What was I thinking, running into a library this late at night? Problem is, I didn't have a choice. She was on my tail, pretty much literally. Friggin' full moon, anyway. Slipped my mind, honestly.
Luckily, none of the lights had come on. Cheap security. Maybe that meant I wouldn't have to deal with cops as well as a Hunter.
"Come now, loup." her voice came through the window I had broken through. "Hiding in the dark? That's not going to help." I could almost hear the smile in her voice. "I'm not afraid of the dark."
"Be afraid of what's in the dark, chere," I called back, looking for any any advantage I could get over a woman about half my size carrying a gun. I growled low and moved quietly up the ramp toward science fiction and fantasy. I heard her chasing me, her breathing still normal, her heart rate still steady.
I grabbed the first large book I found, dug my claws into it, spun, ducked her first shot and launched the book, 'The complete Works of Isaac Asimov,' and heard her bounce into the wall to dodge it.
I grabbed two more books and threw them, one slamming into the wall behind her and the other hit her arm, but not her gun arm. Another shot went off, a bit high, causing a dusting of plaster to fall from the ceiling.
I threw everything I could reach, from Spider Williams to Douglas Adams. Then, I came up with a plan.
I threw one book but waiting a fraction of a second before throwing the second. I threw that one low. The first had been at her head, which she deflected with her arm the other was at one of the weak spots in her armor: her ankles.
I heard the smack of book spine on bone and heard her cry out, firing a wild shot, her third, as she rolled behind a row of shelves for cover. Perfect. I turned and pushed the shelf next to me, putting all of my five hundred and some odd pounds of body weight behind it. It went over like a domino, just like every one that followed. She screamed and scrambled, but I could tell which direction. I ran, looking for an easy way out. Not that another window wouldn't work, but I did have consideration for the people who'd have to clean this up.
Her gun went off and a shot whizzed by my ear. I turned and she was hauling herself out from under the collapsed shelving, gun in one hand, pulling with the other. What a woman. And to think that at one point, we had been lovers. Then the damned Scent kicked in.
We had been dating for a while when we decided to become intimate. I was worried about telling her what I was, but she seemed to just brush off my attempts to explain, saying whatever it was, we'd figure it out when we came to it. We spent hours exploring each other's bodies with hands, fingers and mouths.
As we lay together, sweat sticking a sheet to us, she suddenly screamed and grabbed her head. She rolled off the bed, thumping to the floor and began puking her dinner onto the carpet.
I sighed and put my head in my hands, having seen this reaction before. She had felt, for the very first time, the Scent. Her mind was overwhelmed with all of the olfactory input that comes with being a Hunter. We was buffeting her the most right then was my scent. We have a pretty strong smell, that usually undetectable to humans but readily available to others of my kind and to the Hunters.
I let her go until she had nothing left in her stomach and then watched as she passed out. I picked her up on my shoulder and walked out the door to the balcony. I took in the night air with a deep breath and leapt into the darkness, changing in mid-jump.
A few minutes later, minutes I spent questioning my decision, I brought her to the doorstep of the Refuge, home of the Hunters. I was definitely on enemy turf.
As I lay her on the stoop, the door opened and I jumped back, claws ready, fangs bared, but they were just Brothers. These two were part of the unarmed, holy branch of the Hunters.
"We smelled you coming, Beast. Why bring us this one?"
"She has the Scent. She will make you another fine Hunter."
They looked at each other and gently lifted her and took her inside , the door shutting behind them. And not even an invitation for a drink. How rude.
They trained her, taught her to use her gists. They trained her in hand-to-hand combat, evasion, hunting, firearms. Everything it took to kill us. She learned very well.
Which brings us back to the library.
Another shot cracked, taking one of the library computers out in a shower of sparks. That was shot number four. I was definitely counting. I turned and bounded up the stars to my left on all fours and headed to the second floor.
As I reached the top of the stairs, I spied a book cart that someone had forgotten to put away. I lifted it over mu head and waiting for her to show so I could cave her skull in. Well, it was either her or me.