Page 28 of Concluded
There are so many stars, he thought.And then he fell asleep.
* * *
He slept poorly,which wasn’t much of a shock considering his bed was the bare desert ground and his arms were full of a naked, mostly unconscious man.But his wish-giving efforts and recent events had exhausted him so much that he did get some sleep, which was nice.Also, nobody nasty showed up and nothing came out of the darkness to eat them.
When he opened his crusty eyes shortly after daybreak, his companion was staring at him.“We have visitors,” Spanos said softly.
Dee startled and might have bolted, but Spanos held him with surprising strength.
“It’s okay.Just don’t make any sudden moves.”
Grumbling under his breath, Dee took a cautious look around.Four dogs surrounded them, their stances cautious and curious but not seemingly aggressive.No, wait.Those weren’t dogs.“Wolves?”His voice came out in an embarrassing squeak.
“Coyotes.Big ones.I think maybe….”Spanos cleared his throat before speaking loudly.“Um, hi.I’m with the Bureau of Trans-Species Affairs.We could really use some help right now.Please.”
“What the?—”
“Shh.Wait.”
While Dee watched, baffled, the coyotes exchanged a series of small yips.Spanos unwound himself from Dee and worked his way into a seated position, an effort that clearly took effort and caused him pain.Even sitting, he swayed slightly.Dee sat up as well and draped his dusty shirt over Spanos’s shoulders.
“Thanks.”Spanos flashed a ghost of a smile.“My record with shifters hasn’t been great lately, but the Bureau has good relations with the coyote clans.”
Before Dee could ask what the hell he was talking about, one of the coyotes stepped slightly apart from the others and howled, raising the hair on Dee’s nape.The other coyotes joined in.The sound was still echoing when the first coyote rippled, like a heat illusion on a sun-baked highway.
Then suddenly it wasn’t a coyote at all but instead a nude man on all fours, panting.
Dee was paralyzed with shock and fear—even his lungs stilled—until Spanos lightly touched his shoulder.“It’s fine.Chill.”
Although Dee wasn’t much reassured, he managed to take a gasping breath followed by a more normal one.He watched as the man smoothly stood upright and looked at them, head cocked curiously.He looked to be in his mid-twenties and a little shorter than average, with a lean, sinewy build.His skin was light brown, and he had a mop of tawny head hair as well as healthy thickets on his chest, groin, and legs.His amber eyes looked intelligent.“What are you doing here?”he finally asked in an entirely normal voice but with a slight twang.
“Long story,” Spanos replied.“I’m not in any shape right now, but I will share when I can.Please, I need to contact the Bureau.It’s urgent.”
“You’re hurt.”
“Nothing that rest, food, and water won’t cure.”
“Who’s he?”The strange man pointed at Dee.
“Civilian.He saved my life.”
Taken aback by that brief description, Dee blinked.He hadn’t thought of it that way, although upon reflection he supposed it was true.Spanos hadn’t mentioned that Dee’s rescue efforts had come rather belatedly.
The man glanced at the remaining coyotes and then nodded.“I’m Boone of the Gerard Pack.We signed a treaty with the Bureau.We’ll help.”
Spanos briefly closed his eyes as if in prayer.“Thank you,” he said when he’d opened them again.“There are some really nasty types after us.I don’t know if or when they’ll return.”
Dee had been so distracted by the coyotes, by whatever the hell was going on here, and by being called a hero that he’d almost forgotten about Ashley and her cohorts.He glanced around nervously, and although there was no sign of anyone else nearby, he couldn’t bring himself to relax.
Boone and the coyotes seemed fairly calm, however.At least as far as Dee could tell.“How can we help?”Boone asked.
“I need a phone.”Spanos answered immediately, as if he already had a plan in mind.Maybe Bureau agents always had plans in mind, contingencies for whatever disasters they encountered on the job.If so, Dee envied them.He rarely had a plan for anything, and even now was just standing there, useless.
Except maybe hewasn’tuseless.“You could wish for a phone,” he said to Spanos.
After seeming to consider this for a moment, Spanos shook his head.“It’s best if you didn’t do your… thing right now.Might attract the wrong kind of attention.”
Although Dee wasn’t sure what that meant, he didn’t argue.Anyway, he wasn’t sure how well his skill would work right now; he felt drained.So he listened while Spanos and Boone quickly worked out a strategy.Obviously, neither Boone nor his companions were carrying phones, and even if they were, cell service here was nonexistent.The coyotes’ home was over the crest of a neighboring mountain, quite some distance away.It was obvious that Spanos couldn’t walk that far, especially over such rough terrain.
