by RJ Blain
Once I had her in capable hands, far from her uncle, I would figure out the rest. It took the cops several minutes to coax Kimberly to get into the patrol car with me, and once she was buckled in, I flopped across her lap so she couldn’t escape from those who could help her.
On the ride to the police station, Kimberly’s scent soured with her distress, and I licked at her hand to soothe her. She took hold of my fur with shaking hands. The cops talked about baseball, and I learned my human was as much of a fan of the sport as the police, which led to a lively debate over the best teams.
I had the feeling the cops let her win the debate, acknowledging her points without any hint of condescension in their tones. My wolf approved, my cheetah didn’t care, and I wondered why the two men had decided to become cops.
They had an uncanny ability to read my human’s fragile moods and keep her comfortable, something I knew was critical from my time as a human. They were, without any apparent effort on their part, forging a bond based on mutual interest and trust.
My wolf liked their method. Pack helped the youngest of puppies thrive. My cheetah didn’t question my wolf’s ways, and satisfied they were on equal footing with each other, they retreated and left me to deal with human matters, something only I truly understood.
More and more of my human memories were leaking through without my spirit beasts buffering me. I sighed my resignation.
I recognized the police station the cops parked near, as did my cheetah. Excitement radiated from my spirit beast and infected me. I beat my tail against the seat. Part of me wanted to make certain my plight remained hidden.
The rest of me wanted to reassure old friends, friends from when I been human, that I was still alive.
One of the officers opened the back door for Kimberly. I hadn’t paid attention to the men beyond acknowledging a faint feeling of recognition. Through a wolf’s eyes, it was harder to distinguish human features in a way that made sense to me. My wolf identified many things by scent, and his sight was limited in comparison.
My cheetah’s vision was superior to my wolf’s, but he lacked my wolf’s interest in specific humans. There was one my cheetah adored, but she wasn’t with us, so the rest of humanity mattered little to him.
Unless my spirit beasts worked together, many details evaded me, including the specifics of features that distinguished one human from another. I hopped out of the car, but before I made it more than a couple of steps, the cop grabbed hold of my leash.
“Mr. Spots, you’re coming with me. I’ll make sure he’s taken care of, Miss. The K9 unit can handle him, I’m sure,” the cop announced. “I’ll leave her to you, Marc.”
“You’re not going to take him away, are you?” Kimberly’s eyes were wide and her face paled.
“Don’t worry, Miss.”
“Kimberly.”
“Marc, call my cell if there’s any problems, okay?” The cop with my leash clicked his tongue, and I heeled, continuing to pretend I was a well-trained service dog rather than a wolf with unusual circumstances.
“Will do.”
I hesitated before followed the cop into the station. The stench of the city’s smog burned my nose, and the air in the station was saturated with chemicals, which my human nose recognized as bleach and other cleaning agents. I sneezed several times, shuddering at the stinging in my nose. I panted, flattening my ears at the unfamiliar odors.
“Holy hell, Albano. Where’d you get the pony?” one of the cops called out.
I knew the name, as did my cheetah. I wanted to deny it and ignore the memories the cop’s name stirred, but my cheetah hissed at me, his displeasure chilling me bone deep. My wolf offered no shelter from my cheetah’s disapproval.
“Mr. Spots is, apparently, a service dog. Picked up a teen on our way back. Probable runaway, possibly from foster care. Marc’s bringing the girl in for questioning. She seems a bit delicate.”
“I’ll call up one of the ladies to help,” the other cop said. “Mr. Spots could use a bath.”
“Cute. If you want to bathe him, you take him down to the K9 unit and do it. I’m going to take him to the captain and find out what she wants us to do with him.”
“The captain’s in a pretty bad mood.”
“Warning noted and ignored,” the holder of my leash declared, heading deeper into the station. “Do me a favor and ping her that I’m bringing a pony to her office in a few minutes.”
“On it.”
I sighed and wondered if it was really worth it to embrace the human part of me I repressed. They were truly an annoying species with a foul sense of humor.
My wolf agreed. For the first time since we had been bonded beneath the light of a full moon at my cheetah’s pleading, we had an understanding. With it came his acceptance of what I had been and might have to be again, no matter how foreign being human was to him.
My cheetah approved, and his presence warmed both me and my wolf. While he encouraged me to embrace who I had once been as readily as I embraced my wolf, he would wait a while longer.
Chapter Ten
Away from the lobby and adjacent areas of the police station, the place smelled like a cinnamon-themed bakery. I turned my ears back and whined, halting outside the noisy hive of desks and officers hard at work maintaining the peace.
The cop sighed at me, resting his hand between my ears. “Come on. It’s not that bad.”
It was that bad, but I forced myself to follow after the officer so I wouldn’t draw even more attention. It didn’t help. When the first of the on-duty cops caught sight of me, he whistled. Everyone stopped and stared at me.
“Look what the dog dragged in,” a woman called. “What, did your brother finally cave and decide to get you a puppy for your birthday, Dan?”
“Funny, Alice.”
Dan Albano. The name sent shivers racing down my spine and made my fur stand on end. His brother was Marcello, and they had been my friends when I had been human. I whined and pressed my belly to the floor.
“Aw, Dan. You’re scaring the puppy,” Alice said, approaching to kneel in front of me. “You are a pretty boy, aren’t you? Pretty big, too.”
The woman, like the rest of the place, smelled of cinnamon. She pressed her finger to my nose, and I stared at her, both of my ears twisted back. Growling at the cop wouldn’t do me any favors, but the steady way she stared at me unnerved me enough one slipped out before I contained the urge.
Instead of the fear I expected, amusement sweetened her scent. She trailed her finger up the length of my nose to flick my ear. “I’ll take him if you want, Dan.”
“I’m taking him to the captain.”
“Why don’t I take his leash and come with you?” There was a warning in the woman’s tone, but I didn’t understand what she was trying to tell Dan. My friend, however, sucked in a breath.
“She’s in there, isn’t she?”
“Bingo. The good news? The screaming match ended about two hours ago. The bad news, the captain has declared she’s officially off duty, and if anyone bothers her without a damned good reason, they might find themselves on the absolute worst shifts for the next six months.” Alice took my leash out of Dan’s hand. “Bring an offering of coffee, and she might spare you.”
“Thanks for the warning. He was with some slip of a teen girl from Kentucky, and she was running from something. My brother’s better at those cases, so he’s taking care of the girl. As for our pretty puppy here, he’s gentle as can be, but I wouldn’t push too hard.” Dan headed to his desk, opening a drawer to pull out a manila envelope. Tucking it under his arm, he headed for the break room.
“Now, as for you, come on, then.” Alice stood, giving my leash a gentle tug. “This’ll be easier if you don’t fight me, puppy.”
“Calling him a puppy is a bit like calling a Clydesdale a pony, Alice,” one of the cops on the far side of the maze of desks commented, his tone as amused as Alice’s scent. “Really nice coat, though.”
“Back to work,
louts. You’re all noisy.” Alice hopped to her feet and took a few steps, staring at me expectantly.
It took both my wolf and cheetah working together to coax me into rising and following after the woman, but I kept my tail tucked the entire time. Everything I had once been was in front of me, and the walls I had built around myself cracked and crumbled under the strain of so many reminders.
Marcello’s desk was on the way to Ramirez’s office, and it was messier than usual, as though he fought a war with papers and was losing the battle. Dan’s desk was no better, and I realized most of the officers had far more papers than usual stacked in piles to be dealt with. Alice tugged on my leash, forcing my attention back to her.
It wasn’t far to Ramirez’s office, and while Alice had claimed the screaming match was over, I heard the murmur of angry voices through the closed door. Alice halted, took a deep breath, and tapped on the door. She waited to the count of three before opening it.
“Captain, ma’am,” the cop said, giving my leash a yank when I halted and refused to come any closer. Unlike Kimberly, the woman was strong enough to drag me into the captain’s office. “Sorry for the intrusion, but I thought you’d like to see what Dan and Marcello dragged in from their patrol.”
“The runaway?” Ramirez sounded tired as she stood enough to lean over the desk. “That’s not a girl.”
“No, no, he’s not,” Alice agreed, hauling me into the office far enough to close the door behind her.
I glared at the cop, wondering if I could get away with taking a bite out of her ankle.
Both of my spirit beasts restrained me.
I decided the best place for me was crammed in the corner. Ducking my head, I pressed against the wall, pulling on the leash as much as Alice would let me. She stared at me, shaking her head.
“Please explain,” Captain Ramirez demanded.
“You look like hell, Andrea,” Alice stated, perching on the side of Ramirez’s couch. “Arguing with the captain is a bit like talking to a brick wall, isn’t it?”
“I refused to give Miss Morgan more of my vodka. She took offense to having to converse with me while hungover. I also refused to give her any of the hangover medication as punishment for drinking half of my bottle without me. This resulted in a lively discussion on the shortcomings of law enforcement. She was just suggesting some of us should take an overdue vacation and go on a road trip. She might still be drunk from yesterday.”
I stiffened, my eyes widening. My cheetah’s excitement surged, and I was tempted to glance at the couch to see if Andrea truly was there. While my cheetah knew the woman’s scent, the pervasive cinnamon lingering in the air deadened my nose. There was another undertone to the scent, and both my spirit beasts were puzzled by the aromas.
My wolf liked it far more than my cheetah did.
The last person I wanted to see me like this was Andrea. I had been able to hide my true nature from her for almost a decade. There was no explaining away why I was a wolf instead of a man—a man who couldn’t remember what it was like to walk on two feet instead of four.
She was as far out of my reach as ever, and I despaired.
Alice snickered. “I have two weeks banked. I volunteer.”
“I am not authorizing a mass vacation spree, Mrs. Sandburg. We have a job to do, and it doesn’t involve a group trip across the United States.” Captain Ramirez sighed. “Can you please explain why there is a spotted pony cowering in the corner?”
“A girl from Kentucky had him, pretending he was a service dog, though it seems he might have been filling that function. Marcello is with her, and I got the vibe he wanted help with her.”
“Kentucky? That’s a long way from here. Keep me posted. I hate the cross state cases. They’re always stupidly complex.” Once again, Ramirez stood and leaned over her desk to get a better look at me. She sniffed, and her eyes widened. “You’re fucking kidding me.”
Alice grinned. “Would I do that, ma’am?”
“Get Dan in here—”
The door opened, and Marcello’s brother stepped in, carrying a cup of coffee, which he set on the captain’s desk. “You called?”
Ramirez pointed at me. “You’re fucking kidding me.”
I flattened my ears, baffled by their conversation. What had I done to evoke such a reaction?
“Andrea, you’re the best person to confirm it,” Dan said, holding his hands up in the universal gesture of surrender. “I just found him and decided he was about as natural as Captain Ramirez flirting with Judge O’Mallory.”
“Do you want the graveyard shift for the next six months, Albano?”
“No, ma’am.”
“Then be quiet. Andrea?”
“Why are you bringing me into this?” the defense attorney grumbled.
“If you do, I’ll give you the hangover medication,” Captain Ramirez replied.
“You’re a terrible person.” I heard Andrea groan and the leather of Ramirez’s couch creaked. “Dogs don’t like me, you know that.”
“This one will.” Captain Ramirez grinned at me. “He sure is pretty. I’ll take him if you don’t want him.”
“I don’t think O’Mallory would appreciate that, ma’am.”
“Nonsense.”
Andrea leaned over the arm of the couch to get a look at me. Dark circles ringed her eyes, and her hair was matted with tangles. Instead of her usual blazer and skirt, she wore a ratty t-shirt I was pretty certain belonged to one of the police officers.
Her nose flared, and my wolf identified her inhaling to catch my scent. With her eyes wide, she made a strangled noise in her throat.
In court, Andrea kept her movements graceful, calm, collected, and cool. Rushing led to mistakes and gave a sense of insecurity. In the time it took me to draw a single breath, she scrambled off the couch, hit the ground long enough to gather herself, and launched towards me. Her full weight slammed into me, pinning me to the wall. Her face pressed against my neck, and she drew several long, deep breaths.
Dan burst into laughter, whipping out his cell phone to snap pictures. “I’d call that a confirmation.”
“I’m inclined to agree with you,” Captain Ramirez replied, and a laugh slipped out of her. “You might need to rescue him.”
Alice hopped up on the captain’s desk to sit and joined in the general laughter.
Andrea buried her fingers in my fur, shaking so much I worried she’d fall to pieces. My cheetah’s anxiety surged at the woman’s reaction to me.
I could feel her tears wetting my fur, though she sobbed in silence. I whined, uncertain what to do.
Andrea wasn’t supposed to cry, not over me. There was no way she could know who I was. I was a wolf. I was a wolf who had been a man bonded with a cheetah. She didn’t belong with me.
I wasn’t free yet. The memories I had forced away rushed back, and I trembled as much as the lithe defense attorney.
Idette knew what I was, and she’d come after me. If she discovered Andrea, the woman I had dreamed of so many nights would be hurt, too.
The stress of fleeing from Idette and making my escape across the United States caught up with me. It started as a faint tremble, escalated to full-body shudders, and ended with me slumping against Andrea, who made a panicked noise in her throat. Her death grip on my fur kept me from oozing to the floor in a limp mess, and she held up all my weight without complaint.
Her worry soured the relief in her scent.
“Sean?” The way she whispered my name, all of her attention focused on me, pleased my cheetah and soothed me as nothing else had since Idette had torn my throat with her fangs. Another shudder coursed through me.
I didn’t want to remember.
“Easy, Andrea,” Captain Ramirez soothed. “You know how this works. You need to stay calm so he stays calm. The first thing we need to do is find out what that girl has been feeding him and make sure he gets a proper meal. If she’s been following the directions on the labels for a regular dog, he’s probably ha
lf-starved. Dan, go find your brother and figure out where he’s been, what he’s been doing, and anything we need to know.”
“On it,” Dan replied, heading for the door.
“What do you want me to do, Captain?” Alice asked.
“Fetch a blanket. See if you can find a bowl so we can give him some water and bring a glass for Andrea, too. Give O’Mallory a call and tell him to bring his SUV to the station.”
“What about the girl who had him?”
“Make excuses to keep her at the station while I make some phone calls. Get me her full name, see where she’s actually from, and why she ran. Most importantly, find out why she came here with him.”
“On it.” Alice left, closing the door behind her.
Shifting her weight under me, Andrea worked my neck over her shoulder, stroking my fur as she held me. It was difficult to keep my eyes open, but I stared at Captain Ramirez, wondering how it was possible any of them had recognized me.
No one knew of my affiliation with my cheetah. No one, not even me, had known Idette was a werewolf. Yet, Andrea had recognized me with a glance, and there was no doubt in the way she had spoken my name, just concern.
“You okay, Andrea?”
“I’m okay,” the defense attorney confirmed. “I’m not so sure about him, though. He’s shaking so much.”
“Can’t say I blame him. His eyes are glazed, and I’m not really sure anyone’s home right now. Just hold him. Once Dan and Alice are back, we’ll get him up on the couch and warmed up. Hopefully, we can get some food into him, but we’ll take it as we go. It’ll be easier once O’Mallory gets here.” Captain Ramirez got up and circled her desk to crouch beside Andrea. She lifted her hand and touched my muzzle, pressing her thumb against the tip of my nose. “He’ll be okay with some rest and some tender loving care. I’m sure you can help with that part.”
Andrea huffed and continued to run her fingers through my fur. “You don’t mind taking him?”
“I wouldn’t have sent for O’Mallory if I had a problem with it. I certainly don’t trust James with him.”