“Would it be better if I sat on that side?”
Parker offered.
“It doesn’t matter,” she answered with a
shake of her head.
The aircraft seemed to rattle quite a bit
for all the safety Parker raved about. Even though she wasn’t
watching out the window, she could tell they’d left the ground when
she felt weightless and heavy all at once. The climb to the sky was
bumpy and didn’t stop until the craft leveled out a few minutes
later.
“We’re up,” Mark said loudly from his
seat.
“You’re full of all kinds of fun information
today,” she said through gritted teeth. Parker bent to leave his
seat. As he did, she saw a gun tucked in a hidden holster under his
shirt. She averted her eyes as if she hadn’t seen, but Mark was
watching too closely.
“Yes,” he whispered when Parker disappeared
in the back, “his gun is loaded with silver bullets.”
She glanced up sharply as her heart
fluttered with anxiety.
“I thought you might be wondering,” Mark
said with an innocent shrug. “He’s a pretty good shot too.”
Parker returned then and held a champagne
glass filled to the brim with a golden, bubbly drink. He offered it
to Clara who glared at the delicate glass.
“It’s to calm your nerves,” he said and
offered it again.
“I’m not old enough.”
Both he and Mark chuckled. “We promise not
to report you,” he said and offered it a third time.
“I would really rather not.”
Mark’s head appeared above them again and he
swiped the glass from Parker. “I’ll take it if she won’t. Do you
have something stronger? It takes a good strong drink to get a
werewolf nice and buzzed.”
“I’m not giving you more, I’ve seen you
buzzed
before.”
“Yeah, but she hasn’t.”
“She’s terrified enough as it is, poor
thing.”
“Alright, I’ll get buzzed on my own time.”
He tipped the champagne back and swallowed it down in one gulp.
Doing her best to ignore the wink he offered, she peeked out the
plane window. The ground was so far, looking down made her
lightheaded.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Parker asked as
he sat next to her once more. She nodded and leaned forward to put
distance between them, pretending to try and see around the wing.
The scenery changed rapidly and her heart twisted painfully. Her
family was down there, Tyson and the pack as well. She remembered
how angry Tyson was on the video clip. Up until she watched it, she
hadn’t believed he loved her. The desperation behind his eyes when
he attacked Mark revealed his feelings. Oddly, her heart was heavy
because of the confusing words Mark read from the journal. Tyson
had always insisted in warning her of just how dangerous he was and
that only served to worsen her confusion.
When the plane landed hours later, her life
seemed pretty bleak, but it would have been a lot worse if Parker
knew how to attain her blood. It was only a matter of time before
he discovered her secret and she wondered if it would be safer to
form an alliance with him. Gaining his trust might give her the
keys to escape.
They were piled into another dark car and
Parker’s men came in the other plane. They followed behind in
another small bus. Again, she kept a sharp eye out for any clue to
tell her where she was, but had no luck. The building Parker
brought them to was a large, lonely abandoned hospital. There
weren’t any street numbers in sight. All she knew was the
vegetation that surrounded them and the weather was comfortably
warm despite it being early November.
The place had been renovated some, much like
the previous building and Parker gave her a nice room. He left her
to herself after the flight. “I’ll come around seven to accompany
you to dinner,” he informed her.
True to his word, Parker came promptly at
seven. He brought her to a room situated for their dining
convenience. She ate little and didn’t speak.
Afterward, as he walked her down the long,
silent hall, he announced he’d planned a surprise for the next day.
“I have a feeling you’ll love it,” he said excitedly.
“I…surprises aren’t exactly my favorite
thing,” she said discouragingly. Truthfully, she loved surprises
from people she loved.
“You will love this when you see it,” he
reassured her and patted her arm. “Just wait, I’ll come for you
tomorrow at eleven.”
Her options were limited and she nodded.
At eleven the next day, Parker came right on
time. Felix unlocked the door and held it open for both Parker and
Mark. Clara got to her feet, leaving the confines of her bed.
“I trust you slept well,” Parker said with
one of his amiable smiles.
Mark’s hands were in his pocket and she was
relieved he wasn’t recording. He stopped short and sniffed the air.
Parker stopped as well and held as still as he could.
“What is it?” he asked.
“She smells different.”
“I…
smell
?” Clara squeaked.
“What are you talking about?” Parker
demanded. “You didn’t tell me she has a smell.”
“Everyone has a smell,” Mark responded
curtly. “She smelled different after she injected herself with
Rita’s blood. Now she smells the same as before.”
“What does it matter?” Parker asked.
“She’s not infected anymore,” he
responded.
Parker glanced to Clara and shook his head.
“That’s not possible.”
“I’ll prove it,” Mark said and held his hand
out. “Give me your knife.”
Parker did not look sure about the whole
situation, but he reached into the back pocket of his jeans and
pulled out a pocketknife that dangled from a set of keys. Mark
flipped it open and stepped toward her. She inhaled sharply and
inadvertently backed from his determined stare. He took a hold of
her hand and the knife flashed when he ran the blade over her palm.
She cried out when pain tore through her flesh and blood seeped
from the fresh wound.
“How…?” Parker asked in a gasp as he stared
at her hand. “Are you sure she isn’t infected?”
“I am sure.”
“We can be doubly sure,” Parker pointed out.
“Drink her blood and see if you are healed.”
Mark frowned. “Get Felix to do it.”
Parker slipped a two-way off his belt and
put it to his mouth. “Felix, come in here please,” he said without
taking his eyes from the blood trickling down her wrist. Felix
rushed into the room, his body and face already claylike to
transform. He expected trouble, but his transformation halted and
he came to a standstill.
“Sir?” he asked Parker.
“We have a small problem,” he said and
nodded to Clara. “Will you settle something for us and taste her
blood?”
“Of course, sir,” Felix said. His large
person came to stand before her, but he hesitated. “I will have a
sample reserved for the new moon?”
“Without a doubt,” Parker agreed with a nod.
“As soon as we can figure out how to retrieve the blood, you will
have it.”
Felix’s lips curled. Her stomach dropped
with horror when he grasped her hand and pressed her palm to his
lips, licking the dripping red stream. Her blood stained his lips
and teeth.
“I wish I had my phone,” Mark muttered. “No
doubt Tyson would love to see this.”
She jerked her hand away and they stood
anxiously. Felix licked his lips and smirked at her as if he would
take more if allowed. She moved further from him and hid her injury
behind her leg.
“Well?” Parker asked. “Do you feel any
change?”
“The wolf is as alive as ever, especially
after tasting blood,” Felix growled. “There is no change.”
“This can’t be!” Parker said and went to her
side, pulling her hand out to examine. He was further perplexed to
see the cut completely healed over. He snatched the little
pocketknife from Mark and attempted to slice her skin open once
more, but the blade bounced off.
“He infected her,” Mark said. “She didn’t
have to endure the transitory fever this time.”
“The infection leaves her then,” Parker
observed. “I wonder how long it stays in her system.”
“There is only one way to find out. We’ll
have to see if she can be hurt each day until we know.”
“I will be happy to sample her again…if ever
you need,” Felix said. Her nose wrinkled and her forehead crumpled.
Her stomach churned, threatening to upturn.
“Thank you, Felix. You are dismissed for
now,” Parker said with a wave of his hand. The lumbering man went
to take his position outside the door, still licking his lips.
“Does this mean we don’t have to take her to
that
surprise
?” Mark asked as Parker stood, contemplating
what he’d just seen.
“This doesn’t change anything,” he answered
with a shake of his head. “Come along, my girl.”
They led her out of the building and into
another of his sleek cars.
“I hope you don’t mind, but I must insist on
blindfolding you.” Parker held up a kerchief after they were
seated. “It’s a safety precaution.”
She allowed the blindfold and felt the car
moving soon after. Their ride wasn’t a very long one and she soon
smelled salt on the air. Parker removed the blindfold and there, in
front of them, was the ocean. Waves could be heard gently lapping
at the shore when Mark killed the engine.
“Have you ever seen the sea?” Parker asked,
watching her and acting like the morning’s events never
happened.
“No.”
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”
“Very,” she breathed, unable to lie.
“You are both as sentimental as Jo,” Mark
said from the front. “I can’t imagine getting all worked up over
water. You might as well go cry over a puddle.”
“Shut-up,” Parker said and waved a hand at
him. “I’ve brought a picnic if we get hungry.” He popped the car
door and offered a hand to help her. They walked down the beach
with sand shifting underfoot and the smell of salt assaulting their
nostrils. She was relieved to note there were others on the shore.
A family played in the shallows and some children busily
constructed a sandcastle. She was content to walk along the edge of
the foaming water after she’d removed her shoes. The sand was fine
beneath her feet.
Mark carried their basket of food and placed
it on a rock. He was never very far, but gave them as much privacy
as possible. Parker shadowed her and made small talk about nothing.
His endless chatter was becoming all too common and that disturbed
her.
Afternoon smiled on the shore by the time
Mark reminded them of the food. “She may be shy about eating, but
I’m not,” he said as he approached. “I say we have our meal and get
out of here.” He turned toward the promise of food.
“I suppose we should eat as well before he
finishes it all. Undoubtedly you have come to realize what a
nuisance he can prove, but I must keep him around. Do you know
why?”
“I assume you keep him for protection.”
“Yes, precisely. He can warn me if other
werewolves are coming. There is another reason. Mark can track a
person down in seconds.”
“Meaning me?”
“Yes. You will not outrun him, as I’m sure
you can imagine.”
“You believe I’ll run?”
“It doesn’t matter what I believe, the fact
is that I wouldn’t dare take you out if it weren’t for his
presence. Because of his age, his abilities surpass that of the
others. I do wish there was a way around it, my girl, I’m
sorry.”
With Mark helping, the contents of the
basket disappeared quickly and they made their way back not long
after.
The next morning,
Mark returned with Felix. They pricked her finger with a little
needle and discovered she bled. Of course, Parker was desperate to
attain her infected blood and ordered she be re-infected everyday.
So, each morning, Mark brought Felix and his phone, which was
cracked but seemed able to record just fine, and they ensured a
fresh werewolf infection coursed through her system.
The new moon loomed ever closer and she
sensed it was time to reveal she could in fact pierce her own skin
while infected. Her desire to angle things in her favor made her
wait. She took comfort in knowing Parker would have little choice
but to do as she asked, otherwise, she would simply not give him
her blood.
Parker came as he always did one night and
she was determined that things work to her advantage. She ate
little as she focused on what she wanted to say. The words had been
rehearsed in her mind so many times that they wanted flow out all
at once.
“You’ve been quieter than usual,” Parker
said after a time. He was sitting across the table, eating a
helping of spaghetti and meatballs.
“I have been considering what you said about
my blood,” she said cautiously. “About how sick children might be
healed.”
“There is no question, my girl, they will be
healed if we ever find a way to access it. Have you decided to help
me find the solution to our
little
problem?”
“I wish I could know as certainly as you do
that it will work.”
“My darling girl,” he started to say and
leaned over the table, resting a hand on her arm. Ever since she’d
pried her hand from his on the plane, he’d refrained from touching
her as if to respect her wishes. She gasped when her skin burned
like he held a glowing ember to it. There was a sizzle in the air
as she cried out and jerked her arm back. A small, smooth burn
showed on her skin and was no bigger than her fingernail. They
watched the wound heal before their eyes and Parker held up his
hand to study it. He wore a gold band. The smooth surface fit the
disappearing mark perfectly. They realized what had happened in the
same instant. She tried to stand from her chair when he reached for
her arm again, but she was too slow. He yanked her forward with
such force that a few dishes fell to the floor with a crash.
“Parker, please wait—”
He pressed his ring to her bare skin and she
immediately fought his grasp. Another telling burn formed as she
wriggled to be free. He looked over at her and grinned madly. “I
knew the secret would come out in time. Why didn’t I think of it?
Gold!” He laughed happily and got to his feet. “Felix!” he called
out the door and he came.