The Werecats: Creatures of the Night (Book One) (Revised)

- Twenty Three: Surprise Visit -

- Twenty Three: Surprise Visit -

We ran for hours. We ran until the scent of panthers faded far behind us and the smell of burning fuel and human society tinged my nose. I had never smelt it when I was bathing in it, but now with the heightened senses I could smell everything.

In the distance I could hear traffic moving on a highway as the early wakers headed to work. The buzz of car engines and squeaking brakes soothed me into a strange sense of security. As if a drone could blow all three of us up at that instant, but everything would be okay.

We're almost there, I announce to Nick and Sam as the area starts to get familiar.

Good. Even in this form I'm starting to get tired, Nick replied.

We finally reached civilization again and we had to sneak down ally ways every now and then to avoid getting seen by a human. I didn't like it. I felt like I was hiding from my own kind.

In here, I said to the others as I felt my skin prickle. Daylight had returned.

I closed my eyes and felt my human characteristics making themselves known again. My ears shrunk into my head and I was human.

"Why do Sam and I always change before the others do?" I asked Nick as we were all back in our human forms.

"The newer the Werecat, the more sensitive to night and day." Nick answered with a shrug, "Where to from here, Riley?"

I hadn't answered Nick. The ally we were in sparked memories of a dark rainy night and a bus I never caught.

"Riley?"

"This is where Dom bit me." I said, putting my hand against the bricks in nostalgia. I pointed to the back door of the pet shop and continued, "He chased me in there and finally caught up and changed me."

"How romantic." Sam said and Nick laughed.

"I hate to interrupt, but can we please get moving? The longer we're gone the more pissed Eran's gonna be when we get back." Nick said after I stood there staring for another minute.

I hadn't even thought about what the plan was after we got back. I gulped as the different scenarios took form and ran after Nick and Sam.

"You do it!" I hissed at Nick.

"No! They're your family." He spat back.

We had arrived at my old home a few minutes earlier. As soon as I saw the small brick house, however, I got cold feet and wanted to go home.

"Oh for Christ's sake!" Sam said, marching between us and ringing the bell.

"It's still early, they may not be awake." Nick said.

"They're awake. Aunt Kim always wakes up at six to cook Adam and me breakfast." I explained, my heart squeezing at the memories.

To my surprise, neither my Aunt Kim nor my cousin came to the door, but a large, official looking police officer.

Shit, I thought to myself. If a cop recognized me, I was finished for sure.

The cop stared at me for a minute, but I could see realization coming to his face.

"Stu! Come here!" He yelled.

Another cop, this one wearing a long black coat with a gold bage around his neck, came to the door.

"We've got -" But Stu didn't get to finish. He looked over my shoulder to were an older woman who also lived on my street was walking her dog. The original cop followed his gaze.