Page 15 of Wolf Bane (Marked #3)
Chapter Six
E than answered the door, his tired expression morphing to pleasure when he saw the bags I was holding.
“Taco Mary’s,” I announced, even though the name was on the bag.
He stood aside and let me past, trailing after me to the kitchen.
“Got you your usual order of chicken flautas with all the sides, plus an extra serving of guacamole, got Justin the soft tacos and a thingy of pozole because that stuff is a miracle cure.”
I started unpacking the food onto the counter, doing my best to ignore Ethan’s tired silence and pretend like everything was okay just for a few minutes at least.
“And you know I’m a slut for their chili rellenos, so I got too much of that. And Tyler seemed to like their tostadas compuestas, so I got him that.”
Ethan sighed, reaching out to stop my fussing hands with one of his own. “Justin isn’t doing great. He’s running a fever again.”
He motioned for me to follow him into the living room, where Justin was tucked up on the sofa. Tyler was standing over him with a bottle of liquid Tylenol and a distinctly harassed expression on his face.
“Justin! Have you been drinking plenty of fluids? Tyler, did you try getting him in a tepid bath or using compresses? I can phone in a prescription for some heavy-duty cough meds, but I’m not sure…
How do y’all react to over-the-counter meds?
Do you burn through them faster? Do you need a lower dose? A higher one? Do?—”
“I’ve been dosing him with NyQuil, like my dad used to give us,” Tyler interrupted. “And yes, he’s taken a tepid bath. The fever just keeps coming back. Not as high as before though.”
Justin made a face, waving us both off. “I’m just… Here, okay? Just let me rest. I just want to be alone, alright?”
“Justin, listen to me,” I demanded, ignoring Ethan and Tyler’s muttered argument about NyQuil and how Dad had no fucking idea what he was doing, what do you mean you’re giving him that . “You went to lunch with an old friend from med school, yeah?”
“Uh, yeah,” he rasped. “Her and her friend from work.”
“Did you do anything else? Anything at all? Stop for a drink, get your oil changed… Decide to get a vaccine or something?”
The dead silence was a blanket. “What the fuck?” Tyler asked finally. “Who goes to lunch and decides to cap it off with a vaccine? Wow, this BLT was great, but you know what I’d love right now? An MMR booster .”
I glanced back at him and Ethan, finding near identical bemused, annoyed expressions staring back at me. “I may have found a link between the people who’re getting sick and something going on in the communities.”
“What do you mean?” Justin asked, struggling upright, pushing the blanket nest to one side. “I’m not part of a community.”
He sounded so plaintive, so… resigned, I suppose, that it stung.
My own failings as a friend, as his former boss, and someone who should’ve been keeping an eye on him, were heavy, but I swallowed them down.
This wasn’t about me. Not like that. It was much bigger than any poor me I could drum up.
“You kind of are, Justin. Maybe not one you’d have chosen on your own but?—”
“I’m not a were!”
“You’re like me and Mal. Whether you like it or not. And I think I’m starting to figure out what’s spreading this sickness. Everyone I can find who’s gotten sick, the communities reporting outbreaks? They’ve all had visits from this mobile clinic van.”
Tyler rocked back on his heels, arms curled over his midsection in an almost childlike expression of wariness.
“Those things are a dime a dozen out in the rural areas. Hospitals, religious groups, hell, some corporate bullshit groups, they all send out those RV clinics so kids can get their eyes checked and physicals done before school starts.”
“This is different. That’s why I need to know, Justin.” I turned back to him before he could recoil into his nest. “Did you go anywhere? Anywhere at all that wasn’t to lunch, to the car, then home?”
He shook his head. “No. And the painkillers were from a sealed package.”
Shit . “Are you certain? They weren’t handed to you, already out of the bottle or blister pack?”
“No! They…” He stopped, color draining so fast from his face I reached for him, ready for him to slump over in a faint. “I don’t remember,” he whispered. “I don’t… I don’t remember!”
“It’s okay,” Tyler said quickly, pushing between us to crouch beside the sofa. “It’s okay. You’ve been sick and you need some rest. Here, drink some of this tea. It’s mint.”
Ethan took my arm and gently pulled me away, towards the entryway. “Don’t tell Tyler I’m saying this, but I’m pretty sure a big part of this malaise Justin’s experiencing is in his head.”
I peered around Ethan, back into the living room where Tyler was fussing over Justin and Justin was curled over his own knees, clutching the cup of tea Tyler had offered.
“Justin’s always been kind of skittish,” I allowed, “but I don’t know much about how he was outside of work before…” Before everything went to hell for him .
“I’m not saying he’s not sick with this.
Just that I think whatever’s going on here,” Ethan tapped his temple, “is making it worse. Earlier, he and Tyler were arguing about something or other, some movie I think, and it was like he was a different person. He still had a cough, but he was sitting up, animated… But when the subject changed to something to do with the clan, he just wilted down like that.”
“Mental health issues can definitely cause physical symptoms, and if they’re concurrent with the sickness, I can see it.”
“You’re hot when you use words like concurrent .”
“Honey, I’m hot all the time.”
Ethan’s flicker of a smile was enough to warm me straight down to my toes. Goddamn, I missed him being home.
“Look, what I found earlier, it’s not definitive. It’s just a theory I’m working with. Do you know what a diagnosis of exclusion is?”
“Just what it sounds like?” he drawled, one brow lifting in challenge. “Occam’s Razor of diagnosing a patient?”
“Well, you don’t have to look so happy about taking the wind out of my sails,” I said, nudging his ribs with my elbow. “The thing is, whoever is doing this, they’re out there bringing these little pop-up clinics around.”
Ethan drew back, uneasy. “Landry.”
“Listen! I’m not saying it’s to do with the ICW.
But they’re moving like the ICW, trying to get into the communities with these accessible clinics.
And targeting were and shifter communities specifically.
We need to talk to the pack leaders in these areas, the ones with the sick members. They won’t talk to me, but?—”
Ethan swore under his breath. “Landry, I can’t be part of this. If the council knew you were involving me?—”
“Then don’t,” I said, the words tumbling out before I could stop them. “Don’t. If it’s important to you to keep on the council’s good side… don’t.”
Tyler whistled low under his breath. “Trouble in paradise?” he sing-songed. “Never thought I’d see the day. Well. Again. I was sure this second time around, y’all had your shit together.”
“Shut up,” Ethan growled. “Landry, this isn’t just me at risk here. You work for them too. Whether you like to remember that or not.”
“Yeah…” I nodded to myself, tapping my fingers on my thigh as I turned my attention back to Justin. “Yeah, but that doesn’t mean they own me, does it? You do what you need to do, Ethan. I’m wiped out. I’m gonna go home and go to bed.”
I knew he wasn’t gonna try to stop me, but I was still disappointed when he didn’t even make an attempt.
* * *
It was deep into the middle of the night when Ethan came home. I was still awake, still hungry, and gritty-eyed from exhaustion.
But I had a theory.
And a possible accomplice, if Waltrip ever called me back.
I laid in bed, listening as Ethan kicked off his boots then stood in the front hall for a long few minutes, his breathing even and low.
Finally, he padded into the kitchen and rustled around quietly, getting something to eat and opening the jug of apple juice in the fridge.
It was another half hour before he came to our room but bypassed me to go into the ensuite and shower, brush his teeth, and generally do whatever else he needed to do to avoid me for another half hour.
“Are you done?” I muttered when he made an appearance near 3 a.m., wreathed in steam and smelling of eucalyptus and mint. He swore it kept his scent subtle, hidden from humans who might pick up on it, but I think he just liked how it tingled.
“Still gotta put away dishes,” he said quietly, though he made no move to head for the kitchen.
I pushed up to sit against the headboard. “No one’s gonna break in and steal our dirty dishes before I get to them in the morning. Sit down. We need to talk.”
He hesitated, though I could see him stiffen and puff up a bit in the dim light cast from the moon and streetlight outside. Finally, reluctantly, he came to sit on the edge of the bed near my knees. “We’ve had a shitty week.”
Ethan raised a brow at that. “I want to fight you on this, but we have. And… and it’s not entirely your fault. I’ve been so head-down in getting my footing with the ICW that I’ve been kind of an ass about the distance.”
My petty ass wanted to say told you so and flounce onto my side, letting him stew about it.
But damn it, being an adult won out and I just nodded.
“And I’ve been… whiny,” I admitted through gritted teeth.
“And hurt that you’re keeping me out of the loop on things that would not only make life a bit easier but my job.
It was… is… starting to feel like you’re treating me like they do. ”
“I’m one of them now, remember?” he said, tired and a bit apprehensive. “Is that a problem now?”