The angry songs of the emergency vehicles were stronger now. The sirens screamed through the air, ripping through the highway like a zipper. I looked behind me and saw cars veering off to the left and the right as a cavalcade of highway patrolmen crested over the horizon.
“That’s not for us, is it?” Joshua asked in a panicky voice.
“Don’t be stupid,” snapped Dr. Chow. “Slow down and merge to leave the middle lanes open like everyone else.”
“Oh, shit!” Joshua pointed at a freeway sign. “That highway sign has Kate’s name on it and says she’s in a dark green Subaru Forester!”
“Ignore it,” said Dr. Chow. “There’re sixteen million Subarus on the road. And never mind what I said. Don’t pull over. We’ve got a full tank of gas and there’s no reason to stop.”
“What do you mean? There are half a dozen cop cars back there!” Joshua switched on his blinker and merged to the left, where there was a large expanse of dried grass separating I-5.
“I said don’t do it!” Dr. Chow reached for the steering wheel and wrenched it to the right. The Subaru spun out of control and we rolled over, and over, and over again until I lost count of how many times and I hung from the crumpled roof by my seatbelt watching Angus slowly bleed out from a nasty cut to his paw.
No dog dies on my watch, I whimpered. I murmured my prayer to Bernard of Montjoux and closed my eyes.
Chapter 30
I spent six days in the hospital recovering from a bruised collarbone and whiplash. Angus spent even longer at the vet clinic since he hadn’t been wearing a seatbelt. Now he was at a no-kill pet shelter waiting to be adopted. Joshua and Dr. Chow hadn’t survived the crash because the front seat had been obliterated in the rollover accident.
My Slayer Academy friends visited me every single day. Natalie Xander herself stayed with me round-the-clock for the first forty-eight hours until Van insisted that she go home, then he and the first-year slayers visited me in shifts.
“I’m sorry we didn’t act quickly enough on your hunch,” said Natalie that first night in the hospital. “I take my students’ safety very seriously.” She squeezed my hand. “How did you know that Sherwood was a vampire?”
In the blurry buzz of pain medication, I was too woozy to lie. “I could smell it,” I said, my throat parched. “Could I have an ice chip?”
Natalie brought over the plastic cup and rested an ice cube in my mouth. “Smell it?” She furrowed her eyebrows and looked at me closely.
“That’s the only way I can explain it.” I sucked on the ice cube and water trickled down my throat. “I can smell vampires. Please don’t ask me to say how.” Tears sprouted in the corner of my eyes.
“Hush now.” Natalie patted my hand. “You can smell vampires and that monster’s throat was bit in two. I won’t ask you any more questions except for one: Katherine Canus from Carlsbad, do you want to slay vampires and protect humanity?”
I nodded my head and tears slid down my cheeks. “Yes, with all my heart.”
“Then you’re one of us, darling girl. A true slayer.” Natalie pulled the hospital blankets around me and tucked me in tightly.
The only person who didn’t come visit me in the hospital was Rolf. I didn’t know why I expected him to come, because I’d only met him that one time at the frat party, but I did, and I was ashamed of myself for being annoyed that he didn’t show up.
Jill came on the third day. She was there when I gave my statement to the police about how this guy I dated, Joshua Chow, had kidnapped me from work with the help of his mother. The tranquilizer dart in my shoulder and pressure marks on my wrists from where the duct tape were all the evidence the authorities needed to believe my story. As for Mr. Sherwood’s body, the slayers had taken care of that mess before Jill had even got there. Apparently, it was a great hands-on learning experience for the second-years. They’d also helped convince Maggie that she’d been tripping on a bad batch of CBD oil, and comforted Charlie until Dr. Simone arrived to take him to the vet.
“Rolf had to go back to work this week,” said Jill as she poked a straw into a box of apple juice for me. “But I know he really wants to see you. He’s driving down to San Diego this weekend.”
“That hawk I saw, in the car,” I said.
Jill smiled. “It was a peregrine falcon. And that was my husband, Gabriel. He’s an expert at surveillance.”
“Thank him for me, please.”
“I will.” Jill nodded. “But I’m sure you’ll have the opportunity to thank him yourself someday. In fact, we’d like you to think of our home as your home.”
“I’m staying at Slayer Academy,” I blurted out. “I didn’t tell Natalie I could shift, but I told her I could smell vampires and she said that was okay and I believe her.”
“I believe her too.” Jill sat down on the edge of my bed. “I had the opportunity to work closely with Natalie on Friday, and I honestly believe she cares about you, whether or not she knows about your true nature.” Jill looked down at her hands. “I gave you bad advice when I said to not go back to the Xanders. I’m sorry about that.”
“It’s okay.” I shrugged.
“I’ll see you real soon, okay?” Jill stood up to go. “Text Rolf when you feel up to it. I know he’ll want to hear from you.”
I didn’t text Rolf. A huge part of me wanted to, but I finally chose not to. I didn’t need to incorporate a bird shifter into my world right now. I already had enough giant life-changing stuff on my plate, what with preparing to go home to Slayer Academy.
Home. It never failed to move me when I heard Natalie, or Cassandra, or Van, or Gretchen tell me, “When you come home, we’ll have movie night, even if it’s not Friday.” Or, “You can have the bottom bunk when you get home. That way you won’t have to climb stairs.” When I finally did come home, a week to the day after I’d been kidnapped, there were streamers and balloons and a big sign with my name on it hanging over the threshold. Kellogg must have made it because it was written in beautiful calligraphy.
“I signed up your name on the shower schedule,” said Leah. “And made sure you got the best spot.”
“Thanks.” I stood there by the memorial fountain like the center of a jelly donut while all the first-years surrounded me in a hug.
Now it was Saturday morning, and I was lacing up my running shoes. The rest of the class was on a three-mile run down Mt. Soledad Road, but the doctors hadn’t cleared me for vigorous activity yet. All I was good for at the moment was a leisurely stroll. I tossed my water bottle into my backpack along with my phone and walked out of the house.
“Have a good walk!” Al called after me. “But remember, I’ve got cinnamon rolls in the oven, so don’t be late.”
“I wouldn’t miss them for the world.” I smiled at him. “By the way, I’ve been meaning to ask you. Have you ever heard of that radio show called Fred Head? You sound so much like the DJ, that it’s uncanny.”
“What a mystery.” Al winked at me and headed back to the kitchen.
As I closed the door behind me, I walked down the driveway and punched the code to the security gate. When I walked up the hill past the Siban mansion I braced myself for the savannah cat’s protest. Yeow! it cried from behind the front room’s window as it scratched down the drapes.
Bite me, I barked, taunting the kitty.
Forget the doctor’s orders. I felt so happy that I took off at a slow jog. Pumping my arms from side to side felt grand. The cross of the Veterans Memorial loomed ahead of me. It was so early in the morning that I was the only one there. The crowds of tourists hadn’t arrived yet. I stood at the top of the parking lot and watched the sun rise over the city.
Beautiful, isn’t it? barked a dog behind me.
I turned around and saw a Doberman sitting on the asphalt in the middle of the road. He didn’t have a collar on.
“Are you lost?” I asked.
The dog shook his head. Nope, he answered. Not anymore. He trotted across the road to where I stood and
nosed my palm. You smell like toothpaste and laundry detergent.
“I’m sorry.” I sank to my knees and scratched him behind the ears. “I can’t take you home with me. But maybe I can find your owner. Do you know if you have a microchip?”
I don’t need a microchip. The dog licked my hand. I know whom I belong to. Here, I’ll prove it. The Doberman trotted away from me, down the road and toward the intersection for the turnoff to Mt. Soledad Road.
“Wait!” I ran after him. “There are cars coming. Be careful!”
I believe in miracles! the Doberman barked. He paused for traffic and then raced across the street to the Siban mansion.
“Stop!” I commanded, but the Doberman didn’t slow down until he reached a truck parked in front of the house next to the Siban’s. He leaped up from the ground and jumped through the open window of the cab. “What the…?” I muttered, slowing down to a walk. I grabbed my side to stop a cramp that was forming. The doctors had been right. Running was still too much for me. I walked up to the truck at a cautious pace. “Here, boy. Are you okay?” I pursed my lips together and made a kissing sound to get his attention.
“I will be after you plant one of those on me.” Rolf stuck his head through the open window and grinned. His hair flopped to the side and he wore a plain white T-shirt.
“Rolf?” Butterflies fluttered around my stomach and I forced my voice to sound normal. “Was that your dog?”
He shook his head and his smiled widened. “Nope.” Rolf pushed open the truck’s door and showed that he was the only one in the quad cab. “Here, girl.” He waved me to him.
“I don’t understand.”
“Then let me explain.” Rolf stepped down from the truck and strode forward, not breaking eye contact with me. “Do you know what it’s like to be different, Kate?”
I nodded my head but didn’t saying anything.
“Good.” Rolf stepped closer until we were mere inches apart. “Because I do too. I’m the only one in my entire family who can shift into a dog.”
“A dog?” I asked stupidly. “But that’s not right. You’re a Byrd. I found your clothes by Frat Row. You flew away and followed Mr. Sherwood.”
Rolf shook his head. “I tracked him on the ground like the dog that I am.”
“I don’t understand. You said you came to UCSD to find your soulmate.”
“I saw you on the beach five years ago, or at least I thought I did. You were a Doberman, but you bolted when I approached you.”
I swallowed hard, picturing the three days I’d roamed the beaches from Carlsbad to Oceanside after my mom had died. “That probably was me. But I don’t remember you.”
“I’ve been waiting to find you again for so long,” Rolf said in a husky voice. He cupped my face with his hand. “Please tell me I’ve changed your mind.”
“Changed my mind about what?” My heart beat so hard, I thought my chest would burst open.
“Happy endings.” He looked at me with hope—and a little bit of hesitation—in his eyes.
I swallowed and licked my lips. And then, before I could stop myself or wait two seconds to figure out if this was a good idea or not, I threw my arms around his neck and crushed my lips against his.
Rolf encircled me in his arms. His hands roamed up and down my back. “Ah, Kate,” he said. “You’re everything I imagined and so much more.”
My palms slipped down across the muscles of his chest and I pushed away, even though every fiber of me longed to move closer.
“What’s the matter?” Rolf asked. “Is it something I said?”
“No.” I blushed. “It’s not that. You keep saying all of these beautiful, romantic—mushy—things about soulmates and all I can think of is…”
“What?” Rolf’s eyebrows knit together with worry. “All you can think of is what?” His shoulders felt hot underneath the palm of my hand, and his legs pressed against my thighs.
I laughed and buried my face against his neck so he wouldn’t see me blush. “All I can think of is how badly I want to lick you.” I kissed his throat and swiped my tongue across his neck before I lost my nerve. Then I pushed him into the cab and closed the door behind us as he howled with happiness.
Do you want more time with Rolf? Turn the page to read how his story begins in SHIFTER’S WISH.
Sneak Peek at SHIFTER’S WISH
`
My sister could talk me into anything. Case in point, it was Friday night and I was parking my beat-up Kia Rio on a mansion-lined street in Rancho Bernardo. Every house had a five-car garage, lush landscaping—despite the brutal Southern California drought—and security signs that warned unwelcome intruders about premium alarm systems. This wasn’t a neighborhood where people like my sister and me belonged.
“Do you really want to hang out with a bunch of rich assholes?” I asked Dory. “It’s not too late to change your mind. There’s an outdoor screening of The Godfather in Balboa Park. Let’s go there instead.”
“Forget it, Rolf. You promised.” Dory touched up her lipstick in the side mirror. She was fifteen-year-old jailbait, thanks to the figure she inherited from Mom, and the thick, brown hair she’d gotten from Dad. Dory danced jazz, modern, and tap four times a week at a local studio, and that contributed to her trim physique. “I don’t know why you’d want to watch The Godfather again anyway. You’ve seen it a million times.”
“It’s only one of the best movies in history.” I engaged the parking brake and took my keys out of the ignition. “The Godfather is right up there with Citizen Kane.”
Dory capped her lipstick and stuffed it in her purse. “You can obsess about the golden age of cinema another time. I want to go to Lenox’s party. He invited me specifically.”
I clenched my jaw at the mention of Lenox’s name. “He’s a senior and you’re a sophomore. Lenox is friends with Zach, and Zach’s a known douchebag. I don’t think—”
“Don’t back out on me now.” Dory punched me lightly in the shoulder. “You promised.”
“Yeah, well, you promised, too. First thing tomorrow morning, you’ll design the wardrobe for Desperate Dawn. I have $150 dollars in the costume budget, and I realize that’s tight, but it should be plenty if you shop at Goodwill.”
“Can we please not talk about your stupid movie? I’m late.”
“Desperate Dawn isn’t stupid and it’s not a movie. It’s a short film that’s going to win me a scholarship to The University of Southern California’s film school.”
“Whatever.” Dory opened the door to the Rio and slung her purse over her shoulder. “You can pick me up at 10:45 p.m. That will just barely give us time to get back home before curfew.”
“You’re not going into that party alone. There might be booze.” I climbed out of the car and slammed the door behind me. I wasn’t about to let my sister put herself into a risky situation. I was two and a half years older than Dory and had been watching out for her ever since our dad had been murdered right in front of us in a carjacking gone wrong. Dory had been a toddler at the time and didn’t remember the details—thank god—but I did.
“You can’t come with me,” said Dory. “Lenox didn’t invite drama geeks.”
“Are you saying I’m not cool?” I licked my fingertips and slicked back my eyebrows. That always made her laugh.
But Dory wasn’t laughing now. She straightened her miniskirt and flicked back her hair. “Get back in the car, Rolf. You’re not coming with me.”
“Oh, I’m coming with you. The question is, how would you like me to accompany you, as myself or a dog?”
“I hate you right now.” Dory pounded her fist on the car. “I really hate you.”
I walked around the hood and stood next to her. “This is for your own good. You know I love you and would do anything to keep you safe.”
“I’ll be perfectly safe, idiot.”
I shook my head. “We don’t know that. Lenox’s obnoxious friends will be there, and they’ll see a sophomore like you as fresh meat.
”
“Just leave me here and go.”
“Do you want me to call Mom? She and her cop friends could show up and close down the party pretty fast.”
Dory glared at me. “You wouldn’t.”
“Try me.”
“Fine.” Dory shrugged. “But you’re not coming as yourself. Lenox didn’t invite you, and even if he had, I wouldn’t want to show up with my older brother. Shift into something small and inconspicuous, like a Chihuahua.”
“A Chihuahua?” I fake-gagged. “No way. I’ve got something better in mind.”
I closed my eyes, sniffed the air, and shifted all of my cells into a pool of light that reformed a few seconds later into a beagle. I pawed out of my Levis and white T-shirt and left them on the sidewalk next to my flip-flops.
“A beagle?” Dory groaned. “I said to pick something portable.”
Shifting was in my blood. My father was a shifter, just like his father before him. They were bird shifters, but I was canine. I could transform into any dog I wanted—almost any dog, that is. I’d never mastered a large breed like a St. Bernard or Great Dane. Granddad thought that was because as a human, I was five feet, five inches—the shortest guy in my high school. But I didn’t need to become a big animal to protect my sister.
Hounds were my favorite breeds to shift into because they allowed me to look for things that other people couldn’t see. My nose smashed against the sidewalk. Something about Dory’s shoes smelled delicious. I sniffed around the bottom of her sandals and discovered a tiny morsel of dried-up pizza.
“You don’t need to be a drug-sniffing beagle.” Dory nudged me away with her toe. “Lenox doesn’t do shit like that. Pick something else that won’t be so obvious.”
I closed my eyes, took a deep whiff of the night air, and shifted into something smaller.
“A pocket beagle?” Dory crossed her arms. “The deal’s off. Find yourself a new wardrobe assistant because I’d rather miss the party then show up with—”
Secret Shifter Page 21
