by Ashlyn Chase
The guy behind him spoke in exhaled breaths. “Student panicked…Bailed too soon…Hit my head…Managed to…pull the drogue…before I…passed out…Came to…just now.”
Roz and her instructor were among the last to arrive. She looked up at them with wild eyes. “Help them,” she cried.
One of the onlookers said, “They’ve got to be fifty feet up. It would take anyone a while to climb, even a professional tree climber. Hey guys, if I throw you a knife, can you cut your way out?”
“I’ll give it a shot,” Konrad called down to them. He felt blood trickle down his face.
“They might fall!” Roz cried. “Wait, they’re not far in. Maybe the fire department can reach them.”
Konrad’s hearing was so acute, he could understand what people were saying on the ground, even when they were whispering among themselves.
Roz’s instructor nodded. “Good idea. Besides, it’s against protocol to climb down from a tree landing.”
Roz looked around at the small crowd that had gathered and asked, “Can someone call 911 and ask them to bring a ladder truck?”
“I will,” one of the female employees said. She pulled a cell phone from her vest pocket.
Roz turned to the woman and said, “Have them bring a couple of ambulances too. They could have internal injuries.”
“No ambulance for me,” Konrad yelled. “I’m fine.” The moon was almost full again, and he’d heal fast. Besides, he couldn’t afford an ambulance ride and hospital bill. He swiveled his head. “You okay, buddy?”
“My head hurts and feels like it’s about the size of Mount Rushmore.”
“There are four heads on Mount Rushmore.”
“Exactly.” He groaned.
Roz turned to the woman with the cell phone and whispered, “Don’t listen to my boyfriend. He’s in shock.”
She just nodded and walked a few steps away while she spoke to the dispatcher.
“I’m not in shock, Roz. I’m fine, really. One ambulance will do it.”
She looked startled.
Oh yeah. He wasn’t supposed to be able to hear her whisper from so far away. He’d have a hard time explaining that, unless…He sent a message to her telepathically. You’re upset, darling. I know that. I can hear it and sense it. Please don’t worry. I’m all right. Really. The tree broke my fall.
“And you broke your instructor’s fall, but he sounds like he’s badly hurt. You might not feel it right now because of the adrenaline, but you have to get checked out.” She crossed her arms and tried to look tough. “I mean it!”
Unfortunately she only looked more adorable, and he couldn’t say no. He sighed deeply. Okay. You win.
A hint of a smile curved her lips. “I guess sky diving’s off the list.”
You are so right.
***
His instructor was being kept overnight for observation, yet Konrad had broken his fall. The hospital reluctantly discharged her stubborn boyfriend, even after he had refused an MRI to check for internal bleeding. Roz had tried everything she could think of to reason with him and make him stay, but he just kept saying he was fine.
He sure as hell didn’t look fine. His denim jacket sleeves had been shredded, he was cut and bruised all over his face, and yet he wouldn’t let anyone lay a hand on him. He wouldn’t even let the doctor stitch the gash on the side of his temple. Once it stopped bleeding, and it seemed to stop quickly, a few butterfly bandages kept it from starting again. Roz hoped that was a good sign.
By the time they had been seen, processed, and spit out, it was evening. Konrad promised to go straight to bed.
She knew it was late, but to leave Konrad alone in his apartment was wrong. He was proud and stubborn, but she shouldn’t have left, even when he insisted. What if he was unaware of some kind of internal injury and died in his sleep? She’d never forgive herself.
She made a big pot of chicken soup and carried it carefully up the stairs. When she reached the landing, his door opened, and he stepped out of his apartment…naked! What the? There wasn’t a scratch on him. No blood, no bruises, no Band-Aids. He was as naked and perfect as the day he was born.
His gaze snapped in her direction. “Roz!”
“Konrad, why are you—? How did you—?” As she stammered, he stared at her as if she were the one standing there naked.
“I can explain,” he said.
She waited, but no explanation followed.
***
What the hell could he tell her? He was a fast-healing nudist? He wore a bruise suit earlier, but he took it off in favor of his birthday suit?
The full moon was approaching, and he could feel the urge to change. This fiasco couldn’t have happened at a worse time.
“Roz, can the explanation possibly wait until tomorrow?”
Her jaw dropped. “You’ve got to be out of your ever-loving mind! No, it can’t wait.”
Down below, Nathan exited his apartment with his bicycle. He froze when he saw Roz on the landing above. “Oh!” He looked quite surprised to see her, and then he spotted Konrad. “Shit.”
Now what? Nathan was the one who let Konrad out on his way to work in the evening, and Sly let him in just before dawn. Konrad had tried stashing his clothes in the alley behind the Dumpsters, but a couple of times they were gone in the morning. Although rare, some thorough city worker probably made sure everything hit the dumpster. In that case he had to wait until he could shift back, knock on Sly’s window, because his keys had gone missing with his clothes, and traipse naked through the hallway and up the stairs. Crap.
Quickly assessing his options, he realized there were only two things he could do. Get back into his apartment, fast, or change right in front of her. Not shifting into his wolf form during the full moon wasn’t an option. That decision had been made for him when he was bitten long ago.
He could feel his body vibrate, the first sign of an impending change. He fled into the relative safety of his apartment and hoped Roz wouldn’t follow and catch him in mid-shift. She’d be horrified. He had to leave the door unlocked and open a crack to get back out.
Could he manipulate the doorknob with his paws? Perhaps. But if he couldn’t, the wolf in him would likely panic and try to claw his way out. A wolf had to run.
Not this time. If she saw him change it would be more traumatizing than to think he had a pet wolf scratching and howling at the door, so he retreated and slammed the door.
***
Nathan, still gazing at the top of the stairs, said, “Uh-oh.”
Roz snapped her attention to him. “What the hell is going on?”
He shook his head and said, “Oh, boy.”
Roz set the pot of soup beside Konrad’s door and scurried back down the stairs for an “in your face” interrogation, which she’d occasionally done with the most tight-lipped criminals. “Nathan, you know something about this, don’t you?”
Nathan didn’t lose his cool. He cocked his head and answered, “I’m not known for my discretion, but in this case, I’m going to forget what I saw, and I suggest you do the same.”
“Forget what I saw?” Her voice rose. “Forget? How can I? I’m not just concerned about his coming out of his apartment stark naked. A few hours ago, he was badly bruised, cut, and bleeding. Now there’s not a mark on him. What the hell is that about?”
He shrugged. “What can I say? Some of us are fast healers.” He started to wheel his bicycle past her, but she grabbed his collar.
“Oh, no you don’t.”
He pried her fingers off and calmly said, “I’m afraid I can’t stay and chat. I’ll be late for work.”
A tiny bit of sanity returned. She couldn’t keep him there against his will. With a deep sigh, she stepped back and let him go. He opened the door, but stopped to fiddle with something on his bike.
Now, about Konrad. She heard some type of faint grinding noise coming from upstairs and then a whimper.
She dashed back up the steps and tried his door. To her s
urprise, it opened. Sitting in front of her was a big dog. It looked like some kind of scruffy German shepherd, but the biggest one she’d ever seen. She’d have been afraid, except that with his tongue hanging out, he looked like he had a big goofy grin on his face.
“Huh? Who are you, boy?” Should she pat this strange dog or not? His eyes looked friendly, but his jaw appeared powerful enough to snap her arm like a twig.
The door across the hall opened, and Dottie came into view. “What’s all the racket out here?” she demanded.
Roz turned toward her and stammered, “Oh, I uh…” She was trying to think of what to say, when the big dog ran around her legs and bounded down the stairs.
Dottie threw her hands in the air. “Darn it. I told Konrad to get rid of that wolf months ago. What the heck is it doing back here?”
Nathan called up the stairs, “I’ll get rid of him, Mrs. F.” He opened the door, and the dog—or wolf or whatever—ran off. Nathan followed him out and let the door slam.
Puzzled, Roz turned back to Dottie. “Wolf? That was a wolf?”
Dottie didn’t answer. She marched across the hall and banged on the doorjamb, because the door was already open. “Konrad! Come out here.”
They waited. No answer.
Roz said, “Should I go in?”
Dottie raised her eyebrows, smiled, and said in a syrupy way, “I suppose you’d be welcome any time, since he’s your boyfriend. Go ahead. I’ll wait right here.”
Roz remembered that he was naked and said, “No need to wait. I’ll talk to him about his…um, pet. He’ll probably want to know it ran away.”
“Thank God,” Dottie mumbled.
To Roz’s relief, Dottie returned to her apartment and shut the door.
She crept in and called out, “Konrad?” Still no answer. What could he be doing? Was he hiding from her? The more she thought about his mysteriousness, the angrier she got. “Where the hell are you?”
She took a deep breath and marched to his bedroom. She threw open the door, half expecting to find him hiding under the covers. He wasn’t there, and his bed was made. Okay, he must be in the bathroom. The door was open, so she poked her head in. It was empty.
Where could he have gone? He must be hiding in a closet. Now she was pissed. She opened each closet and pantry door and found no one.
“What the fuck?” It was as if he’d disappeared into thin air. She jammed her hands on her hips. “Well, that does it.”
She found a sticky-note pad and a pen and scribbled, “Your disappearing act and deceit have me at a loss. There’s more you’re not telling me, and I won’t stand for lies. I’m afraid we’re through.” As she reread it, tears formed in her eyes. Was she being rash?
The more she thought about it, the more she realized the words were right. She’d been patient, more than patient, yet her belief in him had only led to more lies and disappointment.
She slammed the door on her way out and returned to her apartment for a good cry.
***
“Roz, open the door.” Konrad pounded so hard he was afraid he’d splinter the solid oak if he didn’t calm down. He took a couple of steps back and raked his fingers through his hair. Dottie would be down in seconds, if he kept that up. Tough. Nothing can drag me away; certainly not some ninety-eight-pound busybody. He could hear someone inside Roz’s apartment, and he would not leave until she opened the door.
Wait a minute…He didn’t have to wait for her to open the door. All he had to do was open his mind to her.
Roz, please give me a chance. I’ll tell you everything.
“You’ll tell me more lies. Go away.”
I won’t. I swear! I’ll tell you the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth…so help me, God.
“God is probably the only one who can help you, because if you lie to me again, you’re beyond redemption.”
I’m not evil, Roz.
“Says you.”
Open the door. Please, please, please open the door!
She didn’t answer him, and the door didn’t open. His nerves were getting the best of him, and he tried pacing off the pent-up energy.
Okay, I’m going to have to tell you everything like this. I had hoped to be with you to reassure you, hold you, and show you how gentle I can be. But if this is how you want it, so be it. I’m not going to lie to you anymore.
He heard a long, resigned sigh on the other side.
This is going to sound preposterous, but I swear it’s true, and I can prove it.
My brother and I were about ten when we decided to run away from home. We were making our way through the woods by the light of the full moon, when we came upon a sight so bizarre, we couldn’t believe our eyes. A group of human beings changed into a pack of wolves.
He waited for some reaction. There was a barely audible thump, as if she’d plopped into a chair or dropped something on the floor.
Are you all right?
“That’s a trick question, right? Continue.”
At least she hadn’t fainted.
Okay. We tried to run but were overtaken by the wolves and pinned down. I thought we were done for. Apparently they were waiting for their leader, the alpha wolf, to decide our fate.
For some reason I couldn’t scream or cry. I simply waited for the inevitable. Nicholas whimpered, and it spurred me into action. It was bad enough that I was about to be eaten; if I could spare my brother…Well, I punched and kicked and fought as hard as I could to get to him. Yes, I was bitten, but I didn’t know at the time that Nick would take his cue from me and try to fight too.
We were both bitten and clawed and thus infected with the same Lupine toxin that had infected the rest of the pack.
He paused, half expecting her to laugh. When all he heard was her rapid breathing, he continued.
We were bitten by werewolves. Before you dismiss this as insane, think about some of the things you’ve seen with your own eyes. I healed in hours from a fall that might have killed anyone else. I have superhuman strength. Last night, you saw my wolf form moments after you saw me disappear into my apartment, naked.
He heard something and waited. He hoped she was getting up to open the door. He heard her footsteps, but instead of coming closer, they sounded like they were going farther way and picking up speed. At last he heard a thud and creak as if she’d thrown herself on her bed, followed by the unmistakable sound of weeping.
***
“Merry?” Roz knew her voice was shaking and hoped she didn’t sound like a scared little girl, despite feeling like one. At least over the telephone, her best friend couldn’t see her face, red and blotchy from crying.
“Roz! I’m so excited to hear from you. How’s everything going?”
Roz sat on her bed and examined her Egyptian cotton sheets. Mascara stained her pillowcase. “Not good.”
“Oh, my God. What happened?”
“I’m sorry. Before we get into my troubles, how’s married life?”
Merry chuckled. “It’s awesome. Really great. But it sounds like you need to talk more than I do.”
“Yeah, big time.” Roz sighed. “Are you busy right now?”
“Nope. I was about to make dinner, but I can ask Jason to go grab takeout, then we’ll have complete privacy.”
“You don’t have to do that. In fact, you might like to have Jason nearby when I tell you this.”
“Oh, no. What happened? It sounds horrible.”
“No.” Roz shook her head. “I didn’t mean to alarm you. It’s not a disaster…at least not to anyone but me…and maybe Konrad.”
“Konrad? The Konrad who lives in my building?”
“Our building. I moved into your old apartment.”
She heard Merry gasp, then squeal.
“That’s fantastic! I can’t wait to get home and welcome you with a big hug.”
“Yeah, I was going to save it for a surprise, but now I—” Her voice broke, and she couldn’t continue. Sobs rose to the back of her throat and thr
eatened to burst out.
“Roz, what is it?”
She coughed. “We fell in love. I was so happy. Then—” Her throat clogged again. How the hell do I tell her the love of my life is a werewolf?
Merry made a soft, sympathetic sound. “Oh, honey. Whatever happened, I’m on your side. You know that, right?”
“There are no sides. It’s not like that. I—” She sniffed. Somehow she had to find the courage to tell her. The only person who might understand this was Merry. “Do you remember when you told me about Jason’s secret?”
“God, yes. I’ll never forget it. You were so brave and understanding. I thought you’d call the men in white coats on me, but instead you just listened. I can’t tell you how much that meant.”
“Well, maybe now you can return the favor. Konrad was holding something back, and I knew it. I didn’t want to push him because he’s—” She was going to say, the best thing that’s ever happened to me, but knew she’d choke up if she said the words. “I’m sorry. This is hard.”
“I know,” Merry said softly.
A quiet moment of understanding passed between them, and Roz steeled herself, calling on courage she didn’t feel at the moment.
“Merry, apparently Jason isn’t the only shapeshifter in the building.”
“I know. There’s his uncle Ralph and Nathan too.”
Roz sat up straight. “Nathan?”
“Yeah, he’s able to shift into a raven. He even battled off Morgaine’s pet owl that Jason was up against in falcon form. He would have been toast if Nathan hadn’t intervened. I didn’t tell you about them, because I didn’t think it mattered. It was enough to accept that my husband was a shapeshifter, and I didn’t know you were going to move into the building. I’m not sure I’d have let you, if I’d known.”
Roz chuckled. “That’s why I didn’t tell you.”
Merry joined in the brief moment of humor and said, “What does Konrad have to do with this?”
“Konrad’s a shifter too.”
“Really?” Merry sounded not only surprised, but pleased.
“Yeah. Don’t get excited, though. He’s not a pretty bird like your husband or Nathan. He’s a werewolf.”
“A…a what?”
“You heard me right. A werewolf. A big, furry doggie with huge teeth and supernatural strength. Not the kind you’d want to sit on your lap.”
