Just before the coin-toss, we cleaned up the kitchen, put the leftovers in the fridge and Tony pulled out the blender. “Want a daiquiri? I’m pretty good at making those, too.” He certainly was. He had even picked up some frozen strawberries so I had a pink mustache after the first taste. “Mmm. Strawberry flavored kisses,” he said when he licked away the mustache.
Tony was obviously still a rabid Huskies fan (did I just make a joke?). He cheered and booed along with the crowd and clapped enthusiastically when his team won.
“They’ve got a good chance of winning the Pac-12 this year. I hope they can keep their winning streak together but the last two games of the season are against their toughest opponents. I’ll have to keep up with those on my phone since I won’t be in front of a television the next two Saturdays,” he said with a sigh. “There are times that I wish I had a nine-to-five desk job.”
“No, you don’t,” I replied. “You’re good at what you do and it gives you a lot of freedom. I doubt a normal employer would let you have one or two days off every four weeks.”
“You’re right. It’s just easier to whine. I have all the technology to follow them when I’m on the road but it’s not the same as sitting in front of a television, with a good drink in my hand and the lady I love sitting next to me.”
I sat up straight and looked at him. “You just used the L word.”
At least he had the good grace to blush. “I did, didn’t I? I didn’t mean to get quite that deep so soon after getting back together but yes, I’m pretty sure I love you. I haven’t been able to date anyone else since that time at the Hyatt. No one else has even piqued my interest. So, now that I’ve opened my mouth far enough to insert my paw, are you heading back to the Cities?”
I thought for a moment before replying. “No, I’m not leaving. I really enjoy our time together when you’re in human form, but I’m still undecided how I feel about you in your entirety. I don’t want to end up as a snack that you lovingly lick around the edges, you know? And while we’ve got enough time, why don’t you tell me your story? I don’t know a lot about you other than you’re a good agent, you like many of the same things as I do, you’re sexy as hell and now I know you’re a Washington grad. While you’re on the subject, what does that creep have to hold over you?”
“Shit,” he said. “I need another drink if I’m going to do a complete data dump. You want another?”
I smiled and held out my empty glass. “Of course. I may need it to keep calm while you tell your story.”
He fired up the blender once more, refilled both glasses and sat on the couch facing me. “There’s not a whole lot to tell. I was born in Salem, Oregon.”
“I know that part, dummy. Get to the good stuff.”
“OK, OK. I was turned when I was a junior in college. My roommates and I had gone camping in the northern Cascades, a couple of hours outside Seattle. We’d been to this area several times before. It’s fairly isolated, at good elevation and in the right spot, has a beautiful view of Mount Rainier. We were coming back to the campsite after a hike right around dusk, trying to hurry back to get a fire started because we’d heard some wolves howling not too far away. I got separated from Jack and Robby and the next thing I knew, I’d been thrown to the ground from behind. I don’t remember anything else until I woke up an hour or so later lying by the fire, with Robby holding a big pad of cloth to my shoulder.
“They’d come back to find me and managed to chase the wolf off. I’d been bitten on the shoulder but Robby said it wasn’t deep and was only bleeding a little. They were both thinking we should head back to the city and I should get that series of rabies shots just in case. The funny thing is, I felt fine. The bite on my shoulder only hurt a little and for some odd reason, I wasn’t worried about rabies. I talked them out of breaking camp and we finished the weekend out.”
He shifted on the couch and took a swig of his drink. “A month later, I was at one of my favorite bars a few steps from campus at moonrise. I’d only had a couple of beers, hadn’t been in any arguments and all of a sudden felt like I needed to kill someone. I was chatting with Robby and before I could say anything about how my mood had changed, he looked at me and said, ‘Man, your beard is growing weird or something. There’s hair all over your face.’ I went into the bathroom to look and my nose was starting to turn into a snout and my hands were widening and growing claws. Needless to say, I made a beeline out the back door. I woke up in the park the next morning with only my underwear on and another guy sitting on his haunches, looking at me.
“’Looks like one of the rogues got to you,’ he said. I was confused at his statement but he offered me a spare pair of jeans and a sweatshirt, then took me to the local IHOP for breakfast and explained what had happened. He was the leader of the clan in that area. They keep their eyes open for newbies and try to help them understand their new life as best they can. They also hunt rogues when they know about them and he wanted to know where I was attacked so they could deal with him or her.”
He paused and looked at me. When he saw I wasn’t getting ready to run, he continued. “When I went back to the house, the only person who was concerned was Robby. After all, a college-age guy staying out overnight isn’t anything unusual. But he’d seen the beginnings of the change and I didn’t have any explanation he’d buy. So I told him what had happened. I also told him there were people who would help me so he and the rest of my housemates weren’t in any danger. He seemed cool with it and we’re friends to this day. He even jokes that he needs to bring me along when he dates a woman who likes dogs.
“Over the next six months, the clan taught me how to retain most of my awareness when I was in wolf form, how to disappear from normal life during that time without raising questions and how to deal with the longer-than-average life span. It’s all very civilized and despite the general knowledge of our existence among full humans, we stay pretty much below everyone’s radar.
“Errol, the clan leader, became sort of like a second dad to me, especially since I couldn’t tell my folks what had happened. They really dislike anything that isn’t plain-vanilla human and I didn’t want to hurt them. A good opportunity for an internship came up and I stayed in Seattle over the summer, working for one of Errol’s friends who had a PR firm. I ran with the clan on Errol’s land outside Seattle on the full moons and learned a lot about myself.
“When I graduated and found a permanent job in LA, Errol flew down with me and introduced me to the clan leader in that area. He, in turn, showed me where it was relatively safe to escape to in the hills. Once I’d saved up enough money, I bought a cabin in the Sierras and that’s where I usually go although I have access to other places, like this, if the timing isn’t right for me to get back to LA.”
I asked the question I’d been aching to ask for awhile. “So how old are you really?”
“I’ll tell you, but I want to preface it with the statement that age doesn’t matter to me. I’m 45. Do you need your drink freshened again?”
I could live with that. Yes, I knew he’d age a lot more slowly but for the moment, age wasn’t a factor. “I’m good for now,” I answered. “So what does Happy have on you?”
“My were nature. Neither Hal, who is the head of the agency, nor any of my clients know. I’ve never broached the subject with my clients but I know I get the majority of the non-human ones because Hal gets the willies around them, although as long as they’ve got the money, he’ll take it. He’s noticed I get along with them just fine. He wouldn’t be happy at all to find out I was one of those types he doesn’t like. Hal never questions my whereabouts because I’m on the road so much for clients anyways, and as long as the clients are happy and pay their bills on time, he really doesn’t care. Since I’m only in were form for about twelve hours a month and usually during the night hours, it’s easy to hide.
“But of course, Happy found out and has threatened to leak the information to Hal. I like my job, I like most of my clients and I have a no
n-compete so I couldn’t take them with me if Hal decided he didn’t want me around anymore.
“So, that’s my story. I know most of yours but what does Happy have on you?”
I heaved a sigh and let out my deepest, darkest secret. He laughed. “You write romance novels? That’s a side of you I never would have thought existed. You’re such a practical person!”
I laughed with him then said, “Yeah, but you may not be so cheery about it. The hero of my first novel was based on you.”
“Would I recognize myself?” he asked.
“Probably not. Names, places, careers were changed to protect the not-so-innocent.”
“So what’s the big deal? A lot of people write books in their spare time and some of them, you, obviously, make money at it. Why are you so twitterpated that news might get out?”
I squirmed. “You work with people accustomed to celebrity every day and you have your own share of the limelight. I like my anonymity. Also, so many of my characters are based on people I meet working with Ev that someone might figure themselves out and get pissed. I take great pains to disguise everything but you know how lawsuit-happy people like your clients can get. That sort of hassle I don’t need.”
“OK, I get it. You know your secret is safe with me. But can I read at least the first book? I’d like to see what you did with me.”
Assuming we were going to have this sort of conversation, I’d already packed copies of the first three books in my overnight bag. As I handed them to him, I couldn’t help but be a little nervous about his reaction. Sure, they were bestsellers but for some reason, Tony’s opinion meant more to me than the royalty checks.
“I’ll read them later. This night is for us, not reading,” he said, putting the books into his briefcase. “Come on, let’s go for a short stroll outside to clear out some of the daiquiris.”
Although I’d planned on staying indoors the entire time, I had remembered what it was like at a cabin in winter and brought my boots. Tony retrieved them from the car for me and once I had them on, we walked out into the crisp air.
The sun was almost below the trees and the first stars were winking into existence as he led me around the house to a trail that led farther into the woods. It hadn’t been shoveled but it had been tramped down. “The woodpile is just beyond the break and we’ll need more for the night. Let’s get a couple of armloads, shall we?”
Tony led the way, clearing even more of a path for me. As he reached the break in the trees, he turned, grabbed me and started kissing me passionately. Naturally, I returned the favor. There was a problem, though. The ground was slightly uneven and the difference in our heights started tilting me over to one side. Before he could right us, we fell into a snow bank and broke off our kiss with a laugh. I threw snow his way.
“Now my butt’s going to be all wet and it’s all your fault.”
He scooped up more snow and doused me with it. “It is not. You need to stand still when I’m kissing you.” A few more tossed handfuls of snow and we were both soaked.
“We’re really going to want the firewood now. Come on and help.” He held out his hand and pulled me up out of the snow.
A few more paces led to a neatly stacked pile of split logs. I took an armful (three logs) and Tony carried about three times as much back to the house. We dumped the logs into the holder on the porch, stamped the snow off our feet and dusted each other off before going inside. The warmth from the fireplace felt wonderful! “Get out of those wet clothes before you catch a chill,” Tony said. “I’m going to start dinner.”
“Won’t you get a chill, too?” I grinned at him.
“I’m pretty much immune to that sort of stuff. Haven’t been sick at all since I was a junior in college for some reason. My clothes will dry shortly. Now scoot!”
I took my overnight bag upstairs and stripped down to change. I half expected to see his face peering above the loft railing but instead I heard his whistling and the clang of something metal in the kitchen. I put on dry clothes and went downstairs to see what the chef had in mind. I hoped it wasn’t anything spicy again.
He treated me to a grilled steak from the broiler, a baked potato from the microwave, a salad and a bottle of my favorite Merlot. I could get used to having someone cook for me and said as much. “Don’t get your hopes up too high, Doll. You’ve just experienced close to the limits of my cooking. You’ll get the rest of it tomorrow morning in the form of bacon and scrambled eggs.”
We finished the wine on the sofa, watching Casablanca on television. Dang. He even likes chick-flicks. It was very comfortable – like you imagine a contented, long-term marriage would be. At the end of the movie, he banked the fire, then scooped me up and carried me upstairs. “The fireplace is the only source of heat in the house. We’ll have to keep each other warm,” were the last coherent words he said.
Chapter 16
I woke to sun streaming through the huge window opposite me, an empty bed and the smell of coffee. It felt very strange not to have Fudge curled up in my hair yet at the same time, very familiar. “Hey sleepyhead, coffee’s done,” came from downstairs.
I’d neglected to bring a robe or slippers so I pulled on a pair of socks and padded down the stairs in my nightgown. Although Tony had built up the fire, it was still chilly in the house. His were nature was showing, as he only had on pajama bottoms and seemed quite comfortable. He was warm as he snuggled me to him.
“Such sexy nightwear,” he said after kissing me good morning.
“It may not be sexy but it’s certainly a lot warmer than what I imagine you would have preferred I bring,” I retorted. “I don’t have a furnace for a metabolism.” I grabbed a cup of hot coffee off the counter and took a swig, choking as I burned my tongue.
“Are you hungry?” he asked.
It dawned on me this was the first time we’d actually had a leisurely morning together. Every other time, we’d had to nearly inhale coffee as we were dressing since we either had something planned or he had a plane to catch.
“No, I take awhile to wake up. Give me a couple more cups of coffee before you start talking about food.”
We watched the morning news programs in companionable silence punctuated by comments on whatever the story was. The local weather man was predicting a clear day with highs in the twenties. I was planning on leaving mid-afternoon and it sounded like it would be an easy drive back to the cities.
Somehow the news became uninteresting and we ended up back in bed. An hour or so later, I was curled up next to him and my stomach let out a loud growl. “I think you finally woke me up,” I said. “What’s for breakfast?”
“Slave driver.” He untangled himself from me, pulled his pajama bottoms back on and headed downstairs. I rolled over onto his pillow and breathed in his scent. Who knew when we’d be able to see each other again?
Breakfast was indeed scrambled eggs, bacon and toast. As we were cleaning up the kitchen and loading the dishwasher, clouds started rolling in.
“I thought it was supposed to be a clear day?” I said. “I get the shower first!”
When I emerged from the bathroom with a cloud of steam following me out the door, snowflakes were falling fast and thick.
“It started snowing before you even turned the water on,” Tony told me. “I’m going to shower and then, as much as I hate to say it, we should hit the road. Otherwise, we may not get out.”
I agreed and headed upstairs to start packing my things.
By the time Tony got out of the shower, the wind had picked up and it looked like we were in the middle of a blizzard. He went out to start the cars and even through the wind’s howling, all I heard was the grinding of starters.
“Both cars are dead. The driveway is covered over already. Something funny is going on,” he said as he pushed the door closed against the wind. He grabbed his phone and looked, then fired up his laptop. “The weather website is still showing clear skies here. Something very funny is going on and I don’t like it.�
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Tony paced, never taking his eyes of what was happening outside the window. I called Cassandra and told her where I was and what was happening.
“Sounds like someone doesn’t want you leaving,” she said. “Since Tony doesn’t have any magical abilities, we have to rule him out. Let me call around and see if anyone can pick up on what’s happening. I’ll call you back shortly.”
I relayed what Cassandra had said to Tony.
“I have a bad feeling about this,” he growled.
Have you ever watched a dog pace back and forth when they’re in protection mode? They never take their eyes off the threat, their strides shorten, they bare their teeth and they let out a low growl every few seconds. This is what I was watching and it made me very nervous.
“Tony, can you change at the dark of the moon when you’re angry? If so, I think you need to calm down for both our sakes.”
That stopped him mid-pace. He took a deep breath and then said, “Yes. If I get really angry, I’ll change, regardless of the moon phase. Do you think someone wants that to happen?” Another growl rumbled up out of his throat.
“I don’t know what’s going on and until I do, I can’t even begin to speculate on the meaning behind it all, if there is one. I suggest we wait for Cassandra to call back before leaping to a bunch of conclusions.”
Tony resumed his pacing. “I don’t like being caged.”
“Which is why you have the job you have instead of sitting at a desk every day. If you can’t stop pacing, why don’t you go get some more wood? It looks like we’re going to need it.”
“Good idea. I’ll be back in a bit.” He didn’t even put on a jacket as shoved open the door and leaned into the wind.
I stirred the fire as best as a city girl can, threw another log on, turned the television to the Vikings game, poured a glass of wine and sat down to wait. I figured it was going to be awhile before I’d be behind a wheel and thought I’d make myself as comfortable as I could under the circumstances. I didn’t really watch the game, though. My mind was on Tony. The longer he was gone, the more worried I got.
Stressed! Page 15
