Wolf Fire

by Christine DePetrillo

  “I didn’t. Jaemus does what Jaemus wants.” Reardon grunted as she struggled in his hold. “He told me to keep you out. I couldn’t stop him anyway.”

  Brandy ran from behind the building to join them at the front. “All the exits are blocked, and I didn’t see Jaemus.” Her concerned glance to Reardon made Nika’s stomach roll.

  “Let me find him.” She used all the strength she had, but Reardon was too strong for her to break free.

  Sirens grew louder, and while Nika knew that meant help, her heart broke over needing such help.

  Tato’s post was on fire.

  That was bad enough, but the thought that Jaemus was still inside while those furious flames consumed the place made her a little crazy. She couldn’t lose him. Not now. He meant too much to her.

  He meant everything.

  “Take her.” Reardon pushed Nika toward Brandy who clamped her arms around Nika’s waist with surprising power. Brandy wasn’t much bigger than Nika, but she held her as firmly as Reardon had. “I have to go in. Sometimes, a situation like this could… change things.” He angled his head toward the direction of the sirens.

  Brandy’s eyes widened as if Reardon had sent her some hidden message. “Go.”

  Reardon raced into the blaze as fire trucks, ambulances, and police cars screamed into the parking lot.

  “What did he mean?” Nika stopped trying to get free from Brandy’s grasp and the other woman released her. “What did Reardon mean about this situation changing things?”

  Brandy met Nika’s gaze for a moment then focused on something over Nika’s shoulder. When Nika turned, Sheriff Olsen was walking toward them.

  “Anyone inside?” he asked.

  Brandy gripped Nika’s hand and squeezed. “No. It’s clear.”

  Nika whipped her head toward Brandy, but the pressure on her hand increased, a pleading look in Brandy’s blue eyes. Everything inside Nika wanted to yell for all the firefighters to rush in and save Jaemus, but if Brandy didn’t want the same for Reardon, something was going on that she didn’t quite understand. She knew how Brandy felt about Reardon. She’d seen them together. She’d heard the soul mate speech. More than once. There was no way Brandy would let Reardon die in a fire.

  So what isn’t she telling me?

  Sheriff Olsen turned toward the fire chief. “All clear.”

  Those two words cut Nika’s heart into tiny slivers. She glared at Brandy, but her friend shook her head, the movement so subtle that it barely registered in Nika’s brain.

  “We’ll make a sweep inside as we get water on it.” The fire chief signaled to his men.

  As the firefighters unwound hoses and unleashed water on the inferno, Daisy barked like a feral animal. Spittle flew from the dog’s jowls and she darted to and from the burning trading post.

  “Daisy! Come!” Nika clapped her hands, trying in vain to rein in the pooch, but the Lab wouldn’t relent. Her barking intensified then Nika’s focus shifted from the post to something moving behind it.

  Reardon. Carrying something. Something big.

  Daisy took off and Nika did the same, but Brandy caught up to her and yanked on her arm with painful strength.

  “Hold up, Nika.”

  Nika whirled around. “What is up with you, Brandy? Our men were in there, but you did nothing to save them. Why did you say the post was empty? What’s going on?” She looked over her shoulder to see Reardon disappearing into the woods. “Where is he going? I see him. I know you see him, too.”

  Again, Brandy looked as if she wanted to say something, but… couldn’t.

  “If you won’t say something, at least let me go find out for myself.” Nika tugged on the arm Brandy still had a death grip on.

  Little by little, her friend loosened her hold and Nika didn’t hang around. She took off, still able to see Daisy, knowing the dog would lead her to Reardon.

  Please have Jaemus.

  If she found Reardon and no Jaemus, she wasn’t sure what she’d do. Die as well, perhaps.

  Diving into the dark woods, Nika used her sense of hearing more than anything else to guide her. Daisy made a ton of noise trampling through the brush in the general direction that appeared to be heading back to the sanctuary.

  She didn’t stop running. Not when her lungs burned. Not when her heart threatened to burst right through her ribs. Not when she tripped on roots and gouged her palms on rocks. Not when she thought about her trading post being completely destroyed. Not when hot tears streamed from her eyes.

  She spilled onto the dirt driveway of Silver Moon Wolf Sanctuary to find Daisy sniffing at a print on the ground illuminated by a spotlight outside the entrance gates. Nika crouched beside the dog, expecting a simple footprint considering all the people that had visited the sanctuary for the picnic.

  But this wasn’t just any print.

  Twice the size of her own foot, she ran her fingers over it. The heel had hit the ground hard, as if at a run. And the toes? They were so long and ended in sharp points, deep gouges in the ground as if dug by…

  Claws.

  Nika blinked hard and shook her head. Her vision was off. Had she inhaled too much smoke? No. She hadn’t been close enough. Reardon and Brandy hadn’t allowed her to get close enough.

  What the hell is going on?

  She stood and followed the strange prints past the open gates and toward the building next to Brandy’s cabin. Having been in that building before, Nika knew it to house a clinic for Brandy’s wolves. She’d seen both Brandy and Parker tend to some of the wolves there.

  Daisy let out little whines as the clinic door swung open. Light spilled over a large form, and in a few more steps, that form disappeared inside. The door slammed shut, sealing what had to be Reardon carrying Jaemus inside the clinic.

  The crinkle of leaves behind her told her Brandy had arrived at the sanctuary as well. Nika pointed to one of the prints in the soft dirt.

  “What is this?”

  When Brandy didn’t answer her, she ran for the clinic and put her hand on the doorknob.

  “Don’t go in there!” Brandy got between Nika and the door, while Daisy got to her hind legs and looked in the closest window. The dog let a round of barking loose, some rather vicious growls mixing in.

  Growls? For as long as Nika had owned Daisy, the friendly Labrador had never, ever growled like this. Little grumbles here and there—especially when Robert was around—but rarely serious growls.

  Then she realized it wasn’t Daisy growling. The growls are coming from inside.

  Was one of Brandy’s wolves in the clinic? Had Reardon disturbed a recovering wolf? Had he angered it? Was it about to attack? What if Jaemus was in there, too? Were the men in danger?

  “Get out of my way, Brandy.”

  With astonishing force, Nika shoved Brandy aside and ripped open the clinic door. The bright lighting was in stark contrast to the dark outdoors and it took a minute for her eyes to adjust.

  When they did, she couldn’t believe what she saw.

  Jaemus’s body, in wolfman costume, was sprawled out on the large metal exam table in the middle of the room.

  When had he changed into his costume? And why would he? How had he had any time to? She’d seen him run into the burning trading post. His costume was not in the post and it didn’t make any sense to put it on while a fire raged.

  She approached the exam table, vaguely aware that Brandy had followed her in with Daisy. The dog raced to the table, her tail wagging excitedly as if she expected Jaemus to pop off the table and jump right into his Wolfman Show role.

  From the looks of things, however, Jaemus wouldn’t be popping off anything.

  The closer Nika got, the more damage she saw. Blood matted the fur of Jaemus’s costume. His right wrist was bent at an odd angle, and his sides heaved in and out as if he couldn’t take in air.

  “Oh my God…” She immediately put her hands on his long whiskered muzzle. “Brandy, help me get this costume off him. You have to exami
ne him. We have to call an ambulance.”

  She searched the base of Jaemus’s neck, looking for a seam so she could remove his mask. While he struggled to breathe on the table, she ran her fingers along his back. They came away bloody, but she didn’t find any zippers or snaps. Nothing that would allow her to get him out of that wolfman suit.

  Again, she turned to Brandy. “Help me!”

  Slowly, Brandy shook her head. “Why don’t you come stand over here with me?”

  “What? He needs us!”

  “No.” Reardon came out from the small bathroom at the far end of the clinic, his shirt was missing and he only wore simple cotton shorts. Where had the denim shorts and sanctuary T-shirt he’d worn at the picnic gone? Where were his shoes? “What he needs is for you to go, Nika.”

  Nika looked between Brandy and Reardon, not believing her friends—Jaemus’s own brother—wouldn’t help save him.

  “I’m not leaving. Jaemus is seriously hurt and he’s stuck in this costume. I don’t know why he’s wearing it, but we have to get it off, see how bad his injuries are, call a goddamn ambulance!” Her voice was up in the screechy, hysterical range, but she didn’t care. All that mattered was Jaemus.

  She went back to searching for a way to remove the Wolfman costume, but Reardon’s large hands closed over hers.

  “Nika, look at me.” His voice was unnaturally calm considering the status of his brother right now.

  She met his gaze and stumbled back when his green-gold eyes glowed back at her.

  “Jaemus and I aren’t like you, Nika,” he said gently.

  “I’m not either,” Brandy added as she came to stand on the other side of Nika. Her blue eyes shined like Reardon’s.

  “I-I don’t understand,” Nika stammered, her legs suddenly feeling like overcooked spaghetti.

  “This Wolfman costume,” Reardon began, “isn’t a costume.”

  “Isn’t a costume?” Nika felt like the dumbest person on the planet. Everything Reardon said was beyond her comprehension. Nothing made sense.

  Not a costume. What did that mean?

  Reardon shook his head, his eyes still glowing a bright green. He lifted his left hand, and Nika clamped her hand over her mouth to stifle the scream when long claws extended from his fingertips.

  Claws like the ones now at the tips of Jaemus’s fingers.

  “Don’t be scared,” Brandy said, touching her shoulder.

  Nika jumped back and squeezed her eyes shut. This is a dream. I’m going to wake up and there will have been no fire. She cracked one eye open and let out a strained, panicked cry when she saw Jaemus’s wolfman body still struggling on the table, things snapping under his skin.

  Under his silver fur? The room swirled around Nika and she clamped her hands on the edge of the exam table for support.

  “His body is healing itself,” Reardon said, shaking his hand while the claws retracted. “He will be okay. Just broken bones. Those heal quickly. He’s stuck in half man, half wolf form for the moment.”

  The words came out matter-of-factly, as if Reardon had given her the most reasonable explanation in the world. Only he hadn’t. Holy shit, he hadn’t.

  “All this time I’ve been…”

  “Making love to a fucking animal.” Jaemus’s large wolfman head turned toward her. His voice was gravelly, his words garbled a bit as he spoke around the massive teeth in his mouth. Teeth that weren’t an amazing prop used by a brilliant actor.

  Teeth that were really Jaemus McAlator’s. Wolfman teeth.

  With a grunt, he leaped off the table and ran awkwardly past Nika, Reardon, and Brandy. He slammed into the clinic door, opening it and disappearing into the darkness beyond.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Rain fell, washing blood and soot off Jaemus’s damaged wolfman body. Everything hurt. Even the gentle touch of the raindrops was painful as he cut through the woods. He was lucky he was able to run though. When those beams in the trading post came down on him, he’d been sure he was in his final moments.

  Then Reardon dragged him out. Hoisted him into his arms. Carried him back to the sanctuary. Shifted to wolfman form himself to be able to run faster. His brother had saved him as he had many times on the battlefield. The anger Jaemus had toward Reardon over being turned faded away. Hadn’t turning the men been another way he’d saved them? They would have died facing that enemy of the Spanish king. Turning some of them into werewolves was the only way they could win… and live. Great riches came with that win, too, and Jaemus could be mad at his brother, but he’d wanted those treasures as much as any other man in that army. Reardon’s actions had kept all of them legendary even if they’d been banished from Ireland.

  But Reardon couldn’t keep Nika away.

  When he’d heard her voice in the clinic, he knew his secret would no longer be secret. She’d want to tend to him, to get him help. To remove his costume that wasn’t a costume. She wouldn’t be content to leave him there to heal on his own. She’d want to be there for him, with him. She’d want to ease his pain.

  He wanted that too, but how could she love him now that she knew he was a monster? How could she ever let him touch her again after seeing him in that beastly form, bloody and broken with claws and fangs and fur? Nika deserved a man, not a werewolf.

  Jaemus ran toward the trading post to check on the status of the fire. From his vantage point in the woods, only smoke still curled into the sky, the flames now extinguished on both the post and the theater. Using his keen wolf vision, he scanned toward Nika’s barn, which hadn’t caught on fire and still appeared to be unscathed.

  At least she still has her home.

  Even if he could no longer live downstairs. No longer share space with her. No longer touch her.

  Love her.

  His heart hurt as much as the rest of him, but after stopping into his space in the barn to grab some clothes, he kept running through the woods, not caring where he ended up. He had to keep moving away from the sanctuary and the trading post.

  Away from Nika.

  He couldn’t face her again. He couldn’t watch her look at him as if he were a vile creature—which he was. Definitely. He’d only managed to hold on to his humanity because of her and the way she made him feel. Loving her had helped him escape what he’d become. He’d only used the wolfman for her. He’d foolishly thought he could be both the man she loved and the wolfman she needed.

  That was over now. They couldn’t go back to the way things were. Not now that she knew. She wouldn’t be able to look at him and not see the struggling, feral mess he’d been on that exam table in the clinic. She’d have nightmares. She’d regret ever allowing him to make love to her.

  His pace slowed as the rain tapered off, a wet dirt fragrance filling his long wolf nose. He tried shifting to full wolf and found he was healed enough to do so. On four legs, he streaked through the woods with his clothes in his jaws, attempting to outrun the curse that had maybe saved his life on the battlefield but ruined his life in love.

  Jaemus soon arrived at the patch of woods adjacent to Canville’s town center. He paced among the trees, taking inventory of his body. All of his legs were functional and his spine, though sore, appeared to have healed. His wrist was mended as well, and the minor cuts and bruises were gone. He was surprised to have healed so quickly, but perhaps the adrenaline pumping through his body had kickstarted his werewolf abilities.

  But there would still be scars. Physical ones on his body. Emotional ones on his heart. Irreparable ones on his soul.

  He sat on his haunches, taking in a few deep inhales and exhaling slowly. His lungs stung a little, but he could breathe normally. He no longer felt as if he were choking as he had in the clinic.

  Of course what good was oxygen if he didn’t have Nika?

  After giving himself some extra moments to make sure his body was truly healed, he focused his energy on shifting back to full man. He achieved the task, but not without some pain. His human body didn’t weather his inju
ries as well as his wolfman form, but he’d spent too much time running around like an animal. He needed to see his human legs and feet, arms and hands. He needed to pretend he was like everyone else in town. His stomach was empty after using so much energy to heal that refueling was a must. He couldn’t set foot in Canville looking like a wolfman or a wolf. Not if he wanted to avoid another reaction like Nika’s.

  The look on her face would never leave him. He’d grown accustomed to having her regard him with such love and admiration and respect, but she hadn’t had any of those in her lovely, pale green eyes back at the clinic. Confusion. Fear. Betrayal. Disgust. He’d seen all of those and didn’t blame her for a single one. He felt the same things whenever he thought about what he was.

  Shaking his head, he put on the jeans and T-shirt he’d grabbed from the barn. He hadn’t grabbed any boots, but that was the least of his problems. He shoved a hand into the pockets of his jeans and was surprised to find money in one of them.

  Luck of the Irish. He could definitely use more of that.

  He made his way to Rosie’s Diner, knowing the place would be closing soon and would likely be mostly empty at his hour. He’d get a bite to eat, something to drink, and maybe on a full stomach, he could plan his next moves.

  And figure out what to do to Robert Senclair.

  Jaemus sat on the first stool at the long counter. Sharon, who Nika had told him was Rosie’s niece, came over.

  “Hey, honey. Heard about the fire at Nika’s place. How is she doing?” She filled a glass with water and slid it, along with silverware, toward Jaemus.

  “As well as can be expected,” he said, not wanting to get into the details.

  “Damn shame. I’m sure things will work out. Nika is too wonderful a person to not have everything she wants out of life.” She gave him a slight smile and he nodded, although he wished he were one of those things she wanted.

  Let it go.

  It was good advice. He had to listen to it and let Nika go. She’d have no trouble letting him go now that she knew his whole wolfman routine wasn’t a routine at all. It probably made her sick to her core to know she’d said I love you to someone who had a wolf living inside him. Sure, Nika loved animals, but she wasn’t in love with them.