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I put my hand on the knob, turned it. It was unlocked. I took my hand away. I didn't want to surprise anyone inside. So I knocked.
Cormac stepped off the walkway and stood against the wall of the house, out of sight of the door. And, by chance, downwind of the door. Or maybe not by chance.
I waited forever. Well, for a long time. I didn't want to go into that house. But no one answered. Maybe he'd left. Maybe he was out killing someone. If I went in, at least I would get a scent. I'd know if it was the same guy I'd smelled at the murder sites.
I opened the door and went inside.
The hardwood floor of the front room was scarred and pitted, like a dozen generations of furniture had been moved back and forth across it, and several swarms of children had been raised on it. But that was long ago, in someone else's life. An old TV sat on the floor in one corner. The radio was on top of it. It might have been Rodney, the night DJ, calling the last set. A sofa that would have looked at home on the porch of a frat house sat in the middle of the floor. Wasn't much else there. A box overflowing with trash occupied another corner. The walls were bare of decoration, stained splotchy brown and yellow. I wondered what this guy did for a living. If anything. There was no evidence of a life here. Just a place, sad, decayed, and temporary.
I took a deep breath through my nose.
I didn't identify the smell so much as I flashed on the scene. The blood. The victim's body, splayed across the alley. People say scent is tied to memory. What does that mean for a werewolf, whose sense of smell is so acute? The memory sparked vividly, all the sights and sounds and other smells that I'd imprinted along with the scent of the werewolf, the murderer. My stomach turned with the same nausea.
Straight ahead, a hall led to the rest of the house, probably kitchen, bedroom, bathroom. A sudden gush of water ran through the house's pipes. A toilet flushing. A door opened and closed. A man emerged into the hallway and walked toward me.
He wore a plain white T-shirt and faded jeans. He was tall, built like a construction worker, thick arms, broad chest. He had a crew cut that was growing out, a beard that was a couple of days unshaven. He was barefoot. He smelled the same as the room, close and ripe.
He stopped when he saw me. His nostrils flared, taking in scent like a werewolf would. His hands clenched. Glaring, he moved toward me, stalking like a predator.
I stood straight, careful not to flinch, not to show any weakness that his wolf would take as an invitation to attack.
I said, "Are you James?"
Again he stopped, as if he'd hit a wall. His brow furrowed, his face showing confusion. "What did you say?"
It was him. That voice, low and strained, close to breaking. "James. Are you James?"
He squinted harder, like he was trying to bring me into focus. Then his eyes grew wide.
"You're her. Kitty." He closed the distance between us, and I thought he was going to pounce on me with a bear hug, but he halted a step away—I didn't quite flinch. He was gesturing with his hands like he was pleading. "I'm such a big fan!"
"Thanks," I said weakly. I should have yelled. Just yelled and ducked as Cormac came storming through the door, guns blazing. But James had stu
James didn't ask the questions I would have asked a celebrity who happened to show up at my house, like how did you find me, why are you here. He acted like he didn't find this strange at all, like this sort of occurrence was a natural part of the life he'd made for himself. The kind of life where he constantly made calls to late-night talk radio shows.
He slouched, ducking in front of me like he was bowing. He had to stoop to make himself shorter than I. That was what he was doing, showing submission, one wolf to another. He kept turning his gaze away. His instincts were taking over.
I stared. Not a dominant, I'm-a-bigger-wolf-than-you stare. More like a bewildered, disturbed stare. What was I supposed to do with him? I didn't want him touching me, but he was inching closer, like he was going to start pawing me, rubbing me, the way a subordinate wolf would to the one he'd identified as the alpha. I stepped back.
He cringed, pulling his arms close to his body, his eyes sad and hurt. "You don't understand," he said. "This… this is great. It's what I've always wanted. You can help me. You're the only other one—one of us, one like us, I mean—I've ever met besides—" He stopped, swallowing. His breathing came fast.
"Besides who, James?" My voice caught.
"Besides the one who made me. She's been helping me. She said I could have a pack, if I killed this other werewolf and took his. She said she would show me. I—I can do that. I know I can do that. I've been practicing. But she won't tell me where to go. She—she hasn't been to see me in a while. But you'll help me, won't you? You help so many people."
I felt sick. James needed help, but I couldn't give it to him. Who could? What hospital could hold him? What could anyone do? That was the human talking, of course. I remembered Cormac's words: You understand that we have to kill this guy. As a wolf, he'd overstepped his bounds. Like Zan. But what did that mean if there'd been no one to teach him the rules?
James looked up, over my shoulder. Cormac stood in the doorway.
"Norville, is he the one?"
All I could do was nod.
Cormac raised his arm, fired his handgun.
I ducked out of the way. James was already ru
Cormac struck the door frame, but recovered in a heartbeat, turned outside, and fired twice more. His arm remained steady, his sight aimed at his target, tracking smoothly like he was mounted on a tripod.
"Shit!" He pointed the gun up when James disappeared around the corner of the house.
I ran after him, aware that he might have been waiting on the other side of the house to ambush whoever followed him. I didn't want to lose sight of him. Cormac was right behind me.
In the strip of yard between the two houses a trail of clothing led away: jeans, briefs, and a white T-shirt, torn to shreds. There was a dark, wild odor—the musk, fur, and sweat of a recently shifted lycanthrope.
I unzipped my jeans and shoved them to the ground.
"What are you doing?" said Cormac, stopping in his tracks.
I paused. I didn't know if I could do this. I didn't have a choice.
"I can move faster if I Change. It's the only way I'll keep up." It can be a strength, T.J. had said. We'd see.
He opened his mouth, starting to argue. But he didn't say anything. His shoulders slumped, and he looked away. I took off my shirt, my bra. The air was cold, sending pimples crawling across my shoulders. Inside, I felt warm. My muscles tensed, already preparing to run, because I knew what this meant; Wolf knew what this meant. I wanted to hunt, and I needed her. I was ready. She crouched inside, filling me with anticipation.
Cormac started to walk away.
"Wait," I said. "I want you to watch."
"Why?" he said, his voice rough.
"I want you to see what I look like, so you don't shoot me by accident."
"If I ever shoot you, it won't be by accident."
I walked up to him, naked, unself-conscious. I was on the edge of my other world, human mores falling away. I didn't know how else to be, like this, with Wolf looking out of my eyes.
I stood a step away, holding his gaze.
"Here's your chance. If that's what you're pla
I didn't know how long I pla