Lori Handeland - Blue Moon

I struggled to my knees, gained my feet without help. I looked for Will and didn’t find him.

Had he passed out from blood loss? I took a step toward the door and Mandenauer stopped me. "Your lover is putting a bandage on his scratch. He does not need your aid."

"You call that a scratch?"

"You do not?"

"I say a hole through the arm is a wound and not a scratch."

"I say if you can walk, then walk."

I tore my gaze from the cabin. "You trying to tell me something?"

"Follow those wolves."

"I just knew you were gonna say that."

I stalked inside, retrieved my rifle, went searching for Will. To hell with Mandenauer; I wasn’t going to leave until I saw with my own eyes that Will was all right.

I followed the blood trail to the bathroom. Will struggled to fasten gauze around his arm with one hand. He glanced up and his eyes met mine in the mirror. He didn’t appear happy to see me.

"Let me." I stepped into the room, leaning my rifle against the wall.

"It’s done." He grabbed one end of the gauze with his teeth, the other with his free hand, and jerked. His breath hissed in sharply when the material tightened on the wound.

"Maybe you should go to the clinic and get stitches."

"I don’t need stitches. It’s just a scratch."

My lips twitched. "Scratch. Right. What about your ear?"

He shrugged one shoulder. The blood that had bathed his neck cracked, and rust-colored flecks rained down on his already ruined clothes. "I’ll live."

"Jessie!" Mandenauer shouted. "Today if you please?"

I stepped closer and smoothed his hair away from his brow. "I have to go."

He shifted abruptly, his body bumping against mine in ways that would have been interesting if he weren’t covered in blood and I didn’t have places to be, werewolves to kill.

"Let me change my shirt."

"You aren’t coming."

"Yes." His eyes met mine. "I am."

"Now that Clyde’s dead they need a wolf clan member. Bringing you along would be downright stupid."

"I can take care of myself."

"So can I. Stay here. Clean up. Rest. I’ll come back when it’s over."

"You think I can just sit here while you face a werewolf army? Wait like a good little boy until you have time to come to me again? I love you, Jessie. If you die, so do I."

The thought of him dying made my palms clammy and my voice sharp. "I’m not going to die and neither are you. Just let me do my job, Will."

"Let me help."

"I don’t need your help."

"Of course not. You don’t need anyone." His voice rose and anger warred with the pain in his eyes. "You certainly don’t need me. You never did."

"Jessie." Mandenauer stood in the hall. Urgency tightened his features.

I glanced at Will. I wanted to stay, but I had to go. I wanted to kiss him, but he turned away and started the shower.

"I’ll be back," I promised.

He didn’t answer, and that bothered me more than his anger and pain had. Torn between my job, my duty, and my love, I hesitated.

In the end, I had no choice. I followed Mandenauer and he followed the wolves.

"What’s the plan?" I asked.

The trail widened. I was able to quicken my pace and walk shoulder to shoulder with Mandenauer.

He gave me a quick glance and a rare smile. "You are not moping about leaving your lover behind?"

I frowned, confused. "Should I be?"

"Most women would. I like you, Jessie. You are an able officer."

"Gee, thanks. I’m so glad you approve."

I hadn’t felt like an able officer lately. I’d broken a shitload of rules, withheld information, stolen evidence, and protected a suspect. I’d most likely be thrown off the force, if I didn’t die first.

Mandenauer, who either didn’t get my sarcasm or was learning to ignore it, continued. "The plan is to follow the wolves to the ceremony and put a bullet in every single one."

"I can do that."

"However, if the wolf god rises, we may have a problem."

I gave him a quick glance. "What kind of problem?"

"I do not think the wolf god can be killed with silver."

"Why the hell not?"

I must have sounded slightly hysterical, because he reached over and patted me on the shoulder with a heavy, awkward hand. "Otherwise it would be no more than a werewolf, yes?"

I saw his point. I didn’t like it, but I saw it.

"Then how do we kill a wolf god?"

"I have no idea."

"Great. Swell. Wonderful."

"My sentiments exactly."

We had no trouble following the wolves. The trail was damp. It must have rained while I’d been sleeping—and doing other things. Unnaturally large paw prints padded to the west like a neon arrow.

"They aren’t trying to hide where they’re going," I said.

"No."

"That can’t be good."

"I agree. But what choice do we have?"

None.

"I don’t suppose you have any idea who’s behind this?"

Mandenauer adjusted his bandolier, which kept slipping to the edge of his bony shoulder. "Do you?"

"Question with a question," I muttered.

Was he trying to annoy me?

"I thought I did."

"You believed your lover was the one."

I shrugged. Hard to admit you’d been sleeping with the enemy. Easier to just do it—or do him, as Clyde had so kindly pointed out—than talk about it.

My eyes burned at the thought of Clyde. I’d miss him. Werewolf or not, he’d been good to me. He’d been a decent boss, a likable guy. What had happened?

I thought back on all that had occurred in the last week. Clyde had made me suspicious of Will. He’d given me false information. He’d out-and-out lied.

That left a bad taste in my mouth. We were the good guys—or at least we were supposed to be. But who was I to throw stones after all I’d done?

"You are thinking about your friend the sheriff?"

I nodded.

"And how he could have done what he did?"

"Yeah."

"He had little choice in the matter. Once you are bitten, you do what you are told."

I didn’t like the sound of that. I’d never been very good at doing what I was told.

I stopped and he glanced at me with a raised brow. "Problem?"

I’ll say.

"If everything goes to hell… I mean if we—"

"Are unable to stop them and are bitten?"

I couldn’t speak, so I nodded.

"We have a saying in the Jdger-Sucher society: Always save the last bullet for yourself."

The stark words made me wince, but I could see their practicality, and I’d always been a practical gal.

"Didn’t I hear that in an old Western once?"

"I never said it was an original saying." Mandenauer winked and kept walking.

"There’s one thing that bothers me."

"Only one?"

"Actually there are about a hundred, but for now—"

He waved a thin, heavily veined hand. "Ask."

"Why did you tell Clyde who you were?"

"I didn’t tell him anything."

I stopped again, but this time Mandenauer kept walking. I hurried to catch up. "He told me that he knew what you were. That you’d told him everything."

"He told you a lot of things, Jessie."

True. What was one more lie on top of all the others? I’d never been a trusting soul. I had a feeling I’d be even less so now.

Another thought occurred to me. "The crossbow."

"I’d rather not think about that any longer, thank you."

"Just a sec." My mind churned, trying to put all the pieces in place. It wasn’t easy. "He told me that Will had one. But how would he have known that unless he was in Will’s house?"

Mandenauer shrugged.

"Will said someone had planted the evidence." I rubbed my forehead. "I’m such an idiot."

"Clyde manipulated you. He had his reasons."

"Do you think he shot you?"