Wolf

by D. M. Turner

  “An eleven-year-old boy named Tommy.”

  Thank you, Lord. “Why would they take a boy?”

  “They wouldn’t.” Ian shook his head. “If they’re after what we believe, they wouldn’t want him. Which is why I suspect it’s unrelated.”

  “I still think Tanya and I should check out where they were last seen.” Colin folded the paper and laid it on the table. “Tanya knows the scent of at least one of those men. If he’s been in the area, she’ll detect it. I could probably do it, but I couldn’t be sure I’m on the right scent. The warehouse where they held her had a lot of weird odors associated with it.”

  Unfortunately, he was right. As a human, she’d had trouble remembering names and faces, but she’d found that, as a werewolf, she had an incredible memory for scents. She still had trouble with names and faces. Go figure.

  “Tanya?” Ian raised a questioning brow. “Do you think you can do it? It could bring up very ugly memories. Scent is one of the strongest memory triggers there is for humans. For wolves, it’s even more so.”

  She tensed to suppress a shiver of fear. If she didn’t, and that woman and her brother had been taken by the same men…. “If it means helping someone, I’ll deal. At least, I think I can as long as Colin’s there to help me stay in the present.”

  “Alright then.”

  “Where were they last seen?”

  “The north end of the university campus. The paper says she wanted to show Tommy where she’d be going to school. She’s an incoming freshman.”

  Freshman. Probably eighteen or nineteen years old. Tanya swallowed and nodded. “At least I know the area.” That wouldn’t make it any less unpleasant though.

  * * *

  During the drive into Flagstaff, Colin flicked glances at Tanya. The scent of fear was unmistakable, though she tried hard for a calm exterior. He hated asking her to do this, but he wanted the best chance to find the latest missing women before they ended up dead. If they found them in the next twenty-four hours, hopefully they’d get to them before they’d been Turned.

  “Do you know where they were last seen on campus?”

  “Yes. Near the science buildings. Apparently Donna Elliston is a biology major with a zoology emphasis. At least, that’s what the newspaper said.” The irony of a zoology major being abducted by werewolves didn’t elude him.

  She nodded, her gaze distant as she stared out the window. “Good to know. There’d be a lot of ground to cover if we had to blindly sweep that whole end of campus. Do we know anything about the other woman who was taken?”

  “Carlos is looking into it. He’d alerted us there’d been another abduction, but it wasn’t in the paper this morning. I think it happened too late last night to make the papers. Twenty-year-old waitress taken from a restaurant parking lot down around Black Canyon City.”

  A confused frown crossed Tanya’s face. “Isn’t that a bit far from Flagstaff to be related?”

  “The two women kidnapped the same time you were? One of them was from Cottonwood, the other from Camp Verde. The three in May were taken from Mormon Lake, Oak Creek, and Winslow. These predators have a very large hunting ground, and they’re crossing county lines, probably trying to mask their trail. Unfortunately for them, the police are now coordinating efforts across county lines. The bodies you helped the Flagstaff Police find in June spurred that effort, so various local law enforcement agencies assume any missing woman in this part of the state is related, until they find out otherwise.”

  “That’ll make their hunting more difficult, won’t it? Spur them to go elsewhere?”

  “We hoped that was why they were so quiet the last two full moons.” Colin shook his head. “Appears we were wrong.”

  “Maybe not. Maybe these two cases aren’t related.”

  “We’d like to think that, but until we confirm it, we’re assuming the worst and going hunting.” He cast her a half-smile. “Hopefully without putting ourselves in the line of fire with the cops.”

  “That shouldn’t be a problem. If we run into the police on campus, I’ll tell them I’m a student showing you around. They can confirm I’m enrolled in classes starting Monday and easily verify an association between us,” Tanya sighed and muttered, “I’m still not sure me returning to school is a good idea.”

  “You’ll do fine.” He reached over and grasped her hand. “You’ll see.”

  “I hope so.” Her tone suggested she harbored little of that sentiment.

  When they reached Flagstaff, she directed him where they needed to go. Once parked, the ignition off, he leaned back in his seat. “Are you sure you want to try this? We can turn around and go home.”

  “If we don’t try and that girl dies, I’ll never forgive myself.”

  “Alright. Now, remember, you’re not responsible for finding them. All you’re here to do is confirm that Donna and Tommy were taken by the same men who grabbed you and the others. There’s speculation that she took off with him because their mother is a drug addict. That may well be what happened, but we need to know for sure if werewolves were involved in their disappearance before we let it rest. Okay?”

  Tanya nodded.

  “Good.” Colin got out of the car and went around to open her door. After a brief hesitation, she joined him on the pavement. He shut the door and pressed the button on the key fob to lock the car. “Where to?”

  She led him slowly around a group of buildings, one by one, stopping occasionally to glance around then sniff the air. How could she separate scents in that environment? He hated cities. Even Flagstaff’s less than seventy thousand residents was too much. Over a thousand people per square mile. Ugh. Had God intended people to live on top of one another? Too many scents, many of them unpleasant. Difficult to sort it all out.

  Maybe the sensory chaos didn’t affect Tanya as badly because she’d grown up in that environment? Surely a human nose would’ve become accustomed to it with a lifetime of exposure. Then again, maybe their noses were so inadequate they didn’t sense any of it. Having never been human, he had no answer to that. He should ask his father.

  Tanya went very still, head cocked, as she tested the air with new intensity. “Do you smell that?” She shivered, all color washing from her face.

  “What?”

  She glanced at him in surprise.

  “Right now, my nose is so overwhelmed, I can hardly sort your scent from everything else.”

  Her eyes widened, then she shook her head. “He was here.” She nodded toward Beaver Street. “He went that way.”

  “Well, that’s the confirmation we needed, I suppose.” He’d hoped to be wrong. That Donna Elliston had taken her kid brother and bolted.

  Tanya turned away from the direction the wolf had gone, a troubled frown narrowing her eyes. “I smell blood.”

  “Can you tell where it is?”

  Without comment, she led him to a nook between buildings, straight to a dumpster.

  Colin grimaced. Ew. The stench just keeps getting better. He covered his nose with a hand. “Are we close?”

  “Something bloody was tossed into this dumpster.” She circled the bin then shook her head. “Not something. Someone.” She went deeper into the narrow openings behind and between buildings. Then she stopped near some shrubbery and knelt. “Tommy?”

  The bush rustled. The boy? She’d found the boy?

  “Tommy? Will you come out?”

  “Uh uh,” came a soft, almost inaudible voice.

  “It’s okay. My name’s Tanya. This is Colin. We won’t hurt you. We’re looking for your sister.”

  “You are?”

  “Absolutely. We could use your help, but you’ll need to come out.”

  “I did something bad.”

  “Why do you think that?”

  “I’m all bloody.”

  Colin’s stomach fell. Had the boy been Turned? Worse, had his sister been mauled right in front of him and he blamed himself?

  “It’s okay. Come on out.”

&n
bsp; A boy with dirty-blond hair crawled out. Had the paper gotten his age right? He seemed small for an eleven-year-old. Far too thin, even for his bird-like bones. He slowly climbed to his feet then stood with his gaze averted. He hadn’t exaggerated about the blood. His badly torn t-shirt was covered with it.

  They couldn’t walk around with a bloody kid. That would definitely attract unwanted attention. Colin stripped off his button-up shirt, glad he had a habit of wearing an undershirt, and offered it to Tanya.

  She smiled, eyes shining with gratitude, and held it out to Tommy. “Put this on, then we’ll get you someplace safe.”

  “Then we’ll go get Donna?”

  “We’re sure gonna do our best to find her. You have my word.” Confidence filled her voice that hadn’t been there before.

  Tommy pulled on the shirt and buttoned it with shaky hands. Crooked.

  Tanya held out a hand. He cautiously placed his in hers, and she got to her feet. “We know a safe place to go until we find your sister, but you’ll need to trust us, okay? I know that’s a really big thing to ask after what’s happened.”

  He studied them both for a moment then nodded.

  They led him back to the car, put him in the backseat, and headed for the Preserve.

  Tanya turned in her seat to talk to him. “Do you know where the blood came from?”

  “The men who took Donna hurt me.”

  A lot of blood. Colin took a slow, deep breath, seeking the boy’s scent now that they were locked in the car without all the others muddying the air. The scent of wolf was on him. Was it him, or the lingering smell of the wolves who’d attacked him and taken his sister?

  “If they hurt you, why do you think you did something bad?”

  “I came home from school one day with a bloody nose and a black eye. I got in lots of trouble.”

  “Did you try to fight the men who took your sister?” Colin asked.

  “Yeah. I’m too small.”

  The kid had guts. He had to give him that. Downright impressive. He’d make a fine wolf, if he survived his first Shift.

  Tanya’s concern laid elsewhere. “Are you in pain? Are you still bleeding?”

  He shook his head then raised both shirts to show her his stomach and chest. “All scabbed over and itchy.” He cocked his head and grimaced. “Not as bad as when I broke my arm last year though.”

  She chuckled. “Broken bones are no fun. Did they put you in a cast that made you itchy?”

  “Yeah.”

  Colin glanced in the rearview mirror and could just make out the boy’s awestruck expression.

  “You’ve had a cast?” Apparently, he was shocked an adult understood his plight of a year prior.

  “Both legs, all the way to my waist, when I was fifteen.”

  “Yikes! How’d you scratch?”

  “I didn’t. I thought I’d lose my mind by the time the casts came off.”

  Tommy nodded in total understanding.

  Colin smiled slightly. She was good with the boy. Hopefully she didn’t get too attached, in case he didn’t survive.

  * * *

  Tommy was so trusting. Tanya marveled at that. How could he be after what had been done to him, after his sister had been abducted right before his eyes? The fact he’d healed had to be a good sign, right? Did that mean he’d survive his first Shift? She glanced at Colin, desiring to ask, but she couldn’t do it in front of Tommy.

  “Where are we going?”

  Tanya looked to Colin for an answer.

  Colin glanced at her and smiled, then his gaze went to the rearview mirror. “My dad has a place in the mountains. You’ll really like it. It’s safe. We’ve got friends looking for your sister. As soon as they find her, we’ll go get her.”

  She smiled at Tommy. “Do you like to hike?”

  Small, thin shoulders shrugged. “Don’t know. Never been.”

  “Really?”

  He nodded. “Mom doesn’t let me do that kind of stuff. She’s afraid I’ll get hurt.”

  “Understandable, I suppose. Moms worry.” Some of them anyway. She pushed away thoughts of her own mother and refocused on the boy in the backseat. Hadn’t Colin said Donna and Tommy’s mother was a drug addict. “When we get to the house, you can call your mom, if you want. Let her know you’re okay.”

  He grimaced. “She doesn’t have a phone. Too expensive, she says.”

  “Oh. Is there someone we could call to get a message to her?” Surely his school had a contact number. If they did, he’d know it.

  “No. She doesn’t like people much, so we don’t know the neighbors.”

  “Oh.” So much for that thought. “I’m pretty sure it would scare your mom to see blood all over you, but we could take you home after you get cleaned up.” Not ideal, but she wasn’t sure how else to reassure him.

  “Not until we find Donna. If I go home without her, Mom’ll be mad.” His gaze dropped to the back of the front seat. When it rose again, it had turned imploring. “Can I stay with you until we find Donna?”

  “Absolutely.” She gave him the most reassuring smile she could muster. Whether they found Donna or not, he needed to stay with them until the full moon passed at least. Afterwards, if he survived the first Shift, they’d figure out what to do with him. Hopefully, his sister would be with them before then to help with decisions. His mother might not be fit to do so.

  “Where you live, is it big?”

  “The house is big, yes. The property is huge.” She grinned. “Wait ’til you see the place.”

  Tommy’s eyes brightened. “Do you have a dog? Mom said we can’t have one because the trailer’s too small.”

  She chuckled and glanced at Colin. “In a manner of speaking, I suppose we do.”

  Colin’s characteristic half-grin emerged. “Wait ’til you see him.”

  “What kind is it?”

  “A wolf.”

  “Really?” The boy’s eyes widened until they took up most of his face. “That’s so cool!”

  A couple of miles passed in silence. Civilization fell behind them, leaving mountains and forest all around.

  Colin glanced in the rearview mirror. “So, Tommy, do you like school?”

  A gagging sound emerged from the backseat that made the adults laugh.

  “I’ll take that as a no. What about sports?”

  “Hate those even more.”

  “Really?”

  “Everybody’s bigger than me, and they’re mean.”

  “Ah, I see.” Colin nodded. “That would take the fun out of it.”

  “Don’t worry.” Tanya reached over the backseat and patted the boy’s knee. “You’ll eventually catch up to them.”

  Humor fell away, and he sighed and shook his head. “No, I won’t. The doctor says so.”

  “Why?”

  Thin shoulders shrugged again. “I don’t know the name of it, but I was born with some sickness. I’ll be lucky to grow up at all.”

  Tanya’s chest tightened. “The doctor told you that?”

  Tommy shook his head. “I heard him tell Donna when she took me to see him once. She got really mad at Mom for some reason but tried to pretend she wasn’t.”

  A genetic problem? Birth defect? A result of his mother’s drug use? The poor boy. Would it decrease his chances of surviving the first moon? If he survived, would his being a wolf cure whatever was wrong? Why was she even considering that possibility? The full moon’s call would force the first Shift. She knew the pain first-hand. A sick child couldn’t possibly survive it.

  She turned to study the passing scenery. What if the boy Shifted on his own, before the moon forced him to? Could that be done? She’d transformed from human to wolf and back again plenty of times without the moon’s pull. Could a first Shift be done that way, too?

  Colin had said that wolf-borns went through their first Shift when they were eleven or twelve. Did that occur with the full moon’s rise, or could it happen anytime?

  Tanya bit her lip to keep the que
stions inside. Right then, with Tommy in the backseat listening, wasn’t the time to let them fly. She’d wait until they reached the house and had him otherwise occupied. She returned her attention to their passenger. “How do you feel right now?”

  “Tired. I didn’t sleep all night. Afraid they’d send someone back for me or someone else would find me.”

  “Do you feel sick or anything?”

  He shook his head. “I’m really hungry though.”

  His body trying to heal itself, most likely. He was in a chronic underweight state. That was probably even worse than her short-term starvation had been. “What do you like to eat?”

  “Everything I’m not supposed to.”

  “Don’t we all?” She laughed.

  He grinned.

  “So, what kind of stuff are you not supposed to eat that you love?”

  “Cheeseburgers. I looove cheeseburgers.” He rolled his eyes and grimaced. “The doctor says they’re nothing but fat, grease, and carbs, and not good for me.”

  “They’re definitely yummy. I like mine with Swiss cheese. What about you?”

  Colin glanced sharply at her and smiled but said nothing.

  “American’s my favorite, but cheddar’s good, too. I also love pizza.”

  “Ooh, one of my favorites.” She grinned. “What do you like on yours?”

  “Pepperoni… sausage… ham….” His thoughtful gaze rose to the roof of the car as he ticked off the choices on his fingers. “Bacon… extra cheese….” He considered it a bit more then nodded and smiled at her. “That’s it.”

  “A meat eater, eh?” Oh, the irony. He’d make a good werewolf, assuming he could get used to eating his meat raw.

  “No anchovies.” He stuck out his tongue. “They’re nasty.”

  She gave an exaggerated shudder. “Ewww. Anchovies are positively vile.”

  He laughed.

  “Here we are.” Colin pulled up to the gate at the outer perimeter of the Preserve.

  The ten-foot block and concrete wall and solid metal gate loomed, with its large sign declaring, CAMPBELL WILDLIFE PRESERVE. Not nearly as intimidating as they’d been the first time Tanya had seen them. She hadn’t known then the safety to be found within the imposing structure.