The other item was a map of Sandy Cliffs. There were handwritten notes in the margins. Certain wooded areas surrounding the town were marked with dates, one even with a smiley face. Jack recognized the enthusiasm that went into the map. It reminded him of his dream journal. The only difference was instead of charting dreams, Marie was charting the woods.
He had a good idea why.
Jack could have left the apartment and never looked back. The thought crossed his mind to go back to Rob the bartender and kill him for lying. He would do that, but not yet.
He was intrigued.
CHAPTER 22
Marie trotted through the woods at a steady clip. She tired of running. Not physically, but emotionally. The wildlife ran from her, like it always did. Deer, birds, frogs, rabbits, they all ran in the opposite direction. She normally accepted the behavior as a sign of power. She was the queen of the night, and the woods respected her. With her mood, she couldn't help but think of it as a sign of rejection.
She spent some time at her favorite overlook, once again free of humans. The lake was beautiful, quite, serene, but it did nothing to improve her mood. She stretched out in the grass, resting her snout between her paws.
Ironically, thoughts of her human future swarmed her. What was she going to do? Her bar, her dream was destroyed. A lot of resources went into moving to Sandy Cliffs. She didn't have enough savings to move and start over. She'd have to get a normal job, earn a regular paycheck. Shelter, the rent, was the primary concern. She could hunt every night if she had to. She'd miss a nicely cooked steak. Her human taste buds had needs, too. But it was only temporary.
For a brief moment, she thought of turning life over completely to the werewolf. Only working with humans enough to earn money, but eating and sleeping in the woods.
Grief and anger forced the thought aside. Such an idea was a slap in the face, completely disrespectful to the memory of her parents. They didn't raise a werewolf. They raised a woman.
They'd been murdered by beings with those very same thoughts.
She rolled in the grass to scratch her back. Ever so slowly, the dark thoughts left her. She was certain they'd return, but for now, the woods was finally calming her. She'd hunt, eat a nice meal, then go home and enjoy a warm bubble bath. Marie had the best of both worlds.
She would survive.
The wind rushed at her, and she dropped to the ground when a familiar scent reached her. A buck. Her mouth watered, saliva dripping. She would have been embarrassed if she were walking on two legs. Human modesty and manners were gone. All she felt was the rumbling in her belly, reminding her she hadn't been eating enough lately.
Marie sniffed the air slowly, carefully, letting the smell fill her nose. She pushed aside the distractions, all the other wildlife, the trees leaning and swaying in the wind. The scent of water joined her. There was a small pond about half a mile away. The deer was stopping for a drink.
She never got the chance to begin the hunt. She heard them before she smelled them.
"I'm telling you, I'm starting to think you two are nuts."
"You can think whatever you want, Billy. We know what we saw."
"Yeah, well, you two were probably so high you didn't know what was going on. What the hell were you doing way out here, anyway? I can think of twenty different screwing spots."
A female laugh. "Yeah, right. He has to earn his way into my pants."
Two familiar smelling humans, and a new one. Not far behind her, making a lot of noise as they moved through a path. She almost couldn't believe it.
"And what are you gonna do if you find the wild, mysterious jungle lady?"
"I'm gonna shoot her. Why do you think I brought this gun? You see what she did to my chest and back."
"That was probably Dana."
"No way. He wishes."
Mike, Dana, and newcomer Billy. The human boyfriend who tried to rape his girlfriend by the lake. Marie had saved her, and Dana, in her limited intelligence, repaid her by not only reconciling with her boyfriend, but also joining their little hunting party, complete with firearms. Humans could be so stupid.
Marie ducked into some thick, heavy bushes, and lay on the ground. Their voices and scents grew stronger.
"Is she cute?" Billy asked.
"She's a damn animal."
"She spoke," Dana said. "She said words."
"That doesn't mean she's not an animal. She almost killed me."
"You said you two were by the lake? What were you doing? I mean…this woman just came up and beat the shit out of you? But left Dana alone? She was running around naked just looking for a guy to beat up?"
"Screw you. I don't know what her problem was. All I know is if I see her, I'm gonna put a bullet in her."
"You keep saying that. You ain't gonna shoot nobody."
"The hell I won't."
They were so close. They stopped almost directly in front of Marie. She watched them as she bared her teeth. She could smell their sweat.
It was tempting to kill them. She was ashamed when the thought didn't immediately go away. She didn't consider herself a murderer, but she would kill any threat in her life. It was difficult to argue three humans invading her territory, two of which knew better, with a loaded weapon were anything but a threat.
Marie didn't leave the safety of the bushes. She continued to watch them. Old memories flooded back, and she could only imagine the hysteria that would engulf the town. She'd lived through it once, and with modern communication and the Internet fueling the fire, three humans being ravaged by an animal would make Sandy Cliffs a famous place.
"Guys, we really shouldn't be here," Billy said. "I'm sure you've all heard the stories about a monster living in the woods."
"And you believe that shit?" Mike said. "I told you, Dana and I come out here all the time. There ain't no monster, only some crazy homeless woman."
"Oh? What about the murders all those years ago? Something like ten people over a few week span? All torn to pieces?"
"That was back in the sixties. And that wasn't a damn monster, that was a cult or something. You think that young homeless lady out here had anything to do with that?"
"All I'm saying is we shouldn't be out here."
"You're such a pussy. Come on, Dana. Let's go find that bitch."
"Hold on a sec. I think I saw something in the bushes there."
Marie tried to scoot back a step as Dana peered into the bushes. She willed her light fur to turn dark, but her eyes always had a slight glow to them.
Mike and Billy joined her. Mike pulled out the gun and used it to poke and move foliage aside. His breath stank.
"Wait…I think I see it, too. Holy shit, what is that—?"
Marie lunged from the bushes, growling and snarling. The humans shouted as Marie collided into them like a bowling ball. They stumbled back and fell into various positions. Billy was the closest, landing on his side a few feet away. She snapped her jaws toward his face, missing him only by a few inches. The message was clear, and he fell in place several times trying to push himself away. The scent of urine filled the air.
A shot ran out, and Marie felt a stinging in her side. She whirled to see Mike on one knee, Dana sprawled on the ground next to him. He held the gun in both hands, a satisfied expression at having hit his target. That satisfaction turned to dread when Marie jumped over the bullet that dropped to her paws.
Mike fired one more shot. Marie jumped to the side, the shot missing wildly, almost hitting Billy behind her. She cleared the distance in one jump, landing on Mike and gripping his wrist in her jaws. They fell to the ground together.
Mike pulled the trigger again by reflex, almost hitting Dana. Dana covered her ears and brought her knees to her chest near a tree. Marie didn't clamp down hard enough to break bone or muscle, just enough to make Mike drop the gun, which he did.
"Mike!" Billy called.
Marie let go of Mike and turned her attention back to Billy. He was on his feet, trying to make sen
se of what he was seeing. She charged him, and Billy turned and ran in the opposite direction. She didn't give chase; that wasn't her goal. Billy was off and running, and she was satisfied.
She spun in place to see Mike and Dana running away, but not together. Mike stayed on the path, while Dana veered off into thick trees. If a wolf could laugh, she would have. They didn't even care enough about each other to stick together.
As amusing as everything was, she didn't know if she did the right thing. Three humans running into town, talking about a large monster, could end badly for her nightly runs. She tended to worry too much, but she knew humans were capable of strange things.
Marie was ready to turn to the trees when she heard noises. Her ears were so trained she could see the events unfold in her mind, as if she was actually there. Dana ran through the woods, pushing through branches and shrubs. She came to a small clearing, and could barely see through the darkness. She didn't see the drop-off in front of her, at least a one-hundred foot plunge to the rocks below.
Dana went over the edge, but managed to hold on. Marie could barely hear her voice.
"Help! Mike! Help!"
Marie growled as she ran, retracing Dana's steps. The last thing she needed was for Dana to fall to her death, and have two human males tell Sandy Cliffs how a monster killed her.
She ran through the clearing and peered over the drop-off. Dana hung onto the side with all her strength, her right hand desperate to reach above her. She shouted when she saw Marie.
"Mike! That thing is here!"
That thing. Marie collapsed to her side, out of Dana's field of vision. She wondered if she should have let the stupid human drop.
The change came over her. She twitched and convulsed as her bones and muscles shifted. Dana continued to shout for help, but no one else showed up. As she changed, she could hear and smell Mike and Billy, moving through the woods.
Dana's grip finally weakened, but a human hand reached out and grabbed her. One hand was dug into the dirt, the other around Dana's arm. The werewolf was fading away, but she willed the strength to remain. Normally, she could have pulled Dana up with ease, but the pain still remained from the change, and it was all she could do to not let Dana drop. It took several agonizing pulls to drag her up enough where the human could help as well. Dana dug her shoes into the side and climbed as best she could. Finally, Marie and Dana were side by side in the grass. Dana was on her hands and knees, breathing heavily. Marie lay on her back, naked, staring up at the half moon, peeking in and out from behind the shifting clouds.
Dana looked to her right and finally realized who had saved her. She pushed herself to her knees, and Marie reached out, rolling over and grasping Dana by the arm. She had the human's complete attention.
"Listen to me," Marie said. "I'm getting sick of saving you. If I see you and your friends in my woods again, I'll kill you."
Dana slowly nodded. Marie didn't get the chance to let go when a bullet flew in between their heads. They both fell backwards, and looked back in the direction of the woods. Mike and Billy were standing near the tree line. Mike held the gun once again in both hands, trembling.
"Stop shooting!" Dana shouted. "Shit, Mike! You're gonna kill someone!"
"That's her!" Mike said, pointing. "That's the woman. And she's still naked!"
"She saved my life!"
"Get away from her!"
Despite the heroic rescue, Dana did what she was told. She approached the two men as Marie pulled herself to her knees. Her reasons for not killing them seemed so far away.
"See! I told you!" Mike said, pushing Billy's shoulder. "She's some kind of lunie, escaped from a mental hospital."
"That goddamn thing is still around here somewhere," Billy said, looking around. "We have to go."
Mike ran a hand along his shirt, still feeling the wounds that were only beginning to heal.
"I told you what I would do if I saw her."
He took a step forward, aiming the gun.
"Mike, no!"
Dana grabbed his arm as he pulled the trigger. The bullet missed its target, but still slammed into Marie's shoulder. She clenched her eyes shut and went to the ground. Bullets had no trouble penetrating her human form.
Dana put a hand to her mouth as she stood motionless, stunned. Billy approached Mike and grabbed his shoulder.
"Mike, you just shot someone."
"What are we gonna do? We have to take her to the hospital," Dana said.
"The hospital," Mike said. "So she can say we attempted to murder her? No. There's only one thing left to do."
He leveled the gun at Marie's head. She looked up at him and snarled. She was going to rip them all to pieces, limb from limb.
Marie's breath hitched when a familiar scent wafted through the woods. She'd only smelled it once before, but it would always stick. Chocolate, cherry, roses.
"Oh my God," Billy said, grabbing his hair. "We're gonna get in so much trouble."
A voice she'd never heard before.
"I'd say it's too late for that."
The man stepped out of the tree line, out of the darkness. He carried a large tree limb and marched with a purpose. He didn't hesitate as he swung the limb at the first person he saw, which happened to be Billy. Billy crumpled to the ground, unconscious, as the limb broke across his face. Mike fired the gun wildly, but the man didn't slow or flinch as he yanked it from Mike's hand and beat him with it. Five times, not letting up until Mike was sprawled on his back, his face bruised. Dana tried to run, but he showed her no mercy as well. He grabbed her in mid-stride and wrapped an arm under her chin, cutting off her air supply. The fight left her, and he didn't even bother easing her to the ground. He let her drop with a thud.
Marie pulled herself to a knee and closed her eyes, focusing on her ears. She listened for heartbeats, and despite her anger, was relieved when everyone was accounted for.
She looked up at the new arrival. He didn't bother offering her a hand. He certainly wasn't dressed for a stroll in the woods. Black jeans, with a white button-up dress shirt, open at the collar, with a nice coat. Very dapper. That heavenly scent of his was nearly distracting.
His eyes traveled over her naked body, but there was no lust in them. He was studying her, dissecting her, like she was doing to him. She looked at the three humans nearby, almost like a crime scene. The stranger's brutal efficiency was frightening, but also fascinating.
She pulled herself to her feet. Her shoulder stung, and she could feel the bullet in her. She tried to stand with the moon behind her, to keep her in shadow. Werewolf or not, she still had her modesty, and wasn't comfortable with the stranger eying her nude body.
"You could have killed them," she said.
He shrugged. "I don't care. Do you?"
Marie said nothing. She wasn't an expert at interrogations, but knew the man was taking her in, learning everything about her. She needed to do the same, and figured the best way to do that was let him start the conversation.
Was he an enemy or a friend?
"So," he said. "Someone let you off your leash?"
He knew. He knew she was a werewolf. She suddenly felt very exposed, and her lack of clothes didn't help.
Still, the humor wasn't lost on her.
"That's hilarious. You know, because I'm a werewolf. I haven't heard any dog jokes in my life at all."
"That's good, because I've got a million of them."
"I was being sarcastic."
"I wasn't."
They were quiet a moment, continuing to stare at each other.
"Well," Marie said. "May I ask your name?"
"Jack."
"Nice to meet you, Jack. I'm Marie."
"I knew that."
"I imagine you did. I would shake your hand, but you know, I'm a little naked here. I'm not exactly comfortable throwing my body in your face."
"Don't worry about it. I wasn't going to shake your hand, anyway."
"Ah, a real gentleman. That was actually a te
st. I wanted to see if you'd offer me your coat."
"You could have just asked, and I would have told you no. This is my coat. Get your own. Or don't go chasing cars naked in the woods. Either way works."
"Just trying to keep me naked to admire me?"
"Reverse psychology. Nice try, but don't flatter yourself. I've seen plenty of women naked." His eyes traveled her once again, brazenly this time. "Your body isn't better than any other."
Jack turned and walked away. Marie was stunned. Was that the end of the conversation? She was curious, apprehensive, slightly insulted. Not at the comment about her figure, but the lack of an explanation.
She followed him, leaving the humans behind.
"So, Jack," she said. "Why do I get the feeling I won't like you very much?"
"Probably because I'm an asshole. Don't worry, I'm not offended. You'll really hate me after this. I'm the one who destroyed your bar."
Marie stopped. Jack walked a few more steps, until he realized she was no longer following him. He turned to face her, his body a silhouette in the woods. She clenched and opened her fists, trying to control her breathing. Conscious thought had left her. Pure emotion coursed through her.
"Destroyed might be too strong a word," Jack said. "The fire was an accident. I just didn't exactly rush to call 911, if you get what I'm saying."
Marie was silent.
"It really wasn't that great a bar, anyway," he continued. "It was just okay. But it didn't even have a real jukebox—"
She attacked. Her hands had completed the change to claws before she reached him. Her teeth grew, her jaw dislocated. She slammed Jack against a nearby tree. He didn't have the speed to dodge. The blow should have knocked him senseless, but it didn't. With her night vision, she could see the panic in his eyes, but it had nothing to do with his well-being.
"Not the shirt!" he said. "That clown back there didn't hit it! Don't ruin the shirt—!"
She raked a claw down his chest, slicing through his coat and shirt. Pushing his head to the side, she bit into his shoulder. Her teeth sank into his flesh, but nowhere near as far as they should have. Through her rage, she realized his blood tasted delicious, even without werewolf taste buds. She shook violently, trying to rip his shoulder off, but she did nothing. Furious, she raked once again across his face and tossed him. He sailed through the air, his back slamming into a tree.
Damned and Cursed (Book 2): Witch's Kurse Page 24
