* * *
I ran as fast as I could through a bureaucratic maze, aided by Gideon and Meaty’s map. I shinned myself on copier trays, caught my hips on the edges of desks, bouncing down the accounts and billing floor like a pinball.
It didn’t matter what I hit or what hit me. I felt numb. Sike was gone. Meaty’s directions led me to the end of the accounting floor. I went into a file storage closet and found the shelves disturbed to reveal pieces of flooring pulled off and a hole underneath. I reached inside, felt metal, and undid a latch. I heard a howl behind me—I jumped into the space in the floor. I screamed as I fell and landed on cold cement, then scrambled out of the way just before Gideon climbed down behind me.
“About time you got here!” Rachel reached up, shut the trapdoor behind me, and spun a lock.
Gina put her rifle down to help me up. “It’s called a ladder, Edie.”
“You all were waiting?”
“Well, I figured on this particular night, a werewolf would have a problem opening the door.” Gina gave me a thumbs-up to demonstrate why. “Still bad up there?”
“From bad to worse.” I leaned on her. “Where’s Meaty?”
“Up ahead.”
My charge nurse stood at the end of the hall, where we quietly joined them. It got colder as we neared—I realized we were outside, or heading toward it. The loading docks. We were only safe as long as no one knew we were here.
Meaty shone a flashlight at the thing ahead of us—a glinting wall of ice. “Snowbank. Must not have gotten any deliveries for a few days.” Then the light was flashed at me. I threw up a hand to cover my eyes. “Edie—what happened?”
I felt my face crumple. I couldn’t say the words and not cry. “A friend of mine just died.”
Compassion flowed across my charge nurse’s face. “Oh, Edie. You should know by now that we can’t save everyone.” Meaty reached out, and I folded into Meaty’s huge chest and bawled like a child.
* * *
We huddled together. Meaty kindly held me till it reached that awkward stage, and I stepped away, but not too far, because it was cold and events were still frightening. Each breath I took fogged the air, made my bronchioles tight.
“We can’t stay here all night,” I said.
“Want to go back, nearer the angry werewolves?” Rachel said, her teeth chattering.
“I’ve got us covered. Just wait it out,” Gina said.
A paw clawed through the snow ahead of us. I ducked. Rachel and Meaty jumped, reaching for their rifles.
“No no no!” Gina said, stepping forward, waving their guns down. Another paw scissored through the compacted snow, and even colder air rushed in from beyond. She looked over her shoulder at me. “Edie—this is Brandon.”
The bear unearthed himself. Rachel and Meaty still had their guns ready, but lowered. Gina ran forward, and I lunged after her. I couldn’t take losing anyone else tonight—
The bear caught her, and she snuggled against his chest. His giant head came down and nuzzled the back of her neck, looking at the rest of us with intelligent eyes. Gina turned back to me, smiling.
“Just because he can’t text me back doesn’t mean he can’t read.” She patted her cell phone in her pocket.
“I guess he’s a Care Bear, after all,” I said.
She reached out and hit my arm, exactly where my shot had been.
CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
Through a series of yes/no questions, Brandon convinced us we probably wouldn’t die once we emerged. We followed him out of the drift, and I realized why—he’d brought bear friends. Twenty full bears, different sizes and colors, but massive and shaggy in every way. They formed a diamond pattern around us and led us away from the loading docks and toward the front of the hospital.
I didn’t know where we’d go, or how we’d manage to fix things. The contingent of weres was still howling in the hospital behind us—I wondered if Jake was among their number, if the Shadows had stopped protecting him from his folly the second they left town. We headed for the tree line surrounding the visitor parking lot, and as we arrived a shadow separated itself from among their number.
“I had wondered if you’d survive this mess.” The voice came from a trench-coated, sickle-bearing vampire with a large bag at his feet—Dren. Almost a sight for sore eyes. Then I realized again that Sike was gone, and my chest got two sizes too small. He began walking toward us, dragging the bag behind him. “I heard it went well for the fearsome child. I believe I have something of interest for her.”
Brandon got up on his two hind legs and made a threatening noise.