Blind Tiger
Page 74
“You’re with Titus?” he asked, and I nodded again. “And you’re…like me?”
I bobbed my muzzle again, and his relieved exhalation was so deep and thorough that it broke my heart. “I hoped I wasn’t the only one. Is…is Titus…?”
I nodded, wishing for my human mouth, capable of giving him the answers he needed. How could he think he was the only one? How could he know Drew, yet not know Drew had infected him? At least he wasn’t stuck in cat form, like Leland Blum had been.
“What’s going on, Robyn? Who are you? How do you know my brother? Why are you guys here?” Tears welled in eyes the same shade of gray as Titus’s. His voice was thick with confusion. But without my human mouth, I could only rub my head against his arm, hoping he understood the comfort I was trying to communicate. “I don’t know what that means!” His voice was getting louder, and I could hear more partygoers coming up the path. “Change back so I can talk to you!” he demanded in a loud whisper. “Please!”
Finally, I nodded, though I wasn’t sure that was the wisest course of action, with so many humans nearby. But Justus needed answers, and I knew exactly how that felt. So I lay down with my legs folded beneath me and began the process.
Spurred on by his pain and the knowledge that we could be discovered any second, I managed my fastest shift ever, though it was still nowhere near what Titus could do.
“Holy shit!” Justus breathed when I finally sat up, naked and breathing heavily, covered in chill bumps from the cold. Exhausted by the process. “Is that what I look like? I’ve never seen it. It’s pretty disgusting, in the middle.”
“I know,” I whispered. “And yes, that’s what you look like.” I crossed my arms over my chest, suddenly self-conscious about my nudity, now that Titus’s little brother was staring at me. “Can you hand me that bag?” I motioned to the backpack, where Titus had hidden it behind a fern.
Justus handed me the bag. “You’re my brother’s girlfriend?”
I pulled my shirt over my head without bothering with my bra. “Yeah, I guess. It’s a new development.”
“And you’re both…?”
“Shifters. Yes. I was infected a few months ago, but your brother’s been like this for three years.” I shimmied into my underwear without fully standing, then reached for my jeans. “I’m sure he’ll tell you all about it when he gets back.”
“Infected?” Justus frowned. “You mean I caught this, like a disease?” His eyes narrowed, and I could see him connecting the dots. “When I was attacked by something in the woods. I thought it was a wolf, or something. It was a…shifter?”
“Yeah.” Please don’t ask me who it was. I shouldn’t be the one to give him that news. I wasn’t family.
Instead, he asked for a much more difficult answer. “Scratching someone does this?”
I nodded as I stood to pull the jeans over my hips. “Or biting.”
His frown became a look of pure panic. “But I scratched people. I didn’t know.” He scrubbed both hands over his face. “Ivy.” He said the word into his palms, but I understood perfectly well. “And those guys at the cabin.” He dropped his hands. “Are they…like me now?”
Damn it.
I pulled my shirt over my head. Then I knelt next to him and reached for his hand, silently hoping I wouldn’t screw this up. That I wouldn’t screw him up. “Corey Morris—the guy you scratched in the woods—he’s a shifter now. And so is the guy from the museum last night.” Justus’s eyes widened, but he didn’t ask how I knew about Elliott. “They’re fine. They’re at Titus’s house. Friends are taking care of them.”
“What about Ivy? And that bastard she was cheating on with me?”
“His name was Leland Blum. He died this afternoon. But that wasn’t your fault. Someone…” I shrugged, then spat out the truth. “Someone killed him.”
“And Ivy?” he asked again, as if he hadn’t even heard what I’d said about Leland. Obviously, parts of the whole thing would take a while to sink in.
“She died from the infection a couple of days ago. I’m so sorry. Most women can’t survive it. I’m an exception.”
“She died because I scratched her?” His expression crumpled beneath an enormous burden of pain.
“No.” I squeezed his hand, drawing his focus to me. “She died because someone scratched you, then didn’t stick around to teach you anything. She died because you were infected and abandoned. It’s an epidemic out here in the free zone, which your brother is trying to fix.” But I could tell from the out-of-focus look in his eyes that he hadn’t understood most of what I was trying to tell him.
“Who infected me?” Justus demanded in a low, gravelly voice. “Ivy’s dead because of what that bastard did to me. Who is he?”
I hesitated, trying to figure out how to soothe the rage echoing in his voice and oozing from every pore on his body. But he misinterpreted my silence.
“Was it Titus? Did he do this to me? You said he’s been a shifter for years, right?”
“No!” I put one hand on his arm, but he pulled away from me. “I mean yes, Titus has been a shifter for three years, but he didn’t do this to you. It was Drew Borden. We didn’t even know it was him until we smelled you a few minutes ago and made the connection. There’s a trace of him in your scent now. And there always will be.”
“Drew…” Justus’s jaw clenched. His facial muscles began to ripple beneath his skin. “Why?”
“I don’t know.” His anger was bringing on a shift, and he didn’t know how to control it. “Justus, you can fight this. You don’t have to shift. Just calm down and listen to the sound of my voice.”
“Why?” he demanded again, and there was little humanity left in his voice.
“Really. I don’t know.” Though there was no way in hell Drew had accidentally infected his best friend’s little brother. “But Titus will find out. He’ll fix this.”
I regretted it as soon as I said it. Titus couldn’t fix this. No one could. Justus would be a shifter for the rest of his life. Ivy’s and Leland’s lives were over. And there was nothing anyone could do about any of that.
I bobbed my muzzle again, and his relieved exhalation was so deep and thorough that it broke my heart. “I hoped I wasn’t the only one. Is…is Titus…?”
I nodded, wishing for my human mouth, capable of giving him the answers he needed. How could he think he was the only one? How could he know Drew, yet not know Drew had infected him? At least he wasn’t stuck in cat form, like Leland Blum had been.
“What’s going on, Robyn? Who are you? How do you know my brother? Why are you guys here?” Tears welled in eyes the same shade of gray as Titus’s. His voice was thick with confusion. But without my human mouth, I could only rub my head against his arm, hoping he understood the comfort I was trying to communicate. “I don’t know what that means!” His voice was getting louder, and I could hear more partygoers coming up the path. “Change back so I can talk to you!” he demanded in a loud whisper. “Please!”
Finally, I nodded, though I wasn’t sure that was the wisest course of action, with so many humans nearby. But Justus needed answers, and I knew exactly how that felt. So I lay down with my legs folded beneath me and began the process.
Spurred on by his pain and the knowledge that we could be discovered any second, I managed my fastest shift ever, though it was still nowhere near what Titus could do.
“Holy shit!” Justus breathed when I finally sat up, naked and breathing heavily, covered in chill bumps from the cold. Exhausted by the process. “Is that what I look like? I’ve never seen it. It’s pretty disgusting, in the middle.”
“I know,” I whispered. “And yes, that’s what you look like.” I crossed my arms over my chest, suddenly self-conscious about my nudity, now that Titus’s little brother was staring at me. “Can you hand me that bag?” I motioned to the backpack, where Titus had hidden it behind a fern.
Justus handed me the bag. “You’re my brother’s girlfriend?”
I pulled my shirt over my head without bothering with my bra. “Yeah, I guess. It’s a new development.”
“And you’re both…?”
“Shifters. Yes. I was infected a few months ago, but your brother’s been like this for three years.” I shimmied into my underwear without fully standing, then reached for my jeans. “I’m sure he’ll tell you all about it when he gets back.”
“Infected?” Justus frowned. “You mean I caught this, like a disease?” His eyes narrowed, and I could see him connecting the dots. “When I was attacked by something in the woods. I thought it was a wolf, or something. It was a…shifter?”
“Yeah.” Please don’t ask me who it was. I shouldn’t be the one to give him that news. I wasn’t family.
Instead, he asked for a much more difficult answer. “Scratching someone does this?”
I nodded as I stood to pull the jeans over my hips. “Or biting.”
His frown became a look of pure panic. “But I scratched people. I didn’t know.” He scrubbed both hands over his face. “Ivy.” He said the word into his palms, but I understood perfectly well. “And those guys at the cabin.” He dropped his hands. “Are they…like me now?”
Damn it.
I pulled my shirt over my head. Then I knelt next to him and reached for his hand, silently hoping I wouldn’t screw this up. That I wouldn’t screw him up. “Corey Morris—the guy you scratched in the woods—he’s a shifter now. And so is the guy from the museum last night.” Justus’s eyes widened, but he didn’t ask how I knew about Elliott. “They’re fine. They’re at Titus’s house. Friends are taking care of them.”
“What about Ivy? And that bastard she was cheating on with me?”
“His name was Leland Blum. He died this afternoon. But that wasn’t your fault. Someone…” I shrugged, then spat out the truth. “Someone killed him.”
“And Ivy?” he asked again, as if he hadn’t even heard what I’d said about Leland. Obviously, parts of the whole thing would take a while to sink in.
“She died from the infection a couple of days ago. I’m so sorry. Most women can’t survive it. I’m an exception.”
“She died because I scratched her?” His expression crumpled beneath an enormous burden of pain.
“No.” I squeezed his hand, drawing his focus to me. “She died because someone scratched you, then didn’t stick around to teach you anything. She died because you were infected and abandoned. It’s an epidemic out here in the free zone, which your brother is trying to fix.” But I could tell from the out-of-focus look in his eyes that he hadn’t understood most of what I was trying to tell him.
“Who infected me?” Justus demanded in a low, gravelly voice. “Ivy’s dead because of what that bastard did to me. Who is he?”
I hesitated, trying to figure out how to soothe the rage echoing in his voice and oozing from every pore on his body. But he misinterpreted my silence.
“Was it Titus? Did he do this to me? You said he’s been a shifter for years, right?”
“No!” I put one hand on his arm, but he pulled away from me. “I mean yes, Titus has been a shifter for three years, but he didn’t do this to you. It was Drew Borden. We didn’t even know it was him until we smelled you a few minutes ago and made the connection. There’s a trace of him in your scent now. And there always will be.”
“Drew…” Justus’s jaw clenched. His facial muscles began to ripple beneath his skin. “Why?”
“I don’t know.” His anger was bringing on a shift, and he didn’t know how to control it. “Justus, you can fight this. You don’t have to shift. Just calm down and listen to the sound of my voice.”
“Why?” he demanded again, and there was little humanity left in his voice.
“Really. I don’t know.” Though there was no way in hell Drew had accidentally infected his best friend’s little brother. “But Titus will find out. He’ll fix this.”
I regretted it as soon as I said it. Titus couldn’t fix this. No one could. Justus would be a shifter for the rest of his life. Ivy’s and Leland’s lives were over. And there was nothing anyone could do about any of that.
