“He asked me to keep an eye on you.” Sam smiled. “Might as well make myself useful.”
“Tell you what, Sam. Why don’t you spend the week with me?”
It would be another month before Alfred came back and having company would keep my mind off of worrying about all the men in my life. Besides, I liked Sam. He was tall, lean and muscular. His salt and pepper hair hung just above his shoulders, though he had it in a tight ponytail that day. There were creases around his eyes when he smiled which only added to his charm. Sam looked like he belonged more in an old western somewhere instead of my front yard. If there were such things as past lives, Sam had been a cowboy.
He smirked and it caused his mustache to twitch.
“Marco says you won’t even let him in the door.”
“There are other reasons for that.”
“You mean I won’t have to worry about you attacking me in my sleep? It’s a good damn thing too, cause I’m tired.”
I laughed and opened the door.
“Do you like coffee, Sam?”
“Darlin, half my blood is caffeine,” he said with a smile.
As we sat down to a nice cup of coffee Sam asked, “How come you would trust a stranger to come into your house?”
“Because you’re a good man, and I knew that when I shook your hand.”
In addition to being a werewolf Hunter, I’m also strongly empathic. When I touch other people, I’m able to feel whatever it is they feel. Through their more intense emotions, I can get pieces of imagery.
“Damn, I hate it when people figure that out.”
Before we started cleaning my yards, I hit play on the answering machine. There were several messages from Kat wanting, “details.” These made Sam smile, but when Elijah’s voice came on he paid attention. Elijah was just checking on me, but Sam still asked, “Who’s Elijah?”
“A local cop. A friend of mine.”
Actually, we’d been spending a lot of time together since Alfred had been out of town, but I didn’t think that was any of Sam’s business. Elijah was nothing short of adorable. He had dark blond hair with highlights that only stood out in direct sunlight, deep blue eyes, and a smile that could melt snow. He was a bit too sweet and innocent for my taste, but he also understood there was something between Alfred and I. Because of this, he hadn’t asked that we do more than just spend some time together. I was glad, because I enjoyed being with Elijah. Besides being good looking, he was easy to talk to.
Sam raised one eyebrow. “You got a thing for local bacon?”
“No, but he’s got a thing for me.”
“Who doesn’t? Darlin’ you’re popular.”
“And you’re an ass.”
“That’s one of my better qualities.”
Sam’s charming smile made it impossible for me to stay angry at his nosy questions.
Chapter Two
Once we both changed clothes, we went outside and started to clear limbs out of the back yard.
“This is going to take all week,” he said, wiping his brow.
He was most likely right, but my mind was on something else. Ever since I’d met Sam, I felt like I knew him.
“This is going to sound stupid, but have we met before?” I asked.
He stood up from where he’d been bent over one of my trellises that the wind had pulled out of the ground.
“No darlin’ I don’t reckon we have.”
“You know it’s really out of character for me to invite strange men to stay in my house.”
“They don’t come much stranger than me.” He winked as he straightened his back. “So, why’d you do it?”
“Because I feel like I know you. Ever since I saw you drive up ... there’s just something about you.”
“That’s what they all say,” he teased.
“You know that’s not what I meant. It feels like I’ve known you my whole life. It just seemed natural to ask you to stay here. I have no way of explaining it.”
“Do you always have to explain everything?”
“Well, yeah. It would make me feel better to have a nice, rational explanation to why I would want a strange man to stay alone with me in my house.”
Sam closed the short distance between us and placed his hand on my shoulder.
“Do I make you uncomfortable?”
“No.”
In fact, Sam’s touch gave me one of the most laid back and peaceful feelings I’d ever experienced. It was the sort of touch that made you want to kick back and have a drink. He was comforting in a completely different way than any of the other men I knew.
“You’re related to a wizard, right?” I gave him a puzzled look and he explained, “Marco told me.”
“What’s your point?”
“My point is I’ve known wizards before. It’s not unusual to feel the instant connection you felt with me. For some people, mostly those who are strongly psychic, they know if in the future they’ll be compatible with someone or not.”
“What do you mean exactly?”
He sighed and took a seat on a bench near the edge of my rose garden.
“It’s a form of clairvoyance, or at least that’s how it was explained to me. When you get that feeling like you’ve known someone for forever, but you know that’s not possible. It’s like you’re seein’ the future. Somethin’ in you knows that at some point you’ll know them that well. Does that make any sense to you?”
“Yeah, it does. How is it you know all of this and I don’t? Does everybody know more about wizards than I do?”
He smiled again. “Don’t feel bad. I only know because I had my heart broken years ago by a sorceress.” He stood up and stretched. “Along with a few other things,” he teased.
We spent most of the day just cleaning my rose garden. There were limbs down everywhere, but no real damage. With the help of my lawn mower and a trailer, we piled all of the limbs on the back side of my property near the woods.
“Maybe tonight we could have a bon fire,” Sam suggested.
“Why the hell would I want to do that when I could be sleeping?”
“You do realize you’ve invited a werewolf to stay with you on the night of the full moon?”
“The thought had crossed my mind.”
“And that doesn’t bother you?”
“Not really. I’ve been around werewolves all my life. Hell, I’m half wolf myself.”
“But I’d wager you’ve never seen one of your friends change?”
“No. Until recently I didn’t have any friends who were werewolves. I mean, I didn’t know about Luther and we grew up together.” I ran a hand through my sweaty, disheveled hair. “Why?”
“Because seeing those near and dear to you wolf out ain’t pretty. Trust me it’s different. It just is. You’ve never seen Marco change have you?”
“No, I haven’t.”
“Well, don’t be surprised if it changes the way you look at him, at least for a while.”
I got quiet and Sam stepped closer.
“If you choose to stay in contact with him, you’ll get used to it eventually. But to someone who’s never taken on the beast, it’s quite a shock.”
“I’ve seen other people change. I’ve been seeing it for years.”
“Darlin’ I’m not asking what you feel, or any of the other things that are none of my business. But what do you think of him? He’s a nice looking man, and you’re attracted to him, am I right?”
“Yes.”
“Well, that’s different. I know you know he’s a werewolf, but seein’ a beast tear himself out of that pretty boy face ain’t somethin’ that you’re gonna take lightly.”
Sam was probably right, but it was something I didn’t want to think about right then. I was tired, hungry, and desperately in need of a shower.
“Let’s get cleaned up,” I suggested.
“Good idea. I smell like a wet dog,” he said, laughing.
I didn’t point out the fact that he wasn’t far off.
> Once we got back to the house, Sam took off in the direction of the guest room, and I went upstairs. I started to strip the minute the door closed behind me and left a trail of sweaty clothes across the floor. Normally I take a hot shower, but I was beyond overheated so I turned the water to a nice room temperature, almost cool. I had never been able to stand a completely cold shower. I leaned against the shower wall and nearly fell asleep where I stood. I had wondered after I left the club if I would be able to sleep without Marco around. At the moment, I didn’t foresee myself having any trouble.
*****
With my hair still wet, I padded barefoot downstairs. I’d snatched on a pair of black cotton pajama pants and a matching t-shirt. Yeah, it was a little sloppy, but I wasn’t trying to impress Sam. When I entered the kitchen I noticed I had another message. It was Kat, informing me she had called Marco and he said that I was at home and, “Why are you not answering the phone?!”
I deleted the message and decided to raid the fridge. I had missed Kat, but I was completely exhausted. I desperately needed to buy groceries, but hadn’t bothered to do so since before I left to visit Marco. To top that off, I’d ended up staying a week, so there was nothing in the house except processed meat, ice cream, and frozen fruit. Sam came in shortly after I’d made myself a turkey sandwich. He was barefoot, wearing a pair of torn up old jeans, and no shirt. I could tell from the first time I looked at Sam that he was still in good shape for his age, but I had no idea. Sam was in good shape for someone half his age.
The same salt and pepper hair that adorned his head formed a v-shaped pattern over his chest, slightly thicker than Marco’s. He had a thicker trial of hair running down his flat stomach as well, but was by no means too hairy. I’ve always liked a man with a hairy chest, just as long as they don’t have hair all over their back.
His arms were just as well toned as his abs, though he was not quite as muscular as Marco. He had his chin length hair pulled back in a ponytail. Stray hairs were beginning to escape and hung in long loose strands which framed his face. As I admired his body I understood why Marco had insisted that he stay with Luther during his visit. Sam was a very attractive man, but I didn’t want to jump him. That was bizarre and completely unexplainable to me too. I just liked Sam, and that was all there was to it. It was sort of like Luther and me. Yes, Luther was gorgeous, but when I looked at him, I didn’t see an object, I saw a friend of mine. Even though I hadn’t known Sam long, he was the kind of person you couldn’t help but think of as your friend.
“You hungry?” I asked.
“Thanks, but I’ll catch my dinner elsewhere tonight, if that’s all right with you.”
“Marco tells me there are some nice rabbits in the woods around here.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Sam and I shared a pitcher of iced tea before he rose to leave near dusk.
“Darlin’, if you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll be spending the rest of the evening outdoors.”
“All right.”
I wasn’t sure how exactly to respond, I’d never been around a werewolf on the full moon before. Well, one that I wasn’t trying to kill, anyway. Before Sam left the room I asked, “Should I make a point to stay inside tonight?”
He looked sad when he answered, “That won’t be necessary with me, but you might prefer not to see.” The expression on his face told me someone had had a very bad reaction to his transformation in the past. When I didn’t respond he continued, “An alpha werewolf has more control than some of the lesser wolves. At first no one really has control when they turn. Often times they black out completely until the next morning. But, over time you learn to make peace with the beast. And if you have the potential to become an alpha, you may even learn to control it. The point is, when I turn I’m still me, and I won’t hurt you.”
“I’ve never been afraid of you, Sam.” I meant it to be a comfort, but it seemed to bother him.
“If you saw me tonight, you might change your mind.”
I watched as Sam walked out of the kitchen and heard the front door close behind him. It was just as well that he was spending the night outside, because I was too tired to carry on much of a conversation.
It was barely dusk when I went upstairs and stretched out across the bed.
*****
Howls echoed through the night and I was startled awake. I rose from the bed and threw the balcony doors open wide. It was after midnight and the early morning air was cool and fresh against my face. Sam’s warning was still in my mind, but as I looked out over the woods I did not feel afraid. Somewhere out there was a werewolf, but I couldn’t bring myself to think of Sam as a monster. Just then a large silvery gray wolf emerged from the trees and stepped tentatively toward the house. He was huge. Though he looked like a natural wolf, he was nearly three times the size. The wolf continued forward until he was almost underneath my balcony, sat down, threw his head back, and howled.
“Hello, Sam,” I whispered.
We made eye contact, and for a minute I recognized Sam’s dark eyes before he turned and ran back into the woods. My heart beat faster, but it wasn’t exactly with fear. I don’t know if excited was the right way to describe recognizing someone’s eyes in a wolf’s face, but it was close enough.
He looked so sad. I didn’t know how I was supposed to react, and I wasn’t sure if Sam had been glad to see me, or disappointed that I didn’t listen to his warning. But, the hour was late and I was still tired. Without bothering to turn down the covers, I crawled back on the bed and tried to get comfortable again.
Once I was awake enough to be aware, I missed Marco something terrible. That was about the time of night I had been used to waking up and rolling over to touch his warm body. I hugged a pillow against my chest, but it just wasn’t the same. My grip on the pillow grew tighter and tighter. I yearned to be close to him again. My heart ached in a way I didn’t think was possible for someone I wasn’t in love with. I flopped to my back and looked at the phone beside the bed. The longer I lay there, the more tempted I was to call. But it was the full moon, he might not even be there, and tomorrow he would be gone.
I wanted Marco back, even if it was only for a night. But I couldn’t call. What would it say about me if I called him? We had mutually agreed to get on with our lives. No matter how many times I reminded myself of this, I still stared at the phone by the bed.
Finally I got up and took Mathias’ journal down from the shelf.
“If I ever needed words of wisdom, old man, it’s now,” I said as I opened the cover.
I turned the page and was once again confronted with an image of one of the most hauntingly beautiful men I’d ever seen. Beautiful may not be a very masculine way to describe a man, but it was the closest I could come to doing Mathias Alexander justice. He had been known as The Seducer. He was one of the most powerful wizards to have ever lived, and he was my great, great grandfather. His hair blazed like a captive flame in the faint moonlight streaming through the balcony door. The picture seemed alive in some way. The kindness in his eyes tugged at my heart and put a lump in my throat. I needed a shoulder to cry on, someone to tell me that everything would be all right. When I finally turned to the next page I found these words:
I cannot offer you my shoulder, but please believe that everything will be all right.
That was all it took. My emotions were already shaken and I started to cry. Before I could find a tissue more of his words began to appear as if being written by an invisible hand.
Do not cry, child. It would be wrong of me to tell you the future. I do not believe in interfering with fate. But if you will not take the word of a wizard with the gift of sight, then who will you believe?
I understand what you are feeling, because I have seen it. I have also seen your frustration at hearing me say that, but it is true. However, you are thinking, “Why did he not warn me about this?” And I say to you, I did.
Do not try to analyze things too much. As someone has recently tol
d you, “Do not complicate things that need not be complicated.” Yes, I know where you were this past week. Do not blush, I am a very old wizard, and there is little that I have not been exposed to.
Never be embarrassed to turn to me. As I have said before, I do not have all the answers. I am merely offering advice that may be of some comfort to you. You are thinking that you haven’t really accomplished anything by reading this journal again, but you have.
You are already less anxious than you were when your fingers first touched these pages. The future will unfold before you like a wild rose blooming in the spring. They do not need your care, or your time, and whether you notice them or not, they still grow.
“What the hell does that mean?” I asked.
As much not being given a straight answer bothered me, Mathias was right. I did feel much better than when I’d first picked up the journal. I wondered how I would ever manage to get to sleep and I saw one last response: Close your eyes.
“Smartass,” I mumbled as I put the book back on the shelf.
Mathias Alexander’s enchanted journal came to me through an unlikely source. Marco passed it along during one of my visits to his club. He found it the year before in an old bookstore in London. Since the journal was enchanted, Mathias used it to instruct Marco to deliver the book to me. Marco was able to read the journal like a diary, telling him Mathias’ day to day life, but the teachings my wizard ancestor longed to pass down were only seen by me. Mathias made sure of that.
I decided the only way I would ever still my mind enough to rest was to meditate. I lay flat on my back, adjusted the pillow as best I could and began to breathe deeply and evenly. Once my heart began to beat more slowly, I started the visualization exercise Mathias had taught me.
A staircase stood before me. I saw along this staircase many colors that stretched upward and wrapped around the steps. The staircase I visualized looked very much like the stone steps leading down to Alfred’s lab, and the dungeon. As I approached the first step I looked down, and through my mind’s eye saw my right foot with the dragonfly tattoo on the big toe. This was my way of visualizing me without detaching myself from the surroundings.
Lilith Mercury, Werewolf Hunter Series (Boxed Set, Books 1-3) Page 32
