Fires Of Solstice Part 25

"Meredythe. She's not back yet."

Kim chuckled as he shrugged into his parka. "When that woman gets her teeth into a story, she doesn't let go. You sure you want to get involved with her? She'll always be running off after one story or another."

"Christ, Kim, I barely know her. Now you have us practically engaged."

"Yeah, but you'd like to get to know her a lot better. You're the one who keeps calling to see if she's back from upstate yet."

"Well, she's not back yet, and I want to finish this report. Go home. The sooner I finish this, the sooner I'll be able to go home."

Laughter followed Kim out the door.

After he heard the door slam, Jon made a few more notes then pulled the slide he'd been viewing from the microscope and put it away. Rising, he walked to his desk and unlocked the bottom drawer. Finally, he had the time and privacy to review the DNA test he'd completed on the hairs that had been found on that pimp's body. Now when Meredythe got back, he'd be able to give her some definitive information about whether the animal that had killed him was a wolf, a dog or a combination of the two.

Ten minutes later, Jon flopped down onto a stool and stared at the evidence laid out before him. No way was this possible. That first test by the lab hadn't been a mistake. He had the same results, and he knew he hadn't contaminated the sample. The DNA from those hairs came up wolf...and human.

No way could this be true, no way. It wasn't possible. But the evidence never lied.

"Jesus Christ. Meredythe is hunting a werewolf."

The stool toppled to the floor as he leaped toward the phone.

"Phonebook," he muttered as papers went flying. "Where's the d.a.m.n phonebook? I have to call her paper."

He stopped and sank into his chair. "Who the h.e.l.l is going to believe me? n.o.body."

He looked back at the table that held his evidence. How was he going to contact Meredythe? She had to be warned.

Jon thought back to the dinners they'd shared. Meredythe had been very free with her praise for her boss-a smart, open-minded man who was willing to let her run with her ideas and feelings.

Jon rose and gathered up his evidence. "I'll go see this King guy now. The worst he can do is call me a lunatic and throw me out. But he'll know how to contact Meredythe. She told me she always checks in with him."

"This is a rather fantastic tale you tell, Mr. Bowers."

"You believe me?"

James King's eyebrow rose. "On one piece of evidence? I'm afraid I'll need more than that. Even if it is DNA, most scientists will be skeptical."

"But..."

King held up his hand. "I agree this is compelling information you have. But surely you don't expect complete belief on one DNA test?"

Jon sank into a chair. "I wouldn't believe it either if I hadn't done the test myself. But belief isn't the point. I'm worried about Meredythe. She could be in danger. Isn't there any way to contact her? She does have a cell phone, doesn't she?"

King reached his hand across the table. "I will call and pa.s.s on the information, Mr. Bowers. Meredythe is my best reporter. I don't want her hurt any more than you do."

Jon recognized a dismissal when he heard one. Rising, he shook King's hand.

Picking up the results of the DNA test, he slid it into his briefcase.

"Thank you for at least hearing me out, Mr. King."

The older man smiled. "Any time, my boy. Any time."

James King's smile faded as the door closed behind Jon. Picking up his phone, he punched in a number, waiting impatiently for the connection.

"A tall, blond man wearing a brown overcoat just left my office carrying a leather briefcase. He's in forensics, so you'll probably be able to recognize him by his smell. You must get me that briefcase, tonight. He's got proof that Bleddyn's a werewolf."

After severing the connection, James sank into his chair. d.a.m.n, but things were getting complicated.

Jon trudged along the sidewalk toward his apartment. One more block and he'd be home. That subway ride seemed to get longer every day.

A gust of wind exploded out of an alley, staggering him. As he struggled to regain his balance, a dark figure grabbed his briefcase. Gripping it more tightly, Jon refused to let go. d.a.m.n muggers.

A pale face turned toward him. A smile appeared-a smile with fangs. Dark eyes bore into his.

"Release the case now."

Jon felt his fingers relax. He tensed his hand, but the compulsion had been laid. The briefcase slipped from his fingers. The dark figure disappeared back into the alley.

Swallowing twice, Jon leaned back against a mailbox. He had DNA that proved the existence of a werewolf and now a vampire had stolen it. Maybe he did belong in an insane asylum.

Chapter Thirteen.

"She's waking up."

Concentrating on the strange voice, Meredythe crawled back toward consciousness.

"The master doesn't want her awake yet."

Just as her eyes fluttered open, a cloth was pressed over her nose and mouth. Meredythe sank back into unconsciousness. With the full moon s.h.i.+ning through the small window, she began to dream.

The last, shrill scream of the air raid sirens faded away as Bleddyn scrambled through the rubble of Germany's second attack on London. Fires blazed out of control. So many had died in the first attack yesterday. So many more had died today. He pushed past dazed survivors. Meredythe hadn't been in the air raid shelter closest to her home. Where was she?

Screams and groans echoed through broken and blasted walls. When a gas line exploded and rubble rained down, he threw himself against all that remained of a house as the building across the street collapsed.

"That was too close," he mumbled as he pushed himself out of the debris. "I have to find Meredythe and get out of here."

Climbing the ruins of a crumbled wall, he swung his legs over and slid down the other side. As he pushed himself to his feet, the last house on the block collapsed.

A woman's scream bounced around the rubble.

"Meredythe!"

Tossing chunks of wood and plaster out of his way as if they were cardboard, Bleddyn sprinted through the wreckage. Dust settled around him when he skidded to a halt in front of what remained of the house where Meredythe lived with her aunt. A single, slender arm was visible amongst the charred ruins.

"No! Meredythe!"

Bleddyn tore into the debris around her, ignoring the gashes that ripped the skin from his hands. Muscles bulging, he heaved a ma.s.sive chunk of stone and plaster over his shoulder. Another gas line exploded and he threw himself over Meredythe to protect her.

After the rubble settled, he shrugged a piece of burning wood from his shoulder and pushed the last of the debris from Meredythe. Her left leg was twisted at an odd angle. Three jagged ribs poked out of her right side.

Tears welled from Bleddyn's eyes and tumbled down his cheeks. "No, Meredythe, please. Don't die."

Blood trickled from the side of her mouth as her eyes fluttered open.

She moaned when he lifted her into his arms.

Another explosion.

Bleddyn jerked his head up and looked around. The fires were merging. Soon there would be no escape.

"She's dying, Bleddyn."

Meredythe moaned louder when Bleddyn spun around to face the dust-covered woman.

"Evelyn, you can save her, can't you?"

The woman's stern expression softened, but she shook her head. "No, I can't. She's hurt too badly."

His entire body drooped. "So it's the fire again."

"We must, if she's to survive."

Fire leaped onto the rubble behind Evelyn. Head bowed, Bleddyn gently laid Meredythe into the older woman's arms. Evelyn staggered a bit under the younger woman's weight. With Bleddyn's help, she settled Meredythe and straightened. Turning, she stepped toward the fire. Bleddyn's hand on her arm stopped her.

"How long, Evelyn? How long must I wait this time?"

Evelyn's smile was gentle. "You know I cannot answer that, Bleddyn. We do not know when she'll be ready to be born again."

His entire body sagged. "I'm so tired, Evie. So very tired of fighting this demon."

A flicker of alarm appeared on her face. Before she could say anything, Meredythe coughed. Bright blood bubbled from between her lips.

"Bleddyn, I must take her into the fire before she dies. Be strong. She will come again."

Evelyn turned and faced the conflagration roaring toward her.

"Tanau! Difannu!"

Fire surrounded her and she disappeared into the inferno.

Something within the fire exploded, sending burning missiles into the air. Bleddyn ducked then leaped to one side. Ruthlessly crus.h.i.+ng his despondency, he sprinted into a smoky alley, trying to outrun the horror he'd left behind him. He ignored the tears streaming down his cheeks. The smoke was irritating his eyes. The smoke was what that caused the tears, not the thought of the long, lonely years that stretched out ahead of him.

Fists clenched, Bleddyn paced his study, back and forth, back and forth.

"Where is she?"

Keri raised her head. If you hadn't refused her earlier, she'd be in your bed right now.

"d.a.m.n it, Mother..." The shrill jangling of the phone a.s.saulted his senses. He jerked it to his ear.

"Meredythe?"

"Bleddyn? This is Hank Gordon. One of my deputies found your truck out on Bear Hollow Road with the engine running. Any idea how it got there?"

Bleddyn stared at the phone in his hand. Bear Hollow Road? That was...

Keri leaped to her feet as Bleddyn's howl of anguish exploded from his throat. The phone receiver snapped in two. Morton Anderson's farm was out Bear Hollow Road.

Black mists swirled as Bleddyn ripped off his clothing and wrenched open the front door. A huge black wolf leaped down the steps and hurtled toward the woods.

The scents of rain, fresh pine and wood smoke tickled Meredythe's nose. Smooth but hard wood braced her back and cradled her b.u.t.tocks. She kept her eyes closed. Better to let whoever dragged her from the truck think she was still senseless. She s.h.i.+fted and tensed her wrists slightly. They were bound to the arms of the chair. d.a.m.n! How was she going to get out of this one?

She let her chin drop to her chest, opened her eyes slowly and peered down at her lap. Her clothing was gone and she was wearing what looked like a long white slip. She curled her toes. Her feet were bare and cold.

Glancing out from beneath her lashes, she searched her surroundings for clues as to her whereabouts. Her vision blurred and a sense of deja vu enveloped her. She blinked, trying to see through the mist that formed before her eyes.

Before her, head bowed and shoulders drooping, the old druid sagged against his staff. Still, his shoulders were tense and the knuckles of the hand were white. When he lifted his head and looked to the sky, Meredythe also glanced up.

A log in the fire burst. Meredythe started and blinked. The clouds that had been dipping and swirling in a black sky disappeared. Instead, a decrepit roof arched overhead. Bits of moonlight streamed through haphazard cracks and gaps.

Dropping her gaze, she glanced around. The walls were almost as dilapidated as the roof. A barn?

"So you're finally awake," said the brown-robed figure before her.

Meredythe focused her gaze on the man who had spoken-Morton Anderson, the man who thought Bleddyn was a werewolf. Even if she hadn't remembered his face, there was no way she would ever forget his stench.

Clenching her fists, she jerked against her bonds, opened her mouth to answer and gagged. Her mouth tasted like an open sewer.

"Helen," Anderson commanded, "water."

A brown-robed woman held a cup to Meredythe's mouth. She gulped a mouthful of water, swirled it around in her mouth then spit it at Anderson's feet.

He grinned. "You have spirit. Good. You will make a fine mate."

Meredythe glared at him. Like h.e.l.l. "What are you talking about?"