[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
don t go crazy.
I am too good to be true. He disposed of the needle, slid his hand down
her arm to take her pulse. How do you feel?
Fine. The same.
No dizziness, nausea.
No, nothing.
He bent over the table to make notes. No urge to chase your tail, hump
my leg?
Ha ha.
We ll give it another thirty minutes, then check your vitals, take
another sample. He walked back to her, rolled down her sleeve himself,
buttoned the cuff, then pecked a kiss on her wrist. Let s go walk our
dogs.
THE wolf came with the October moon. The Hunter s Moon. It came again,
howling in with the Beaver Moon of November, pacing its cage, yearning
for blood though for the three nights clouds covered the light and left
the sky black as death.
December came, bringing snow, and its long, cold nights.
They adjusted the serum, and within ten minutes, Simone was shaking with
chills and fever.
I was crazy to let you pressure me into upping the dose before we tested
it.
I d have injected myself when you weren t here.
I know. You re burning up. He tucked the blanket around her more
securely as she lay on the cot he d brought down so he could sleep during
the cycle. You re up to a hundred and six. You need a hospital.
I can t. You know I can t. One test, and it s over for me. You know what
they ll do to me. Her restless hand gripped his, and felt like burning
sticks. I ll be a freak. It ll pass, Gabe. It ll pass.
It s too high. We ll get you upstairs, into the tub. Cool you down.
I dream. Her head lolled on his shoulder even as her body shook. I can
smell you when I dream. Smell you in the dream.
It s all right, he soothed as he carried her up the first flight of
stairs.
Dreams? Are they dreams? You can t run fast enough. I love when you run,
and I smell the fear. It s delicious.
Ssh. He gathered her closer, both dogs trailing behind, whining as he
carried her through the house, up to the second floor.
Stalking, hunting. I can taste your blood before I bite. It fills my
throat. I want to drown in it.
He laid her on the bed, hurried into the bath to fill the tub with cool
water. She was writhing on the bed when he came back, like a woman
aroused by a lover.
Like me. Finally like me.
He stripped her, and she began to convulse. He had to strap down every
instinct not to gather her close, to wait and pray while the seizure ran
its course.
The dogs knew, he noted. Young Butch quivered as he growled and backed
away; Amico snarled low as his hackles rose. They knew what he could see.
Her eyes were wrong. Not just gold flecks now. The gold was spreading,
taking over the green. He dragged her up, caging her against his body as
she flailed. He could hear the change, the shifting of bones.
Prayers for both of them raced through his mind as he laid her in the
cool water. Simone, listen to me. Simone. You can fight this. It s not
time. It s the fever. You have to hold on, hold it off, until we get the
fever down.
I can t. I want. It wants. Get out. Run.
Look at me, you look at me. There were claws under the water, clicking
against the porcelain. Fight back. You re stronger, you re still
stronger.
The knife. The silver knife. In the dresser, I showed you. Her hand,
tipped with sharp black claws, clamped over his arm. Drew blood. Get it.
Use it.
Not now. Not ever. His blood dripped into the water, stained it. I
love you. Fight.
Her head reared back, her face, narrowing, lengthening, was a mask of
pain and struggle. Then she went limp, would have slid under the water if
he hadn t steadied her.
NO. We re not using that formula again.
Listen to me. She felt woozy, weak, but herself as he helped her into a
robe. I ve never been sick, not a day since the attack. Look. She
dragged up the loose sleeve of the robe, showed him the faint mark where
the needle had bit her skin. It s healing, but not quickly, not as
quickly. It means something.
Yeah, it means I might ve killed you. And it means that formula, that
dose, brought on a dangerously high fever which in turn brought on a
seizure, which in turn brought out the wolf or nearly. A full week before
the cycle.
It was weaker. You said I was stronger. I heard you, and you were right.
It fought to get out to you, to take you, Gabe. But it didn t. It
couldn t. I was stronger.
Yeah, and you look like you could go two rounds with a toddler and lose.
I m not saying I don t feel it. In fact, I really want to lie down.
To simplify, he scooped her up, carried her across the room to the bed.
I used to think guys carrying women around was sexist. Funny how
perceptions change.
I ve never been so scared. He rested his brow on hers. Even the first
time I saw . . . Do you understand, Simone? I ve never been so scared. I
thought I was going to lose you.
You helped me win. I ve never won before. It s heady. It wanted out, and
I stopped it. If I can win once, I can win again. We can win. She turned [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl ocenkijessi.opx.pl
don t go crazy.
I am too good to be true. He disposed of the needle, slid his hand down
her arm to take her pulse. How do you feel?
Fine. The same.
No dizziness, nausea.
No, nothing.
He bent over the table to make notes. No urge to chase your tail, hump
my leg?
Ha ha.
We ll give it another thirty minutes, then check your vitals, take
another sample. He walked back to her, rolled down her sleeve himself,
buttoned the cuff, then pecked a kiss on her wrist. Let s go walk our
dogs.
THE wolf came with the October moon. The Hunter s Moon. It came again,
howling in with the Beaver Moon of November, pacing its cage, yearning
for blood though for the three nights clouds covered the light and left
the sky black as death.
December came, bringing snow, and its long, cold nights.
They adjusted the serum, and within ten minutes, Simone was shaking with
chills and fever.
I was crazy to let you pressure me into upping the dose before we tested
it.
I d have injected myself when you weren t here.
I know. You re burning up. He tucked the blanket around her more
securely as she lay on the cot he d brought down so he could sleep during
the cycle. You re up to a hundred and six. You need a hospital.
I can t. You know I can t. One test, and it s over for me. You know what
they ll do to me. Her restless hand gripped his, and felt like burning
sticks. I ll be a freak. It ll pass, Gabe. It ll pass.
It s too high. We ll get you upstairs, into the tub. Cool you down.
I dream. Her head lolled on his shoulder even as her body shook. I can
smell you when I dream. Smell you in the dream.
It s all right, he soothed as he carried her up the first flight of
stairs.
Dreams? Are they dreams? You can t run fast enough. I love when you run,
and I smell the fear. It s delicious.
Ssh. He gathered her closer, both dogs trailing behind, whining as he
carried her through the house, up to the second floor.
Stalking, hunting. I can taste your blood before I bite. It fills my
throat. I want to drown in it.
He laid her on the bed, hurried into the bath to fill the tub with cool
water. She was writhing on the bed when he came back, like a woman
aroused by a lover.
Like me. Finally like me.
He stripped her, and she began to convulse. He had to strap down every
instinct not to gather her close, to wait and pray while the seizure ran
its course.
The dogs knew, he noted. Young Butch quivered as he growled and backed
away; Amico snarled low as his hackles rose. They knew what he could see.
Her eyes were wrong. Not just gold flecks now. The gold was spreading,
taking over the green. He dragged her up, caging her against his body as
she flailed. He could hear the change, the shifting of bones.
Prayers for both of them raced through his mind as he laid her in the
cool water. Simone, listen to me. Simone. You can fight this. It s not
time. It s the fever. You have to hold on, hold it off, until we get the
fever down.
I can t. I want. It wants. Get out. Run.
Look at me, you look at me. There were claws under the water, clicking
against the porcelain. Fight back. You re stronger, you re still
stronger.
The knife. The silver knife. In the dresser, I showed you. Her hand,
tipped with sharp black claws, clamped over his arm. Drew blood. Get it.
Use it.
Not now. Not ever. His blood dripped into the water, stained it. I
love you. Fight.
Her head reared back, her face, narrowing, lengthening, was a mask of
pain and struggle. Then she went limp, would have slid under the water if
he hadn t steadied her.
NO. We re not using that formula again.
Listen to me. She felt woozy, weak, but herself as he helped her into a
robe. I ve never been sick, not a day since the attack. Look. She
dragged up the loose sleeve of the robe, showed him the faint mark where
the needle had bit her skin. It s healing, but not quickly, not as
quickly. It means something.
Yeah, it means I might ve killed you. And it means that formula, that
dose, brought on a dangerously high fever which in turn brought on a
seizure, which in turn brought out the wolf or nearly. A full week before
the cycle.
It was weaker. You said I was stronger. I heard you, and you were right.
It fought to get out to you, to take you, Gabe. But it didn t. It
couldn t. I was stronger.
Yeah, and you look like you could go two rounds with a toddler and lose.
I m not saying I don t feel it. In fact, I really want to lie down.
To simplify, he scooped her up, carried her across the room to the bed.
I used to think guys carrying women around was sexist. Funny how
perceptions change.
I ve never been so scared. He rested his brow on hers. Even the first
time I saw . . . Do you understand, Simone? I ve never been so scared. I
thought I was going to lose you.
You helped me win. I ve never won before. It s heady. It wanted out, and
I stopped it. If I can win once, I can win again. We can win. She turned [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]