Becoming Forever (Waking Forever Series) (40 page)

Lopez came around the corner, his gun holstered. “We got Sanchez.”

Ash swallowed several times before she could speak. “There’s another one in the front living room. I’ve restrained him.”

Lopez walked toward Ash and hesitantly put his hand on her shoulder. “Are you okay? You look really red.”

Ash shook her head. The tickle in her throat was moving into her chest. “I need some fresh air. You have this?”

The man nodded. “Of course.”

Ash turned, and walking through the utility room, found the back door. Before she opened the door, she announced her presence to the uniformed officer. The last thing she needed was to be mistaken for a perpetrator and shot. Stumbling to the side of the house, Ash was trying desperately not to panic. The excitement and anxiety of entering the house had pushed her to the edge of shifting. She reached into her back pocket, and pulled her phone out. Her hands were shaking so badly she couldn’t dial Emma’s number, though, and she stuffed the phone back in her pocket.

Sliding down the side of the house, Ash leaned her head back and took deep gulps of air. She saw something move to her right, and turning her head saw a large
brown and black German Shepard staring at her through the chain link fence of the neighboring yard. A metallic taste coated her tongue, and her mouth went dry. She was suddenly on fire, and her skin felt like a thousand hot needles were pricking at her skin. Not caring who saw her at that point, Ash got to her knees and ripped and pulled at her clothes. The Kevlar vest and her bra were the last items to be flung to the ground, and then Ash stood up completely naked.

A series of pops echoe
d from her shoulders and hips. Looking down, Ash saw the ground drawing nearing even though she was certain she wasn’t falling. She heard her ribs and spine snapping, but couldn’t reconcile the sound to the fact she was experiencing no pain. Her vision blurred for a split second, and then she stood, not on two legs, but on four furry legs.

Meaning to cry out in shock, Ash was startled by the barking sound that emanated from her mouth. Turning her head
, she looked behind her to see the long body of a dog covered in thick, coarse brown and black hair. Her head ached a little, and she was a dog, but otherwise she was unharmed by the shift. A faint whimper came from the other yard. The neighboring German Shepard backed away from the fence, and ran to hide in plastic igloo shaped dog house.

Taking a te
ntative step forward, Ash was surprised at how easily she coordinated four legs. Besides the physical changes, her hearing and sense of smell were incredibly astute. She could hear Douglas moving around in the house, but could also smell him. The odor of cigarettes and cheap cologne wafted over her. She lifted her head and sniffed at the air. Car exhaust and mowed grass were two of the many scents inundating her.

It occurred to her she needed to get out of there.  She had no idea how to shift back. Did she need to see a human, and like when she spotted the dog, the rest would happen naturally? Was this something that had to run its course? The only person she knew could help her was Emma, but the vampire’s house was on the other side of the city, and Ash was in no condition to drive.
She pawed at her discarded slacks until her cell phone slid out.

She looked around for a place to hide her clothes. She was going to have a difficult enough t
ime explaining her sudden absence. She didn’t need the added burden of explaining a pile of her discarded clothing. There was a narrow crawlspace under the house, and Ash spotted a small latched wooden door. She pushed the latch with her right-front paw, the door sprung open, and Ash picked up each item of clothing and stashed them in the crawlspace. Pushing the door shut with her forehead, she latched the door with her paw, and picked the cell phone up in her mouth.

Not wanting to risk being spotted by the police, Ash took a running jump at the chain link fence and easily cleared it. Landing in a back alley that ran behind the houses for the length of the block, she cautiously trotted
in the general direction of Emma’s house. As she neared a trafficked intersection, she stood at the cross walk, waiting for the pedestrian signal to provide her safe passage. An elderly Asian woman with a metal cane walked up, and stood next to Ash.

“Are you lost puppy?” The woman’s voice was thin and wobbly.

Ash didn’t want to frighten the woman by barking at her, so she looked up at her, and then back at the light. Then something occurred to her. She lowered her head, and carefully let the phone slide from her mouth. Emma’s contact page was still displayed. If Ash could manage to slide the unlock icon over, maybe the woman would get the idea and call Emma about her lost dog.

Focusing all of her attention she put the tip of her paw on the phone, and after three tries, the screen unlocked.
Ash looked up at the woman, and, careful not to yell at her, woofed quietly. The old woman squinted as she looked down at the large German Shepard. Seeing for the first time the cell phone lying on the sidewalk, the woman slowly bent down and picked it up.

Looking at the phone, and then back at the dog, she frowned. “Is this your owner?”

Ash bobbed her head up and down, and let out another quiet woof. Relief washed over her, as the woman pressed the screen of the phone. After a few seconds, she began speaking. “Ah, yes, I’m sorry to bother you, but I think I found your dog.”

Ash could hear
Emma’s voice on the other end of the call. “Oh, I -” She knew Emma’s caller ID had popped up with her information, and it would only take Emma a second to realize what had happened. “Thank you, I was worried to death. Where are you and I can come get her?”

If dogs could cry, Ash would have st
arted sobbing with relief. Instead, she waited patiently while the woman gave Emma her address, and then hung up. “Your owner sounds very nice. Will you follow me to my house and we can wait for her?”

Ash sat down, and barked quietly. “You’re a very smart dog.” The woman patted Ash on the head, and leaning on her cane slowly walked back the way she had come. A grateful German Shepard
was following close behind.

***

“Thank you so much. I do wish you would let me give you something for your trouble.” Emma stood next to her car talking to the woman who remained on her front porch. Ash was sitting in the passenger seat, wondering if she was required to wear a seatbelt.

“Nonsense, she’s a beautiful dog, and so smart. It was no trouble” The woman’s name was Eun, and in spite
of the circumstances, Emma’s good manners had meant she accepted a cup of tea from the Korean woman before taking her lost dog home.

During the twenty minutes the two women visited, Emma managed to fabricate a story about how Ash - she didn’t bother to change the name - was from a long line of show dogs. That, and extensive training, accounted for her remarkable intelligence. Eun was clearly
grateful for the conversation, and tried to convince Emma to stay for an early dinner.

“I can’t, but thank you for the invitation.” Ash
had sat anxiously at Emma’s side, wanting desperately to leave, and shift back to her human form.

Sitting in the car as Emma said her goodbyes, Ash was suddenly exhausted, and wanted nothing more than to sleep. She curled up in the seat, and was just beginning to doze off when Emma opened the driver’s door, and slid into the car. Without a word, she pressed the ignition button, and waving at Eun, drove away.

Not looking at Ash, she drove for several minutes, and then pulled the car into a Walgreens parking lot. Putting the car in park, Emma placed both her hands on the steering wheel, and squeezed it tightly. “I want you to know the only reason I don’t pull you to me, and hug you until you can’t breathe, is because of what people would think of a half-crazed-with-worry woman sitting in a parking lot clinging to her dog.”

Ash barked quietly and nudged Emma’s arm. The blonde woman put her hand to the side of Ash’s face. “Let’s get you back to my house, and we can figure out what to do.”

The rest of the drive was in a comfortable silence, as Emma was clearly thinking through what needed
to happen for Ash to shift back, and Ash couldn’t speak. Pulling up to Emma’s house, Ash waited as Emma walked around and opened the door. Not having opposable thumbs limited her use of handles.

Jumping from the car, Ash bounded up to the front door, and sat while Emma got her purse out of the back seat and walked up to the house. Pressing the entry code into the lock, the door clicked and opened. Ash walked in and sat at the foot of the stairs. Emma shut and locked the door. Putting her purse on the small table next to the door, she looked at Ash for several seconds. “Are you house broken?”

Ash wanted to laugh, but evidently there was no equivalent for dogs. Instead she ran up to Emma, and put her front paws on the woman’s stomach. She barked several times, and then sat back down in front of the blonde woman.

“Let’s go into the study. I have an idea.”
Emma opened the door to the room, Ash ran in, and jumped up on the sofa. Emma paced in front of her for nearly a minute. “One bark means yes, two means no. Got it?” Ash barked once.

“Great. Did you think about being a German Shepard?” Two barks. “Were you agitated, and it just happened?” Two barks.

Emma frowned. “Hmmm. Were you agitated and then you
saw
a German Shepard?” One bark. Emma smiled. “Okay then.”

She knelt down in front of Ash. “I need you to relax, close your eyes, and image you’re shrugging off a very heavy winter coat. It’s hot, and it feels very restrictive.”

Ash closed her eyes, and thought of the scene in the Christmas Story movie where Ralphie’s younger brother Randy has so many layers of clothing on that he can’t put his arms down. That scene always made her feel claustrophobic as a child, and thinking about it now forced heat to rise to her face.

A series of pinches and twinges shot across Ash’s abdomen. A flush
of heat tickled the back of her neck and head, followed by a series of pops and cracking sounds. Her breath came in short spurts as her spine snapped and then aligned to bring Ash into an upright posture.

Opening her eyes slowly, Ash’s mouth felt dry. “Did it work?” The fact
she spoke versus barked answered her question.

Emma was kneeling next to her, and took her warm hand in hers. “It did.” Smiling she sat down on the sofa next to a sweaty and naked Ash. “How do you feel?”

Ash shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. “I guess okay. A little hungry, but -” She looked down at her body, her very human body. “But I’m none the worse for wear.”

“You certainly aren’t
.” Emma smiled, and pulled Ash to her. “I was worried when I got the call, but of course you worked it out.” She held Ash at arms’ length and looked her over carefully.

Blushing from the nearness of Emma, Ash grinned shyly. “I’m okay.”

Emma grinned and leaning forward gently kissed Ash on the cheek. Sadness crossed over Ash’s eyes and Emma frowned. “What is it?”

Ash leaned back
, a surge of desire and love had rushed through her, and unexpectedly she was feeling very exposed and uncertain. Reaching for a beige throw blanket draped over the back of the sofa, she quickly wrapped it around her shoulders as she inched back from Emma. As much as her body had changed over the past few days, Ash’s feelings for Emma had too.

She had come to terms with loving a woman so drastically different from herself that their experiences could never be reconciled, but what she had not known, what until this moment
had eluded her, was the courage to put a voice to her feelings. “I love you.” The simple utterance belied the countless layers of meaning and nuance inherent in sharing your life, time, ideas, fears and hopes with someone.

Emma’s face was stoic as she looked at Ash carefully. Her eyes moved from the woman’s lips to her clear eyes
as she slowly wrapped her cool hand around Ash’s bare ankle. “I love you too.” The words came in a sigh, as if a great weight had been lifted, followed by tremendous relief.

Ash reached for Emma’s hand, and brought the tips of her fingers to her lips. “I’ve loved you since before the change. I want you to know that.”

Emma smiled. “I know.” She had carried so much doubt with her regarding Ash, the woman’s feelings for her and the ambiguity of their relationship, that finally speaking the words filled Emma with more hope than she had known in decades. Biting her lower lip, Emma looked intently at Ash. “Me too.”

Ash leaned forward, and was kneeling on the sofa next to Emma. She shrugge
d the blanket off her shoulders, needing now to be bare and exposed with Emma. Her hands trembled as she reached the hem of Emma’s shirt, her knuckles brushing against the smoothness of her stomach as she lifted the shirt up and over the woman’s head.

Emma reached around, and unhooked the clasp of her black bra, letting it fall to the floor. Ash pushed Emma back onto the sofa, both women gasped as the coolness of Emma’s skin met the warmth of Ash’s. Ash
moved her mouth along the column of Emma’s neck, sucking and kissing her earlobe, eliciting a low moan from her.

Leaning back, Ash gently stroked Emma’
s full lips with her thumb, pushing her upper lip up to reveal an elongated incisor. Ash smiled as she bent over to take Emma’s bottom lip between her teeth, biting and sucking eagerly. Emma ran her hands down Ash’s toned back, and pulled the other woman closer. Ash’s heart was pounding furiously in her chest as intense heat and tightness grew in the pit of her stomach.