Okay, so it was him.
"I could have done without that particular trip down memory lane," I murmured.
"You asked me to tell you a secret, which only we would know."
I'd meant something more along these lines: On my sixteenth birthday he'd taken me to Paris. He'd dumped me on a colleague - who'd shown me the city, the museums, the sights - then gone off to kill someone. But he had taken me there.
However, Edward was right. Anyone could discover that information if they took the trouble to look. No one could know that the man who had "raised" me was also the man who had made me an orphan.
I couldn't blame him; my mother had been a werewolf at the time.
"Elise!"
How long had Edward been calling my name? I
wasn't sure. I'd drifted too far down the unpleasant road to my past.
"Sir?"
"You must come to Wisconsin. There is trouble in a place called Fairhaven."
That much I knew. Edward wouldn't be there, along with several other agents, if there wasn't. I assumed the issue was werewolves, since those were Jessie's specialty. I also assumed some type of Native American mysticism since Will was there, too. Although you couldn't have Jessie without Will and vice versa. They'd been inseparable since they met.
"The usual kind?" I asked, which was shorthand for any mysterious increase in the wolf population, wild animal attacks, or sudden, random, and inexplicable bloody death.
"Perhaps. Join me, Elise, and we will sort everything out."
I found it odd, sad, and just a bit rude that horrible things were happening in a town by the name of Fairhaven.
But I had more important concerns on my mind. How was I going to tell Edward there was someone after me? Someone who knew they needed a silver bullet to do any kind of damage.
"There's a slight problem - "
I broke off as Nic stepped through the door. My time had run out.
"Do you have my research with you?" I asked instead.
That question was innocent enough.
"Not with me. But it is safe." Edward sighed. "Everything is gone?"
"Yes."
"Your serum?"
"Dust."
"Then you'd do well to hurry."
The line went dead without a good-bye. Why should tonight be different than any one of a thousand others?
He hadn't asked if I was all right. Of course, I was as hard to kill as most of the things he hunted.
Another of the reasons Edward kept me around. Still, it would have been nice, just once, if he'd asked.
"Everything okay?"
Nic seemed better. Less pale, and he no longer wobbled. I still wasn't going to let him drive.
"Everything's fine."
Or as fine as it was going to get.
I bought some snacks - beef jerky, my favorite, sodas, juice, coffee - and gave Nic the bill. After thanking the attendant, we went outside and contemplated Nic's brand-new car.
Or new to him anyway. The vehicle had to be at least thirty years old and resembled a tank. The Plymouth Grand Fury, once the car of police forces everywhere, had been retired in favor of the Crown Victoria and various SUVs. When that happened, the fleet of Furys had been sold at auctions across the country. We'd obviously been gifted with the results.
I climbed behind the wheel and Nic let me, which telegraphed his thundering headache more clearly than the three aspirin he doused with a cola chaser as soon as his butt hit the passenger seat. I started the car and headed east.
One minute Nic was staring at the dark expanse of highway that seemed to appear magically in front of our headlights, the next he was asleep. Though I'd have to wake him periodically in case of a concussion, still I uttered a sigh of relief. I was too tired to field any more questions right now.
I kept my eyes on both the tree line and the road. Every movement, every shadow made me start. Who knew what was out there? Maybe nothing, maybe everything.
Although I felt as if I were navigating the Starship Enterprise from behind the long, shiny, navy blue hood that seemed to stretch forward into infinity, the engine in a Fury could outrun even a werewolf. The knowledge soothed me somewhat, though not as much as having a few thousand silver bullets would have.
In the close confines of the car I could smell Nic's skin, feel his heat, hear him breathing. My body responded in a predictable manner. I insisted I was better than the animal that lived inside of me, but tonight I had my doubts.
In most cases, the lycanthropy virus destroys a person's humanity. They might appear normal in the daylight, but inside there was a demon panting to get out. And with that demon whispering, a lot of bad things happened.
A werewolf in human form is the most selfish being in existence. In the modern world, the behavior has been been written off as aggression, drive, ambition, which makes a werewolf pretty hard to spot in the sun.
Sadly, there isn't a tail or fangs or pointy ears to mark them as one of the bitten.
Sure they're evil, but so are a lot of people. I've always been of the opinion that there are a helluva lot more werewolf lawyers than werewolf pediatricians, but I've never had the time to prove it.
One way to know for certain: Shoot a person with silver. If they explode, werewolf. If not... oops.
All I can say is, don't try this at home. You can get in a whole lot of trouble if you're wrong. Homicide detectives don't often swallow the excuse "I thought he was a werewolf."
Such technicalities have never stopped Edward. Lucky for him he's a law unto himself.
A howl rose in the distance, long and mournful. The sound called to me, and I wasn't sure why. I'd never been pulled by the moon, tempted by the pack.
Once a month, I shifted beneath the silver sheen. Though I loathed becoming what I was, I had little choice when the moon was at its apex. But I never enjoyed that night. I merely endured.
Tonight had been different. I recalled the painless change, the rush of energy, the power. To experience that again was more tempting than it should be.
What if I stopped the car, got out, got furry and ran with the others? We'd hunt as one, together we'd kill. I'd no longer be a lone wolf, scorned by both humans and lycanthropes. I'd have friends. A family.
Maybe even a lover.
Absently I fingered the talisman in my pocket. My ringers warmed; my skin hummed. I heard whispering, but I couldn't make out the words. I didn't recognize the voice. Male or female? Real or imagined?
Heat radiated from my fingers to my wrist. Curious, I glanced down and choked. My hand had sprouted fur, my nails become claws, and I hadn't felt anything but warm.
I stopped touching the talisman and recited the table of elements in my head. When I looked again, my hand was just a hand.
Had the change actually happened? I'd never heard of such an occurrence. We became wolves, completely, when we shifted. We were not able to pick and choose what part of us turned furry. I should try again, but I was afraid.