by RJ Blain
Damn it. I’d finally gotten a job with the sacred dessert offerings and it came with the risk of food poisoning? Would it be worth it?
I couldn’t remember what a cupcake tasted like.
“Anyway, there’s a gentleman in a suit out front who wants to talk to you. I told him you had ten before you hit the road. He wouldn’t tell me what he wanted, though.”
My boss believed in walking the straight and narrow, and he associated gentlemen in suits with official matters. Unless I dealt with it, he wouldn’t leave me alone about it. If the man needed to see my license, I was fucked. My boss had a strict rule: a single ticket in one of his trucks, and it was an instant fire. He’d looked over my license before the wildfire and hadn’t asked about it again. When he did, I’d either be forced to go to the CDC or give up playing human altogether.
I grunted, dumped my clipboard on the seat, and headed for the front lot to deal with my unwanted guest.
I wasn’t sure which one of us was more surprised: me or Daniel.
Shit, shit, shit.
“Emily Hall, if my eyes don’t deceive me. It’s been a while.”
My entire body tensed. “Not long enough, Daniel. I’m about to go on shift. What do you want?”
Ignoring my less-than-pleased tone, he closed the distance between us and pulled out a badge identifying him as an FBI-CDC liaison. “I’ll call someone in to cover your shift, but I need to ask you some questions.”
Daniel had joined law enforcement? My tension grew into stomach-cramping dread. “Why?”
“I was hoping we could skip the hostility. I know you don’t have any reason to welcome me with open arms. You were infected with the lycanthropy virus. We both know it. We went to court over it, and I was there at the hearing confirming your infection.” He sighed and returned his badge to his pocket. “We don’t have any current data on your virus levels, and we were unable to find recent residency information. I was assigned to your case due to our history.”
I took my time looking him over. In high school, he’d made no secret he’d been infected with the lycanthropy virus at birth, and everyone who’d been in classes with him knew his parents had the hybrid form; the public register made an indication of status including the probability of developing the prized hybrid form. Daniel had been listed at high odds due to both of his parents having it.
He’d turned heads wearing jeans, but he cut a clean figure in a suit, which likely made him a top bachelor in the lycanthropy community—or already mated.
I refused to fall for the trap of his pretty face and relaxed stance. “As what? Arch enemies?”
“Friends.”
I hesitated to call our high school bickering friendship, but he had stepped in the way of a few hits meant for me. I also remembered what he’d told Brad while scaring off my pray. “It’s a bit of a stretch, but I’ll let you get away with it this once. I really do need to get to work. I have the crazy cupcake lady today.”
If he came between me and the chance of food poisoning from eating something meant for human consumption, I might pick a fight.
Daniel chuckled. “I’ll have a replacement brought in for you. The CDC keeps a staff of employees on call in all major metropolitan areas for cases like this. It’ll take a contractor less than half an hour to arrive, and if you have a long shift, a second one will come in to make certain all your work is covered.”
Shit. I’d heard his confident tone before. Whenever it cropped up, he knew he would be getting his way no matter what. “You’re really not going to take no for an answer, are you?”
“I’m afraid not. I’ve been looking for you for a long time, Emily.”
Had he been hit in the head a few too many times as consequence of working with the FBI and CDC? I considered my options. Bailing seemed wisest; I could open the bathroom window and be winging it out of town as fast as I could fly before he figured out I’d given him the slip.
No one knew I could shift.
“I need to use the bathroom and tell the boss.”
“In high school, you had a bladder of steel and only used the bathroom whenever you wanted to escape out the window. CDC’s headquarters is a ten-minute drive from here. I’ll go with you to tell your boss and give him the number to request a contractor or two depending on your workload.”
Damn it. He remembered that? I’d used the window a few times on him after heated arguments. “I’m far too old to be climbing out of any windows.”
I’d fly out like a dignified being.
“I’m not buying that. You’re tricky. I’m not letting you out of my sight or near a bathroom with windows.”
“A person can’t climb out the bathroom windows here.”
“See? You checked.”
Shit. I had. Many times. I’d even rigged the one window to open with some beak and talon action in a pinch. “I’ll show you the bathroom myself if need be.”
“You’ll survive until we’re at headquarters. I’m not going to underestimate you. If you escape now, it might be another ten years until I get lucky and find you again.”
I struggled to believe it’d already been ten years. Brad had masterminded his attack to happen at our high school, forcing me into the system in the first place. Brad, Mike, Ned, and Daniel had been registered as the instigators, although Daniel had walked clean because he’d been the only one willing to testify in front of an angel.
I’d been there for that hearing, but like the rest of my memories of the trial, they slipped into the shocked haze.
I’d lost so much but gained nothing for Brad’s machinations. My graduation had been soured by the confirmation of infection, every last one of my dreams crushed by the one thing I couldn’t conquer with good grades and determination.
I’d lost my acceptance into college and gained a registration in the CDC’s databases instead. I’d been projected to have a thirty-year incubation period, but living on my own, outcast because of hatred and fear, had jumpstarted my virus.
Instead of dying in the wildfire, one that’d developed without warning, I’d flown over the flames on silent wings.
I surrendered to the inevitable with a sigh. “Fine.”
I could escape out the window at the CDC as easily as I could out the bathroom. With Daniel hot on my heels, I went to inform my boss I had an unwanted date with the CDC.
Chapter Two
Daniel got me into his SUV, locked the doors, and targeted me with his best smile. The unpleasant part of the lycanthropy virus kicked in at full force along with a serious case of lust.
The need would pass in a few hours. It always did. Until then, I’d do my best but would ultimately look Daniel over like he was the main course at dinner. My virus had a mind of its own, and when men smiled at me, it got ideas. When pretty men like Daniel smiled at me, it got ideas it wanted me to pursue immediately if not sooner.
It had been a while since I’d endured any reminders I wasn’t quite human anymore and lacked a mate. As I did every other time my virus wanted me to pick a male, settle down, and enjoy having a few important needs fulfilled, I turned my head so I wouldn’t have to look at him, taking calming breaths until I could relax.
Daniel chuckled. “I can smell your interest, Emily. Your virus is maturing. That’s good. Don’t be embarrassed. It’s natural. Your virus is just telling you there’s an eligible partner nearby.”
“My virus needs to be reeducated on the definition of eligible.”
He started the engine, but he didn’t drive me towards my personal hell, the one where I’d have to confess I’d been shifting for years and had broken more laws than I cared to think about. They might take pity on me and give me a new card, make sure my license was up to date, and otherwise help me take back my life, but my pride already hid waiting for the worst.
“I tried to stop him, Emily. I’m sorry. If I’d known his intentions, I would’ve kicked his ass and handed him over to the CDC myself. It’s why I became an agent. My job is to help people like y
ou. You haven’t renewed your driver’s license. You haven’t made a single withdraw from your bank account in over two years. We weren’t sure where you worked, as your employer has multiple businesses all over the country. Your company’s based in another city, and your mailing address led us to an empty lot. I thought you’d gone full animal. It happens sometimes. I’m relieved I was wrong. I was running out of Emily Hall leads to check. There’s fifty of you in the state.”
I refused to cringe, and I refused to lower my chin and let the shame of having wandered aimlessly for years best me. “Your friend was just a bully wanting a fight,” I replied, aware of the truth but unable to admit it without giving away I’d seen his dispute with Brad.
“He was a bully who wanted to infect you with lycanthropy so he could claim you as his mate. You were at the hearing, same as me.”
One day, maybe I’d find the courage to admit I’d blocked out most of the details. I remembered Daniel being there. Something about his expression had bothered me. The rest blew away like the faint haze of smoke on the wind.
I knew all about smoke on the wind.
“He’s an asshole,” I grumbled. I’d save all my pellets and stalk the bastard, bombing him with regurgitated fur and bone. “If he comes near me, I may very well try to kill him. Please provide a crowbar. I don’t have one anymore.”
“FBI agent,” Daniel reminded me.
“Quarter of the reason I’m infected,” I countered. While I was an owl, I managed a decent growl. “I would’ve rather been left alone, you know. I had the crazy cupcake lady today.”
“With no valid identification and no home address? Give me a break. You’re smart to have gotten away with it for as long as you have. We can get you legalized again. Hell, with that disappearing act you pulled, you might even get a fast-track to being hired. The FBI and CDC is always looking for smart people who can vanish without a trace.”
I frowned, took the risk of encouraging my virus, and glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. “I lost everything in a wildfire, and I refuse to be poked and prodded like some freak because a pack of lycanthropes picked a fight and infected me.”
I wondered if the truth would set me free, and I waited for the verdict.
“There’s one poke, and it’s to check your virus levels. That’s it. You’ll be asked a few questions, including specifics on any relationships you’ve had since infection.”
I bristled at the implication I might’ve infected someone else. “There’s no one. No relationships, no friends. I’m a loner. Happy?”
“No, I’m not happy. Lycanthropy doesn’t mean you have to live as a hermit or outcast. If I’d known you’d been infected before the hearing, things would’ve been different.”
“I still would’ve been infected. Not a help, Daniel. Lycanthropy is an incurable disease.”
“You wouldn’t have been alone.”
I snorted. “Better alone than with an asshole like Brad.”
“You would’ve been with me.”
There were several ways I could interpret his reply, and all of them unsettled me. I remembered his argument with Brad and his claim he’d fight for me.
I just didn’t understand why.
On the outside, the CDC’s office looked like every other corporate building in Walnut Creek. It took a lot longer than the ten minutes promised, and as though convinced I’d give him the slip, he parked in the underground garage to cut off my easy routes of escape.
I wondered why the building had an underground garage when there were outdoor lots available. Judging from the way Daniel drove, he had an assigned spot.
I fidgeted, and Daniel tried to charm my virus with his smile. “You can relax, Emily. You have nothing to worry about. The last thing the CDC wants is a startled, anxious lycanthrope rampaging. Your driver’s license can be reinstated along with your bank card, and I can help you find somewhere to stay in the meantime if it’s an issue. The cards won’t take long, though—you should have them by the end of the day or tomorrow morning at the latest.”
“I’m not helpless. I’ve been getting on just fine, thank you.”
My traitorous stomach chose that moment to gurgle and remind me I hadn’t fed it anything other than water in days. The water I’d guzzled in the morning came perilously close to escaping, and I swallowed several times to keep it where it belong.
Throwing up wasn’t on my list of things to do, and neither was collapsing in an exhausted, shaking heap at Daniel’s feet. Unless I got my act together, someone would be scraping me off the pavement.
“You’re tired, stressed, and judging by how upset you became over the loss of a cupcake, you’re hungry. Cut yourself a little slack. The hunger problem’s easy. As soon as we’re upstairs, I’ll send someone out to get you something. You’re also welcome to share my hotel room with me, too. There are two beds, and you’ll enjoy the tub.”
If my virus had its way, one bed would have an unfortunate accident, then his clothes would have an accident, too.
He needed to stop smiling at me and giving my virus ideas. I choked back a whimper founded entirely on my unreasonable desire to let my virus have its way for a change.
“What’s your favorite food?”
His question doused my unreasonable interest in him as effective as a bucket of ice water dumped over my head. Shame over my diet cut off my breath, so I shrugged.
“All right. Maybe we should address this before we go upstairs. Why do you smell like you’ve been caught stealing candy from a baby?”
I clenched my teeth and wished I could disappear.
“It’ll be easier if you tell me. If you don’t want to talk about it, I can speak on your behalf.”
Pride came before the fall, and I had a lot of falling to do, and I couldn’t see any way out of it. Steeling my nerves, I choked out, “No one likes admitting they’re homeless.”
“Already knew, Emily. You virus has matured enough for you to shift, hasn’t it? You don’t have access to your money, hunting’s free, and you don’t have a home. When was the last time you’ve had a good meal? As a human, I mean.”
“It’s been a while.”
“How long?”
I scowled, considered telling him to leave me alone, but decided to test his claim he meant to help. “Two years.”
His smile made another appearance. “What species are you?”
Fury over what Brad had attempted goaded me into snarling, “Not a fucking wolf.”
His smile brightened. “You didn’t inherit Brad’s virus? Good.”
On that, we agreed. “I really will kill that asshole if given a chance.”
His chuckle intrigued my virus even more than his smile did. “You don’t want his virus anyway. He’ll never have the hybrid form. I do. I know what you are, Emily. I’ve seen you. I’ve no intention of letting you get away, either. Not this time.”
Panic shifting led to all sorts of problems, including becoming tangled in my clothing and falling out of the SUV. I smacked into the pavement hard. I flopped around with the same general grace of a drunk at the tail end of a three-day bender. It hurt. Worse, it cost me time.
Without a care in the world, Daniel got out of the vehicle and dropped his jacket over my head. “All right. I underestimated your flight instinct a little. Take a moment and get control of your nerves. I’d rather not give you a heart attack.”
I scoffed at the idea of having a heart attack after being alarmed into shifting. Covered with his jacket and tangled in my clothes, I made an easy target. Daniel began by pinning my wings to my body. I clacked my beak in frustration.
“This would’ve been a lot easier if you’d just walked upstairs instead of being stubborn.”
Did he expect anything else from me? I’d been stubborn from the day I’d been born. I hooted at the insult I’d roll over just to make things easier on him.
“Don’t get mouthy with me. You’re the one who thought shifting in the car was a good idea. You hit the ground hard,
too. If I let you fly off now, you’ll run right into the wall. How do I know this? I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve crashed into a wall. We’re not suited for indoor flights.”
While I had several calls at my disposal, only my saddest hoot would do.
“I’ll have someone fetch you as much raw meat as you can swallow if you promise to behave long enough for me to carry you upstairs. If you’re good, I’ll get you an entire box of cupcakes you can make yourself sick on in my hotel room.”
I shook out my feathers in my cage of clothes and wished I had a way to inform him it’d take more than a few cupcakes to lure me anywhere with him.
“How about a nice grilled steak, too? My hotel makes them. I’m hoping I’ll be assigned here for a while because of the room service.”
A steak went a long way to convince me to go somewhere alone with him, even into an alley. Add in an entire box of cupcakes, and I’d do so without a fuss. I issued a more demanding hoot to discover what other food he might bribe me with.
“Lobster.”
It was a damned good thing owls couldn’t drool.
“I see that got your interest. Here’s my current offer: I’ll provide you with a steak, lobster, and an entire box of cupcakes for your enjoyment, but you need to cooperate. I’ll carry you in your clothes and my jacket, so try not to shred everything with your talons.”
When I didn’t protest, Daniel gathered me in his arms and rose to his feet with a grunt, carrying me off with no evidence of being burdened despite my large size.
Damned lycanthropes.
All Daniel had to do to get people to leave him alone was inform them he was escorting a cranky lycanthrope female. I wasn’t entirely certain if mentioning my gender or species did the trick, but it worked. After a long, uncomfortable hike, which included a few too many sets of stairs, he put me down onto a wooden table.
“You said you were checking out a lead. Why is your coat wiggling?”
My virus didn’t like the presence of a rival female, and I clacked a warning followed with my most menacing hiss.