18
BRODERICK
I caught her just as she fell.
I was still in pain, still reeling from the quickness of the dual metamorphosis. The change hurt, as it always did. But the transformation back? That was the worst of all.
The cold bit me everywhere as I laid her gently to the stones. I gave her a minute, shivering as I moved my body to shield her from the wind. She felt hot. Hotter that she should be, even considering our bond.
Our unconsummated bond.
Gently I shook her awake, clapping my palm against her until she stirred. She was beautiful, even in sleep. Maybe even especially in sleep.
“Broderick…”
Her eyes fluttered open. Ready or not I grabbed her wrist and hefted her to her feet. Then, after a quick glance in every direction, I threw her over my shoulder.
“OHH!”
Wherever Damien had gone, I couldn’t go after him. Not like this. Not with her. Besides, I’d need rest soon. We both would, and possibly Serena too.
Worst of all, they’d be back soon. Christophe. Lionel. Boone too, if he ever got done chasing Damien. Chasing being the operative word there, because as fast as Boone was, I knew he’d never catch him. Not in a million years.
When they came back, I wanted to be long gone. Especially since there was a good chance they’d bring her too.
Karessa, now queen of the pack.
The one who’d made me. The woman who’d loved me… and Damien as well. We’d shared time with her here, in this very spot… doing things with and to each other that would live in my memory always. Yet still the image of our ex-mate stung savagely, whenever it floated to mind.
I pushed her away quicker than normal as I entered the forest. Somehow, since Serena showed up? The whole Karessa thing had gotten easier to deal with.
Better hurry.
I thought about the woman pinned tightly against my shoulder as I made my way through the forest. I was no longer angry at Damien for having mated her the way he did. In some ways, I couldn’t blame him. And in others…
Truthfully, she’d probably just saved my life. I wasn’t exactly sure what she’d done to stop Lionel, but when I’d looked up he was already blooded and running away.
Once again the wind took a bad turn. The pack would pick up our scent quickly us as long as we remained out here, and sniff us out long before we made it back to the truck. Leaving the forest tonight was no longer an option.
Besides, I had a better plan. A plan that would allow us to rest safely while giving us time to find Damien again, all at once. Or even better, let Damien find us.
“Broderick, I’m okay,” Serena said groggily. “You can put me down now.”
I kept moving, stepping even faster. “Not yet.”
“But where are you—”
“Just hold tight. We’re almost there.”
With my human eyes I barely follow the unmarked path. If Damien and I hadn’t already taken it a thousand times, I’d already be thoroughly lost.
“Do you know what—”
“Shhh!”
I finally crested the slight rise. Just ahead was another one, and between that, my destination.
He’ll get away. He always does.
The little voice in the back of my mind was more worried for Damien than I was. The little bastard was slippery, he knew the area well. Besides, I’d seen him run into the cathedral. No one knew the inside of that place better than he did.
“Okay. We’re here.”
I set Serena down, holding her by her hips until I was sure she could stand on her own. Instantly every one of my senses came alive. The tips of my fingers felt warm as they lingered on her body, identifying her — on the most primal and animalistic of levels — as mine.
“Where’s here?” Serena asked, looking around. “All I see are—”
Seven large stones lay here, half-buried in the ground. At first glance they meant nothing more than a natural formation. But I knew what they were. A rough semi-circle, with a secret in the middle.
Beneath the center stone was a patch of darkness — a small, black hollow. I slipped through feet first, then reached back for Serena. With only my wrists protruding from the ground, she looked absolutely horrified.
“I’m not going down there!”
I shook my hands at her. “It’s either this, or you stay here and they find you.”
She glanced over one shoulder, then swallowed dryly. “What’s down there?”
“Come and see.”
Finally she moved, which was a lucky thing. I was beginning to think I’d have to climb out and throw her over my shoulder again.
She slid against me, clinging to my body in the darkness. It wasn’t until her feet touched the floor that she was willing to let go. And even then, I noticed it was with great reluctance.
“Here, use this.”
I handed her a pocket flashlight, taken from a old pack near the floor. She flipped on the blue LED light and gasped. We were in a long, stone corridor with a smooth floor. The rough-hewn walls in both directions ran straight into pitch darkness.
“What is this place?”
“An extension of the Paris Catacombs.”
Serena’s voice cracked. “The same one that ran beneath Holy Innocents’ Cemetery?”
“Yes.”
I wondered if she knew the rest of the lore. That heavy rains and overcrowding had flooded the catacombs with waterlogged corpses and disease until they were closed back in the 19th century.
“That part’s still miles away though,” I assured her. “This is only a network of tunnels that join up with them, built back during the middle ages.”
If my assertion made her feel any better, I couldn’t tell. I was already moving, quickly and efficiently, taking a series of well-remembered turns at every junction. The air was stale down here, and choked with dust. It didn’t stop her from keeping up though.
“H—How do you know we won’t get lost?”
“Because I know where I’m going.”
“Are you sure?”
I needed her to trust me, and I was fairly sure she did. Then again, there were all kinds of stories about people who’d been lost in the catacombs. People that were found years later; dessicated and mummified, after having run out of food and water.
“We ran these tunnels,” I said, “Damien and I. We did it only when we were out together, though. Never with anyone else.”
We spent the next few minutes in silence, Serena’s flashlight splashing the walls and ceiling and floor. I could see well enough without it though. My Lycanthropy provided me with partial night vision, which was a handy thing to have.
“Ah, here we are.”
I led us into a side chamber carved directly into the stone. It was a place I knew well. A place where Damien and I had spent a lot of free time.
“Shield your eyes.”
I lit the kerosene heater at the opposite end. Serena squinted as the room filled with a warm orange glow.
“Whoa…”
The place was our little hideout, and it definitely looked the part. There were two small mattresses and some bedding, all dragged down by us. In one corner was a large stack of books and a camping lantern. In the other, a few crates containing canned goods and some non-perishables.
“The two of you hung out down here? You and Damien?”
“Yup.”
“Why?”
“Because sometimes we just wanted to be alone,” I shrugged. “Especially toward the end, when we were looking to get away from the pack.”
Damien had called the place our ‘wolf’s nest’, a term I hated. Abruptly I noticed Serena was staring at me. All of me. I followed her gaze downward, and let out a short laugh.
“Oh. Right.”
My nakedness hadn’t even occurred to me until now. From a duffel bag at the base of my bedroll, I pulled out an old pair of shorts and slipped them on. Serena pretended not to look as I wriggled into them, which was cute.
“Spare clothes,” she said. “Probably a good idea when you’re a shape-shifter, huh?”
I smirked back at her. “You catch on fast.”
I could tell she wanted to say more. That maybe she was sorry for not believing us. Or maybe she just had questions, probably a thousand of them. Anyone would.
To her credit, she did none of that. She was too busy rummaging through a nearby first-aid kit.
“You’re cut,” she said, pulling out a pack of bandages and some disinfectant. I watched as she sank down on one of the mattresses and patted the spot beside her. “Come on. I’ll patch you up.”
The water jug we kept was nearly empty. It was still fresh though. She took some and used it to clean my wounds, which were nothing but scratches really. It gave her an excuse to touch me though, so I let her do it anyway.
“This one’s a little deep,” she said, smoothing a bandage over my shoulder. “Does it hurt?”
“No.”
“Liar,” she laughed.
She kept going as the chill slowly left the room. Soon it felt warm. Comfortable.
“We need to talk,” I said.
“About you leading me into a den of rabid wolf shifters?” Serena asked casually. I shuddered with anticipation as she wiped up the dried blood. Every touch made me shiver. Every point of contact was wonderful. “Well, I can’t say you didn’t warn me.”
I swore I could smell the heat coming off her. It had never been like this. The electricity between us was palpable.
“No, about something else.”
Her lips went all pouty. It only made her even more beautiful. “What then?”
“You saved my life,” I told her. “Our lives, actually. If you hadn’t stopped Lionel when you did, things would’ve gone bad for us back there.”
“You’re welcome.”
She went back to wiping. I had to put my hand over hers, just to stop her.
“Serena…” I said, looking straight into her eyes. She looked nervous. But beneath her nervousness… something much more.
“Y—Yes?”
“Tell me how you did that.”