Bonedust

corpse off of him.
    Then he realized something urgent—the sun was sliding behind the tree line. It was almost dark. A sob caught in his throat just as he heard Urban’s voice: “Holyfuck. You alright, babe?”

Chapter Five

    His ears rang, thunderously loud though the forest was dead silent. Pressing his eyes shut for a moment’s time, he gathered himself and sprinted to Gabriel’s side. Pandora leapt in front of him, her paws thumping across the ground. She growled and he saw Gabe flinch, his eyes wide and fearful. He was trembling, blood smearing his face and neck, soaking his shirt.
    “You alright?” Urban asked again, kneeling next to him.
    Gabriel shivered. “Get her…” His arms were pressed against his chest, pinned there by the weight of the former Reese Callahan, minus a skull. Her head was a mass of fleshy ribbons and decimated bone. Pandora’s ears flattened as she hooked teeth into the wolf’s scruff, giving a tug. Slowly but surely, Reese slid to the ground and Gabriel lurched away, scrambling to his feet.
    “Easy! Easy, Gabe,” Urban cautioned, reaching for him. Gabriel’s eyes darted into the fading sunlight, to the darkness folding across the world. He swiped at his face, streaking blood across his arm, and then he stared at his crimson hands, unable to keep them from shaking. “Gabriel. Please, talk to me. Did she bite you?” Alarm reared up in his gut, twisting like a hurricane.
    Gabriel blinked, mouth dropping open. He hadn’t thought of that, obviously. He turned, bending down to pull up the torn leg of his jeans. Underneath, his calf was untouched, no puncture wound. Breath whooshed out of Urban’s mouth and he had the sudden urge to grab Gabe in a hug. Hot damn, the man could’ve easily been bitten. He could be facing a lifetime of shifting back and forth from human to wolf. “You’re okay.” Urban clasped a gentle hand on Gabriel’s shoulder, but the man flinched back.
    “I… I’m sorry. I have to go.” His words came out rushed. He glanced to the side again, nervous as he wiped the backs, then the palms of his hands on his jeans to clean them.
    “Where are you gonna go? It’s almost dark.”
    “I know!” he wailed. “I have to run. I have to get someplace safe, someplace he won’t find me. Please, Urban. Please.” His voice was now a whisper as he gripped Urban’s shirt in his hand, fisting the fabric. He swallowed, his dark eyes pleading. It made Urban just want to embrace him, wrap him up in long arms and hold him until he stopped shaking, stopped crying. But Gabe was like a feral animal—scared shitless and no amount of coddling would bring him back until he was sure he was safe.
    So Urban took a step back and reached into his pocket. The purse of twenty four remaining zaels sat heavy in his hand, but his mind was made up. “Take this. Find a safe place,” he said, thrusting the silky bag into Gabriel’s hands. Gabe jerked his gaze up, surprised. “Be safe, Gabriel. That’s all I ask.”
    “Th-Thank you,” Gabe choked out, stumbling backwards. Urban’s heart gave a twist as he reached for the man again. He caught Gabriel’s hand in his, pulling him back to him. He grabbed a pen out of his pocket, faded black ink, and scribbled his number hastily on the back of Gabe’s hand, where it stared up at him amidst the darkening smears of the wolf’s blood. Barely visible, but it was there.
    “Call me if you need me and I’ll come,” Urban murmured, releasing him. Gabriel stared at the ink on his hand for a moment, then nodded. Giving one last glance to Pandora, as if afraid she’d chase him down, Gabriel fled into the forest, a bloody, shaking mess.
    “And find someplace to clean up! No one will take you in looking like you’ve just murdered a man!” Urban yelled after him.
    And then Gabriel was just gone. Urban stood there, the soft sounds of night time breezing around him like a lullaby. He wasn’t sure how long he stood there, watching the spot where Gabe used to be, desperately wishing he’d at least kissed him. Wondering how the man would’ve tasted. Pandora let out a low whine, her green eyes meeting his. He smiled ruefully and her tail thumped the ground.
    “Let’s finish this,” he said, looking sidelong at the body of the wolf. It was a shame she was dead, but hell, one second longer and Gabe would’ve been dead too. He’d had to save the man. He’d just had to. With a sigh, he hauled Reese’s huge body over his shoulder,