APEX - Season 2

Ch. 16: Bonnie and Clyde

Calla

We'd only been at work for a few hours when Rhys gathered his things and informed me that he was going home.

Not so long ago, I would have been quick to accuse him of laziness. Here we were only a few weeks away from a vote that would decide the fate of werewolves, as well as the biggest tournament in the world. And this clown was cutting out early. But that was the reaction of a Calla that didn't really know Rhys. He wasn't lazy, he simply had an easy-going approach to the shit-ton of work that he had on his plate. And he wasn't leaving the office early so he could get hammered at the local bar or chat up human subordinates—he was leaving because he felt as sick as he looked.

Skin pale, eyes puffy, movements sluggish—whatever he'd been dosed with wasn't totally done with him.

"Go," I told him. "Take a nap. I'll check in with you later."

"I'm sorry. I know I'm leaving you with a million tasks."

"They'll still be here when you're up to dealing with them. Your health takes precedence."

"I just wish I understood what exactly was done to me. I don't like not knowing."

"I'm working on that."

"So am I," he said.

"You are?" I wasn't sure what he meant by that. Was he researching the same thing I was?

"I went to the doctor yesterday. She told me I'm in peak physical condition and also I'm extremely unwell."

"Is she a real doctor because that sounds like she has no idea what she's talking about."

"It made sense if you heard her say it."

"What does she think is wrong then?"

He studied his shoes and didn't respond. I extracted myself from my desk so I could approach him and give his arm a reassuring squeeze.

"It's okay," I said, concerned by his demeanor. "You can tell me."

"She said it could be poison, just like what you've been talking about. We'll know when the results from the bloodwork come back."

"Is that all?" He'd put up a wall, blocking me from seeing into his mind. Something more was bothering him.

"That's...that's it. We'll have to wait and see."

Still sensing there was something more he wasn't telling him, I gently tilted his chin up and kissed him. Soft and sweet. He would tell me when he was ready. For now, I wasn't going to push him. "Go get some beauty sleep, Alpha."

He gave me a half smile, kissed my cheek, and left.

I felt my face where he'd touched me so gently and decided to push aside some of my tasks in favor of the research into the poison.

As if it were planned, when I sat back down and opened my email, a message from Professor Tuwile Kimani had just arrived in my inbox. I'd made an inquiry to him as he specialized in African werewolves and was himself a werewolf from a pack in Nairobi. If anyone knew about the poison used in the 1953 attack in his home city, it would be him. I sent an inquiry to him last night and was pleased to already have a response.

He did know quite a bit about the poison, his email read, and would be happy to discuss it with me. He wanted to know if I could meet him on campus at two this afternoon.

"Sounds perfect," I wrote back to him. My whole body felt electrified. I needed to feel like I was doing something concrete to help Rhys, and this was it.

At 1:30, I climbed into the back of the car and told Jackson where I needed to go.

"Eligius College?" He seemed surprised. "Are you visiting Liam?"