Hunted (Riley Cray) (43 page)

Figures that I would find the one traffic conscious cab driver in the whole damn city
, I thought, flopping back in the seat with a growling sigh.

In the end it took twenty minutes for my cabbie to wind his way through the streets, fighting against the beginnings of the lunch rush. When he pulled up outside the restaurant, I dug a handful of crumpled bills out of my pocket and tossed them through the small opening in the divider.

“Keep the change,” I said as I leapt out of the car, not sure if I’d tipped him two bucks, or twenty.

I recognized the owner behind the counter when I entered the restaurant, and if his scowl was anything to go by, he recognized me too. Making a beeline for the back stairs, I took the steps two at a time, drawn forward by the sugary scent of Alyssa as if on a string.

Stepping into Alyssa’s clinic, I came face to face with my first real life leprechaun. They were a common enough sight on TV, Graham Ferguson being the most famous of them all with his late night talk show, and I had to admit enjoying Ferguson’s sharp and often times lascivious humor. Loki and I had spent many nights curled up on the couch together watching him wheedle incredibly personal details out of his celebrity guests. There was something about leprechauns that encouraged people to spill their most embarrassing and intimate details, though whether it was their almost childlike appearance, or some kind of power they possessed I wasn’t sure.

They generally aren’t as short as Hollywood portrays them, varying in height between four and five feet tall, but they’re always easily recognizable by their fiery hair, pointed ears and elfin features. The patient receiving Alyssa’s care when I arrived was on the taller end of the spectrum, the thick thatch of fire red hair curling atop his head mussed from the baseball cap sitting on the bed next to him.

“Pixie bites are nothing to mess around with, Dermot. You know how easily they can become infected,” Alyssa was saying, shaking her head at her diminutive patient.

“Aye, they’re vicious little buggers,” he replied, his thick brogue lending a sing-song quality to his voice.

No wonder leprechauns and the other Fair Folk are known for leading people astray. A voice like that could convince an Eskimo to buy ice.

Spying me in the doorway his childlike face split into a wide grin. “You didn’t tell me you got yourself a lovely, young assistant. Are you here to give me my sponge bath, lass?” he asked, waggling thick red eyebrows at me, causing me to blush scarlet. I also understood why they had a reputation for being perverted little devils.

Spinning in her chair, Alyssa’s expression turned to one of surprise and then affectionate irritation when she saw me.

“Mind your manners, Dermot! Riley is a dear friend, which means hands off to you.”

“I wasn’t planning on doing anything with my hands,” he replied, making a show of licking his lips and flashing me an audacious wink. From anyone else the action would have been lewd and repulsive, but from the charismatic leprechaun, it was amusing and somewhat flattering.

“I’m not sure you could handle the wolf,” I taunted with a grin.

“Don’t worry lass, I’d have you rolling over and begging for a belly scratch in a heartbeat.”

“All right you two, that’s quite enough,” Alyssa declared, her pupils dilated and her cheeks flushing to match her own fiery locks. Evidently our playful banter was getting her a little stoned.

Doing my best to look chastised, I schooled my expression into one of contrite obedience, though even Alyssa’s schoolmarm frown didn’t stop the corners of my mouth from twitching in amusement. It was almost sinfully good to feel something other than fear and guilt, even if it was only for a few moments. It didn’t help that Dermot flagrantly ignored her warning and continued to grace with me a variety of flirty looks.

Alyssa frowned as she jabbed a finger in Dermot’s direction and said, “You. Out.”

Hopping down from the bed, the leprechaun puffed up his chest and smoothed his hands over the front of his dark green overalls, the small embroidered patch over his heart reading ‘O’Malley’s Pest Control Service.’ Pushing his cap down over his wild curls he winked at me as he swaggered past, whistling to himself.

“And if it festers it will serve you right!” she called after him, though her voice lacked any true bite.

“Well, he’s quite the character,” I said once Dermot had reached the bottom of the stairs, chuckling and shaking my head.

“He’s a scoundrel,” Alyssa replied, even as her expression softened. “He knows better than to try and clear out a pixie nest without protective gear, but no matter how many times I tell him, he just won’t listen. Stubborn as a mule that one,” she added as she began cleaning up her supplies.

“Pixies are poisonous?”

“Very. To mundanes at least. A single bite can kill a child within hours and put an adult in a coma. They’re as far from mundane fairytales as can be. That’s why Dermot and his kin have such a thriving business. For folks like us it’s more the after effects of the bite that we have to worry about. They have a nasty habit of becoming infected, especially when one is a stubborn ass and doesn’t get them treated right away even though they know they should,” she explained, rising from her chair and walking over to a bright red trash bag marked biohazard. “The infection is easy enough to treat. Unfortunately I haven’t found a cure for the stubbornness yet.”

Watching her bustle about, my mood darkened once more. I had to wonder if this was the last time I would see her. I knew even less about her than I did Holbrook, but just as I had with him, I felt a strange kind of kinship towards her and didn’t think it was just from the intoxicating pheromones she pumped out.

Finally giving me her full attention she asked, “So, what’s going on?” Seeing me shift from one foot to the other, her brows creased in concern. “Is everything okay?”

“Not really,” I confessed, wringing my hands in front of me.

“Are you hurt? Did something happen to Darius?” she asked, her voice quivering on Holbrook’s name. It was obvious there was still a lot of emotion there, and although I was rather attached to Holbrook myself, I felt a pang of sympathy for her.

“I’m fine, he’s fine,” I reassured her. “I need to ask you a huge favor though. Can I borrow your car?”

“My car?” she asked, blinking owlishly. “Why do you need my car?”

“I’ve gotta get out of town.”

“What’s going on? Why isn’t Darius with you?” she asked, growing suspicious. “Let me call him and find out–”

“No!” I blurted, panic surging through me. I was wasting time standing there arguing with her, and as every minute passed I could feel the shadow of Samson looming closer. The longer I stayed, the more everyone else was at risk. “No, you can’t call him.”

“Tell me what’s going on, right now,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest as she adopted an immovable stance. It was a pretty hot look on the beautiful succubus. I gave my head a quick shake to dispel the effects of her pull, refusing to let myself be swayed by the desire to touch her.

“I don’t have time to explain, and I wouldn’t even know where to begin if I did. I have to get away before someone else gets hurt. I can’t have anyone else’s blood on my hands,” I said, hating how my words became muddled by my tears. “Please, Alyssa. I don’t know who else to ask.”

Hesitation shone clear as day in her eyes, but after another moment’s pause, her expression softened and she nodded. Reaching into her pocket she withdrew her keys, a small crystal unicorn charm twinkling on her keychain.

“It’s the red Optima parked out back,” she said, pressing the keys into my hand, her fingers lingering for a moment to squeeze mine. “I wish you’d let me call Darius, but I can tell it won’t do much good. Promise me you’ll be careful?”

“I will, I promise,” I replied, hoping that it wasn’t the last time I ever saw her.

In a moment of weakness I pulled her into a fierce hug, and pressed my lips to hers. I’d never been attracted to another woman before, and was pretty sure that I was experiencing a temporary loss of sanity, but the touch of her lips sent a flood of warmth through me, all the way down to my toes. Where Holbrook’s lips were firm and demanding, Alyssa’s were soft and unresisting. Kissing her was like kissing a warm, sugary cloud – full of gentleness and love. She stood stiff in my arms, probably as shocked as I should have been, but after a moment she relaxed, looping her arms around my waist. I have no idea how long we stood there, entwined in an embrace born of sadness and the need for a comforting touch.

In the end, Alyssa was the first to break the kiss, sweeping her lips over mine in a last tender brush. I wasn’t sure if it was the effects of her succubus powers, or simply her inherent compassion, but it took a great force of will to release her and step back.

“Thanks for everything.”

“No problem,” she replied, her cheeks flushed and her eyes glazed.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

SLIPPING INSIDE ALYSSA’S car where it sat parked in the lot behind the restaurant, I was startled when a loud, thumping beat blared out of the speakers. I’d never have pegged her for a fan of Techno, but then again I should have known better than anyone that folks are rarely what they seem. Turning down the stereo and flipping it over to the local classic rock station, I pulled out of the lot and started making my way through the side streets towards the highway.

Watching the clouds continue to roll in off the mountains, blackening the sky until it was almost as dark as nightfall, I cursed my luck.

I should’ve known my luck wouldn’t last long
, I thought as I watched the first few flakes begin to fall, fat and heavy, bringing traffic to a slow crawl. A jack-knifed semi on the highway succeeded in making traffic that much worse, and I pounded a fist on the steering wheel in frustration when we slowed to a dead stop. Irritation buzzed in my veins, making me fidget and grumble as traffic crept forward an inch at a time. It wasn’t that I was impatient to meet my inevitable end at Samson’s hands, but sitting there in the car, wasting my last minutes surrounded by exhaust fumes and blaring horns, I found myself wishing that he’d just hurry up and put an end to the twisted game we’d been playing.

It hadn’t been hard to convince myself that this was the only course of action to take. I didn’t want to be responsible for any more death and suffering, but as I started my slow ascent through the mountains I wished that I had someone there to hold my hand and tell me I was doing the right thing.

At least I’ve got you, Wolfie
, I thought, imagining that she sat in the passenger seat beside me. She’d be with me ‘til the end, whatever it might be.

The miles slid by beneath the tires of Alyssa’s car, carrying me ever closer to home, and whatever awaited me there. Following the slowly winding snake of cars up the mountain I watched lights flicker to life amongst the trees in fleeting glimpses through the clouds and snow, and marveled at their twinkling beauty. My looming death it seemed, had made me sentimental, and I regretted not having spent more time admiring the simple beauty around me. Perhaps if I hadn’t wasted so many years entrenched in self-pity and bitterness, I wouldn’t have been driving towards my death alone.

I’d gone several miles down the road after turning off I-70 towards Leadville, when there was no mistaking the loud bang of the rear tire blowing out. The steering wheel gave a sudden jerk in my hands as the car slid sideways on the slick asphalt before I could wrestle it under control and bring the car to a shuddering stop on the shoulder. I sat in the car for a few minutes, my hands white knuckled on the wheel, adrenalin pumping in my veins.

Not for the first time in my life I wondered what it was I had done, or which deities I had pissed off, to earn such craptastic luck.

I must have been a chronic puppy kicker in a previous life
, I thought ruefully as I got out of the car to evaluate just how screwed I was.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I growled as I stared down at the shredded tire, the stink of burnt rubber making me gag.

Swiping my hands over my eyes I blamed the moisture I found on the choking smell coming from the tire. I definitely was not crying. Nope, not me, the fearless werewolf. Wishing I’d had the forethought to grab a jacket before I fled the FBI building, I glanced up at the sign a few yards ahead, feeling my stomach sink even further as I read it.

Leadville 20 miles.

For fuck’s sake!

The wolf may give me extra strength and endurance, but even she couldn’t make up for a lifetime of laziness and too much junk food. Five miles would have been an easy distance to cover, even ten miles would be doable despite the snow and wind. A twenty mile trek however, just wasn’t going to happen unless I went wolf, and with my injuries I wasn’t sure that she could handle a journey of that distance over rugged terrain. Leaving me with two options – try to flag down one of the few passing cars, or suck it up and attempt to change the tire myself.

Wishing I’d grabbed some gloves along with my imaginary jacket, I blew on my hands to warm my already chilled fingers and popped the trunk open. Unlike the back of my Jeep, which generally looked like a dumpster from behind a fast food joint, Alyssa’s trunk was well stocked and organized.