“Ryan?” Sean asked, lifting one eyebrow.
Lily nodded. “Detective Martinez. He suggested we use first names, since I’m working with him on the Q.T. I may be a NYPD profiler, but I haven’t officially been assigned to this case, for obvious reasons.”
Sean frowned. “He suggested?” His tone was not a happy one.
Lily just looked at him. The last thing she needed was Sean’s alpha nature making him go all proprietary on her. Between that and Jack’s moods bouncing around like a pinball machine, it didn’t bode well. She’d come this far in establishing herself as independent and professional, she didn’t need two macho overbearing Weres to blow it for her now.
Standing on the sidewalk this long, they were starting to attract attention. From her peripheral vision, she caught the girls at reception glancing their way with more than just a passing interest. Not that she blamed them. Both men were model gorgeous, each looking like they belonged on the cover of a romance novel, bare-chested and smoldering.
Visiting hours on Sunday began at eleven a.m., and it was already near lunchtime. People milled around hospital grounds, and kids played in what was left of the snow in Bellevue South Park. First Avenue was abuzz with shoppers, despite the cold, and the day was wasting as they stood there debating.
“This is silly, and I’ve got an appointment to keep,” she huffed out, and stalked toward the main doors, leaving both Weres to follow her in from the sidewalk.
A young woman dressed in pink scrubs smiled up from behind the reception desk. Flowers waiting for delivery to in-patient floors covered the flat polished surface, but the woman’s eyes did a double take, glancing past Lily to stare at Sean and Jack as they came in the door.
The woman actually stood, unconsciously licking her lips. “May I help you?” she asked, her voice breathy.
“Yes…you certainly can,” Lily said, her over-solicitous tone dragging the woman’s gaze back toward her. Flashing a guiltless smile, Lily casually slid one of the vases to the side, essentially blocking the guys from the young women’s line of sight. Oops. Sorry…not!
Flashing her NYPD identification, Lily explained why she was here and what she needed. Not surprisingly, her name was the only one on the visitors list, but she didn’t capitulate until she had priority passes for each of them. A single word from Jack in his silky rumble would have saved her time and aggravation, but Lily would rather gag. As for Sean…ah no! Alpha-female indeed, and green-eyed monster nothing.
Smiling sweetly, she thanked the girl and then pointed herself and the guys toward the elevators at the far end of the hall.
“Not nice, Lily,” Sean murmured, as they walked away from the desk. Nevertheless, he slipped his arm around her waist and kissed the side of her temple.
“I thought the pink scrubs were sexy,” Jack said, glancing back over his shoulder to wave at the young woman still watching them with her mouth open.
“Nice, Jack. Why don’t you go back and see if you can get her digits. I’m sure she’d give you anything you asked for,” Lily teased.
“Nah, humans always end up trailing after me like a puppy. You know what they say, once you go Were, no one else comes near,” he chuckled, lifting his hand to scratch just beneath his jaw line.
“So says the poet laureate of York County, Maine,” Sean noted dryly, as the elevator doors slid open. “Last I checked, you were still the pup around here. Keep scratching like that and your leg’s going to start to twitch.”
“Ha, ha, very cute. Nevertheless, as our resident human, Lily could tell you I’m right. That’s if she’d fess up,” he shot back, stepping into the elevator car. He did a military about face, and wearing the same stupid smirk added, “Especially after the stereophonic symphony of heavy breathing I overheard last night.”
Was the boy crazy, or just stupid? Not taking his bait, Lily ignored the hot flash of temper reddening her cheeks. If they wanted to accomplish anything this morning, confrontation was not a good idea. Today required a slow burn, so she pressed her lips together and smiled. “Okay, fine. Yes, you are correct. Weres rock the bedroom. Now can you please just press the button for the lower lobby and shut up?”
Sean laughed, gathering her in his arms. “Glad you think so,” he whispered against her hair.
Lily raised herself to her tiptoes and brushed a kiss onto his lips. She caught a glimpse of herself and Sean in the mirrored wall across from where they stood. Their reflection and what it meant overwhelmed her, that he loved her, that all this was real.
She stepped back from him and cleared her throat, her eyes trained on the blue-dotted wall-to-wall carpeting lining the floor of the elevator. Get your head in the game, Saburi, you’re a professional. Focus. No distractions…regardless of how tempting.
The elevator bumped to a stop, and she cleared her throat again. A chiming ding announced the lower level, and the doors slid open to the same industrial tiled flooring she remembered from the last time she was here. A broken fluorescent bulb in the ceiling panel outside the elevator buzzed, adding to the friendless feel of the place. With a deep breath, she stepped out first into the long sterile hallway.
“Wow. This place definitely has the ‘dead man walking’ vibe down to a tee,” Jack said with a low whistle.
Lily shot him a look that said, ‘Shut it now or I’ll shoot you,’ earning her an ear-to-ear grin from the young hunter, but Sean intervened.
“Cork it, Jack,” he whispered. “Let Lily handle this. At this point, we’re only here to observe, so save the commentary, okay?”
Jack shrugged, but didn’t say another word. The double doors at the opposite end of the hall swung open, and an intern in green scrubs, complete with surgical booties and hair cap, wheeled a gurney toward the morgue’s entrance. With the swipe of an I.D. card, the automatic doors swung open in tandem, and he disappeared behind them, stretcher and all.
“Guess somebody didn’t make it,” Lily said softly, swallowing hard against the atmosphere of death that was all of a sudden abundantly obvious.
The morgue doors opened again, and Ryan stepped out into the hall. Sean’s head snapped up, his nostril flaring slightly. Whatever was left of Jack’s earlier grin melted, and both men turned in the direction of the morgue.
“That’s Martinez?” Sean asked, his head cocked toward Lily, the question a harsh whisper.
The alpha’s eyes flashed yellow, and the menacing warning sent alarm bells peeling through her head. “Yes, that’s Ryan,” she answered haltingly, her eyebrows puckering at his sudden hostility. “Did I miss something?”
Sean stepped forward, pushing Lily behind him as Martinez walked toward them. She stiffened, not knowing what Sean sensed, but she trusted his instincts enough not to question him…yet.
The air around them crackled with anticipated violence, and she bit her tongue watching Sean’s back and shoulder muscles tighten.
“You’re late,” Martinez said, as he came up to where they stood. “And I see you brought company.” His expression wasn’t a pleased one, but to his credit, he extended his hand, “I’m Detective Martinez, Lily’s partner in all this craziness.”
Sean’s eyes flashed, and he grabbed the detective by the throat to shove him up against the wall. “Who sent you? Who do you work for?” he growled, compressing his hand until the man’s eyes bulged.
“Holy Christ!” Sean’s arm moved lightning fast, and Lily bolted to where he stood like stone, staring into Ryan’s red and purple face. She pulled on his arm, but it was rock solid and wouldn’t budge. “Have you lost your fucking mind? Let him go! He’s a New York City Homicide Detective! He’s no threat to us, you giant hairball!” she said, only to have Sean snarl for her to get away.
Jack shot to his other side, knowing better than to touch the wolf at this point. “Calm down man! You’re going kill him before he can even answer you.”
“I asked you once, Cougar…who sent you?” Sean’s voice was low, but there was no question as to his intention. He wo
uld kill the cop if he didn’t answer. With a frustrated growl, he pulled Ryan away from the wall and shoved him back again, hard. “Answer me, Cat!”
Ryan rasped out, “N.Y.P.D,” while his hands scrambled for his gun, but he couldn’t reach it.
“He’s serious, man, so unless you want to eat that steel of yours, I suggest you keep your hands at your sides.” Jack added, gesturing with his head for Lily to move away.
Back away? Yeah, right. She was having none of it. Gritting her teeth, she pulled on Sean’s arm even harder. “Answer you? You need to answer me! What Cougar? What is going on, here?” Her eyes flashed between both men.
They were between the elevator bank and the main doors to the morgue. Thank God no one came down here unless they had to, but that didn’t prevent the concrete walls from acting like an echo chamber. How no one came in or out during all the commotion, was a miracle. Nonetheless, Lily kept both sets of doors on the other end of the hall in her peripheral vision.
On their way over the last time, Martinez had mentioned that a few morgue techs had rigged music to play through the intercom whenever their boss was otherwise occupied. According to the reception desk, the deputy medical examiner was in a meeting for most of the afternoon, leaving instructions for whoever was on duty to help her and Martinez should they need it.
Faint lyrics from Coldplay’s Paradise filtered through the hallway, and Lily thanked God for small favors. She didn’t care why or how, but knew their luck wasn’t going to hold much longer. Someone was bound to show up sooner or later.
“He’s bleeding, and he’s turning blue. Let him go, Sean. This is not the way the Alpha of the Brethren handles things…,” she trailed off.
It was a low blow, and she knew it, but she also knew she needed to snap Sean back to his senses. He was her mate, and for some inexplicable reason, he was in extreme protective mode.
Sean’s head snapped around. Ire flared deep in his eyes at the accusation, and his shoulders stiffened, but after a moment, his natural blue streaked the yellow depths of his irises and Lily knew she had reached him. The alpha had regained control of the wolf.
Ryan slumped against the white painted concrete, stretching his neck upward as he gulped in air. Still growling, Sean paced in front of the man, clenching and unclenching his fists.
Lily scowled at Sean, her eyes narrowed to the point of daggers. “First Jack goes all off-the-wall moody on me, and now this. All I know is, someone better explain, and I mean now!”
Sean ignored her, his eyes trained on Jack. “You let her traipse around all week with a Cougar? What the hell were you thinking, Jack? I was there when Mitch briefed you on the attack up at the Compound, or didn’t you think the assassination attempt would extend as far as to include Lily?”
“Assassination? Cougars? Sean, what the hell is going on?” Lily stood glaring at the big wolf with her hand on her hips.
Both wolves ignored her. Jack pressed his lips together, but his gaze sparked with anger. He inhaled deeply, the muscles in his shoulders and biceps bunching, in restrained resentment. “You need to calm down! I’ve never laid eyes on the man before, so how could I know he was a Cougar, or any kind of Were?”
“Sean!” Lily prompted again.
This time he answered her, but his eyes stayed locked on Jack. “Parr hired a tracker, a WereCougar. Very skilled and very stealth. He made his move out in the woods a few days ago, but I killed him before he could kill me. Edward’s denying it, but everyone knows he was at the center of the plot. He’s laying low—for now.”
Lily threw her hands in the air. “I don’t give a shit if Parr is so far underground he’s eating Chinese food in Shanghai. Assassination? That’s what we’re dealing with on top of everything else? And how do you know Ryan’s a Werewhatever?”
“Cougar,” Jack interjected angry and impatient before she could finish. “And how do you think we know? Duh?”
Lily clenched her fists, and squeezed her eyes closed for a moment. “Cougar, whatever. I haven’t sensed one thing, not one Were attribute in all the time I’ve spent with him. No scent, no inkling.”
Jack huffed. “…and that bulb on your face strikes again.”
“Really? And who was it that didn’t recognize Ryan’s scent in my apartment? Who was it that sniffed around asking if I had a cat, but when he learned the detective had been there, accused him of leaving a funky odor behind? Looks like I’m not the only one whose bulb doesn’t work, Jack.”
Sean glared at him, and then shifted his gaze to Lily, watching as she glanced between him and the detective. “Stop worrying, he’s fine. I can smell him healing already.”
Ryan coughed, trying to stand up straight. “Smell me?” His voice scraped out of his bruised throat. “What the hell does that mean?”
“You are so lucky,” she said, crossing her arms in front of her. Looking between Ryan and Sean, she exhaled. “Well, we can’t stay here like this, and I still need you to go inside and take a look at those bodies.”
Ryan’s eyes widened, and he took a step toward them. “Am I in the fucking Twilight Zone?” he blurted out, grimacing with the effort. “I’m giving you people to the count of three to start talking. I don’t have to remind you, Lily, assaulting an officer is a criminal offense. Don’t make me have to arrest you and your friends.”
Lily gave Ryan a quick glance but turned her attention back to Sean. She wasn’t letting him off the hook that easily. “Ryan’s human, Sean…regardless of what you smell or sense. Do you honestly think he’s a plant? That I wouldn’t know by this point?”
Sean was still staring at Jack. “So you didn’t know he was a Were, huh?” he said, ignoring Lily’s questions. He moved across from where she stood, positioning himself directly in front of the young hunter. “Granted, you never saw him before, but you did sense him.” Raising one hand, he gestured toward Martinez then let his hand drop. “…and yet you still chose to ignore the signs, didn’t even bother to check things out.”
“Sean!” Lily yelled, annoyed at being ignored.
“Lily!” Ryan shot back at her for the same reason.
Jack broke eye contact with Sean, sliding his gaze over to the wall where Lily stood next to Ryan. He raised his finger, pointing it in her direction. “She’s the one who told me to go play tourist, that there was no threat, and no reason for me to accompany her to the meeting—that Parr wouldn’t have had time to infiltrate the NYPD.” He paused, his eyes hardening even as his shoulders dropped. “It made sense at the time…” His voice trailed off. His words as inept as his excuses.
“You’re on thin ice already, Jack, so shut up and stop blaming this on Lily. She’s still human and doesn’t have the ability to make that kind of an assessment. It’s true she has her own set of skills, but she doesn’t know everything Weres are capable of in terms of supernatural abilities and cunning. Especially Parr.”
Ryan’s head swiveled left and right, his face a cross between incredulous and manic. “Human? Somebody better start talking or I’m going to start shooting!”
Jack snorted. “Yeah, right. Lily’s so guileless and forthright, that’s why she had hunted supes before she got her ass handed to her by your brother. Ever since she came into your life, Sean, you’ve reduced the hunters to nothing more than glorified boy scouts. I’m sick of it! But then again, what does my opinion matter? I’m only good enough for bedpan duty, right?”
“That’s bullshit, and you know it!” Sean shot back. “I sent you here to protect Lily. I trusted you and only you with the one thing that means more to me than anything, but I guess I chose wrong.”
Jack’s upper lip rose at one corner in a sneer. “You’re right, I’m the hunter, and I should have taken care of this situation then.” Without warning, Jack’s body shook. Sinew and muscle trembled, and bones snapped, reshaping themselves into a four-legged stance. Phasing on the fly, his clothes shredded around him, and Jack stood in wolf form with his head lowered and his teeth bared.
“What the fucking holy hell?” Ryan muttered in disbelief, his eyes wide as he stared at the wolf standing where Jack had just been. Hands shaking, he pulled his gun, but Lily grabbed his arm.
“Ryan NO!”
In an instant, Sean lifted his head and sprang forward from a standstill. His body contorted in midair, and the distinct scent of ozone was sharp in the hallway as his body reshaped into a large black wolf before he hit the ground again, this time on all fours.
The two wolves circled each other, Jack’s silver grey was much smaller than the alpha’s sleek black, but just as menacing. The grey wolf snarled with its head low, snapping and growling, its thin lips pulled back over sharp canines as he postured, its tone frustrated and angry. The black wolf was quiet, its teeth bared but otherwise calm as he matched the grey step for step, its keen yellow eyes following its every move, every nuance as it waited for the inevitable assault.
With a violent jerk, Ryan shoved Lily off of him and raised his gun toward the wolves.
“Ryan don’t!” she said, jumping in front of his line of sight. “You don’t understand!”
“What don’t I understand, Lily? Tell me…”
Lily’s eyes glared. “I think you already know the answer to that question, Ryan. They’re just as much human as they are animal. Just like you...” she trailed off, watching his eyes register everything he saw with what she just said.
The detective lowered his gun, his handsome face ugly with anger and disbelief. “First vampires and now werewolves? What kind of fool do you take me for, Lily? What’s next? You telling me you fly around on a broomstick by the light of the full moon?”
“Ryan, please…”
He raised his gun again as he backed away, two hands on the grip as if to steady himself from shaking, his eyes never leaving the wolves. “No, you please. I’ve had enough. I’m not buying any of this—especially not when you’re telling me I’m some kind of being, a ‘Were-something-or-other’! In fact, the only thing I’m ‘awere’ of, is that you and your friends are consummate illusionists. Ever think of taking your act to Vegas? You’d give Criss Angel a real run for his money.”
The Cursed by Blood Saga Page 33
