Bone Driven

by Hailey Edwards

  “You know what really gets me hot?” I leaned in close and whispered in his ear. “The chase.”

  A crimson sheen covered his eyes when he drew back to look at me. “Yes.”

  The little bit I’d gleaned about demons and their feral sides had convinced me the primal hunt for a mate would rev his engine the same as any animal.

  Thank you, Discovery Channel.

  “Why don’t you give me a five-minute head start?” I eased out of his grip. “And then you can chase me.”

  He caught me by the wrist and anchored me beside him. “I can have you if I catch you?”

  Only one answer was unlocking the manacle around my wrist. “Yes.”

  “Then go.” He released me and leaned back, resting his elbows on the porch, giving me an eyeful of the tent he was sporting in his pants. “Run.”

  He didn’t have to tell me twice.

  I bolted across the yard, hating to leave Thom unprotected, and hit the tree line seconds later. I pumped my legs as fast as I could, but I was human-slow, and Cole was demon-fast. I wasn’t kidding myself that I would win this race. The best I could hope for was luring him away from Thom while using the exertion to burn through the drugging effect of those flowers on him.

  No clock was required to inform me when my time was up, a roar that silenced the forest blasted out from the general direction of my house, and my heart attempted to spring from my throat and scurry to safety. Thirty seconds later, I heard limbs snapping, heavy breathing, and punishing footfalls.

  I almost sagged with relief when I spotted the stream up ahead and cut a hard right to follow its path. Almost there. Panic lent me speed, and I kicked it up a notch until the scenery blurred around me while I ran hell-bent for leather.

  Cole paced me so close his exhales painted the back of my neck. His hands brushed my sides, seconds from plucking me off my feet, but it was too late. We had arrived. With a triumphant yell, I hit the crumbling edge of a ravine and leapt, pinwheeling my arms all the way down into the deep basin of the small spring-fed pond.

  Icy water closed over my head and stole my breath, shocking me from the cold place. I was already swimming toward the shallows when the entire pond exploded outward as Cole cannonballed into the center. I had a handful of mud, was hauling myself onto shore, when his arms clamped around my middle and hauled me back against the furnace of his body. The sad thing was, under different circumstances, this might have been the singularly most erotic event of my entire life.

  “Okay,” I panted through the stitch in my side. “You win.”

  The spell broke with an almost audible snap as his sharp exhale whistled past my ear, and Cole rested his forehead on my left shoulder. “I don’t know what came over me.”

  All that delicious heat flushing my skin from the run, the sting of his teeth, the strength of his arms, snuffed out in a blink as confirmation he hadn’t wanted this, hadn’t wanted me, pelted my ego like hail in a late summer storm.

  “It wasn’t your fault.” I didn’t move for fear of startling him. “Thom was acting odd today, but I didn’t put it together until I found him on the phone with you. There are wildflowers in that corner of the yard, weeds mostly. We don’t mow that area. I don’t know what all’s growing there, but I think we need to find out.”

  We lingered there a moment longer while Cole sank back into his skin, and then he released me, the rush of cold water chilling after his warmth. We trudged out onto the muddy shore together and started toward home. I stepped on a rock and hissed out a curse but kept going. It was one of many aches and stings in my soles I had been able to ignore up to this point. I could last a while longer.

  “You’re not wearing shoes.” Cole glowered at my toes like they were each personally to blame. “It’s my fault you’re out here barefoot. I could carry you back.”

  “Nah.” More contact with him would be like splashing alcohol in an open wound. “It’s not too far. Besides, I roamed these woods as a kid and survived. I came down here every day during the summers to swim. Maggie and I would…” A fist clenched around my heart. “We used to jump from that exact spot to see who could make the biggest splash. Dad almost had a coronary the first time he caught us. He actually hired a local contractor to deepen the basin so we wouldn’t break our necks.”

  “You miss her.”

  “I do.”

  “She might not come back the way you remember.”

  “I know.”

  “She might not come back at all.”

  “I know that too.”

  That was it, the entire conversation. It was nothing fancy. No depths were plumbed. No souls bared. Just a string of bald statements uttered on both sides. He didn’t cast blame on me, and I didn’t volunteer my guilt. Yet somehow those few lines from him accomplished what Miller, through no fault of his own, had failed to do.

  Cole absolved me, not for my decision, only Maggie could do that, but for making the only call I could live with afterward.

  The problem with Cole was the man was built like a mountain, and all that strength made me view him as a rock, steadfast in the turbulent seas of my awakening. I wanted to cling to him. God how I wanted him to save me from myself. But I was learning that stones, even the mightiest of them, sank under enough weight. And I was not going to be what pushed his head under the water. Not this time.

  This time, I would learn how to swim. This time, after my sisters were defeated, I would set Cole free.

  And may God have mercy on me. I was certain Cole would show none.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  The walk back took forever thanks to the awkward silence that thickened the air until breathing hurt. I led Cole onto the porch and parked him in my rocker, which groaned a complaint as his weight settled. I kept a wary eye on him for a good ten minutes while I picked tiny rocks from the gashes on my feet and plucked hateful splinters from between my toes, but the most adverse reaction he showed was in response to the bloody footprints I left behind on my way to rinse my feet in the downstairs tub before pulling on socks and shoes. With that done, and my feet much happier, I hit the single car garage Dad used as a workshop. I palmed the respirator he used when sanding projects, popped in fresh cartridges, and strapped it on before rejoining Cole.

  “Here’s the plan.” I made the necessary adjustments to get a tight seal around my nose and mouth. “I’m going to attempt to drag Thom to the faucet at the side of the house. The hose is in the garage.” Had it already been connected, I could have saved myself the hassle of sprinting for my life. “Can you hook it up for me and then get out of Dodge?”

  “I don’t like this,” he said, the muscles in his jaw popping, “but you seem to have the most immunity to its effects. We can’t risk me going off the rails again. Next time you might not make it to that pond.”

  I wasn’t sure immunity was the right word, but I had shaken it off faster than him.

  “I got this.” I smiled before remembering he couldn’t see my mouth. “I’ll get out the second I have an issue if the mask can’t filter out the pollen or spores or whatever.”

  With a scowl tightening his features, he stalked off to handle his part of the plan while I braved the walk over to Thom. The plants hadn’t affected me until Cole showed signs, as best as I could tell, but I was honest enough with myself to admit I wasn’t convinced it wasn’t his desire that had stoked my own to blistering heights, with or without the plant’s help. Cole all hot and bothered…

  Mercy.

  Shaking those thoughts out of my head, I got back down to business.

  Thom hadn’t so much as twitched from what I could tell. I watched the rise and fall of his chest while giving Cole a moment to connect the hose and me a chance to test the mask while in close proximity to patient zero. A shrill whistle split the air, and I glanced back as Cole sank into his chair, his hands gripping the armrests until I cringed in sympathy.

  It’s go time.

  “Okay, Thom. Up you go.” I nudged him onto his back, hooked my
arms under his armpits, and started dragging. “You’re a lot heavier than you look.” Awake he was all elbows and knees. “Maybe you should lay off the mice.”

  I was panting hard by the time I reached the faucet, but I hadn’t experienced the urge to go rub myself against Cole’s leg, so the mask was doing its job. Once I had Thom rearranged, I twisted on the faucet and readied the sprayer. A powerful blast of icy water shot from the end when I pulled the trigger, and I aimed right for Thom’s face. The effect was instantaneous.

  A mighty yowl ripped from his lips, and he jolted upright spluttering and hissing.

  Considering how far under he’d gone, I showed no mercy and hosed down the rest of him until he was soaked to the bone and glaring at me in the way cats had that convinced you they were plotting your bloody murder. Water dripped into his eyes and plinked onto his lap off his chin. He looked utterly miserable.

  Thom shook a hand through his soggy hair, spraying droplets. “Was that necessary?”

  “’Fraid so.” I killed the water. “It worked on Cole, so I figured it would work on you too.”

  “Cole is here?” He lifted his chin and sniffed the air, his head swinging in my direction. “I see.”

  “No.” I thanked the mask for hiding the heat in my cheeks. “You really don’t.”

  Thom swayed as he stood, and his jaw cracked on a yawn. “How long was I out?”

  “A half hour or so?” I walked him to the front porch. “Cole will fill you in on what you missed while I collect samples.” A storm cloud gathered in Cole’s expression as we approached, proving he had heard me, but I ignored the far-off rumble. “We need answers, and I’m in the best position to get them. Can you make arrangements with your lab to get the specimens tested?”

  “Yes.” He palmed his cell. “We can drop off the materials tomorrow on our way to Ludlow.”

  Ludlow? Oh, yeah. Right. Our demon hunting expedition kicked off in the morning. Fun times.

  White Horse had better equipment than what the department issued us, but the thing about winged demons was they tended to rocket into the air first and ask questions later. That meant using what I had in the trunk of my Bronco instead of the tricked-out kit stowed in his black SUV.

  Uncertain what exactly in this corner of the yard was sending our demonic natures into hyperdrive, I bagged soil samples, entire plants, and even scraped bark off the tree where Thom had gotten himself stuck.

  About the time I was done sealing the plastic baggies, we had company. A black SUV barreled down the driveway and ejected Miller and Santiago. They took one look at me and started in my direction, but I threw up a hand and stopped them in their tracks. I stabbed the air in Cole’s direction, and Santiago hooked an arm around Miller’s shoulders before giving his stomach a firm pat and leading him onto the porch.

  While they got current on events, I filled an old cooler with the samples, loaded it into my Bronco, and wiped down the areas I had touched. I popped the used cartridges off the respirator, making a mental note to grab spares, but left the mask in the trunk. To avoid teeing off another round of hot flashes, I circled to the back of the house and gave myself a cold shower with the hose before sloshing my way back to where the others had congregated.

  Cole prowled toward me. “How are you feeling?”

  The driving urge to play adrenaline junkie and climb Mt. Heaton without a harness had yet to resurface. Well, no more than usual. “Normal.”

  “Thom.” Cole waved the medic over to me. “Check her out.”

  I submitted to a quick exam then waited to hear the results.

  “Her eyes are dilated,” he murmured, nostrils flaring. “There is a subtle trace of desire, but it’s nothing like the aphrodisiacal response you described.”

  Mortification ignited my cheeks into flamethrowers. So paranormal romances had gotten that tidbit right. Great. Just peachy. “I’m going up to my room, where I’m going to die of humiliation.”

  Halfway up the stairs, I had an attack of paranoia and ducked into the downstairs bathroom, where I bagged up the clothes I had worn in the field then took another shower just to be on the safe side. In my rush to put a locked door between me and the knowledge each of them had known every time I looked at Cole and had a dirty thought, I hadn’t remembered to grab fresh clothes.

  The rap of heavy knuckles on the door felt like someone driving nails into my coffin.

  There was no question in my mind who waited for me. Only one person would have followed me after I made it clear I wanted to be left alone, and I bet he planned on giving me an earful. That was kind of our thing. I did anything – breathed, spoke, blinked – and he bellowed at me for having the gall to exist.

  Figuring I might as well face the music, I opened the door wearing a ratty, blue bathrobe.

  “I’m having trouble making eye contact with you right now.” The wall behind his head was looking good, though. “Can we do this later? When I have on more clothes?”

  “I take it as a compliment,” he rumbled over my head, his voice booming in the tight space, rolling like thunder off in the distance.

  A compliment. Ouch. Talk about getting parked in the friend-zone. Better than him wanting to bleach out his nostrils, but still. Yeah. Ouch.

  “I need to get dressed.” I shuffled past him. “I promised Sherry I would visit her today, and I would like to drop in on Dad too before I head to work.”

  “All right.” He held his ground and allowed me to retreat. “Be ready to leave at eight.”

  “Sure.” I kept addressing my toes. “See you then.”

  Closing my bedroom door behind me had never felt so good, and that was saying a lot considering all the times I had slammed it after fighting with Dad over teenage drama. Some things never changed it seemed. My hormones were right back to getting me in trouble.

  The black phone sat undisturbed on my pillow, and I eyed it warily like it might sprout fangs and bite me. I woke it and checked the contacts. There was only one number saved. No name. I scrolled through the call log and found the call I had missed earlier. No surprise, it matched the digits from its address book.

  I almost hit redial just to give myself an excuse to vent, but Wu was an unknown, and I wouldn’t live long if I poked too many bears without first filing down their teeth. That decision made, I left the phone behind and dressed for work. I had a couple hours left to burn, but I would rather run my errands in uniform than come back home to change.

  Downstairs, all was quiet. The coterie had vacated the premises, and I sent up a prayer of thanks I didn’t have to endure a walk of shame to reach the Bronco. I checked to ensure the cooler was secure then headed into town.

  The visit with Dad wouldn’t take long. Our interactions never did these days, so I made the Rixtons my first stop.

  I pulled into their driveway and turned off the Bronco. The engine was still ticking when my phone rang, and I answered as Rixton stepped out of his house. He was dressed for work too, and the sight of him wearing his cop face on the front steps of his home chilled my blood. I still held the phone to my ear, like the filter of technology might soften the blow of whatever news he was about to deliver.

  “We’ve got another victim. Same MO. This time off Hart Road.”

  “The Culberson cattle ranch.” Uncle Harold had lost a bet on the Super Bowl three years ago and paid up in the form of an entire side of beef that Dad and I had to haul from the farm to the freezer. “It’s a small operation. They do everything in-house, and there’s a farm-to-fork restaurant on the premises.”

  “Leave the Bronco in the drive.” He slid behind the wheel of the cruiser. “I’ll bring you home with me after work.”

  The trip out to Culberson’s took about twelve minutes. We spotted the thick, black smoke long before we hit the dirt road leading up to the pasture. Cattle huddled together in the corner of the fence nearest the road, their eyes white with terror, and their screams punching through the blare of the siren. Two gangly teen boys, probably the owners
’ kids, worked to separate individual cows from the herd and then load them onto a waiting trailer.

  “Stop the car,” I barked at Rixton when we got even with them. “Shut that gate, boys. I’m radioing in for backup. You can’t handle that many cattle alone. It’s too dangerous.”

  “This is our livelihood.” The taller one stiffened, his chin jerking high. “We have to save what we can.”

  “I agree.” I stared him down. “Starting with your own skins.”

  “She’s right, Hank.” The other boy hooked his arm around the tall boy’s shoulders. “We gotta be smart about this, bro. Mom and Dad have enough to worry about.” He nodded at me. “We’ll wait, ma’am.”