Toni just shrugged. “I’m not particularly worried about me. I don’t do hair, but I am worried about you girls out front.”
“Me too,” Fern seconded her.
“How about you, Meredith?” Percy asked the only new hairdresser.
She didn’t answer right away, though I could tell by the look on her face that she was worried.
“I don’t know. I’m kind of scared. It sounds like there’s absolutely nothing we can do to protect ourselves. The killer is doing his thing with other people in the house, and no one’s heard him, as far as we know.” Meredith looked down at her hands as she spoke. “I need this job. I can’t afford to quit just because I’m afraid.”
“Meredith, if you need anything, we’ll help you out, but you’ll have to let us know.” Percy placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
“Thank you,” said Meredith with a nod, her eyes downcast.
I had my doubts if she’d ever come to us. I was amazed that she’d said anything about her circumstances at all.
The back door creaked, signaling the return of the manly types. I left my spot. It was time to find out what the heck Doug wanted this time.
I hated to admit it, but he had been helpful in getting our clients out. I was also impressed by how all those women worked together.
Percy watched me go, then continued the meeting.
Doug was waiting in the kitchen, and Hades nowhere in sight.
“So, what do you want this time?” I slumped into a chair.
He shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t have to work until tonight. I was hoping I could find more out about being a wolf.”
“Such as?” Apparently I’d resigned myself to answering his questions.
“Well, what does it look like?” he asked.
“The change or the wolf?”
“The wolf.” He took a seat next to me, propping his elbows on the table and leaning forward.
“It looks like a wolf,” I answered truthfully.
“How big?”
“Depends.” I crossed my arms, leaning back with my eyes closed.
“On what?” he persisted.
“The size of the person. Dominance.”
“Dominance? I’ve seen some pretty aggressive little dogs.”
I smirked and opened my eyes to look at him. “That’s dogs, not werewolves. The magic translates dominance into size. I guess it helps the alpha wolf’s intimidation factor.
He nodded. “Can I see it?”
“No,” I replied quickly. My eyes widened, my breathing sharp. Like I’m gonna get naked and change in front of him. Ha!
He looked disappointed. His smell didn’t betray desire. He was genuinely disappointed not to see my wolf. The guy was obsessed.
“It’s too close to full moon. If I change now, I might lose it enough to hurt someone.” I paused. “I’ve been slipping lately.”
Mem wandered in, saving me from further explanation.
“When is full moon?” he asked casually.
“In a couple days,” Mem answered him, surprising me.
Was she keeping track? Only a couple of days until I wolfed out completely. Things could get very interesting.
Two days before the full moon is my time to prepare. I inspected my kennel for weaknesses in the structure. Yes, I’d already done it with Percy, but my personal methods were a little different.
Dressed in exercise clothes, so I wouldn’t damage anything I wanted to wear in public, I locked myself inside my cage. Starting at the door, I ran full tilt across my enclosure and threw myself against the bars at the other end, which didn’t so much as rattle, I continued the process all the way around the enclosure. If I’d heard a creak, or felt a bar turn in its socket, I’d have to get out more materials and reinforce the weak spot.
I was more adamant than ever that my structure be secure. I couldn’t afford to be another monster loose among the populace. Not to mention a well aimed bullet could drop me just as well as it could a moose. Of course, I heal quickly, so unless I was shot in the head, I’d just get ticked off.
I’d been shot before, waking up after the full moon in my den with half a hunter’s carcass next to me. I did everything I could not let that happen again, but accidents happened. It wasn’t until I came to live with Percy that I’d ever been fully secure.
I gathered as much force as possible and slammed my body against the door again and again. It didn’t budge, so I moved on to the creature comforts, pulling the bowl out of the automatic waterer and scrubbing it, releasing all my pent up anger and anxiety on imaginary grime. I wouldn’t be fully satisfied with its cleanliness until it had a chance to soak for a good 15 minutes.
Every blanket and dog bed was inspected for loose bits that would be tempting for an oversized puppy to chew.
The shavings were fresh and clean but had settled flat, so I took a gardening pitchfork, digging it in deep and fluffing it.
There were smudges on the windows, interrupting the light, so I jumped up there, clinging to the bars with one hand, and washed the windows with Windex and newspaper with the other. Hey, a wolf appreciates a nap in a warm, sunny spot just as much as anyone. I let go, falling down and landing lightly on my feet like a cat.
That night I slept in the tack room, just in case. Mem remained in my suite, and I didn’t want to risk changing in front of her. It also gave me the opportunity to catch up on the Austen novel I was reading. I don’t normally have that much time, and I was kind of enjoying it.
Lacey-Marie came out to visit for a bit, but she got bored easily with no TV or music. I could have brought my laptop down, but I didn’t want to demolish it on accident.
My sleep was unsettled, wavering between chasing things and nightmares. The night before is always like that. That’s where a pack or a mate comes in handy, offering comfort. I had neither, so I dreamed alone.
Warmth and brilliant morning rays cast themselves over my eyelids, waking me early the next day. Too bad I couldn’t get out and enjoy it.
I reluctantly left my book in the tack room and locked all the doors, hanging the key on the hook next to the door in my changing room. The key to the kennel went on a similar hook on the kennel side. I’d knocked it off once and had to spend over an hour looking for it in the shavings after I came to.
Now all I had to do was wait. I didn’t always change the day before, but it was rare that I didn’t. Once changed, I’d stay that way through the full moon and the day after. I never remembered anything. I was anxious, so there was little chance that I wouldn’t change immediately. I stripped down to nothing, tossing my clothes out the door before jailing myself completely.
Despite my years as a soiled dove, and my years of changing after that, I’d developed some modesty. I avoided being completely naked, as best I could, even in front of Lacey and Percy.
Percy would come and check on me around noon. With a whole lot of nothing to do, she very well might check on me early.
I didn’t need to worry anymore. Worrying made things happen. Worrying brought on the wolf fast and hard. Worrying—
The wolf stalked around the edge of her territory, looking for signs of intruders, but all she smelled was herself and the other-smelling two-legger who came with food from time to time.
She dragged the hot blankets off her nest and deposited them in the corner. They might be fun to shred later, but for now, there were toys. She selected an extra large red Kong from the basket, tossing it into the air like a cat with a mouse. It bounced, and she chased its uneven rhythm across the room with joyful abandon.
Enough of that. The wolf was hungry. She sat, scratched her dark fur, and stared at the door with almost human intelligence. She thought of herself as smart, but she didn’t have anyone to compare herself to.
She hoped for a visit soon, either from the food person or the dead one.
Hungry, hungry, bored.
The blanket was looking more and more tempting, and she wasn’t feeling the need to resist. She
stood on the blanket with all four paws, yanking the corner up with her teeth, earning herself a gratify tearing sound as the threads started to release. Those little bits would be satisfying to tear into even smaller pieces.
What she really wanted was to go out, to feel the wind sting her eyes as she ran. Chasing. Hunting.
Maybe today would be one of those days when she got to go out...
When I came to, I was surrounded by fluff and torn up bits of this and that. My wolf had not been a happy camper during her time of captivity.
I had gross morning mouth that was a combination of the stale dog breath and fresh meat. Percy didn’t normally feed me meat when I was in wolf form, just dry dog food. She must have made an exception for extenuating circumstances.
I stretched, cracking my back. I was still sore from the change, but at least I didn’t remember the feeling of the mandatory ones. They’re faster, more intense, and covered completely by adrenaline, as far as I could tell, which is why one could go for a long time without discovering they were a werewolf, changed by force, instead of a willing like me.
I was happy to discover my key where I left it, and doubly happy to put on clothes. It was an abnormally chilly morning for the approaching summer, and people would find it odd if I wasn’t properly dressed for the weather.
I wasn’t up to facing anyone yet, so I decided to take a walk.
The fresh air smelled wonderful. Much better than wood shavings. I took a deep breath, still smelling them. I reached up and started picking bits of shavings out of my hair, thinking maybe there needed to be a mirror in the tack room. I’d also neglected to bring down a comb and a hair elastic, so I raked my fingers through my wild curls as best I could.
I’d chemically straightened it a few times, but the look just wasn’t for me. I prefer to curl most of the time, and I’m good enough with a flat iron that I can make it stick straight, without needing a permanent solution. I caught people staring on a regular basis, trying to figure me out. Either that, or they sensed something not quite human about me. Wonder what that could be. Admit it or not, people do have a sense of the supernatural.
Percy, looking frazzled and smelling of adrenaline and anger, found me later in the day. “I got stopped by a reporter. He told me there’s been another murder. Come up to the house. I’ll fill you in.” She sounded out of breath.
“When?” I asked, picking up my speed.
“Two nights ago, during the full moon. I’ve been waiting all day to tell you. It isn’t good.”
We hurried back up to the kitchen, where she had a tea kettle screaming for her. Tea for her, tea for me. As soon as she had the mug shoved into my hands, she filled me in.
“I think it’s the pack,” she stated, her eyebrows scrunched together, her knuckles turning white.
“That doesn’t make any sense. How could they get inside a house during full moon?”
“They didn’t. Her husband said they decided to go for a walk, since the moon was so bright. They got maybe a mile from their house when he turned to her and discovered she was gone without a sound.” Percy paused to take a sip of tea. “He figured she’d gotten ahead somehow, so kept walking. Well, just a few moments later, he found her body propped up against a tree. He said her throat was ripped out, but there was very little gore, no blood left, just like the other girls. Her pulse was still beating when he called nine one one, and she was still warm.”
“But no blood?” I confirmed, feeling cold fear shoot through me.
“No blood.”
“That still doesn’t make any sense. If her pulse was beating, that means there was still something to pump. And none of the others had their throats ripped out, just slashed.”
“This was also way up north, Presque Isle. Way too far north for it to be a hairdresser doing this. It’s not like a 49-year-old woman would be real competition, especially real enough completion to drive that far to get rid of. I think the wolves are sending you a message,” said Percy, studying my face with troubled eyes.
I disagreed with her, but her mind seemed made up, so I kept my mouth shut. I couldn’t disprove it, but it made absolutely no sense for it to be the wolves, especially during full moon when there was no human in charge of the animal’s brain to point them at specific victims.
And if the weres and the vamps were both looking to recruit, that meant there was something going on in the fae world. It could be ritual. Or it could be personal.
My phone blared in my ear. I’d set an extra early alarm so I could get in a run before work and burn off as much full moon energy as possible. I fumbled around, finally locating it on the floor under the blow-up mattress I was now sacked out on.
Mem sat bolt upright, throwing her legs over the side of the bed.
“Go back to sleep, Mem. It’s just my alarm.” I stood and shuffled in the general direction of my bathroom.
She muttered something, then slid back down under her covers.
Once clothed, I jogged down the stairs and found a guest in our kitchen.
“Scott?”
He turned to me, clutching a cup of coffee. “Hey.”
“Everything okay? Who let you in?”
“Percy did. Yeah, I’m fine. Just having a rough morning. I know Penny and I weren’t together long, but it’s really hitting me all of a sudden.”
“Well, you’re welcome to anything in the fridge. I’m going out on a run.”
Percy walked out of the pantry armed with breakfast items. I gave her a scowl and walked out the door without a word to her. She knew everything that was going on with Scott. He was my friend, yes, but not a first-thing-in-the-morning friend.
When I returned, everyone was up, and breakfast was being served.
“Whoa, Gretch, easy on the meat.” Scott’s eyes turned into saucers as he watched me pile my plate with bacon, eggs, and sausage. “Can we get some fruit over here?”
I don’t know if Percy had been talking to him, but Scott was in much better humor.
I set the banana he thrust at me on the table. So close to full moon, I wasn’t in the mood for anything but meat. Percy had cooked my food thoroughly, crispy to the point of crumbly bacon, dehydrated sausage, even solid yokes in my eggs. I made a face at her behind Scott’s back.
Mem acted like there was nothing abnormal about my food choices. I expected to gross her out, but she never batted an eyelash. Maybe she was still in shock.
We decided to open the salon on an exclusive basis. We would go through the books, pick out our regular clients, the ones we actually liked, and invite them in for a private open house. We’d go full blown day spa, do package deals and everything. They’d hang out with us all day, we’d provide food, then we would escort them out at the end of the day. The rest of the week we’d have to play by ear.
Apparently salons all over the state were having problems with the media, and the police were finally going to help us out one salon at a time, which meant we’d get a visit either Wednesday or Thursday.
We dressed comfortably, trying to convey a relaxed atmosphere. True to the hairdresser’s unwritten code, we mostly wore black.
I chose a black turtleneck tank top, but the rest was challenging as I didn’t want to go monochrome. I settled on a pair of light colored jeans and black combat boots then clambered down the stairs, pretending everything was going to be all right.
Three clients arrived right off the bat. Scott stuck around to mooch food, so Hades recruited him to help direct traffic.
Tamara Bebe was a high school student. I wondered what she was doing at the salon instead of school. Percy, who was her stylist, was the one to greet her.
Right on Tamara’s heels was Ray Gaboury, my client. He was a mill worker who always came for his cuts on Tuesdays. He was wearing his customary basketball shorts. In fact, I’d never seen him in a pair of pants, even in February.
Natasha the Russian was by far the most interesting client we’d ever had. She used all of us and was scheduled for Lacey-Marie. I
say interesting for many reasons. The biggest one for me was she didn’t seem to have a personal smell. She was always wearing perfume or body spray, perhaps to hide the fact that she didn’t have a scent of her own. Another reason was she didn’t have a last name, to the best of any of my knowledge. She drove the hour and a half to Isenburge from Farmington to get her hair cut and colored, and paid cash.
My theory was she’s fae and she had some heavy duty glamour that even Percy couldn’t detect. We never asked, so we’d probably never know.
Christine prepared the food, so Percy didn’t have to cook or run around. Oh, deviled eggs! I grabbed a couple and stuffed them in my mouth before I had to be social, a mug of tea clutched in the other hand.
With my teeth clenched in a smile, I was ready to face the world. “Hey, Natasha, I love the skirt,” I said, coming up beside her.
“Thanks. I made it last night.” She struck a pose, one hip jutted out, modeling her new pink and black plaid school girl style mini skirt, which she’d decorated with an abundance of safety pins.
“I feel old. Thank goodness Percy is here to join me in the over 30 crowd.” Natasha waved at Percy in an act of solidarity.
I didn’t believe she was in her thirties, but whatever.
Ray was up by the front counter flirting with Meredith, who was trying desperately to look busy. I decided to interrupt and rescue her. At that rate, I’d never do a haircut. I would be absolutely thrilled when the day was over.
Doug showed up around midday, causing a sensation with his beastly hairiness.
I was kind of getting used to having him around. It helped that I wasn’t trying to hide anything from him, like I was from Scott, who was glaring at Doug from across the room.
It wasn’t like he was competition. I had a strict no human policy. Neither of them had a shot, no matter how much I found myself liking Doug.
“I’ve got a haircut to do,” I muttered to myself, shaking my head. I couldn’t keep an eye out to see if they were causing trouble with each other. I made my getaway and took my time with the cut.
Beauty is the Beast: Beasts Among Us - Book 1 Page 21
