Page 8 of Unspoken (Shadow Falls: After Dark #3)

Chapter Eight

Worry had been eating away at the lining of Chase’s stomach for an hour. He finally dressed and went out for a few laps around the camp. He flew low, ducking in and out of the trees, just trying to spend some of the negative energy flowing through his veins. He wanted to see Burnett return, and make sure Della was okay, before he ran off to interrogate a few scumbags. Yup, Burnett’s little speech had given Chase a few ideas.

Della still hadn’t responded to his text. Not that he was all that sure she would. Something he intended to fix very soon. He wanted to get back to where they were before. When she was happy to see him. When leaning in and stealing a kiss wouldn’t actually put him at risk of losing an eye.

Recalling that kiss, he realized he wanted more. He wanted all of her. He wanted to protect her, to touch her. To have her at his side day and night.

Would it be enough that he’d quit the council and come to work for the FRU? Or would she still be inclined to make him pay for his past mistakes? He hoped like hell she wouldn’t. But knowing Della, forgiveness wouldn’t be handed over too easily.

As he followed the property line, he spotted headlights pulling into the school’s parking lot.

As Lucas stepped out of the car, Chase approached. “Hey.”

“You’re out and about late,” Lucas said.

Chase debated how to play to this, then decided not to play.

“Is Della okay?”

“Yeah, she’s fine.”

“What happened?” Chase asked.

“An elderly couple, neighbors of Della and her parents, were murdered. Della seemed to know and care about them quite a bit.”

“Damn,” Chase said, remembering Della hearing her father’s rude conversation last night and knowing she didn’t need any other crap right now. “Have they caught who did it?”

“Not yet. Burnett’s looking into the autopsy.”

“So it’s an FRU case? The killers were supernatural?”

“Possibly.” Lucas started walking to the gate.

“Vampires?” Chase asked, knowing that would make it harder on Della.

“Weres,” Lucas said. “But it’s not for sure.”

“Where were they killed?” Chase remembered the were scents he’d gotten when leaving Della’s house.

“A strip center in front of her subdivision.”

“Damn. I got a scent of a couple of weres, and blood, hanging right outside her neighborhood earlier tonight.”

“Blood? And you didn’t check it out?”

“No. I mean, I dropped down, but the blood was animal.”

Lucas’s frown held. “Was it feline?”

“I… I’m not sure.” Weres, being hunters by nature, were better at distinguishing different types of animal blood. “Why?”

“A cat was injured, too.”

“Shit,” Chase said. “It could have been them.”

“You might want to let Burnett know.”

“I will.” But he’d do it after his appointment, an appointment Chase had strong suspicions Burnett would object to. Face it: Burnett was about to set down the rules, so Chase had better do all he could before he swore himself to them.

They walked past the office, heading back to the cabins. Chase tried to think of a way to ask more about Della.

“So Burnett wouldn’t let you come tonight?” Lucas asked.

“No,” Chase said, another straight-up answer. It felt good not trying to hide things anymore. He could get used to this.

The were shrugged. “Probably just as well. Della’s pretty pissed at you.”

“She told you that?” What else had she mentioned?

“No. She told Kylie.” He frowned. “And Kylie made me promise not to say anything. Which means I need to learn to keep my mouth shut.”

“Don’t worry,” Chase said. “I don’t think Della’s dislike toward me is a big secret right now.”

***

Della headed back to her house. Thankfully, Burnett hadn’t insisted on escorting her. But he hadn’t been able to send her off without a warning. “Be careful.”

Like she would be anything but careful.

“Text me when you get there.”

She rolled her eyes, but didn’t waste her time giving him more hell.

As tempting as it was to defy Burnett and go find Chase, she knew Burnett would come unglued. And an unglued Burnett would not be easy to handle. Yet, still buzzing with unwanted emotions, she took the long route just to blow off some steam. And to check the area for any stray weres. Even with her heart overloaded with Chase, her uncle, and her dad’s murder case, she intended to find whoever had killed her neighbors. Find them and make them pay.

Following the line of trees, she dropped down low near the strip center, close enough to pick up any scents. Nothing. Even the earlier traces had faded. Dodging treetops, she headed back to her place, then spotted the thicket of trees at the park. Deciding to just give it a quick pass, she changed course.

The moon, almost full, cast sprays of light into the trees, causing shadows. At first she got nothing, then it hit. The musky scent of were, more than one. Knowing the dangers of confronting a were this close to a full moon, she decided to just fly by. If they looked suspicious she’d give Burnett a ring.

See, Burnett? I am careful!

Darting a little lower, the scents grew stronger, and familiar. But because she hadn’t fully paid attention to the scents at the jewelry store, she wasn’t sure if the trace came from the guys she’d seen earlier. She needed to see the guys to confirm.

Before she spotted the weres, she spotted someone else. A girl. A human girl, if Della’s nose was right. She was running, sweating, fear seeping out of her pores. Della lost the visual as another thick clump of pine trees rose from the ground. But what she didn’t lose was the sound of the girl’s scream. It rose up and the sheer terror in it sent a shiver down Della’s spine.

Well, crap. Careful had just gone out the window.

She started down.

When she got past one cluster of trees, she saw the blond girl, probably no more than fifteen, surrounded by weres. Oddly, their scents weren’t very strong, so maybe not full weres. Which would mean they may not have full strength, either.

“I called the cops, you idiots, and they’re coming,” the girl screamed, sounding brave, but the shakiness in her voice gave her away.

Della counted four of them. Confident, or almost confident, she could handle all four—depending on just how much lunar strength they had—she headed down. Feeling her eyes grow hot, and her front teeth lengthen, she landed to the right of their little circle.

They knew when she’d landed, or probably a second before, because they turned away from the girl to face her. No doubt their dislike of vampires made her the more attractive victim. These were not the boys she’d seen earlier. She couldn’t be positive if they were the ones she’d halfway smelled at the jewelry store. But they were still being bad boys.

In the corner of her eye, Della saw the girl running away and felt some relief that she wouldn’t have to worry about her.

“Sorry to intrude,” she smarted off while assessing her situation. She knew she’d be fine if she could just keep her distance, and their attention, without them getting their dirty paws on her. She tuned her ears to listen to the girl, judging her distance. When the girl got to freedom, or arrived in a public place where the weres wouldn’t attack, she could simply fly out of there and leave these rogue dogs grounded without even breaking a nail. Then she’d call Burnett.

Such a good plan. And one that would have worked if her ears hadn’t been so tuned in to the girl that she missed the two weres who’d come up behind her. Each grabbed an arm.

Definitely half weres, because their scents weren’t that strong either.

Oh, shit. She felt a fist slam into her ribs and she gasped for air. She had one moment of concern that it might not just be a nail that she broke. Not that she was going to make it easy on them… or let them win.

She was just going to have to open up another can of whoop ass.

“Oh, so ya’ll wanna fight, do ya? Why didn’t you tell me that?”

Yanking out of one of the dog’s clutches, she coldcocked the other who came up to confront her. He dropped to the ground.

Another rushed in front of her, his fist drawn. She kicked that bastard right in the gonads. He yelped like a young pup.

Then she used the creep still holding on to her as a bowling pin to down the two others coming at her.

She was preparing to fly when two others jumped her from behind.

Damn. She swung a fist.

Damn. She started kicking.

Damn. She took a hard punch to her stomach.

***

Chase landed to the side of the strip center, still decorated with yellow crime scene tape. He drew in a deep breath. The tiniest bit of were scent lingered but not nearly enough to be able to identify it as one he’d gotten earlier. Looking north toward Della’s house, the temptation bit. Bit hard.

Had Burnett told Della about him?

Was she thrilled, nonchalant, pissed?

Damn, he wanted to see her.

He almost took off toward her house, but heard Burnett’s warning. You said you wanted to earn my respect. So start earning it by listening.

Pushing his desire aside, he took off, but once airborne he saw two police cars, lights flashing, driving down a street—a street that led to the park.

Thinking it might have something to do with the weres, and feeling a bit bad he hadn’t checked things out earlier that night, Chase shot forward, hoping to get a peek of what trouble transpired before the cops arrived.

From his not-so-good vantage point, he spotted and smelled the trouble. Weres. Definitely weres, or at least part weres. A group of them. He thought he counted six—no, eight—all going against one. He inhaled and instantly knew a couple of those guys were the same ones he’d come across earlier. Another deep breath and his nose picked up the scent of a vampire. The victim, maybe? Then the scent exploded in his brain, and went right to his heart. The air in his chest froze.

“Friggin’ hell!” he seethed, and prayed he wasn’t too late.