Soul of the Wolves

Ethan entered a residential area, driving the few blocks then stopping. He told her to get off the bike. He then leisurely walked up to a parked car, an older model sedan, broke the window, sat behind the wheel and hotwired it. The sedan hummed to life. Ethan waved at her to get in.

Awesome. Now I can add grand theft auto to my would-be rap sheet. Sookie looked around, half-expecting that the owner of the sedan would suddenly jump out from one of the houses and yell “thief” at them. To her surprise, no one came out.

Ethan drove fast, ignoring all the speed limits and rules of the road. He gunned back to the highway. The traffic from the opposite direction was slowing into a halt. Sookie could already guess what caused it—the earlier accident and people’s tendency to rubberneck. But the traffic from their side was pretty fast. Before long, they passed the accident scene where Ethan knocked down the McAllister’s rider. Four police cars blocked the flow of traffic and an officer directing the incoming vehicles into one lane. There was an ambulance present and a fire truck. Sookie couldn’t see the injured rider anywhere. Ethan only glanced once and he put the pedal to the metal, speeding.

“We’re going to exit here. I think I know where they’re taking him. The closest hospital is Northwest General. We’ll catch up to him there,” said Ethan.

“But he’s badly injured,” said Sookie. “He couldn’t go anywhere in his condition.”

“He’s a werewolf, Sookie, and werewolves hate hospitals.”

“Why? Oh. I get it. Duh. Sorry.”

“I meant to ask you if you remember the location where Cain imprisoned your brother,” said Ethan as he watched the traffic. “Do you remember anything?”

“Cain called it the factory. It’s in a rundown warehouse complex. I wish I could tell you where. They always blindfolded me every time they took me out or to go back in. Except the first time when they took us from the cemetery. But Jesse and I were practically shoved down on the floor the entire ride there. It was also dark, I couldn’t really see well.”

“What do you remember?”

“It was a long ride out of town. Three hours from the cemetery. Near the shipping dock. I could hear ships blaring and the birds—seagulls.”

Ethan furrowed his brows. “That helps. I think m

y men can narrow it down based on your information.”

“Glad I could be of help.”

“You did more than that, Susan. Stay by my side. Always.”

“Even when you’re in the bathroom?” she cracked a joke to ease the tension.

“Cute.”

They settled into an uncomfortable silence again as Ethan focused on the road. They peeled from the highway and followed a street that took them directly to Northwestern General. Ethan coasted to the entrance of the ER and drove past it to ditch the car about a block away. They then headed to the emergency room.

The ER was moderately packed at that hour. Patients were waiting to be seen by doctors. Unlike the ER on TV shows, there was no sense of emergency happening in this place. The nurse manning the reception desk looked terminally bored. The moment he saw a new batch of fresh people enter the door, he yawned and fled the desk as if he didn’t want to deal with them.

Sookie frowned. So typical. She had her share of horrible experiences with long waits in the ER. Jesse, against his good and sane judgement, had gotten himself in a few scrapes over the years that required ER visits. Unless one was visibly bleeding heavily, had a heart attack, or in extreme pain, they wouldn’t let anyone see the physician right away.

Ethan scanned the room and gave the place a once over. His presence was imposing enough that people unconsciously moved away from his direct path. He paused in front of the reception desk and peered into the glass. He snorted. He grabbed Sookie’s arm and herded her toward the exit.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“To find that whelp, of course.”

Only, they didn’t really leave the ER. Ethan steered her into a section that offered multiple vending machines. He paused to study the layout and went to one door like he knew where he was going. Of course, the door was locked, but Ethan had no difficulty in making the door submit to his wish by kicking its handle with his hard-soled boot.

Sookie flinched. She quickly trotted behind him before people found out what they were doing. Her heart beat fast and adrenaline kicked into high alert. Barging in like this unnerved her. She guessed she wasn’t cut out for a life of crime. She was a law-abiding citizen to the core or as Jesse would call her, a “pussy.”

They came into a narrow hallway that led them to what appeared to be a triage area. It was surprising that people wouldn’t find others out of place when they acted like they belonged there. Ethan checked from room to room looking for the young wolf. She noticed that Ethan seemed to track him by smell. He scented the air before he moved.

Ethan paused at one open examination room. There was a nurse in scrubs sitting next to the bed, busy typing on a portable computer. The nurse raised her head from the monitor.

“Can I help you?” she asked.

“My nephew has just been admitted here, where is he?” Ethan asked in a worried voice. “He had a motorcycle accident I was told.”

“Oh. He was taken to get a CT scan. He’ll be back shortly.”