The Minotaur's Kiss

by Erin St. Charles

  Diana completed the official duties of the handover, verifying Jaslene's identity and that she had not been coerced in any way. She refused to let her composure waver.

  Helen thanked them for their service and assured them that she would take it from there. They still had no idea who Jaslene's patron was, and most they likely never would.

  On the ground level Mac turned to look at Diana, who felt strangely calm. He eyed her quizzically, eyes wide with expectation as if wondering whether she had even heard what Bubba said about her pregnancy. They should be headed home to her place, making love, and planning their future.

  Cautiously, he said, "Would you like a ride home?"

  Diana hesitated for just a moment. She looked up at Mac and nodded.

  "Yes, I would appreciate that."

  He had a bounce in his step as he hustled her back to the garage, into the cab of his truck, and they set off. Along the way, he cast furtive glances in her direction, which she ignored. Her mind searched for clues as to her condition. How was it that Bubba and Mac knew this? She couldn't imagine how Mac would know, let alone tell Bubba. As a predator, Bubba had a keen sense of smell. Bubba must have scented her early pregnancy hormones.

  How was she going to continue her career while pregnant? They came to a stop, and Diana realized they were not at her house.

  Mac couldn’t help wondering what was on her mind. She should not be this calm. His brows furrowed as he wondered what would happen when they arrived at her house. He decided to draw out the drive to her house for as long as possible.

  But, all too soon, they were pulling up to the curb in front of her bungalow. He put the car in park and turned to her with a cautious expression.

  "So," he said.

  "So? So?"

  Somehow, Diana's calm demeanor had evaporated without him noticing. A frown line creased her smooth forehead, and her eyes went even darker with her anger.

  "Baby." He turned and shifted in his seat and leaned toward her. "I was going to tell you."

  "Really? When were you going to tell me?" Her jaw pulsed as she ground her teeth.

  His mouth opened and closed open and closed as he searched for the right words to say. Which was difficult because there were no right words. There wasn't anything he could say.

  "How long have you known about this?" Her eyes searched his. "And how the hell did Bubba Cermak know? Did it occur to you to tell me?"

  "Baby, it did occur to me to tell you." He reached out to take her hands, but she crossed them under her bosom and squared her shoulders.

  "Is... this." She waved a hand around, "why you told me you love me?"

  She didn't look angry when she said the last part. She just looked hurt.

  "Diana, baby, let me explain."

  "Explain? Explain? Explain what?"

  "I was going to tell you."

  Her eyes flashed in anger. Her bottom lip trembled, and tears welled in her eyes. Every dream he had had about being with Diana, about having a child with her and having a future, crumbled with her hurt expression.

  "I understand you're upset and you have every right to be..."

  "Well, that is really nice of you to acknowledge that I have a right to be angry. Thanks for giving me permission to be angry with you."

  Sarcasm. She was being sarcastic.

  "Bubba has a really acute sense of smell," he started. But the look in her eyes made him realize this was not the right thing to say. It was a lame thing to say. Super lame.

  Diana looked at him, blinking her eyes in disbelief. "That's your excuse?"

  "Well, wolves can smell pregnancy hormones."

  "So, what does that have to do with why you haven't told me before now?"

  Nothing. Nothing at all.

  He started to speak again, but she cut him off.

  "And how do you feel about this Mac? I mean, aside from the fact that you didn't want to tell me about this, obviously, how do you feel about having a baby?"

  Will "I am... happy." He forced a smile on to his lips. It wasn't like he wasn't happy... It was more like he never thought he would find himself in the situation and had no idea how to feel.

  Her eyes scanned his face intently. Suspiciously.

  "Yeah. I can tell! You are super-duper happy to be having a baby with me!"

  He was like a deer in the headlights under her scrutiny. She had a way of looking straight through him.

  "Tell me the truth, Mac. You don't even like who you are. You're ashamed of what you are."

  This was true.

  She reached for the door handle, and Mac put his hand over her thigh. She looked down at his hand and sneered at him.

  "Move your hand."

  He watched as she clambered out of the car. Rage made her steps jerky and a little shaky. He watched her, open mouth, dumbstruck, as she exited the car.

  "Diana... Baby..."

  But she was already gone before he made his final plea.

  He watched her ascend the steps to her house, let herself in, and slam the door behind her.

  He sat there in the car, long after she had gone inside of her house. She had told him to leave, but did she realize he couldn't leave her? She was his mate, and while she carried their child, he could not be away from her.

  He gunned the engine, steered the car away from her house, and turned the corner to park at the end of her alley. When he was certain she had gone to bed, he would drive past her house and make himself comfortable for the night...somehow.

  Chapter 38

  Saturday, October 7, 2079. Night.

  There is nothing more disorienting than waking up in the trunk of a car.

  Julie had figured out some time ago that she was being held in an abandoned bomb shelter. When the changeling visited her, he came through a door in the floor of her prison. She surmised that it must connect to the surface by a tunnel of some sort.

  About every forty-five minutes, the air exchangers whirred to life, pumping cold, fresh air into the shelter. But the last time the air exchangers came on, the air smelled sweet, bringing the drugging sleep that came with airborne chloroform.

  Julie jostled awake in the darkness. Her cheek pressed against something rough and scratchy, something lightly padded. Her world hit a hard bump and her teeth sliced through her tongue. She whimpered but refused to cry out. She knew they were no longer in the bomb shelter, and she didn't want her captor to know she was conscious. Her mouth filled with blood and she clenched her jaw against the pain, breathed hard through her nose, and pulled herself together.

  Faint red lights glowed on one side of her new prison. She was moving, no longer trapped underground. She smelled fresh air, the scent of the road, and felt the sensation of wind. Elation swelled in her chest. She was moving! She was outside! There was hope!

  She was in the trunk of a car, and he...it... was taking her to yet another location. This was not good. Nothing good happened when she was taken to the bomb shelter. Now she was being taken someplace else. But for what reason?

  She debated with herself about whether she should shift when she was in the shelter. But if she was being moved again, there was no reason to avoid shifting. When she was held underground, with no chance to escape, shifting was pointless. But she could get free now. She could get away from the changeling and run to safety.

  So, Julie shifted, enjoying the stretch of muscles, the burning of sinews as her body took on the shape the gods intended. Julie wasn't a big woman. But she was a tiny woman with a powerful kick. Surely, she could kick open the trunk and get away?

  She braced herself in the trunk. She calmed herself, steadied her breath, and braced herself against one side of the trunk. She turned her body sideways and started to kick. Her hooves made contact with the inside of the trunk. She kicked out a tail light, but the lid latch had apparently been modified. The lid would not pop open, no matter how hard she kicked.

  She continued to kick though, desperate to get free, knowing that soon the changeling would stop the
car--then stop her. But she could be deadly if she needed to be.

  She continued to kick, growing more agitated by the moment. Then the vehicle stopped abruptly, so that Julie surmised the changeling must have pulled over. She froze when she heard and felt the driver's door open, then slam closed.

  The lid of the trunk opened abruptly, and Julie looked into the beautiful, calm face of her social worker, Diana Miller. Julie tried to make sense of what she was seeing. How was Diana part of this? Was the social worker somehow involved in Julie's abduction? She had never seen Diana outside of Woodland Creatures, where her hair was always pulled back into a neat bun, and she always wore a black cassock and leggings. Tonight though, she wore a drab t-shirt and a pair of dirty sweatpants. Her hair was down around her shoulders, and her expression was haughty, appraising. Then the eyes flashed yellow, and suddenly she realized all the stories were true. The changeling had somehow assumed Diana's identity.

  The Diana changeling reached out her hand to Julie as if she were helping her out of the trunk. Julie blinked in confusion, then shrank into the darkness of the trunk as if she were afraid to come out. The Diana creature looked Julie up and down, then tilted her head in confusion as she took in Julie's legs, now covered in downy fur and with hooves instead of feet. The Diana creature reached in further to grasp Julie's hand. Julie braced her arms against the sides of the trunk and kicked the evil creature in its pretty, dark face. The creature staggered back, surprised, and let out a howl of pain.

  Elation surged through Julie's veins like liquid fire. She was no longer helpless. She could fight back.

  Julie continued to kick the changeling until it went down. She scrambled out of the car and took in her surroundings. Darkness, no streetlights. Trees. A dirt road. A prairie stretching off into the distance. She had no idea where she was. The road was deserted now. It must be really really late. And she only gave herself a moment to ponder the fact that she didn't know where she was before she sprang into action.

  As fake Diana sat up and wiped the blood from its nose, Julie hopped on top of the car to find a better vantage point. She looked around, surveying her surroundings, looking for an escape route.

  Fuck, this road is completely deserted!

  Julie felt a spindly hand close around her left ankle. She was yanked off the hood of the car. She hit the ground hard, the side of her face bouncing off the damp pavement, making her see stars. She stomped at the changeling, which was now slowly morphing back to its true reptilian form. Julie struggled mightily against the creature, her body releasing days of adrenaline and pent-up frustration through her viciously kicking hooves. It had somehow gotten tangled up with her legs, and she almost giggled with glee when she connected with the creature's flesh over and over again. It held onto her ankle as she tried to back away, palms seeking leverage on the slippery wet pavement.

  One vicious kick connected with the creature's face and she watched in horror as it howled in pain, its face seeming to cave in upon itself. It looked as if she'd kicked a hole in the middle of its face, and had she not been fighting for her life, she might have stopped to ponder how such a thing could be possible. The creature held its spindly fingers up to its face, and Julie used the moment to get away.

  She limped and set off down the road on wobbly legs, running faster than she could have in her full human form and realized for the first time she was still wearing the skimpy costume she'd worn when she had been abducted. She was shoeless but for her hooves. It was well past sunset, and it had recently rained. She smelled wet grass and sodden earth, and freedom, and she just ran. The pain in her cheek was forgotten now that she was free. She would go home again. She would see Amanda again and let her daughter know she hadn't just abandoned her.

  After a few minutes, she saw the distant flicker of headlights. Her body buzzed with adrenaline, and although she was still disoriented, she hobbled towards the oncoming vehicle, waving her hands. But the headlights did not appear to be slowing down, and when the car whizzed by her, she jumped out of the way at the last possible moment. She looked over her shoulder to see if the creature was following her.

  From what she could tell, the creature's car was still pulled over to the side of the road, its trunk gaped open. She didn't see the creature, so she kept running in the same direction the other car had come. She was confident she could outrun him, especially in her shifted form. But being shifted also made it less likely that anyone would stop for her.

  She hesitated, biting her lower lip. This was probably her best chance to get away. She had no idea where the creature had been taking her, and she didn't want to find out. She saw another set of headlights headed towards her and made a decision. Running as fast as she could, she held off until the very last moment, and as the battered light-blue pickup truck approached her, she was standing on her bare, human feet. The driver slowed down and stopped. Her distress must have been obvious, because he let her in without hesitation, and she nearly cried with relief. She grabbed the man's outstretched hand and hauled herself into the cab of the truck. She sagged against the back of the seat and sucked in gulps of air.

  The driver looked at her uncertainly, preparing to engage his Omni, when she grabbed his arm and pleaded at him with her eyes.

  "Please," Julie pleaded. "Please drive! We have to get out of here right away!"

  The driver began to turn away from Julie, his bright blue eyes fixed on hers with an uncertain expression. He took in her sleazy outfit. Cautiously, he turned back to the wheel and started driving.

  "I'll take you to the next police station," said the man, looking confused and uncertain.

  "Thank you!"

  The car had barely begun to move when ahead of them appeared another woman standing and the road, nude, looking frightened and bruised. The driver started to speak, looking at the woman on the road in disbelief.

  "What the?" started the driver.

  Julie knew instantly that it was the changeling. "Drive! Drive!" It had to be the changeling. Who else would be out here on the road at this time of night? "It's trying to kill me!"

  "Lady, I'm not leaving you, and I ain't leaving her."

  Julie watched in horror as the driver put the car in park and prepared to step out of it. She grabbed his arm.

  "Please don't!" But the man shrugged her off and stepped out of the truck. Julie wished there were something she could do, but there was nothing. She didn't have time to tell him the whole story, and she didn't think he would believe her anyway. As he stepped out of the driver side, she stepped out of the passenger side and made her way up the road again. She focused on the road ahead and made her mind block out the sickening crunch of bones breaking beneath muscles, the muffled screams she heard from her would-be rescuer. Panicking, she shifted and broke into a wild gallop at the next set of headlights she saw.

  If this one doesn't stop for me, I'm going to have to make him stop.

  Staying with the changeling was not an option. Even if he didn't stop, she would have to charge the driver.

  Faster and more nimble on her hooves, Julie ran into the light, knowing her shifter physique would help her heal after being hit.

  Unlit road. He won't be going too fast...

  She willed her body to stay loose before the impact. She leapt onto the hood of the car, felt her ankle wobble sideways before it snapped, felt her body roll over the windshield. She tucked her legs under her chin, protecting her internal organs, but, she was sure, breaking her back. She hit the ground hard and after a few dazed moments realized she was still conscious and alive.

  Through the haze of her pain and the bells ringing in her ears, she heard the car skid to an abrupt stop. A car door opened and shut, footsteps slapped the wet pavement, growing more distinct as the person came closer to her.

  Julie felt as if her head were wrapped in cotton, blinding her, muffling sounds and sensations. Then her world went black.

  Chapter 39

  Sunday, October 8, 2079. Mid-morning.

&
nbsp; The last time Diana had been in a hospital was when she had said goodbye to her father. She didn't consider herself to be superstitious, but she avoided hospitals as a rule. Hospitals were too neat, too clean in the face of pain and misery.

  She herself wouldn't be there, except for the call from Bubba, who told her Julie Wheeler had been brought in after being struck by a motorist. Diana felt it was her duty to visit her client and see to her welfare.

  Diana stepped off the elevator and into the corridor of the intensive care unit on rubbery legs. She looked around cautiously, expecting to run into someone she still wasn't prepared to talk to. Mac.

  The lights were dimmed in deference to the late hour. She took in the antiseptic walls and the floor tiles, both white with the metallic chips of recycled composite material. Sani-sweepers, disk-shaped robot cleaners, crawled along the slick walls and floors, keeping germs and infection at bay.

  Diana approached the imposing bulk of the nurse's station. Two youngish women sat behind the massive desk, eyes cast down, tapping away at their Omnis with bored expressions on their faces.

  Well, this isn't so bad.

  She let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding and approached the station. One of the nurses stared at her with a curious expression.

  T. Walker, the nurse's name tag read.

  "May I help you?" said Nurse T. Walker, looking aggrieved but alert for the hour.

  Diana sucked in a breath. "Julie Wheeler? Can you point me to her room?"

  Out of the corner of her eye, Diana saw a Sani-Sweeper sliding along the baseboard of the left corridor, its tiny blue light flashing as it puffed out wisps of antibacterial agent.

  She had always found Sani-Sweepers to be creepy. They always made her think of her father's death, and pain, and loss.

  "ID please?"

  Diana's mind had wandered into memory, but in the here and now, T. Walker wanted to see her ID. With shaky fingers, Diana activated her Omni, which the nurse validated with a wave of her hand. T. Walker tilted her head down the right corridor--the one without the Sweeper--, and Diana saw that it was lined with closed doors. In front of one door, a tall woman wearing all black stood sentry. As Diana approached the door, the other woman's stony gray eyes appraised her. Without being asked, Diana projected her ID again, and the other woman nodded and stepped aside.