Hey, I'm back! Apologies again for the delayed update.
As a reminder once again I don't own any of Kelley Armstrong's characters *sigh* I wish!
Chapter 9
I stood on the top of a fire escape on a building downwind and out of sight watching the couple below. I took amusement in making the werewolf pace up and down the street, hearing him demand every couple of minutes what the time was.
"She's here…" Floated on the wind from the girl; Hope – as the pair turned to look in my direction.
Well, it's now or never. I took a breath of fresh air for courage and began to descend the fire ladder.
"Nice of you to finally show up." Karl snapped as Hope shushed him.
"You wanted to chat?" I asked crossing my arms. Karl was one of those people I could tell from the offset he was a bit of a dick - Werewolf or not - so I focused my attention on the girl.
Hope nodded. "We've spoken to Elena – they want you to come back to New York with us."
I sighed loudly with impatience. "If that much wasn't obvious already… Let me speak to her on the phone." I offered her my hand as she glanced at Karl for reassurance. Eventually she managed to find it in her hand bag and reluctantly passed it to me. Hope had set it up to dial as soon as I hit the 'OK' button, and I walked further down the road for some degree of privacy, as the phone at the other end continued to ring.
With some relief Jeremy answered with a curt welcoming. I breathed an audible sigh of relief.
"It's Rachel." I half smiled, just calming down at the sound of his voice. Weird how he has that effect on me.
I heard a door close at his end – probably shutting himself into his study. "Rachel, are you alright?" He asked, sounding genuinely concerned. I was touched.
"Besides from meeting the charming Mr. Marsden… I've been holding up all right." I looked over to the couple to see Karl watching me with a glower.
"Elena said you're in Sacramento." He continued.
"Yeah, yeah I am…"
I suppressed a smile and turned my back on Karl's glare and continued to talk with Jeremy, taking my time before handing the phone back to Hope.
It was time for me to change. I could feel the burning sensation building up in my muscles. The swelling of my glands, and the heightened fever I felt making my skin sticky with sweat. Until a half hour ago I had been enjoying my night off of work. I walked over to my fridge where my calendar was posted, feeling the pendant around my neck; sure enough it had been two weeks since my last change. Where had the time gone? I looked down to the amulet of a column of strange symbols Jeremy had sent to me after we talked on the phone three months ago. It felt warm under my fingertips. Accompanying it, Jeremy had left a small note asking me to wear it as often as I could; so far I only took it off when it was time for a change – speaking of which; I still had a ways to go yet, an hour or two at most. And so I got my clothes changed into something more suitable and found the keys to my little car, heading south west (and well over the speed limit) to the outskirts of the city and up into the hills of Putah Creek State Park.
I parked the car in a shrouded part of a car park I had used many times before, rearranging the overhanging branches of a willow tree as camouflage. I wiped a sheen of sweat from my forehead as the feeling of sharp prickles racing across my skin picked up speed. I realised I had less time than I thought, and ran ahead into the first thicket of shrubbery I saw, shedding clothes as I went.
Once my change was complete, I took a moment to catch my breath – relishing in a high that only comes after the pain disappears. I sniffed at the wind, as it tickled my whiskers, ruffling the fur about my hind quarters. I become restless quite easily and I was soon on my feet, stretching out and testing my joints flexing them this way and that. It was times as a Wolf when I craved company most, after my parents had gone I had always prided myself on how easily I could cope by being alone, giving a mournful howl I hung my head listening to the sounds around me. I caught the scent of a Hare upwind of me and took off giving chase.
The hare kept evading me, zig zagging to the left and then doubling back on it self as soon as my teeth were an inch from its fur. I cursed myself on having such shitty hunting skills, giving another snarl as the Hare doubled back – again, and felt my paws slide on the wet ground as I attempted to follow. My mind started to get confused as my paws couldn't find traction, feeling the ground start to drop at an increasingly steady angle until my hind quarters fell away altogether.
I gave a pathetic sounding bark – even to my own ears – as I scrambled to find grip with my claws… failing miserably as I fell into a deep pit. I landed with a sickening crunch on my rear leg and yelped, inside I was screaming in pain.
I stirred hearing something make lots of noise, pulling away the cloudy threads of sleep.
I looked up to see a silhouette of a dog in shadow, at first I thought it was Sally – but I soon realised my mistake. The sky faintly showing the remaining stars behind the figure as it was tinged with an early morning dusky pink. Had I passed out? How far into the night is it? I lifted my hand up - at some point I had reverted back to my human form. I looked down to discover my left leg was set at a weird angle, I felt bile rise up my throat, but forced it back down into my stomach.
The dog barked furiously in little yips, as I smelt the canine scent of Werewolf being carried down on his breath as it howled. The head of the wolf disappeared as soil was scattered into my face. I shook my head throwing it off of my cheeks, trying to sit up – gasping in pain as I did so.
I heard a curse and looked up once more, finding it hard to focus my eyes to see another couple of heads peering over the lip of the hole, one human, three more canine. "Rachel, don't move. We're coming down." I knew that voice… I did as I was told and settled myself back down on the floor, feeling more than a little woozy, as my vision doubled, the familiar silver dots appearing.
I came to feeling a sharp sting in my arm. I winced trying to push it away.
"Hold her still…" Someone whispered as I felt a body pressed against my back, arms wrapping around me, pinning me to them.
"Jeremy…?" I slurred, my head felt too heavy to hold up and it rolled to the side, leaning against someone that smelt ohh so good.
I felt my leg sharply pulled out from its dislocated socket and rammed back into place. As I screamed, the arms restraining me tightened as a hand was put over my mouth, doing little to stifle the cries as tears rolled down my face. A disembodied voice offered words of comfort - I sobbed, leaning farther into the comforting voice, burying myself into their intoxicating scent.
"She's freezing." The voice behind me commented rubbing my arms as my scream subsided. I was past the point of caring that I was naked.
I opened my eyes a crack to see Jeremy talking to the voice. "Open your shirt to promote skin on skin contact – she could be developing hypothermia." He ordered, getting a silver sheet out from a medical kit by his side and laid it over me, wrapping it around my legs, being careful of the injured one.
A warm hand was placed on my cheek as a surge of energy made my eyes focus on Jeremy's face, he was speaking slowly so as I could understand him. "I'm going to give you Morphine and something to make you sleep."
I felt my eyes blink slowly in confirmation as I could just about manage to keep them open as it is. I fell into unconsciousness feeling a hand tighten around my own.
