by M. J. O'Shea
“PC’s alive. You’d have been able to feel it if he died. It wouldn’t be pain, it would be something so much worse.” Noah’s calm words did help.
“Thanks, Noah. Listen, I’ve been trying to reach him in my head. He’s not answering. I know he could just be drugged or knocked out or something, but I’ve gotten nothing since I called you guys. The longer we wait….”
“We know. We’ve got Leila and Amanda out looking for leads. They started here and are trying to trace his scent.”
“Did anyone tell his mother?”
Zack nodded. “She’s terrified. She’s getting a group of lycans together to search for him too. You’re his best hope, though. Keep trying to wake him up. If he can give us clues to where he is, we have a better chance of finding him….” Zack didn’t need to finish his sentence. The last words were “before it’s too late.”
I tried to stand. I knew I was useless sitting on the floor. It hurt so bad that I almost fell again. He needs you. That knowledge was enough to get me at least onto the couch.
PC, babe, wake up! I wasn’t sure if I was doing it right, but I tried to think as loud as I could. I didn’t get anything.
“Try again,” Noah told me. “Keep going. It’ll have to wake him up eventually.
So I kept going. I shouted, murmured, cajoled, pleaded for what felt like hours. PC, wake up. I need you, I can’t do this alone, I love you, we need you to come back… and all I got was nothing. I was exhausted from the twisting, shooting pain in my stomach and the fruitless efforts to wake PC from whatever unnatural sleep he was in.
“It’s not working, guys,” I mumbled dejectedly.
“Try pissing him off,” Noah suggested. “Sometimes that’s enough to get someone going when they’re starting to give up.”
I chuckled sarcastically. “So he’s drugged and possibly half dead and you want me to start shouting insults at him?”
“No. Think of something that would really get under his skin and push that at him. You can apologize after we’ve saved him.”
I gave Noah a skeptical look.
“Hey, it’s worth a try. Has anything else worked?”
He had a point. I tried pushing out a few random insults, the kind PC would usually answer with a casual flip of his middle finger. They didn’t work. It took me a while, but I finally came up with an idea. It was going to take some concentration. I’d never done anything like it before.
In my head I started building a picture. I thought of our bed, the bed that only PC had ever been in with me. I put myself on that bed naked and sweating and looking like I was half a heartbeat away from coming. Then underneath me, pushing into my body, I put an equally naked and sweaty Zack, and in front of me, kissing and touching me, was Noah. I nearly laughed—no matter what I’d said to Lisa the other night, the idea of having sex with them was completely preposterous to me. But it had to seem serious, like something that would really happen if PC didn’t wake up and come home to me.
As soon as I had the picture complete and drenched in enough heat to ignite an atom bomb (and hopefully PC), I pushed in out into the rapidly dwindling night, toward an unknown location. I concentrated hard, switching the picture up slightly, making it, if anything, more heated and ridiculously unrealistic. I pushed it out again in spurts, like I was knocking on a door. I thought it might be working. I wasn’t sure if I was hallucinating, but I thought I felt the indistinct edges of someone’s consciousness, picking up the images I was sending and trying to process them. I hoped it wasn’t wishful—
What the hell!
Nope. Not wishful thinking. I grinned. The voice in my head was weak, annoyed, and very much my PC. I was so relieved I nearly jumped up and down.
Sorry, babe. I had to wake you up somehow. Nothing else was working.
A wave of disgust washed through me.
Ugh. Please don’t do that again. I never want to see Zack and Noah naked… ever.
I almost laughed. I would have if the situation weren’t so dire. The pain in my stomach eased slightly.
“He’s alive,” I murmured to Zack and Noah, who both breathed a sigh of relief.
Are you okay? he asked.
Am I okay? I couldn’t believe he was worried about me.
I’m fine. Well, I will be when we find you. Everyone’s out looking. Are you okay? They didn’t hurt you, did they?
I wasn’t sure how PC managed to snort in my head, but he did.
Nah, they made me a steak dinner and gave me a nice air mattress to sleep on.
I wasn’t in the mood for jokes. Not funny. I’m serious. Are you okay?
Yeah, I’m okay. They worked me over pretty thoroughly, but it’s nothing that won’t heal with a few hot baths and a long naked massage from my mate.
I couldn’t believe he had the energy to make jokes. I seethed at the mere thought of him getting “worked over.” I imagined him naked, bruised, and bloody, tied to a chair or cowering in the corner of some dirty cement room.
Knock it off, babe. You’re so melodramatic.
Oh my God, did I accidentally send you that picture?
Yeah. It’s not that bad, I promise. But I want to be home with you. Come get me.
Of course, yes, now. Where?
There was a long hesitation.
I don’t know where I am. They’ve got me in a room with no windows.
Concentrate. There’s gotta be something, smells, sounds, anything.
There was silence from him for long scary moments. I didn’t want to lose my connection with him even for a second.
Miles?
Yeah, I’m here. Anything?
It kind of smells like the docks outside.
That was enough for me to move. I flew off the couch, ignoring my aching body.
“Call the others. We’re heading to the waterfront.”
Zack and Noah hopped up, gathering coats and phones.
“Did he say where?”
“No. He said he can smell the docks, though.”
“Like fishy smelling, or just wet?”
I repeated the question to PC.
Definite fish smell.
Maybe strong enough to be a fish market?
I could almost feel him nodding. Yeah, it could be.
“Okay, guys. Where are the fish markets? It’s only a few hours until dawn. They’d probably be setting up right about now. It’s not much, but it’s all we’ve got to start on.”
“You got wireless here?”
I looked around my ancient rickety old dorm, then rolled my eyes at Zack.
“They could’ve used this place as a set for Gangs of New York. I’m lucky it has a land line and heaters that work.”
“That’s okay, I’ll use my phone,” Zack told us, pulling a shiny and complicated-looking gadget from his pocket. Too much for me but very convenient in the current situation. He tapped away on his phone for a few minutes until he got the information we needed. “Okay, guys, we’ve got Hoi Sing in the lower east side, Central Fish in Hell’s Kitchen, AEG in Little Italy—crap, there’s a ton of them, and they’re all over the city.”
Noah shrugged. “We gotta split up, I guess. Call PC’s mother. See where she’s at.”
Zack made a few quick phone calls, dividing up the possible locations between us, the other vampires, and PC’s mother, who was so relieved he was alive that she could barely speak. I was glad they were taking over on the organization front. The only thing I wanted to concentrate on was hearing PC’s voice, making sure at all times that he was still there with me.
PC?
I had to wait for a second before his voice came back to me.
Miles? You guys coming? I’m hungry.
Almost had to laugh. PC was always hungry.
We’re looking. Checking around the fish markets. There are a lot of them, though. Is there anything else? Noises, smells, anything that might help? Do you remember how long it took to get there?
He made a little snorting noise in my head. No. I was kn
ocked out. I have no idea how long it took. The last thing I remember before this room was being in our room and shifting, then I got smacked over the head and everything went black.
My stomach clenched hard at the idea of him being knocked out.
I’ll keep smelling, see if I can pick out anything else. My hearing isn’t as good as yours is.
Please try. Need you home. Are you alone?
Yeah. They kicked my ass and took pictures of me, but since then, they’ve pretty much left me by myself.
Good. Concentrate. Let me know if you hear or smell anything, okay? We’re leaving now.
There was silence in my head for a few minutes as Noah, Zack, and I scrambled down the stairs. We were in a cab heading toward Hell’s Kitchen when I heard from PC again.
Miles?
Yeah, you got anything? I couldn’t help but be excited.
No. Not yet. Be careful. I love you.
Emotions swirled painfully in my chest: fear, panic, love, happiness at hearing him say he loved me… even if it was only in my head. Feeling them all at once was overwhelming.
I love you too. We’ll be careful.
The Hoi Sing Fish Market was loud and smelly, vendor after vendor squished into one tight, overwhelming, nauseating space. I wouldn’t have liked it as a human. As a vampire, it was nearly unbearable. It was early morning, not even a hint of sunrise peeking over the crowded horizon, but already the market was busy, teeming with cooks, restaurant owners, vendors—all shouting at the top of their lungs to be heard over the din.
We passed along the outside. I could barely look at the tables packed with tuna, salmon, and various shells of all shape and size. If I happened to catch a glance or a particularly fragrant whiff, my body would quake and bile would rise almost immediately in my throat. I couldn’t have been too much help looking—especially since I wasn’t completely clear on what we were looking for. In actuality, I spent most of my effort combating my still-aching abdomen and the new compulsion to gag from the rancid stinky-fish smell. Zack pulled his shirt up to cover his nose, heaving a little at the pervading stench.
“God, how do people stand this?” he muttered through the cloth.
“It’s not so bad for them.” Noah looked greenish and pukey.
“What are we looking for?” I asked. Hell of a hunt to start with. Find the love of your life before some sadistic werewolf purees him.
“We’re looking for signs that the wolves were here, smells mostly. You should try to find PC’s smell. You know it best.”
“How could I smell him in the middle of all this putrescence?”
Zack flashed a smile at my word choice. “You gotta put the unpleasant smells out of your mind and concentrate. We’re going to go through the market, then check the doorways of all the buildings surrounding it. God, it would be nice if we got it on the first try.”
I somehow doubted we would. No one was that lucky.
We trampled through the market, trying not to puke and hoping to pick out a foreign smell from among the universal cloak of fishiness. I was almost relieved when we moved to the doorways of the surrounding buildings. The sense of relief would have been complete if I’d smelled anything remotely resembling PC or any other wolf. I hadn’t and neither had Zack or Noah.
I was hoping we didn’t have to schlep our way through every fish market in the Greater New York area. There were so many. As it was, a large part of our group wasn’t going to be safe outside for much longer. I didn’t think I’d be able to stand waiting all day long and not knowing whether PC was safe or not. I pushed my mind out toward him, not willing to wait any longer for information.
PC? You got anything, babe?
No. It’s louder, more people, but that’s all.
I was disappointed.
I don’t think you were here. I guess it’s on to the next one.
Miles, what time is it?
I knew why he was asking. I didn’t want to tell him.
It’s five thirty. Damn my inability to lie to him, even in my mind.
You need to get inside soon. Don’t want you shriveling up due to pure stubbornness.
The sun doesn’t come up till like seven. I’ll be safe. Promise.
I crossed my fingers.
Don’t you dare lie to me, Miles! You suck at it. They may hit me a little, but I get the distinct feeling they need me alive. I want you the same way when I get out of here. So get to safety before it’s light out!
His little tirade hit me fast and hard. I felt his irritation and the worry that it sprung from. I flinched a little, and Noah and Zack looked at me, concerned. It was hard to hide my reaction in the backseat of the cab we were in heading toward Hell’s Kitchen and the Central Fish Market.
“You okay?” Noah asked.
“Yeah. Just got a bit of a lecture about being safe.”
Zack rolled his eyes. “Coming from the guy who got abducted by werewolves.”
He’d forgotten to keep his voice down. The cab driver glanced back at us through his rearview mirror. He probably thought we were nuts. Zack turned a bit red. “Uh, it’s a scavenger hunt game we’re playing. Some of the characters pretend to be werewolves and vampires.”
The cabbie rolled his eyes and muttered something that sounded like “get a job.” Hey, better that he thought we were kids with too much time on our hands than some crazies with a werewolf fetish. That was the kind of thing he’d tell other riders about. I imagined it would be best to avoid being mentioned as much as possible.
We vaulted out of the cab the second he slowed to a stop outside of the Central Fish Market. Noah tossed the driver a bill and told him to keep the change. When I got out, I thought maybe it felt like PC was closer to me than he had been before. Then I decided maybe I was hoping he was closer and I needed to concentrate on looking for his scent instead of wishful thinking that would get me nowhere.
We’re at the next place, babe. Starting to look now.
There was quiet in my head for long moments, but I could tell he was there so I wasn’t worried.
Sorry. I was trying to see if I could hear or smell anything new. I can’t.
That’s okay. We’ll find you.
“Hey, can you smell that?” The conversation in my head was interrupted by Zack’s excited voice.
I took a deep breath in and… yeah, I could smell it. It wasn’t exactly PC’s smell, but it was distinctly canine and not the usual domestic dog smell.
“Start checking the buildings; they’ve been here!” I couldn’t keep the elation out of my voice. I didn’t want to get too prematurely excited, but damn, I couldn’t help it. It would be so amazing if it could really be just that easy.
Zack, Noah, and I split up, checking the doorways and the service entrances to the surrounding buildings. I went straight for the one that looked more like a warehouse, thinking it was unlikely he’d be in one of the nicer buildings. I thought for a second that I probably watched too many movies and not every captive was in some abandoned warehouse, but why not? I was there already. I started sniffing around as inconspicuously as I could, trying to pick PC’s scent from that of the other wolves and the more distant smells of seafood.
And then it was there. In a side doorway I’d nearly missed was a chunk of gingery fur stuck on a nail and PC’s scent only thinly masked by the surrounding smells of the market. Oh thank-effing-God.
I found the building. Now we just gotta get to you.
Watch it. I don’t know what’s in here.
“Zack! Noah! Get over here. We’ve got him!” I was so relieved that my voice shook.
They came rushing to the doorway to find me holding the orange fur in my hand and inhaling. “He’s gotta be in this building somewhere.”
“Noh, call PC’s mother and let her know where we are.”
“Isn’t she with Komarov and the others all the way in the Bronx? We aren’t waiting until they get here.” I could feel the panic in my voice. I’m sure Noah and Zack heard it as well.
/> They both grinned.
“No way are we waiting for the lycan council. Let’s go get our boy.”
The building was unlit and cramped, small hallways radiating out maze-like from the door we’d come through. Each of those hallways had doors at regular intervals, perhaps ten or fifteen feet apart. Damn. It must have been some old office building. There would be floor after floor after floor of this endless sea of doors.
Do you have any idea how high you are?
No, but you’re closer. I can tell that much.
Good.
We moved along the hallways, checking rooms, tapping on locked doors to see if PC could hear us. He told me he still felt like we were moving closer, but he hadn’t heard us at his door. When we got to the far corner of the building, there was a stairwell. We moved silently up the stairs, looking around the corners for guards or whoever may be watching. The building was eerily empty. I would have expected the place to be crawling with vampires, werewolves, anybody. We rounded the last corner and climbed the final short flight to the second floor. Noah cracked the door open, then pushed cautiously. It wasn’t even necessary. The place was deserted just like the first floor hallway had been. What the—?
PC? Are you sure we’re close? This place is a ghost town.
Yes! You’re closer now. It almost feels like you’re right next to me.
“Guys, I think he’s in this hallway somewhere!” I whispered excitedly.
We sped up, checking the unlocked doors, finding room after empty room. The last door on the right was locked. I rattled the knob and heard someone shuffling inside.
PC, is that you?
“Yeah, it’s me. I’m so glad you guys are here!” he answered from right on the other side of the door. I could have laughed out loud; I was so relieved. Noah, Zack, and I exchanged grins.
“Scoot back. We’re going to have to break down the door to get you out,” Zack told him. I could hear PC’s shuffling footsteps retreating.
“You got this?” Zack asked Noah, who nodded. Noah was about to kick the door in when I put my arm out.
“Let me do it.”
Noah nodded, obviously understanding my need to get to PC first. I drew back, and with the newfound strength I was still learning how to use, I slammed my heel into the door right near the handle. The knob shuddered as the bolt broke free from the shattered wood that had surrounded it. I rushed into the room, not willing to wait even a second longer to see that PC was okay.
