A hand shape snaked out toward her.
Titus’s instinct kicked in. Jenna was in danger. With every ounce of energy and determination he had left, he snarled.
The shadow leaped back, staring at him. Scared? Surprised? Titus wasn’t sure, but he wasn’t letting up. His snarl deepened into the most menacing growl he could manage. The shadow creature snarled back, eyes blazing like a fire that had been stoked.
Then it disintegrated into little black threads of ether that disappeared like mist into the dark recesses of the attic.
Titus went quiet, breathing with his muzzle open. The spend of energy had exhausted him. But Jenna was safe. Or as safe as she could be with whatever toxins they’d ingested coursing through her.
They needed help. Hopefully, someone would notice them missing soon, because he could feel the contaminants in his system starting to win the battle.
As strong as his wolf was, he wasn’t invincible. His eyes drifted closed. He forced them back open, but a moment later, the urge to sleep overwhelmed him again. He clawed against it, desperate not to lose consciousness, but whatever he’d inhaled was too strong.
He blacked out again even as he was thinking that he was failing Jenna somehow by not protecting her and how ridiculous she would think that was because she’d be the first to tell him she didn’t need protecting.
The thing that stuck with him as he drifted into oblivion was the sense that her not needing protection was no longer true.
Titus awoke to Deputy Alex Cruz standing over him. At least he thought the person was Deputy Cruz. Hard to tell through the hazmat suit. He turned his head to check on Jenna. Good to know he could move again. She was still out, still lying beside him.
“Jenna,” he whispered, throat dry.
“Don’t move, Chief Merrow.”
Yep. That was Cruz all right. “Why?” Titus asked. Hmm. Speaking meant he wasn’t a wolf anymore. His body must have processed the toxins in the bomb faster than Jenna’s. Or had he ingested less of it? That didn’t seem possible, since he’d been closer to the bomb. Or…something else he couldn’t think of.
“You’re injured. There’s blood on your palm.”
“No, I cut myself on a nail.” He flexed his hand. The wound was gone, but it still hurt a little. Nothing major.
“Can you tell me what happened up here?”
“Thought it was a prank. A stink bomb. But then the thing exploded, and whatever was inside knocked us out. Is Deputy Blythe all right?”
Cruz nodded. “Her vitals have been checked and they’re fine, but we’re hoping she regains consciousness soon.”
“Me, too.” Titus stared up at him, not quite ready to get to his feet yet. “Why are you in a hazmat suit?”
“There’s a chemical smell in the air and a lot of white powder on the pulldown stairs and the garage floor. Standard operating procedure in a situation like this.”
“Smart.”
“Can you give me a few more details?”
“I responded with Jenna on a report of a gas leak, but there wasn’t one. Just the smell of sulfur, probably so we’d think there was a leak. My meter picked up a trace of gas, but not enough to justify the smell. We heard a noise up here, came to check it out, and found the box. When I picked it up, it started ticking. A second later, it blew up, covering us with powder. We only lasted a few seconds after that.”
“Okay, thanks.” Cruz glanced toward the opening to the attic. “EMS is here. They’re going to transport you to the hospital for further examination, but they can’t exactly bring a gurney up here.”
Titus bristled at the idea that he needed any kind of help. Even though he knew he did. “I don’t need a gurney.”
Jenna stirred and let out a soft exhale.
That was all the motivation Titus needed to move. He turned onto his side and pushed himself upright. A little wave of dizziness hit him, but he ignored it, just like he ignored feeling like he’d been turned inside out. “Jenna, are you awake?”
She didn’t immediately respond.
Titus looked at Cruz. “We don’t need EMS as much as we need someone who can analyze whatever we were dosed with. There was magic involved in this. Or witchcraft. Or both. Anyone who can take down a valkyrie, and keep her down, knows what they’re doing.”
Cruz nodded. “Yes, sir. We’re actually working on—”
A voice shouted up from below. “Titus?”
Titus answered, “Up here, Hank.”
“How’s my deputy?”
“Not awake yet. And I’m good, too, thanks for asking.” Titus got to his feet, using one of the trusses for support, careful to avoid nails this time. “I’ll bring Deputy Blythe down.”
“Sir,” Cruz began, “with all due respect, you don’t look—”
“Don’t worry about me. I’m—” The ground beneath Titus’s feet canted like the house had slipped sideways. The blackness returned and slid over him before he could get another word out.
Mechanical beeping and the smell of disinfectant woke Jenna. She opened her eyes, a little blinded by the sudden light. She blinked twice before her eyes focused on the concerned face of her sister.
“You’re awake,” Tessa said with a smile. “How are you feeling?”
“Like I just went ten rounds with a berserker.” Jenna rubbed at the throbbing in her head. “Where am I?”
“The hospital.”
Jenna looked around. Okay, that should have been obvious. There was no mistaking this room for anything else. How long had she been out? But more important… “Where’s Titus? He was hurt too.”
Tessa’s smile widened ever so slightly. “He’s in the next room.”
“How is he? I think he took more of the blast than I did.”
“He’s doing all right. Do you need anything?”
To see Titus. In fact, the desire was almost overwhelming. So much so, it made her uncomfortable. Why should she care so much? She shouldn’t. And yet, she did. Eagerly, she changed the topic. “Just for my head to stop
