Sui Generis – 55

 

At the same time the others were talking about him, Lew woke, uncertain where he was. The last thing he remembered was a desperate need to leave the clinic before Randulf was healed enough to shift into his human form. He had no desire to face him and see the return of the hatred in his eyes now that the assignment was over.

Although partially recovered from the battle with Alanna, Lew knew he was still too weak to have gone very far. Easing himself up, he stood on three legs, keeping any weight off the fourth, and moved his head gingerly. His neck hurt but it was bearable.

Still, a few more hours of sleep are called for. The thing is, am I somewhere safe enough to do so?    

Limping, favoring his foreleg, he began to explore his surroundings. There was a desk, bookshelves, and two armchairs—none of which looked familiar.

And yet it has to be somewhere I've at least picked out of someone's mind or I couldn't have come here.

He sniffed and discovered scents he recognized.

How the hell? Maybe…? Yeah, when Mag said he and Brand has to go home after our—talk. He said he'd spend the evening studying, probably so he wouldn't worry too much while we were out looking for Alanna. Guess this is where he was going to do it.

Relieved that he hadn't ended up somewhere where he'd be found by Antton—or worse yet, Randulf—he went back to where he'd awakened, in the shadows behind one of the armchairs. Curling up, his head resting on his three good legs and his injured foreleg stretched out to keep any pressure off of it, he fell asleep again.

*****

"Can't you, I don't know, track where he went somehow?" Mag asked Antton.

"Not when he teleported. If he'd left on two feet, or four, it might have been possible, but he didn't. Believe me, we checked."

"Why are you so worried about him?" Randulf asked Mag.

Mag looked at him as if he couldn't believe he'd even ask. "Because he's a friend and he's hurt."

"A friend wouldn't leave without letting one of us know where he was going."

Mag marched over to stand in front of Randulf, glowering at him. "He would if he thought someone he cared about hated him."

Randulf snorted. "He doesn't care about me, if that's what you're implying. There's only one person Lew thinks is worth his time. Himself. And for your information, I don't hate him."

"Yeah, you do." Mag spun around to look at the others. "You all do. Or at least—" he tempered his words, "—you dislike him."

Ulrik gave a small nod. "He's not easy to like."

"Because you never gave yourselves a chance to get to know him! You're glad he's gone now, so you can move on to… to the next problem."

"Not true," Randulf said quietly. "I gave him a chance. I gave him several chances and he blew them."

"So now he's past history and you're fine with that."

"Yes, Mag, I am. I hope he's alright. In fact, I'm sure he is. He's gone to ground somewhere. He'll heal and go on with his life the way he always has. Selfishly."

Mag watched Randulf as he spoke and thought he saw something in his expression that said the man didn't really want it to be that way. There was a look of loss and yearning in his eyes.

He's lying. To me—and more importantly—to himself. But I'm not calling him on it.

"Then I guess that's it," Mag said tightly. "I'm glad you're alright. I'm sure I… we'll be seeing you again. Brand, let's go home."

Antton held up a hand to stop them. "Ulrik's taking Brand out for more training."

"Of course he is," Mag replied sourly. Stopping just long enough to hug Brand, he said, "Have fun. I'll see you when you get home," and walked out of the room.

 

Sui Generis – 54

 

The training mission, which involved tracking and hunting with Ulrik as the 'bait', ended successfully. At least according to Ulrik it did, although Brand seemed to think he hadn't done as well as he could have.

"I should be better, faster," he grumbled, exhaustion showing in every line of his body. "I can find a vampire and follow him like that." He snapped his fingers.

"Of course you can. It's what dhampir do," Ulrik consoled him. "However you're learning a whole new skill set now. One that's foreign to you, for the most part. Practice and you'll get better. You'll have to if you're going to be hunting rogue werewolves as well as vampires."

"Can we do this again tomorrow?" Brand asked hopefully.

"Probably. Now, home with you and get some sleep. Both of you. Mag looks like he's about to fall on his face and all he did was watch."

"Which meant I had to stick with Brand and he wasn't exactly taking a stroll through the woods," Mag muttered. "If I keep doing this, I'll need running shoes."

Brand laughed, hugging him. "I think that can be arranged. Right now though, I wish I knew how to do the whole transporting thing."

"If you did, we'd only have to come back for the car later," Mag pointed out.

"True enough, and we need it to get to school."

"Aw hell." Mag sighed. "Okay, let's get back, pick up our stuff and hope we don't fall asleep during classes."

Ulrik chucked. "If you want, I can call the school and let them know you're not going to make it tonight."

"Nope," Mag said firmly just before he yawned prodigiously. "Once we start doing that, it could become a habit and we'd never graduate."

"It would just be one time," Brand said.

"No." Taking his hand, Mag pulled him toward the car. "We made a vow and damn it, we're keeping it."

"Yes, sir," Brand replied, mimicking Antton's salute from a few hours ago.

*****

"Why haven't we heard from Antton?" Mag asked early the next morning, as he got dressed.

"Maybe because he has nothing to report?" Brand replied. "He did say it could take them a couple of days until they're fully healed."

"I know, but…"

"Mag, relax. When he knows anything positive, he'll let us know. He promised."

"What if it's negative? Then he wouldn't."

Brand sighed. "Let's eat and then if it'll ease your mind, you can call him, or we can stop by the clinic."

"The clinic," Mag said without a second's thought.

They arrived there less than an hour later. Just in time to hear Randulf shouting, "What the hell do you mean he's gone?"

"Damn, now what," Brand muttered as he and Mag hurried through the waiting room and into the clinic proper. They had no problem finding Randulf's room, since Ulrik and one of the doctors were standing at the open door.

Mag had the feeling Antton was in there with Randulf. His suspicions were confirmed when he wriggled his way past Ulrik, closely followed by Brand. Antton was standing beside a vacant bed. Across from him, Randulf was pulling on a shirt that was just about as worn as the jeans he was wearing.

"Find him," Randulf ordered, glaring at Antton.

"Easier said than done," Antton retorted tightly.

"How can you not know where he is?" Mag asked hesitantly.

Randulf turned to him, spitting out, "He took the easy way. He teleported. Who the hell knows where he ended up?"

"But I thought…"

"That he was too injured?" Antton sighed. "He was, but apparently it didn't stop him."

Mag looked at him in dismay. "He could be dying somewhere."

"Or having a good laugh at our expense," Randulf said angrily. "At my expense," he muttered under his breath.

"He wouldn't do that!" Mag protested.

"You don't know him." Randulf dropped down on the bed with a shake of his head. "Wherever he is, I'm sure he's fine. He's a survivor. We all are."

Sui Generis – 53

 

Antton and Ulrik were pacing the small waiting room of the local Enforcer clinic when Brand and Mag arrived. From what they had been told when Ulrik called, Randulf had managed to contact Antton for help after killing Alanna. Ulrik and Antton had arrived to find both Randulf and Lew in dire straits and had immediately transported them to the clinic.

"How are they?" Mag asked, once he'd gotten Antton's attention.

"They'll live," was Antton's terse reply.

Ulrik joined them to say, "She did a lot of damage to both of them. Her strength, born of her rage and insanity, was incredible. However, since they are werewolves," he pointed out, obviously sensing the depth of Mag's worry, "they'll heal. The doctors did what they could to close their wounds. Now they just have to sleep until their healing is complete."

"How long?"  

"It could be hours, or a day or two, especially for Lew. He lost a terrific amount of blood and some flesh on his foreleg as well."

Mag shuddered, glancing fearfully at Brand.

"Stop worrying," Brand said, wrapping his arm around Mag's waist. "They'll be fine."

"It's not them I'm worried about. Okay, yeah, it is, but…" Mag shuddered again. "What if it had been you?"

Brand replied reassuringly, "I've got a double whammy going. I can already heal quickly because I'm a dhampir. Now with the werewolf added to the mix… Hell, I'd probably be up and about already, looking for more trouble."

"It takes a lot to kill one of us," Antton said. Then he shot a caustic look at Brand. "Do not think you can take on the rogues with impunity quite yet. You have a lot more to learn and you're still too young, as a werewolf, to have the kind of healing powers the rest of us do."

"All right. I understand." Brand looked well and truly chastised.

"Just remember that when the time comes," Mag told him fiercely.

"I will. I will. I promise."

"Can we see them?" Mag asked.

"There's not much to see, other than two sleeping werewolves," Ulrik told him. He chuckled. "They're not even being forced to wear a cone."

Mag smiled slightly, imagining either Randulf or Lew in one of those. "They'd tear them off almost before a doctor put it on."

"Undoubtedly. And then force-feed them to him."

"So I guess we just wait." Mag walked over to one of the chairs and sat, staring at the door leading to the rest of the clinic.

Antton held a hurried consultation with Ulrik then told Mag, and Brand, "Sitting around doing nothing will only make the waiting harder. Ulrik's going to take Brand on a training mission and you're going with him, Mag."

Mag shook his head. "I'm waiting," he said stubbornly.

"Go!" Antton pointed dictatorially at the exit where Ulrik and Brand stood waiting.

"You can't make me," Mag protested.

Antton took a step toward him only to pause when Brand hurried back to where Mag sat.

"I could use your moral support," Brand said quietly, then he grinned. "I have the feeling Ulrik's not going to show me how to pick the right wine to go with fish as compared to red meat."

Snorting out a laugh, Mag nodded and got to his feet. "Probably not. Okay, I'll come with but"—he looked squarely at Antton—"you let us know the moment there's any change with them."

Antton's lips curled up. With a mocking salute he replied, "Yes, sir."

Sui Generis – 52

 

Randulf didn't mean to tap into Lew's thoughts. He was just going to ask if he'd found Alanna. But before he could, he felt sadness emanating from his ex-lover. Curious, considering the situation, he delved into the reason and got the surprise of his life.

At first he was angry. Make amends my ass. After what he did? Still, he couldn't help the flare of hope. It would never work though, he told himself. This is Lew, the perpetual playboy who thinks, and acts, as if he's the gods' gift to anyone, male or female, who crosses his path. The man who can't settle on one person for fear he'll miss out on someone else. I should know. But still…

His thoughts were interrupted when Lew sent him a visual. It showed a woman Randulf instantly knew had to be Alanna. She appeared to be talking animatedly while she looked up at Lew. They were walking toward the trees at the far side of the lot from the building housing the rave.

::Wait it out,:: Lew said. ::Don't move too soon.::

Randulf was tempted to reply, "I'm not an amateur," but thought better of it. Lew had to keep his attention focused entirely on Alanna as they waited for her to make her move.

*****

Lew managed to send Randulf one more visual of where they were before everything went south.

Alanna spun to face him, her hands gripping his arms with inhuman strength. "You're clever. You almost had me fooled, but then I remembered you."

"Me?" Lew looked innocently at her. "Believe me, we haven't met. I'd never forget such a beautiful woman."

As he spoke, Lew started to shift, but Alanna was faster. Before he could complete the shift, she was on him, her jaws clamped on his arm as it became his foreleg. 

::Met? No. But I saw you several years ago, with another Enforcer that I once knew.:: Her lips turned up in a vicious smile, revealing her long fangs imbedded in his leg. ::Did you really think you could capture me, you fool? All by your lonesome?:: She shook her head, throwing him to the ground and he howled in pain as flesh tore away. ::Playing the lone wolf? I suppose that suits you—Llewellyn. But…:: Her ears lifted and she sniffed the air. ::No, not a lone wolf. Your accomplice will be too late to save you, I'm afraid.::

::Really, Alanna?:: Randulf appeared at her side, his lip pulled back in a snarl.

::I will kill him, Randulf.:: She released Lew only to attack again, her jaws clamping down on the back of his neck before he could gather the strength move or retaliate.

::No, Alanna, your terrorism is over. You may be—you are powerful, but…::

Randulf's wide jaws closed over her shoulder, biting down to bone. She howled, releasing her grip on Lew to rake her claws down Randulf's side. They tore through his fur, leaving deep gashes in their wake.

The fight progressed from there as the two werewolves fought for dominance. Lew staggered to his feet, waiting, watching, feeling himself weaken as blood flowed from his wounds. Then his chance came. Randulf forced Alanna to the ground, his huge paws holding her prone. As she fought to get out from beneath him, her throat was bared. Lew attacked, ripping it open.

The last thing Lew heard before he collapsed was Randulf's mournful, ::It shouldn't have ended like this for you, Alanna. You were good—once. I pray your soul finally finds the peace it deserves.::

Sui Generis – 51

 

Lew was stopped at the entrance by two doormen who wouldn't allow him inside until they'd seen his ID and patted him down. With nothing to hide—no drugs, no alcohol—he allowed it and paid the cover charge.

Once inside, he saw that there were several stages scattered around the huge room, DJs on each one. As if that wasn't enough, the place was packed with young men and women dancing while talking at the top of their voices to be heard above the electronic music spewing from each of the venues.

If you can call that music. The flashing lights, the noise, assaulted his sensitive eyes and nose. How the hell am I going to find her in this… mess? Nightclubs are a snap compared to this.

He moved his way through the crowd, deftly avoiding the dancers, searching for Alanna. For all that the doormen had patted him down, he figured they must have missed a lot on some of the kids because he could smell weed and alcohol and from the glazed looks on some of the kids' faces, there were other club drugs being passed around.

"Hey, handsome."

Lew looked down at the be-ringed hand on his arm and then at the scantily dressed young woman it belonged to and arched an eyebrow.

"Wanna dance?" she asked.

"Sorry, I'm with someone," he replied, lifting her hand off his arm.

"Bummer." She moved away, homing in on another male who seemed to be on his own.

::Any luck?:: Randulf asked.

::Not yet. This is like hunting for a needle in a damned haystack.::

Lew finally made it to the relative safety of one side of the room. Looking up, he saw a narrow balcony then located the stairs to get to it. He managed to make it up there with only two more young women coming on to him in the process. One of them called him 'Daddy', which he found vaguely amusing. He might not look twenty, but for sure he wasn't in the over-thirty range either. At least not visually.

Leaning on the balcony railing, Lew studied the crowd on the dance floor. He knew for a fact that Alanna wouldn't pass for a kid. Twenty-five, maybe, but definitely no younger. Unfortunately, interspersed in and among all the youngsters there were a small percentage of slightly older women and men. Reliving their college days. He chuckled in amusement.

"Depressing, isn't it?" a dulcet-toned voice said from beside him.

"Being one of the old ones here, relatively speaking?" he replied as he turned to see who was talking to him.

Blue-lavender eyes met his amber ones, glinting with amusement. "Yep. We're close to being old codgers." Even if he hadn't seen photos of her, he would have known it was Alanna just from the eye color. She used her hip to nudge him over enough so she could join him at the railing.

"Not even close, at least in your case." He raked his gaze over her and smiled.

"You're hardly in your dotage yourself," she replied, doing the same. "The question is, why are you here if you feel out of place?"

"A dare?" He chuckled, improvising quickly. "My younger brother was telling me about a rave he went to in LA and when I let him know I'd never been to one—well, as I said, he dared me to check them out. So here I am. I must say I'm not terribly impressed."

"I only come because I find them amusing," Alanna said. "All the kids—and they are just kids—trying to act so world-wise. For instance, look at that group." She pointed and for the next few minutes, they compared notes on what they thought of the rave attendees.

Finally, apparently tired of the game, she asked, "Do you smoke?" When Lew looked at her a bit askance she laughed. "Cigarettes, not anything else, although I'm sure we could get a joint or a blunt if we had a mind to."

"I don't, but if you're having a nicotine fit, we can go outside so you can indulge yourself."

"Exactly why I asked. I'd rather not stand out there on my own. You never know what sort of creeps are hanging around."

Like you.

"Too true, I'm afraid." He nodded toward the stairs and followed her down them, admiring the sensual sway of her hips. Too bad she's what she is. Or maybe… Maybe it's a good thing? His thoughts instantly went to Randulf and sadness overwhelmed him. If only things were different perhaps I could make amends. But—he sighed deeply—he hates me too much. He'd never believe I meant it, so it won't happen, Mag's wishes to the contrary. He smiled morosely, and continued down the stairs behind Alanna.