The stranger stood, turned to his flanking soldiers and whispered something to them before they retreated back towards the corridor.
Solomon jogged after them. “Hey, wait a minute…”
“Do not press this further, Officer Crane,” he replied without breaking stride. “We have cleared the wreckage out front and the mess. Yet instead of thanking us, you make demands. You have no idea who or what you’re dealing with…”
“I’ll thank you when I know who the hell you are.”
“Your job is finished. You can go home. That’s all you need to know.”
“This is a police matter.”
“No, it isn’t. You said it yourself. You couldn’t call your superior. There is no case file. This is well above your pay grade. I would suggest you focus on getting these people out. We will take care of the fugitive. We’ve been looking for him for some time. Good day.”
The elevator door closed and Solomon slammed his palm against it. He heaved several breaths before calming down. You know what? This is above my pay grade. What am I doing this for anymore? I nearly lost my little girl and here I am trying to figure out a case that has nothing to do with me. Fuck it. Let whoever it was figure it out. He didn’t know who the mystery guy was. He didn’t owe these people anything. He was going to resign when he got back to work. And he meant it. The people that needed him, the only people that needed him, were waiting for him down the corridor.
Chapter Five
The Alpha Returns
The shards of shattered glass tore at Nick’s arms and shoulders, though the force he went through the window meant any damage was minimal. With a thud he struck the pavement, broke into a sprint until his senses detected no one was in sight, and he fell to his knees. The ringing in his head felt like car horns blaring. It was then he heard something cut through the noise. Voices. Angry. Shouting. Calling out to him. Instinct fuelled him and he ran.
His breathing came with difficulty, heaving it into his lungs like a starving man. He tried to clear his mind of the rush, the sounds that sped through it all coming at once. He had stopped finally in a park. There was no lighting, no one around, and it was late in the night. The air was crisp and there was a faint odour of dew underneath him. Not night. Early morning.
He opened his eyes and blinked repeatedly, looking left to right and even in the darkness his eyes struggled to adjust to the minimal light. He pressed his palms to his chest, looking down at his hospital gown, nearly torn asunder. His nails were long, sharp as if ready for battle.
What the hell had happened?
He had awoken in a hospital, that much he could figure out. But why? The last he remembered was…was what? A white light? No. An orange and red one. Fire. He had crashed into the top of the vampire mansion, he had grabbed Alex and then…nothing. The light, that was all. Now he stood here. How long was he out? Days? Weeks? The questions he asked himself brought a calm over him. Ok, ok. Just relax and think. First step, find out where the hell he was so he could get some help, or at least some clothes. He needed to find Nicole, find Alex. While there was no one around him presently, he was not under the impression the streets would be entirely empty. The sight of a youth in his state would raise more than a few questions. But perhaps that would work in his favour?
He jogged to the end of the park and spotted a bus stop, a couple with getting all hot and heavy. Strange, he hadn’t smelt them, or even heard them. He hated to interrupt, especially if he was in their shoes, but this was an emergency.
He found difficulty in getting the words out but managed. “Excuse me? I’m really sorry to-”
The woman let out a blood curdling scream, and they both almost tripped over themselves to bolt away from him. Nick had no idea what the hell was wrong. Until he glanced at himself in the perspex of the bus stop backing.
His hair was wild, his eyes were silver, his fangs were visible and sharpened. He looked down to find his nails still out, preparing for battle. He closed his eyes and shook his head, but nothing about his appearance changed. He wrung his hands to shake the nails away and when he stopped, they had returned to normal. He snapped his eyes back at his reflection to find himself looking like Nick, not the wild beast, unlike seconds before. It must’ve been a consequence of waking so suddenly. Being half in his wolf form. What unnerved him was the fact that his senses seemed dumbed down, and just for a moment, when he shook his hands, he had the sudden fear that his abilities were no longer under his control. He had to get to Alex. Her apartment. Somewhere safe. He needed his bearings back.
As he looked around though, he remembered that in many ways he was still a stranger in the city. Without his nose to help him, it would take a while for him to locate, but he set off anyhow. He had nowhere to turn as a breeze ripped through his thin gown, and he wrapped his arms around himself. The cold had never bothered him before, but within minutes he felt his fingertips numb.
As if his prayers were answered, He frantically waved down a cab, rushing into the back seat.
The driver turned in his seat, looking at Nick and without uttering a word Nick knew what he was thinking.
