Masked

CHAPTER 26 | things just got worse

The moon was at its highest point when Daniel and a small team of enforcers returned from patrol. They had gone on an impromptu hunt after finding no sign of intruders along their borders. His wolf had vented its frustration on an unsuspecting deer and was now sated and, for once, quiet.

One foot inside the door and he detected the faint smell of Calendula and honey. His wolf raised its head, but Daniel was quick to dismiss it as wishful thinking. Angry for allowing his thoughts to wander to Parker yet again, he headed to his room for a shower.

His body refreshed, he sniffed the air. The aroma of buttermilk and maple syrup wafted throughout the bottom level of the house. He headed for the kitchen, thinking that Jessica had left him some supper. His heart leaped and he halted mid-stride when he entered the kitchen. What the...? Sitting on a barstool at the high breakfast bar, was the last person he had expected to see.

Parker, the reason for his restless nights, pointed to the food across from her. "I made some extras, help yourself."

"What are you doing here?"

Her confused expression mirrored his own. "Didn't Jessica tell you?"

He squared his shoulders and cleared his throat. "No... No, she didn't."

"And you obviously haven't checked your voicemail."

"Battery's dead... When did you say Jessica knew you were coming?"

She tapped a few keys on her computer and glanced up at him. "I phoned her this afternoon as soon as I landed, why?"

Daniel's eyes narrowed. He had spoken to Jessica numerous times since his return; including a half hour ago when he stopped by her house with Ray. "No reason."

He attempted to contact his sister through their telepathic link. She ignored him.

I'll kill her.

Parker slid off her chair. "If it's a problem, I can bunk at Jessica's..."

"No, you damn well won't," he said. His wolf echoed the exact same phrase—at the exact same moment.

Parker sat back down, but looked wary at his bizarre behavior. "Well then, come and have something to eat."

He stalked over to the stack of pancakes, transferred half to his plate, and reached for the syrup.

"Take all of them, I've already eaten. I made the extras for you," she said.

Daniel inhaled the sweet aroma of the still warm food, and his stomach rumbled. He moved the remainder of the pancakes onto his plate, then took a seat beside her at the breakfast bar. "I'm assuming there is a reason for you being here."

Her lips formed a grim line. "Yes, and you're not going to like what I have to say."

The apprehension in her voice had him putting his knife and fork down and raising a questioning brow.

She nodded to his plate. "Eat your food first. Otherwise, you might lose your appetite, and I didn't waste my time for you to throw it away."

Daniel demolished the pancake stack while Parker fidgeted. Whatever she had to tell him, it wasn't going to be pleasant.

Once he finished eating, she grabbed both their plates and skirted around to the sink to rinse them. "I spoke to Andrew, and I know what Elise and Matheo have been doing."

His ears pricked up.

"The Goodman Group is the largest manufacturer of ice cream and yogurt in the South-East," she said. "A fundamental ingredient in their product range is caffeine."

He frowned. "And this means what, exactly?"

Parker closed her eyes briefly, and then opened them again. Her almond eyes were full of fear and concern, which only increased his concern.

"It turns out that Elise has signed a deal to exclusively supply caffeine to the group. They're putting Wildfire into synthetic caffeine and supplying it to food manufacturers. I think that's how Bobby and the others who didn't take the Wildfire pills contracted the disease. It doesn't have the same effect as the pills, but the results are the same."

His heart pounded in his chest. "Are you sure?"

She met his eyes and nodded. "I looked at the business holdings owned by the people we know he's visited. They all manufacture, to some degree, food or beverages that contain caffeine."

His fists tightened and a heavy weight began in the pit of his stomach. He did not want to believe the ramifications. A sudden coldness swept across his body as the full meaning of Elise's plan dawned on him. "And, you are sure about this?"

Her eyes were rimmed with tears as she nodded her head.

He believed her. "We need to warn the packs, they need to be prepared." He rubbed his forehead and worked through a plan to contain the impending disaster. "How much time do we have before we get the next wave of victims?"

Parker bit the inside of her cheek. "Well... based on my calculations, very few of the products we have identified would have already made it onto supermarket shelves. My concern is the companies we don't know about." She frowned, thrummed her fingers on the counter, and stared at her screen. "Those kids from San Diego, is anyone else in the pack sick?"

"No. Alice is still testing the rest of the pack. So far, it's isolated to those five. Alice is sure they all were introduced to the drug at the same time."

"Okay, so it's not something they ate or drank at home. What else is common to the five?"

Daniel's eyes widened. "They all attended the same high-school." He bolted out of his chair. "We need to find out what they all ate or drank at that school."

Parker became quiet, and she rubbed her hands up and down her jeans. "I think it's about time we admitted that we need to bring in help." She looked directly at him, her voice pleading. "This is a game changer. We need something that can fight this disease. We need a cure."

His voice tensed, matching his now aggressive posture "What are you talking about?" No matter how serious this was, he couldn't believe she was suggesting they involve outsiders.

Parker flinched, but recovered, and she squared her shoulders. A determined expression crossed her face. "We need to bring in someone who can analyze Wildfire and come up with a way to fight it. Alice needs help, she can't do this alone. She's already a wreck. You know as well as I do, pumping her patients full of morphine and depriving them of oxygen goes against that God damn oath she took—the woman is coming apart at the seams."

He broke in before she could continue. "We have been over this before. My answer hasn't changed. We can't, and will not, risk exposure."

"So, you would rather wipe out an entire race than take the chance on trusting a few Humans?" Parker slammed the lid of her laptop closed. "Yeah, great plan. I've already lost Bobby. At this rate, I'm going to be outliving you all."

He towered over her, and his eyes flashed before they shrank into angry slits. "Until you have lived through what I have, I suggest that you keep your opinions to yourself."

"You are so narrow-minded and pig-headed." Parker's cheeks flushed and her anger increased. "What if there are drugs out there that can already fight this? Isn't it worth the risk?"

He held his hands up and let out a deep breath. "Will you just stop, I've heard enough. We can't bring in outsiders." His voice was cold and menacing. Anyone else would have understood not to press him.

"Fine," she said. "Let everyone suffer because you are still so entrenched in what happened in the past, but don't expect me to be happy about it."

With that, she picked upher laptop and stormed out of the room.