Nexus Chapter 2

2.

      Drew was on the freeway doing sixty-five miles per hour when her car’s engine spluttered and died.  Even the CD player, which had been blaring a Requiem song, just stopped.  
      “What the?” She frowned down at the steering wheel.
      Drew managed to turn the car to the side of road as it coasted to a stop.  
      She pulled up the hand-break and opened the car door.  Popping the hood she got out.
      “Okay, what up with this?” she mumbled as she moved to the front of the car. At least the moon was full, so it wasn’t that dark. She was nervous enough having to be on the freeway in the early hours of the morning.  That couldn’t be helped, she thought to herself.  Her sister had needed her tonight, Brynn had a horrendous day at work and another fight with her obnoxious boss.  She had needed to vent a little and Drew didn’t mind listening so she’d driven to Bryn’s place earlier in the evening and they’d had dinner and a long chat, no, rant was more like it, about the stupidity of the male species.  Time had sped past and before they realized it, it was nearly three a.m. and Drew still had to get home.  She should have slept on Brynn’s couch.  It was stupid to get in the car and want to drive home so late at night.  Brynn had asked her to say, but Drew had wanted to go home.  
      “It’s only a twenty minute drive Bry, I’ll be home in no time and you know I don’t sleep well unless I’m in my own bed.”
      Brynn had put her hands on her hips, she’d looked like she was about to argue.  Then she’d sighed.
      “Okay little sister, I’m not going to try and convince you differently, you’re so stubborn it would be pointless.  Just please be careful.”  
      Drew’s thoughts were disturbed by the sound of tires crunching on gravel.  She looked up to see a panel van pulling on to the side of the freeway a few feet in front of her car.  It had pulled over from the opposite side of the freeway because it was now stopped with its nose facing her car.  
      No engine sounds. What was going on here?  It sounded like the panel van had died the same way her car had.  Had she stepped into the Bermuda triangle and just not known it.  She almost laughed at the silly notion when the sliding door of the panel van slammed open and men started pouring out.  
      “…has to be an ambush.” She heard one say.
      He stepped to the front and started giving orders.
      “Markus, go right.  Ross, take the left side. Darius, stay in the…”
      Someone inside the van tried to argue with him.
      “No, I mean it, stay in the van with Namara.”
      As he turned to talk to the person in the van Drew got a better look at him.
      She felt as if someone had just sucker punched her. She leaned back on the hood of her car and just gawked.   He was, well, the word beautiful was the only way she could describe him.  Even though she used that word, he was in no way androgynous, he oozed masculinity with his big frame, easily six foot three, broad across the shoulders and narrow in the hips. She blessed the moonlight that let her see him so clearly.  There was no mistaking the ripple of well-built muscle under the tight tee shirt he wore, and his denim-covered legs were long and well formed.  Dark hair curled around a face that must have been carved by some loving deity, it was so perfect, with a sculpted jaw, generous lips, and dark brows that curved above his eyes.  Damn, he had to be a male super-model or something.  He was simply breathtaking.  
      She did stop breathing when he looked in her direction and noticed her.  
      For an eternal moment he just stared at her. Then one of his companions called out.   
      “Clear to the right. But I don’t know how long it’s going to stay that way.”
       He started moving towards her, and her stomach did a summersault.  
      “If you want to stay safe, you’ll get in your car and lock the doors.”
      His voice flowed across her skin and the fine hairs on her arms rose in a pleasant shiver.  
      She mentally shook herself.
      “What’s going on here, why must I get in my car?”
      “Please,” he stopped in front of her and she had to look up at him.  “I’d feel better if you were in your car with the doors locked. I’ve got a feeling things are going to get… hairy soon. It won’t be a good place for a normal.” He smiled as if he’d just made a joke.  It made him so gorgeous Drew had to learn to breathe all over again.  Understandably it took her a moment to process what he had just said.  
      “Wait,” she frowned, crossing her arms over her breasts and cocking one hip in a stubborn stance “what do you mean ‘for a normal’”
      She heard someone shout.
      “Heads up!”
      “Shit.” he cursed as he reached out, pushing her to the side and down.  All she had time to think was, damn he’s strong, before she landed hard on the ground and the wind was knocked out of her.  
      She heard a flurry that sounded like bird wings and he was down, something or someone on top of him.
      Drew sat up and scooted backwards to put her back against the car, and herself out of harms way.  The dark haired man had gotten up, and moved into a fighting crouch.  The thing that had jumped him mirrored the position, it was a man, tall and thin with snow colored hair. She didn’t take in much more before the thin man launched himself at the dark haired one again.  
      Drew had developed an interest in martial arts quiet young, and had studied various forms of it her whole life, so she was not slouch where fighting was concerned but she watched the fight with growing awe.  They moved with speeds that were impossible, some movements no more than a blur, movie special effects be damned.  The dark haired man was so graceful, she felt like she was watching a dance instead of combat.  
      One of the men growled low making the hair on the nape of her neck stand up.  She heard an animal scream that froze her blood and she snapped her head to the left then right to be sure nothing was coming at her.  She saw that the rest of the man’s companions were also engaged in serious battle.  
      The moment’s distraction cost her because when she looked back again the thin man had the dark haired man pinned to the ground.  Drew felt her heart beat in her throat.  She didn’t want to see the dark haired man hurt.  White hair reared back stretching his mouth open.  Drew was horrified to see fangs.  She cursed because she had a nagging suspicion that she’d walked into the middle of a fight between mythos creatures.  She’d never met a mythos before even though it had been a couple of decades since the Matkin’s interviews had exposed the existence of mythical beings.  They tended to stay isolated in communities of their own.  She should have realized she was dealing with someone more than human when he’d called her a ‘normal’.  Drew cursed again her eyes still riveted to the fight in front of her.  
      The white haired man reared further back coiled to strike.  Drew jumped up, she couldn’t just sit here and watch whitey hurt the dark haired hunk.    She launched herself to tackle the white haired creature, and several things happened almost simultaneously.  She saw the pinned man get his arm free, his fingers extend into long claws, as the other man dropped with the strike, the dark haired man’s claws met his chest as he pushed his hand up punching straight through.  Whitey disappeared in puff of dust.  
      There was no way to stop her forward momentum, Drew fell onto the remaining man, and his still extended claws. She felt his claws rip her skin and tear through the bone of her rib cage. She screamed and passed out.  
      Seth started retracting his claws, and moved his arm as he saw the woman falling towards him. He wasn’t fast enough, he felt the clawed extensions of his fingers pierce her skin.  If he moved his arm now he’d do more damage.  He focused all his will on the transformation, he had to get the claws back before she fell all the way.  He’d never wanted to transform so much in his whole life.
      He felt his claws retract completely as her weight hit his chest, it had worked, he had hurt her he just hoped he hadn’t pierced anything vital.  
      She was lying across his chest, her blood seeping into his tee-shirt.  He had the absurd thought that she felt good lying on him.  He cursed himself for that bit of stupidity and sat up carefully cradling her in his arms.  She groaned and he caught himself wishing that she would groan for him, not from pain.  He shook his head, what the hell was wrong with him tonight.  He sure as shit wasn’t going down that road again.  Women in general were bad news.  He wasn’t interested in being used and abused by some femme fatale again.  No matter how attractive the package, and he had to admit this one came in some nice packaging.  Damn, it was all he could do to snap out of it when he’d first seen her.  Her hair, so dark it made the night look bright, hung past her waist.  The delicate heart shape of her face, with those huge gray eyes and full lips that looked so damn soft.  He wasn’t even going to think of the body in the tight v-neck shirt and jeans.  She was short, he usually preferred women a bit taller, but her curves more than made up for the lack of height.  She was rounded in all the right places, with a tiny waist and full breasts.  
      “It’s all clear Seth.  Wicked little fight that was.”  Marcus sauntered up behind him grinning.  Marcus would go out of his way to get into a good fright.  
      Seth jerked, and cursed himself for getting distracted by thoughts of the female.  
      “Are you okay, did you get hurt?” Marcus frowned when he saw Seth still hadn’t gotten up.  
      The woman moaned again and Marcus moved around Seth to see what had made the noise.  
      “Damn!  I thought she was safe in her car.”
      “She is, you must be hallucinating.” Seth twisted his mouth in sarcasm.  “Ross trained with Jesse.”
      “Yeah.” Marcus stared at the woman.
      “Well what are you waiting for? Go get him and tell him to bring the first aid kit.”
      Marcus spun and dashed to the van.  He was back with Ross almost immediately.  
      “You’re going to have to put her on the ground so I can see.” Ross kneeled down and opened the first aid kit.  
      Seth gently lay her down on the ground, but he be damned if he wanted to let her go.  She woke up as he lay her down.
      “Shh,” Seth soothed her when she looked like she was going to panic. “Its okay let Ross have a look at the wound.”
      “I’m a trained paramedic, so don’t worry.  I know what I’m doing.”  
      Drew looked at Ross, he looked a bit young to be trained in emergency medicine.  His straight blonde hair was cut long in the front and short at the back, the front hung down over one eye and he tucked it behind his ear as he leaned forward.  His skin was smooth and golden his jaw-line strong and masculine.  
      The third man came and sat down on his haunches next to Ross.  His hair was dark like the first man’s but it was straight and he wore it longer, to the middle of his back. He was just as gorgeous.  His eyes were remarkable, a dramatic yellow green almost the color of a cat’s eye.  
      Had she stepped into a romance cover model convention or something?  
      Drew nodded her consent and groaned again, the little movement causing her more pain.  
      “I thought I had been dreaming, obviously I wasn’t. You’re a mythos aren’t you?” she looked straight at Seth.
      He grinned at her.  “Was it that obvious?”  He was impressed, most normals, women especially, would be hysterical at this point.  This one was tough, not only had she been wounded, she was perfectly aware that she was surrounded by creatures of legend and she was taking it in, without the hysterics.  
      She laughed and groaned.
      “Keep still, I’ll have a look.” Ross tore her blood soaked shirt from the hem up to just under her breasts.  
      “What’s your name?”  Seth asked trying to distract her from the nasty gash under her left breast that Ross had just exposed.
      “Drew Mathews” she flinched as Ross tore open a sterile swab and gently started cleaning around the wound.
      “Hi Drew,” Seth smiled “I’m Seth, you’ve met Ross and the big guy over there is Marcus.” He gestured towards Marcus.
      Ross whistled softly. “What made this wound?”  
      When his question produced only silence he looked up at Seth.  
      The guilt in Seth’s face was answer enough.  
      “Claws?”
      “Yeah.” Seth nodded knowing what Ross was thinking.
      “Ah hell, that’s not good.” Marcus shook his head.  Then flushed as he realized he should have kept his mouth shut. Both Seth and Ross were glaring at him.
      He pointed at his boots.
      “Size ten, but somehow they always manage to fit into my mouth.”
      “Why is it not…?”
      Drew was interrupted when another man called from the van.  
      “Seth, what’s going on, who’s hurt?”  
      Seth turned his head looking over his shoulder.  “We’ll be there now and explain everything just stay in the van and keep Namara there.”
      Darius nodded and stepped back into the van.  
      “Why is it not good?” Drew leaned up a bit and looked down at the wound.  
      “It doesn’t look to bad, I’m sure it will heal fine.  It’s not even that painful anymore.”
      “Yeah,” Ross tossed the swab into a packet in the first aid kit, and looked straight at Seth.  “It’s healing already.”
      Marcus groaned and Seth started cursing vehemently.  
      Drew was confused, wasn’t that good news?
      “Why does everyone seem upset by that?”  
      Seth took a deep breath and let it out.  
      “You didn’t ask what kind of mythos I am.”
      “What’s that got to do with this?”  Drew was starting to feel as if she was the butt of a joke she wasn’t getting.  
      Seth ran his hand through his hair  “I’m a lycos.”
      “I’m sorry, a what?”  Drew pushed her elbows under and leaned further up.  She really wasn’t all that sore anymore. It was quiet amazing.  
      “Oh gods, just spit it out and get it over with,” Marcus growled in frustration.
      “He’s a lycanthrope, a wereleopard if you want to cut it down to the bone.”
      All three men started at her as if they were expecting a nuclear explosion.  She palled as it started to sink in.  
      “You are a wereleopard.”
      Seth nodded, his eyes downcast, guilt eating him.   
      Her eyes widened “That’s contagious.”
      “Only if your skin is torn by a lycos in animal form.” Ross closed the first aid kit.  Then looked up at her. “Don’t get happy yet.” He said, as she started to smile.  
      “You fell on my claws.” Seth’s voice was quiet. “That’s part of my animal form.  So you stood a high chance of being infected.”  
      “But there is a chance I might not be?” she didn’t notice the past tense in his words.  
      Seth stood up, dusted off the seat of his jeans and offered her his hand.  Drew took it without thinking and he pulled her up.  She expected a huge amount of pain and got only a twinge.  
      “Nope,” he released her hand “you were infected.  Look at the wound.”
      She looked down and parted the torn material of her shirt.  The gaping gash has shrunk down to a little tear.  
      Her jaw dropped and her head snapped up.  She looked at Seth with wide eyes.  
      “What am I going to do?”
      “You’ll have to come with us.  You are gonna need to learn a few things.  Then we’ll take it from there.”  He took her hand, entwining his fingers with hers.  He understood that she was freaked out, and need some comfort.  
      “Come with us and I’ll watch over you and teach you everything you need to know. You don’t have to worry.”
      Drew let him lead her to the van, her mind in chaos.  He opened up the passenger side door and she stepped into the van.  She was so shocked between being wounded and the news that she was going to be a lycanthrope - she didn’t even realize that she was leaving her car and the life it represented behind.