WILD [JENLISA]

28

Lisa had never been so exhausted. After almost two weeks of near-constant surveillance of Jennie's every move, she was running on only a few hours' sleep and questioning her sanity.

Technically what she was doing felt like stalking, though her motives were more pure than simply wanting to stay close to Jennie despite no longer being welcome in her life. Still, Lisa had totally disrupted her schedule, leaving work projects undone and grabbing catnaps only when she was absolutely certain Jennie was safe, all so that she could stay hidden in plain sight on the periphery of Jennie's life: outside her apartment, at the morgue, everywhere she went.

Not wanting Jennie to sense her presence, Lisa had made it a point to stay far enough away not to trigger Jennie's awareness while staying within range where she would be able to sense approaching danger. It wasn't that Lisa didn't trust Irene's protective detail to do their jobs.

Lisa was just in a unique position to watch without being seen and, if necessary, to attack with incredible force. If Jennie's stalker could possibly slip past the cops, Lisa had to be there as a last line of defense. She wouldn't be able to live with herself if something happened to Jennie and she could have stopped it.

Tonight, curled up as a large Rottweiler on the welcome mat in front of Jennie's apartment door, Lisa struggled to keep her eyes open.

Falling asleep would be disastrous. She would almost certainly wake up naked and human, and if Jennie found her like that she wouldn't be able to explain except tell the truth. Lisa was working up the nerve to do just that. She missed Jennie. If the truth could help smooth things over between them, maybe it was worth taking that risk. Keeping this secret wouldn't bring Jennie back. After their miserable time apart, that was all Lisa really cared about, even more than protecting herself from discovery.

Lisa opened her mouth wide and yawned, letting out a whine that was louder than she would have liked. She laid her head on her paws and went still, blinking sleepily as she listened to the quiet sounds of the building at night, the hum of an air conditioner, the gentle flickering of the light at the end of the hallway. There was only silence from inside Jennie's apartment, which didn't surprise Lisa at two in the morning. Jennie would be sound asleep by now. If she was able to sleep, that was. Every day Lisa saw her, Jennie looked increasingly weary.

Whether she was exhausted or depressed, Lisa wasn't sure.

If Jennie was going through even half the pain Lisa felt at their separation, it was probably some of both. As much as she hated to see Jennie suffer, Lisa took her obvious torment as a sign of hope. Clearly Jennie's emotional turmoil didn't result from having a serial killer stalk her, as if that wasn't enough, but was due to the loss of their connection. Lisa could only hope that if Jennie missed her badly enough, maybe she wouldn't reject Lisa if she knew the truth.

Exhaling, Lisa closed her eyes for the space of two breaths before forcing them open again. She had to stay awake. She sat up and sniffed, shaking her head in an effort to chase away the urge to fall asleep. Mid-shake Lisa froze, ears perking as she picked up an unusual scraping sound somewhere above her head. After so many long nights in Jennie's hallway, she knew which noises to expect, and this one was definitely out of place.

She inhaled deeply, knowing her nose would pick up the scent of trouble if it was truly in their midst. Right now it was difficult to trust her instincts. It was entirely possible her sleep-deprived mind was playing tricks on her.

There. Lisa lifted her nose and sniffed rapidly. There it was, the unmistakable scent of the man who was hunting Jennie. Lisa popped her ears up, rotating them as she strained to hear his approach.

Ceiling lamps lighted the hallway so she would surely see him coming, unless he somehow managed to enter Jennie's apartment another way, through a window, maybe, or the ventilation system.