Free The Hunt by C.J. Ellisson Page A

the property, and she’d never make it back in this cold.
    “I’ll report your fall to Vivian so your bonus isn’t at stake, okay?”
    “You’re a gem, Drew, thanks.”
    I wait with her about twenty minutes until her ride shows up. Before I can step back into the frigid darkness and decide where to go next, my phone buzzes again.
    It’s Asa.
    “Some info has come in from Cy on Emiko. Turns out the hot, little Asian chick was trained as a female ninja over two hundred and fifty years ago.”
    Huh, that explains the broken neck move.
    “They’re called kunoichi ,” I tell him.
    “Yeah, that’s what the report says. How’d you know that?”
    “I’ve been around, grasshopper.” A grunt reaches me on the end of the line. “Were you on deck when the hunters scattered?”
    “Nope. They left about thirty minutes ago and I was, er… um… still busy.”
    I’m sure that answers things about Joanna in a roundabout way, but I’m not touching that pile with a ten-foot pole.
    “Oh wait, hold on, dude. I got a call coming in from cabin two’s landline.”
    Asa must have kept the channel open on speaker function while he hit the speakerphone button on the landline because Paul’s frantic voice fills the airwaves next.
    “Asa! I need help! There’s blood everywhere. And this guy’s dead!”
     
     
     
     

Paul
     
    “Calm down, man. Tell me what you did,” comes Asa’s gruff reply.
    “I didn’t do anything, you arrogant grunt! I smelled blood and followed it to this cabin.” My hand shakes as I grip the phone. “Someone came in and tore this guy to shreds.”
    “Go stand outside, Paul.” Asa’s calm voice feels like a kick in the teeth; knocking away what little control I have, like mice scurrying from a light. “Get away from the scene for now and I’ll send everyone available to you.”
    It’s as if he thinks I’m too stupid to handle myself in the cabin and he’s afraid I’ll mess it up somehow. Competent jerk. He forgets he was a newbie only a year ago.
    Before he hangs up on me I hear, “Drew, did you catch that? He’s out at…”
    The dial tone sounds in my ear and I stare at the receiver another moment in silence. Absolute quiet, punctuated by the irresistible and overpowering scent of fresh werewolf blood, washes over me. Who would have thought it could smell so much better than regular human blood? The desire to get down on my knees next to the mangled body and lick what I can makes me think Asa had a good idea—maybe I will go stand outside for a bit.
    I’m still in my parka, having done no more than enter the cabin, take in the destruction, and stagger to the phone to call Asa. When I open the door the sub-zero temp smacks me in the face, like it does every time. A harsh reminder that even though I can take more abuse from the cold, I can still feel it and suffer its effects. The urge to go back inside to taste the blood splatter on the walls, or pick up the drained corpse and check for leavings, racks my body like a hard shiver of frost creeping up my spine.
    Not to be able to rein in these desires leaves me scared and slightly lost. Things are so much clearer when Vivian stands near me. How much longer until I have Asa’s control? When will I get to go home to my family? Not seeing them on a daily basis, after work or before we start our day, takes its toll. The kids are getting bigger and missing Christmas with them sucked.
    Thinking of them distracts me from the dead werewolf inside the cabin. He’s not an employee, but a hunter, so technically Emiko didn’t break any rules by killing him. I hadn’t expected her to act so fast, or be so harsh.
    The faint sound of feet hitting asphalt gradually becomes stronger and Drew’s distinct orange coat comes into view.
    “How you holding up, Paul?” he asks.
    “Not bad. I’ve got it together.” Barely, but he doesn’t need to know that.
    “What happened in there?”
    “I’m not sure. Viv asked me come to check on the loner