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“Not in here, though.” I scampered back into the canteen, bumping into a guy collecting trays. My beast put his hands over his eyes as all heads in the room swiveled in my direction.
Charging through the swinging doors into the corridor, I paused and leaned on a wall to catch my breath. Maybe I should have borrowed a pair of PJs and pretended I was a patient.
Was this how all shifters behaved when they scented their mate? Thoughts were zinging and zigzagging in my head while heated blood surged through my veins. What if he got away? He might have been visiting town, sprained an ankle and then left.
But if he was a shifter, his beast could cure a minor injury. I scrunched my eyes closed and clawed my scalp, hoping when I opened my eyes, my mate would have scented me and be standing in front of me.
Nope! My beast could see even when I couldn’t. Not here!
Right. I checked off the cafeteria and three or was it four floors I’d searched. Emergency I’d done and… and… as his scent was in multiple places, that suggested he worked here. So, I went down to reception and lurked around, trying not to attract attention.
“May I help you, sir?” A man wearing a security guard’s uniform blocked my way.
Didn’t work. The not-attracting-attention part.
I can see that.
“Lost my wallet.” I patted my shirt pocket and pulled out the interior of my pants pocket.
“Go to Lost and Found and file a report.” His gruff tone suggested he wasn’t to be messed with.
“Right.” I saluted and then bowed, hoping one or both actions would temper his annoyance.
He didn’t move, other than a twitching in the corner of his mouth.
“Going there right now.”
I skedaddled toward the door, but each time I glanced over my shoulder, the guy was still staring at me, his expression unchanged. Charging into the parking lot, I decided to hunker down and wait for a few minutes. Maybe the security guard would give up on me and deal with a pickpocket or someone kicking the vending machine.
But as I hid behind someone’s car, I caught a scent. Not a scent, the scent. And it was more recent than the stale one I’d picked up on inside the building. I wove in between the cars, keeping my eyes on the surveillance cameras.
A member of staff in the hospital basement was probably looking at me and speaking into a walkie-talkie, saying there was someone suspicious in the parking lot.
I arrived at an empty parking space, the scent so fresh, my body tingled. Falling to my knees, I sniffed the asphalt. My mate had been here minutes before while the security guard confronted me. But I should thank the guy, kiss him maybe, because if he hadn’t made me run outside, I might have missed my mate’s scent.
Ouch, my knees hurt, and I stood, brushing dirt and small pebbles off my knees.
Give me my fur.
Not here. People will see.
Behind the buildings.
Circling around the parking lot and avoiding the main entrance, I trudged behind the building where laundry vans were being loaded and unloaded and people were hefting boxes of food from delivery trucks.
We can’t shift here. I continued until we reached a sort of alleyway, between two buildings. I didn’t understand the purpose of shifting because my beast couldn’t go anywhere. The areas in and around the hospital were teeming with people.
I want my fur.
Wait! If he shifted now, my clothes would be shredded and I’d be not only the guy lurking around and looking suspicious, but I’d be a naked guy doing the same thing. I might get put in a straightjacket and marched into a locked psych ward. That would only be a plus if my mate worked there, but I doubted I’d be that fortunate.
I shimmied out of my clothes, only just, but my briefs ripped as my beast tore through my skin. He padded to the end of the building, pawed the ground, sniffed it, then lifted his head and sniffed again.
He’s gone, he announced.
You don’t say.
I do say.
