The Hollow Moon (Downworlder Series, #2)

Chapter Twelve: Wrong Team

I had waited all night for the rat to return so I could show her how little I appreciated her attitude, but she hadn't shown. Now that the sun had risen I was beginning to feel waves of what one could only call worry in between my anger. She was becoming an unwanted complication, if she got herself killed I would have a problem. Or if anyone followed her back and found out where I was staying I would have a problem, one that I couldn't simply talk my way out of.

I continued to pace back and forth in the small space that I had created for myself, mumbling to myself under my breath. Every creak of the old building had me believing that my rat was coming back home but it always seemed to be a false warning. It was driving me and my wolf to the brink. My skin felt tight against my bones as I did everything I could to keep myself from shifting and tracking her down. What the hell was she doing out there? What was keeping her from coming back to the safety of her hovel? Didn't she understand that people hated rats and they would kill them if they had the chance?

I walked over to the window and looked out to the world below, squinting my eyes against the sun rays. All that was out there was a couple of rats scurrying down the alley, trying to keep themselves low and hidden from the predators that wanted to devour them. I pulled back a step, knocking my head against the large wind chime that she had hanging in her window. The pieces of colored glass clanked against each other violently, sending fractals of light across the floor and walls. I growled in frustration, tempted to rip the thing down and stomp it into dust for a moment before deciding against it.

Instead I paced for a couple more minutes before settling myself onto the couch, legs jiggling with all of the energy I was trying to contain within my body. The rat was going to be lucky if I didn't rip her limb from limb when she finally returned. The door to the apartment opened and the rat came in with such a pale face it looked grey and heavy bags hung under her eyes. I gave a small snarl at her sudden appearance before it deepened to a dark growl at the scraped and bruised flesh of her cheek. "What the fuck, rat?" I shoved up off of the couch but she barely blinked as she stripped off her jacket almost sluggishly and stepped out of her shoes. I stalked towards her, the anger rolling around in my stomach demanding I reprimand her for her behaviour and to demand an explanation for the harsh scrape and bruise on her cheek.

She grabbed her stomach lightly with one hand before she crawled into the bed with a faint but pained groan. I inhaled deeply and her scent was drenched with that of narcotics. The foul chemicals that slid through the veins of nearly all of the trash the city had. An enraged growl escaped my throat as I tightened my hands into fists. She had run off and gotten fucking high? I couldn't believe that I had been worried for the little fucking rat. I couldn't believe that I would have ever thought something had happened to her with a tightening in my stomach.

"You little bitch. You dare walk in here smelling high off your fucking mind without a single explanation?" I roared the words at her as red tainted my vision. Even my wolf was snapping and snarling at the blatancy of her scent. She didn't even move. She was curled up in a ball on top of the blankets while her body shook. No doubt from the withdrawal. "Answer me when I speak to you!" I moved closer and shook her but despite the fact she gave a faint groan there was no other response. Her limbs were limp and her bruised face was slack. No doubt she had hit the knockout point for the fucking drugs she had taken.

I gave a shout of utter rage as I turned around and backhanded one of her projects off of the closest table. I couldn't believe the audacity of the little rat. Anger surged through me so thick and hot that I shook from its intensity. I needed to get out before I turned around and choked the life out of her. To have the knowledge that she was out on the streets getting fucking high like any random little whore junkie while I paced in the apartment needlessly was enough to make my teeth elongate with the need to inflict her with some damage.