Resisting Velocity
Page 20
I frowned at the thought of my dog never being able to run. No. I wanted her in my bedroom with me while I slept. I wanted to watch TV with her on Saturday mornings, to run my fingers through her fur while she sprawled across the couch.
As I dug out my leftover pizza remains from lunch, I told Del about my strange day. About Arii, always looking at me. About getting to talk to her today. Del merely gobbled up the food and stretched out against my leg, her head in my lap as she yawned.
I stayed in the alley with her as long as I could, talking about school and failing calc and hating my English class. Then I pulled out a tattered library paperback and read to her, just to keep from thinking. After a chapter or two, I sighed and glanced at the digital display on my cell.
“Five-thirty. I’d better get home. Mom’ll skin me if I miss her famous chicken lasagna.” Plus I was getting hungry. “Maybe I’ll bring you some tomorrow.”
I stood up and stretched, easing the kinks out of my back and dusting the dirt off the butt of my jeans. I reached down and took Delilah’s head in my hands, placing a gentle kiss on the end of her nose. Her warm, pink tongue darted out to lick me and I grinned.
She was so my dog.
“I’ll work on her, I promise,” I said, backing up a step and turning to walk the rest of the way home.
“Kia’la…” The word echoed softly down the alley and I froze. Del craned her head up at me as I peered down the lane. Darkness was beginning to seep through it, like monstrous fingers reaching for me. My heart thundered in my ears. No one called me by that name. Only Dad, and he was gone. He’d been gone for a long time.
“Little princeling, long ways away from home…” The words were crooned in a feminine voice, tender and acidic all at once. I shivered. No one could give me credit for being a brave guy, but…
I stepped through the mouth of the alley. Del gave a keening whine beside me, her eyes filled with uncertainty.
“Stay here,” I murmured, fondling an ear. Then I headed into the darkness. My arm stretched out in front of me, feeling along the brick wall. “Hello?” My voice came out a little more tremble-y than I would’ve liked. I cleared my throat and repeated myself, bolder. I walked slowly, carefully.
“Little princeling,” the voice murmured again, but this time it was in my ear, ghosting through my mind.
I spun, lashing out with my free arm, but it never connected with anything but air. Cold chilled down my arms, raising a line of goose bumps like a zombie army.
“Who’s there?” I barked, trying to see through the darkness. I walked a little faster, even though the panic rising in my throat told me to turn away, to go home now. My foot caught on something on the ground and I gave a yelp as I pitched forwards. I caught myself, hands scraping the cement enough to burn like fire, but not before I struck my head on something metal. “Goddamnit!”
Then the world spun. In the back of my mind I heard water dripping onto metal, a soft tinking sound. A scuffle of claws against concrete. A low growl. I smelled blood, dirt, and wet-dog.
My vision blurred, sharpening as colors flooded to life. It was like someone turned a light switch on in the alley—I could see the edges of trash cans, garbage, two-by-fours leaning against the wall.
There was a shrieking bark. A darkly uttered snarl. Hysteria rose up my throat like bile and I looked down, right into the blood-red eyes of a beast. Fangs gleamed as the wolf raised its lips. I took a step backward just as the beast leapt. One minute, its claws dug into my chest and the next I was stumbling, falling.
I was barely aware of a sharp stab of pain as my skull cracked against the brick wall.
Then everything went dark.
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Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
About The Authors
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