Marked by the Moon (Nightcreature 9)

Alex wasn’t sure she cared, but listening to Cade was better than listening to the voice in her head, which kept screaming that she was in big trouble.

“The mate bond must have given you the same link to Julian’s wolves that he has. Like Rose said, a connection in the blood. It’s the only explanation.”

“Glad we got that sorted out.” Alex’s stomach was starting to roll. She felt a little dizzy. “Is it hot in here?”

Her forehead had gone clammy. She stepped onto the landing and took several gulps of the chill Arctic wind.

Cade came up

behind her. “Julian must have run pretty far this time.”

“What?” Alex wiped the back of her hand across her mouth. “Why?”

“You’re getting sick.” He stared at her as if he’d like to open her up and see what lay inside. “Fascinating. We don’t get sick.”

“Speak for yourself,” Alex said, and puked over the railing.

Since she hadn’t eaten since yesterday, she didn’t puke much. Which only made things worse.

“You’d better come back to the lab.” Cade helped her down the stairs. Alex felt so shitty she let him.

She tried to walk as if she weren’t drunk off her ass, but it wasn’t easy. Several of the locals gave her strange looks as she and Cade weaved past.

Ella was just pulling up in front of her house on what appeared to be, considering the dent in the fender, George’s snowmobile. She took one look at Alex and cried out, “What’s the matter?”

“That bad, huh?”

“I’ll take her.” Ella reached for Alex.

Cade didn’t let go. “She can stay with me.”

“She lives with me.” Ella pulled on Alex’s arm.

“Not a wishbone,” Alex murmured, and tugged free. “What are you doing here?”

Ella’s face was a mask of concern and at first she only stared blankly at Alex. Then Alex snapped her fingers in front of Ella’s nose. “I didn’t think you’d come home until tonight.” She’d said as much when they’d left her at Jorund’s yesterday.

“Oh!” Understanding filled Ella’s dark eyes. “There was another murder.”

Alex cursed. “We’re gonna run out of villagers.”

“Not a villager. A deliveryman I expected from Juneau. When he didn’t show this morning, I went searching for him and—” Ella winced. “I found him.”

“A dead deliveryman is going to raise a few questions.”

“You think?” Ella muttered, and Alex would have smiled if she weren’t afraid that would set off another bout of puking. The more Alex was around Ella, the better she liked her.

“We’re going to have to camp out in the Inuit village,” Alex said.

“I can do that,” Ella murmured.

Alex managed to navigate Ella’s porch steps. She used the door to steady herself as she turned. “Thanks, Cade. Maybe you’d better find Julian.”

He didn’t appear happy to let her go, but he nodded. “I’ll drag him back here; then you’ll feel fine.”

Alex didn’t think she’d ever feel fine again, but she did her best to smile before she went inside.

She barely made it to the bathroom before she tossed her cookies again. Too bad she didn’t have any cookies to toss. She’d never been a big fan of the dry heaves.