Blood Moon

by A. D. Ryan

  “Hey, doggie,” I said soothingly once it came completely into view, removing my finger from the trigger and backing away slowly. The tiny hairs all over my body prickled, and my muscles tensed as I broke out in a cold sweat. “Good dog. Look, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

  The large dog stalked toward me slowly, looking around us and then back at me, and once the silver light of the moon shone down on its thick brown coat, I could see that it wasn’t just a dog, but a wolf that had me in its sights. I tried to pass this off as an impossibility because wolves were extremely rare in Arizona as a whole, let alone Scottsdale. There were maybe fifty endangered Mexican gray wolves in the state, and they never ever came this close to civilization.

  The more I looked at this animal, though, the more I realized it was indeed a wolf. However, this wasn’t like any other wolf I’d ever seen, either, looking to be about twice the size, which frightened me a little. Gray wolves didn’t grow this big, that much I knew. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that it had to weigh well over one hundred eighty pounds, which meant it would most likely be able to take me down with ease.

  Its long, sharp canines glistened before it brought its eyes back to me, its lips curled back into a snarl, and it took another stalking step toward me. It was obvious that this animal wasn’t going to back down, and I didn’t relish killing it, but it was becoming obvious that I wouldn’t have much choice. My life was at stake now, not to mention that I couldn’t let a wild animal remain out here in a public park. While my instincts told me it was unlikely, this could be what killed that woman.

  I raised the gun again, steadying my arms, and took aim. “I don’t want to do this,” I told it, my voice trembling, and just as I was about to pull the trigger, it sprang forward. Almost two hundred pounds of solid muscle and bone tackled me to the ground, forcing all of the air from my lungs. My gun went flying when my back slammed into the ground, and my head throbbed from the impact. As I struggled to free myself, the hot, somewhat putrid breath of the wolf nearly suffocated me when it leaned in with a warning growl. Its huge paws were on my chest, holding me down and robbing me of the ability to breathe. It continued to growl and snarl, its eyes scanning the darkness—probably for anyone who might try to help me. Before it could bite me, I brought my hands up and grabbed hold of the looser skin around the animal’s neck, pulling upward in an effort to hold its face far from mine.

  The wolf was ridiculously strong, and I started to think I wouldn’t win as the muscles in my arms trembled with fatigue. It barked again, just as my left arm gave out, and its teeth sank deep into my shoulder, tearing right through my leather jacket and shirt. Teeth scraped bone, and I screamed in pain when a burning sensation shot through my arm. The adrenaline that coursed through my body gave me a sudden burst of strength, allowing me to bring my right leg up between us until my foot was pressed against the animal’s chest, and I heaved it off of me.

  The wolf yelped as it hit the ground several feet away from me, his eyes wide and panicked, and then several shots were fired to my right. I heard another yelp from the wolf, and a spray of red misted the air above its right flank.

  This didn’t slow it down, however, so David fired another shot, but missed when it darted quickly back into the cover of trees, howling.

  “Brooke!” David cried, tearing up the grass as he fells to his knees next to me. “Jesus, Brooke. Are you all right?”

  “Damn it.” I inhaled sharply through my teeth, almost hissing, and pushed myself up with my good arm, trying to keep my left shoulder from jostling too much. “Yeah. I think so.”

  Without warning, David pulled me into his arms and held me, disregarding my injured shoulder in lieu of his relief that I was okay. I hissed painfully, and he released me before helping me to my feet and peeling the shredded jacket from my shoulder once I was steady. “I-it bit me,” I told him while he ripped the collar and sleeve of my shirt open so he could get a better view of my bloodied shoulder. “God, that thing was strong.”

  “Sweetheart, this doesn’t look good.” I craned my neck to look at my shoulder as David pulled out his flashlight and inspected the damage. It looked horrible: the skin broken and torn where the wolf’s teeth sank in, and blood flowing from several deep and jagged lacerations. “Maybe we should go to the emergency room,” he suggested, looking at me worriedly and cradling my face. “It looks like you’ll probably need stitches…and a rabies shot might not be a bad idea while we’re there.”

  Going to the doctor was the last thing on my mind, knowing that we had a homicide to investigate, and the only reason I followed David back to the car was because I knew I wouldn’t be any good to anyone if an infection set in or I started foaming at the mouth.

  On our way, some of our coworkers asked what happened, and David quickly filled them in before telling O’Malley to call Animal Control to have the park combed thoroughly for the wolf that bit me.

  “What the hell happened back there?” David asked as we pulled out onto a main street. “Did you see anyone?”

  I shook my head and looked down at my shredded shoulder again, wincing when the car flew over a pothole and my arm bumped the seat roughly. “Nope. Just that damn wolf.” Lifting my head, I caught David’s concerned gaze. “H-how about you? Anything?”

  He shook his head, frustrated. “Nothing.” There was a brief pause as David changed lanes and turned right. “Did you get a good look at the body?” he asked, changing the subject. It was pretty obvious that he was trying to keep my mind on something besides my injury.

  “Can’t say that I did.” I thought back to the few minutes I had with the victim before I went off and got attacked by a wild animal, suddenly remembering something. “There was a mark on her neck and shoulder—trauma of some sort—but I got distracted before I could really look at it.”

  “I’m sure the coroner will record it, and we can look over the report tomorrow morning.”

  By the time we pulled up to the emergency room doors of Osborn Medical Centre, the pain had gone from a dull throb to feeling like a hot poker was being dragged down each and every tear slowly. Flames shot through my veins like lava, and it took everything in me to not give in to the pain and pass out.

  After throwing the car into park, David rushed around, opened my door, and helped me out of my seat, wrapping a protective arm around my waist to guide me through the entrance.

  The waiting room was full, which wasn’t surprising, nor was it a good sign that I’d be fortunate enough to be seen right away. We walked toward the admissions desk, and David filled the woman in on why we were there. She gave us some paperwork to fill out and asked us to have a seat in the waiting room—as if that was going to somehow make me more comfortable as the flames of hell lapped at my shoulder and traveled down my arm. After easing me into a seat, David sat next to me and offered to fill everything out.

  Once my information had been documented, David took it back to the front and rejoined me, taking my hand in his and lacing our fingers before raising them to kiss my knuckles softly. “How are you doing?”

  “It feels like my shoulder is on fire,” I whispered honestly. “It’s not constant, though, so I guess that has to count for something.”

  “We’ll be in soon,” he tried to assure me.

  As the minutes ticked by, I watched as several of the other people were called in. We’d been waiting just under an hour before my name was called, and David insisted on coming with me. I didn’t try to dispute it, because the truth of the matter was that the idea of getting stitches made me more than a little nauseous.

  Once inside the bright, sterile room, David and the nurse helped me out of my jacket, and I fought back several curse words when the nurse took to peeling the fabric of my ruined shirt from my skin. The doctor joined us a few minutes later and inspected the area thoroughly.

  Dr. Calvin was an older gentleman with graying hair and kind brown eyes hidden behind stylish glasses. Upon first impressions, he seemed like someone I could feel
at ease with. “So what happened here?” he asked, touching my shoulder gently.

  “I was attacked by a wolf in Chaparral Park,” I replied through clenched teeth as he cleaned the area with antiseptic. It stung like a bitch, but I knew it had to be done, so all I could do was squeeze the ever-living hell out of David’s poor hand until it was over.

  The doctor worked quickly, and before I knew it, I was being released with a shot of morphine, twenty-three stitches, a rabies shot, and a prescription for both an antibiotic and a mild painkiller. After thanking the doctor, David and I headed over to the pharmacy to fill my prescriptions. Even though my mind was still pretty foggy from the morphine, I wanted to stay ahead of the pain, so I opened the painkillers the minute we were in the car and took one.

  By the time we reached my house, the pill had kicked in. I had always had a pretty low tolerance for drugs and alcohol, so it wasn’t surprising when everything started to feel a little hazy, and David had to help me up the front steps and down the hall to my room. Always wanting to take care of me, he settled me onto the bed before heading for my dresser, and I groggily watched him go through my drawers for a fresh shirt to sleep in. When he found a tank top and some flannel shorts, he helped me into them and kissed my forehead softly.

  “Can I get you anything?” he asked quietly. “Are you hungry?”

  “Mmm mmm,” I hummed, shaking my head. “I’m a li’l sleepy.”

  Chuckling, David pulled the comforter back and ushered me beneath it. “Okay, you lie back, and I’ll go grab you a glass of water in case you get thirsty.”

  I wasn’t sure if it was because of the attack, or because my state of mind had been altered from the painkillers, but a sense of panic rose from my belly and clenched in my chest. I didn’t know what brought it on; all I knew was that I didn’t want to be alone. Before he could leave the room, I reached out and snatched him by the wrist. “Wait.” He turned around, his eyes moving from mine to my bandaged shoulder. “You’ll stay with me, right?”

  Smiling, David cradled my jaw in his free hand. “Sweetheart, I’m not going anywhere. I’m just going to the kitchen, and then I’m going to phone your parents to let them know you’re okay.” He paused to press his lips to mine lightly. “I’ll be right back. I swear.”

  I nodded slowly and lowered myself into bed, pulling the warm comforter up beneath my chin. Closing my eyes, I allowed the fog in my head to take over until I found myself on the precipice of sleep, and the last thing I remembered was the bed dipping behind me and David pulling me into his warm embrace.

  Chapter five | awake

  Her cold, dead eyes stared up at me, pleading with me to help her as I circled her body slowly, looking down on her broken form with intrigue. The pallor of her skin was whiter than white, and her long brown hair moved in the gentle breeze, small wisps flowing across her face and neck…

  Her neck.

  Something in the back of my mind flickered, but before it had a chance to ignite, the crisp wind picked up, bringing with it the refreshing scent of a rare rainstorm on the horizon, and I inhaled deeply.

  Along with the elemental smells of water and earth, I picked up something entirely different… something not unlike that of death and decay. I tried to tell myself that it was just the body, but that didn’t seem plausible since I could tell from just looking at her that she was nowhere near the decomp phase. The smell intensified even as the rain began to fall, and every hair on my body prickled, my instincts telling me to run. Without questioning the urge, my feet moved until I was running for cover in the woods.

  The dirt was cold and wet against the pads of my feet, and I could smell the leaves on the trees and the cactus blooms as I darted past, around, and under. Faster and faster, my legs moved, propelling me deeper and deeper into the forest. Trees whipped by at an alarming rate as I raced along the rugged path left by hikers and animals, and the wind blew through my hair.

  Everything seemed a little sharper to look at, and I could hear absolutely everything around me—the birds in the trees, the worms in the earth—but it was the low growl ahead of me that forced me to stop in my tracks. The deep, rumbling sound grew louder until everything else cancelled out entirely, and a pair of glowing yellow eyes appeared in the shadow of the brush before me.

  The urge to run disappeared as the brown wolf stalked toward me and the lingering smell of death dissipated. Uncertain, I remained in place and assessed the situation. I didn’t feel threatened by the animal, but I was definitely intrigued by it, looking over his thick coat as it gleamed in the moonlight and admiring the grace in his gait. He was beautiful, and I felt a kindred connection between the two of us that I couldn’t quite explain.

  Smiling, I held out a hand and crouched down to the wolf’s level, my instincts telling me that I wasn’t in any danger. The animal stopped walking, eyeing my hand curiously, but when his beautiful yellow eyes locked on mine and narrowed, his ears flattening against his head, I inhaled sharply, realizing my error.

  And then it leapt for me, its jaws open wide, and its long, sharp teeth gleaming in the moonlight.

  I jolted awake, sweat on my brow and the images of my dream already beginning to fade as the burn in my shoulder grew hotter. Not everything from my dream was forgotten, though; I still remembered the wolf lunging for me, and it stirred up memories of the night before. Some of the events were hazy, at best—which was probably thanks, in large part, to the pain medication I had taken—but I remembered David and me arriving at Chaparral Park, the woman, the wolf…

  Pain pulsed in my shoulder again, spreading the fire further down my arm as I recalled the strong jaws of the wild animal sinking into my flesh, burying so deep they grazed the bone before I kicked it off of me and shots were fired. The trip to the ER and everything after that was a little fuzzy, but I could recall bits and pieces of it.

  When the pain was too much to ignore, I carefully pushed myself up on the bed, being sure to move slowly so I didn’t pull any stitches or disturb David, who still slept soundly behind me. Walking on my tiptoes, I walked down the hall to my bathroom so I could attempt to look at my shoulder to rule out an infection. The medical tape was difficult to peel back without tugging a little on my wound, but I managed to release the top strip and pull the bandage down to inspect it. The reddened area around the stitches was slightly swollen, and even the gentlest touch sent white-hot pain shooting down my arm and torso.

  “That looks awful,” David said from the doorway, startling me.

  I had been so focused on my shoulder that I didn’t see him appear in the reflection of the mirror. He stepped into the bathroom in nothing more than his flannel pants, but before he could get a closer look, I quickly pulled the bandage back up and turned to face him. “It’s fine.” He arched a brow, silently calling my bluff, and I rolled my eyes while pulling the bandage away again. “Okay, it’ll be fine,” I amended.

  His fingers were cold against my feverish skin, and I tried not to recoil from his touch when another stab of pain moved down my arm quickly, making my fingers tingle and seize. “We should try to clean it, but if it doesn’t look any better by the end of the day, I want to take you back to the hospital.”

  While I understood his concern, I really thought he was worrying over nothing. “David, I was attacked by a wild dog less than thirteen hours ago,” I reminded him with a smile I hoped wasn’t coming across as forced as it felt. “We have to give it time to heal.”

  “But—”

  Shaking my head, I refused to let him finish. “Look, if it’s still bothering me or looks worse than this, then I’ll go to the hospital without a fight.” This appeased him for the moment, so I continued. “But other than a little pain, I’m fine. I promise.” He nodded but still didn’t seem convinced. “Look, it probably just needs to be cleaned. Why don’t you go put a pot of coffee on, and I’ll be out in a minute.”

  “Do you need a hand with the back of your shoulder?”

  I considered his offer for a
second before deciding I couldn’t risk letting him know it hurt more than I was letting on. “I don’t think so, but if I change my mind, I’ll come get you, okay?”

  Seeming somewhat uncertain if he should take me at my word, David remained in the bathroom for a moment before conceding and heading to the kitchen. After closing the bathroom door, I removed both bandages entirely and set to work cleaning my shoulder. Turning the faucet on, I waited until the water ran warm, and then I soaked a washcloth and gently cleaned the area around my stitches. The pain in some areas was almost blinding, and I had to bite my bottom lip to keep from whimpering too loudly and alarming David.

  With my wound clean, I applied a new bandage to the front of my shoulder, but had trouble with the back, so I opened the door and called for David. In a flash, he was at my side, a fresh cup of coffee in his hand for me.

  “What’s up?”

  I took a small sip of the rich brew, smiling when I tasted the copious amounts of sugar he’d added, and then set the cup down on the vanity. “I can’t get the bandage on the back. Would you mind giving me a hand?”

  Smiling, he slowly turned me around and reached for the pre-taped patch of gauze. “Not at all, sweetheart.” Once the bandage was in place, he leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to the unmarred skin of my neck, sending a shiver of desire through me. “There you go.”

  With my shoulder all patched up, I finished getting ready for work. Once my hair and teeth were brushed, I picked up my coffee and headed to my bedroom to find something to wear.

  The minute I pulled on a button-up blouse, the constricting fabric rubbed against my bandages and exacerbated the throb in my shoulder. I took the blouse off, trading it for a sage green ribbed tank top that wouldn’t tug on my bandages; it wasn’t the most professional attire for a detective, but I was pretty sure the captain wouldn’t mind under the circumstances.