The Finding (28 page)

Cassandra
wiggled in his arms and he tightened his grip, while looking up to
see what the problem was. Ah! The big guy was shoving Kellen in the
back of a white van.

Bryan stiffened
and narrowed his eyes; it was the same van he’d observed last
night, he was sure of it. Testing the air, he caught a whiff of
scent and confirmed his suspicions; it was the same man too. Well,
at least he knew why the fellow had been driving by; Anderson had
been the draw, not Cassandra.

As the van
drove away, he stood. “The coast is clear; we can head inside and
find you some clothes so you can shift back.” He moved towards the
house, Cassandra tugging at her makeshift leash.

*****

Once inside,
Bryan took off her ‘leash’ and she shook her head, relieved to have
the thing removed; it had chaffed at her neck and made her feel
even more like an animal than she already did. While Bryan looped
the belt back around his waist, she eyed him thoughtfully. Someday
she’d have to return the favour if, heaven forbid, their
association lasted that long!

Turning away
from the annoying male werewolf, Cassie looked around in dismay,
noting the broken coffee table and the blood on the floor—blood
she’d drawn from another person! A sick feeling rose in her throat
and she looked away focussing elsewhere. Someone—most likely
Hugh—had punched a hole in the wall, an overturned plant had spewed
dirt across the carpet, and the wooden frame of the front door was
broken. The home she’d been so proud of looked a wreck. And what
would the landlord say about the damage? The cost of repairs would
ruin her budget. She closed her eyes to keep back the tears. Could
the day possibly get any worse?

We’re free! Our
first transformation was successful and he has come for us. It is a
day of celebration, not sadness.

The wolf’s
thoughts took control and against her will, she found herself
leaning adoringly against Bryan’s leg. His warmth seeped into her
and she could feel the strength of muscle and bone. It filled her
with a sense of safety, of homecoming. A contented sigh escaped her
and she was aware of her tail thumping happily against the floor.
Appalled, Cassie struggled to bring her human half to the surface
again and shifted away from Bryan’s leg. She hoped he hadn’t
noticed the wolf’s behaviour; it had almost grovelled at his feet,
for heaven’s sake!

She didn’t
think he had. In fact, he seemed more intent on examining the room
and gave a low whistle as he took in the damage.

“Looks like it
was some fight that took place. Did you—” He started to ask a
question, then paused and looked down at her. “Uh...I guess we’d
better get you back into your human form before trying to have much
of a conversation, right?”

He stared at
her expectantly, one eyebrow lifted, but she didn’t know what to do
and shifted her weight from foot to foot while whining uncertainly.
She had no recollection of how she’d managed to change in the park;
vaguely she recalled the feeling of excitement and desire that had
consumed her, the need to be with him, to press her body to his...
Her face heated as images flashed through her mind and she was
almost glad of the fur that hid her response.

“Okay, so I
guess you don’t know how to shift back either.” Bryan rubbed his
chin and then sat on the arm of the sofa, bending over so they were
on eye level. “For centuries shifting was considered magic and
often it’s still referred to that way, but actually it’s a question
of harnessing energy and directing it into a molecular
restructuring of your form.”

Cassie whined
and shook her head vigorously, her ears flapping against her skull.
Oh great. Physics was always her worst subject. Now she’d be stuck
in four-footed purgatory for the rest of her days!

Bryan must have
read her body language or understood her whine for he paused and
frowned. “I guess that’s a bit deep at the moment. Umm... The way
most of us do it is to just think ‘human.’ We make a mental picture
of ourselves; our hair colour, height, facial features and such. Of
course, don’t forget to include clothing in the picture or you end
up naked. That’s a mistake a lot of young werewolves make the first
few times.” He coughed and looked uncomfortable as he said the next
part, “Unless you’re only half-blooded—not that there’s anything
wrong with that of course, but... It has certain disadvantages.
Halves usually don’t have enough control of the molecular energy
around them to include clothing in the change process. If that’s
the case you might want to try this in your bedroom or you could
end up nude again.”

Cassie cocked
her head to the side having no idea if she was a full-blooded
werewolf or half. All she knew was that she didn’t want to chance
accidentally flashing Bryan.

He wouldn’t
mind,
the beast within said slyly.

Unfortunately,
Cassie was sure the animal was right. She could recall the feel of
his body and the ridge of flesh that had pressed close. The memory
caused a warm liquid feeling within and she glanced up sharply at
Bryan. He was eyeing her speculatively. Was it possible that he
somehow knew...?

She got to her
feet, feeling a strategic retreat was in order, and trotted down
the hallway to her bedroom. Nudging the door open with her nose,
she stepped inside and looked around. Lace curtains hung from the
window, a colourful quilt was spread on the bed.

It was familiar
yet seemed different when viewed from this angle. She lowered her
head slightly and could clearly see a collection of shoes under her
bed as well as a few dust bunnies and a forgotten novel. The half
packed bag of clothing lay on the floor where she dropped it and
dresser drawers were pulled open, their contents spilling over the
edge. Lifting her...er...nose she could see the clock on the
bedside table. It had only been a little over half an hour ago that
she’d been rushing around, trying to get out of the house before
Bryan appeared.

Bryan. She
swung her head around and stared at the door. Not only was he in
her home, but he seemed more in control of the beast inside her
than she was herself. Said beast growled and she struggled to push
it aside. The creature wanted to be heard and kept trying to take
over. It had when the thug was attacking Kellen and later, as she’d
raced down the road, the animal had rejoiced in the excitement of
running and she’d totally lost control of beast until coming to her
senses in Bryan’s arms.
Naked
in Bryan’s arms, no less!

Cassie recalled
the deliciously wicked feel of his hands sliding over her body,
cupping her buttocks to pull her closer to his arousal. Another
wave of desire ran through her and she found herself panting in
excitement. No! That wasn’t a road her mind should be heading down.
She was here to change back into a person, not lust after some half
animal-like creature! Now, what had he said to do? Form a mental
image of herself?

Closing her
eyes, she thought of the reflection she saw in the mirror each
morning. Golden skin, deep green eyes, dark hair... For a moment
she considered adding some highlights to the hair, but decided
she’d better not chance it. Who knew what kind of a mess she could
end up in? Abandoning the thought, she mentally dressed herself and
concentrated on being human.

At first there
was no response, then a quiver ran over her skin. She held her
breath expectantly, waiting for something else to occur, but
nothing happened. Harrumphing in exasperation, she hopped onto her
bed and lay down, resting her chin on her paws. I’m a human, I’m a
human; she chanted the phrase to herself while concentrating
intensely on transforming. Another quiver and slight tingling about
her nose. Her nostrils twitched and she sneezed which effectively
chased the other sensation away.

Disheartened,
she let her head flop down and exhaled noisily, venting her
frustration. A moment later, a slight knocking on the door drew her
attention. She lifted her head and perked up her ears.

Bryan peered
into the room. “Any luck?”

She whimpered
and lay her head down again. He pushed the door open further and
stepped inside. “Want some help?” He shoved his hands in his back
pockets and looked down at her. “I can force a transformation if
you want. It’s not something I do very often though so I can’t
guarantee the clothing.” A soft laugh escaped him. “Not that I’d
mind.”

Cassie growled
softly and drew her ears back, ignoring how the animal within
chastised her. Bryan seemed to take no offense. A crooked grin
graced his face.

“Not keen on
that part are you? Don’t worry, I was just teasing.” He sat down
beside her and rubbed her shoulders. “Damn, but you’re muscles are
tight. Little wonder you aren’t changing.” His fingers began to dig
into her fur, massaging the tense flesh underneath. At first she
stiffened, annoyed at the invasion of her personal space, but the
animal in her was ecstatic over the attention. Hmm... It did feel
good. She gave a contented sigh and she closed her eyes, relaxing
with her chin on her paws.

“That’s it.”
Bryan whispered in her ear. “Just relax. Imagine you’re lying on
your bed, your arms and legs are stretched out, and the mattress is
soft beneath your skin. Think of your fingers and toes, the way
your hair is spilling over your shoulders...” His voice was low and
soothing, almost hypnotic. Cassie could feel the tightness in her
muscles slipping away. It was as if she were falling through space;
slowly spinning, the breeze ruffling her hair and clothes as she
floated downward...

Her whole body
suddenly jerked and her eyes flew open. She was on the bed, lying
on her stomach, her arms folded, and pillowing her head. Her arms!
Pushing herself upright, she gave a happy cry. “I’m a person
again!” A wide grin spread over her face and she looked
triumphantly at Bryan.

His hands were
still on her shoulders. He squeezed gently then stood up and
nodded. “There. You did it. Your first unassisted change. And
you’re clothed too so you must be a pure-blood.”

“Yeah. My first
change.” The elated feeling rapidly faded as the true meaning of
what just happened sank in. Melancholy rushed in, filling the void
left behind.

It was
happening. For years she’d been fighting against it and now it
seemed like all her efforts had been in vain. Slowly, against her
will, she was becoming that which she most hated and feared; a
werewolf. And there didn’t seem to be anything she could do to stop
it. The drugs, her constant vigilance, the sleepless nights; it was
all for naught. The animal inside her was winning; its presence
constantly on the periphery of her mind, always looking for a
chance to make itself known.

And now Bryan
was here. He seemed to be able to command the beast inside her at
will and she suspected that getting away from him wasn’t going to
be an easy task. It was like a prison door was slamming shut,
trapping her in a world she never wanted to be a part of. All she
could do was ineffectually rattle the bars and cry out against
fate. She was doomed.

Reluctantly,
she got up noting that she was wearing the same outfit she’d put on
that morning. Her lip curled into a wry smile, her sense of humour
surfacing for a moment as she wished she could have imagined
herself back into nicer apparel. Being a werewolf sucked enough as
it was; there weren’t even any clothing perks. Sighing, she forced
herself to look on the bright side; at least she wasn’t naked.

“Are you okay?”
Bryan was looking at her with concern.

“Yeah, just a
bit shaken up.” Cassie nodded and ran her hands through her hair.
This wasn’t the time to bemoan her fate; she had to try and rescue
Kellen. He needed her help. There’d be time for grieving the loss
of her humanity later on, for planning where she’d run to, how
she’d keep the world safe from herself. Maybe a cave with a large
boulder...?

She took a deep
breath and squared her shoulders. One problem at a time. “The guy
who took Kellen is named Hugh and he works for someone named Eddie.
Kellen owes them money and from what I could figure out, Hugh came
here to make sure Kellen paid up and didn’t skip town.”

“Skip town,
eh?”

Looking over at
Bryan, she saw he was holding up her half packed bag. Her lacy
underwear was hanging out of it and she wondered why that
embarrassed her; he’d seen her naked already. What did a few bits
of satin and lace matter? She snatched the small case from his hand
anyway and tossed it in the corner, glaring at him out of the
corner of her eye. For a moment she’d almost forgotten what he was.
“Yeah. Apparently we both had people we needed to avoid.”

“Trust me,
Cassandra. You can’t avoid me. I’ll track you down, no matter where
you run to.” Bryan spoke calmly, but there was assurance in his
deep voice. His eyes seemed to see right inside her and she found
she was unable to hold his gaze.

Looking at the
floor, she shrugged. “It’s always worth a try.” He muttered
something under his breath, but she felt it was prudent to not
inquire what. Instead she side-stepped him and headed towards the
living room, talking over her shoulder.

“When Hugh
realized who I was, he called his boss, Eddie.”

“What do you
mean, he realized who you were?”

“That I was
Cassandra Greyson, the missing heiress.”

“And he figured
this out, how? From what I’ve been able to determine, everyone here
knows you as Sandy.”

She nodded.
“Sandy Grant. That’s the name I came up with when I first met
Kellen. He helped me establish a new identity and I’ve used it ever
since.”

“So how did
Hugh make the connection between Sandy Grant of Las Vegas and
Cassandra Greyson of Chicago?”

“He saw a piece
of paper in Kellen’s hand. It was a flyer saying there was a reward
for information leading to my whereabouts. I guess Kellen found it
somewhere and was going to use the money to pay off his debt.” She
was rather proud of how she’d kept her voice steady as she spoke.
Kellen’s betrayal cut like a knife into her heart. Never would she
have believed he’d do something like that to her. Staring up at the
ceiling, she swallowed hard, forcing back the tears that pricked at
the back of her eyes. God, she was a mess right now. Everything
made her want to cry lately.