Chapter Fifteen
A New Friend
It was a long day of interviews and I was thankful when five o'clock rolled around.
"Do you want to go out for a bite to eat?" John asked, as he packed his black leather briefcase with papers. "I'll sneak you a beer." His eyes lit up with amusement, all the fear from earlier, evaporated.
I laughed, in reality I was three times his age, but I didn't look old enough to drink. "No thanks, I have some paperwork to get to." I packed up a pile of files, stuffing them into a navy backpack. I couldn't use a briefcase like John did. What teenager walked around with a briefcase? "See you tomorrow," I called over my shoulder as we parted outside the office. He was heading to the back where the parking garage was located. Since I had parked out front, I headed through the store, noting the workers finishing off shelves while others stocked the ones that were finished. We were opening in one month and so far everything was on schedule.
As soon as I stepped out into the cold February evening, my senses tingled. Her scent wafted into my nostrils, overriding the smell of exhaust from the cars as commuters were heading home from work. I tensed more out of habit than fear. "What do you want Sadie?" I asked, looking straight ahead as a red Boxter slowed in the street in front of me. I knew she was next to me leaning against the building. I stepped up to the curb where my car was parked.
"I want to know why you have a problem with me." Her voice carried over a horn honking and the voices of pedestrians passing us on the sidewalk.
I sighed, feeling tried. She really was a pain in the butt. "Call me crazy, but I don't hire killers." I spun around to face her. She looked the same as she had earlier, but now her face was bright red from the cold. "It's a policy we have."
Shock clouded her usually cheerful face. "You think I would kill someone?" Her breath puffed from the chill in the air.
"You are a werewolf, that’s what we do."
"I don't, I never have." She took a step closer, placing her gloved hand on my arm. "Have you?" Her voice was not accusatory; it was full of understanding and compassion
I looked away from her, ashamed. "I don't have time for this, I have to get home. I have paperwork to get to."
She pulled her hand away. "Okay, let's go. I'm awesome at paperwork."
I simply gaped at her as she stepped around the car, opened the passenger side door, and climbed in. "Are you coming?" she called through the closed window.
With a shrug of my shoulders, I pulled open my door, tired of arguing with her.
When we pulled up to my house fifteen minutes later, Sadie stared out the car window. "You live all the way out here?" I had found this small house just on the outskirts of the city. It was a small blue sided one level house, with a small porch stretched across the front. The best part of this location was that it backed onto woodland that would never be developed, since it came with the house.
I nodded. "Yes, this is my home." I turned off the ignition and reached for my stuff.
She had already jumped out of the car, and was wandering around the property. "You own all of this?" she called from the edge of the lawn. She was staring into the trees, a look of awe on her face.
Her enthusiasm was endearing. "Yes, I own as far as you can see."
She grinned, her face flush with excitement. "How is the animal life?"
Her excitement was contagious, and I felt my lips turn up into a smile. "Plentiful."
"You are so lucky. You can let your wolf run free any time you want." She was quiet for a few moments, taking in the view before us. Finally, she turned to me, her eyes bright. "I live in a tiny apartment. On the full moon nights I have to change behind a dumpster and run thirty miles to the nearest ravine. I don't have enough money for a car." She paused, taking one last longing glance at the woods, before turning around, and heading for the front of my house. I followed her, watching her delicate steps through the lawn. Her small feet left footprints in the frosty grass. Was she truly as innocent as she appeared to be?
Clomping up the porch steps she turned to me. "So, are you making dinner? I'm starving."
After sliding the key into the lock, I pushed open the door and stepped aside so she could enter. "Why don't I also run you a bubble bath?" I said, with my voice as sarcastic as I could make it.
She glanced around taking in the surroundings of the house when she turned to me. "Sure, that sounds great." Her eyes held a glint of humor.
My only response was to scowl.
Her lips twitched. "I'm kidding. I'll go if you don't want me here." She stared at me innocently, her eyes pleading. How could I turn her away? She reminded me of a stray puppy dog.
"Fine, you can stay for dinner. Make yourself at home." I hadn't even gotten the words out, before she tossed her bag onto the sofa, and sprawled onto a chair.
Ignoring her, I pulled the papers out of my bag, placing them on my desk, and then began to prepare a couple of steaks. I liked them rare, and I knew my guest would as well. After I cleaned the potatoes, I put them in the oven and grabbed two drinks out of the fridge. I handed her one, before taking a seat in the chair across from her. "So tell me about yourself. Do you live alone? Do you still have family? Why don't you have money for a car?"
She twisted the lid off of her juice, and grinned before taking a sip. Once she swallowed she said, "Yes, I live alone. Yes I still have family, but they think I'm dead so I stay away. And I don't have a car because I look like a teenager, and can't get a better job. I still go to high school for crying out loud."
Surprised by this, my eyes widened. "You do?"
She spun the bottle cap on the coffee table, and nodded. "Yeah, I got tried of hearing people nag me about school, so I go. If I had money I'd go to college. That would be fun. I've been to three different high schools, and have had it up to here with graduation ceremonies, but not once have I been able to go to college." She sighed leaning back onto the plush brown sofa.
Remembering something that she had said earlier I asked, "Why does your family think you're dead?"
She sighed, playing with the material of her pants. "It’s a long story; do you really want to hear it?"
"We've got time, those potatoes will take forever." I leaned back in my chair, drawing lines in the condensation on my bottle.
"Okay then, here goes. I lived in New York with my family. We were quite well off, my parents are both lawyers. My brother was in university studying law and I was seventeen and in high school, getting straight A's. You see, I was also going to follow in the family footsteps. I took all the prerequisites needed for law in preparation." She paused, a look of sadness crossing her face. "But all my work and studying was for nothing, because a few months after I turned seventeen, I got sick. At first we thought it was the flu, but it lasted for months. After about the fourth doctor telling me that all I needed was rest, my parents took me to a specialist. We found out that I didn't have the flu…it was Leukemia. And I was too far gone for any medicine to help."
My heart went out to her and her family. A few of my family members had died from cancer, and it wasn't a pretty sight.
She changed her position on the couch, sitting up and wrapping her arms around her knees. "I was in the hospital for months. By the end, I could barely breathe. I had made friends with a young doctor named Miles. He used to visit me, bringing me books, magazines and candy, even though I couldn't keep anything down. One night, after my family left to go home and change clothes, he came to see me. I knew I didn't have much time left, and I was actually hoping for death, anything to ease the pain."
A tear fell down her cheek, and my heart ached for her. "What happened?" I whispered.
"He brought us in some sodas and chips, to watch a movie on the television. When the movie ended, and the screen went black, the room was dark. I couldn't see his face. But he whispered something to me."
"What?" I asked softly, ca
ptivated by her tale.
"He said 'How badly do you want to be cured?' I told him I wanted it more than anything. Then he asked me if I was willing to leave my family forever. I didn't want that, I loved them dearly, but if I died, I wouldn't see them anyway. I asked him what he meant and then he explained, but first he told me that I couldn't tell a soul, not even my parents. Once I made my promise, he told me that he was a werewolf and by biting me, it would cure me of all ailments. Then he explained that I would never age and I'd turn into a wolf once a month or by will, if I chose it." She paused, lifting her feet up onto the coffee table.
I cringed at the sight of her mud caked Mary Janes, resting on my mahogany table.
"I agreed, not entirely believing his story, but at that point I was so weak I couldn't think straight. He took me that night, carrying me in his arms. It was in the middle of the night and no one noticed. Later I found out he faked my death telling them that I was already sent to the crematorium. He took me to a hunting lodge where he retreated once a month for the full moon, and then he turned into a wolf. I was so groggy with fatigue and pain that it barely fazed me. The bite didn't even hurt.
"After that he taught me everything about what I had become. He hid me in the cabin and on weekends would bring me provisions and news on my family. He was really kind to me. I will never forget him."
"Where is he now?" I asked. "Why aren't you still with him?"
"He found his mate. And after everything he did for me, I felt like I was in the way, so I moved on. He gave me money and a car, but it died about a year ago. I've been a bit of a drifter ever since."
I realized by listening to her story that I really didn't know much about werewolves. "What do mean, his mate?"
"Don't you know anything about werewolves?" she asked, echoing my thoughts.
"Not much."
Just as she opened her mouth to speak, I smelled the potatoes, and I knew it was time to put the steaks on. "Keep talking, I'm listening."
I stepped into my small kitchen. She followed me, and leaned against the door frame. I pulled the steaks out of the refrigerator and placed them to broil for a few minutes just to brown the outside.
While I finished preparing the meal and we sat down to eat, she explained everything she knew about werewolves, starting with a wolf's mate. Apparently every werewolf has one, and finds them by scent. It’s a smell engrained into your soul so when you catch the scent you know that person belongs to you. Once you find them, you won't ever be able to leave them. The concept was not something I ever wanted to happen. I've tried to keep people away from me, because of Rowan. If he ever heard that I had found my mate, he wouldn't be able to resist punishing me by hurting her. And after Charlotte killed Lucy, I vowed to never get involved again. It was too painful to lose someone I cared about.
Next, Sadie told me to avoid silver. Evidently, all the legends were true. It won't kill a werewolf unless a silver bullet pierces the head or heart. But it burns at the touch. If for some reason silver gets under your skin, get it out. If it is lodged in your body long enough it will kill you.
The images her story created were not appealing. I made a note to stay away from anything silver.
"And that’s all I can think of to tell you," she said shoveling potatoes into her mouth.
I watched her as she gobbled her food, as if she hadn't eaten in a week. "When is the last time you ate?"
"Not since breakfast."
"That’s dangerous. You need to eat more often."
"I know. I'm the one that’s never killed before, remember?" I flinched at the reminder. "I was waiting for you so I missed lunch."
I didn't answer her, instead, took a drink of juice.
"So why do you hate werewolves so much? That’s odd, since you are one."
I took a deep breath and told her my whole story, starting when I was first turned. I told her about Lucy, about how I wanted to marry her. I told her about my father and how much he helped me. And finally about Rowan, and how he killed him.
"Wow," she said when I finished my story. We were done eating and she was helping me clean the dishes. "No wonder you freaked out when you met me. That Rowan guy sounds awful."
The scent of oranges from the dish soap drifted out of the sink. "He is, and if I ever see him again, I will kill him." My voice was fierce, full of conviction.
She wiped a plate off with a towel. "Well, you'll need a gun with silver bullets for that."
"Do you know where to get some?" I asked, setting the last dish on the tray, and wiping my hands on her towel.
She shook her head as she placed the last plate in the cupboard. "No, never needed any. I've only ever known Miles and he was so great to me. I'm sorry for what's happened to you." Her voice was full of warmth, and compassion.
"Thank you." She was so sweet and kind, I wondered more about her life. "How old are you anyway?"
She grinned. "Compared to you, I'm a baby. I'm twenty five. It was eight years ago that I was turned."
I smiled. "You are young."
She laughed and looked outside, it was dark, thick snowflakes were falling, and a soft blanket of snow covered the ground. "Do mind if I crash on your couch? I don't want to go out in that." She pointed out the window.
"Sure, you can have the spare room."
She kissed me on the cheek, and that sentiment was the last straw. It was inevitable. Even though I tried to keep people at a distance, I couldn't with Sadie. In the last few hours, Sadie Clark had managed to slither her way into my heart. I would look after her, and help her in any way I could.
Riley's Curse, A Moon's Glow Prequel Page 15
