Laurell Hamilton - Affliction

I blinked, fought to keep my face empty, and tried to process that Micah’s dad knew people as dangerous as I did.

‘Why did they show you the file, and why did they have a file on Chimera and his people?’

‘The military has been interested in trying to harness tame shapeshifters for a long time. Chimera interested them.’

‘Did the military know what he was doing?’ Micah asked.

‘Not at first. They were organizing a hunt for him and his people about the time he, and you, got to St Louis. They were going to try to capture him. His DNA on his victims showed he was a panwere. They wanted to study him.’

‘Study him,’ Micah said; his voice held disbelief and the beginnings of anger.

‘I didn’t know until this year.’ He closed his eyes and took a shuddering breath. Sweat was beginning to bead on his forehead. ‘Anita, you interest them.’

‘Because I’m a panwere, sort of,’ I said.

He opened his eyes. ‘The fact that you don’t change shape makes them even more interested in you.’

‘Are you warning us?’ Micah asked.

‘They may come to you and try to blackmail you into helping them.’

‘Blackmail me with what?’ I asked.

‘Chimera and his people arrived in St Louis, we know that, but they never left.’

He was looking very steadily at me. I fought to keep as careful a face as I’d shown anyone in a long time. ‘What do you want me to say?’ I asked.

‘Men like Chimera, groups like his, don’t just vanish, Anita. But it was your bloodwork hitting the government grapevine that clinched it.’

‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ I said.

‘You killed him. You did it up close and personal enough for him to put his claws, or teeth, into you. Strains of lycanthropy have DNA just like viruses. They know you’re carrying some of his DNA inside you, but you have even more control. You have the military’s dream of being faster, stronger, harder to kill, better at killing, and you never lose human shape.’

‘That’s not due to being a panwere,’ I said.

‘Then what is it?’

I debated for a moment, and then answered. ‘We think it’s the vampire marks. Vampires can’t become shapeshifters with modern strains of lycanthropy, and I was already tied to Jean-Claude when I got contaminated.’

Rush swallowed hard again, closed his eyes, and just breathed for a while. ‘So without the vampire marks ahead of time, it won’t work.’

‘It may only work for me. I’m not sure it’s duplicable at all.’

‘If I don’t wake up again, tell Gonzales what you told me. He’ll be able to get it where it needs to go. Don’t admit anything; just tell him that your control is based on your ties to the Master of St Louis. Tell them it’s not doable.’

‘What’s not doable?’ Micah asked.

‘Making more of her.’

‘You’re joking,’ I said.

‘I wouldn’t waste my time with Mike lying.’ He looked up at his son. ‘Do you love her?’

‘I do.’

‘Do you love Nathaniel?’

‘I do,’ Micah said.

‘Good, I’m glad. I love your mom, always have, and I love Ty. It works for us.’

‘It works for us, too.’

‘Did you know Aunt Jody is living with her girlfriend?’

‘Yeah.’

Rush laughed, but it ended in him writhing on the bed, and then making a pain sound. ‘Mom and Dad are starting to question what they did wrong, because two of their kids are living in unnatural sin.’ He laughed again, but it was a harsh sound. ‘Are Bea and Ty here?’

‘Just outside,’ Micah said.

He looked up at Micah, but his eyes had that fever shine to them, his face glistening with sweat. ‘I love you, son.’

‘I love you, too, Dad.’

Rush looked at me. ‘You take good care of him, Anita.’

‘I will.’

‘Nathaniel, you love my boy?’

‘Very much.’

‘Good. Take care of one another.’

‘We will, promise.’

Rush nodded too rapidly and too often. His hand convulsed around Micah’s and then he said, ‘Send them in. If I don’t talk to you again, know I love you and I know that you are good and strong and I’m so happy you have two people who love you; that’s more than most people ever get.’

Micah used one hand to touch his father’s hair. ‘I love you, Dad.’ He turned to us. ‘Get my mom and Ty.’

Nathaniel and I turned and went for the door. We left Micah with his father, saying the things you say at the end if you get a chance and you really do love each other.

Back in the family waiting room, Micah sat on the small couch staring off into space, clutching our hands. Nicky, Dev, Ares, and Bram were scattered around the room trying to look harmless and failing. The police talked to Ares and Bram, and Dev had gotten some of them laughing a little. Nicky just found a piece of wall and held it up in classic bodyguard pose near our couch. He didn’t usually sweat socializing with the police. He expected them to dislike him. Micah had slipped his sunglasses back on, not to hide his eyes, but so we could all pretend there weren’t tears sliding slowly down his face. He made no sound, didn’t wipe at the tears, and just let them fall. He sat quiet between us, crying silently. The police and our guards obeyed the guy rule: If a man is crying utterly quietly and pretending he’s not crying, you pretend, too.

Deputy Al walked into the room. He started talking low-voiced to some of the other cops. Their stoic, sad faces perked up and went serious. Two of them nodded and left the room like they had a purpose.

I asked, ‘What’s happened?’

Al looked at us. His gaze lingered on Micah, and his face showed sympathy for a moment, and then he fought it off. He walked over to us with his pleasant cop face in place. He hesitated looking down at Micah, his lips going in a thin, tight line as he debated on being a cop or a friend.

‘Mike, is there anything I can do?’ he asked finally, deciding on friend.

Micah just shook his head, wordless, not even raising his head enough to make eye contact through the dark glasses.

Al took that as the dismissal it was and said, ‘Remember the hiker that Gutterman and the rest were looking for?’

‘I remember you saying something about other police business.’

‘The hiker was missing two days; this is number three, so we called for volunteers who knew the mountains in that area to help the police with the search.’

I nodded. ‘I’d think that’s standard in a wilderness area. You don’t want more civilians getting lost.’

‘Exactly, so everyone we took out with us knows what they’re doing. The two men who are missing now, honestly, I’d trust them in a wilderness survival emergency more than most police I know. They are both high-priced hunting guides and can do serious hike-in and hike-out camps with pretty inexperienced hunters.’

‘Good teachers, then,’ I said.

‘Yeah.’

Nathaniel asked, ‘What happened to them?’

‘They’re missing,’ Al said.

Micah roused himself enough to look up at Al. ‘Who is it?’

‘Henry Crawford and Little Henry.’

‘They’re some of the best in the area, or were ten years ago,’ Micah said.

‘Henry senior is nearly sixty-five, but he can still hike farther with more in a pack than anyone on our force except your dad, and that includes me. Little Henry is just scarier and quieter than he was, but I’d trust both men in any emergency outside a city.’

‘Is Little Henry still an EMT?’

‘Yeah.’

Micah finally let go of our hands enough to wipe at the drying tears on his face. ‘I can’t leave the hospital, Al, I’m sorry. Mom and Ty are still in with Dad, and I’m hoping to be able to talk to him again.’