Falling for a Wolf Box Set

by Mac Flynn

  I walked over to the kitchen, grabbed Whinier's cocoa mug, added another dash of alcohol and moved to the couch. I stood before Whinier who clasped his head in one hand. His eyes stared into the fire and burned nearly as brightly as the flames with their anger.

  "You're drink, sir," I told him.

  Whinier took the glass from me, tilted back his head, and swallowed half the contents in one big gulp. He smacked his lips and gave a nod. "Not bad, but more whiskey next time," he advised.

  I smiled and sat down on the couch near him. For him, that was a compliment. "No problem, but I couldn't-"

  "-help noticing our argument?" He chuckled, but the sound was more bitter than mirthful. His voice dropped so it couldn't be overheard from the bedroom. "They've been getting worse, too. I should probably divorce her, but she's practically helpless on her own. Spends too much and doesn't know a thing about finance."

  "Have you ever thought about giving her to another rich sucker-um, gentleman?" I suggested.

  He snorted and turned to scrutinize my face. I was surprised to see the corners of his lips curl up in a smile. "You've got a lot of balls calling your boss a sucker."

  I shrugged. "I guess I got those from my dad," I joked.

  Whinier stood and wandered over to the mantel. He lay one of his arms over the top and stared down at the fire. "I probably should drop her on some young sap who wants a pretty face at his side, but she's-" Screaming. We both heard the terrifying sound from the bedroom followed quickly by the sound of yapping and barking mixed with a couple of horrendous growls.

  I jumped to my feet as Whinier raced to the door. We rushed inside with me behind him and found Bunny squished against the head of the bed. Her eyes were wide, and she cradled a bleeding hand against her chest. At the foot was Snookums, but he was no longer the happy little dog in her arms. His hackles were raised and he bared his fangs at his mistress.

  Whinier rushed around the left side of the bed and seated himself by her side. He lay a hand on her shoulder and shook her. "What happened?" he asked her.

  Bunny shook her head. Snookums took the movement as a sign of aggression and jumped at her. He flew only half the bed length toward her, but Bunny let out a shriek and pushed herself into Whinier's chest. "H-he wants to hurt me!" she sobbed.

  "Why? What happened that made him want to attack you?" Whinier asked her.

  She buried her face in his shirt and shook her head. "I don't know! I know don't! I was just laying here and he came up and sniffed me, and then started growling. The next thing I knew he-he attacked me!"

  Whinier glared and turned that face on the yapping dog. He swiped at it with his hand to push it back. "Get! Get away!" He turned his attention to me. "Monet, take that dog out of here!"

  "Sure thing." I snatched the dog off the bed. It squirmed, but didn't bite me. His full attention still lay on his mistress at whom he snarled and barked. I hurried out, but at the doorway Whinier called to me.

  "And close the door so it can't get back in!" Whinier ordered me.

  I shut the door and the dog instantly calmed. Snookums even looked up at me and wagged his tail. Puzzled, I walked over to the couch and plopped down to think about these new and unfortunate turn of events. I didn't like Bunny, but I didn't hate her. Well, didn't hate her too much. She had tried to play paddy-cake with my-Adam!

  "Oh shit," I whispered. That mark on Bunny's neck. His little love-tap to get her off him. He might have—

  I had to call him.

  I snatched up my phone, clutched the mutt in my free hand, and hurried onto the porch. Thank goodness I had his number in my phone, and I called the Stud's number. I placed the phone against my ear and listened to the rings. I paced the porch with the dog in my hands. Once. Twice. "Come on, Adam, please not be taking your winter nap," I murmured. Four. Five-

  "Is something wrong?" Adam's voice came through the phone. I noticed he sounded weary, but there wasn't time for idle chit-chat.

  "How deep does a scratch have to be for someone to turn into a werewolf?" I questioned him.

  "The skin has to be broken, why?"

  "Because I think Bunny's flirtatious encounter with you has left a lasting and furry impression on her. Her dog just attacked her in the bedroom," I explained.

  "Damn . . " he whispered.

  "In a way, but what are we going to do? Advise my boss to get his wife a flea collar for Christmas?" I asked him.

  "No, there may still be time to reverse the effects," he revealed.

  I frowned. "But you said there wasn't a cure."

  "Not after the curse has taken hold in the body, but if the person is still in the process of the change there's still a chance. There's a brew I can make that she would need to drink, but that would reverse the changes and cure the curse," he told me.

  I breathed a sigh of relief, and didn't even care when the dog licked my face. "Great, what do we need?"

  "Some common household spices, but I don't have the most important ingredient. Dried wolf's bane," he replied.

  I felt the color drain from my face. "Shit. Is that stuff sold in the store or something?"

  "Because of it's poisonous nature to humans, no."

  "Is it natural to the area?"

  "Unfortunately, no."

  "So what do we do?"

  "We would need to travel to my private garden three miles into the woods and retrieve a fresh sample," he revealed.

  I could have strangled him if he'd been present. "Why didn't you tell me that sooner?"

  "You're line of questioning hadn't reached that point," he pointed out.

  "We don't have time to waste! We have to get this poisonous-wait a sec." I wrinkled my face as memories of the noxious fumes came to mind. "How are we supposed to give this stuff to Bunny if it's poisonous to humans?"

  "We mix the ingredients with the dried plant. A slight bit will infuse the spices with the curative powers of the bane. Unfortunately, she will be slightly ill for a few days, but she will be cured."

  I shrugged to the empty world before me. "I think we can live with that if she can live with that. When can you leave?" I wondered.

  "Unfortunately, I don't believe I'm capable of making the trip alone. The short walk with Bunny and the walk to my home have tired me out more than I anticipated," he admitted.

  I cringed. "Damn it, so we both have to go?" I guessed.

  "Unless we can convince your guests to come with us that far, then yes," Adam agreed.

  Behind me beyond the closed door to my home I heard a door latch clack shut. I lowered my voice and tiptoed to the door. "I gotta go. Somebody's moving around inside," I told Adam.

  "I will try to regain my strength for the trip," he replied.

  "And think of a way to keep the Whiniers distracted while we go for a hike," I added before I shut off the phone.

  Chapter 9

  I stuffed the phone into my pocket and creaked open the door. My boss stood in the kitchen over the stove with the kettle in hand. I slipped inside and dropped the dog onto the floor. Snookums wagged his tail at his master and wandered up to Whinier while I followed the dog. Whinier noticed the pooch and glared down at the dog at his feet. "What the hell's wrong with you?" he growled at the dog. Snookums tucked his tail between its legs, flattened its ears against his head and scooted to the other side of the couch.

  "How's Bunny?" I asked him.

  "A little shaken, but better," he told me. He put down the kettle and ran a hand through his short, graying hair. "I just can't understand it myself. That dog loves her, and then he goes and does this."

  "Maybe she-um, maybe she got into something in the woods?" I suggested.

  He grimly nodded his head. "That could be. We should probably keep out of the woods just to be sure." There went the option of taking them with us on the long hike. Whinier fumbled with the kettle lid and ended up splashing water everywhere. "Damn this thing!" he growled.

  "Here, let me do it," I offered. His hands shook worse than a leaf in a t
ornado. I took the kettle from his hands and filled it with more water. "Was she wanting tea or cocoa?" I asked him.

  "Cocoa, but I'll get that," he insisted. He didn't move to the cupboard that contained the cocoa, but rather sighed and leaned over the counter. "Maybe coming here was a mistake," he murmured.

  "I'm sure everything will look better after you've had a bite to eat. It is almost lunch," I pointed out.

  Whinier shook his head. "I'm sure Bunny isn't easy to be around when she's trying to get at your boyfriend. No, we should definitely leave as soon as possible. Probably after lunch."

  My eyes widened and my heart quickened. If they left that would doom Bunny to a life as a creature the opposite of her name, and she wouldn't like all that hair on her body much, either. "No, it's fine, really. I'm sure she won't be bothering Adam again."

  He turned to me and raised an eyebrow. "Why do you say that?"

  My mind worked overtime and a half for an answer. "Because-um, because maybe she-um, maybe she picked up something from Adam. Yeah, he hunts and goes out into the woods all the time. Maybe she picked up something from him when she jumped him she got something from him that Snookums didn't like." Truer words were never spoken in a lie.

  Whinier furrowed his brow and rubbed his chin with one hand. "You're a terrible liar, Monet, but you might have something there."

  I blinked at him. "I do?"

  He slowly nodded his head. "Yes. Actually, it might kick her habit. Make her go cold-turkey for men, so-to-speak."

  "I'm not following you, sir."

  "What if we were to tell her that story? We could say she picked up something from this Adam fellow and that's what caused Snookums to attack her. If she hadn't fooled around then her dog wouldn't have bit her," he mused.

  "Aaaannnddd now that she's got whatever Adam gave her, it's not going to go away for a couple of days. So if she behaves herself than maybe Snookums will like her again. That way we can see if she's going to not-well, jump Adam," I added.

  Whinier chuckled. "I believe we may have put our heads together to make a most ingenious plan." He burst into more laughter and slapped me on the back so hard I was shoved into the counter. My boss didn't notice over the sound of his mirth. "Wonderful! Fantastic! I'm glad I thought of it!"

  I steadied myself and rubbed my aching stomach. "Glad you thought of it, too, sir. So I can expect you two to be staying for a few more days?"

  "Yep, you're stuck with us, and we'll see if we can't get things straightened out." He leaned toward me and winked. "And if this works you might be looking forward to a nice little bonus."

  I nervously smiled. "And if it doesn't?"

  Whinier frowned. "It better," he growled.

  "Of course it will work, sir! I'm sure it will!" Anything to keep him happy and here. Now all we had to do was get to that patch of wolf's bane and concoct the concoction to cure her curse.

  Whinier straightened and grinned from ear-to-ear. "Great! Oh, and I hate to do this to your boyfriend and you, but he's going to have to keep away from here until after we leave. That whole contagious thing won't work if we don't worry about keeping him away from her."

  I cringed and my words slid out with less enthusiasm. "Sure, anything you say."

  He nodded and chuckled. "Now let's get this cocoa to Bunny before she suspects something's up."

  With our physical powers combined we managed to get a steaming cup of cocoa. Whinier took it into the bedroom and I took myself out onto the porch. I moved to the other side of the cars, flipped open the phone, and dialed Adam's number.

  A phone rang from the bushes on the left side of the path up to Adam's cabin. The devil stood with his phone in his hand and pressed the mute button. His face was pale and he looked a little unsteady on his feet. "Has her condition worsened already?" he asked me.

  I frowned at him. "How long have you been standing there?"

  Adam stepped from the brush and walked over to me. "I walked down here after you called, but we must remain focused on the problem at hand. Has her curse worsened?"

  "Actually, things may finally be going right for us," I told him. "I convinced my boss that we should lie to his wife and say she caught something from you that's made her dog mad so she needs to stay away from you and her dog for a couple of days until it wears off."

  "That is a relief. He won't harm her unless she approaches him," Adam replied.

  "Yeah, but my boss also said he wasn't going to let either of them outside for any more walks in case it's something she caught from the woods. Did you think of a way to keep them here while we go for our little walk?" I asked him.

  He pursed his lips and shook his head. "I am not as familiar with them as you, and though maybe you'd have a suggestion."

  I snorted. "I know these two just a little better than I know-" My eyes widened and my mouth split open in a wide smile. "Vandersnoot! That's it!"

  Adam blinked at me. "It is?"

  I turned to him and furiously nodded my head. "Yeah! We can distract them by throwing them at the Vandersnoots! They wanted us to come to tea yesterday, so now I just need to tell them I'll be bringing guests and then I need to get out of it somehow."

  He smiled and chuckled. "You're not only beautiful, but you're a genius."

  I playfully frowned at him. "It took you this long to figure that out?" I teased.

  "No, and this will prove it." He pulled me into his arms and captured my lips in a stunning, head-to-toe crackling kiss. When we parted I gasped for air and stumbled backwards when he released me. He caught me and steaded me.

  I steadied my woozy head in one hand and stared up at him with wide eyes. "You sure do know how to get a girl to feel faint," I told him. I shook the faintness from my mind and straightened. "And how did that prove you didn't just realize I was a girl-genius?"

  "That kiss was endowed with the love I felt for you from the first moment you stumbled into my clearing," he explained.

  "Well, they say proof is in the pudding, but in this case we'll make an exception and say it's in the kiss. Now that we've established my genius all we have to worry about is trying to get me out of tea time," I mused.

  Adam devilishly grinned. "I may have just the excuse for us."

  I leaned away from him and narrowed my eyes. "Mind letting me in on the secret?"

  He shook his head. "No, I'm afraid you're a terrible liar and may alert your employer to our plans."

  I turned away from him and pressed my lips in a pout. "I'm not that bad," I grumbled.

  Adam chuckled and pecked my lips with a teasing kiss. "Your honesty attracts me."

  I snorted and stepped out of his pecking range. "Honesty aside, what do I do to get your plan to work?"

  "You will have your guests and yourself invited to tea with the Vandersnoots at three o'clock tomorrow afternoon. You will leave here at exactly fifteen minutes before three."

  I blinked at him. "And then?"

  He smiled and stepped away from me toward the path. "Then I will show you what I have planned."

  My face drooped and my eyes narrowed. "That's it? I'm just supposed to get them to the car and wait for something to happen?"

  "Something like that, but I will leave the rest to your imagination until tomorrow." He turned and headed back up the trail.

  "I have a good imagination, and I'm not liking what I'm seeing!" I yelled after him. He waved his hand at me, but didn't turn around and in a few moments he disappeared into the trees. My shoulders slumped and I sighed. "My life is so strange." I returned to the cabin and sat on the couch with the whimpering Snookums at my feet. I leaned over and scratched the pedigree mongrel's fur. It was softer than it looked, and he stopped his whining. "I wonder if your life is as weird as mine," I whispered to him. He whimpered and laid his hand on the ground. "I'll take that as a yes, and I'm sure Adam will make it just a little weirder tomorrow."

  But first, I had a call to make.

  Chapter 10

  "Darling! It's so nice to hear from you
so soon!" Clara exclaimed.

  I stood outside once more with the phone to my ear and my body fending off my creeping cold. Clara Vandersnoot was on the other end of the line. I cringed and pulled the phone a little farther from my ear. "Um, yeah, I wanted to tell you that I'd love to have tea with you tomorrow, but I wondered if you would mind if I brought along a few guests."

  "Oh, that would be wonderful! Who are these charming people I'm to meet?" she asked me.

  "My employer and his wife. They're staying with me for an evaluation period of my work at my new home and-well, I'd like to make a good impression for them," I explained.

  "Oh, you're such a flatterer, Christina! You want them to see the best of the best, and I really am honored you've chosen me to be your choice of neighbors to visit." She paused while I rolled my eyes. "You haven't scheduled any other play dates with other neighbors, have you?"

  "No, just you," I assured her.

  "Marvelous! What time can I expect you?"

  "I was thinking tomorrow at three," I replied.

  "The perfect tea time! I'll have so many yummy things for them to taste that they won't want to go home with you!" she squealed.

  I cringed as the noise stabbed through my head. "That sounds delicious-" and a tempting idea, "-but I was wondering if you could do me a favor while we're there. Like I said, I want to make a good impression, so I'd rather not talk about the rumors that are going around about Adam. They've already been introduced to him so I couldn't really lie and say he's not my boyfriend."

  "A secret between friends! That sounds absolutely scandalous and deliciously fun! Of course I'll keep the secret for you, but you have to promise to see me again so we can have that chat," she insisted.

  "That sounds great. See you at three," I replied.

  "Ta-ta for now, darling!"

  Clara hung up and I sighed. It sapped my energy talking to that energizer bunny. Speaking of bunnies, I heard my boss call my name from inside the cabin. I reached the porch just as he opened the door and stepped out. "What are you doing out here?" he asked me.

  I sheepishly smiled and held up the phone. "I was just-um, making a phone call," I told him.