by Jenna Payne
Mia backed up, watching the gun shake in Cora’s tanned hands. The cliff was right behind her. She could not back up any further.
“Cora, calm down. You’re not thinking clearly,” Mia said, hearing rocks tumble down behind her.
“Good bye, Mia,” Cora said.
Mia braced herself, but all she heard was heavy feet pounding behind Cora in the woods. Cora turned, but Mia saw him first. Micah’s grayish black body came barreling towards Cora, and Cora fired at him, missing. Micah was too fast. He bit Cora, dragging her away. Cora pulled free, backing up towards the edge of the cliff.
“Cora, look out!” Mia yelled.
It was too late. Cora tumbled backwards, falling off the edge of the cliff. Mia reached for Cora, but she was falling too fast. Micah’s human hands grabbed Mia and pulled her close.
“It’s over,” Micah said, kissing Mia’s forehead.
Brutus came barreling ahead in his human form.
“What did I miss?” Brutus asked, panting.
“Nothing. It’s over,” Mia said, leaning up to kiss Micah.
“Good. I burned the bodies by the way. Can’t have humans coming across that mess. We should get out of here by the way. We were pretty loud and I smelled people. Well, I smelled hotdogs. Someone is nearby,” Brutus said, nodding at Micah.
Micah nodded back and then held Mia at arm’s length, like he was studying her.
“Are you…okay?” Micah asked.
Mia nodded, wiping tears.
“I feel…alive,” Mia said, shrugging. “It’s like I was meant to be this way.”
A broad, face-splitting grin spread across Micah’s face.
“I thought you would hate me,” Micah said, breathing a sigh of relief.
“I would!” Brutus said, scoffing. “She could have fallen out of the tree, asshole!”
“He’s right,” Mia said, slapping Micah’s chest.
“All’s well that ends well?” Micah said with a sheepish grin.
“Whatever. I guess we’re off to North Carolina then,” Mia said, looking north.
“You still want to stay with me?” Micah asked, looking at her hopefully.
“I don’t think another man will want her as their doggie best friend,” Brutus said, pulling twigs out of his knotted hair.
“Hey! Be nice. Besides I would choose Micah any day,” Mia said, throwing her arms around Micah’s neck.
“Alright you two. Don’t be gross. I’ll race you to the Florida-Georgia line,” Brutus said, breaking off running in his wolf form.
Micah kissed Mia and shoved her back playfully and took off after Brutus.
“Nice try, boys,” Mia said.
She collapsed on all fours and breathed deeply. She was taking in new, fresh air and a new, fresh life. She was now all woman and all wolf. She was alive.
THE END
Bonus Story 16 of 40
Saved By A SEAL Next Door
Blossom Talon
Blossom Talon finished her usual five mile run around the park and slowed to a stop near the water fountain. She paced with her hands on her hips taking deep breaths and turning to catch the light breeze coming across the park.
She was wearing blue sweats that always ended up making her too warm. The reason she covered up with such loose clothes was because her neighbors found her sexier figure offensive when she wore skimpier clothes; at least according to her friend Lisa.
“Navy wives are pretty conservative, Blossom,” Lisa had said. “They consider it lewd behavior for a widowed wife to be, uh, flaunting her body in a half top and shorts while jogging. I know, it does not make a lot of sense, but it might make it easier to get along with the neighbors if you wear your sweat suit while you jog,” Lisa had told her.
True enough, after changing to sweats people had become friendlier when she was out jogging or walking from the store. They actually began talking to her and smiling. She would never understand people, they were an alien concept to her. She had no control over her genes and how she was shaped and she did not see how trying to stay healthy was a cause for other people’s concern.
She got her breathing back and took a few sips of water from the water fountain. It was cold and just what she needed. She paced a few more times and did some cool down stretches. She wondered again about her life and what she was going to do with it.
She was a twenty four year old widow living in a naval community outside of Annapolis Maryland. At eighteen she had married her high school sweetheart, mostly because it was expected of her. He was in the Navy and with the help of her inheritance they had bought a house. Shortly after that, he got shipped overseas to Afghanistan. He was there for a short time and was killed in an attack that took place in the Hindu Kush. So before she was nineteen years of age she was a widow.
It became worse because she was also pregnant. A month after she received news of his death, she had a miscarriage. It had been a horrendous time and she had retreated into herself to deal with it. The deaths of first her young husband and then her baby in such short succession had been a one-two punch that had almost taken her down. She pulled through though and had since been living her life rebuilding herself from the inside out.
She had recently begun to feel restless and lonely. She wanted a partner but was not sure how to go about it. Especially in this more uptight neighborhood where everyone watched everyone else because they had nothing better to do.
Blossom knew it was unfair to blame the women in the neighborhood. Most of their men were overseas and they were constantly looking for something to occupy themselves from the fact that any of them could get a visit from two Navy officers in a car, telling them their husband had died.
It had happened two weeks earlier four doors down from her house. She had gone out to get her mail and seen the official car pull up in front of Mrs. Lansbury’s home and she knew what it was about. Other soldiers’ wives had come out because they had seen the car too and within an hour they were consoling the devastated woman. Blossom had heard that she was going to move back to her parents in the mid-west.
Blossom often wondered if she should sell the house and pick up stakes. Except she did love her little house and her few friends. So she had not settled on the idea as a firm option yet. She shook her head to dispel the thoughts. She knew when the time was right, her future would unfold as she needed it too. She just hated waiting.
She began walking home and watched some young teenagers harassing a few younger children at the swing set area. She had seen the punks around before and they were usually up to no good. The child on the swings started crying as the older ones started swinging her higher against her wishes. Blossom went over to stop them. As she got closer the punks saw her and two of the three stepped back, but the third kept pushing the swing causing the little girl to cry harder. The little girl’s friends were standing off to the side, frozen in fear, and she felt anger towards not just the bullies, but their parents.
“Leave her alone and get out of here,” she told them angrily.
“Who the hell are you?” one boy asked. His eyes were almost black, nothing but amusement in them. No fear or worry.
Blossom ignored his words and kept walking towards him. He backed up and she slowed the little girls swing and helped her out.
“It’s okay sweetheart. You are okay now. Why don’t you go stand with your friends and I will walk you all home, okay?” she asked, wiping some tears off of her face and smoothing the child’s pretty blond hair. The little girl shot a terrified glance at the punks and ran to her friends. The young ones were no more than eight years old. Blossom stood up and walked towards the teenagers. They must have been about fifteen years old. All three had shaved heads and were wearing higher end jeans and shirts. She noticed their sneakers were not cheap either. Just as she was about to reprimand the teens she heard someone cried out.
“Bella! Bella, are you ok, Bella?” Turning, Blossom saw a woman running down the street towards them; the little girl’s mother i
t seemed. She then notice an MP vehicle pulling over to the curb, having noticed something going on.
“On second thought, you three stay right here. Someone is going to want to talk to you,” said Blossom. The biggest of the three sneered at her, and the other two looked nervous.
“What is going on here?” asked the crisp-looking Military Policeman. Blossom explained what she had seen.
“Really, then you boys are going to have to learn a little respect. We don’t tolerate that sort of behavior in this neighborhood,” he told them sternly. At this point the little one’s mother came over. Her little girl, Bella had told her what happened and she laid into the boys.
“Your mother shouldn’t let you out of the house. Being mean to smaller children! What is wrong with you?” she said loudly.
She was furious and her eyes were wet. Understandable, Blossom thought, for a mother finding her child in the park crying. The end result was the MP took the older kids in his car with the aim of taking them home to their parents. As they drove away Bella’s mother turned to her.
“Thank you so much for standing up for my little one and her friends. I’m Kelly Rollins. I just live a block down and can see the park from my yard. They never have any problem. When I saw what was going on, I got here as fast as I could,” she said. She was obviously feeling horrible.
“No problem Kelly. I’m Blossom Talon. I think Bella and her friends are fine, they were just scared is all,” she told her. “She is a beautiful girl. Are they all yours?” she asked the woman to help her calm down.
“Oh gosh no. These other too are Missy and Rebecca. Their mother is at the store. They were playing here until she gets back. Just a usual day at the park until those young bullies showed up. Thank you again for helping out, I really appreciate it,” said Kelly.
“I am glad to help Kelly. It was no problem. I come by here every day. Have you lived in the neighborhood long?” Blossom asked.
“Not long. Just a month or so. My husband shipped out right after we moved in, so Bella and I are still adjusting. I never would have expected this sort of thing on base housing,” she said.
They chatted a little longer before they hugged with promises that if the other ever needed anything, to let them know. Blossom smelled bourbon on the woman’s breath and walking the rest of the way home tried not to blame her. Stuck alone in a strange place with a young daughter is hard to cope for many people. She herself had drunk after her twin tragedies. It had not lasted more than a week or so and she decided it wasn’t working for her.
As she neared her house, Blossom saw there was a moving truck at the house next to hers. That house had been empty for six months so it would be interesting to see who her new neighbors were.
Lisa came up the street, out on a walk.
Lisa was a short blond woman with a large chest and chunky elsewhere. She was a very happy person and had been the first person to befriend Blossom when she moved in. She had been instrumental in helping Blossom cope after the two deaths.
Blossom and Lisa hugged and watched the movers. The furniture looked nice and the movers were efficient, unloading the truck swiftly.
“So, do you know who it is yet?” Lisa asked.
“Nope, I haven’t heard,” said Blossom.
“All I have heard was it is a naval officer. Maybe a SEAL, but I could be wrong about that,” Blossom laughed.
Lisa always knew what was going on. She just liked knowing things. Blossom was usually secure in the knowledge that if she needed some information about the neighborhood, Lisa would know it. So far she had not been let down. Because of that, she was sure the new neighbor was a Navy SEAL.
She joined her friend for coffee on her porch and they watched the movers finish up and then leave. They had not seen the Navy man yet, but Lisa was impressed with Blossom standing up to the park punks.
“It was not that big of a deal Lisa, really. I appreciate your applause and all but I barely did anything before the MPs got there. So how about an early dinner? I was thinking of firing up the barbecue. As hot as it’s been I don’t want to cook inside,” said Blossom. Lisa agreed. Her husband was at the base in California for three months for further training so she was alone.
“That would be great. If you have the meat, I will bring a salad and the beer. I will carry it in a Whole Food bag so no one knows we’re having fun,” she joked. Blossom laughed and went home chuckling.
She entered her home and took off her sweat jacket soon followed by her sweat pants. It was too hot out to wear clothes like that, she thought to herself sourly. As she went down the hall to take a shower she stopped in front of the long mirror on the wall at the end. She did not think she had anything to be ashamed of. Her red half-top covered her springy double-C breasts modestly and her shorts were snug red spandex, perfect for running. Her tummy was flat and she thought her curves were great. Taking her long strawberry blond hair out of the ponytail, Blossom sighed.
She thought about the neighborhood women, judging her, and she thought again about possibly moving someday.
***
Blossom Remembers Desire
Dressed in a white tank top and blue jean shorts Blossom went out into the backyard to get the grill going. She took a beer out with her and sipped it as she worked. It did not take long to get the coals going so she shut the lid on her Weber grill and went to relax at her patio table. As she sat down she could see the neighbor over the fence, the new one, looking at her.
“Oh, hi,” she said getting up and walking over. He looked a little embarrassed but smiled gamely.
“Hi, didn’t mean to bother you. I am just looking around my new backyard,” he said gesturing behind him.
“Nice to meet you, I’m Blossom Talon,” she said, reaching over the five foot fence to shake hands.
He had a strong grip that matched the rest of him. He was shirtless and his chest muscles and arms were something to behold. Muscular and tanned with a clean shaven handsome face and the usual high and tight haircut of the marines or SEALs. She realized he had a brace on his left leg. There was a scar over his knee cap and as he moved she realized he had a limp. She looked away from his injury, not wanting to embarrass him.
“It is good to meet you Mrs. Talon. I’m Lieutenant Bret Nichols,” he said.
“It is good to meet you too Lieutenant. You can call me Blossom if you would like. I know I would be more comfortable,” she told him with a smile. His eyes seemed to shine a little more.
“Blossom it is then. You can call me Bret. Is your husband on active duty?” he asked. It was a question she had got used to answering.
“My husband passed almost six years ago,” she informed him. She kept her voice calm and light to let him know there was no crime in asking. He looked a little embarrassed.
“Sorry about that. I did not know. I just transferred into town.” he said.
“No worries Bret. It was six years ago and I’m used to the question. Like you said, no way you could know. How do you like the house?” she asked.
The conversation lightened up as she had hoped and she filled him in on the neighborhood. None of the gossip, just the things a person new to the neighborhood would need to know. Where the best dry cleaners was. (Navy is always concerned with their uniforms.) Best grocery store, bar, church or anything a person would want information on. Then the conversation wandered.
It turned out he had been injured in a mission and sent home. He was stuck to a desk for the foreseeable future. He did not seem thrilled with the idea. He was about Blossom’s age and was energetic and ready to go if it not for his leg. She had felt that way too, but her injury had been emotional. She was getting over her wounds, though. She surprised herself, talking to Bret so easily and comfortably.
“How would you like to have dinner with me and my friend Lisa from down the street? Nothing fancy, we are barbecuing here tonight. Some burgers, a salad. We will probably have some beer. Kind of a welcome to the neighborhood from us.”
H
e thought about it for a second and then smiled a bigger smile than she had seen from him. It lit up his face and eyes and she felt a flutter in her chest and elsewhere. She almost blushed, it had been awhile since she had felt that.
“I would like to. Thank you. I have spent the last few months in hospital and base barracks. A good meal and company will go down perfectly. What would be a good time?” he asked.
“Lisa will be over in about an hour, so anytime you want,” she heard herself say. She was almost flirting and that felt extremely strange. Yet, good somehow.
“Great, see you in about an hour then,” he answered and waved as he went back in.
Bret’s limp was heavy, but he navigated well. Blossom knew they probably had him on intensive rehab therapy for his knee. She added some more coals to the barbecue and went inside. She briefly thought about calling Lisa to tell her, but then smiled. Naw, she thought. A surprise would be good for her. So Blossom went into her bathroom and fluffed her hair some and added just a touch of makeup. She briefly wondered what the neighbors would think about her having the new guy over for dinner, but brushed it aside. There would be her and Lisa so it would not be considered inappropriate.
Lisa showed up and they chatted about the day’s events as they readied the salad. Then they loaded a cooler to move to the backyard. She had heard some news about the punks in the park.
“The mother of the main one, Markus McCay, was furious her precious little boy had been accused of such things. She made a ruckus that could be heard a block away from the MP’s office, so I am told. Beautiful woman in her forties with an attitude problem a mile wide. Her husband was a well-known Captain hereabouts around fifteen years ago. He got busted for misappropriating funds and is in the pokey. She has been playing the injured victim ever since. She does not sound like a pleasant woman,” Lisa finished. Blossom had to agree. Then the doorbell rang.
