Desert of the Damned (4 page)

18

Desert of the Damned

He turned to walk back to where the woman was. What would he tell her? Did she know she was involved with a demon?

But when he got back to the fire, the woman was gone. Lights glowed in the adobe house. It was the only house nearby so she must live there. When the creature returned would he come after her again? If she was to be his first human victim, he needed to stay close to her, warn her.

Slipping under the fur again, he willed himself to become the mountain lion.

Heart heavy, defeated, he limped home. He’d have to tell the old man he’d failed.

Sighing deeply and stretching her arms overhead, Amy opened her eyes and gazed up into a star-filled sky. She felt as if she was drifting up a dark tunnel without sound or sensation. Finally a breeze skimmed over her damp skin and she shivered. The sounds of the desert seemed to turn back on. Damn him. He did it to her again. Or rather, he didn’t do it. “Dante, what is it with you? Why won’t you—” Amy reached out to him and opened her eyes. Remembering the mountain lion, she leapt to her feet.

It was gone and so was Dante. The fire that had been roaring moments ago, or what had seemed like moments ago, was now glowing embers. She scooped up the blankets, shoved on her moccasins and ran toward her house, her flashlight illuminating her way.

* * * * *

Dawn painted golden streaks across the desert plain by the time Jake vaulted over his grandfather’s wire fence, still in the mountain lion form.

Bill, who had been sleeping in the lounge chair, was startled by the movement of the lion. He jumped to his feet, legs apart, fists raised as if to ward off an attacker. He sighed and lowered his arms. “About time. Welcome back.”

Jake willed himself back to human and the mountain lion skin slowly dropped away, almost as easily as slipping out of a coat. The reformation was not as difficult or painful as the transformation.

He slammed the skin onto an empty lawn chair and the chair collapsed. Bill took a step back.

Jake checked his watch. “I have to go to work. Don’t ever put peyote in my drink again, old man. It makes me hallucinate.” He marched toward the back door.

“You wouldn’t have accepted the skin or the task any other way,” Bill said. “How did it go?”

Jake crossed his arms.

“Did you find the demon?”

Jake spun around, glaring at Bill. “I found two people screwing out in the desert.”

“And you killed him,” Bill said as if it was a simple chore like weeding the garden.

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“Kill someone I know nothing about? I don’t know if what I saw was real or all in my imagination.”

A smile came to Bill’s face but it was cold. “He’s killing the animals and soon he’ll come after humans. He’s not human. He’s not of the true Coyote myth. He’s something else. This has happened before, over fifty years ago.”

“Well, apparently this demon has a girlfriend. They were having sex.”

Bill squinted one eye, considering. “Sex? You sure he wasn’t trying to kill her with pleasure?”

“If he was, she was having a good time.”

“Hmmm. Maybe she’s a demon too.”

“Come on, old man. You and your superstitions—”

Bill picked up the skin and held it out to Jake. “Not superstitions and you will see.”

When Jake didn’t take the skin, Bill continued to hold it in his arms. He glanced out into the desert, then turned back. “What happened after they finished? Their sex, I mean.”

Jake didn’t want to answer because it would prove his grandfather was partly right.

He let out a breath. He wouldn’t be able to leave until he finished telling his grandfather everything. “At first the woman screamed, then seemed to go into a trance.

She looked at me but didn’t respond. Then the man shifted into the Coyote form and ran away. I chased him but he disappeared into a saguaro.” Jake laughed. “I told you I was hallucinating.”

“A mountain lion should be faster than a coyote.” Bill shook his head. Jake could tell his grandfather was getting frustrated with him. “You had the chance to kill him.

Why didn’t you?”

“I told you. I tried. But he ran into a saguaro cactus. Straight into it and vanished.”

Bill nodded. “Right. The portal into the Otherworld. What happened to the woman?”

“I don’t know. I think she went inside a house.”

“You remember where this saguaro is?”

Jake nodded. It didn’t matter, he wasn’t going back.

“Then you’ll know where to find him. A good thing because this woman will probably be his first victim.”

That’s what he’d thought but Jake didn’t want to think about this anymore. This curse had brought nothing but grief down on his family. His father’s murder, his mother abandoning him and his brother Brad. “Forget it. I’m not shifting again to rip out the throat of some mythological creature because you say he’s evil. How do I know I’m thinking straight when I’m in animal form?”

Bill raised the skin again. “You retain your free will and human logic.”

“I won’t chance that with someone’s life,” Jake snapped back. “I have to go.” He stormed to his truck, raced out of the driveway and down the road. He knew no matter 20

Desert of the Damned

how fast he drove, the heritage he so desperately tried to deny would follow and take over his life.

21

Kathy Kulig

Chapter Three

The next morning Amy stuffed a slice of buttered toast into her mouth, grabbed a cup of instant coffee and checked the time—twenty minutes late. Even if she saw Dante at work, she wouldn’t confront him about why he left her alone in the desert before he finished his game of seduction. That was one discussion she’d rather not get into at work because of how angry she was. At the moment, she could frighten away the biggest, meanest guard dog with a glance. Great sex or not, Dante was exasperating and she intended to tell him they were through.

Exhausted and frustrated, she yanked open her front door, stumbled over a cardboard box on her porch and spilled her coffee. At first the small object inside looked like a discarded ball of orange angora yarn. Crouching down, she poked it with a finger. The fluffball moved and meowed. A kitten, a very young one from the size of the thing, was curled up on a pile of rags. It raised its tiny head, blinked and meowed again.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” she said to the cat.

Glancing up and down her street, she looked for the culprit who’d abandoned the creature. The kitten looked only a few weeks old and could fit on her palm. If she left it behind it would die. She swore. She’d have to bring it to work.

“Come on, let’s go, we’re late,” she groaned. “Just for today, then you’re going to the animal shelter.”

Setting her coffee cup down, she reached out to the kitten. It hissed and ten needlelike nails sunk into her hand and sharp teeth gnawed at her knuckle. She jerked her hand back. “Wow, monster, I’m trying to save your life. Don’t blame you for being pissed but I need to get to work.” The offensive odor coming from the box made her go search for a clean one. Grabbing the kitten by the scruff of the neck, she avoided additional attempts at clawing and biting and brought the animal inside.

Several packing boxes were left over from her move to Arizona, so she lined one with a plastic garbage bag and paper towels, then brought the box to her car.

“Okay, orphan, after work you’re going to the animal shelter unless someone at the lab wants to adopt you.”
Now I’m really late.

Chemistry lab technologist Truly Duly was blessed with free-spirited parents.

Unfortunately, Truly claimed they’d smoked a bit too much weed in the sixties and seventies and were in an altered state when they were picking baby names.

When Amy walked into the lab carrying the cardboard box emitting sounds of mewing, Truly got up from her computer and rushed over to the box. “What do you got there?” She peered inside. “Oooh. Kitten. What a cutie.” She yanked off her nitrile 22

Desert of the Damned

gloves and washed her hands in a nearby sink, then readjusted the narrow glitter hairband holding back her wavy red hair. Truly was only thirty-four, a couple of years older than Amy, but her sun-worn skin and lack of makeup both aged her a bit and gave her a healthy glow.

Amy placed the box on the floor next to her desk. “Someone abandoned it on my porch this morning. I need to drop it at the animal shelter after work.”

Truly laughed. “Good luck. They won’t take a kitten that small. You’re going to need to feed her every six hours by hand. We can get some milk from the cafeteria and use a syringe until you stop at the pet store for formula.” She crouched down beside the box and picked up the kitten, her long ivory linen skirt pooled around the floor as she nuzzled the tiny thing. Her turquoise and silver bangles clanged together. The kitten meowed loudly. “Aw, she’s hungry.”

“I’m not getting pet supplies, because I’m not keeping it.” Amy didn’t want to tell Truly she expected to be moving out of Arizona within the year so she didn’t want to commit to a pet that would be a hassle to move across country to Florida.

“Here, hold her. I’ll get the milk and a syringe.” Truly stood and passed the kitten to Amy. The kitten hissed and bit her again.

“Ouch.” She dropped the fluffball in the box. “She doesn’t like me. Why don’t you take her home?”

Truly crinkled her nose and pressed her lips together as if thinking about it. The fluorescent lighting brought out the pale sprinkle of freckles across her nose and cheeks.

“Can’t. I already have two and they would eat her alive.” Reaching inside the box, Truly lifted the kitten out and cradled her in her arms as she stroked her. “Now I know why you were late. I thought it was because you had a hot date.” Truly didn’t make eye contact.

Amy decided not to mention the encounter with Dante. Truly was the only one in the lab who knew Amy and Dante had been seeing each other but since Dante was a lab director at Drake Diagnostic Laboratories, she thought it was best not to publicize it.

Their relationship was temporary, gratifying and bizarre. She wasn’t about to write home about him or start hanging photos in her cubicle. And she certainly wasn’t going to talk about their sexual adventures with her coworkers. “It took me a while to find a clean box for the cat.”

“I started the chem run,” Truly said as she slipped the kitten back in the box.

“Looks like we’ll have another busy day. Micro says they’re swamped too.”

Amy would check with the microbiology department later. They must have acquired new accounts for the increase in workload. “Thanks. I’ll take the kitten to the storeroom if you get the milk and a syringe. Maybe after we feed her, she’ll quiet down.”

In the storeroom, Amy gave up trying to feed the kitten and let Truly do it.

“She doesn’t need much but you need to feed her on her stomach.” Truly held the cat on her palm and aimed the syringe with milk into her mouth. More dribbled down 23

Kathy Kulig

onto the paper towels but the kitten managed to get her fill. “Try it. You’ll have to feed her again at six and at midnight.”

Amy groaned. “I’m calling the animal shelter anyway. Maybe they’ll take her.”

Truly glared at her. “Feed her.”

“Okay.” This time the kitten didn’t attempt to sink teeth or claws into Amy’s arm and took a few more drops of milk, then rested her head in Amy’s hand.

“Awww, see? She likes you. She was ornery before because she was hungry. What are you going to name her?”

Amy shot her an icy stare.

Truly ignored her. “Hmmm. She has dark orange and brown coloring. A tiger mixed in there. I think you should call her Sienna.”

“Whatever.” Amy found a pack of paper towels on one of the shelves and added more to the box. Sienna was curled up, eyes closed and purring. “Asleep already. Back to work.”

Back in the chemistry department Truly tugged on some gloves and sat at the chemistry analyzer and loaded another tray of patient blood samples. “Hey, aren’t you going to tell me about why you were really late? I mean, you’re the boss and you don’t have to but I’m dying to hear about your hot date.”

“Yes and no. I did see Dante last night. But he couldn’t stay.” Amy didn’t look up from the stack of reports she was signing. And he had done the same to her before.

Where the hell does he go and why can’t he ever finish making love to me?
What worried her more was that she never remembered him leaving. How could he do that? Was he hypnotizing her? His eagerness toward sexual encounters seemed obsessive.

“He took over Lisa’s position months ago. There’s something wicked sexy about him. He doesn’t say much but you know it’s there smoldering beneath the surface…”

Truly raised her eyebrows as if waiting for Amy to tell all.

Amy picked up the quality control files and carried them to her desk, turning her back on Truly.

“Those administration people on the second floor don’t usually converse with us lab rats,” Truly persisted. “So, did he stay over? Was he good?” She went over to the computer to review the results on the instrument.

Amy caved, a little. “No, he didn’t stay over. And, yes, he’s hot.” She didn’t feel like mentioning she’d had about enough of Dante and his games but to tell Truly would only bring on more questions. “I need to call the animal shelter.” She pulled the phone book off a shelf above her desk.

Truly gave her a disapproving look. “Maybe it’s synchronicity that brought the kitten to you.”

Amy groaned as she flipped through pages but didn’t look at them. “Someone just dropped the poor thing off instead of bringing it to the shelter.”

“A cat could be just what you need to adjust to your new home.”

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Desert of the Damned

“I’m adjusting.”

Truly wheeled her chair away from her computer and rolled over to Amy’s desk.

“Oh yeah, then what’s this?” She opened a file folder that was lying on top of Amy’s desk. Inside were Amy’s résumé and a list of companies in Florida. “You’ve only been in Arizona eight months. Why don’t you give it a chance? Don’t you like it here? Don’t you like working with me?”