He sucked in his cheeks and fought against the sudden swell of emotions threatening to overcome him. It was times like these when the loss of his folks came rushing back. They’d been as good of parents as any kid could ask for. They’d raised Ashley and him well, with a strong sense of right and wrong and a simple kind of love that he took for granted during his childhood.
He didn’t have long to consider his loss. As Shep returned to his shopping, he felt the strong sensation of being watched. Glancing at the end of the checkout line, he found the source of his discomfort. Reggie and Colt Wilson were glaring at him as if they’d like nothing better than to smash in his face with their fists.
He groaned inwardly and turned toward the front, determined to avoid a confrontation today. He couldn’t imagine what Stasia would say if he arrived at the interview with a fresh black eye. She’d probably stick around another week just to give it time to heal and then he’d really be in trouble. The sooner she left, the sooner he could forget about her.
After paying for his purchase and rushing out of the store, he threw his truck in drive and high-tailed it down Main Street to the Molodoy motel. A familiar figure stood outside one of the rooms, her hair pulled back into a high ponytail and one hand on her waist.
Stasia looked about ready to burst. From excitement or nervousness, he couldn’t tell. But her eyes had grown to the size of tires and a pink flush covered the bare part of her upper chest and neck.
“Finally,” she said, bouncing to his door. She did a quick scan of his outfit and nodded approvingly. “You wore the outfit that I bought.”
He shifted uncomfortably in the light green pearl snap shirt and jeans. It wasn’t that he didn’t like them, but the idea that Stasia had picked them out with him in mind made him a little nervous. She’d said it complemented his eyes and that it would pop on camera.
“Let’s just get this over with, okay?” He swallowed hard and tried not to stare at the way her skinny jeans hugged her rear end. “The Chevelle’s coming along, but I’ve got a lot more work to do.”
“Alright, come on in.” She waved him toward her room. “I’m ready for you.”
He followed her to the door and hesitated. Being alone in a motel room with Stasia was the last place he’d ever expected to be. The very thought sent an unbidden thrill through him.
“Don’t worry, my guys are here, too,” she said, scanning his face.
“Oh, right.” He chuckled nervously.
Of course, they wouldn’t be alone. That had been ridiculous of him.
The inside of her room looked very much the way a motel room should. A box TV on an old dresser. A nightstand, phone, and mirror. The bed had been moved to one side and in the empty space, a small corner had been decorated with three potted plants, two chic chairs, light stands, and two cameras on tripods. Maxim waved a greeting from the edge of the messy bed and a large man with a shiny bald head grunted hello from behind a camera.
“You remember my brother,” Stasia said with a smile. “And this is my cameraman, Vinny.”
Billy nodded nervously at them both. He hadn’t been worried about the actual filming of the interview until he got a look at the bright lights and cameras. How was he supposed to keep his story straight if he felt like an insect under the microscope? He might say anything. He might even confess to a murder he didn’t commit. That would really make Stasia’s day.
“Shall we?” Stasia pointed to one of the chairs. “Have a seat.”
He sat and fidgeted with the buttons on his shirt. The lights were even warmer than he’d imagined and the camera lenses resembled giant bug eyes, staring down at him.
“Don’t think about the cameras.”
Stasia sat across from him and crossed her legs. She smiled sweetly, tilting her head to one side. He couldn’t help but notice the small amount of makeup she’d donned for the occasion. A touch of cherry lipstick that made him crave a taste of her lips.
She gave him another smile and shrugged. “Just keep your eyes on me. Easy.”
Billy grimaced and gripped the top of his legs. Nothing about that was going to be easy.
Maxim went about fitting them each with a microphone and Vinny did a few camera adjustments. Within minutes, they were ready to go and Stasia was beaming with excitement.
“Ready, Vinny?” she asked.
He grunted something unintelligible that she must’ve taken for confirmation.
“Alright.” She glanced down at her notes and then back up at Billy. “Billy Finley, can you tell me what brought you to Alaska?”
His head spun as if he’d just sucked in a balloon full of helium. Still, he kept his eyes glued to Stasia’s honey-brown ones. The cameras seemed to melt away and he felt himself drawn into a world where just the two of them existed. His head stopped spinning and the strength returned to his tongue.
“Well, my father had an old friend in the Sitka werewolf pack...”
He went on to explain how he’d found himself in Alaska, the state of the dwindling werewolf pack, and how he’d taken advantage of those first few months to implement new training regiments for the able-bodied werewolves. Stasia listened to him intently, interrupting only a time or two for clarification.
Pride gleamed in his eyes when he spoke about the youngest of the pack learning to defend themselves and their families. It hadn’t taken him long to see what his father had been talking about. The Sitka bloodline was strong. All it needed was a little direction. They could’ve become a fearsome pack. One that boasted werewolf responsibility and strength. If only the hunters hadn’t shown up...
“Tell me about that night.” Stasia glanced down at her notes and then back up at him. Deep sorrow crossed her face. “Tell me about the ambush.”
“The hunters showed up at dawn.” Billy coughed as his throat dried up. “There were ten of them and fifteen of us. Luckily, the wind shifted just before we got into camp. I caught their scent and ordered the others back. But it wasn’t soon enough.”
She nodded her head, a frown on her face. “They attacked.”
He made a pained expression. “They had fire power that we could only dream of. The few months of training drills I’d put my new pack through couldn’t defend against that kind of attack. I ordered them to retreat while I flanked the hunters. Took out five of their guys before they realized what was happening. Would’ve taken them all out if it hadn’t been for...”
He clenched his jaw as his eyes clouded over. It felt like he was back there, in that forest. The random punch of gunfire raising goosebumps on his arms. There were screams of panic from his pack members. A child crying. Men yelling. And then eerie silence when he came face to face with the remaining hunters, their faces morphed into something evil as they held a struggling form between them, her cries sharp and piercing.
“The danger of hunters is still out there,” Stasia said, leaning forward in her chair, her eyes shining. “We forget that, sometimes, in the safety of the Monstrana haven. But there are still some who wish to exterminate the supernatural. Isn’t that right?”
He nodded, tight-lipped. “Yes.”
“And you experienced them first-hand.” She leaned back, bright red spots appearing on her cheeks. For the first time, she broke eye contact with him and looked down at her hands. “And your fiancée paid the price, didn’t she? Tell us how she died.”
His jaw dropped and his hands began to tremble. He stared at her, feeling a low growl rumble in his throat. “That wasn’t supposed to be part of the interview.”
“And why not?” Her eyes cut to him. “Esther deserves to be remembered, doesn’t she? She made the ultimate sacrifice.”
He bared his teeth and breathed heavily. “You don’t understand anything. And you certainly don’t understand sacrifice.”
She stuck out her chin. It was the same expression he remembered from their childhood. The expression that said she was going to get her way, others be darned.
“I think I understand sacrifice better
than most.”
“I’m not talking about this.” He jumped to his feet and tore the microphone from his shirt, throwing it on the chair. His heart thumped painfully in his chest and sweat trickled down the back of his neck. “This wasn’t part of the deal. I’m done.”
Marching across the room, he shoved through the door and slammed it shut behind him.
Chapter Eleven
Stasia sat glued to her seat for a long moment, the blood draining from her face. Her blood pressure had skyrocketed just before popping the big fiancée question to Billy and now it felt like her heart was going to burst. She had been hoping that Billy would see it her way. That Esther’s story deserved to be told. But he’d gone off the deep end and abandoned the interview.
Typical Billy Finley.
“Uh...sis?” Maxim approached her chair and awkwardly placed a hand on her shoulder. “You going to be okay?”
“What?” She looked up into his concerned expression and blinked. “Oh, yes. I’m fine.”
“Should we wrap it up?” He frowned at Billy’s empty chair. “I don’t think the dude’s coming back.”
“No, no, leave the equipment up.”
She pulled the microphone off her shirt and stood. Guilt ate away at her insides as Billy’s stricken face flashed in front of her face once again. Maybe she’d gone about this all wrong. Ambushing him hadn’t been fair. She had to make this right. And just maybe, they’d still have a story.
“We’ll pick it up tomorrow. You guys are free to leave.”
“Sweet.” Maxim’s smile was dampened by guilt. “Are you sure?”
“Yep. Just lock up when you leave.” She headed toward the door, following in Billy’s footsteps. “I’ve got something important I need to do.”
It didn’t take long to track him down. In his fit of rage, he’d forgotten his truck on the side of the road and was hoofing it down the broken sidewalks of Molodoy, grumbling to himself. She jogged up beside him, waiting for him to say something. When he didn’t even bother to look her way, she jumped in his path and put a hand on his broad chest.
“Billy, I want to say I’m sorry.” A heavy weight lifted off her shoulders at the utterance of those simple words. “I shouldn’t have ambushed you with those questions. I had no right.”
He grumbled some more and looked at her from under his dark eyelashes. Something about the expression reminded her of a grumpy puppy. Her lips twitched with a smile.
“I have an idea,” she said, chewing on the inside of her cheek. “An ode to old times. Let’s visit our hangout spot.”
Any hint of frustration left in his face melted away and he stared dully at her. “Seriously?”
“Yeah. You obviously need a break and I’ve been wanting to visit ever since I got into town. Feel like taking a run?”
He looked up at the sinking sun. “It’ll be dark before we get back and I’m not really in the mood for hiking through the underbrush at night.”
A devious grin lit up Stasia’s face and she began to work her shirt up her stomach, flashing her belly button. “Not if we go as our wolves. We’ll be there and back in no time.”
She turned and trotted toward the edge of the forest, feeling Billy’s burning gaze on her back the entire way. As kids, they’d found the hideout after getting lost on a particularly long hike and claimed it as their own. But that had been before their eighteenth year, when the biting ceremony took place and kids became werewolves themselves. They’d never had the chance to go as wolves. This would be a whole new experience. One that made butterflies flutter in her stomach.
Hiding behind a thick tree, she undressed the rest of the way and carefully placed her clothes in a pile. The transformation didn’t take long. She’d been a werewolf long enough that all it took was arching her back and her wolf began to emerge.
First, it was the claws and the deep black eyes of the wolf. Then, a soft layer of chestnut brown fur. Finally, the hard bones in her body melded into the shape of a large wolf, big enough to take down even the hardiest of prey. The process was painless and smooth, unlike that of a first-timer.
Stasia sniffed the air and reveled in the strong senses of her wolf. The scent of beer, battered foods, and cut grass drifted on the wind. The air had a slightly salty taste of the Bering Sea, even though it lay hundreds of miles away to the west. Lastly, her large ears pricked up at the soft sound of paws approaching through the leaves.
She swept around to see a large wolf staring at her. He had the familiar black eyes and shape of the werewolf. His fur was a luscious hickory color and his body built of pure muscle. Stasia shivered at the sight of him. If Billy Finley was gorgeous as a human being, it was nothing to his wolf form. She had to snap her jaw shut to keep from drooling.
Billy tilted his large head in the direction of the woods before looking back at her. She saw the challenge flash in his eyes only moments before he sprang into action, leaping ahead. Yipping in protest, she chased after him, determined not to lose the race.
They bounded through the forest, over streams and fallen trees. Through brush and brambles. Dried leaves crunched beneath their paws. Her claws dug deep trenches into the dirt for more purchase. An unwitting deer crossed their path and Billy gave chase, Stasia not far behind. The cool forest air filled her lungs as she panted in time with their steps. Never had she felt so free.
Leaving the deer to its own business, Billy let loose a joyful howl and Stasia joined in. Their voices rose together in perfect harmony, piercing the quiet evening. Somewhere far away, three voices answered back, their howls causing Stasia to whine with excitement. Billy paused to look back at her. His nostril flared and he gave her a wolfish grin. Without warning, he was off again, bounding in an opposite direction.
Stasia thrilled at the chase, her body charged with emotions too instinctual to describe. The scent of Billy just ahead drove her crazy. She longed to catch up with him and feel his soft fur against hers, nuzzle his neck, and lose herself in his dark, soulful eyes.
It didn’t take them long to arrive at their destination: a small abandoned lodge with broken window panes. They trotted softly up the broken porch and inside to sniff around. The scent of their teenaged selves had long faded. What remained was the smell of small creatures who had made the place their home. Stasia kept a safe distance from Billy, not trusting herself to get too close. He nosed through an old cabinet and pawed at a large metal box within.
Recognition hit Stasia. It was a box they’d found here in the lodge as kids. They’d claimed it for themselves and filled it with treasures. She slid up next to Billy and pawed at the metal clasp, huffing with excitement when it fell open.
They both looked inside. It seemed that, unlike most of the lodge, their belongings had remained untouched. A few knickknacks, a deck of cards, and two smuggled blankets were there to greet them. Billy nodded his head at the doorway to the bedroom and then padded his way through it.
Stasia watched him leave, enjoying the full view of his wolf form. When he was gone, she took a deep breath and stretched, letting her human form take shape once again. Her naked body shivered in the damp coolness of the room, so she pulled an old blanket from the metal box and wrapped it tightly around herself.
“You can come out now.”
She heard a thud and then the thump of feet on wooden floorboards.
Billy cleared his throat and held a human hand through the doorway. “Not without a blanket.”
She grinned and pulled another blanket from the box, strutting toward the open doorway. “You’re in luck. There’s one more.” She held it just out of reach of his fingertips. “Remember that time we went skinny dipping and you stole my clothes?”
He growled and reached his hand an inch further. “You wouldn’t dare.”
A laugh bubbled up from her chest. “I would, but maybe not today.”
She tossed the blanket through the doorway and turned away with a smile. Maybe pushing away the past hadn’t been the right solution for them. Yes, t
here were pains and hurts still lingering after all those years, but avoidance obviously wasn’t working. If she wanted Billy to open up, she needed to make him remember the good times. The times when they were friends. Before everything crumbled.
“Look, Polaroids!” She kneeled next to the box, keeping one hand on the blanket around her chest, and pulled out a small stack of photos.
Billy came out of the bedroom with the flannel blanket around his waist. Her throat went dry at the sight of him, his muscular abdomen bare. She quickly averted her attention back to the photos, willing her heart to slow as he sat next to her and took a few from her hands.
“Yeah, I remember these.” A smile pulled at one corner of his mouth. “Wasn’t that the day we met? I beat you at air hockey.”
She hissed and tore it out of his hands, shaking her head. “No, I distinctly remember beating you at air hockey. I think the only person you could manage to defeat was Ashley.”
They both smiled at the picture. Stasia could recall the skinny seventeen-year-old boy with bright green eyes and a friendly smile. She’d only intended to use Molodoy as a resting place before heading further south to the coastline, but something about Billy Finley had made her pause. He seemed so kind, so genuine. There was a magnetism between them from the very beginning. She’d wanted to know him better.
“Wow, we both look so young.” He flipped through the faded pictures, tossing them one by one back into the metal box. “Crazy to think we both thought we were so mature. All the things we didn’t know. We thought we were going to conquer the world.”
Stasia sat back on her heels and felt a wave of sadness overcome her. At seventeen, it had felt like the world lay at her feet. Her plans to run away and abandon the throne had been nearly put into action. When her parents brought her home, they’d reached an agreement. She could pursue her dreams of a career outside the throne. All with the understanding that someday, she’d return to the royal life and take her place as the werewolf Queen of Monstrana, alongside Viktor on the vampire throne.
Bite the Big Heartache: Werewolf Shifter Romance (A Monstrana Paranormal Romance Book 2) Page 7
