Tales Of The Sazi 02 - Moon's Web Read Free Page B

only to have her get up and be waiting at my car. But a bullet or a sharp branch through the heart and another through the head before the first one can heal will put a Sazi down permanently. Permanent is my business, after all. Or was. "No." I corrected myself silently. My identity may have changed, but I was still the same man: deer or humans; for money or hunger. I am an assassin. A flood of memory found Sue at the back of my mind. Shit, that's right! I had to get back home ASAP. Bobby was waiting for me. I tried to reach my mate in my head, but I had to struggle to get through to her. It was incredibly frustrating. I'll be home soon, Sue. I knew she heard, but didn't respond. I was annoyed— mostly with myself, but also with Nikoli. I hadn't planned on being out all night.
    Yurgi's breathing had increased as I was lost in thought, His nostrils flared briefly as he scented the air. He gasped with what little oxygen I allowed him. "You do not lie! But no, you would not do this!" he exclaimed. The sour milk scent mingled with ammonia and vinegary disapproval. Nasty combination. "We are pack. Nikoli would never allow you to kill me, even with my lowly station."
    "We're all alone out here, Yurgi. Nikoli would never find out. I'm really good at keeping secrets. Now, I'm going to let go. Just stay there until I reach my clothes. Capisce?"
    I released Yurgi and he remained where he was. When I reached my clothes he raised to sit and laughed bitterly. "You are a very foolish shchenók, Tooney."
    I hurriedly put on my thick black turtleneck and socks. "It's T-o-ny. And what's a shchenók?" A small smile stretched his beard. "A puppy. A cub. One who is naïve. You have much to learn of our pack leader… T-o-ny."
    "Yeah?" I finished zipping my jeans and slid my feet into sturdy black boots. "Well, maybe I'll ask him when I see him." I turned, found my bearings and started walking through the trees toward the road. I turned my head slightly to see Yurgi's startled face. "Good luck khoronit-ing the deer." When I reached the road, I listened carefully for any human movement. Fortunately, it was a Sunday morning in miserable weather. The hush was broken only by small animals scurrying under the snow. But I'd fed well last night and wasn't hungry enough to chase them down.
    I started off at a fast jog. When I was confident there was no one around to see, I increased the speed to Sazi level. I've been told that some Sazi can use their magic to create illusions and make the humans see whatever they want them to. Since I have neither the skill or knowledge I'm stuck avoiding people or pretending to be a normal human.
    Normal. It had been a while, but I still remembered being human. So far the only good thing I'd found about being Sazi was my mating to Sue. So, while a part of me knew that I should have stayed to help Yurgi, I chose to go home. Whatever crisis Bobby was dealing with had to be more important than burying deer bones. And the thought of seeing Sue again beat them both.
    Just thinking about seeing Sue again made me willing to risk another burst of speed. She's been in Boulder for almost two months now attending classes with Dr. Perdue-Betty— the Sazi psychiatrist. It takes a little work to help someone adapt reality to include the fantastic. Let's face it, werewolves aren't supposed to exist. I haven't seen or touched Sue for seven weeks. The thought of her summer forest scent mingled with sweat and desire raced through me. My body tightened with a hunger that had nothing to do with food. I caught the pungent fishy scent of Lake Michigan. I made up my mind to avoid the major interstates. There'd be too much traffic and I couldn't move as fast. I hit 55th Street and headed west toward Canaryville. It's a great, albeit humorous, name for the area near wolf pack headquarters. Our apartment is in an exclusively Sazi neighborhood right near the old stockyards. The pervasive smell of old death keeps out the average tourists. For