Full Moon Rising by Keri Arthur Read Free Book Online Page A

even to the simplest of minds.
    God, it hurt. Burned.
    "Is the bullet silver?"
    Silver. The bullet was silver.
That's
why it hurt so much.
    "Take . . . out."
Hurry.
    He swore.
Amen to that,
I thought weakly. My eyes refused to open, my arm was numb, and the numbness was spreading all too quickly through the rest of my body. The wolf had missed my heart, but in many respects, it didn't matter. If Quinn didn't get that bullet out of my shoulder soon, I was one dead puppy.
    I floated in a sea of molten agony, drifting in and out of consciousness, my body aflame and dripping with sweat.
    Yet his voice reached me, dragged me back.
    "I haven't got a knife. I'll have to use my teeth. It's going to hurt."
    No shit, Sherlock.
But the words stayed locked inside. The numbness had reached my neck and mouth, and breathing was becoming harder.
    My shirt was torn away, then lips touched my flesh, a brief caress that made my skin tremble. Then his teeth were slashing down, slicing deep. A scream tore up my throat but seemed to lodge somewhere near my tonsils. His mind surged into mine and, like a cool and gentle hand, cocooned me, soothing the ache, easing the fire.
    His teeth withdrew from my flesh, but were replaced by his fingers. There was no escape from the agony of his delving, no matter how much he tried to protect me. When he touched the bullet, moved it, I screamed again.
    Then the bullet was gone, the fire was gone, and in its place normal, peaceful pain.
    I reached to that magical place inside and called to the wolf. Power swept around me, through me, blurring the pain, healing the wound. But once I was back in human form, the world slid away.
    It was dawn by the time it came back.
    Several sensations struck me almost immediately. My head was resting on what felt like flesh-covered steel, but the rest of my body lay on something hard and uncomfortable. There was a steady, aching throb in my shoulder, and a deeper burning down my arm. Even when silver didn't kill wolves, it could permanently maim. Fear touched my heart and I quickly twitched my fingers. They moved and I breathed a silent sigh of relief.
    A cool breeze stirred around me, filled with the scents of humans and exhaust fumes, mixed with the tantalizing nearness of sandalwood, man, and mud. Somewhere to my right came the steady roar of passing traffic and, closer still, the rattle of a train drawing away from a station. Obviously, I wasn't in my apartment. Though I could usually hear the trains, my apartment didn't shake with the force of their passing like this place did.
    I opened my eyes, and looked around. The room was small, shabby, and rubbish-filled. There were windows to my left, both barred and missing glass, and an open doorway to my right. Wooden seats lined the graffiti-strewn walls, and the floor was asphalt. Recognition stirred. We were in the goddamn waiting room at the train station.
    I turned slightly to ease the ache in my shoulder and realized then my head was resting on Quinn's thigh. He was still wearing the coat I'd given him that morning, and, if the bare knee I could see was any indication, little else. Given his near nakedness, and the fact I had to be covered in blood, it was a wonder the police hadn't been called.
    I lifted my gaze to Quinn's. Concern lingered in the dark depths, along with wariness. "How are you feeling?"
    His voice flowed across my skin as sweetly as a caress, and deep inside, excitement stirred. If I was getting that sort of reaction in a situation like
this,
then the next moon fever really
would
be bad.
    "I feel like shit." I gripped one edge of the seat and forced myself upright, away from him. "Why are we here? Matter of fact, why are you here?"
    He hesitated. "I followed you home from the Directorate last night."
    So he was the reason I'd been spooked on the platform. Though he obviously wasn't the only reason. "And why would you be following me when you're supposedly waiting for my flatmate?"
    He stared at me for a