The Eyes of Death Book 2 - The Awakening

The Awakening Part 1 - Chapter 3

Mike was no better he was covering his nose." Yeah I smell it too."

He could pick out the stench of the corrupted from miles away, but this was fresh, a freshly corrupted and turned human. He went towards what was their favorite club's back door exit.

"Do your thing Tali"

Tali summoned her tiara and suddenly the world exploded in crimson colors.She could see the magical lines, supernatural beings true forms, like Mike's cat. All of it was displayed in all its glory. 

"Where did it happen you say?"

Mike pointed to a nearby alley "In there, the witness says that's where she went before she vanished."

They went there and the smell hit them so bad that Tali's body doubled over by reflex. Mike was on her in an instant.

"Tali are you ok?"

She looked at him and her eyes opened wide. She was hurting everywhere,her body was burning.

"Tali I need you to breath deeply, think calming thoughts. Think of Francine, her smile."

She didn't know why he wanted her to do this but she did.

**Mike looking at Tali **

Looking at Tali, she closed her eyes and breathed as I instructed. She started to relax and her body seemed to revert to normal. She had started to shift. It was subtle but to weres like us, those cues were like an alarm system. She was showing the same symptoms a teenage were would before his first shift. Bones moving under the skin, eyes changing to animal eyes, nose altering slightly, etc. I had to tell Francine soon.

"Are you OK Tali?"

She nodded "yeah let's go." 

Then she headed in the alley and I followed her. Immediately the smell got more intense. Tali was looking on the floor and pointed at it.

"She was attacked here. I can see traces of corrupted blood on the floor.Those idiot cops stepped all over it".

Human Cops were oblivious to the taint of course so would not see it like we do. Though Tali was exceptionally talented at detecting it. She could see microscopic dots of it with her third eye of hers.

She continued onward " she was dragged here behind the trash bin."

We walked there and she pointed "There the taint warrior was leaning on the wall and drained her. She stayed there for a little while,then walked away."

Shit she was turned. Tali looked at the bin, opened it and pointed. "There that purse, its hers."

I grabbed it and Tali closed the bin, it smelled bad.

Thankfully we had both put latex gloves before this. That purse smelled so bad.

I quickly found all her valuables, wallet even her jewelry. whoever did his didn't want her identified easily later on. This was perfect, we finally had a lead of some kind.

"Come Tali we go home". We both removed our gloves threw them in a zipper bag with the purse in my bike's saddle bags and went home.

Once there Tali seemed lost in her thoughts "you OK girl?"

Some howI felt more and more that she was part of my pack and was protective towards her as much as Francine was, but in my own way. I felt her as being my daughter. My panther was very much attached to her. The fact she kept scratching my head when I was in cat form had done the trick. But recently I had felt a certain sadness in her.Like she was missing a long lost friend. Though whenever I talked about it with her she avoided the subject.

"I am gonna report to Francine so you go relax OK?" Tali nodded and went to her favorite spot in the house, the kitchen. She ate like a wolf that one I smiled to myself.

I went to Fran, I had to talk to her about all this. Tali was keeping herself too closed up. She came out of her study with a box of candles in hand. 

"Mike so how did it go?"

I handed her the closed evidence bag with the purse. She looked at it with disgust. "Mike?"

"It's the victims purse, everything she had with her was shoved in it byt he attacker"

Francine beamed in surprise "Perfect Mike you did it."

"Tali found it"

"Good girl. I am so proud of her."

I nodded "Actually I wanted to talk to you about her. Somethings up with her?"

Francine looked worried all of a sudden "OK what's happening? Is she all right?"

I nodded again "Yes and no. There is two things, one I know the other she won't tell me about."

Francine looked instantly overwhelmed and did that twitch at the corner of her eye like she usually does when it happened

"Wow and you tell me just now?"

"Sorry,for the most part we've been too busy and I wasn't sure until earlier."

"Goon..." she looked annoyed now

"First I think she is about to start shifting."

 I winced thinking of her reaction to this. Fran being her mate and all, was very protective of Tali 

"What makes you think that, shifting is insanely rare for a vamp?"

"She is showing all the signs a teenage lycanthrope would display when they are about to shift for the first time. Earlier she almost did. Her muscles twitched, I could see her vertebrae shift, her face was almost feline and her eyes were even more cat-like. I could see them through her contact lenses."

Fran looked panicked "You kept her from shifting I take it?"

I nodded.

"I will have to contact master, I think he just finished relocating actually so should be available. What's the other thing?"

"I am not sure, I keep catching her on the verge of crying. Whenever I ask her about it she smiles and fakes being OK. It happened just earlier when we came in."

Fran looked shaken she really was in love with Tali.

"Ok I will call him now. Give the evidence to our Intel guy please for analysis.Thanks Mike"