Skin Walkers - King (6 page)

Chapter 10

The words that buzzed through the mist had King freezing in his tracks.

“Shots fired!  Shots fired at the main gate!”

King was to the door before Monroe had even fully risen from his chair. 

“Lilly’s been
shot!  One shooter.”

King
tore off down the hall, his hand itching to pull the pistol that was secured in the holster at his hip.  Outside of Monroe’s office, King dashed to the railing that lined the hall and looked down over the lobby.  He jumped the rail and partially shifted his arms to wings to catch himself as he dropped the three stories to the main floor.  He wanted to be at the main gate, not racing to it.  He dashed out of the building and just outside the door to the manor, he shifted in mid-stride.  Arguably, a hawk may have been faster, but he needed to sink the claws of his mountain lion’s form deep into the earth as he propelled himself at breakneck speed down the length of dirt road that wound its way from the main compound down the mountain to StoneCrow’s, recently erected, front gate. 

“We have the shooter in custody.  I need medical here now.  Lilly’s hurt bad
!  Get me some fucking help down here!”

It was 8
am.  Lilly always showed up to work at precisely 8:10am.  He knew where she would have been ambushed even before the information sliced through the mist.  He passed over a black humvee as it raced up the winding road toward StoneCrow. 

Fear shook him as he approached the gate and saw
Lilly’s car riddled with bullet holes.  The windshield and side windows had been shot out and crimson stained the gray leather interior of the now empty driver’s side seat.  King inhaled sharply.  Blood.  Lilly’s blood.  The scent of it enraged him more than it should have.  She wasn’t his.  Now, even with her gone the scent of her fear lingered in the air mixed with anger.  Not hers.  The shooter’s.  He’d attacked Lilly with one sole intention.  Killing her.

Shifting back to his human form, his clothes regenerated with his flesh, clothing him just as he’d been before he’d raced down the mountain. 
King let his gaze sweep over the area while information was exchanged through the mist.   

Monroe was being informed that Lilly had
just arrived at the infirmary and was being rushed into surgery.  When word came across that Jenny wasn’t sure if Lilly would survive, King had to fight down the unreasonable fear that seized him. 

He had no claim to Lilly.  She was Monroe’s
personal assistant, and as such he’d interacted with her often, but she wasn’t his.  Lilly was strong willed and refused to take any shit from Monroe, which instantly endeared King to her.  But it was her determination, her competence, her quiet reserve that he thought of when he was alone.  He’d thought of her often, a little too often lately.  He was beginning to wonder if he was trying to create some bond where none existed.  He didn’t pursue her, but he thought of it.  All the while, Lilly avoided him like the plague.  In her defense she avoided everyone.  She arrived at work at 9:10am and departed at precisely 5:10pm.  As Monroe’s personal guard, he’d heard the CEO issue offers for Lilly to stay at the estate.  The offers were always declined.  Lilly was all business, straight to work, and then straight home.  Only on a handful of occasions had she lingered at StoneCrow to talk with Jenny.  The two were good friends.  King knew it would kill Jenny to see Lilly wheeled into her surgery in the state Lilly must be in.  

Now staring at
the blood soaked seat of her car, King couldn’t produce one single person or Walker for that matter that would want to harm Lilly.  She was genuinely liked by everyone.
  The moron!
  His heart thudded to a halt when he remembered his last exchange with Lilly. 
“You don’t want my protection.  You don’t get my protection.” 
God no!  If he’d failed to protect her from that man…

Raised voices caught King’s attention
.  He drew his pistol and strode angrily toward the black humvee that he knew housed the attacker.  Before he got to the vehicle, he heard Monroe’s voice cut through the mist. 
“Move.”
  The command was simple and before King could get his hands on the shooter, the doors of the vehicle were slammed shut and the tires squealed as the vehicle raced through the gate and onto the estate.

King watched it disappear, his head lowered, his brows pulled into a deep scowl and his lips pulled back over
sharp teeth.  He debated shifting and chasing after the car.  But it would have to wait, he needed information.  His teeth ground together in frustration.  Once again Monroe was preventing him from doing what he did best.  Kill.

King holst
ered his pistol and raced to StoneCrow’s infirmary.  Jenny would either still be in surgery trying to save Lilly, or Lilly would already be dead.  The thought of Lilly’s lifeless body sent a chill over him.  He was more than a little startled that the thought would affect him as much as it did.  Regardless, he had to know.

King shoved his way into the long
concrete corridor that led to the infirmary.  Ahead he could see Monroe briefing several of the Sentries who’d been on the scene of the ambush when King had arrived.  With a flick of Monroe’s fingers the Sentries looked up to King then dispersed, disappearing down the opposite end of the corridor, no doubt in an effort to avoid King.

“Well?” King demanded as
he came to stand in front of Monroe.

“We’ve got the shooter in custody,
but he’s not talking.”

“Let me at him,” King ground out, “he’ll talk.”

Monroe shook his head and raised a hand to rub at his temple.  “We need him alive, King.  We’ve got to find out why he attacked Lilly.  It makes no sense.  If he’s an enemy to Walkers then why attack
her
?  If he were an enemy of ours he’d know she isn’t one of us.  It just doesn’t make any fucking sense.”  Monroe dropped his hand.  “I’ve got Bronco and Legion trying to find out if she had any enemies…”

Enemies?
  Never.  A stalker?  Maybe. 
King cut in, “What about the man watching her house?  What else do you have on him?  There can’t be anyone else, Crow.”

Monroe frowned
up at the larger man. “You don’t know that she can’t have other enemies.  It’s our duty to explore all avenues.  I mean for Christ’s sake what do we really know about her?”

King took a step closer to Monroe, until his
angry face was inches from the CEO’s, “She’s in there dying and you’re out here questioning her loyalty?”

Monroe let out an exasperated breath
.  “Not her loyalty, King.  I’m just saying we don’t know much about her.  We have no idea who she’s associated with…been with.”

“She’s
been
with no one.”

A
grin tugged at Monroe’s lips, “And you know this how?”

“Where have your fucking senses gone?  You smell her every morning just as I do.  You and I both
know she hasn’t been with neither man nor a Walker since I’ve been here.”

Monroe shook his head and leaned back against the wall.  “Well
I need answers.  I can’t have her drawing this kind of attention to us.  I need to know what happened and I’ve got to keep this from leaking to the authorities.  The last thing I need is the sheriff sniffing around.”

Both men turned toward the stainless steel doors that swung open and watched as
Jenny strode toward them, pulling the surgical mask from her worried features as she briskly approached.

“Jesus Christ
, Monroe, what in the hell is going on?”

Monroe didn’t get to answer.  King stepped angrily
toward the doctor and growled.

He was right, Jenny
needed to update them first, and then ask questions. 

“She’s alive.  Barely.  We had to replace four pints of blood.” 
Jenny frowned up at Monroe, “We nearly ran out.  Get your men out there and re-fill my supply.  She’s not out of the woods yet.”

“Damage?
”  Monroe demanded, ever direct and to the point.

Jenny rolled her
head, raising a hand to rub the stiff muscles at the back of her neck.  “She sustained two gunshot wounds, one to her left shoulder and one to her abdomen.  The shoulder wound was easy to fix.  It should heal perfectly in time.”  Then Jenny dropped her head and looked down at her hands.  She sighed heavily as she contemplated how to formulate the next statement.  “The gunshot wound to her abdomen was severe.  The bullet tore through her uterus and she was hemorrhaging uncontrollably.  There was irreparable damage.”  Jenny looked up to argue as if the action required further explanation.  “There wasn’t anything I could do.”  She sighed heavily again shaking her head, “We barely saved her.”

Monroe put a reassuring hand on
Jenny’s shoulder.  “Thank you.”

Jenny
raised her head to glare at Monroe, sparks of anger and regret lighting her eyes. “Don’t you dare thank me.  She wanted children, Monroe.  How am I supposed to tell her that’ll  never happen now?  Hell, we were discussing it just last week.  She had her kid’s names already picked out for Christ’s sake.” 

King tensed at the revelation.  Why hadn’t he known that? 

Jenny fought to restrain the tears that now glistened in her eyes. “I should have just let her die.  When she finds out what I’ve done…”  Jenny shook her head, dropping her eyes to the floor as she choked back a sob, “it’s going to kill her.”

Monroe squeezed
Jenny’s shoulder again.  The emotional reaction was rare for the surgeon.  But she’d made few friends during her time at StoneCrow and none was dearer to the doctor than Lilly.

Monroe eyed Jenny
warily, “The bullets?”

Jenny tucked a slender hand into the pocket of her surgical pants and
produced the fragments.  “Gun powder residue only.”

Monroe held out his hand and
Jenny dropped the fragments into it.  Monroe held them up to his nose and his eyes dimmed to a dull brown as he sniffed.  He pulled back, a frown tugging his brows together.  “No trace of white ash in her body either?”

Jenny
shook her head numbly.  “None.”

Those who hunted S
kin Walkers believed that the ancient technique of dipping their bullets into white ash was the only means of killing a Walker.  It wasn’t true.  A regular bullet could kill any Walker.  Well,
almost
any Walker.  It was rumored that Walkers of indigenous origin were impervious to any bullet.  The rare indigenous Walkers claimed their gifts were passed down from the Anasazi.

Monroe had his origins traced back to the
Dine.  King had no idea where his gift had come from, and he felt no compelling reason to try and find out.

Monroe handed the bullet back to
Jenny.  “None of this helps.  All it tells me is that the shooter isn’t hunting Walkers.  So why in the hell would he be hunting Lilly?”

King ground out, “You need answers from him.”

Monroe shoved a frustrated hand into his short black hair, “He won’t give them willingly.”

“Take them!” King demanded on a low growl.

Monroe glared at King before turning to the surgeon, “Jenny, notify me when she improves.”  Then Monroe turned to stalk down the hall.  His steps halted when King failed to flank him.  “Coming?”

King shook his head.  “Re-assign my position.  Temporarily”, he amended.  “I’m staying with Lilly until you find out what’s going on.”

Monroe nodded and was calling Legion through the mist before he’d even cleared the hall.

Chapter
11

Lilly had
awakened two days after the accident, but King hadn’t been in to see her.  Instead he relegated himself to standing outside the door of her room in the infirmary, interrogating all who tried to enter.  Jenny had told him at least a dozen times in the past two days that he was making life hell for the Surgeon as well as for the nurses.  King didn’t care.  Until they knew why the man had tried to kill Lilly, he’d trust no one alone in her presence.  He’d already fucked up once.  He wouldn’t make the same mistake. 

He was standing in front of her door with his back to it when he heard the familiar beep that summoned
Jenny or one of the nurses to Lilly’s room. 

As
Jenny strode down the hall toward him, King could scent the anxiety and fear that the Surgeon couldn’t hide from him or any other Skin Walker. 

King stepped to block
the Surgeon’s entrance into the room, “What is it?”

Jenny
looked up and whispered tremulously, “She wants to know the extent of the damage.”

King inhaled deeply and stepped
aside allowing Jenny entrance into the exam room.  He offered no advice or words of comfort for the young Doctor.  He had none to give. 

King was aware
that Monroe had ordered the information withheld from Lilly until she’d had time to heal.  But he knew Lilly, they all did, and if she wanted information she wasn’t going to stop until she got it.

“How
are you feeling?” King heard Jenny ask as the door clicked closed.  It didn’t matter.  He didn’t need to be in the room to hear the entire conversation.  He was a Skin Walker.  Not just any Skin Walker, but a stage four Walker, which meant that unlike the Walkers of other stages, he could partially shift, which he did often, like now.  His eyes, that usually shown with the glassy reflection of an animal’s when he was in human form, dimmed to a dull black as he partially shifted to enhance his sense of smell and hearing. 

The wome
n exchanged pleasantries for several moments before Lilly played her hand.  “So, what’s the bad news, Jenny?  It can’t be good; you’ve been avoiding telling me since I woke up.”

Standing in the hall King listened as Jenny gave Lilly the bad news.

“The wound in your shoulder should heal fine in time.  You’ll need to be in a sling for several weeks.  As for the gunshot wound to your abdomen…Lilly, I’m so sorry.”

Even through the door
King scented Lilly’s panic as it hiked.  The sound of the heart monitor attached to her increased in its rhythmic beeps to a rapid staccato.

“We had to perform an emergency hysterectomy.”

King could tell by Jenny’s tone that she wanted to push all the information out as fast as she could.

“It was a life-saving measure or else it wouldn’t have even been considered.  But, you were damaged so severely, we had no other recourse.  Lilly I’m sorry…
”  The last words were whispered, “There’s no hope for children.”

The scent of Lilly’s anguish hit
King so hard he had to brace his hands on the wall.  His belly dry heaved at the scent as he curled his hands into tight fists against the concrete that held him upright.  He listened as Jenny tried to placate an inconsolable Lilly.  Anguished sobs and a terrible moan filled with utter despair had King fighting to keep from punching a hole in the concrete wall.

“It’s alright, it’ll be alright.  Please don’t cry.”

“Is he dead?” Lilly’s voice came out barely recognizable.

“He’
s in custody.”  A slight pause then panic was in Jenny’s tone, “Lilly!  Don’t!”

The scent of Lilly’s rage seeped out of the room. 
King’s tongue darted out to lick his lips.  He swore he could taste her wrath, could feel her hatred.  He shared it.

An alarm went off in the room and Jenny was calling
over the hospital intercom, “I need help in here!”

King
shoved the door open and stood dazed for a moment as he watched Jenny struggling to keep Lilly subdued.  IV’s were ripped out, and blood ran down both Lilly’s arms, creating a hideous contrast against the stark white sheets of the bed.  Lilly’s ashen face was contorted into an anguish King had never seen and didn’t want to ever see again.

“Christ
, King!  Help me!”  Jenny’s words had him springing to action.

Monroe entered the room flanked by
Bronco and Legion.  “What is it?”

Jenny glared up at the
CEO.  “She’s having a hard time understanding why that asshole’s still alive.” 

Monroe, diplomatic as ever began, “Lilly, you must understand that we need to ensure that…”

“Fuck you!”  The words were hurled from Lilly even as Jenny was buckling restraints around both of her wrists.  Lilly drew in a deep breath on a harsh sob. 

King
, who held her shoulders pinned firmly to the gurney was also having difficulty accepting why the shooter was still alive.  His rage was barely in check.

Monroe shook his head but spoke softly, “Lilly
, what would you have me do?”

She sobered then and tried to steady the sobs that
were catching at her breath. She leveled tear soaked eyes on Monroe, “The same as you’d do if it were one of
your
women.  I want his fucking heart!”

The statement had the entire room stilling.  Lilly knew what she’d done and she was too angry and hurt to care.  It was time Monroe and everyone else was made aware that she would no longer live in the dark.  She knew they were different, she knew they weren’t like her, and after dedicating her life for the past five years to working for them and keeping their secrets, she’d demand to be treated with the same regard.

Monroe’s jaw ticked and he hid a wince when Jenny looked from Lilly to King and then to Monroe as if seeking guidance.  His tone was eerily calm, “How much do you know?”

“Enough to know that one of
your
kind wouldn’t be begging for vengeance.”

“It’s not that simple,” Monroe explained.

“I GAVE UP MY LIFE FOR YOU!” She screamed, clutching at her abdomen.  She’d spent her life dreaming of the day she’d find her soul mate and finally settle down to build a family of her own.  That dream was now shattered.  

“He’s
…,” Monroe stalled a moment before forging on, “He’s not one of us, Lilly, and we can’t just murder him.  What are we supposed to do wipe him off the face of the earth as if he never existed?”

“It’s what you’re good at,” Lilly sneered, tears still flowing freely down her cheeks.  “You
’re fucking animals, that’s all you do is kill.  You’ve wiped dozens of humans off the face of this earth for your fucking existence.”  She was angry, hurt, and she was saying things everyone in the room knew she didn’t mean.  She didn’t have a malicious bone in her body and they all knew it.  She just wanted them to hurt the way she was hurting. 

Monroe stared at Lilly for several moments
, then she watched as his eyes slid up to Jenny who’d finished binding her wrists and was reinserting the IV’s back into her arms.  Monroe gave an imperceptible nod and Lilly felt heat wash through her limbs.  Her eyes snapped to Jenny who held a needle injected into one of the IV’s.

Warm tears rolled silently down Lilly’s cheeks
as her eyes fluttered closed and King’s heart squeezed.  He’d do anything to make those tears stop.

“
I’m going to fucking kill him, Monroe!”  King’s growled the vow.  The guilt at the words he’d said to Lilly still gnawed at his gut.  He couldn’t help but wonder if she remembered them, if she thought he had failed to protect her intentionally just to teach her a lesson.  The need to explain himself to her was eating away at his insides.