are you?" Lucy finally said and stepped closer to him.

He's
taller than Gabe. Clean-shaven. And he smells familiar.

"Name's
Rylan." He'd recovered his cocky attitude.

"Lucy
Lowell."

"I
know. I've been looking for ya," Rylan answered. His eyes bored into her
as if he were trying to read her mind.

"Did
Hanna send you?" It occurred to her that this Rylan could be the friend
Hanna asked her to seek out in Tolinka Hills. It could all still be a huge
misunderstanding.

"You're
makin' a mistake, Lucy Lowell. Trustin' all the wrong people," Rylan said
quietly. He seemed to have more to say, but a piercing whistle from the woods
cut him off, and he turned his head sharply to the side.

Lucy
took her eyes off of Rylan, spun in the direction of the whistle and raised her
cudgel.

Lightning
fast, a team of five figures in black tactical gear closed in around them. A
shot rang out before Lucy could release Rylan from her command. A red
tranquilizer dart appeared on his chest, and he crumpled to the ground.

Lucy
charged the man who'd shot Rylan and brought her cudgel down on his shoulder.
The branch cracked, the man's collarbone shattered, and he let go of his rifle.

Lucy
felt two painful bites in her side. An agonizing electric current shot through
her and dropped her to her knees. All was pain, and she writhed for what seemed
like an eternity. Lucy knew that she was surrounded and tried to scream for
Xochitl. The pain let up as suddenly as it had come. Lucy sat up as fast as she
could only to see the butt of a rifle come toward her face. She felt her jaw
crack, and she fell back down. Her head bounced on a hard surface and
everything went black.

*

Xochitl
adjusted the Karambit knife harness. She'd felt much better with her weapons
sheathed in their proper places and her Remington 12 gauge gripped in her hand.
She shut El Gallo's trunk and turned to Kai.

Kai's
head darted back and forth. His body tensed, anxiety pouring off of him.

"You
okay, kid?" Xochitl touched Kai's arm. Kai swung around, his eye's glowed
gold, and he bared his razor-sharp teeth. "Kai?" She backed off.

Kai
cocked his head, and from the direction of the forest, Xochitl heard the echo
of gunfire.

"Láng
jiějie!" Kai barked and took off down Main Street toward the edge of
town.

"Kai!"
Xochitl bolted after the teen Were, who had already passed the Trading Post and
was almost to the edge of town when he suddenly stopped.

Xochitl
slowed her pace as she caught up to Kai. "What the hell, kid?"

Kai
threw up his hand as if to say "quiet."

¡Híjole! He's a carbon copy
of Lucy.

"What?"
she whispered.

"Pendejos."
Kai crouched down and pointed to an alley between a deserted barbershop and a
dilapidated pink Victorian house trimmed in purple.

"Shit!"
Xochitl spat, thinking she'd have to fight off a pack of Weres. She flanked Kai
as they scurried up to the edge of the barbershop and peeked down the alley.

Three
well-armed men in black were loading Kai's mystery assailant and two of his
pack into a black military Humvee. Another man in tactical gear was grasping at
his left shoulder while his buddy dragged an unconscious Lucy toward the same
vehicle.

"LUCY!"
Xochi and Kai shouted at the same time.

Kai
darted from behind their hiding place and sprinted down the alley. Xochitl
racked her shotgun and rushed after him.

Kai
leapt into the air and landed on the man with the broken arm. He pounded on the
man's face, clawing and ripping at his vested chest. The man desperately tried
to push Kai off, but the Were continued slamming his fists down on the bleeding
and broken man. With a roar Kai ripped into the man's neck with his razor-sharp
teeth. The man choked, his body convulsed and squirmed, then stopped.

"Drop
her!" Xochitl yelled, pointing the shotgun at the man dragging Lucy. He
froze in horror at the bloody evisceration of his comrade.

Lucy's
kidnapper dropped her to the ground with a thud and then turned to Xochitl. He
grabbed at his sidearm but was too slow.

Xochitl
fired. The man flew back into the barbershop's brick wall and collapsed
lifelessly on the ground.

"Get
him in here!" a female's voice shouted.

Xochitl
saw the same petite blonde behind the wheel.

Another
black-clad commando reached from inside the Humvee and pulled the Alpha Dog
from the woods the rest of the way in before slamming the door.

Xochitl raced after the vehicle, firing
her shotgun as it sped away.

*

Lucy
lies still, in silence, in darkness. She feels squirming things around her,
wiggling, squishy things press against her so lightly, like they are nothing.
Bubbling of liquids on her inside, pieces of her that should remain solid drip
downward. Under her body the sap pools, and she feels herself sink down
evermore. She can't see, but in the sockets of her eyes, in her mouth, in her
nose she feels a tickle of movement. Something slithers through the seat of her
consciousness, and she knows that here in the darkness she is not alone. A
primal scream rises in her, but she has no voice, no release. The scream dies
as madness comes.

Lucy
felt her body shaking and bumping as two sets of hands carried her. She could
feel pressure on her shoulders and her feet, but she was unable to see. Xochitl's
voice sounded from a distance.

"Who's
the blond puta I'm seeing everywhere? Who's the Alpha Dog? Why did he grab Kai?
Why did those pendejos grab him? Why did Hanna send us here?"

Hanna.

Lucy's
entire body seized, and she tasted blood in her mouth. She heard Hanna's words
blast through her brain.

"Do
it!"

The
command. She pulled the trigger.

"Do
it!"

The
bullet ripped Mama open, bone cracked, blood flowed. And life was gone.

"Do
it!"

HANNA!

Lucy's
eyes flew open as Xochitl shoved her into El Gallo, and Kai pulled her arm from
the other side of the car.

"Stop!"
Lucy roared, shaking them off. She regretted the move instantly. "I might
have a concussion," she slurred, her jaw on fire.

"Fuckin'
A, hermana loba!" Kai yelled in her face. "We go now!" The boy
looked terrified. He crammed himself onto the bench seat next to Lucy and
slammed the car door.

"Luce,
those black van assholes almost got you!" Xochitl screamed. "They got
the guy from the woods and his Ferals!" She shoved the Beretta in Lucy's
shaking hands and cranked the ignition. "We gotta scram, chica!"