“I never should have left them in that flimsy plastic bag,” Justina grumbled as we made our way inside. “Stupid checkout girl overstuffed it.”
Eramus helped carry in the rest of her groceries, listening quietly to her bitching about the world like he was used to it. When I gave him a questioning look he said, “I have two sisters,” as if that explained it all.
Justina started pouring the potatoes into the sink.
“I thought you were going to cook at home,” I teased.
She started looking around for a pot to fit them. “I’d much rather mess up your kitchen. Besides, I didn’t want to be by myself.”
That wasn’t like her at all. She normally didn’t want to be around anybody, sometimes even me.
“Why, is something wrong?”
She shrugged. “I kept hearing weird noises last night. Just creeped me out, that’s all.”
Before I could tell her what I saw the night before, someone else knocked at the door.
“It’s me, I’m early,” Ozzy yelled.
By the time I rounded the corner he was making his way through the foyer with a bag full of corn and an ice chest full of booze. I took the corn and hugged him.
“I hope you don’t mind me being so early. I wanted to make sure you were all right after last night.”
“What happened last night?”
We turned to see Justina in the doorway with Eramus right behind her, arms crossed as if he too were waiting for an answer. Thankfully, Ozzy spoke up because I surely would have given something away.
“I drove Lucy home last night and we saw something in the yard.”
“What was it?” Justina asked.
Oz and I exchanged a look. Neither of us were ready to start throwing around the word “werewolf”.
“Like a big dog,” he said. “He probably got loose from one of the farms around here. Anyway, I didn’t get a real good look.”
But the wolf sure did. He must have been watching us the whole time. I shivered at the thought before remembering I hadn’t introduced Eramus.
“Oh, this is my friend Ozzy,” I said.
Eramus stepped forward and the men shook hands as he introduced himself.
Chapter Nine
Sleeping dogs
“Eramus Creed,” Ozzy repeated. “That’s a pretty famous name.”
The two men exchanged a look that clearly said they knew something I didn’t. What the hell was going on? I was lost.
“Only in certain circles,” Eramus replied.
Ozzy raised an eyebrow. Then as if to further confuse me, Eramus supplied, “It was my grandfather’s name.” Well, I already knew that, but had no idea what difference it made.
“Ah.”
Even though they were both carrying the ice chest through the house now and the subject had changed to the weather, there was a palpable tension in the air. Justina came to stand beside me and we both watched the men walk out of sight. She didn’t speak until we heard the back door close.
“What the hell was that all about?”
“I have no idea.”
“Is Eramus famous?”
I shook my head. “Your guess is as good as mine. I’m sure if he was a celebrity, I would remember a face like his.”
“And that ass,” Justina said, rolling her eyes like she was going to swoon.
I turned toward her, laughing. “I know, right? Did you see how good he looks in those jeans? I have never wanted to be woven into cotton so bad in my life.”
I thought my comment was pretty clever. In fact, I was waiting for her to respond with a whoop or a catcall of some sort. Instead she looked kind of…embarrassed.
“What? Are you going to say that wasn’t funny to you?” I shrugged.
Justina pointed at what I thought was my hair.
“Is there something in my hair? Something wrong?”
I took a section of my red locks in one hand and started searching for whatever it was that was bothering her.
“There’s nothing in my—”
My words were lost as I turned toward the back door. Eramus was standing there with his arms crossed, looking down at me. For a second I wondered if he’d overheard us, but the look on his face answered my question.
“Do you often fantasize about being woven into cotton?” His voice was smooth and his words were obviously a challenge. Normally, I would have been embarrassed in such a situation. But something about him made me fearless. I wanted him to know I was attracted to him and had no problem admitting it.
“Only when I see you wearing jeans.”
His smile grew wider, revealing more of his perfect white teeth. He was so close to me now that the smell of his cologne was overpowering. Don’t misunderstand, it wasn’t that strong of a smell, it just had that powerful of an effect. It made me weak. Maybe he was using magic of some sort?
“And what if I wasn’t wearing them?”
I’m not sure if he meant “what if he wore something else” or “what if he took them off”. But I chose to answer in a way that would make him guess as well.
“Not sure.” I shrugged in a way that I hoped looked nonchalant. “I’d have to see first.”
“Did you get the meat?” Chase asked, sticking his head in the door.
His words and my thoughts were enough to make me blush, although I wasn’t exactly embarrassed. Flustered is more accurate. How had I not heard Eramus behind me? I heard when Chase opened the door.
Never taking his eyes from me, Eramus answered, “Not yet.”
I could feel Chase staring at me and knew I’d most likely get questioned about this later.
“Could you show him where the steak is in the fridge?” Chase asked. “Ozzy said he put some in there this morning.”
No one seemed to find it strange that Ozzy was stocking my refrigerator. Besides, he did that quite often.
“Sure, right this way.”
Justina was still standing there in what looked like shock. As we walked past her I asked Eramus, “You don’t really need me to show you the fridge, do you?”
“Nope.”
But he didn’t complain. I opened the door and found the steak in the bottom drawer where I always kept meat.
“Ribs and steak? You guys are just a bunch of carnivores.”
His smile never wavered as I handed him the steaks.
“Thanks.”
Before we could say anything else Chase came in and started rummaging through my cabinet for seasonings.
“Have to do everything myself,” he grumbled. “Give me those.”
He took the steaks from Eramus and started sprinkling them with about ten different ingredients. I didn’t pay much attention because I couldn’t take my eyes off Eramus, even though I knew it must be beyond the point of rude to stare this long.
“You run a bar outside of town, right?” Eramus asked Chase, finally breaking whatever spell there was between us as he looked away.
“Yep, the Flaming Fig.”
Chase went on to explain the name and Eramus seemed to understand his reasoning.
“So, does it work? Do the homophobes stay out?”
“You bet your sweet ass they do. Afraid they’ll catch some queer disease if they come in.”
“But it isn’t a gay bar,” Eramus said.
“Tell that to these local retards. Still,” Chase said, finishing up, “I don’t want people like that in my business in the first place.”
“Who did you leave in charge?” I asked.
Chase picked up the platter of steaks with one hand like he was about to wait a table.
“Larry.”
I laughed. “Are you sure about that?”
Larry was well meaning, but not the brightest crayon in the pack.
“Mondays at the Fig are slow, he can’t do much harm this evening.”
We followed Chase out of the kitchen and saw Justina coming from the bathroom down the hall, talking on her cell phone.
“I’m sorry to hear that,
” she said. “And I certainly will. Thank you. Bye.”
“That was my neighbor,” she said, clicking her phone shut. “I found out what I kept hearing last night. Well, sort of.”
“What is it?” Eramus asked. “Has something happened to your neighbor?”
Chase stopped to listen too even though he had the back door open already.
“Something killed her dog last night. I must have heard whatever did it.”
She shivered and Chase asked, “Was it a small dog?”
“It was huge. Biggest Rottweiler I’ve ever seen.”
“Pookie?” I remembered the dog she was talking about now. Justina usually came to my house, I’d only been to hers a few times. But one of those times her neighbor’s dog had wandered up in the yard and scared me half to death.
“Yeah, that’s the one.”
Pookie was not a mean dog, but I had no doubt he could have handled himself. Whatever could take him down must have been one hell of a beast.
“You said whatever, not whoever. Are you sure it wasn’t a person?” Eramus asked.
“Pretty sure. She said he was…torn up.”
“How awful. It’s not safe for you to go home tonight,” I said. “You can stay here.”
“Thanks, but I’d feel safer at home with all my doors locked. You know how I am about sleeping in my own bed.”
“Whatever it was, it’s probably not still there. I can follow you home tonight,” Chase said.
With that settled, we all went out back. I quickly walked over to Ozzy and pulled him aside.
“Did you hear what happened?” I whispered.
“Yes, Chase had the door open.”
“Don’t you think we should say something? I mean, about the…” I lowered my voice even more. “Werewolf?”
“No, I don’t. Dogs die in fights all the time. There’s no reason to scare everybody more than they already are.”
I tugged on Ozzy’s arm, pulling his ear closer to my lips once more. “But what if something happens?”
“If I thought there was really cause for alarm, I’d say something.”
I pulled back with a huff. “And what makes you such an expert?”
He smiled and started walking back to turn the steaks. “I’ll tell you some day.”
What was it that Ozzy had said about me? I was the perfect friend because I didn’t ask a lot of nosy questions. For the first time I was starting to wonder why I hadn’t. I respect the privacy of others when it comes to their personal life. Like Justina—I had never asked about her ex and I didn’t plan on it. I didn’t want Oz’s life history or anything. I just wanted to know how he knew so much about werewolves. And why he’d never said anything to me in six years. Oh well, he said he’d tell me some day. Since I trusted him, I left it at that.
When the potatoes were almost ready and Chase was taking up the steaks, I decided it was time to break out the punch. Since I didn’t think I could carry the heavy bowl outside without dropping it, I put it on the kitchen table and poured a few cups. Chase already had a beer and so did Ozzy, so I guessed these would be for myself and Eramus.
Justina was busy mashing potatoes, but I set a cup of punch beside her anyway. Before going back outside I took the lobster ice mold from the freezer and plopped it into the punch along with a couple of little frozen stars. I’d added a few lime slices to the ice for color and thought it looked nice.
“A lobster?” Justina laughed. “That’s funny.”
I picked up the little red cups of punch and headed out back just as the sun was setting. I paused to watch the last rays of gold and orange plunge below the tree line, leaving only a faint purple glow.
“Is that for me?” Eramus asked.
I handed him the punch and smiled as I looked back at the last traces of daylight.
“Sunsets are so beautiful this time of year. Everything seems so much more crisp and clean, even colors.”
“I take it you like fall?” he asked.
“I love it. How’s the punch?”
He took a sip. “Strong, but that’s not a bad thing.”
Eramus turned to look at the setting sun then too, and I took the opportunity to observe him. His expression was thoughtful and at the same time, almost sad. It was as if he hated to see the night come. A cool breeze blew past us, wafting his scent toward me once more. If I didn’t stop breathing deeply when he was close to me, I might faint. What the hell was that all about? I’d been around men who smelled good before. I’d even encountered a few colognes that turned me on pretty good. But not like this.
The breeze picked up and when it blew his shirt open wider I shivered. I’m not sure if my reaction was to the drop in temperature or his exposed flesh. He took a step closer to me and the heat rising from his body relieved my chill. He moved like he knew I needed his warmth, but he never took his eyes away from the sunset.
My stomach growled and Eramus smiled down at me.
“Yeah, me too,” he said.
The pot of boiling peanuts was starting to smell really good. I was absolutely starving.
“How about a sample?” I asked Chase, who was adding more salt to the pot.
Before he could answer Ozzy changed the subject. “What kind of plant is that?”
We all looked to see Ozzy pointing to some purple flowers sitting in a planter near Eramus’ back door.
“Monkshood.”
Where had I heard that name before? As if he read my mind Ozzy said, “You mean wolfsbane?”
“That is another name for it, yes.” Eramus took another sip of punch, but I could feel tension in the air again.
“Kind of an unusual plant to keep around, don’t you think?” Ozzy asked. His tone was casual, but I could tell there was more going on than what I saw. I just had no idea what.
Eramus smiled, seeming unfazed. “I think they’re pretty.”
Ozzy seemed to accept that answer, at least for the moment, and turned back to the grill. His sleeves were rolled up and scratches were visible on his forearms.
“What got ahold of you, a wildcat?” Chase asked the question before realizing what he was saying. He quickly looked at me as if to apologize, but there was no need.
“Something like that,” Oz answered.
I felt closer to Ozzy after spending the night with him, but the fact that we’d had sex still seemed sort of surreal. It was as if nothing had changed. I just knew what he looked like naked, that was all. Was that normal? Either way, I was relieved at how easily he played off Chase’s remark and turned everyone away from the subject of his scratches.
“Is everybody hungry?” Chase asked. “If Justina has those potatoes ready then I think it’s time to eat.”
We were all on our way back inside when Oz took me by the arm and whispered, “No one keeps wolfsbane around because it’s pretty.”
Chapter Ten
It’s raining werewolves
All throughout dinner I kept thinking about what Oz had said. As I watched Eramus select the rarest steak on the platter all sorts of thoughts ran through my head. Not the least of which was, had he been the wolf we’d seen last night? Had he watched us having sex in the front yard? Surely not. If he was a werewolf, I didn’t think he could be growing wolfsbane. Besides, he didn’t have any of the signs. You know—unibrows, excessive body hair, or a pentagram anywhere on his body. Then again, I hadn’t seen all of his body.
After dinner everyone started to clear out fairly quickly. We all had to work tomorrow. Well, I just had to go by and check on Mandy. The whole point of hiring someone else was so that Justina and I could cut back on our hours. We both loved the business, but had fallen behind in other areas, like having a life.
She and I were standing on the porch with Eramus, waiting for Chase to find his keys so that he could follow her home.
“Before you go, I have something for you,” Eramus said.
Justina seemed just as surprised by this as I was. We exchanged a look as he added, “I’ll be right
back.”
We both watched as he went through the gate that led to his house and in the back door. He emerged in a matter of minutes with a pot of wolfsbane. It was much smaller than the one outside his door, but it was clearly the same plant. It was also covered with a plastic bag.
“I don’t mean to scare you, but after what happened to your neighbor’s dog, I’d feel better if you took these with you.”
Justina took the pot of flowers, still looking a bit surprised.
“Thank you, but what are they?”
I forgot she missed the whole discussion about the flowers before. She was busy mashing potatoes at the time.
“Wolfsbane,” he answered. “Be careful not to let it touch your skin, it’s deadly poisonous.”
The look on her face said she didn’t need an explanation of what wolfsbane was for.
“That’s nice of you, but I don’t think that a—”
“You don’t think that a werewolf ate your neighbor’s dog?” When she didn’t respond he said, “I wouldn’t rule it out.”
Justina and I both looked at him for a moment before she said, “You’re serious.”
“Yes.”
She looked down at the plant and her expression was grave. She looked as if her fears had been confirmed.
“Thank you,” she said softly.
I looked from one of them to the other in disbelief.
“You didn’t even see anything and you’re just going to accept that a werewolf most likely killed your neighbor’s dog?”
“I did see something,” she said, lowering her voice. “I didn’t want to scare Chase. You know how jumpy he gets sometimes. Anyway, there were these really big tracks in the mud beside my house. Bigger than Pookie, because I’ve seen his footprints before.”
She handed me the pot of wolfsbane and put her hands together, indicating the size.
“Whatever the fuck did that, I don’t want to run into it.”
“Fine, but doesn’t this all seem just a little farfetched to anyone else?” I asked.
“It’s all over the news every day. It’s common knowledge that they are out there,” Justina said.
“And didn’t you say that you and Ozzy saw something here last night?” Eramus asked. “Who’s to say that what you described as a big dog wasn’t a werewolf?”
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