22.
Lex
More rubber burned from his tires as he wheeled around a sharp right and gunned the engine. The temperature gauge was rising steadily from the blue toward the red. This sort of high-speed, heavy acceleration, and sharp braking was not what it had been designed for, and he knew he was overworking it. The tires were going to be nearly bald by the time he reached Petal, but none of that mattered if he didn’t get there in time.
BANG!
The truck jumped and the crown of his head slammed into the roof as he hit a rather thick tree branch, the high speed making it act like a large speedbump. “OW!” he snarled, gripping the wheel harder as he tried to focus, ignoring the pain even as a warm trickle down his right temple told him he’d drawn blood.
Houses flashed by on either side as he built up speed, the big, heavy truck taking its time. The skies were still clear, which was a good sign, but he knew it wouldn’t last long. If Petal was captured, the worst storm that Surrey had seen would descend upon it. Until he saw black clouds heading toward him, he knew she was safe.
No, not safe. Alive. There was a vast and important difference. Only once he arrived and dealt with the situation could Petal be deemed safe.
Assuming you can deal with it, Lex. You aren’t as young as you used to be anymore. And you just exhausted your reserves this morning.
Snarling, he adjusted his hands so he could hold the wheel with one, while the other shot into the bag and closed around a handful of sandwich. He shoved it into his mouth, chewing furiously. If only I could eat like a duck. I’d be fine.
His metabolism had already digested the food he’d eaten earlier and recharged his body. Now he was working on building up excess for the fight he suspected lay ahead of him. He was still hoping feverishly that he was wrong, that the situation was not what it looked like. But deep down Lex knew it was a pointless endeavor.
Gabrielle Wortley was back, and there was nothing he could do about that. All he could do now was what he’d done a hundred years before. Defeat her and banish her for another century.
Another handful of sandwich-salad disappeared into his maw. It tasted terrible. Soggy and wet, a disgusting mess of deli meats, bun, toppings, and sauces. His finger was covered in grease, to the point that he didn’t want to put it on top of the wheel again.
BAM!
“Shit!” he cursed as the truck started to swerve back and forth while bouncing around ungainly.
A warning light appeared on his dash, telling him that his rear right tire had just lost pressure. He coasted to a halt, the engine dead before he came to a stop. Keys still in the ignition, Lex leapt from the cab, closing the door behind him.
He wanted to strip down, but there was no time. Petal needed him. He laid the bag of food down on the ground, then called upon his wolf. An instant later he was standing on all fours amidst the shredded remains of his clothes. Spending ten seconds wolfing down food, he turned and took off down the road.
His paws made all sorts of racket on the pavement, and he knew they would be sore by the time he reached his destination. The asphalt was far rougher on the pads on the bottom of his feet than the forest floor. But it was also the fastest way there. He was on Highway 2 now, and it was a dead shot to where he figured Petal was.
Stretching his legs out, Lex covered ground. He didn’t have a built-in speedometer, but he was a fairly good judge of character.
Ten miles per hour came and went. Twenty.
Thirty.
Forty.
Now he was running faster than the most athletic of his wild brethren.
Fifty.
His system was screaming at him as he pushed it to the maximum. All the energy in the world would be useless if he didn’t get there in time. But Lex was positive if he’d been clocked by a radar gun it would have shown him somewhere in excess of eighty miles an hour. Not even a cheetah could have matched his speed, let alone kept up with him.
The wind tore at his eyes, which he’d narrowed to slits. But all he could do was ensure that he stayed on the road and didn’t hit anything. Seeing much more was asking too much at that speed. Even turning would have been fatal for him. The only thing that allowed him to reach such a speed was the straightaway run of the road.
A thick tree across the road was cleared in an effortless bound, carrying him fifteen feet up and forty feet or more across before he landed on the ground, losing perhaps two or three miles per hour as he raced onward.
What was that?
Lex came to a halt as quickly as he dared, spinning around as soon as it wouldn’t have snapped his legs, looking behind him at the object he’d spotted off the side of the road.
It was a Western Hydro work truck. Upside down in the ditch. He darted forward, Petal’s scent immediately reaching his nostrils as he tested the air. She’d been here, and recently too.
A quick search of the truck showed it to be empty, so he started following her scent.
As he’d feared, it led toward the Wortley Manor entrance. But then it veered away! She’d crossed the street. Good for you, Petal. Head for the farm house. Smart! He followed the trail, only to have it turn around and head back for the house. The smell of lilac and wildflowers then became infused with something else. Something he knew all too well as a predator.
Petal smelled of fear.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before padding across the road. Her scent went right up the driveway and through the twisted metal gates.
Petal, no. What have you done?
Steeling himself, Lex went in after her.
Somewhere ahead of him a woman screamed.