Lore vs. The Summoning Read Online Free PDF Page B

 
    My trigger finger went on alert when the wolf pulled himself onto his haunches. In confusion I watched him maneuver himself until his back was to me. Then I saw why he'd done it. The dark coating of fur slowly began to bleed away to human skin to the tune of disgusting pops and slurps that couldn't have felt good.  
    It took him five full minutes to complete the Change back to his human form. I'd expected him to say something once he'd finished. It was the only reason he'd have needed to transform back. But the mailman said nothing.
    I stood watching him warily for any sign of movement for a minute, fully expecting Apollo's Warning to kick in for a renewed attack. The only movement I saw was a curious shaking of his back. It took me longer still to realize what it was. He was crying.
    Now it was important to understand that I'd not had the best track record with men in my twenty-five years. But I did know they tended not to like people witnessing their breakdowns. So I was left with the unsettling task of figuring out what the hell to do with a crying werewolf that wouldn't snitch. Did I stand there hoping he'd explain why he was crying? Or threaten him some more?
    I made the mistake of adjusting my weight onto one hip. My clothes must have made a rustling noise because his profile turned enough for him to see me out of the very corner of his eye.
    "Why couldn't you have just left me alone?" He snarled.
    "You're the dealer, mailman," I said calmly. "I need you to get to the kingpin."
    "The kingpin is going to kill her because of you, you selfish bitch." And then he broke down into sobs.
    Oh gods. I couldn't handle sobbing men. I went all kinds of weird when faced with a blubbering guy. It had been responsible for one or two of the worst decisions in life.
    Carefully I questioned him, "Who is going to kill who?"
    "Chet is going to kill my sister."
    "Chet?" I hated the name Chet. I'd gone to school with a Chet and he'd been a complete asshole.
    The blubbering went on for a little bit longer but ended with, "As soon as he makes sure I'm dead, he'll kill her."
    "Is Chet the guy receiving all of these packages?"
    He shot to his feet the turn on me with rage filled eyes. "Fuck you!"
    My eyebrows lifted at him but it was the only response he'd gotten out of me.  
    "All you care about is the fuckin' useless packages!" The mailman roared, "My sister is gonna die!"
    I wasn't impressed by the savagery of his shouts. "Look, brainchild, if you'd told me the dude taking the packages would kill your sister if he found out you'd squealed, this would have been an entirely different kind of conversation!"
    "Like you'd do anything," he snapped back.
    That's when I remembered something. I'd picked the mailman up at a bar not far from here. "Wait a second. What the hell were you doing trolling a bar for women if your sister is being held prisoner?"
    I saw a flicker of something pass through his eyes that he quickly hid behind a lame attempt at swagger. "A man's got needs..."
    The gun was aimed at his forehead now. "Wrong answer."
    He went pale, eyes shooting wide.
    In a low voice I said, "Even I can't heal a gunshot to the brain. Spill it."
    The mailman's head shook wildly. "No way! You'll kill me!"
    My right eyebrow cocked at him. "Not too bright, are you?"
    "Oh," he said dully when he realized I'd already threatened to kill him if he didn't answer me. With a petulant sigh he lowered himself into a kneeling position on the ground. His chin lifted until he could see my face again. "He sends me out to pick up chicks, drug them and then bring them back to his place."
    "Chet does?"
    "Yeah," he sighed.
    "I need a straight answer from you, mailman. Is Chet the one who is getting the packages?"
    "Yeah."
    My shoulders relaxed just a smidgen. "Is Chet a witch?"
    "No."
    "Damn it," I exclaimed without realizing it.
    "What?" The mailman wiped the moisture from his cheeks and watched me through widened eyes.
    "Does Chet work for someone else?"
    "I don't