“I hope I won’t need it, but thank you.” Ottis breathed out and shifted Marcie to one hip, before pulling Dad into a hug. Dad hugged him back tightly, brushing his hands over Ottis’ head and shoulders to scent him. He gave Marcie a good cuddle too.
“Be safe out there.”
“I’ll do my best.”
Then Ottis left the pack house, returning to his cabin to wait for nightfall.
It was onlywhen the pack had gone deep into the woods, that Ottis made his move.
He hid his footsteps under the howling and rustling leaves, following the road that led to the highway. With his limp, in his human shape, it was easier to walk on asphalt than uneven ground.
He needed to save as much of his energy as he could. Even with the scent-concealing ointment that he’d rubbed all over himself, he had a long way to go before he couldn’t be found.
Through it all, he kept his ears pricked for any sounds that didn’t belong to the night.
Sevrian was somewhere out there. Maybe he was nearby, or maybe he wasn’t. It was hard to tell.
He pushed aside his misgivings and focused on the road ahead, sighing a little when he reached the highway.
Highways were unnerving. They were a long stretch of flat asphalt that was easier to walk on, except the cars zooming by made his hair stand on end. Ottis walked with his back turned to oncoming traffic so they wouldn’t notice Marcie, who had shifted back to a human baby. Whenever he heard a car approaching, he hurried off the road and into the nearby forest.
“Goo goo ba,” Marcie said sleepily from her chest carrier.
“Sleep, hon,” Ottis whispered back. He listened for cars, then limped back onto the road.
Scarcely had he moved ten paces, when he caught the faint sound of flapping.
Flapping... wings? They were rhythmic, almost slow.
Actually, they were getting closer. And they sounded big.
Fuck!
He began to limp toward the trees, except the wings were closing in fast.
Out of nowhere, a giant fucking dragon dropped onto the highway in front of him, dust clouds puffing around its big, clawed feet.
Ottis screamed.
“Hello,” the golden dragon said. “I’m going to steal you for my hoard.”
2
KIDNAPPING MAKES A BAD DAY BETTER
Tension buzzedin the emergency room. Under the hum of machines and voices, Doc heard the uneven flutter of the patient’s pulse.
It wasn’t looking good. Already, they had shocked the patient twice, pushing epinephrine into the IV and administering chest compressions.
The patient’s family was out there, murmuring to each other and clutching their hands.
He had to try again.
He watched the heart monitor along with his staff, all of them tense.
When the patient’s heart went into a shockable rhythm, Doc said, “Patient is in V-fib. We’ll defibrillate immediately.”
The room burst into motion.
