In the Loup Boxed Set #1

by Mac Flynn

  Chuck smirked as he glanced over the ingredients. All he needed was a few ghost peppers to get her wide awake and coherent. In pain, too, but he saw that as a slight necessity. Besides, it wasn't his tongue flaming off right now.

  "Are you trying to kill me!?" Stephanie shouted from the bathroom. She stuck her head out and her face was bright red. "Did you give me that god damn hot sauce again!?"

  "Maybe..." he slowly replied as he hid the bottle behind his back. "Or maybe you just made a miraculous recovery."

  "Not with this taste in my mouth," she accused.

  At that moment her face turned a deeper shade of red and she dodged back inside the bathroom. He could hear her gagging and water splashing everywhere. By the time she could drag herself safely away from the sink, it was nearly time for them to start getting ready for their dinner engagement.

  Chuck made sure she was going to survive and went to his own room to get his suit and tie on. Stephanie managed to get her simple blue dress with the hidden interior pocket on, but she struggled to get into her shoes. They were just her normal high heels, but she still felt so hung over from the drinks and the hot sauce she was having trouble aiming her foot. It didn't help that she was standing and trying to slip her feet into them with limited balance.

  "You know, it'd be easier if you just sat down and did that." She scowled at her partner as he stood in the doorway admiring her perfect proportions. She really was a beauty to behold if she didn't hide so much behind old shirts and worn jeans. Stephanie took his advice and plopped down onto the bed. The shoes slipped on without any trouble. "See?"

  "Yeah, yeah, let's just get this party started," she mumbled.

  Stephanie grabbed her purse, minus the hot sauce, and they proceeded downstairs to the ballroom of the hotel. Even though they were twenty minutes early the room was already crowded with advertisers and clients. They mingled and mused about their qualifications and aspirations. Everyone had a story to tell, but to Stephanie none of them were worth hearing. It was always about someone blowing their own trumpet to land a better project job or more praise from their Boss. She left Chuck to deal with anyone they knew or wanted to know, and she merely let herself be eye candy for the males in the audience. Attention was never a bad thing for business, but it left a pretty bad taste in her self-respect.

  "Good evening, Mrs. Yager," a friendly voice greeted her passing. She jolted to a stop and looked to see Mr. Gregory standing beside her. He was all smiles in his elegant tuxedo with black bow tie. "Is it bad form if I compliment you on your dress?"

  "You probably won't be the only one to do it tonight," she commented. The party was loud enough she felt safe in speaking her mind to a single prospective client. No one was going to overhear them with all this noise. "You're looking pretty nice, yourself." She was always terrible with compliments on the fly.

  "I'm glad you like it," he appreciated. "It's hard to stick out at these places with so many people around. You don't think I blend in too much with all the other fellows?"

  Stephanie glanced around the room and noticed Chism standing among a group of clients. He was wearing a bright Hawaiian shirt and slacks. That was his customary outfit when he wanted to be noticed in a large crowd. It certainly did the trick, but she didn't think it was worth all the morbidly fascinated stares he was getting.

  "That's not always a bad thing," she pointed out.

  "And what are you two doing?" Miss Seville asked as she walked up to the two. She slithered an arm around Gregory's own limb. "Talking about the weather?" she teased.

  Stephanie tried very hard to keep the smile on her face. No matter what the woman said, it always rubbed her the wrong way. That question about the weather was case in point, as though they didn't have anything more intelligent to talk about regarding business or aspirations.

  "Actually, we were talking about clothes," Gregory admitted. Stephanie inwardly groaned. That wasn't helping her efforts at looking intelligent in front of this other woman. "And speaking of clothes, you're looking nice."

  Miss Seville did look nice in a low cut, white evening gown with a dipping back. A few folds covered the front to make it look decent and a string of pearls showed off her pale, beautiful neck. Her hair was set upward in a circling bun and she had on a pair of matching high-heeled shoes. In her hand was a white purse with pearls strung along the clasped opening at the top. It all looked real and overly expensive to Stephanie. She couldn't understand why Seville would go to all that trouble and expense for a simple business party.

  "Thanks, I try to look my best for these affairs," she blushed. Her eyes wandered up and down Stephanie's short frame, and there was a hint of a sneer on her lips. "You're looking, well, dressed well, Mrs. Yager."

  "It gets me around in public," Stephanie shot back. "Otherwise I'd be arrested for indecency."

  Both Gregory and Seville blinked in surprise, and that's when Chuck slid up to his partner to rescue the conversation.

  "Nice party, isn't it?" he jollily asked the uncomfortable group. He wrapped an arm around Stephanie's waist and put a wide smile on his face. "I don't think I've ever seen so many people."

  "Yeah, it is pretty crowded," Stephanie admitted.

  "You look like you could use some air, Boss," Chuck suggested. He pointedly looked into her eyes. "How about we go outside for a sec?"

  "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea," she agreed.

  Stephanie knew what her partner was getting at by getting her out of there. He didn't want her speaking her mind in front of some real prospective clients. Gregory was just flirting with her and Seville was just taking pot shots out of jealousy.

  Chuck led her away from the other two and they stepped out onto the busy street. He didn't stop at the crowded door, though, as he led her to the side of the large building. There was a narrow, one-car alley there, and in the safety of those shadows he stopped them.

  "I know you're not very good around people, but I heard that joke you pulled," he explained. He was trying his best to remain calm and collected. "What if those had been real clients?"

  "But they weren't," she pointed out with a pout on her lips. She hated when he reprimanded her for just speaking her mind.

  "You know bad reputations go faster by word-of-mouth than good ones," he scolded. "What if someone overheard that joke and didn't want to take our business because of that kind of unprofessionalism."

  Stephanie sighed and rolled her eyes. This wasn't the first time they'd had this kind of conversation, but tonight she just felt off. Maybe it was the headache, or maybe it was the full moon overhead that made her reckless, but right now she just didn't care.

  "Listen, why don't you just do it all then?" she growled. "All this bullshit pimping ourselves and all this smiling at people I'd rather be decking upside the face. Is anyone of this worth it?"

  "If we want to keep the business going like it is, yes," he bluntly admitted. Even his impassive voice and expression was pissing her off. "We've gone over this a million times, Boss. These people are who we need to talk to if we want any new jobs." He realized he wasn't really getting to her, and he sighed. "We can't just keep relying on the same old customers to give us work, especially with how much competition we have out there."

  "You think I don't know that?" Stephanie snapped at him. She threw up her arms and rolled her eyes. She knew she was being immature for someone her age, but she was too frustrated to dig herself out of her childish behavior. "You think I haven't thought of scraping this whole business and going to work for someone else? It'd be a hell of a lot less trouble than dealing with need customers, boring meetings, and paychecks."

  "You mean my paycheck," he quietly pointed out.

  Stephanie was struck by the tone buried deep down in his voice. She'd struck a little too close to home regarding him than she'd intended. She hadn't meant to suggest he was a problem.

  "I'm...I'm sorry, Chuck. Really I am," she apologized. She shook her head. "I just don't feel very well. Maybe I'm coming
down with something."

  "Or maybe you just need sleep," he suggested. He clapped his hand on her shoulder and smiled. "How about you go back to your room and get some sleep?"

  "Yeah, that might help," she admitted. She didn't think it would, but it was worth a try. There were other options, too, and a half grin spread across her lips. "Or maybe I should dump Bob and get myself a rich husband," she half joked.

  "You could probably do better," Chuck playfully pointed out.

  "Yeah, well, at least he keeps the home fires burning while I'm gone," Stephanie pointed out.

  She sighed and glanced up at the dark night sky. The moon was so bright that long shadows stretched out from the walls and boxes piled up in the alley. It was actually a pretty nice night, and the fresh air helped clear her foggy and frustrated head.

  "Boss?" Chuck asked. He gestured to the street in back of him. "You going to go inside now?"

  "I think I'll take a walk," she decided. She turned and gave him an encouraging smile. "Just for a few minutes. Might do me some good."

  "All right," he slowly agreed. It looked like he wanted to disagree, but he also didn't want reignite their argument. "Just don't go out too far from the hotel. There's a lot of dangerous things in these alleys," he pointed out.

  "I think I'll be fine with my pepper spray and teeth," Stephanie joked.

  "Well, see you after the party," he gave his farewell. He still hesitated to leave her, though, and only moved a few steps while keeping his eyes on his Boss.

  "I'll be fine," she assured him. "You're the one who's going back into that den of cultured animals," she added. She dug into her purse and pulled out the pepper spray can. "Maybe you need this?" she teased.

  "I think I'll manage," Chuck laughed. Seeing her method of defense gave him some comfort, or at least enough to leave her. "Have fun on your walk."

  "Have fun on your excursion," she playfully shot back.

  He'd already turned his back to her, so he just held up a hand and waved. Soon he'd disappeared around the corner, and Stephanie was left to her own devices.

  With the moon as her light she glanced back into the depths of the alley. A few stray lights lit doorways, but other than those bright spots no street lights penetrated the depths between the buildings. The scene reminded her of a wild, unexplored woodland. Well, with concrete paths. Here she was, the intrepid explorer out to find jewels nestled amidst this stone forest.

  "Maybe I should grow up a little more," she softly scolded herself.

  Stephanie set out on her short journey. It would have to be short if she was going to spare her feet. They were still trapped in those painful high heels, and she had half a mind to just toss them over her shoulder and walk around barefoot.

  She left behind the bright lights and busy streets and chose to travel between the tall walls and dark shadows. Boxes lay piled up on both sides and overflowing dumpsters littered the ground. Cracks and holes in the dotted the concrete with coarse-smelling water sitting inside the depths of that decay. Wild alley cats and large rats fled at her coming, but only to stop and stare at her front the safe havens of their dark holes and hidden homes.

  Stephanie passed by the long wall of the hotel and arrived at an intersection of four paths. The block on which the hotel sat abutted another without any road between them, so by turning left or right and walking about two hundred feet she would arrive on two busy streets. The way forward led to more darkness and adventure, and she decided she was up for a little more fresh air before she turned around.

  She felt like the last person on earth as the quiet of the alley settled upon her. Only those wild animals disturbed the quiet, and the tall walls around her muffled the sounds of honking horns and talking people. She was disappointed when light appeared at the end of the long tunnel of shadow. Rather than going forward into the light, though, Stephanie opted to sit down on one of the cleaner crates she'd seen.

  Stephanie leaned her head back against the rough brick wall of a restaurant and closed her eyes. She enjoyed the peace the solitude offered. There was nothing here to disturb her mind by reminding her of adult duties. She laughed a little to herself, and the sound echoed off the bare walls like a twinkling of glass shattering upon the hard ground.

  "Maybe I should marry rich," she mused, which was the thought she'd been pondering. "At least I'd be able to buy a house out in the country for some rest."

  That's when her rest was suddenly disturbed.

  Stephanie frowned when she heard a noise to her left. The sound wasn't far off, either, and was odd to her ears. She opened her eyes and pulled away from the wall to look down the alley. There was nothing there but long shadows and eerie lighting from the street not more than a hundred feet off in front of her.

  Stephanie slowly stood to her feet. The hairs on the back of her neck were standing on end and her heart beat faster. Her eyes flickered from shadow to shadow as she tried to find the source of the strange noise. It had sounded like an animal, but something much larger than a cat or mouse. More like a dog, but still much louder.

  That's when something stepped out of the shadows behind a dumpster. Something impossibly large.

  The thing was hunched over, but even doing that it stood well over six feet tall. It's body was humanoid, with legs and arms, but it was covered in long, coarse fur. It appeared to be wearing a torn pair of pants, but she couldn't be sure beneath all that hair. Long claws extended from the jointed fingers and the feet were stretched beyond those of a human.

  It's head was the most animalistic feature. A long snout stretched out, and sharp teeth extended over the bottom lips. Pointed ears topped the head and a main of thick hair cascaded down its back. Golden eyes stared at her with a hunger she didn't like one bit.

  Stephanie defensively held up her hands and started to back away. The thing growled and that made her stop immediately.

  "G-good doggy," she whispered as lifted up one of her legs. Stephanie grabbed the shoe off her foot, and would have done the same except the creature caught on to what she was planning.

  It suddenly leapt toward her and she couldn't think of anything better than throw the pointed shoe at it. The article of clothing proved to be painful for it, too, as the heel struck it in the face and scraped its eye. It howled in pain and stopped to scratch at its face. That gave her a chance.

  Stephanie turned and shot down the direction she'd come. The monster behind her howled and its feet pounded the ground as it gave chase after her. She didn't dare look behind, but she could feel and hear it cut down the distance between them. The intersection was coming up, and her frantic eyes zoomed in one a pile of boxes to her right. She'd only get one chance to take a sharp detour and hope the thing would be confused enough to give her time to escape.

  She hit the four paths just as she felt the thing's breath on her back. She made as though she would continue forward, but at the last moment she grabbed one of the boxes at her side and flung used that to whip herself around the corner. The monster slid passed and she heard its claw scramble to catch itself along the wet, broken concrete. Now she had a short distance until the road and she would be safe. There was only one problem with that plan.

  Another monster stood in her path.

  Stephanie skidded to a halt, but she couldn't stop until herself from colliding into the new beast. She was engulfed in short, soft hair that was warm to the touch. Her hands were out in front of her and flat against the beast's chest, and she could hear a soft, calm pattering of its heart. She glanced up and gasped as she found herself staring into another pair of golden eyes.

  These eyes, though, weren't filled with the terrifying hunger like the other ones. These were soft and curious, and looked down into her face with a smile in their depths.

  A howl interrupted the peace and Stephanie glanced over her shoulder. The other monster was standing in the intersection growling at them. Its head was lowered and its teeth were bared.

  The beast she clung onto grabbed her arm and pu
lled her behind him. His rough claws pierced her skin and she yelped at the quick pain. The beast turned at her cry, but that gave the other monster an opening.

  The first, larger beast charged at them and jumped into the air. It came down on top of the smaller one in front of Stephanie, and she was knocked down when they rolled back into her. She scrambled out of the way as their teeth and claws dug into each other. She quickly moved against the wall and pulled off her last shoe. When she saw her chance, she bolted up and passed the brawling monsters.

  Stephanie ran to the intersection and took off down the way toward the hotel. She heard a wild howl of pain and glanced over her shoulder in time to see the smaller wolf thrown across the intersecting alleys. She stopped and turned around as the other beast emerged from the side alley. Her heart was pounding in her ears and her pulse was racing as those harsh golden eyes turned on her. It suddenly bolted towards her.

  Stephanie didn't even have time to flinch before it had her pinned to the wall of the hotel. Its bared fangs dripped with the blood of its enemy. Its putrid breath washed over her, and she thought she'd faint from the horrid smell.

  Suddenly it stiffened and its eyes widened. It leaned down and sniffed her hair. She froze as a slow, menacing growl rose to its lips. She shut her eyes tight and turned her face away. Whatever was coming, she didn't want to see it.

  "Anyone there?" someone suddenly called out.

  Stephanie's eyes shot open and she glanced toward the light of the streets only a few dozen feet away. A man stood in the entrance and he looked to be peering into the shadows of the alley.

  The beast growled in annoyance at the intruder, but it apparently didn't want any more trouble. The monster flashed Stephanie one last, dangerous glance and took off down the alley. She didn't stick around to watch it leave as she raced for the light at the end of the tunnel.

  The stranger at the head of the alley was very confused when this disheveled woman stumbled into his arms. Stephanie wept for joy as she looked around at all the sane people and bright lights.

  "You okay?" the man asked her.

  Stephanie realized then how embarrassing the situation must have seemed for them both. With cheeks blushing she pushed away from him and gave a shaky but relieved smile.