Cat Scratch Fever; Blue-Collar Werewolves V by Buffi BeCraft Page B

branches and fell useless to the ground.
    “Go after him. He’s not a werewolf.” Ordered
the guard trained on Brandon. Matthew scrambled faster as hot
nausea ran through him. He wasn’t going to make it. If he could use
his power to grab all of the darts and aim them at the guards,
they’d be home free. He cursed himself for being too chicken-shit
to learn how to use his own abilities effectively.
    The sound of something breaking and a yell
of “Watch out!” made Matthew look up. The guard shooting at the
werewolf didn’t move fast enough to dodge the big section of sign
pitched at him. Matthew narrowed his eyes on the tiny red dots
scattered over the walls. Desperate measures called for desperate
actions.
    Clenching his fist, he clutched at them
mentally. More pieces of wood and plastic flew among the screams.
Matthew’s brain felt as if it were going to explode with the
nausea. He barely felt the bee sting in his shoulder before he
suffocated under an invisible weight on his chest. Darkness slid
over him like black water.

Chapter Four
    Naomi woke to sirens and the flash of the
light from over the automatic double doors. Animal screams of anger
and rage echoed down the hall and into the soundproofed laboratory.
Whispers of surprise came from the handful of conscious subjects
around the lab as a gurney whisked through pushed by a blue shirted
security guard and muscle in a suit. She could recognize a high
paid bodyguard any day. They looked exactly what they were. Faust
Kemlec and another bodyguard followed on their heels.
    The CEO looked ecstatic; he glanced proudly
behind him as two more guards used a motorized cart to haul in a
pissed off wolven contained in a silver cage. Casters allowed the
cage to roll without the guards actually getting close enough to
get their heads or limbs ripped from their bodies. The occupant was
certainly willing to do the deed.
    In human form, the dark haired man howled
and threw himself against the silver bars in a manic fury. When
that didn’t garner his freedom, he backed up a step, and repeated
the gesture. At least his clothing afforded him some protection
from the silver. The cage rattled and groaned with the effort, the
bars were bent slightly, stressed from the wolven’s battering.
    Kemlec practically beamed at Dr. Drake.
“Good! You’re in early.” What Kemlec didn’t know was that Drake had
stayed to try and convince Nathan, her, and Morrow the tiger to
leave. The assortment of vials that Drake wanted to take with him
sat on his desk in a small, portable tray. The entirety of her
people’s DNA, ready to grab and go. It was insulting.
    With smooth practice, moved the vials back
to the small refrigerator. Drake straightened as he changed his
gloves, folding one in over the other as he pulled the second one
off. It was one of those moves that confirmed his familiarity with
the medical environment. Kemlec’s triumph soured as he glanced at
the cages. “I thought I told you to get rid of the cats.”
    “I will when I’m done with them,” replied
Drake without looking at his boss. His attention was all for the
gurney. Frowning, he placed a hand on the man’s chest. The man
looked like someone—she glanced at the bodyguards rumpled suits—had
beat the living daylights out of their prisoner before bringing him
down. “What is this? This man is not a supernatural.” Drake’s
gently touched the ripped, bloody tatters of the prisoner’s
shirt.
    “Oh, that.” Kemlec’s attention had turned to
the cage. He waved a hand at Drake. “Downsizing one of my
department heads. He knows too much. He got hit with one of the
werewolf tranqs and had to have his heart restarted.” With delight,
Kemlec watched the wolven’s attempts to break free. The guard
unhooked the cart and left as fast as possible without saying a
word. Naomi clutched the blanket in sympathy as the wolven took a
swipe at the CEO before worrying at the bars with his hands. The
bodyguards hovered on each