The Dark Side (18 page)

He screamed with fury and pain. His free arm connected with my ribs with a thud. Vamps pack quite a punch. Agony bloomed along my side and I let go, retreating with another snarling growl, trying to get him to follow me. Rhianna lay on the ground behind him and the scent of human blood flooded the air, almost as strong as the vamp’s.

Someone needed to help her.

“
Dan,
” I screamed in my head but then the vamp came at me again and I had to concentrate on staying alive.

Pain and fury blurred my ability to think about anything but the threat in front of me. The vampire moved almost too fast for me to follow, leaping through the air to come at me with bared fangs. I twisted frantically, trying to dodge. He had the advantage of legs and arms. But I was heavier and maybe even stronger in wolf form—if I could connect with teeth or claws. I swiped at his leg as he sailed over me and my claws tore through flesh.

The vamp shrieked as he hit the dirt. I snarled back, circling to face him. Behind him, people knelt by Rhi, faces stricken. Some guy I didn’t know was holding a red stained cloth to her neck but she wasn’t moving and the salt-metal-warm stink of blood was way too strong.

But I couldn’t think about Rhi. I had to think about survival. The vamp flowed to his feet, blood staining the flesh on his thigh. He hissed at me, bloody fangs exposed. I growled, daring him to try me again. His eyes flicked to the side and I suddenly realized he was searching for another human shield. Something to distract me.

Not going to happen. Not if I had anything to do about it. My last vestiges of control over the wolf slid away and I let the vast anger of a werewolf protecting her pack surge through me. He wasn’t going to hurt anyone
ever
again.

Once more I sprang, bowling him over. We rolled together, his hands reaching for my neck and fangs raking my side as we tumbled. The pain only increased my fury and I redoubled my efforts. The need to conquer the enemy, to destroy my prey, burned away all other thought. My teeth snapped, missed, and then found purchase. And for the second time in my life, I rejoiced as I snapped my jaws closed and tore out a throat.

As the vamp dropped limply to the ground, I spat blood and flesh, shaking my head in disgust. The taste of vamp wasn’t any more pleasant the second time round; my stomach recoiled, even in wolf form.

When I looked up, it was to a sea of horrified faces.

Shit. So much for keeping the ‘I’m a werewolf’ thing under wraps. I’d well and truly outed myself.

By killing someone in front of my whole supernatural-hating hometown.

Even if my victim was a vamp, his blood still spattered my face and mouth, gumming my fur, sticky and bitter. No doubt I looked pretty terrifying to the humans watching.

Well, I could worry about that later. Right now, I needed to help Rhianna.

I took a step forward and someone in the crowd gasped. It sounded way too loud in the shocked silence. Silence that meant the fight was over. My lip curled a little in reaction to the noise but I kept walking. As I reached Rhi, the scent of human blood once more overpowered the vamp’s.

Which meant there was a whole lot of it spilled around.

Too much.

Rhianna lay pale and still. Too pale and still but I could just hear a struggling heartbeat.

She needed help fast.

Someone stepped into my path. I didn’t recognize the scent and I didn’t have any time to waste. I growled warningly and they jumped away even as more startled noises blossomed through the crowd.

Movement flicked at my left side and I turned my head to see Aunt Bug coming down the front stairs.

Safe
. For a moment that’s all I could think. She hadn’t been hurt. My pulse eased back a few beats.

“Ashley, is that you?” She looked a little wild-eyed as she approached me, so I dropped to my haunches and thumped my tail a few times. It was the closest I could come to a wag while I was this tense and there was no way I was changing back and winding up naked in front of the entire population of Caldwell.

Aunt Bug smiled shakily then reached out and touched my head. I stayed still, not wanting to get blood on her. Then her gaze turned from me to Rhianna and she paled. “Rhianna,” she said brokenly. “Somebody call 911.”

“I already have.” Dan’s voice cut through the nervous babble that had broken out. To the assembled humans, he would sound cool and calm. But I could hear the thump thump thump of his heart racing almost as fast as mine. I didn’t know if it was from worry over me or the fight.

He stopped between me and the crowd and just stood there, all tall and commanding. The fact that he’d pulled back his jacket to reveal his gun didn’t hurt either. The way the tension in the air eased back would’ve been annoying if it hadn’t been to my benefit.

The blare of an ambulance siren suddenly cut through the crowd noise, turning the focus away from me for a moment as everyone stopped to watch it pull up. Dan moved closer to me.

“You should go home and change,” he said as I inched nearer to his legs. When in doubt, stand by the guy with the gun. At least when you know he’s on your side.

I tilted my head at him in the wolf equivalent of ‘are you kidding me?’The telepathy werewolves used didn’t work when one was in human form. At least not between Dan and me. But wolves are pretty good at reading body language whether on two legs or four. I glanced back to Rhianna, whining softly.

A red-headed paramedic knelt beside her, frantically applying bandages and sliding needles into flesh as her partner readied a gurney.

Rhianna
.

For a moment I wondered whether anyone had worked on Julie like this after Tate. I’d never asked her parents for details—I’d been too busy grieving my own losses and trying to wipe the images of blood and death from my mind to want to add to them. I whined again. I could still hear Rhianna’s heart beating but I didn’t like the way it sounded.

And it was all my fault.

The vamps had been after
me
.

Rhi was hurt because of
me
.

And Caldwell was traumatized all over again.

“They won’t let you in the hospital like that,” Dan pointed out. “There’s nothing more you can do here.” He frowned a little and I read the ‘except get yourself in a whole lot of trouble’ he wasn’t adding loud and clear.

I nudged his leg with my nose trying to breathe in the smell of Dan instead of vamp and blood and fear.

He touched my head, just for a moment. “Everything’s under control. Go home.”

But I’d missed my chance to slip away. As the paramedics loaded Rhianna onto the gurney, the crowd turned back to me.

“She can’t leave. She’s a werewolf,” someone muttered, a little too loudly.

Dan’s head whipped around and I heard the near silent growl that rumbled in his throat, even if no one else did. “Yes, she is. And she just saved several people’s lives. You got a problem?” His hand strayed down to his gun again.

“Wolf lover,” someone yelled and I winced. This could go downhill, fast. I hoped Marco had had the sense to leave town already. I’d probably get out of this but I didn’t like the chances of any vampire caught within city limits just now.

He must have left. Otherwise, wouldn’t he have warned me? Surely an Old One could sense other vampires in his vicinity?

I leaned a little closer to Dan as Aunt Bug stepped up beside him. She glared out at the crowd and I swear half of them shrank back. Amazing what a lasting effect being a schoolteacher has on people. Aunt Bug had ruled the local high school campus with a steely glare and a quick tongue for nearly thirty years before she retired.

“Yes? Does anyone have a problem with my
niece
?” She put her hand down on my head, rubbing my ear absently, like you would a Labrador. Normally I would’ve pulled away but this wasn’t the time to act like anything but a lapdog.

No one spoke up but the vibes spilling from the crowd weren’t friendly. Rhi’s parents were being shepherded into the back of the ambulance, leaving me short another couple of potential allies. But maybe that was assuming too much. They had just as much reason to hate supernaturals as anyone else in this town.

Actually even more reason now.

I wanted to go with them but Dan was right. No one would let a giant wolf into a hospital. So I had to go change and get clothes first.

“Why don’t you take Ash home?” Dan said quietly to Aunt Bug. “I have to stay with the Sheriff until my team gets here.”

He’d called in the Taskforce already? Damn. I hadn’t expected that. Just what the town needed, even more vamps and weres arriving.

Dan crouched down in front of me, silver eyes searching mine as if reassuring himself I was okay. I swiped his cheek quickly with my tongue. Wrong move. The streak I left was faintly pink, my saliva still tinged with blood.

My stomach turned queasy on me at the sight and the acrid stink of the vamp’s blood drying on my fur hit me like a blow. I needed to shower. Fast. Or I was going to be the werewolf famous for puking in public as well as killing vamps.

I stood shakily and nudged Aunt Bug’s hip with my nose. She took the hint and put her hand on my head as we walked away from the crowd. My shoulder blades itched the whole time, expecting some sort of attack. As we walked through the gate I saw Marco standing across the street, half hidden in the shadows of one of the elms lining the road.

He inclined his head slightly as our eyes met. I wasn’t sure if his expression was apologetic or concerned but neither helped me feel any better. In fact, the sight of him made me furious all over again. If he’d helped, maybe Rhi wouldn’t be bleeding on her way to a hospital right now.

“
Get out of here while you can
,” I thought at him, on the off chance he could hear wolf telepathy. “
If they spot you things will get ugly.
”

Our gazes held a second longer and then he nodded. I didn’t know if it meant ‘message received’ or something else entirely but it would have to do. If I watched him any longer I might just draw attention to him.

I turned away and trotted at Aunt Bug’s side all the way back to her house. I showered and changed in record time, only slowing to use about half a bottle of mouthwash as I scrubbed my gums till they nearly bled. It didn’t help. Through the reek of mint and alcohol I could still smell the stink of vampire and taste acid blood in the back of my throat.

* * *

Aunt Bug was waiting for me in the kitchen when I came back downstairs, her hands wrapped around a mug of tea. Which said something about her frazzled state of mind. Tea in Bug’s house came served in fine china cups with matching saucers. Mugs were for coffee, or cocoa.

“Are you okay?” I asked, sliding into the chair across from hers and resting my elbows on the table. Damp hair flicked into my face and I pulled it back into a ponytail without thinking.

“Don’t do that, you’ll catch cold.”

“Aunty, wet hair does not cause colds.” Plus werewolves couldn’t catch colds.

She stared down at her tea. I was tempted to tell her she’d have to drink it if she wanted to know the future. But I didn’t push. She’d just had quite a scare. And she’d just seen me as a wolf for the first time.

She’d never asked to see me that way since my change and I hadn’t offered—mostly because I’d only wanted to change when I had to—at full moon. Humans weren’t allowed at the Packs’ Retreat when we gathered.

“Are you okay?” I repeated when she stayed silent. “I didn’t mean for you to see anything like that.” What did you say when your closest relative had just seen you kill someone?

“I’m fine,” she said. The slight shake in her voice suggested otherwise. “I was just thinking about Rhianna.”

“The doctors will be able to save her.” I wanted to believe it. I couldn’t bear the thought of having to stand over Rhianna’s grave.

“Why did those vampires come here?” Bug asked, stirring more sugar into her tea absently.

I played with a stray strand of hair, watching as I wound it round my finger. “I don’t know.” I made myself look back up at Bug.

“Were they after you?” Her pale blue eyes turned sharp. “Are you in trouble again?”

Again
. I heard the fear underlying that question, even though Bug was trying to hide it. I didn’t know what to say. How to make her feel better. It wasn’t like I’d asked for any of this and I definitely didn’t go looking for trouble. Tate had found Caldwell and my family, not the other way around. Now Smith was taking the same approach.

“I don’t know,” I said helplessly. “I’m trying not to be.” Bug might be scared for me but she deserved to know the truth.“But Dan will find out what’s going on. The Taskforce will be all over this.”

She looked away and I wondered what she was trying not to say. She was the one who’d pushed me all these years to give Dan a second chance. But perhaps the reality of me being tangled up so closely with the supernatural world wasn’t quite what she’d expected.

It wasn’t exactly what I had expected either. But there was no way to go back. I had to keep trying to move forward. Starting with looking after Rhi. “I’m going to the hospital. Do you want to come with me?”

“I think I’ll stay here.”

“Okay.” I rose, came around the table and dropped a kiss on her gray hair. “I’m still me, Bug. It’s okay.”

“I know.” She sounded tired. I felt guilty. I’d be going back to Seattle, where vamps and weres weren’t such a novelty. Where they were mostly accepted. Aunt Bug had to stay here in Caldwell, surrounded by friends and neighbors she’d known all her life and cope with the fact they all knew her niece was a werewolf now.

One of the monsters.

It wasn’t going to be easy for her. I could well imagine the outrage of the community. Once upon a time I’d felt the same fear and distrust of supernaturals. I’d overcome it to a point, before I’d changed, determined not to let Tate’s legacy turn me into a bigot but I’d still struggled.

Until Jase.

And then Dan.

And now nothing was simple. No black and white. “You’re welcome to come and stay with me for a bit,” I offered. “We could see a couple of shows, you could go to the museums.”