Page 10 of Dead Wolf Walking (Bad Moon Academy 1)
Are you home?
I set the phone down and go grab a beer from the fridge. Popping the top, I take a long sip, staring at the device and willing it to chirp. I should have insisted on driving her. The way her gaze dashed away when I asked was the only reason I didn’t. She didn’t want my help. The rejection stings, especially since women usually reciprocate my flirting. She’s fucking gorgeous, and while she may look twenty-one, she’s still only eighteen.
I refuse to be the asshole who corrupts her.
Not to mention, Lou would shoot me if I hit on her niece.
Raven still hasn’t replied. It’s been two minutes. I can’t very well send another message; I’d look like a stalker. A wave of power slams into my chest. The can slips from my fingers, clinking onto the tile, and beer sprays all over the floor.
What the hell was that?
My vision flickers, and I use my eagle sight to peer out my window. A mouse dashes through the grass. Beetles scuttle across the ground, illuminated by the moon.
A wolf screams in the night.
I don’t recognize the howl from my scouting. This one is new to town. Glancing at the phone, I curse and rip off my jacket and discard my shirt. I drop my pants when I reach the back door. Opening it, I tug off my boxers and shift with a soft call into the night. Owls hoot in the trees, and smaller birds shiver when I take to the sky with a powerful flap of my wings. Their hearts flutter with fright. I chitter at them, calming their unease with one simple promise.
I will find the wolf.
* * *
Raven
Dingy yellow light filters through my closed eyelids when I come to. My entire body is sore. I try to lift my arm to scrub the crust at the edges of my eyes but something tugs against my skin. I peel my eyes open, blinking a few times to adjust to the overhead lights, then stare down at the IVs taped to the crevice of my elbow and the back of my hand. Two bags hang from a stand next to my bed.
One liquid is purple, the other is clear.
The cheap blue sheet does a crap job of keeping me warm. Gooseflesh ripples down my arms as I sit and the fabric falls down my chest. My nipples harden at the sudden rush of cold air.
Why the hell am I naked?
I yank the covers up, frantically searching the room. Hospitals don’t leave you naked. There’s some type of medical monitor off to the side and nondescript chairs that are typical for a hospital room. Beige tile, white paint. Sanitary.
Everything seems to fit, except the fact that I’m not wearing any clothes.
I glance down at the needles, twisting my mouth to the side when I see the funny colored liquid being pumped into my blood system. Whatever the cocktail is, I don’t fucking want it.
It could be a sedative for all I know.
Wincing at the pinch of pain, I rip the needles from my skin and peel off the tape, tossing it aside. Blood beads to the surface, but I ignore it for now. My muscles protest as I scoot toward the edge of the bed. My arms are leaden and my feet are tingling. Ever so carefully, I set them on the ground, taking a moment to make sure they’ll hold me up.
I keep my eyes trained on the door, shoving a lock of hair behind my ears when it falls over my face. I tuck the sheet around me like a towel. It’ll have to do for now.
On three then.
Counting in my head, I stand. Okay. Good. I didn’t fall. I take a step. My knees buckle, and I collapse to the floor.
Spoke too soon, I guess.
“Where are you going?” a stern voice asks.
The sheet pools around me, half covering me. All the essential bits are concealed at least.
“Where am I?” My voice comes out as a rasp. I jerk the fabric fully around me and push up to my knees on the hard tile.
A man with a white lab coat frowns at me. “Where were you going to go, Raven?”
I scowl. “How do you know my name?”
