by Riley Storm
“Not a word,” he said pointedly to Bergey as the boxer tilted his head at him curiously. “Not. A. Word.”
Lucien let the dog out the front so he could relieve himself before being left alone until Alison came home. Almost immediately, the big dog wandered over to something on the pathway and began to whine. Frowning, Lucien hobbled over.
“Back!” he barked as he recognized what it was.
Bergey jerked upright and moved away at Lucien’s tone.
“Good boy,” he said, giving the dog a scratch on the head as he passed, carefully lowering himself to the ground to both avoid opening his cuts, or any more seams on his dreadfully shrunken clothing.
Picking up the knife, he noted the dried blood on the blade. His blood. What’s more, he noticed the line of grey material worked down the center of the blade.
“Uranium,” he hissed, his fury ratcheting up a few more levels as he suddenly understood why he was so weak.
Shifter DNA was unusually strong and possessed several healing qualities that normal humans did not. They could heal from most any injury, short of regrowing limbs or extreme trauma. Not only that, but they did so faster than humans, by several orders of magnitude.
One thing that played hell with their healing abilities, however, was radiation. Such as the radiation the uranium worked into the dagger would emit. If he’d had that stuck in his shoulder the entire flight from the warehouse to Alison’s front path, then it was no small wonder he was beyond weak. His body had been trying to heal constantly, only to have its DNA blown apart by the radiation.
“Back inside, boy,” he said to Bergey, motioning with his free hand. He closed the door behind him and used the key hidden in the garden to lock it, glad that Alison hadn’t changed that.
He spent a long time staring at the dagger, trying to decide what to do next.
No, you know what you have to do now. You’re just stalling, because you know once you start down this path, you’re committing yourself to it. And you know what that might mean…
Lucien closed his eyes. He could do this, and would attempt to do so without Alison’s help. But that wasn’t the same as doing it without any help at all. There were others who had left the Manor, who would hopefully help with the cause.
Now all he had to do was find them.
6
Now I know why I hated drama in high school. I’m a terrible actor!
There was less than an hour left in her shift, and Alison had already had several breakdowns. Acting like everything was normal should have been easy. Just go about her day the way she normally would, and then when it was over, go home.
Yeah right.
It was never that easy. Not when her mind was constantly racing, filled with thoughts of Lucien. Now she was back at the workplace where everything had started. It was here that she’d met him, nearly two years prior when he’d become her new boss.
Of course, they hadn’t been overly friendly at first. Alison was nothing if not a strict professional, and so she’d treated him with the quiet respect that she gave all her bosses. Nothing more, nothing less.
Yet somehow, he’d pushed his way past that, until they were something…more. It was against all procedure. She was the administrator for the entire mental health facility at the Plymouth Falls General Hospital. Lucien, meanwhile, had been the Overseer for the entire hospital. Not the CEO of the hospital. She still wasn’t entirely sure what the position was all about, but it had been made clear to her that whoever held it was above her in the chain of command.
That hadn’t stopped him from slowly working his way past her guard, until they were stealing moments in her office or his to kiss each other in frenzied passion, or dinners at her house where they talked of the future and their goals. Even then, Lucien had been very private, reluctant to discuss much, but he’d been every inch the gentleman she’d wanted.
Then he’d disappeared six months ago without a trace, and the very next day someone else had replaced him as Overseer.
Stop reminiscing and get to work. Just because he’s back doesn’t mean you have free rein to forget your own job.
Getting up from her desk, she went into the hallway and wandered down toward the cafeteria, seeking a snack. What she was really after was a diversion of any sort, something to keep her attention elsewhere.
“Hey girls,” she said, nodding her head in greeting to two of the newer workers, only a few months removed from grad school.
“Hi,” Loren said, as chipper and upbeat as always.
“How’s your day going, Alison?” the other asked.
“Not bad, Natalia,” she said, working hard to keep her calm. “Not bad at all. Almost over. Yours?”
“Oh you know, more of the same. It still amazes me how much there is going on here.”
“Speaking of which,” Loren said, “We need to get moving, sorry!”
Alison waved the two on, watching them go. Natalia was right. For such a small town, the hospital was much larger than it needed to be. Even Alison had been surprised at that when she started working there and realized the true size of the complex. It was huge. According to people she’d asked, there were several private donors in the area who gave very generously to the hospital.
It was overkill, to the point where in the past five years or so, they’d started taking in patients from surrounding communities, simply because they were one of the few hospitals that had space to spare. And there were never budgetary issues either, oddly.
“Hi!’
Alison jumped as her internal thoughts collapsed into a jigsaw puzzle. “Kim!” she gasped. “You scared the crap out of me!”
Kim Grazier, her only work colleague that she talked to, grinned. “Goodness, girl, I practically stomped up to you, but you were staring out into that nothingness again. Daydreaming I suppose. Was it about him again?”
“Him?” Alison asked in a strangled voice. “Him who?”
Kim snorted loudly. She wasn’t one to care what others thought of her. “You know who I mean. Him. The one that got away. The one that’s occupied your thoughts practically nonstop for six months. I don’t know who he is, but girl’ it’s obvious you’re pining for someone.”
Alison sagged in relief as she realized Kim didn’t know what was going on after all. She was just asking the same old question, without knowing it had taken a new twist.
“I am not pining after him. Or anyone,” she added quickly.
“Bullshit,” Kim said with a grin. “You headed for the café?”
They started walking next to one another. “Are you ever going to tell me his name?”
“He’s an asshole,” she said firmly. “He doesn’t deserve a name. Not after what he pulled.”
“Ali,” Kim moaned. “It’s been six months. You need to let him go. Move on. There are plenty of other men out there.”
She lifted an eyebrow. “You can’t be serious. We live in a tiny town. The only population of good-looking men go to the university and then leave. That’s ignoring the age difference. So, I ask, where exactly am I supposed to go to move on?”
Not that Alison had any interest in moving on. She’d been hurt enough in her life. Opening up to Lucien had been hard, but she’d tried, slightly. Only to discover that the world was no different here than where she’d grown up. People sucked all over.
“Go to Para,” Kim insisted. “That’s where Natalia met her husband. You’ve seen him, right? Maybe he’ll introduce you to some of his friends. Hubba hubba.”
Alison giggle-snorted, clapping a hand over her mouth in embarrassment of the sound that came out. “Stop it. Yes, I’ve seen him, okay? He’s attractive, yes. But he’s almost too big for me. His muscles are just…bulky. I don’t know how to describe it. I like them a little leaner. Though still muscular,” she said, forgetting for a moment where she was, and thinking back to the one and only night things with her and Lucien had gotten heated.
She’d called it off before it went too far, but she still re
membered the press of his firm body against hers and how she loved the contrast between his hardness and her softness. It was a stark difference, and yet it had made the intimacy between them all the more intense. Not for the first time, she regretted not seeing what it would have been like to let him all the way in.
But Alison’s walls were as big and hard as what she’d felt between his legs, and they didn’t come down easily, even if his jeans would have.
Stop. It. Right now. Pull yourself together.
“Ali?”
She blinked and returned her focus to Kim. “Yeah what’s up?”
“You okay? It seems like something is bothering you. Not the normal either. You wanna talk?”
Oh God, yes. Yes. She wanted to talk so badly. To just tell someone what was going on and to get their honest opinion on just what she should do.
“You can tell me, Ali. Come on.” Kim snagged her arm and dragged her to the cafeteria, where they both grabbed some snacks and then went off to sit in the back corner, away from everyone.
“It’s complicated,” Alison said without preamble. “I’m dealing with a situation. A crisis of conscience, almost, I guess? I was asked not to do something, by someone that, for whatever reason, I trust.”
Lucien was passed out on her couch, and yet here she was, still being vague about what was going on. How was it that he still had any power over her? What was it that prompted her to believe that she was making the right choice by not calling the police? There had to be something.
Maybe you’re not as over him as you think…
“Anyway,” she said, pushing on, ignoring her own self-doubts. “I really should be doing the opposite. Yet, for whatever reason, I’m respecting their request and not doing it. If that makes any sense.”
“It’s incredibly vague,” Kim said with a heartfelt smile. “But I think I understand. Sort of. Are you getting in any trouble for not doing whatever it is you feel like you should be doing?”
“Not yet,” she admitted. “But I don’t really know. I might not know until I know.”
Kim rubbed her face. “What a sentence. You might not know, until you know. Okayyy. Well, if you aren’t in any trouble yet, then hopefully it will work out.”
Alison smiled at the support. “Sorry, I’d share more if I could…but yeah.”
“It’s okay. I should have just let it be. Whatever it is, it’s obviously extremely personal.” Kim gave her a supportive smile. “I’m here if there’s anything I can do though.”
“Thanks Kim. I appreciate that a lot.”
There was no way she was dragging someone else into this tangled mess of a situation, that was for sure.
“Why don’t you go home early and take a bit more time to try and figure it out?” Kim suggested. “It’s not like you ever take any days off. They won’t begrudge you leaving an hour early.”
“Maybe,” Alison agreed. “Yeah. You know what, I think I’m going to do that. Thank you. I’m no good here, I’ve spent half the day staring at the wall doing nothing.”
“Go on then!” Kim encouraged. “Get out of here. Begone, I command you!’
Alison laughed for the first time since she’d answered the door and seen Lucien’s bloody body lying there. It was a good feeling.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said, getting up and heading out, pausing just long enough to give her friend’s shoulder a squeeze as thanks.
***
I never thought I’d feel nervous coming up to my own house.
That was exactly what was happening, however. Alison had sat in the car for a solid five minutes working up the courage to get out. She just wasn’t sure she was ready to see Lucien again.
The way things had ended with them before had hurt. A lot. Now suddenly he was back, and she was the only person he’d thought to come see? Where had that desire to come to her been for the last six months? Not one single text, phone call, email. Nothing. Absolutely nothing from him until the night before.
This is what you get for opening up to someone. More hurt.
It was easier to not let anyone get close. Much easier.
Finding her key, she opened the door. Bergey was there, as per usual, tail wagging. She let him out into the front yard to do his business while she went inside, waiting by the door for her dog.
“Lucien,” she said, trying to keep any quaver from her voice. “It’s me, I’m back. I know I’m early, but listen, we need to talk.”
There was no answer from the couch, but she couldn’t see it from her position, the little bit of wall that held her coat hooks jutted out just far enough to block her vision.
“Lucien? Are you awake yet?”
She steeled herself for the worst. What was she going to find when she rounded the corner?
Bergey came back in and trotted past her without a care. That was odd. Why didn’t he go over to Lucien? Her dog loved him, the two had become instant besties.
Finally she peered around the corner. The couch was empty. The carpet held nothing but bloodstains. The clothing she’d left on his chest earlier was also missing. It all added up to tell her one thing.
Lucien was gone. Again.
7
Several hours, a stop at a clothing store and two fast food restaurants later, Lucien finally felt like he could walk more than a hundred feet without collapsing. He was still weak, however, and his position leaning against the metal slatted siding of the warehouse was as much to hold him up as it was to affect an air of relaxation and disinterest in his surroundings.
With more food in his stomach and the worst of his injuries finally closing up—the knife wound wasn’t bleeding, but any big exertion was still likely to rip it back open—he’d felt like it was time to resume his quest. That had brought him to the docks.
It was springtime, and the ice had finally gone out of the river two weeks earlier, nearly a week ahead of schedule. As a result, the docks were bustling with activity as ships came in and merchants vied for products. The streets were full and trucks constantly made their way down to the loading docks, returning with crates piled high.
With all the activity nearby, it wasn’t hard for him to stake out a position watching the building he believed housed his quarry. The difficult part was remaining there and watching, trying to locate the scout he knew would be somewhere nearby.
Lucien knew that simply going up to the front door and knocking wouldn’t get him what he wanted. These men were hiding, same as he. They would be easily spooked, and he needed to ensure he approached unseen if he was to have any hope of contacting them.
The waste of time grated on his nerves. Every minute that passed was another minute that Logan spent locked away and their hopes for organizing a resistance against the King diminished. Lucien wanted to just stroll up and knock on the door labelled Granted Holdings Company, and tell the shifters hiding out inside what he needed their help for. It should have been just that easy, and in prior times, it would have been.
That was back when wolf trusted wolf, however, and things were very different now. Of course, he could have made a wrong guess and there could be no shifters hiding in the Canis-owned company offices.
Hair pricked across the back of his neck.
Nope. I guessed right. I just didn’t do a good enough job of finding them before they found me.
Lucien had picked up a tail.
Lazily, he reached into a pocket and glanced at the phone screen, tilting it left and right while trying to appear as bored as could be. What he was really doing was trying to use the light to see behind him, to try and locate the person watching him. It didn’t work. Whoever it was, they were well concealed.
Pushing off the warehouse, Lucien strolled down the street and around the corner into the back alley of a row of warehouses. The building he’d been surveying was across the street, their alleys lined up with one another. He casually walked down a ways, then ducked around a protruding corner and leaned up against the wall, trying not to appear as weak and grate
ful for something to lean upon as he felt.
Come on. I know you’re there.
It took several minutes, but eventually someone came down the alley. He heard the soft scuff of a shoe on asphalt. Then silence. Whoever it was, they either knew where Lucien was located, or were afraid they were going to get jumped.
“You can come out now,” Lucien called, not moving. He didn’t have time to waste on these cat and mouse games.
Nothing happened at first, but then a figure appeared around the corner. Tall, lanky, and youthful-looking, even to Lucien who wasn’t particularly old. He recognized the face, though couldn’t recall the name.
How did a teenager manage to hide from me?
“What do you want, Lucien?” The youth crossed his arms, hawk-like face grim and sober.
“You can lose the tough-guy attitude, Lorik,” he said calmly, finally remembering the name. “I’m not here to hurt you.”
“Right. Everyone knows you’re friends with Lyken. That man will do anything for the King. Including sending you in here to fetch us. Don’t lie to me.” The young shifter’s voice wavered slightly.
Lucien frowned. What was he talking about? What had him so afraid? There was no time to ask questions though, his strength was already fading, and Lucien doubted things were going to go as easily as he hoped.
“I’m here because I need your help.” It seemed like the best idea would be to just tell the truth. No secrets.
“What could you possibly need our help with?” Lorik scoffed. “Do you seriously expect me to fall for that?”
“Yes,” he snarled. “Because it’s the goddamned truth and I don’t have time to mess around. Lives are at stake here, Lorik.”
The youngster recoiled. “What are you talking about?”
He told him briefly about the night before. “Logan was captured. I still don’t know what to do, but if we’re going to have any chance of doing it, we need to get him out. He has the pedigree, the authority, that others will rally to.”
“You could do it,” Lorik said. “People would follow you.”
