by Laura Hysell
“What about the dream you just woke from?” Dr. Humphry asked from across the room.
I shifted uncomfortably and Mark began rubbing my leg again. I didn’t like being put on the spot, and I certainly didn’t like these questions. Everyone was watching me, with the exception of Hugo who was still on his knees in the middle of the room with his head bowed. “Who are you people?” I asked, and Mark’s hand immediately tensed on my leg.
“I’ll let Mark answer that for you,” Jed replied softly. “I have given him permission to let you know certain information we wouldn’t normally share with an outsider. So, please just have some trust that your questions will be answered soon enough. For now, would you answer ours? Tell us about the dream you were having when Mark brought you here?”
“Why do you think I was dreaming?” I retorted. I was most definitely not going to tell a room full of strangers that I was having some weird sex dream about some guy I’ve never seen before.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk, now let’s not play games, Isabella,” Jed leaned toward me and I felt my heart beat faster with fear. What was it about these people that had me so scared? Jed, in particular, was disturbingly intimidating. “You were thrashing, moaning and talking in your sleep, plus the smell of vampire was so thick in the air you could practically taste it. Does this vampire have such a hold on you already that you won’t dare speak of him?”
What? This was getting nuts. Now he’s saying he could smell a vampire that was supposedly in my dream. Why was I even listening to this nonsense? “No one has a hold on me,” I snapped angrily. “I dreamt of a man, yes. He didn’t speak though, so I couldn’t tell you anything about him except he has blond hair. He was in the dream I had about Patricia, too. He was just a man though. There was absolutely nothing in my dreams to indicate vampire.” There, I told them. They didn’t need to know any details.
“Did he bite you in this dream? Did you have sex with him?”
“No!” I yelled, standing up and spilling my full cup of coffee all over the floor. “No, no, no, no, no! I’ve had enough!”
I slammed my half-full mug of coffee on a side table and stormed out of the room. I reached the hallway, and there I was lost. Where should I go now? Mark was suddenly behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist. I grabbed his arms and pushed him away, turning on him. He held his hands up in surrender, a small smile playing at his mouth. Damn him and his adorable little quirks. I turned away and stalked off toward the front door, Mark following closely behind me.
It was dark outside and there was a chill in the air, but it felt good. I walked gingerly, since I still wasn’t wearing shoes, wandering around the side of the house. A large garage and some sort of shop were set around the back of the house. In the distance there was a barn with a light on, which I started walking toward. The moon was almost full, so I could easily pick my way across the soft grass.
The barn was enormous, and must have once held dozens of animals, but not anymore. What once were probably horse stalls were now massive cages, with thick bars completely surrounding them. They all appeared freshly cleaned, with thick piles of hay lining the bottoms. Several sets of fluorescent lights illuminated the interior of the empty barn.
I walked to the end of the barn where the tack room was and stopped. Inside the room was a single cot, mounds of blankets, and several totes stacked against one wall. I leaned up against the wall, breathing in the animal smells that came with all barns. I was disappointed there weren’t any animals in the barn though.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, sensing Mark close beside me. What kind of people was he mixed up with? “So, you want to tell me what the hell is going on? Who are these people? What is this place?” I asked, opening my eyes to look directly at Mark.
Mark looked away and ran his hands through his hair. As he did so his shirt lifted, and I noticed more dried blood on his stomach. I reached a hand out and Mark grasped it before I could touch his shirt, his facing turning toward me. “Don’t,” he said.
“Mark, he beat you! I can see the blood. Look, I don’t know what the deal is with these people, but let’s just leave.”
“You don’t understand,” Mark muttered. He dropped my hand and stepped into the tack room, unbuttoning his shirt as he walked. I watched as he peeled the flannel off, tossing it on the ground before turning back to face me. Blood was dried to Mark’s chest and smeared across his stomach and arms, but I didn’t see any marks. I stepped forward and ran my hand across his chest and stomach, feeling the taut muscles, but no wounds. I looked at the side of his face where I’d seen a bruise developing earlier, but there was nothing there now. “I told you before; I heal fast.”
My heart was racing as I ran my hands across Mark’s muscular body, the events of the evening replaying in my head. “He said he punished you,” I murmured, looking up into Mark’s soft brown eyes. “You have dried blood all over you.”
Mark took my hands in his and led me over to the cot, sitting down and pulling me beside him. “I was rightfully punished for a number of reasons, like telling you about the vampires. The rest of the punishment concerns things that you really don’t need to worry about. There’s no permanent damage, as you can see,” he took a deep breath before continuing. “Jed has given me permission to tell you about me, about us. You must understand that if I had told you before it would have been like signing our own death warrants. Some members of the pack don’t necessarily agree with Jed’s leniency, but the rules were technically violated by the vampires first, so we get to live.”
“What rules? Mark, I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about.”
He laughed, shaking his head. “Yeah, I guess this doesn’t make a lot of sense. Okay, here it goes. I’m a werewolf,” he said bluntly, looking me squarely in the eyes.
I mulled that over for a few seconds, wondering when the rest of the joke would kick in. Mark stared at me, his brown eyes soft and almost puppy-like, not wolf-like. “So, you’re a werewolf,” I said. “I guess if there are vampires running around biting people, it’d make sense there are werewolves also running around biting people. I’m sure there are dragons and unicorns too, we just never see them, right? Ooh, what about leprechauns? Is there really a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow?”
“You don’t believe me.”
I continued on, ignoring the look on Mark’s face. “Maybe there are little fairies flying around us right now, but we just can’t see them because they’re invisible. And trolls live under bridges, demanding a toll for passage unless you can answer a riddle. What about gnomes and goblins? Are those running around too? They’re probably with the elves and dwarves, right?” I asked acerbically.
“Do you have a lot of sex dreams about random men?” Marked asked bluntly, stopping my tirade.
“It wasn’t a sex dream,” I retorted.
“Really? It certainly seemed that way to me with how you were moaning and clawing at your own body.” Mark leaned in close to me, his face right next to mine. “I could smell the sex on you. Do you know what it was like being in a car with you while you moaned and smelled of desire? All I wanted to do was stop the car and rip your clothes off! Then I’d cover your body with my scent, obliterating the putrid, rotting scent of the vampire who was in your head!” Mark yelled and his eyes began turning from a soft brown, to a golden yellow.
He held his hand out to me and I watched in fascinated horror as his hand elongated, his nails turning to claws before my eyes. Thick hair was rapidly spreading across his arms and bare chest. “I must warn you that I’m not such a gentleman when my wolf takes over. Do you believe me now, or shall I continue to change for you?”
I looked up into Mark’s yellow eyes and felt an overwhelming fear. He looked roughly the same, but his face was more angular, rougher, and changing by the minute. I was fascinated and terrified at the same time, not sure if I wanted him to stop or not. Then he let out a howl heard only in the wilds and I found myself backing up against the wall, my feet curled under me. “
Stop, please, stop,” I cried, feeling the tears coursing down my cheeks.
Mark sniffed the air above me and spoke, his voice deep and husky, “Do you believe me now?”
I nodded my head furiously, “Yes, yes, I believe you. Please, Mark, just stop.”
He grunted and leaned away from me, closing his eyes. I stared at him as the fur that had been forming across his body slowly faded away and his hands returned to normal. When he opened his eyes they were still a golden yellow color, but other than that he seemed mostly normal. “Vampires and werewolves are real,” Mark stated gruffly before he leaned back away from me.
I untangled my feet and stood up, rubbing my arms to take away the chill. I found myself backing up until I reached the wall, my eyes still on Mark sitting on the small cot. I tried to wrap my mind around what had just happened as I scrubbed the tears from my face.
Mark was a werewolf, with claws and everything. Part of me really wanted to see the full thing, but from a safe distance, maybe with binoculars. I looked over at him and he looked just like the old Mark, the funny, quirky gym teacher I’d worked with for over three years. Was this the real Mark? Was the Mark I’d known just a cover for this version? How could I have been so blind? Now I knew the truth that behind the conspiracy theory-obsessed teacher was this new Mark, who had yellow eyes, claws and was very, very scary.
Chapter 7
I was speechless, yet I had a thousand questions running through my mind. Mark was definitely something else, something not human. But if I was going to admit to werewolves being real, I’d have to admit to the vampires as well. Everything over the last few days began clicking into place. Mark had known the truth since I’d woken him up in that weird hospital room, maybe sooner. Had he known what was happening back at the school? I looked over at Mark, who sat still on the cot watching me with his eerie yellow eyes. I took a couple slow, deep breaths, trying to calm my racing heart before walking back to the cot.
I slowly sat down next to Mark, trying to appear nonchalant despite my heart pounding in my chest. “I’m not going to hurt you,” he said softly and I glanced up into those yellow eyes. “You don’t need to be afraid of me.”
“I’m not afraid,” I lied immediately.
He laughed gruffly, but there was no humor in it. “You can’t lie to a werewolf, Izzy. I can smell the fear on you, and hear your pounding heart. You’re most definitely afraid of me.” He looked away from me, staring down at his hands.
“Okay, you’re right; I’m absolutely terrified.” Mark nodded his head at my words, still not looking at me. I reached out and grasped his hand, which was thankfully just a normal hand again. “But I also know that you’d never hurt me. If you can tell whether I’m lying or not, then you know I’m telling you the truth. I do trust you.”
I must have passed the werewolf lie detector test, because he looked up at me and smiled, simultaneously squeezing my hand. “I wish you would have just believed me. I didn’t like scaring you like that, but you need to know the truth. And you also need to be honest with me. I know a lot more about the supernatural than you do, so you’re just going to have to trust me.”
“Telling you is one thing, Mark. Telling a room full of… werewolves,” I looked up and he nodded, “is a lot different. I don’t know these people, and I don’t trust them. And Jed scares the bejeezus out of me!”
Mark barked a laugh, shaking his head. “Jed scares everyone. That’s why he’s Alpha.”
A sat for a couple of beats, taking that in. “So, I have to know some key details,” I started, and Mark’s face turned serious as I began. I could sense the tension in his body as he stiffened, waiting for my questions. I didn’t like this serious side of Mark. It was unnerving and so not like him. “So, do you turn into a wolf or is it more like Michael J. Fox?”
“Michael J. Fox?” he asked, a frown creasing his forehead.
“Yeah, you know, from that movie Teen Wolf back in the 80’s. He was a little furry, but really good at basketball.”
Mark tipped back his head and laughed at that, his whole body shaking with mirth. I smiled watching him, glad to ease the tension a little. When he finally stopped laughing he looked directly at me and I was surprised to see his eyes were back to their usual warm brown. “Being a werewolf does not make you good at basketball,” Mark replied, smiling. “It does give you added strength, speed and coordination though, so it definitely helps with sports. Most of us just turn into wolves on the full moon, but those of us who have been around a while longer can change at will, or partial change into a sort of wolf-man hybrid. Like most things, the more experience you have, the better and easier it gets. I can completely resist turning on a full moon if I wish to, where a newly turned werewolf is helpless to the power of the full moon. That’s why there are so many cages in the barn.”
“It’s almost a full moon. Does that mean everyone’s going to be in cages in a couple days?”
Mark shook his head, “No, only the newer wolves go into cages. It takes a while, but with each full moon you retain more and more humanity, until eventually you run as a wolf with a human mind. We only cage the newest because they can be violent, and it’s never good to wake up naked with no idea of where you are after you’ve been running around as a wolf. Plus, we don’t want anyone getting shot by accident.”
“You said you can resist changing on the full moon. Can any of the others? Jed? Dr. Humphry?” I asked, wondering who would be running around as a wolf. Would I be safe?
“Jed and the twins can resist, but they usually don’t. It’s freeing to run as a wolf. And Dr. Humphry isn’t a werewolf; she’s just married to one.”
I thought about that. There were so many questions running through my head. I had always thought of Mark as a friend, but I was finding I really knew very little about him. “So, how did you become a werewolf?” Mark’s face looked sad at my question, and I immediately regretted asking. “You don’t have to tell me if it’s too difficult. I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s all right. I know this is all new for you,” he sighed and grasped my hand tightly. I could feel the tension in his body and his eyes began turning golden yellow once more. I felt my heart speed up as he turned those golden eyes on me. “This close to the full moon it’s harder to control the wolf, especially with everything that’s been going on. I’m normally a lot calmer.”
“It’s okay,” I said, patting Mark’s hand. “I don’t mean to make things more difficult for you.”
He smiled at me and brushed a hand across my cheek. My heart sped up again at his touch and he grinned, looking very smug. “I don’t really want to talk about my wolf,” he said softly.
I was disappointed, but I nodded anyway sensing this was a difficult subject for him. “We can talk about that some other time,” I replied and he nodded, his hand still caressing my cheek.
Mark was definitely acting differently, and I wasn’t sure if it was the full moon, his wolf, or just the fact that we weren’t at the school in a work setting. Three years I’d worked with this man, secretly staring at his hardened body when I thought no one could see me. The Mark I’d known just weeks before had always been great to look at, but he had been quirky and goofy. This new Mark was darker and more dangerous, but he had a sadness to him I’d never seen before. His hand continued to caress my cheek and trail down my neck and I felt my face blush. This new Mark was also much sexier, and considerably more direct.
Mark leaned his body toward me, his yellow eyes watching his hand travel down my neck and shoulders. I looked down and noticed for the first time that the flannel shirt I was wearing was unbuttoned to show a considerable amount of cleavage. When did that happen? Mark’s hand trailed across the top of my shirt, his fingers brushing across the mound of my breasts. He leaned in closer and I closed my eyes as his mouth brushed across mine in a soft kiss.
The kiss grew slowly as he explored my mouth with his tongue. His hand held my face in place as he continued to kiss me. I returned his kisses eager
ly. I had wanted him to kiss me for almost three years. One of his hands moved across my neck and traced along the line of my shirt again. I felt his hand pulling at my shirt, unbuttoning the top two buttons with deft fingers.
He lowered me down onto the cot, and I opened my eyes to look at him. Yellow eyes stared back at me as he ran his fingers through my hair. He leaned forward and kissed me again, his kisses trailing across my chin. Mark moved and angled his body over mine on the small cot as one of his hands trailed down the center of my shirt, skillfully unbuttoning the remaining buttons. His kisses moved down my neck, light and soft as his hand ran along the edge of my shirt, peeling it back slowly to reveal more skin.
I closed my eyes as his mouth moved back across my chin and to my mouth once more. He ran his hand lightly across my breasts, pushing my shirt off further. He growled quietly and my heart sped up significantly. His hand that had been softly caressing my skin now moved down my side and across my butt, grabbing me fiercely. Mark’s kisses moved down toward my breasts, punctuated with growls low in his throat. His hand suddenly moved to the button on my jeans and I felt a flutter of panic as he swiftly unbuttoned my jeans and began sliding them down.
“Mark,” I said softly, grabbing his hand before he could pull my jeans down further. He growled loudly and I think my heart stopped for a second. “Mark?”
Mark lowered his face to my stomach and nipped my skin lightly before looking up at me, his yellow eyes glowing eerily. “Stop?” he asked, his voice husky. I nodded, not trusting my voice. He jumped up and was across the room in the blink of an eye, his back to me as he stared out the doorway, breathing heavily.
I quickly stood and pulled my pants back up, buttoning them as I watched Mark. His back was to me and he appeared to be arguing with himself. I waited until my heart rate calmed down before I walked over to him, buttoning my shirt as I did. I reached out and ran a hand gently across his shoulders. He turned his head and looked at me with his strange wolf eyes. “I’ll take you back to the house now,” he muttered, turning and walking away.
