Laurell Hamilton - Affliction

‘I wasn’t asking you, any of you, but after the two Henrys going missing I don’t want more civilians out there.’

‘Is this the same place that the earlier people have gone missing?’ I asked.

‘Close enough,’ he said.

‘Something really bad has to be out there for them to be missing,’ Micah said. He hunched forward, his elbows resting on his knees. He was staring at the floor thinking nothing good. Was he thinking of the wereleopard that attacked him years ago? It had happened in the mountains around here.

‘How long have they been missing?’ I asked.

‘Three hours. Normally, we wouldn’t think anything of it, but one minute Henry and Little Henry were within shouting distance of some of the other searchers and the next thing they were just gone.’

‘What do you mean, just gone?’ I asked.

‘Gutterman says they called out, “We found something.” But when the men tried to confirm if they’d found the killer, there was no answer.’

‘Did you find anything to let you know where they were last?’ I asked.

‘It is pitch-black up in the mountains. We can’t see shit, and the only tracking dogs are scattered looking for a missing kid and an elderly man who wandered away from his home. Kid is three, man has Alzheimer’s, and you know how cold it gets at night here.’

‘If they don’t find shelter they’ll die by morning,’ Micah said.

‘Our missing hikers are both adults in good health, with some wilderness experience. The Henrys could make shelter and survive a night easily.’

‘Did you have dogs here searching for the hiker earlier?’

‘One, but it was like its nose went dead. The handler had a word for it: nose-deaf. The dog seemed totally confused, as if it didn’t know what the hell it was smelling. He said he’d never seen the dog behave like that.’

‘Did it act afraid?’ I asked.

He shook his head. ‘Why?’

‘Some dogs won’t track preternatural things, not without special training. They act afraid or just refuse to track.’

‘No, it seemed to get the scent at first, but then it hit a clearing and just kept circling. The handler let it take the scent again from a bag of personal effects we had, but it just couldn’t pick it out again. Damnedest thing I ever saw with a good dog like that.’

‘One of us could follow the scent,’ Micah said.

Al shook his head. ‘No, no more civilians.’

‘Anita isn’t a civilian, and if we’re in animal form she’s our handler.’

‘Are you really willing to leave the hospital and risk missing another visit with your dad?’ Nathaniel asked.

Micah looked at him, and then back at the floor, shaking his head. ‘No, I guess I’m not.’

‘I could do it,’ Nathaniel said.

‘No,’ Micah said.

‘No,’ I said.

‘Why not?’ he asked.

Micah and I exchanged glances. What did we say – that he was more important to us than any missing strangers? That we felt protective of him, and this seemed like putting him in harm’s way?

‘What if I went with Anita and Nathaniel?’ Nicky asked.

‘Civilian, remember,’ Al said.

‘I’m not a civilian,’ he said.

‘You’re not a cop, and you’re not military; that makes you one.’

‘I’m not a civvie in the way you mean. I’m not a victim waiting to happen, I won’t slow you down, and in a fight I’ll vote me.’

‘He’s good, Al,’ Micah said.

Ares and Bram drifted over to us. ‘Ex–special forces, remember?’ Ares said.

‘Micah needs people here with him,’ I said.

‘Why doesn’t Nicky shift and track for you?’ Bram asked.

Nicky looked at him, and they both just stared at each other. It was a long, serious look. Neither flinched, but Nicky finally said, ‘In animal form I can only kill things; in human form I have more options that Anita likes. Why don’t you do it?’

‘I’m more versatile in human form,’ Bram said.

‘I can follow a scent trail in leopard form as well as anyone here, but I can’t guard Anita’s or Micah’s safety, or anyone else’s, as well as the rest of you,’ Nathaniel said.

‘You’re one of the guardees,’ Dev said, as he joined the conversation a little late. He’d left the other police officers laughing behind him.

‘I see you’re making friends,’ I said.

‘They like me now; before they didn’t.’

‘Dev’s right,’ Bram said. ‘Nathaniel is one of the people we were guarding; that’s why originally we were detailed six guards.’

‘I’m harder to hurt than any police officer, and even in cat form I can let Anita know more about what I’m sensing than any dog.’

‘Can you talk in cat form?’ Al asked.

Nathaniel shook his head. ‘Not exactly, but Anita will hear me.’

‘What does that mean?’

‘It means that Anita can read his body language and expressions in cat form the way we can read each other in human form. We know each other.’

‘Like a couple or best friends thing?’ Al asked, making it a question with the uptilt of his voice.

‘Something like that,’ Micah said. He’d just lied to his friend. Nathaniel was a black panther. My night vision was good, but not that good. In the dark I would barely be able to see his face let alone the expression on it, but I would be able to hear him in my head. I’d be able to catch his emotions, his thoughts. Hell, if I had the concentration to keep my human body moving through the woods at the same time, I could damn near be inside that huge, sinuous body stalking through the woods on four paws.

Al looked at me, not trying to keep the doubt off his face. ‘Really?’

‘Really,’ I said.

He nodded. ‘Okay, Nathaniel in animal form, and you, because you have a badge.’

‘Me,’ Ares said, ‘because my training is perfect for this, even without the beast inside me.’

‘How so?’ Al asked.

‘Scout sniper,’ he said.

Al’s eyebrows went up, and it was obvious that it impressed him. I’d never been in the military and didn’t understand the combination of words. Sniper, yes, but what the heck was a scout sniper? I didn’t ask out loud. I’d ask later, after Al had agreed to include everyone we wanted to go.

‘I’m as good as Nicky in the woods, maybe better,’ Dev said.

‘I won’t give you better in the woods,’ Nicky said, ‘but you’re better at being charming with the police.’

‘You can be charming when you want to be,’ I said.

Nicky smiled down at me, and it made his face into something younger, though he wasn’t that old, maybe just less cynical. ‘I can pretend with the cops, but Dev is more like Micah. He’s got better people skills.’

‘You’re better in the gym,’ I said.

‘We’re all better in the gym,’ Bram said.

‘Hey,’ Dev said, but smiled when he said it.

‘Lazy cat,’ I said.

He just shrugged, but there was no more debate. The men had just agreed that Nicky and Ares would go with Nathaniel and me. We were winning, so I kept my mouth shut and made a list of questions to ask later.

‘We’ll need a couple of things before we head out,’ I said.

‘More weapons,’ Nicky, Bram, and Ares said at the same time.

I actually blushed a little. ‘I thought that went without saying.’ I turned to Al. ‘Where can we buy the biggest dog collar you can find, and a good leash?’

‘Why do you need it? Is he dangerous off leash in cat form?’

‘No, but we’re about to go into the woods with a bunch of spooked and tired armed men. Off leash he’s a big, black, predatory cat; I don’t want anyone shooting Nathaniel by accident. With me holding his leash they’ll adjust to the idea that he’s helping with the search and rescue like a dog.’