The Calling

by Lily Graison

  He'd introduced himself and was so pleasing in personality the uneasy feelings she'd gotten when first arriving at the monstrosity of a house slowly began to ebb. If everyone in this town was under some sort of mass delusion, Malcolm included, they hid it well. Aside from the strange looks she'd been receiving, they all acted completely sane to her.

  "Ms. Ford," Malcolm said when he reached her. "Stan has put your things in your room. I've placed Mr. Pierson in the room next to yours at your request. I'm sure you're tired from your trip so please, don't let us keep you from retiring. I apologize for monopolizing your time. We have so few guests here we get carried away and forget our manners."

  She smiled and gave him a fake yawn. "That's quite all right," she said. "I've enjoyed the party but you're right, I am tired, but I wouldn't want to upset your guests by disappearing so early."

  "Nonsense," he said, waving his hand to dismiss her comment. "They have all day tomorrow to meet you before our little presentation. Please, your rooms are ready whenever you are. Just take the stairs. Your rooms are at the end of the hall. The last two on the left."

  Rayna glanced at Mitch and noticed he was still engrossed with Carmen. She wanted to laugh and tell him he didn't have a snowballs chance in hell with a woman like that but decided to let him find out on his own. Besides, what did she know? Carmen might make her friends millennium and give him a happy before they left. Stranger things had happened. She turned back to Malcolm and said, "I do believe I'll go on up. Thank you for the warm welcome. It wasn't necessary."

  "Oh, but it was," he said. "You're going to be the salvation we've all been waiting for."

  She wanted to question him about that but decided against it. She smiled at him and walked from the room, glancing at the blue haired Caleb out of the corner of her eye. For some reason, he was still watching her.

  * * * *

  The ritual grounds, as Malcolm had called it, wasn't anything more than a large dirt circle edged on three sides by massive trees. Rayna stopped by a large oak and sat her camera bag down, taking it all in. Majestic pines perfumed the air with the fresh, clean scent, their branches swaying in the wind. A sheer rock face marked the fourth boundary. The boulder was massive and looked out of place. There were small protrusions carved into it, jutting from the face making what looked to be some sort of seating shelf. This far up on the mountain the air was cool and she wished she'd brought a jacket. She was sure once the sun set, she'd be sorry she hadn't.

  A glance into the sky showed the purple and orange hues of the setting sun. The area inside the circle was lit only slightly more than that of the surrounding woods. She was glad there would be a full moon tonight. Her camera flash would disturb whatever Malcolm had planned for them. She just hoped the moon illuminated the area enough to be able to take her pictures without the need for a flash.

  She saw Malcolm enter the circle and watched him for long minutes as he smiled and talked with a few people she met at the house the night before. When he'd joined them for breakfast, he'd been secretive about what exactly it was he wanted to show her. Her questions about his werewolf claims went unanswered despite her numerous attempts to engage him. He'd smiled and made small talk throughout the day, giving her a brief history on their little town, giving her a tour of his massive, three story home, but nothing more. He said, "she'd find out soon enough," and left it at that.

  Malcolm was, in essence, the perfect host, but something sent a trickle of unease up her spine as the day went by. Mitch had felt it too. They had been watched curiously by everyone. More so than the night before. Every person they encountered looked too eager for them to be there. Their smiles were too wide. They were treated like royalty and that alone sent up warning flags. Something was about to happen and for some reason, Rayna didn't think she was going to like it. Story or not, tonight would change her life. She felt it to the marrow of her bones.

  "So, what do you think we've gotten ourselves in to?"

  Rayna looked up at Mitch when he spoke. His thick, brown mane of hair was disheveled and she raised an eyebrow at him. "We? You were the one who got us in to this mess."

  He grinned. "Maybe. Clive would have been on our ass eventually, anyway. Besides, we have a story no matter what these people do. Everyone we've met is strange."

  "Strange doesn't even begin to describe it," she said. "The woman at the house today... what was her name? Judy...no, Judith! Judith said we were to witness a mass shift."

  Mitch snorted a laugh. "So they really do believe they're werewolves?"

  "Apparently so."

  "Well, we're in for an interesting night then."

  "Yes, but for some reason, although I know there claim is bogus, I get the feeling there's more going on here."

  "How so?"

  She shrugged one shoulder. "I can't explain it," she said. "Most everyone I met today kept looking at me funny."

  "Well, you aren't that horrible on the eyes, you know."

  Rayna looked up, watching him glance down the line of her body and give her a leer that should have flattered her. It didn't. She reached out and smacked him on the arm. "Stop trying to change the subject."

  "I'm not," he said. "You look quite scrumptious tonight."

  "Geez. I'm not going to have to put up with you too, am I?"

  "Maybe," he grinned.

  "Go make yourself useful and find out what these people are up to."

  "Fine, but grab every picture you can. I'd like to be out of here by sunrise. This place is starting to give me the creeps."

  "Same here." She watched him walk away, heading for a small group that was gathered by the rock.

  Kneeling down, she opened her camera bag, pulling out her equipment and readying her camera. She sat the bag by a large tree and spent the next several minutes snapping shots of the area.

  She concentrated on the people gathered, snapping pictures of individuals and then groups.

  From the looks of it, there were more than forty people in the area already. She wasn't sure how many people lived in Wolf's Creek but with each new face, her story became more interesting. Had this many people ever been under the same mass delusion at the same time?

  Turning, she snapped shots of more people coming from the woods, zooming in on their faces as they cleared the dark interior of the forest. When the slow traffic of bodies stopped moving, she lowered her camera.

  The sky was darkening, the first twinkling of stars shining through the small opening in the trees and she stared in wonder at the sky. Everything was so clear here. You didn't see a sky like that in the city. The only sounds she could hear were the low, whispered conversations going on around her and the chirping songs of crickets. It was peaceful but she knew it wouldn't stay that way. Her weird-o-meter was clicking louder with every passing minute.

  Commotion to her left brought her attention back to the gathering and she raised her camera, zooming in on the small group. Malcolm's presence seemed to excite the others. He looked damn near regal as he strolled into the circle. A smile beamed from his face and he greeted everyone who approached him while making his way to the rock face.

  A sudden movement to the left of the crowd, just beyond the tree line startled her. She zoomed her camera in on the spot. Something darted past her and she lowered the camera trying to see what it was. The forest was too dark to see into with the naked eye.

  The crackle and pop of branches behind her startled her and she turned, peering into the darkness at her back. Nothing moved and she strained her eyes to see if anyone was there.

  * * * *

  Garrett knew Rayna couldn't see him but the weight of her stare penetrated his skin. Tiny pinpricks danced down his arms and he froze when she took a step into the dark confines of the forest.

  What moonlight shining on the area glowed behind her and outlined her body, casting a dark silhouette that defined her curves. His wolf beat against his skin suddenly, wanting to get closer. It prowled just below the surface and roared inside his head
. He'd wanted to grab her the minute he saw her but he knew, with this many at the ritual ground, he was outnumbered. Besides, if he made himself known now, he'd never know what they were really up to.

  He saw Malcolm just over Rayna's shoulder and when he spoke, she turned, putting her back to him. He moved then, edging closer to the tree line and stopped a few yards back.

  The crackle of breaking branches startled him and he spun on his heel, crouching down and peering into the forest. He eased his stance once he saw who it was. "Do you have a death wish, pup?"

  The boy's cheeks reddened. "No and I thought after all this time you would have outgrown that horrible nickname."

  Garrett grinned. "You are what you are, Jacob." It had been twelve years since he'd left Wolf's Creek and Jacob hadn't aged a day. He still looked like the sixteen-year-old boy he found hiding in an abandoned cabin up on the ridge, living off rabbits and not much of anything else. The day he'd left Wolf's Creek, he'd begged Jacob to go with him. The boy refused saying he much preferred the mountain to the city. Reaching out, Garrett laid his hand on his shoulder. "How have you been?"

  "The same," Jacob said. "Nothing changes around here."

  "That much I can see. You're still an impulsively careless wolf. You shouldn't be sneaking up on me," he said, tightening his grip on Jacob's shoulder. "It's a good way to end up with your throat ripped out."

  Jacob snorted a laugh and threw Garrett's hand off his shoulder. "You're just pissed because I was actually able to sneak up on you." He looked back to the circle and motioned toward it with his head. "I saw her come in yesterday and I overheard some of the others talking about her. I think some serious shit is about to go down. That why you decided to come back home?"

  "Yes," Garrett said. "She's the only reason I'm here."

  Jacob smiled and took a step closer to him. "She yours?"

  Garrett wasn't sure how to answer that. His wolf screamed yes, but the human part of him knew he'd tossed her away. Given her up to protect her from his life. From the secret no one knew except the people he used to call family. The people who had lured her here.

  "She looks young," Jacob said when he didn't answer.

  Garrett nodded his head, watching her. "She's too old for you, Jacob."

  Jacob growled softly and turned to him. "I'm twenty-seven, Garrett."

  "Yes, but you look like you still need your ass powdered. But hey, what do I know? She might have some hidden kink for young boys."

  Jacob laughed. "Fuck you, man."

  Rayna moved into the circle. The light from the moon shined down on her and Garrett could see her clearly now. Her hair fell down her back in soft waves. Jeans and a black blouse hugged her like a second skin. His body tightened just looking at her. The fullness of her breasts, the curved perfection of her bottom, those impossibly long legs that used to wrap around his hips as he plunged into her. There wasn't another woman in all of Wolf's Creek who even came close to looking like that.

  Well, no one but Carmen.

  He'd seen that bitch the minute he entered the forest. Her scent caused the hair on the back of his neck to rise and forced a growl to rumble in his chest. She looked exactly the same as she did the day he left twelve years ago. Tall, statuesque, with straight black hair that brushed her hips as she walked. The desire to walk up to her and rip her heart from her conniving chest was great. The only thing that stopped him was Rayna. Insuring her safety was his main priority.

  But no worries, he'd kill the lying bitch when Rayna was out of harms way.

  Garrett leaned back against a tree and nodded to the circle. "Head on over there and see what's going on."

  "You're not coming?"

  "No."

  "So what, I'm supposed to report back to you now? You've been back on the mountain less than a day and I'm your errand boy again?"

  "No," Garrett said. "My senses are perfect. I can hear perfectly clear what's being said. You on the other hand, can't."

  "And how do you know?"

  "Because Malcolm's been asking where you are for the last five minutes."

  Jacob's eyes widened before he sprinted toward the clearing. Garrett laughed and crossed his arms over his chest.

  * * * *

  Rayna turned at the sound of someone running and watched a boy barrel his way into the clearing. He was stick thin but tall with a thick mass of curly blond hair that fell onto his forehead. He looked over at her as he walked past and she smiled at him. His cheeks reddened as he blushed. When he stopped in front of Malcolm, she lifted her camera, snapping a few shots of him.

  "Judith, you come as well," Malcolm said.

  When they were both in front of him, Malcolm turned to face her. "Ms. Ford," he said, then turned his head to Mitch. "Mr. Pierson. This is Judith and Jacob. They'll both be seeing to your needs while you are with us. If you need something during the duration of your stay, just ask. Anything we have is at your disposal."

  Rayna glanced at Mitch and raised an eyebrow at him. Apparently Malcolm expected them to stay longer than they intended. What would he do when they told him they were leaving in the morning?

  When Judith walked over to her and Jacob approached Mitch, Rayna watched with interest as Malcolm headed to the large rock face and stepped up on the low shelf. It put him in a good position to be seen by everyone and she once again raised her camera and snapped a shot of him.

  "We should move closer to the trees," Judith said. "It'll be safer there."

  Rayna glanced at her. The woman was short and thin, her shoulder length hair was a dull, light brown. She wasn't sure her age but it was close to forty. The wrinkles around her eyes and mouth told her that much. "Okay," she said and turned, walking back to where her camera bag lay. She noticed Mitch walking toward her, his escort following close behind. When he stopped by her side, she leaned toward him. "We should have told Malcolm we weren't staying."

  "He'll find out soon enough."

  Looking toward Malcolm when he started talking, Rayna focused her attention on him.

  "I'd like to thank Ms. Ford and Mr. Pierson for finally joining us. You have no idea how happy you've made us all."

  Rayna forced a smile on her face when everyone turned to look at them. She felt instantly exposed and shifted on her feet.

  "Now," Malcolm said. "The reason we've brought you here, Ms. Ford, is two-fold. The first, I've already mentioned although you don't believe me." He chuckled and turned to a man standing by his side, clapping him on the shoulder. "We'll remedy that shortly."

  The man at Malcolm's side had wide shoulders and a head full of dark hair cropped close to his skull. He was nice looking but something in the way he walked spoke of a confidence his face didn't show. She hadn't seen him the night before at Malcolm's little get-together but something about him was familiar. The man walked to the center of the dirt circle and stopped, facing her and Mitch. She watched him remove his shirt, exposing muscles the typical man didn't possess.

  "This is Bryce," Malcolm said. "He's the man in the photos I sent you."

  Ah, Rayna thought, with a nod. That's why he looks familiar. The werewolf. She smiled and continued to watch.

  "Bryce has agreed to once again give you a demonstration of what we are. Please, don't be frightened. No one here will harm you. Judith and Jacob will see to it."

  Harm them? That got her attention. Her pulse quickened and she turned her head, glancing at the two people flanking her and Mitch. These two skinny, weak looking humans were going to keep them safe? Safe from what, is a better question. She turned back to Bryce, an uneasy feeling causing her stomach to ache all of a sudden. He was still looking at her and something in his eyes made her pulse start to race.

  "For everyone else," Malcolm said, "Please refrain from shifting for as long as you can. We don't want to alarm our guest. Bryce, whenever you're ready."

  "What does he mean exactly by shift?" Rayna asked, looking away from Bryce.

  "He's going to shift his shape," Judith whispered. "Don't
be scared. It's a little frightening the first time you see it, so be prepared."

  "You mean change into a werewolf?" Rayna raised her eyes to Mitch who was still watching the man in the circle. She could tell he was trying not to grin. His lips were pinched shut, the corners white from the pressure. She smiled and looked back at Judith. "Does everyone here think... uh, I mean, can you all shift into wolves?"

  "Yes," she said. "We'll all be shifting tonight."

  A glance up at the night sky showed a moon that glistened against a velvet black background. Small rings of light encircled it and the bright glow grew with each passing minute. "A full moon," she said quietly. "Why am I not surprised?"

  Judith's giggles brought her attention back to her. "We don't need the moon to shift," she said, "regardless of what the movies say. But most everyone likes the ritual of the change. Shifting is a rebirth, so to speak, so scheduling that with the moons phases just seems natural."

  Rayna bit her lip to keep from smiling. "So the full moon doesn't force the change?"

  Judith shook her head. "No. We do need to shift on a regular basis or the beast gets restless. We just choose the night of the full moon because it brightens the earth. It makes our hunt easier."

  "The hunt?"

  "Yes. What else would wolves do besides hunt and mate?"

  Judith's cheeks reddened and Rayna smiled. "So what," she said, "You all get together once a month, shift into werewolves and chase each other through the woods for a little furry sex?"