“Erica?”
She turned to face the source of the voice and came face to face with the man that had been standing outside. His voice was even and calm but Erica couldn’t prevent her body from shivering for a moment at his quiet delivery of her name. She still couldn’t recognise him and didn’t know where she knew him from but he clearly knew her. He continued to look at her expectantly and she realised that she had been staring. “Yes?”
“Can I speak to you for a moment?”
His voice was polite, courteous even but still her eyes narrowed in suspicion, there was something odd about this man. “Do I know you?”
“Yes Erica, we shared a very important period of time together. I heard that you’re having memory problems and I knew that I should come and speak to you.”
The voice that she was becoming accustomed to in her head, growled angrily, she could feel its rage pulsing through her but it said nothing. It’s silence made her even more anxious, the voice was rarely quite and had an opinion on almost everything. What was it about this man that made it stay quiet? “About what exactly?”
“It’s private,” he murmured, his eyes wandering to the two small children still caught up in their discussion. “I don’t think that you want them to over hear this.”
“I can’t just up and leave them,” she informed him.
“I wouldn’t expect you to. I was only suggesting that we go over there.” He pointed to an empty booth in the corner of the diner. “You’ll still be able to see them but they won’t be able to hear us.”
“Is it really that important?” she questioned, she couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something off about the man in front of her. His outward appearance didn’t suggest anything untoward but the slight tremor that had flooded her body upon hearing his voice had to mean something.
“It’s a matter of life and death. We must talk about this as soon as possible.”
“Fine,” she conceded. The quicker I get this over with, the quicker he’ll leave. “Dylan, Wyatt, I’m just going over there. I’ll be right back. Don’t do anything naughty I’ll be able to see you.”
“Ok Erica.” Wyatt grinned before his attention returned to his twin.
She slid out of the booth, careful to maintain a good distance between her body and the stranger. His arms moved as though to guide her in the right direction but she shifted away, her strange mental companion’s warning flaring to life within her. She didn’t want to be close to this man. They arrived at the empty booth and her gaze immediately swung to Dylan and Wyatt, the stranger was right, she could see them from here. She breathed a sigh of relief, she didn’t feel comfortable letting them out of her sight, she felt as though something terrible was about to occur. Sitting down she stared at the man in front of her and waited for him to speak.
“You probably don’t remember me, my name is Vincent.”
“You’re right, I have no idea who you are. What exactly do you want?” There’s no need to be polite when just being around him is making my skin crawl.
Good girl, the wolf praised. Now, just get up and walk away. Do it now.
The wolf’s instructions were interrupted as Vincent continued to speak. “You’re very blunt.”
“I don’t see any reason not to be. If you have nothing to say then I’m going back to my family.” She stood up but his hand wrapped around her wrist, stopping her from moving. A subconscious growl slipped past her lips and Vincent released her, rushing on, desperate to finish what he’d come to do.
“How well do you know the man you’re living with?”
“Sebastian?” Erica inquired confused as to why this man had asked such a strange question.
“Yes, Sebastian. Do you really know him?”
“Of course I do. He’s my fiancé.”
Vincent leaned over and placed a black briefcase on the table. “I think there’s something very important that you don’t know about him.”
Their new close proximity caused the wolf to howl, long and loud, the sound echoing through her mind. A string of curses fell from its lips. Stay away from him Erica! Honestly, if you knew the truth…if you could remember….I’d rip his fucking throat out!!
Her tone was frosty when she next spoke, confusion about her mental companion’s state of agitation swirling through her. “Oh yeah? And what exactly is that?”
“The man you think you know is actually a monster.” He pulled his high collar closer ensuring that his tattoo was sufficiently hidden, he didn’t want anything about him to trigger the return of her memories. He was taking a huge gamble with his plan anyway, it might cause her memories to return but he had to take the chance.
Her eyes narrowed in anger. How dare he talk about Sebastian like that! “Sebastian has been nothing short of a saint to me. You have no idea what you’re talking about.” She rose to stand again, she didn’t want to hear this man slander Sebastian any further but his hand shackled her wrist, preventing her from leaving. “What do you think you’re doing?” she hissed, pulling her hand from his grip.
“I want you to hear me out.”
“If that’s what you wanted then maybe you shouldn’t have insulted Sebastian. I don’t want to talk to you any more.” Her voice was low, venomous.
Thank you, thank you! Get away from this bastard.
“You may not want to but I’m telling you the truth. I have proof. If you don’t believe me after seeing it then we’ll have no further contact with each other. But you owe it to those children to hear me out. Sebastian is a dangerous man,” he rushed, his tone urgent and demanding.
Erica laughed at Vincent’s declaration. Sebastian, dangerous? Is this man drunk? “Are you sure that we’re talking about the same man?”
“I’m positive.”
“If I look at your proof, you’ll leave once I confirm that you’re talking complete and utter nonsense right?”
“I don’t think that you’ll feel that way,” Vincent informed her.
“Well I do. So will you leave?”
Vincent’s grey eyes regarded the woman in front of him, fury banked in their depths. His hands clenched sporadically under the table as he struggled to prevent himself from simply reaching across the short distance that separated them and trying to choke her. “Yes.”
“What the hell, us crazy people should at least listen to each other’s mad ravings right?” She shrugged, eager to leave. The voice in her head was beginning to give her a headache with its ranting.
“I don’t understand,” Vincent stated, his brow creasing in confusion at Erica's words.
“Don’t worry about it,” Erica chuckled, waving off her previous comment. “Just show me your proof so that I can go back to having breakfast with my family.”
Vincent reached into the briefcase and extracted a portable DVD player and placed it on the table in front of her. “Once you see this then I’m sure you’ll believe me. Just to warn you, it’s not a pleasant sight to see. Whenever you’re ready, just press play.”
Well let’s get this over with quickly. Erica decided, pressing the play button. The sound was low but she could hear the sound of growls and screams coming from the small device. The picture quality wasn’t the best she had ever seen but the images were clear enough that it wasn’t too much of a strain for her to make them out. Her eyes widened as she watched two wolves attacking a group of people viciously. Their large canines and deadly claws easily tore through flesh, creating havoc and spewing blood everywhere. The picture frame never moved telling her that the camera was stationary and she watched as one of the wolves approached a door, trying to open it by forcing its heavy bulk against the solid door. Her heart began to beat faster as she watched the wolf begin to transform before her very eyes. Her eyes widened in shock as the now human wolf turned for a moment and Sebastian's face stared at her. Her fingers shook and she paused the video, her eyes scanning the image in front of her. No matter how her mind wanted to deny it, it was Sebastian staring at her. The wolf that had
transformed into a human was her Sebastian.
“What’s going on?” she croaked.
“Do you believe me now? He’s a monster.”
“I asked my question first. What’s going on?”
“Your fiancé is a werewolf. A vicious, violent monster that gets it’s pleasure from causing others pain. I want to help you Erica. Bring him to me and I’ll ensure that he doesn’t have the chance to harm another soul, I give you my word.”
“Sebastian isn’t a killer. He’s not what you’re describing him as. Sebastian is a gentle soul.”
“Didn’t you just see the evidence that that isn’t true? He killed people Erica. Those men he attacked are dead.” Vincent could feel the phone in his pocket vibrating and he groaned. His time was up.
“Sebastian wouldn’t have done that without a reason. He isn’t that sort of person. Maybe that isn’t Sebastian, you can do amazing things with computers these days. Why should I believe you over him?” Her eyes narrowed. “I don’t even know you,” she growled.
What the hell is wrong with this woman? She doesn’t even remember that she’s one of them, I’ve just given her irrefutable evidence that he’s a monster and yet she still comes to his defense. What exactly do they do to each other to garner this kind of loyalty? It makes no sense, none at all. “If that’s what you want to believe then fine, put the lives of your family in danger. My conscience is clear. I tried to warn you. It isn’t my fault that you refused to see sense. When you do eventually see that what I’m telling you is the truth, call me and I’ll do my best to help you. I just hope that it’s not too late by that point.” He reached across the table and grabbed the DVD player that contained the damning evidence of Sebastian's differences and placed it back in his briefcase. His movements were quick and efficient and Erica watched him slightly dazed.
It can’t be true, not my Sebastian.
Vincent reached into his coat and pulled out a small case, opening it he quickly handed Erica his card ensuring the contact his skin had with the card was kept to a bare minimum. “This is my number, keep it and call me when the time comes.” He pressed the card into her hand, stood up and left leaving Erica alone with her thoughts.
Sebastian’s a werewolf? Despite all that she had seen, she couldn’t bring herself to condemn him. It might not have been him and even if it was he must have had a reason, she decided. He might even have told me before his accident. Well, there go any ideas I had about leaving my memories in the past. The past has most definitely caught up to the present. My fiancé could be a werewolf, so what do I do about it? I have no bloody idea, her mind answered and she couldn’t help the groan that slipped past her lips.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Lying against the cool sheets of her bed, Erica continued to stare at the ceiling of her bedroom well aware that it couldn’t provide her with the answers she sought. Every time she closed her eyes her mind was flooded with the images that she had seen two days ago and much as it had yesterday, the knowledge was preventing her from sleeping. Sebastian's transformation from wolf to man was uppermost in her thoughts; it was impossible to think of anything else. It was a physical impossibility, an animal couldn’t become a man and yet she had witnessed such a feat with her own eyes. With time she knew that it would be possible to accept his transformation, he was still Sebastian after all. Just because he might have been a werewolf it didn’t change the fact that he was still the same Sebastian who had stayed with her throughout her memory loss, the same Sebastian who constantly put her needs above his own. No, his ability to become a wolf wasn’t the issue at hand here, it was what came along with it. Her knowledge about werewolves was non-existent, the only things she knew were what Vincent had told her and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t think of Sebastian in that way. Her Sebastian wasn’t a killer. He was none of those things Vincent had told her. It just wasn’t possible.
Giving up on sleep, she threw the duvet aside. Staring at the ceiling isn’t going to do me any good. I have to take control of the situation. Throwing herself out of bed, she placed her feet against the floor and began making her way out of her bedroom. She trod softly as she walked down the hall, determined not to wake any one along the way. As always, Sebastian's door was open in invitation, his sleeping body beckoning her to join him. She pulled her eyes away from the bare expanse of warm skin and continued to make her way along the corridor. The door to Dylan and Wyatt’s room was shut tightly and she paused, leaning her ear against the wood to check for any signs of wakefulness. Satisfied that she was the only one awake this night, she continued down the hall into the room that Sebastian had declared his office.
They had been living in the cabin for almost three weeks and never once in that time had she felt the need to enter Sebastian's sanctuary. It wasn’t as though he forbade her from entering, on the contrary, he often invited her in, but there was nothing for her in this room so she stayed out. The room was on the small side and didn’t have much in the way of furniture, a simple desk, chair and a mostly empty bookcase. There were a few titles on the shelf that at another time she might have been interested in reading, but at the moment, it was the laptop that rested on the desk that had her full attention. Sebastian had finished talking to his brother early this night and she was glad of it for more than one reason. Firstly he was catching up on some much needed sleep and secondly it gave her access to his computer, alone.
She didn’t like keeping secrets and Erica momentarily wondered if she had always been this way, but the almost physical reaction she had to lying, even if it was simply by omission couldn’t have developed overnight. Her stomach churned whenever she thought too much about it and whenever she laid eyes on him, the words sat on the tip of tongue and she could barely repress the urge to set them free. The one positive that she had found in this situation was its proof that she as a person wasn’t different to how she had been before her accident. The only thing that prevented her from telling Sebastian the truth was the thought of adding another problem to his seemingly never ending list of worries made her feel even worse than the sickness that accompanied her lie. There’s no need to bother him with this. It probably isn’t even true. I just want to know a little more so that I can confirm that.
She padded over to the desk, her fingers skimming the outer case of the laptop; the metal casing was warm telling her that it was still running after his discussion with his brother. He probably never turns it off, she chuckled to herself before she slid into the well-padded desk chair, placed her fingers against the keys and began her search. The Internet was an amazing tool and one that she intended to put to good use. How do you recognise a werewolf? Her fingers typed in her search and she waited a few seconds for something to appear in response to her search. Dozens of websites appeared before her eyes and she quickly scanned the list clicking on one that she thought had some semblance of respectability. The website that she had chosen had a list of ten criteria for identifying a werewolf and she began to take note.
“A werewolf can’t resist transforming from its human form to its lupine form when there is a full moon,” she mumbled the words to herself, pondering on how the criteria related to Sebastian. The full moon transformation was at the top of the list so she presumed that it was the primary identifier of a werewolf, but it was swiftly dismissed. I have no idea when the full moon is, so that makes that one useless. I don’t want to have to keep lying to him until then. What’s next?
“The metal silver is deadly to a werewolf. A silver bullet will kill them and should the metal touch their skin, it will burn as though it were being scorched by a blazing fire.” That identifier was also dismissed as soon as she read it. I don’t want to hurt him, let alone kill him. Even if he is a werewolf, it doesn’t change the fact that he’s my Sebastian. He doesn’t deserve to be treated like some sort of wild animal.
“A werewolf is extremely aggressive and will often resort to violence at the slightest provocation. As a werewolf is inhumanely strong, it i
s unwise to anger them.” Well we can cross that one off the list. Sebastian isn’t violent. He’s only shown anger towards me once in the entire time we’ve been here and he’s so gentle and patient with Dylan and Wyatt. If the rest of the criteria are like this then it will only prove that Sebastian isn’t a werewolf. She breathed a sigh of relief.
“The canines of a werewolf in human form are abnormally large reflecting their animalistic nature. The size of the canines, while always larger than those of a normal human, vary, increasing in size as the full moon approaches.” Well I’ve never really done an in depth inspection of his mouth so I can’t really say if that one is true or not. Just to be sure, I’ll have a look.
“Werewolves are attracted to the scent of blood, which triggers their voracious hunger. Upon smelling blood they will then be driven to consume large amounts of raw meat even in their human form.” Well that’s another one I can test, even if the end result does sound disgusting. Raw meat?
“A wolf doesn’t have typical nails, instead they have a sharp set of deadly claws that can be used to tear through flesh.” Last time I checked, Sebastian's nails looked normal but it can’t hurt to have another look.
“As a result of their condition, a werewolf in human form has a large amount of thick hair that largely covers their entire bodies.” She laughed at that. Sebastian isn’t hairy. Her mind wandered back to the warm expanse of his skin and a flush rose to her cheeks. No, definitely not hairy. Deliciously not hairy.
“When angry, a werewolf emits a low growl as a prelude to violence.” I don’t think I’ve ever heard Sebastian growl. He definitely makes a rumbling sound, but he doesn’t always make it when he’s angry. He does it when he’s enjoying something as well. The tint of her cheeks became even redder as she remembered the last time she had heard that brilliantly sexy sound. Her back had been plastered against his bare chest and his hands had been roaming her naked body while his warm breath feathered across her cheek. She raised a hand to her face and began to make a gentle fanning motion as she attempted to cool herself.
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