Justin was in no mood to listen. He swung one paw, batting the knife out of the human’s hand, and advanced toward him slowly, eyes narrowed to slits, ears pinned back, muzzle wrinkled in a snarl. He crouched, muscles bunching as he prepared to leap.
“Wait!” the man cried.
Justin sprang, knocking the man to the floor. His teeth sunk into the Hunter’s throat, and he bit down, hard. The human’s body jerked. He let out a low gurgle, then lay still.
Justin backed away, staring at the limp body, watching blood pool beneath the man’s torn throat. The bulging eyes stared blankly into space. When Justin was certain the man was dead, he turned to Maggie’s cage. Her wide eyes stared out at him.
He wished he could speak in this form. He wanted to tell her that the danger was gone, that there was nothing to be afraid of. He let out a low, gentle rumble, hoping she would sense his concern. Padding closer, he licked her cheek with his rough tongue. The fear faded from her eyes, and tears of relief welled up in them.
With a swipe of one paw, he broke the puny lock on her cage. It fell to the floor with a clank.
Justin flowed into man-shape. He was naked, but at the moment, that didn’t concern him terribly. He crouched, opened the cage door, and pulled Maggie out. She was shaking. He quickly undid her bindings, then pulled her into his arms and held her tight, stroking her hair. “It’s all right,” he murmured into her ear. “It’s all right. You’re safe now.”
“You’re bleeding,” Maggie whispered.
He looked down at himself and realized that she was right. When he’d leapt through the window, he’d cut himself in numerous places. His skin was smeared with blood. He hadn’t even felt the pain, so intent had he been on his purpose. “It’s nothing,” he said. “They’re just shallow cuts.” He cupped her cheek in one palm and lifted her face. “Are you all right? He didn’t hurt you, did he?”
She shook her head, sniffling.
“Then let’s get out of here.”
“But how? You can’t run through the woods naked.”
“I’ll transform. I can move faster that way than I can in human form, anyway.”
“What about me?”
“I’ll carry you on my back.”
Maggie glanced over his shoulder, at the motionless, bloody form of the dead man.
“He won’t be hurting anyone again,” said Justin.
It occurred to him that he’d killed a human. He’d never killed a sentient being, not even in self-defense. But he would worry about the implications later. Right now, he was just relieved to have that monster dead. It was the Hunter, he had no doubt about that, the man who had killed countless lycanthropes--butchered them in this very house, if the blood on the walls was anything to go by--and he would have killed Maggie, had Justin not arrived in time.
He held her a little tighter.
“Come on,” he said softly, “let’s go.” He stood, helping her to her feet.
Maggie looked at something over his shoulder ... and gasped. “Justin, look out!”
He turned, and his eyes widened.
The Hunter stood, knife clenched in one hand, his throat ragged and bloody, his teeth bared in an animal grin. “You fool,” he rasped. “I can’t die.” The knife descended, a glittering arch.
Justin jerked away, but not quite in time. The tip of the knife raked his side, and he screamed.
The knife was silver. It burned him like fire. Looking down, he saw the skin red and blistered. He staggered and sank to his knees as a wave of dizziness and nausea washed over him. The pain seemed to be eating into his body like a living thing.
“You made me bleed,” rasped the Hunter. “You’re going to pay for that.” He kicked Justin’s wound, and pain washed over him in a red tide. He fell to the floor, shivering, tasting sour bile in his mouth.
The Hunter raised his knife. Justin looked up at him. He knew his life would end in a moment if he couldn’t force himself to move, but the pain was too intense. He was paralyzed. The knife began to descend. At that moment, the silence was broken by the sound of cloth ripping, followed by a loud, animal snarl. The Hunter turned his head.
A small, sleek, tawny cougar leapt at him. Her teeth clamped into his knife-arm, and he screamed as she dragged him away from Justin. The knife clattered to the floor, and the cougar tackled the Hunter. There was a crunch as she bit deeply into his ravaged neck. The Hunter continued to struggle as she ripped away at the flesh of his throat, until at last, he went still ... and his head rolled away, leaving a trail of blood on the floorboards. His eyes and mouth were frozen open in a look of shock.
Still in cougar form, Maggie staggered away and crouched, shivering. Her teeth and muzzle were stained with blood. Her body shrank, fur vanishing into her skin, until a small, pale, naked human woman crouched on the floor in the great cat’s place, her face still bloodstained, her eyes dazed. She wrapped her arms around herself. Then she turned slowly to Justin and reached out, toward his wound. “Are you all right?”
He nodded. “It’ll heal,” he said. “It didn’t hit any organs. Just hurts like hell.” He glanced at the Hunter’s headless body and exhaled a shuddering breath. “You saved my life.”
“You saved mine,” she whispered, and managed a tiny smile, though her eyes were still frightened. “I guess we’re even.”
“Yeah.” Gently, he touched her blood-stained hair. “Let’s go. I need to get to my cabin.”
“Shouldn’t you go to a hospital?”
“They’d ask too many questions,” he said. “I’ve recovered from worse than this. It’ll be all right. I just need to go somewhere safe and quiet. Somewhere I can rest.”
“It’s a long way, though, isn’t it? There’s a car out front....”
Justin shook his head. “Better not. The authorities will come looking for him sooner or later. We don’t want to do anything that might link us to this. Right now, it just looks like he’s been killed by animals.”
“But....” Her gaze drifted down to his wound.
“I can make it,” he said. “I don’t know if I’ll have the strength to carry you, though. For now, can you follow me in cat-form? We’ll be able to make the journey a lot faster that way.”
“I don’t know if I could transform again. I wasn’t even thinking about it. It just happened.”
“Try.” He touched her cheek. “Can you try? Please?”
“Well ... okay.” Maggie took a deep breath and closed her eyes. A tiny furrow appeared in her brow, and she bit her lower lip. At first, he thought she wouldn’t be able to manage, and his heart sunk. Then she let out a gasp and fell to her hands and knees. A spasm wracked her body, and her back arched. She let out a small mewl of pain. Fear froze his heart. Had he been wrong to ask this of her? Would she hurt herself?
He was about to tell her to stop, but then her body relaxed and began to transform smoothly. Her limbs lengthened, her hands thickened into paws, and pale golden fur sprouted all over her body. When the transformation was complete, she opened her eyes. They were a shade somewhere between copper and gold.
“You did it,” Justin whispered, and smiled.
Maggie’s tail flicked back and forth. Her eyes were bright with excitement.
Justin transformed again--it agitated his wound, but he ignored the flare of pain--and loped out of the house on huge, silent paws. Maggie followed close behind.
The fresh, clean forest air had never smelled so good.
Chapter Seven
They walked for hours. Justin had to stop several times to rest and tongue-bathe the ugly, blistered wound. It still burned, but he wasn’t losing blood, at least. He knew he was lucky. If the knife had even grazed one of his vital organs, he might be dead now.
Their journey took them through thick woods, over fields, and occasionally across roads, though they didn’t encounter any cars. At long last, they came to his cabin. Relief washed over him at the sight of the familiar wooden walls and shingled roof.
They got in using
the spare key that Justin kept hidden under a stone near the front door. Inside, Justin lay on the bed, in human form, as Maggie washed his wound again and bandaged it. She stroked his forehead, brushing strands of sweat-damp hair away from his eyes. “He’s really dead, isn’t he?” she asked. “That man, I mean. He isn’t going to come back ... right?”
“I really doubt it. There’s not much in this world that can survive having its head cut off.” Justin closed his eyes. “I’m sorry you had to do that, Maggie. I should have been more careful. I should have made sure he was dead.”
Maggie’s eyes hardened. “I don’t regret killing him,” she said. “I saw what he did to those poor people. He would have done the same to me and you. I’m glad he’s gone. I just wish none of it had happened. I’m going to be seeing that horrible room in my nightmares for the rest of my life.”
“So will I,” he said. “I don’t want to think about what went on in there.”
“He said something about....” She swallowed. “About using the blood of lycanthropes to make himself immortal.”
“Well, he wasn’t immortal. No human is. But I guess he drank enough blood to make himself invulnerable to things that would kill an ordinary person.” Justin sighed. “I hope you can forgive me.”
“Forgive you? Justin, you saved my life. For the second time.” She smiled slightly and touched his cheek with her fingertips. “I owe you so much.”
He looked up at her. Even in human form, her eyes were less brown than he remembered, more coppery. “I just wish I could give you your normal life back,” he said.
“Normal life is overrated,” she said. “I’ve changed a lot, but in some ways, I think it’s for the better. And anyway, if I’d never been attacked by that were-cougar, I never would have met you.” She smiled.
They looked at each other quietly for a moment. Then Justin reached up, curling his fingers around the nape of her neck, and gently pulled her head down to kiss her. Her lips were soft and full, warm and yielding. He nibbled her lower lip, caressed it with his tongue.
When they parted, Maggie opened her eyes and reached up to touch her mouth lightly with her fingertips.
“You know,” said Justin, “if you wanted to spend the night here again, you’re welcome.”
“I’d like that,” she whispered.
He smiled, pulled her down to the bed, and kissed her again, more deeply. When their mouths separated, he held her head to his chest, fingers combing through her hair. “If he’d hurt you,” Justin whispered, “I wouldn’t have forgiven myself.” His eyes lost focus. “If I’d arrived even a minute later....”
“Don’t think about it,” she said. “It’s over now. We’re safe. That man will never hurt anyone again.”
“No, he won’t.” Justin’s arms wrapped around her.
They lay together, side by side on the bed, limbs intertwined. It felt right to hold her in his arms, Justin realized. He couldn’t remember the last time something had felt so right.
* * * *
Maggie stayed in Justin’s cabin for the rest of the week. She’d called in to work and told them she was sick, and she didn’t much care whether or not they believed it. After what she and Justin had endured, nothing much seemed to matter except the fact that they were still alive.
They shared a bed, but for the first few nights, they did no more. The horrors were still too fresh in their minds. When nightmares woke Maggie, Justin would gather her into his arms and stroke her hair and back, murmuring soothing words into her ear. In the mornings, they would take turns cooking each other breakfast.
Justin’s wound healed, bit by bit. By Maggie’s third day with him, the angry red flesh had faded to pink. It still looked terribly painful, though. A mere scratch from the tip of a silver knife had done that. The thought of what a deeper cut could do chilled her to the core of her heart.
One night, as they lay together in bed, wrapped up in each other’s arms, Justin said, “You should go back home soon. Your friends will be worried about you.”
Maggie was silent.
“What’s wrong?”
“The truth is, I don’t really have any friends,” she said. “I mean, no one I’m really close to. There are some people from work that I go out to dinner with about once a week, but that’s it.”
“You have your sister.”
“Stacy and I have never been close. And I think since my ... you know, my change, she’s been very uncomfortable around me. She’s been avoiding me. I don’t think she’ll come looking for me.”
“Surely someone will notice you missing.”
“Some days, I’m not really sure,” she said, unable to keep a hint of bitterness from her voice. “Hardly anyone notices me when I’m there. Why would they notice when I’m gone? I’m not even really needed at my job.”
His warm fingertips grazed her cheek. He cupped her face and kissed her mouth softly. “I think you’re mistaken about that,” he said. “I’m sure you’d be missed if you never went back. But if you’d like to stay here longer, I’m not going to complain.”
“I would like to stay,” she said. “I still have so much I need to learn from you, after all.”
“Then you’re welcome here. For as long as you like.”
Maggie snuggled against him, taking comfort in the size and warmth of his body. She felt his hands moving over her skin, slow and gentle, stroking her back, her shoulders, her legs.
“I was hoping you wouldn’t want to leave,” Justin said, his breath warm against her ear. “I’ve gotten used to having you here.” He wrapped his arms possessively around her, drawing her closer.
“Well, that’s good,” she said, smiling slightly, “because I intend to stick around for quite awhile.” Impulsively, she slipped a hand down to stroke his thigh, and heard his breath catch in his throat. Her fingers slid into his jeans, beneath the waistband of his boxers, to curl around his cock, which was already hard. She felt the throb of his pulse within that column of hot flesh.
Justin rolled over on top of her, pinning her to the bed, and kissed her, hard. Happily, she parted her lips and let his tongue slide into her mouth. Minutes later, their clothes had been tossed to the floor, and he was driving her mad with pleasure, one finger circling her clitoris as she arched upwards, panting, hungry for more. “Are you ready?” he whispered, his voice husky with barely-controlled need.
“Yes,” she breathed, and felt his cock pressing into her, filling her. She moaned softly, pushing upward with her hips, trying to bring him deeper into her body.
She looked up into his eyes, which burned a brilliant golden green, brighter than she’d ever seen them before. They stared deeply into hers. “I love you,” he said quietly.
“I love you too, Justin,” she replied without hesitation. Her throat was suddenly tight with emotion, and tears filled her eyes. It had been so long since she’d been able to say that to someone and mean it with all her heart. “I love you,” she whispered again.
He kissed her lips softly.
Their bodies moved together, a quickening rhythm, until their cries of pleasure filled the silence of the night. Afterwards, they lay together, panting for breath, their limbs wrapped around each other’s bodies. Maggie rested her cheek against his chest, feeling the quick beating of his heart.
“Whatever happens,” he said softly, “whatever the future brings, we’ll face it together.”
A smile touched Maggie’s lips. “Yes,” she whispered. “Together.” For the first time in years, she realized, she truly felt as if she wasn’t alone.
Justin’s hand stroked her hair. “Do you feel it?” he asked.
She looked up. “Feel what?”
“The others. Two of them are out hunting.”
“I don’t feel anything.”
“Close your eyes.”
She obeyed. After a moment, she realized that she could feel something, the faint pressure of other minds against her own. She felt their thoughts touch hers, recognizing her as one of t
heir kind, felt the rhythmic movement of their bodies as they made their way silently through the forest. It was unlike anything she’d ever experienced. Her eyes opened and met Justin’s. He smiled at her look of astonishment. “Do you feel it now?”
“I do,” she whispered. “It’s amazing.” She closed her eyes, feeling the heartbeats of her fellow lycanthropes, the predatory excitement in their minds as they stalked their prey. “We’re so isolated out here in the forest,” she said, “and yet, I don’t feel alone. I feel as if I’m connected to everything.”
“I know what you mean. I feel less alone in this cabin than I do in a city full of people.”
“I think I like being a were-cougar,” she said.
“It gets better.”
“It does?”
His smile widened. “Just wait.”
* * * *
A full moon shone overhead, painting the woods with pearly, silver light.
Two long, sleek shapes padded through the forest, silent as shadows. Two pairs of eyes--one golden-green, one copper--shone in the darkness. The feline predators moved in perfect tandem, as if they were one mind contained in two bodies.
Ahead, a doe stood motionless, head upraised, ears swiveling.
The cats moved in, eyes focused on their prey.
The doe saw them, but too late. She tried to leap away, but they were upon her in an instant, pulling her down with their greater weight, teeth in her neck. The kill was quick and clean. The doe had no time to suffer. She kicked twice and was still, and the two cats feasted beneath the light of the moon.
As they lay together afterwards, side by side, the smaller cat raised her head, ears lifted. She heard something in the forest, coming closer.
Three more cougars appeared out of the darkness, their eyes luminous with reflected light. They approached and began to sniff her from head to tail. She tensed.
Her mate nuzzled her gently and sent soothing waves of warmth into her mind. Don’t be afraid, he said silently. They’re just curious. They’ve seen me before, but you’re new to them.
Slowly, she relaxed and allowed herself to be sniffed and nuzzled by the other cats. Her fear receded, and a low, contented purr rose from her throat. Her mate watched with amusement and affection in his half-lidded green eyes.
Transformation Page 7
