by EJ Whitmer
I was so busy imagining a hot shower and glass of wine that I nearly tripped over the shirtless Carl snoozing against my door. My body sagged in disappointment as I stared down at him and took in his ripped jean shorts, hiking boots, micro ponytail and what appeared to be a large, fake, eagle tattoo stretched across his naked chest. I did a quick breathing exercise before nudging him with my shoe.
Carl snorted once and jolted awake. “Anna! Hi! I hope it’s alright that I stopped by. I brought some books and was hoping you’d help me do some research.” He motioned to the overstuffed book bag sitting next to him.
I held out a hand to help him up, then unlocked my door and let us both into the loft. “What kind of research? And what’s with the get-up?”
Carl plopped the book bag down with a thud and glanced down at his outfit. “This is pretty standard werewolf apparel. You need good boots for bolting through the woods while still in human form. And there’s no point in wearing a pair of nice jeans because chances are, you’ll just rip through them when you shift into your wolf.”
I stared pointedly at the eagle on his chest. “Where’s your shirt?”
He puffed out his chest and smiled admiringly down at his tattoo. “Don’t you read? Werewolves never wear shirts. Plus, we run a few degrees hotter than humans, so it keeps us cool.”
“Okay,” I conceded. “Well I need to shower before we do any type of research and I’m famished. Have you eaten?”
Carl nodded. “Yes. However, Weres have extremely fast metabolisms, so we need to eat pretty often.”
“Do you want to order some Chinese while I shower? You can get a couple orders of Mongolian Beef and give me the veggies.”
“Sure! Although I’m not sure how canines react to MSG …”
I grabbed my tablet off the kitchen counter and shoved it at Carl. “Ask Siri. Make yourself at home. I’ll be back shortly.”
I made my way into my room and stripped off my sweaty clothes. My screaming arms told me I was about due for another dose of the muscle relaxers and my legs were still a bit sluggish from our long run. After popping another pill, I turned the shower on as hot as it would go and stepped in, hissing at the initial shock of the scalding water. I turned to let the heat work its magic on my sore upper body and took a moment to just breathe. The only thing more relaxing would be a glass of wine and a hot donut. And maybe a naked Emmett.
I stood under the water until my hands were pruney and my body was lobster red, then reluctantly turned the shower off and toweled dry. I threw on a pair of my brother's old sweatpants and a ratty Cubs tee-shirt and trudged into the living room. Carl was seated at the breakfast bar, scarfing down a massive plate of beef. I grabbed two bottles of water out of the fridge and a bowl from the cabinet before sitting down next to him in front of a plate full of peppers and onions.
"I brought the bowl in case you wanted me to pour your water in it." I was mostly joking, but part of me wondered if he'd really try to lap water up like a dog.
Carl continued to shove pieces of meat in his mouth and managed to glare at me at the same time. I elbowed him lightly and opened both of our bottles before mixing rice with my veggies and digging in. I suppose it says a lot about my life that I was feeling pretty content sharing my meals with a potential werewolf two nights in a row. I ignored the part of my brain that was nagging at me about how pathetic it all seemed, and settled into a comfortable silence with my canine twerp.
After we'd finished our meals, I cleaned up the mess while Carl got comfy on my couch and spread his reading materials across the coffee table. I joined him a few minutes later and wasn't surprised to find a dozen books about werewolves and other mythological shifters. Half of the books were old hardbacks that looked at least halfway legit. Another handful were pseudo-documentaries written by men who probably still lived with their mothers. The rest were popular fiction novels about vampires who sparkle, weretigers who like to dry hump and even one named, "Werewolf Butt Babies."
I "accidentally" elbowed that one off the table and onto the floor while Carl was engrossed in one of the documentaries.
"So are we researching anything specific or just general theories on werewolves?" I asked as I picked up a heavy hardback.
"Well, I'm just writing down theories that are consistent throughout at least three books. I figure if three different people believe the same thing, there must be some truth to it. So far, I've nailed down that I will definitely be shifting with the full moon on Saturday. Some books say I should be able to shift at will, but they all agree that it will happen during a full moon, with or without my consent."
I nodded in agreement as my gaze stopped on a page in the book dedicated to a diagram of werewolf anatomy. Wowzers! Note to self: Should werewolves really exist, be sure to date one so you can ogle his werewiener.
"I also learned that every werewolf has one true mate and that when I see her, I'll know." Carl tilted his head at me and gave me a pitying look. "I hope your feelings aren't hurt. It's not that I don't find you attractive. I just don't feel the deep pull in my chest that tells me we're mates."
I placed my hand over my heart and nodded at him solemnly. "It's alright, Carl. I understand."
Carl reached over and patted my head twice before continuing. "Short of decapitating or burning me, there doesn't seem to be a way to truly kill me. Silver will sting and weaken me, but it won't kill me. This is good to know. Also, this book says-" My intercom buzzed, interrupting Carl's lecture. "Oh! I forgot to mention that I had my seamstress work on a new uniform for me now that there's the potential for me to shift forms. I told her she could just drop it off here."
I gritted my teeth and smiled. "Nope. No problem at all." I stood up and jogged over to the intercom to buzz the seamstress in.
A few minutes later, the clacking of high heels echoed down the hallway outside my front door and a delicate knock sounded. Not bothering to check the peephole, I unhooked the chain, opened the door and stared in shock at our visitor.
Rose Blake, Eric Blake's grandmother, stood in my hallway smiling at me. Her black beehive hairdo was coifed to perfection, offset by black penciled-on eyebrows and bright red lipstick. She wore her customary red stiletto sandals, knee-high panty hose and large clip-on earrings. Beneath the garment bag she held in her arms, I could see her black capris and a black and white floral button-up.
"Mrs. Blake," I stammered, "How nice to see you. Please, come in."
Rose toddled past me, her heels clicking on the wood floor, and draped the garment bag over one of my barstools. "Anna, it's so nice to see you too!" She hustled back toward me and pulled me into a tight hug before releasing me and tilting up a papery cheek for me to kiss. "Enough with the Mrs. Blake, though. Didn't I tell you to just call me Grandma Rose?"
"Yes, ma'am," I conceded, still taken aback by her presence.
Carl bounded up from the couch and rushed over to scoop Grandma Rose into a hug. "Thank you for swinging by to drop these off, Rose. I hope it wasn't too far out of your way."
She waved a wrinkled hand at him and returned to the garment bag. "Nonsense. I was on my way home from babysitting my granddaughter. It's on the way. Now get your cute buns over here and check out what I've got for you." Rose untied the knot on the bottom of the garment bag and pulled out what appeared to be black pleather pants. "Why don't you take these and try them on."
Carl's face lit up as he snatched the pants and raced toward my guest bedroom to change.
"So how have you been, dear?" Rose pulled out a barstool and perched on top. "Sophia has been asking about you."
I sat down next to Rose and plucked at the plastic garment bag. "I've been good, thank you. How is Sophia? I haven't seen her in a few weeks."
"She's wonderful, of course. Spoiled rotten, but you wouldn't expect any less from my Eric, would you?"
I smiled down at her and shook my head. "No, I don't suppose I would. Superman has his Kryptonite. Eric Blake has his Sophia. And if we're being honest, she's pro
bably my ultimate weakness too."
Rose laughed and patted my hand. "Eric's, yours, mine, your brother's, the gardener's, the pizza delivery man's …"
I laughed along with her for a moment before stopping short as the guest bedroom door crashed open. There stood Carl, dressed in his new werewolf super suit. Now that the pants were on, I could see that the sides were split and held together by snaps and elastic string. Carl grinned and spun in a slow circle, revealing a butt flap held up by more snaps.
"Come closer and let me have a look at you!" Grandma Rose dismounted from her barstool and toddled over to him. "Oh! Anna, be a dear and grab the cape from the bag."
Of course there would be a cape. I sifted through the plastic bag and discovered a medium-length black cape, secured by what appeared to be a dog collar, complete with tags.
Rose snatched it out of my hands and raced around Carl to install the cape. "Here you go, dear! Seeing as you've recently had more cape issues, this one is half the standard length and the collar is a safety collar, meaning it will break away if it gets caught on something. I thought the dog tag added charm, but I did add the rubber rim to it so it won't clink around and break your cover in the middle of a mission."
I cleared my throat and approached Carl. "And what are the snaps and elastic for? And the buttflap?"
Rose scowled at me as she tugged on the elastic strings in an attempt to even them out. "It's not a buttflap. It's a tail hatch. These pants are made with an extremely ductile synthetic material. They should be able to stretch to accommodate quite a bit of growth. However, should Carl's wolf form be larger than we anticipated, the back hatch will open, allowing room for his tail. If he grows even larger than that, the sides will unsnap without damaging the uniform."
Carl grinned at me before stepping away to do lunges around my living room. "These are wonderful, Rose! Thank you so much. How much do I owe you?"
Rose kissed Carl on the cheek before grabbing her purse and heading toward the door. "I'll let you know after tomorrow night. I've got a poker tournament with your grandmother and I like to use your debts as collateral."
"Is that how you know each other?" I asked as I followed her to the door.
"Oh, yes. Mabel and I go back quite a few decades. She mentioned her grandson needed help with a super suit so I graciously offered my services." Rose reached up to hug me and held on extra tight so she could whisper in my ear. "In truth, I lost a bet at one of our tournaments and she suckered me into doing this as a favor. The crazy old bitty has had it out for me ever since I laced her snickerdoodles with marijuana back in the seventies." Rose released me and patted my cheek before waving at Carl and making her exit.
"I'm going to change out of these and get back to studying," Carl said as he headed back toward the guest bedroom.
"I'm pooped, Carl." I faked a yawn and glanced dramatically at my bedroom door. I didn't think I could handle any more werewolf talk. "You're welcome to stay as long as you want to study. If you get tired, go ahead and crash in the guest bedroom."
"Thanks, Anna. I'll probably just wrap it up here pretty quickly and head home. I'll lock the door on my way out. Thanks for being such a good friend."
I slugged him lightly in the arm as I shuffled to my room. I took a few quick pictures of my bedroom and sent them to the number Emmett had texted me. They would have to be good enough. There was no way I was going back into the living room with werewolf boy. My task completed, I flopped down on my bed and instantly dozed off.
14
Thursday morning greeted me with a stream of sunlight splashed across my face and a furry cat butt poised three inches from my nose. Poor Figaro had been denied his cuddle time two nights in a row, thanks to Carl. So instead of hitting the snooze button, I spent the extra nine minutes snuggling and head-booping poor, neglected Fig.
Once Mr. Feline Diva had been sufficiently doted upon, I poured him a bowl of kitty kibble, grabbed my clothes for the day and headed to the gym.
My arms were finally feeling back to normal, but I was still extra thankful that Thursdays were lower body days. After depositing my work clothes in the locker room, I sprinted to class. Nobody likes lower body days, so I wasn’t surprised to find the class less than half full. Vlad greeted me at the door with crossed arms and a stern look on his face. His biceps were as big as my thighs, so being able to fold his arms across his chest was pretty impressive.
“Partner up,” he ordered before stalking off to torment someone else.
I quickly scanned the room for a partner and locked gazes with what appeared to be an extremely frazzled Gia. Her eyes bulged as she subtly jerked her head, signaling me to come to her aid. As I started toward her, a large woman moved out of the way, revealing the cause of Gia’s distress. Carl, decked out in full weight lifting gear, was standing entirely too close to her with a dazed expression.
“Here she is!” Gia exclaimed as I closed in on them. “Carl here was looking for a partner. I told him we’d already arranged to meet up. Isn’t that right?”
For half a second I considered letting her deal with her new admirer all on her own. Unfortunately, my little conscience cricket chirped at me that while I didn’t particularly care for Gia, she hadn’t actually done anything to warrant my distaste.
“That’s right. Sorry, Carl. It’s still a bit early, though. I’m sure there are tons of people looking for partners.”
Gia closed her eyes and sagged with relief. Carl gaped at me like I had stolen his puppy. I was about to ask what his problem was when Vlad clapped his hands from the front of the room.
“Alright, you pansies! Start stretching! Who needs a partner?” His eyes zeroed in on Carl. “You. You can partner with Vlad. Your legs, they are like little, tiny, bendy straws. The kind that go in girly drinks. Vlad will help you build tree trunk thighs even Zeus would be envious of!”
Carl gulped audibly before slowly making his way up to Vlad.
“Oh my Lord. I’d kiss you if I didn’t think you’d punch me.” Gia squeezed my wrist and smiled at me.
I motioned for her to lead the way to the first weight station. “No problem. What was that about anyway?”
“I have no idea! It was totally bizarre. I was standing here stretching and I accidentally made eye contact with him. Next thing I know, he’s a zombie. He just started walking toward me like he was in a trance. I tried talking to him, but all he did was smile at me and nod. Do I have something on my face?”
I shot her a confused look and shrugged. “Not that I can see. Carl’s had a weird week, though. Plus, the full moon is two days away. Maybe he’s one of the crazies affected by it.”
“Weird,” Gia murmured as she handed me a set of dumbbells.
We began our weighted lunges, side by side, in relatively comfortable silence. I was getting used to our odd, semi-friendship, even if she did rub me the wrong way a bit. In the back of the classroom, Vlad was barking orders at Carl while threading weights onto the squatting bar.
“So tell me more about the last instructor,” Gia said as she selected a heavier set of weights. “Some of the ladies told me he was pretty good-looking. One said you even went on a date with him.”
“He was very good-looking,” I answered. “We didn’t really go on a date, though. We just grabbed a cup of coffee before work once.”
“Just coffee, huh? Well that’s too bad. He sounded like a really nice guy.”
I shrugged. “He was nice. Everyone seemed to like him.”
Gia motioned toward Vlad and smirked. "Maybe he'll come back. I think the new guy is about ten seconds away from killing a student. I doubt management would let that slide."
I glanced over at Carl and cringed. The poor guy was stuck in a squat, holding on to a bar loaded with at least four times his own body weight.
"As much as the ladies would like to see Ian come back, it's probably not worth Carl's life."
Carl let out an abnormally loud fart and dropped to the floor in a heap. Fortunately, the barbel
l fell behind him instead of landing on his neck. Unfortunately, it landed with a thud directly on Vlad's foot, eliciting a shrill scream followed by a slew of what I assumed were Romanian curses.
"Or maybe we'll pay Vlad workers comp out the wazoo and not be able to afford another trainer."
Gia nodded before resuming her lunges. "That seems more likely."
An hour later, we wrapped up our workout and hustled to the locker room. After a quick shower, I blow-dried my hair straight and did the makeup thing. I'm a firm believer that what you wear affects how you feel. I needed a bit of a boost that day, so I attempted the smoky eye look and threw on a cream pencil skirt, black belt, black cashmere sweater and my favorite pair of black Louboutins. After glancing at the clock, I noticed I had a few extra minutes to spare and sent Mae a quick text telling her I'd stop and get us coffee before work.
