After procrastinating for a few minutes, I called the number that she’d left for me and left her a voicemail declining the job. This case was about a broken heart that had nothing to do with me. In the meantime, I had a ton to think about, my own personal issues.
At half past one, the night was by no means over. After a ludicrous attempt to read a cheesy romance novel from Ky’s bookshelf, I soon gave up. I couldn’t get past the first page. I could do a million things to pass the time, but I couldn’t invest myself in any one of them. Nagging thoughts refused to leave me alone. I couldn’t help but wonder how Arys was doing.
By ignoring our mistake, were we simply making it worse?
The last time that I saw him, Arys was fighting a deep sense of confusion. Having something that he could not control was outside his realm of comfort. For my part, bouts of nausea and bloodlust alternatively wracked me, and though the moments were brief, they were frighteningly intense. But, I hadn’t given in yet. I refused to crumple into longing the way that Arys had. I rode out every surge with willpower and sheer stubbornness. However, everyday, the need to give in to the bloodlust grew stronger. It grew harder to resist.
Determined and curious, I zipped a dark grey hoodie over my black t-shirt with a bright pink Playboy bunny logo. I changed into a pair of hip-hugging, black jeans so I could actually move comfortably. I double-checked that I had both my cell phone and wallet before calling out, “I’m going out.” Kylarai’s response sounded affirmative, so I locked the door on my way out.
I decided to leave the Charger for the night. I was in the mood for a walk beneath the moonlight. The late night walk through the quiet town felt magically soothing. During the twenty-minute stroll to Lucy’s Lounge, I hoped to accomplish some productive thinking.
The nightlife in Stony Plain vastly differs from that of the city center. The streetlights here don’t shine brighter than the stars. Traffic maintains a steady flow, but the vehicles are much fewer and farther in between. And, of course, the only businesses open at this hour consisted of the bars, the 7/11, and the McDonald’s twenty-four hour drive-thru.
A fountain bubbled, and a creek flowed near the small, off-road path. I preferred to avoid the main walking routes. I sought the shadows. The path and the creek successfully wound the length of Stony from the north to the south end. Comforting and familiar, the sound of the creek held a soothing quality.
As I walked, several jackrabbits broke from frozen positions and ran for safety as I crossed through the playground of an elementary school. They didn’t fear the trucks barreling through the street, yet they still feared me upon catching the scent of wolf. I paused to allow them to run without feeling as if I was giving chase. They were too small and helpless. I liked my quarry big enough to put up a fight. In fact, I preferred that they deserved it.
A group of teenagers looked up in alarm when I rounded a bend in the grey stone walkway. The joint they passed was frozen in midair. The kid holding it had the widest eyes. I almost laughed aloud. At their age, I’d been learning how to protect myself from true danger as well as my own predatory urges. What I wouldn’t have given to be a kid with a joint instead.
I couldn’t hide my smile when I passed them. One kid dared to give me a cocky sneer, a challenge. The youthful scent of his blood was tangy and metallic, inviting me to taste it. A brief thought flashed through my mind. How easy it would be to take him right here in a frenzy of blood and fear. The others would try to run, but I’d catch them, too. I forced myself to keep walking and the urge dissipated almost as fast as it had come.
No sooner had I vanished from sight than they resumed their laughter and juvenile jokes. Enjoy it boys. You’ll have to grow up some time.
I ambled on toward Lucy’s until the overpowering scent of fear made me stop in my tracks. Standing in the shadows, I was hidden from view by the tree-lined path as vehicles flew by on the four-lane strip to my right. I saw nothing out of place.
For a moment, I thought my nose was playing tricks on me, but then the scream came. High pitched and terrified, the helpless sound thrilled me with excitement, bringing Arys’s smile to my lips.
I followed the sound down the gaping black hole of an intersecting path. I suppose I’m lucky that my night vision is damn good. It’s better than that of the two humans that I had smelled in the darkness ahead, and that’s what really mattered.
As I crept down the eeriest bike path in town, I stifled a giggle. My wolf didn’t drive me forward. No, I had succumbed to the intoxicating temptation of the bloodlust. I suddenly wanted it so bad that I could already taste the sweet copper on my tongue.