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 would 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 s
trikes 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.”
When he was far enough away, he holstered his gun and adjusted his suit jacket, as if the routine motions would make this anything else but what it was. “I’m outta here. Tell your boyfriend to steer clear, payback is a bitch.”
“Ryan, wait. You need to hear this. Just let me explain.”
He shook his head, this time his eyes meeting hers, his gaze painful in its intensity. “Not a chance, sweetheart. I am so done with you and your freak show.”
Sean whined, his head swiveling toward where she stood, but Lily knew there was nothing he could do to help. At that moment, Jack lunged, mouth open and teeth dripping saliva as he aimed for the alpha’s throat. It was a blatant challenge, but the grey wolf’s posturing was raw with blind anger and that made it an empty threat.
The two collided in a hailstorm of snarls and teeth, with Jack’s front claws scoring bloody gashes along Sean’s flank. The wolves twisted in a vicious dance, crashing into the concrete wall, the hit splintering the painted cinderblock, and leaving a gory smear of fur and blood.
Lily pulled Ryan out of the way, chipped paint and concrete dust covering their hair and shoulders as they cleared the impact zone.
The grey wolf yelped as the alpha gained the advantage, pinning him to his side before he had the chance to strike again. Front and hind legs extended, the grey pushed at the alpha, keeping the larger wolf’s teeth at bay and tucking his neck against its razor sharp incisors.
With a low pitched growl, Sean bared his teeth once more, biting down on the side of the grey wolf’s throat in a show of clear dominance. Jack whined, its tenor a sign of submission and acceptance, and as quick as the fight began, was as quick as it was over.
Ryan coughed, his mouth a grim line as he shook out his hair and wiped his hands over his sleeves. His movements were stiff, as if he had to compel himself to stay calm, yet his face had paled and his pupils had dilated to the size of saucers. “Yup. I’m done. And I have news for you too; you’re done with this case.” Without as much as a backward glance, he turned
and walked toward the exit. His stride moderated with restraint like he refused to let them see him run.
“Ryan!” Lily called after him.
“Let him go, Lily. There’s no place he can run. When he wants answers, he’ll be back,” Sean’s voice feathered across their shared mind link.
She looked at him, her body and mind weary with the weight of everything. “I hope sooner than later,” she murmured. She didn’t need to verbalize it. Each understood the situation would only get worse before it got better if Ryan didn’t get a grip.
Sean nudged her arm with his muzzle. “Stop worrying. You can always find him later and try to talk some sense into him. In the meantime, why don’t you find hothead and me something to wear so we can do what we came here to do?”
Lily nodded. “Okay, but are you two going to behave while I’m gone?”
Sean rumbled a low wolfish chuckle low in his throat and bumped her hand with the top of his head. “Junior and I need a little heart to heart, but I promise there’ll be no more trouble”
She looked down at Jack’s shaggy head and twined her fingers into the fur at the scruff of his neck, giving it a short tug. “Be the hunter I know you to be, and pull yourself together, okay Jack? We have work to do, and not a lot of time to do it. If what you both suspect is true, then Ryan is a half-breed who has no idea who or what he is. It’s our duty to help him acclimate, not scare the piss out of him or make him think he’s crazy. You’re not the only one at fault, though,” she said, sliding a critical glance toward Sean. “We’ll all handle it better once I bring him around.”
Jack whined, the sound mournful, and full of doubt and regret.
Lily slid her fingers around, giving Jack a quick scratch beneath his chin before turning toward the double doors and the main hospital corridor. “I’ll be back as soon as I can. Try not to be any more conspicuous than you already are.”
Chapter Twelve
***
Twice Cursed Page 20
