by Michelle Fox
As she spoke, she navigated the smooth but winding roads of northern Michigan. “Hey, Chris. It’s me, Audrey. I’ve got a wolf I’m bringing in.”
“Oh, no can do,” Christine said. “Jonathon put a black bear in the big kennel. Someone was taking pot shots at her. We just got her out of surgery.”
“Aw, nuts.” Audrey smacked her steering wheel. She’d been counting on the other rangers to help her lift the cage out of her truck. “I guess I’ll take him home then for the night.”
“You don’t want to put him down?” Christine asked, curious. It was common for the park service to terminate captured wolves because they were vector animals for rabies. However, as a wildlife specialist, Audrey had some discretion in the matter.
“He’s not rabid, just needs a little TLC.” Audrey hesitated, hoping what she said was true. “Besides, he’s a species I’ve never seen up here and that other wolf was from different stock too. I want to try and sort out why they’re here.” If the area was being invaded by a new apex predator, it was her job to know about it.
“Oh yeah, I forgot about your bite. How are you feeling?”
“Fine,” Audrey said, neglecting to mention how the bite tingled almost non-stop. She’d been bitten by everything from rats to owls to snakes, but this was the first bite that felt weird. It was almost like something crawling under her skin, spreading through her body…she cut off the thought because the last thing she needed was to get all spooked over a little bite. She’d had all the shots, she was on antibiotics just in case, there was nothing to worry about and that was that.
The bite tingled even more fiercely as if to prove her wrong.
It must be Bob’s death messing with my head. She shook it off and focused on the present.
“So is Bob really dead?” Christine seemed to be reading Audrey’s mind.
“Yep.” Audrey kept her response short, not sure how much she should or wanted to say. There was an active police investigation after all.
“And the wolf is from his house?”
“Yep.” Audrey rolled to a stop at an intersection and checked for cross traffic. Off in the distance, the lake gleamed like a polished sapphire. The sun hung low in the horizon, a ball of fiery orange dipping itself into the blue water of Lake Michigan as if it just wanted to cool off. Given the frigid lake could make her legs go numb within minutes, Audrey figured the sun had chosen one of the few places on earth that could take its heat.
Christine gave a low whistle. “Wow. Keep me posted on what you find. Sounds like we have a few mystery wolves on the loose.”
“Sure thing. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?” Audrey said goodbye and tossed the cell phone into the passenger seat. Aiming her truck toward home, she hit the gas pedal. On days like this, she wished her parents were alive, particularly her mom, but a heart attack had taken her dad five years ago and cancer got her mom not long after. She missed their thoughtful insights. Her mom had been a great listener and loved to hear what she called ‘Audrey’s animal stories.’
Audrey sighed and looked to the sky. “I miss you, Mom and Dad.” There was never any sign they could hear her, wherever they were, but she couldn’t keep herself from talking to them every once in a while.
Wanting to combat the wave of melancholy that overtook her at the thought of her parents, Audrey blasted the radio, singing along and tapping her fingers on the steering wheel. She had a long drive ahead of her, might as well make it a happy one.
Since the lakeshore where she worked had some of the most expensive real estate in the state, Audrey lived almost a forty-five minute drive inland. The place she called home was a modest two-bedroom ranch with a yard full of bird baths and feeders brimming with birdseed. The landscaping consisted of a tangled mass of wildflowers which fed the bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. As a result, her lawn was always buzzing with activity.
Pulling into the driveway, she put the truck in park and hustled into the house. She was late; her charges would be hungry. Sure enough, when she stepped into her house, a chorus of anxious chirps and muffled snuffling greeted her.
She grabbed the birdseed and went to work. “Hush, sweeties, I’m here. The food is coming.”
The sad fact of life was the park service didn’t have the space or resources to save every animal, so Audrey had taken to rehabbing some of her foundlings out of her home. Her boss knew about it, but wasn’t thrilled. It wasn’t strictly against policy, but it did open the agency to some liability if anything went wrong. Plus, it went against the mandate to let nature take its course.
Unfortunately, Audrey had never been able to turn her back on an animal in need. So she’d promised up and down to only take in animals that posed no threat to humans. Her boss would go ballistic if he saw the big wolf currently sitting in the back of her pick-up. Good thing they’d stopped dating. Otherwise it would be impossible to hide her infraction from him.
“Oh well. Rules were made to be broken, right?” she muttered to herself as she distributed food. The birds received a mix of live insects she kept in the fridge along with birdseed. The squirrels and rabbits currently under her care gobbled up an assortment of fresh vegetables.
At least she didn’t have too many animals. Just a few robins whose momma had gone missing, a baby squirrel she’d found alone on her lawn and some rabbits she’d rescued from a waterlogged nest after a heavy rain. For once, there were more empty cages than full ones, which made her happy. It had been a good spring with lots of babies all over the place somehow staying out of trouble. Now, as summer deepened, she delighted in following how everyone was growing up as she made her rounds through the park’s wildlife reserve.
After her current menagerie was fed, she filled a water bowl and prepped some cat food for the wolf. Wanting to look at his wound, she slipped a quick acting sedative into his dinner, mixing it up with the food. Then she grabbed some antibiotic ointment and went out to check on her new charge. He waited patiently in his cage as if he’d known she’d come back all along.
“Hey, handsome. I have some water and food for you.” She lifted the latch that closed off the cage’s food slot and slid the plate of cat food inside. Given his size, she’d used four cans.
He sniffed the food and then raised his nose in the air.
Audrey laughed. “Sorry, I don’t run a five star restaurant. If you want to eat, this is it, big guy.”
He gave her a look that suggested he’d had a taste of the finer things in life and wasn’t about to compromise his standards. His startlingly blue eyes bored into hers with an intensity that made Audrey nervous. It was almost like he wanted something or knew something.
Also, since when did wolves have blue eyes?
That was weird.
She shook her head, casting off her heebie-jeebies, and pushed the bowl of water into the cage. “Well, at least drink something. I assume fresh water isn’t beneath you?”
The wolf blinked and lowered his head to delicately slurp at the water with his pink tongue.
She sat on the truck bed floor and watched him drink. He really was gorgeous, with thick, silky fur and broad but delicate facial features. If they ever had shows for wolves like they did dogs, he would be a contender. She just hoped the gash in his side wouldn’t be the end of him.
“You’ll have to stay the night out here until I can get someone to lift you into the garage,” she said conversationally.
He paused in his drinking and his ears rotated, tracking her voice.
“I’ve got some medicine I can put on your wound, but I can’t do it unless you’re sedated.” She showed him the tube of antibiotic cream she’d brought with her. “The sedatives are in the food you’re refusing to eat, by the way.”
In response, the wolf lay down, baring his wounded side.
“Well, you’re a smart one.” Could it be he understood her and would he let her treat his injury without sedation? It sounded crazy, but there’d been many times when Audrey had felt a connection with an animal that
transcended human speech. Once, an eagle had allowed her to return a baby eaglet to its nest without any aggression. Science didn’t support it, but Audrey firmly believed animals were capable of understanding when humans were helping them. Maybe that’s why the wolf had looked at her like he followed every word.
That didn’t mean she was about to stick her hand into a cage with a wild wolf, though.
“Thanks for the offer, but I’ve already had one run-in with wolf teeth this week. I think I’ll play it safe.” She patted the cage and then stood. Rummaging in the toolbox she always kept in the truck, she pulled out a combination lock. Wolves were smart enough to open cage latches and Audrey didn’t want to be responsible for any accidents. Snapping the lock in place, she grabbed a tarp she’d never bothered to unload after a camping trip and tossed it over the cage. “Don’t want anyone catching sight of you and freaking out. Try to be quiet, okay?”
A soft whine answered her.
She squatted down and peeked under the tarp. The wolf stared steadily into her eyes, but she caught the tension in his eyebrows. The poor thing was stressed. “Don’t worry, big guy. I’ll take good care of you.”
Was it her imagination or did the wolf seem to nod?
Chapter Three
Audrey spent the next few hours poking around on the internet hoping to find more information about the unusual wolves she’d been running into lately. As she’d suspected, there weren’t any known wolves as large as the ones currently running amok in Northern Michigan. They didn’t exist. Unwilling to give up, she sent some emails to a few colleagues in the hopes that they might have some insight. With her wolf research at a dead end, she watched some Friends reruns and turned in early. A wolf with strawberry blonde fur ran through her dreams, baying at the moon in an eerie, high-pitched howl.
Just before dawn, a metallic clanging noise yanked her out of a dream where a wolf stalked a rabbit, intent on feeling the defenseless animal’s heartbeat on its tongue. Audrey gave an involuntary shudder as she blinked the sleep out of her eyes. She’d been a vegetarian since she was eleven. The idea of eating meat, let alone hunting down any animal, was repugnant.
There was more metal banging and then it abruptly stopped for a second. Audrey settled into her bed, intent on going back to sleep, but, just as she closed her eyes, the banging started up again. Soon, the screech of metal scraping over metal added to the cacophony.
“Oh for goodness sake. What the hell is going on?” Her nearest neighbors were a quarter mile away and even the garbage truck didn’t make this much noise, not even when they dropped the cans by accident. She pulled on some yoga pants and shoved her feet into slippers before stepping outside into the cool morning air. The gray predawn sky looked down on her glumly as she followed her ears to her truck.
Oh, shit. The wolf.
She started to run.
The cage bucked wildly up and down, side-to-side, the tarp fluttering in the air as it did so.
“Hey, what’s going on?” Audrey knew the wolf wouldn’t understand her, but she hoped hearing her voice would give him pause. Most animals went still when they heard humans, even apex predators like wolves. If he didn’t calm down, she would have to consider shooting him before the animal slammed his way out of the cage. Bob hadn’t exactly invested in a cage that could withstand the strength of a large, powerful animal.
Concerned for her safety, she quickly ran back into the house and retrieved her gun. The whole time, the cage banged against her truck like a deranged drummer. She winced, thinking of the damage the wolf was doing to the truck bed.
Returning outside, this time armed, she advanced on the truck, her shoulders tense. “Calm down, big guy. I don’t want to have to hurt you.”
As she spoke, the tarp slithered off and Audrey shrieked at what she saw inside the cage.
It wasn’t a wolf, but a man. A naked man with well-defined muscles and flashing blue eyes offset by midnight black hair almost wavy enough to be called curly. A man strong enough to bend the metal holding him in. One side of the cage bulged as if he’d tried to throw himself through it. The remaining bars were bent as well, showing the strain of his strength.
“I seem to be stuck in here,” he said with a sheepish grin. His voice was low and rough with a rock singer’s rasp.
“I-I-I,” she stammered, almost dropping her gun in surprise. Not only was the guy buck naked, he was handsome enough to be a movie star and that voice…oh, that voice was doing wicked things to her despite her shock. “Y-y-you’re not a wolf.” Her voice squeaked and she covered her mouth, embarrassed by the sound.
“Not today,” the man said matter-of-factly. “Do you mind letting me out?” When she hesitated, he added, “I don’t bite.” He flashed a charming smile her way. If the circumstances hadn’t been so odd, her knees would’ve gone wobbly.
When she still hesitated, he said, “If you prefer, I can destroy the cage. I’m halfway there.” He pushed on the top, showing her how it had detached from the body of the cage at the corner. “But it’s still repairable now. Can’t say that’ll be the case when I’m done with it. Let me out, please?”
“Um, sure. Okay. I guess.” She felt silly for not responding faster. Of course she wouldn’t keep a grown man locked up in a cage. It wasn’t right. She set the gun down in the truck bed and putting a foot on the bumper, she heaved herself over the tailgate. As she clambered up into the truck, she became aware of the way her large breasts bounced in her t-shirt. If she’d known she’d be facing down a hot, hunky guy, she would’ve strapped the girls in. He’d noticed them too, watching with open appreciation as her breasts jiggled under the thin cotton fabric.
Audrey pretended the stranger wasn’t looking and admonished herself to not be ashamed. The guy was naked and locked up in a cage, not exactly in a position to be judgmental. Suddenly she went still, struck by a thought. If he was in the cage then…
“Where’s the wolf?” She retrieved her gun, feeling the need for protection.
He thumped his chest, the action making a hollow sound. “In here.”
“Excuse me?” Her grip on the gun tightened. Perhaps she should leave him locked up and call the police.
“Let me out and I’ll explain everything.” He nodded toward her arm. “That bite of yours is tingling, isn’t it?”
“What if it is?” Her voice was calm, but her heart pounded in her chest. The bite seemed to know they were talking about it and practically vibrated in her arm. She resisted the urge to put a hand over the wound and press it into stillness.
“I know the wolf who bit you.”
She raised an eyebrow. Oh he does, does he? “And?”
“He’s coming back.”
“What for?” She gave in and laid a protective hand over the bandage covering her wound. It seemed to beat against her palm, as if it had its own heart.
The easy charm left his expression, replaced by a grim look. “You.”
***
Tao held the beach towel the woman had given him around his waist and paced her living room. Her small house contained minimal furniture. What the ranch lacked in furnishings, it made up for in cages. Rows of them. The absolute silence that greeted him upon entering the house told him that any animals present had picked up his scent and were trying to hide.
Unfortunately, the air was filled with their smells. His nose automatically cataloged them one by one. The birds. The squirrels followed by the rabbits, which were his favorite snack while in wolf form. His stomach growled with hunger as their musk filled his nose. The old man who’d trapped Tao hadn’t fed him, and the cat food Audrey gave him the night before had reeked of chemicals. Thank the moon, his wound had finally healed enough so he could shift and get his own damned food.
After the menagerie in the house, there was the issue of the woman’s scent. It hung heavy in the air, coating his skin and the inside of his lungs, making him hungry for other, more carnal pleasures. He couldn’t stop drinking it in. If he could’ve rolled in it, he
would’ve dropped to the floor and done so.
God, she smelled good. Someone should make a perfume of her scent.
“Are you okay?” She stood by the front door, as if wanting to stay close to an exit. She crossed her arms and watched him closely.
Tao sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah, I just don’t know how to start.” She’d asked him where the wolf was and now he had to explain he was the wolf. He really did not want to have that particular conversation this way. The towel wasn’t just pink, it had mermaids. On him, it looked ridiculous and he needed her to take him seriously. He took a deep breath. Here goes nothing.
“My name is Tao.”
“Audrey,” she said with a small, regal incline of her head. She had a glorious case of bed head framing her face and her hazel eyes, almost caramel in the morning light, regarded him calmly.
She’s wonderfully delectable, Tao thought. Rounded curves and soft flesh a man could really sink himself into. His cock began to harden at the thought and Tao started to panic.
Not the time. Not the place. Get it together, furball.
He shook his head and then massaged the back of his neck. Nervous. Inexplicably horny. Lost.
Taking a deep breath, he dove in and went for it. No sense in playing coy with the truth. Plus, anticipating her negative reaction effectively numbed his libido. “I’m a werewolf. Werewolves are real.” He paused, waiting to see how she would react.
Audrey’s scent changed from that of sweet strawberries on a hot summer day to the sharp tang of adrenaline and fear. She took a step back, ready to run. Tao had seen deer do the same thing a hundred times. He was going to lose her.
He held up a hand. “I know it sounds crazy, but that’s not even the insane part.”
“There’s more?” Her voice came out unsteady.
Tao wished he could make things easier. He’d known what he was all his life, there’d been no surprises, but Audrey had to take it all in at once. She must be terrified. “Why don’t you sit down?” He gestured to the blue sofa in her living room.
