Skin and Bones

by Susan Harris

  As soon as the car screeched to a halt, Derek was out and stalking through the hospital doors. Ever scrambled out of the car and followed him. As she watched the rigid line of his spine, the hunched tension of his broad shoulders, and the pulse of the vein in his neck, she found herself blushing.

  For a single moment back there, Ever had thought Derek was about to kiss her, and she had craved it, as if the alpha wolf were a magnet pulling her toward him. Growing up, her parents had warned her off dating supernaturals because she was so normal, and that had stuck with her—Ever, the normal in a world of magic. But as much as she had craved Derek’s touch in that moment, Ever had only wished for one thing in her whole life—to fit in with the people she had grown up with.

  So, she had shied away from dating supes. The two boyfriends she’d had were extremely normal… and boring. Ever felt as if she was going to break all the rules with Derek Doyle, and nothing with this wolf would ever be boring.

  Quickening her pace, she weaved in between the bodies that stepped out of Derek’s way. If Ever could feel the anger radiate from him, no doubt everyone else could, too. As Derek, in all his rush and rage, barreled through the emergency room to where the young werepup was recovering, he bumped into an orderly, causing him to drop all his charts on the floor. Derek kept going, single-minded in his actions, but Ever paused, crouched down, and helped the man collect his charts.

  “I’m so sorry about my friend. He left his manners at home in his kennel,” Ever said, beaming at him.

  The orderly narrowed his gaze, nodded, and took the charts from Ever, rushing off into a hospital room.

  Ever took in a breath and went in search of her angry wolf… Wait, her wolf?

  Shaking that ludicrous thought from her head, Ever shoved open the door Derek went through last and skidded to a halt as she almost ran face-first into the hard muscle of his back. A low growl rumbled from inside him. For some reason, Ever knew his wolf was fighting for control.

  Ever cautiously maneuvered around Derek’s big body and assessed the scene. Standing with Tom and the rest of Derek’s team was a man Ever knew only from his many press conferences and public appearances. Arthur de Valera stood with arms folded across his chest, his stance rigid, acting as if he were not the least bit intimidated by the raging wolf who snarled next to her. The alpha of the Munster wolves gave off the impression that he was harmless, reinforced by boyish good looks and charm. He was surfer-pretty—green eyes and blond, shaggy hair with a smile that dazzled cameras. He was the poster boy for good werewolves, but Ever knew Arthur had gotten where he was by bathing in blood and death. It was the alpha way.

  Tom whispered in Arthur’s ear, but the alpha shook his head. “The pup needs to know he cannot stay a lone wolf in my county any longer. He has shirked his responsibilities for too long and needs to learn his place.”

  Ricky shook his head. With a gentle tug on Melanie’s arm, he slowly moved her from the path of destruction that would no doubt litter the halls of the hospital if these two alphas went at it. Death would be assured for one of them.

  As Derek held Arthur’s gaze, Ever could almost feel the wolf snapping at Derek, looking to break free and sink its teeth into flesh and blood. She tasted copper on her tongue as if she could sense what the wolf wanted.

  Calmly, Ever stood in front of Derek and put the palm of her hand on the side of his face. Derek shuddered, and the weight of the eyes watching them almost burned a hole in her back. The hair on the back of her neck stood to attention as Derek snarled, the sharp canines of his wolf teeth beginning to show. If she didn’t get him to calm down, they would never find out what the girl knew about her kidnapper.

  “Hey, Mr. Wolf.”

  A growl rumbled in his chest, and Ever gripped tighter onto his cheek.

  “Don’t you growl at me; I’m only trying to help. Ignore the posturing from over there and remember that you came here to catch a killer. Hasn’t that poor girl been through enough? If you go in there all snarly and wolfie, you’ll scare her. Derek, please… we need to find out what she knows before he takes another child. If you let the wolf take over, you’ll be no good to us. Or to his victims.”

  Wolf eyes blinked, crushing gold until brown ones returned. Although the anger still radiated inside him, Derek looked calmer than he had a few minutes ago, and Ever could deal with that. He cupped her hand in his, still on his cheek, and reluctantly drew his eyes from the other wolf to look at her.

  Ever smiled at him as he released her hand and moved forward. Arthur reached out as if to thank her, and Ever shirked out of his reach. She didn’t even wait for a snarl from Derek before she chastised the alpha wolf.

  “Shame on you, Arthur, that you’d provoke the situation to get one-up on Derek. Any person knows not to attempt to touch a person who a wolf considers under their protection. Would you be so petty as to challenge him when lives are at stake? I thought you a better man.”

  With a flip of her hair, Ever went inside the hospital room, holding the door open for Derek. He glanced at her as he passed, a questioning expression marring his handsome face. Ever heard Tom whistle low then speak to the team. “I’ve never seen anything like that before in my life. She calmed the wolf.”

  “Seems like D is quite taken with your goddaughter, Tom.”

  “Her father’s going to kill me.”

  Ever grinned as she let the door swing shut and walked over to where Derek waited for her. The hospital had given the girl a room to herself; her parents and a doctor were the only other people permitted to stay in the room. The teen wolf cuddled into the curve of her mother’s body, the daughter the image of her mother, with an intense shade of auburn hair and olive eyes. Her father stood with his back to them, but from the trembling of his body, the wolf himself was straining for control. Her father wanted blood for what had happened to his daughter, and Ever totally understood his need for vengeance.

  The doctor came forward and held out a hand to Derek, but he was too caught up in his own thoughts to notice.

  Ever grasped the woman’s hand and said. “Hi, I’m Ever, and I’m consulting with P.I.T. for this investigation. This is Agent Doyle, and he left his manners at home today.”

  The doctor laughed. “I’m Dr. Val. It’s so nice to meet you, Ever. It’s okay; I work with surgeons every day who seem to have left their etiquette at the door of medical school.”

  Derek brushed passed them, and Ever sighed. He pulled a chair to the side of the hospital bed and spoke. “My name is Derek, and I’m working very hard to catch the man who tried to take you. Do you mind if I sit?”

  The teenager bowed her head. Derek sat down slowly as he placed his palms on his jeans and leaned back in the chair. Ever stayed where she was, standing next to Dr. Val. The young girl watched him with wide eyes, shaking as her mother gently ran her fingers through her hair.

  “You’ve no need to fear me, little pup. I’m just a little cranky because of the moon’s call, and I’m not acting like myself.” He spoke honestly to the girl, surprising Ever that he would admit to his lack of control. He seemed like a man who was known for being strong and in control.

  “S’okay… sometimes, my brothers get cranky like that, too. I’m used to it.”

  “You’re a brave young woman, Miss. First, let me know what I should call you. I don’t want to have to call you pup all day.” He let the left side of his mouth curve up into a friendly smile.

  The girl let out a sigh and rubbed the tiredness from her eyes. “My name is Christine, but I prefer Chrissy.”

  “Then Chrissy it is. Now, Chrissy, can you tell me what happened? Anything you can remember is fantastic.”

  Chrissy swallowed hard. “It’s a little hazy. After I shifted, my wolf took over, and I wasn’t me for a while. I know Papa said the wolf must never take control, but I was so scared, and she knew what to do.” The girl hiccupped back a sob.

  Her father turned round, wetness blanketing his eyes. “You had no choice, Chris
sy. You did what you needed to do to survive. I’d never chastise you for that.”

  Derek reached out and took hold of Chrissy’s hand. “Sometimes, we need the wolf to protect us when we are too afraid ourselves. Let me tell you a little secret about me. I was a bitten wolf, not born like you. When I was first changed, I knew nothing of the world like it is now. I didn’t deal very well with what I’d become, and I let the wolf take charge more times than I can remember. He kept me alive when the man didn’t want to live. So, our wolf sometimes has to do things our person wouldn’t. Even your dad would agree with me.”

  The girl wiped away a stray tear. “Okay, I’m okay.”

  Derek kept hold of her hand and ran his thumb along the inside of her palm, hoping to keep her calm. Every second, Ever was becoming even more enamored with this wolf. As if sensing her thoughts, he stole a peek in her direction before turning his attention back to Chrissy.

  “I knew the change was coming for a couple of days, but I didn’t tell anyone,” she began. “I wanted to prove I could do it myself like my brothers do, out in the woods under the cover of the moon. I snuck out of bed and went outside through the back. The woods are at the back of our house, so I knew if I got into trouble, someone would hear me howl and come get me.” Chrissy paused, taking a break before she continued with the dark and horrid story.

  It suddenly hit Ever that if the girl hadn’t changed, they would be looking at her body now on the cold, unforgiving table in the morgue. There would be no fight in her eyes, no spark, and no life. And that thought punched a hole in Ever’s chest.

  “I stopped by my favorite climbing tree, where Papa built me a tree house, and rested against the branches. My muscles burned, and the wolf was ready. But then he dropped down from the tree house and grabbed me. I screamed, and he put his hand over my mouth. I… I… wet myself, and then the wolf—she started to tell me to bite down hard on his hand, so I did. Once I tasted his blood in my mouth, my wolf took over. We changed, and she bit his leg when he let me go.

  “The wolf wanted more blood, but he kicked out and hit me in the ribs before punching me in my face. He kept screaming that I was ruined, spoiled, and that someone else would die in my place. Then he was gone, as fast as a wolf could run, and I howled as loud as I could for help.”

  The poor girl burst into tears, and her mother hugged her close. Derek waited until the girl was composed again before he spoke. “You did so well, Chrissy. You fought back, and now he will bear your marks on his skin. You left us with clues to follow. Is there anything else he said or did that stood out as odd to you?”

  The girl shook her head, but then froze. “The wolf put pictures in my head, and I remembered that when I bit his hand, he tasted wrong—like I’d eaten something bad. The wolf found it hard to believe he was human because his blood tasted of magic. But not his given magic.”

  Derek stood and brushed a loose curl of hair from Chrissy’s face. “You did brilliant Chrissy, thank you. If you ever want to become a cop, come see me in a few years. You’d make an excellent addition to my team.”

  The girl beamed, and her father snorted. “All she has ever wanted to be is a policewoman. You’ll see her for certain in a couple of years.”

  Derek nodded and replied, “Good, and I meant every word. I’ll see you soon, Chrissy. Ma’am.”

  He smiled at the two girls curled on the bed and went to speak to her father. Derek could have lowered his voice, but he seemed to want all in the room to hear. “Your daughter is strong and has the makings of a future alpha. She will survive this. And I promise you, sir, that if I can, I will rip out the bastard’s throat with my teeth and see that he gets the violent and painful death he deserves. You have my word.”

  The men shook hands, and Derek headed for the door. Ever smiled at the doctor as they all headed out. Peering back, Ever saw that Chrissy’s eyes had drifted shut, but she doubted the girl would sleep peacefully. The nightmares would haunt her for a while.

  Derek held the door open for her and Dr. Val as the rest of the team waited patiently. Ricky and Melanie were further away from the rest of the team. When Melanie made to go over to the others, Ricky said something to her. She scowled and shook her head. Ricky threw his arms up in the air as the tech ignored him and came to stand beside Caitlyn. Arthur hung around on the fringes, only a rumble from Tom kept him away from Derek, for now.

  “Well? Was the girl able to help?” Tom asked, running his knuckles over the stubble on his chin.

  “That girl is gonna make an awesome cop one day. She bit him on the palm and the leg. He’ll be hurting for a while, so we might get the jump on him. When she changed, he shouted at her that she was ruined, spoilt… something you would say about meat. Her wolf claims the blood she swallowed tasted bad—like magic, but not his magic.”

  “What the hell does that mean?” Ricky’s eyebrows almost met as his gaze narrowed.

  “I think I know why he takes the marrow and blood,” Donnie said, his voice sounding like it was being raked over cut glass. The vampire seemed like the type who rarely spoke but when he did, people listened. “He is consuming their power through their marrow. I’ll bet he is human but carries the sense—the ability to sense when a supernatural being is maturing. That is how he hunts them. He wants to be supernatural, yet he enjoys the torture and terror he inflicts before he kills.”

  “Damn, man. I think that’s the most I’ve ever heard you speak.”

  The vampire swatted at Ricky, but the warlock just grinned at him. Derek slapped him at the back of his head, and Ricky groaned.

  “Where’s Fionn?” Derek asked, suddenly noticing the shifter was missing.

  “Fionn had to take care of some pride business. We should have a new replacement in a few days,” Tom answered.

  Derek nodded, not bothering to delve deeper into Tom’s statement. “So, best we can do is head back to the station and work on our new leads.” Glancing at his watch, he said to Ever, “Want me to drop you home so you can get a few hours’ sleep?”

  Ever dismissed his comment with the wave of her hand. “I couldn’t sleep now even if I tried. Let’s just head back so we can catch this monster while he’s injured.”

  “I’ll take you home, Lanie,” Ricky said to Melanie, whose expression darkened at his words.

  “I am quite capable of seeing myself home, Richard, if I intended to go home. I can help out more if I’m working with the team. And don’t try that macho B.S. with me; it won’t work.”

  “Come on, babe. You’re not like us; you can’t function without some rest.”

  As soon as the words slipped from Ricky’s lips, the warlock knew he had royally messed up. Melanie’s shoulders tensed, and despite the anger in her cheeks, her eyes glistened, obviously hurt by Ricky’s words.

  “Fine. I’ll take my perfectly normal human ass home by myself and try and remember my place.” Her voice wavered as she gathered her belongings.

  “Shit, Lanie, I didn’t mean it like that.”

  “I understand what you meant by it, Ricky, and that’s the problem. I can never compete with the likes of you, Derek, or even Ever—who is super smart and human, but Derek still had the sense to ask her what she wanted to do. I told you before, macho crap doesn’t wash with me.” She stormed toward the exit, turning only to hiss at the object of her anger. “And don’t you dare follow me, or I will kick you so hard you’ll never have kids.”

  Ricky stood, mouth hanging open, as Ever smiled inwardly at the girl’s courage to stand up for herself. She assumed that she and Melanie felt the same way, wishing they were both as powerful as the beings they surrounded themselves with. Nobody spoke for a heartbeat, and then Ricky was gone out the door, calling over his shoulder that he would see them at the station.

  With all the action, Ever had totally forgotten that the Munster alpha was still there. Power suffocated the air, and Derek took a step forward. The vampires watched and waited to back up their friend as Tom settled back against the wa
ll. Ever raised an eyebrow. He shrugged.

  Standing between the two wolves, panic began to fill Ever. The stark reality that Melanie had laid out—that Ever was perfectly human and would be ripped apart if there were a fight—was sinking in. Her gaze darted from one wolf to the other. “Derek…” she began.

  “Have no fear, Ever. I would not degrade myself by having an unsanctioned dominance fight here, especially when there are cameras.” He looked over her head to speak to Derek. “You have to choose, Derek—become a member of the pack or move on. Cork is pack territory, and not even your job can save you from pack laws. I’m sure if you want to stay a lone wolf that they’d welcome you up north.”

  “I’ve no desire to be alpha of a pack, Arthur, and we both know who the strongest wolf is. Why would you want to bring that on yourself?”

  The other wolf grinned. “Maybe I’m tired of being alpha, Derek. Maybe I just want to settle down and have pups with a mate. What do you say, Ever? Fancy being an alpha’s mate?” He reached out and brushed his fingertips across the bare skin of her arm.

  That did it. The wolf roared from deep inside Derek’s being, and Ever heard the snap of bone and the tearing of flesh as the man began to become wolf. Fascinated by the change, Ever couldn’t help but watch, having never witnessed a change before. It was quick—Derek’s clothing ripping, fur sprouting from his skin as his bones gave way, crunching and snapping into place, until a very large, golden-brown wolf stood panting on shaky legs.

  Amber eyes blazed as it snapped its teeth, and Arthur stepped back. The wolf padded forward a step and bared its teeth. Ever’s heart pounded in her chest, but she knew the wolf would not hurt her; she felt it right down to her core.

  “I’ve never seen a change that fast,” Arthur said.

  The wolf crouched down and readied itself to attack, and Ever did the only thing she could think of. She had get Derek to calm down. Tom went to grab her and move her out of the way, but Ever held up her hand.

  She crouched down so that her eyes met the wolf’s. “He’s not going to hurt me, are you, Derek?”

  The wolf snorted in response, as if it were a stupid question.

  “See? Now that we know the only person he wants a chunk out of is Arthur, I think you should leave with the good doctor and get as far away from us as possible.”

  Ignoring the two as they left, Ever slowly held out the palm of her hand. The wolf sniffed her hand and then ran its tongue along it. Ever chuckled and brought her hand up to scratch behind the wolf’s ear. The animal leaned into her caress and sighed contentedly.

  Picking up the discarded contents of Derek’s pockets, she held up his car keys. “Looks like I’m driving us back to the station.” Ever rose, and the wolf instantly clung to her side. She danced her fingers over his fur, so soft and smooth, as they walked out of the hospital, the heat of the beautiful animal fascinating her on so many levels.

  Rage brewed inside him as the damn wolf brushed him aside as if he were nothing. He didn’t even stop for a moment to look at him. Would he have known the wolf if he had just taken the time to pause and scent? What did someone like him smell like to supernatural creatures?

  The woman helped to pick up the stolen charts. He had hoped to slip inside and kill the young girl, smother her, but there were too many creatures around. Soon, he would be like them—powerful and strong, no longer weak and forgettable.

  He stumbled away from the woman and slipped into a hospital room to spy on them. He was used to waiting, watching—it was all part of the pleasure. The anticipation made the kill so much sweeter on his lips.

  So, he waited while the little bitch that had bitten him spilled to that damn wolf. The wolf wanted to spoil his fun, end his game… and he was not ready for it to end so soon.

  Doyle stepped outside, and he decided he needed something to distract the wolf from coming after him. And then, the perfect opportunity fell into his lap. She was not his type—far too human for him—but he would enjoy playing with her for a while.

  He waited until the red-haired girl stormed from the room, tears in her eyes. Then he stalked her, following her out the door as she made her way across the car park and fumbled for her car keys. The girl dropped them and swore, bending down to retrieve them as he came up behind her.

  She sensed the danger a mere second before he grabbed her, covering her mouth with his hand. She struggled, but he enjoyed that even more so. The girl whimpered as she tried to free herself, and he could feel the wetness of her tears on his hand.

  Rubbing up against her, he whispered into her ear, “I’m going to enjoy playing with you. I’ve never had a human before.” Then he punched her in the face, and she slumped in his arms.

  He grinned as he shoved Melanie’s body into her own car, leaving her bag behind, the only breadcrumb to her disappearance.

  Come get me, wolf!