I smiled. “As do you.”
Irving led the way to the kitchen and I followed him, looking around the house for possible escape exits and any dangerous items. Though, as a magic user, Irving was probably the most dangerous item in the house.
I sat down on a barstool at his counter and watched as he began preparing food. He moved lightly, like a man trained in martial arts. His movements were exact. He didn’t waste a single breath. He might be fun to spar with.
He caught me staring at him and smiled. “So, how old are you, Lily?”
“Eighteen. Nineteen on the next moo…next month.” I caught myself before I said next moon. Normal humans didn’t relate things to the moon.
“Do you have any family?” he asked as he chopped up some potatoes.
I looked down at my hands. “No, they’re all dead.”
“Do you have a mate?”
“No.”
“How long have you been living on your own?”
“Two years.”
“Has that Hunter hurt you before?”
“Yes.” I gasped and looked up at him in shock. I shouldn’t have answered that question, but the answer had just come out.
Irving wasn’t looking at me though, he was still preparing the food. He tossed the potatoes, cut up chives, and onions into a pan on the stove and asked, “Has he physically harmed you before?”
I didn’t want to answer. I didn’t want to give away more than I should, but I couldn’t figure out a good enough lie. “No.”
“So, he hurt someone you knew?”
“He killed someone I knew.”
He looked up at me then and whispered, “I’m sorry for your loss.”
He looked sincere and sounded sincere. “Thank you.” It was time to turn the tables and get the attention off of me. “How old are you?”
He smiled. “Nineteen.”
He looked older, but then again, the way things were now seemed to age people faster than normal. “Do you have any family?”
He shook his head. “All dead.”
“Do you have a mate?”
“Not yet.” The way he said the words made me look into his eyes. He was smirking. Was he trying to say he was interested in me? I tossed that notion aside. I couldn’t have a mate. I couldn’t have anyone.
“How long have you been living on your own?”
“Two years.”
“Do you know that Hunter?”
“Yes.”
“Has he hurt you or someone you knew?”
He stared into my eyes and I could see anger and pain. “Yes.”
“You want him dead as much as I do?”
Irving smiled and it was filled with more hunger than happiness. “Yes.”
We sat smiling at each other for a moment until someone knocked on the front door. I spun around and had my sword in my hand before I thought about it. Irving took the food off the stove and walked to stand beside me. “It’s alright, Lily. While you’re in my house I won’t let anyone harm you. Please, put the sword away. It might give whoever it is the wrong impression.”
I put the sword away and moved to the side of the living room, beside a window in case I needed to escape. Irving walked to the door and placed his hand against it. I watched in shock as a red barrier formed and then disappeared into his hand. He opened the door and his posture tensed immediately. I inhaled and understood why. It was the Hunter. “Can I help you?” Irving asked after a moment’s hesitation.
“I’m just going around and asking if anyone’s noticed any signs of the wolf. You live near the river which would be the best place for me to check first. Have you seen anything?”
Irving’s body relaxed and he shrugged nonchalantly. “Sorry, I haven’t seen a wolf for years. I thought you guys had taken care of all of them.”
“Do you mind if I come in?” The Hunter asked.
Irving backed a step up and waved his arm. “Of course not.”
What was he doing? Why was he letting him in here?
The Hunter walked inside, looking at everything. He stopped walking when he saw me. He looked over my body and I tried my hardest to relax. “Hello, Sir,” I said as politely as I could.
The Hunter’s nostrils were flaring, but I knew all he would smell was a human. “Hello, Miss.”
He looked out the windows and asked, “You’re sure you haven’t seen any wolves?”
Irving walked to me and stood between me and the Hunter. “None.”
The Hunter looked around Irving at me. “You seen any wolves, Miss?”
I shook my head. “Haven’t seen a wolf in years. Heard they were all dead. Extinct.”
The Hunter nodded his head. “That’s what we thought too, but we’ve been getting calls about wolf sightings sporadically for the past year.” Could there be more of us? Was it possible that I wasn’t alone? The Hunter continued, “All of the calls lead up to this place. I’m thinking the wolf has been on the run and decided to stop and get comfortable here. Well, let’s hope I find the wolf so it doesn’t hurt anyone.”
I suppressed the urge to growl at him and forced myself to look scared. “You don’t think one of the townspeople is a werewolf? That they might hurt us?”
The Hunter smiled. “I wouldn’t worry about it too much, Miss. Your warlock friend here should be plenty able to protect you from a werewolf. Besides, if it’s here, I’ll find it.” The Hunter walked to the door and smiled at us. “Thank you for your time.”
Irving smiled back at him. “Of course. I’m just sorry we couldn’t be of more assistance to you.”
The Hunter left and I collapsed to the ground. Had I fooled him or did he know? I couldn’t tell. I had no way of knowing until he came at me with his silver bullets. I needed to leave. I needed to run.
Irving’s hands pushed down on my shoulders, forcing me to sit down on the floor again. I hadn’t even known that I was starting to stand up. Irving tilted my chin up so that I could look at him. “Lily, it’s alright. The Hunter is gone. And like he said, I can protect you from a werewolf if necessary.”
If only he knew the truth. If only he knew that the werewolf was sitting on his floor and more frightened of the Hunter than anything else. The full moon was tonight and I’d need to change. Werewolves had to change on the full moon, but we could change at will besides that. The Hunter would be watching intently tonight. What was I going to do?
Irving kissed my lips, snapping me out of my shock and bringing me back to the present. I stared at him in shock and then slapped him on the cheek.
The smile never left his face. “Are you better now?”
I rubbed my lips across my sleeve to wipe off his taste. “Yes.”
Irving stood up and walked to the kitchen, finishing lunch. After a moment, I stood up and returned to my stool. “I’m sorry I slapped you, but you shouldn’t have kissed me.”
Irving asked, “Would you have preferred I slapped you?” I shook my head and he laughed. “I didn’t think so.”
He heaped a plate to the top with potatoes, beef and vegetables I hadn’t even seen him cooking. He turned back to the stove and started making more food. He noticed me still staring at the plate and said, “That’s yours. I’m making mine now.”
It was enough food to feed a werewolf. Did he know? Did I dare ask? “Irving, perhaps it’s better if I just leave.”
Irving set his spatula down and turned to face me. “Look. We both have pasts we’re not keen on sharing at the moment.” I tried to interrupt him, but he wouldn’t have it. “Are you going to hurt me?” I shook my head. “Well I’m not going to hurt you and as long as we’re not going to hurt each other, then why not stay together? We both hate that Hunter and both want a piece of him. You know we’d have a better chance if we worked together.”
“So, you want to work together to kill the Hunter?” Irving nodded his head. I frowned. “You know if we kill him that the townspeople will believe we’re werewolves. His apprentice will try to kill us as well.”
&n
bsp; Irving smiled. “They won’t have to know that we killed him.”
I wanted that Hunter dead, but could I trust Irving? How did I know he wouldn’t rat me out later?
I chewed on a piece of beef as I thought then nodded my head. “Alright, but you have to make an oath that you won’t tell anyone that I was involved in killing him or that you even know me if someone asks after we kill him.”
Irving sighed. “We live in such a skeptical age. Alright.” He performed the short spell which bound him to the oath and then he finished making his food.
I sat in silence, enjoying the presence of another person for the first time. Irving finished making his food and sat on a barstool beside me. I kept thinking about the kiss and how good it had felt. No matter how hard I tried to push the thought out of my head, it was stuck there. I wiped at my mouth and noticed Irving watching me. I stood up and took my plate to the sink where I noticed a faucet. It was amazing that he had indoor plumbing. “Would you mind if I took a shower?” I asked as I rinsed off my dish.
Irving set his dish in the sink as he stood beside me. “No.”
An inch to my right and I would be touching him. Just one small inch. I moved to the left and smiled at him. “Thank you.” I couldn’t stand seeing the desire in his eyes. I walked as fast as I could without jogging to the bathroom and slammed the door shut behind me. Why did this man affect me so much? What was it about him that caused me to lose all sense of control?
I turned on the shower and stared in awe at the steam rising from the hot water. I quickly discarded my clothes and climbed in, sighing in delight. It’d been two years since I’d been in a hot shower. I picked up the bottles of shampoo and sniffed them. Most humans had awful smelling shampoos that only irritated my nose, but this was a delicate, sweet smell. I washed my hair and body and then shaved my armpits, arms and legs. It was a silly girl thing to do, but I hated being hairy. I sat in the shower for another twenty minutes, just enjoying the calmness and tranquility. I didn’t know how long it would be until I could enjoy something like this again.
I climbed out of the shower and wrapped a fluffy towel around my body. My clothes were on the floor, but they were dirty and smelled. I picked them up and ran across the hall to my room.
I frowned down at my bag of dirty clothes. I wanted something clean to wear.
Two knocks on the door made me turn around, but I could smell it was Irving. “If you’d like to wash your clothes, I have a washing machine. I could loan you some of my clean clothes to wear while yours wash.”
How had he known? I laughed softly. Of course he’d known, he’d seen me wearing them and had probably smelled my bag a mile away. I dumped the clothes out of the bag, leaving my books inside and opened the door. “I would really appreciate it.”
Irving picked up my clothes and started walking down the hallway towards his room. I watched in shock as he pushed his hand against the blank wall and a doorway opened showing a washing machine and dryer. He put my clothes in the washing machine, added detergent and started it before heading to his room. He came back a moment later with a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt. “These might be a little big for you, but you can roll them up or tie up the shirt if you want.”
I took them from him and smiled. “Thank you.”
I closed the door and changed quickly. When I walked out to the living room, he was sitting in a chair reading a book. I stared in shock at the book thinking he’d stolen one of mine, but it was a name I’d never heard before.
He inhaled as I walked to stand behind him and read over his shoulder. He frowned up at me. “You still smell the same. You should have someone teach you a better spell than the one you’re using because now that you’re clean, you should smell clean.”
I stopped moving and stared at him in shock. “You…you know?”
He smiled. “I knew what you were the first day I met you.”
“And?” I prepared myself to run. I didn’t know what he would do.
He put a bookmark in the book and set it down on the coffee table. “And nothing. I know what you are and you know I’m a warlock. It doesn’t change anything.”
“What about the Hunter?” I walked around the chair and sat on the couch across from him.
“I really do hate the Hunter. I don’t care if you’re the werewolf he’s looking for or not. I’m going to kill him and since I’ve brought you into my house, I’ll protect you from him.”
“You don’t even know me.”
“But you didn’t kill my friends, he did.”
“So, under different circumstances you might have turned me in?”
Irving laughed. “No, Lily. I wouldn’t. I’ll keep your secret.”
I relaxed and leaned back. “Thank you.”
He walked to me and sat down on the couch next to me. “Would you let me alter the spell for you?”
I nodded my head and he placed his hands on my wrists. His touch was warm and as he chanted, the warmth spread to cover my body. He stopped talking and I opened my eyes to see his face inches from mine. “There. Now you will smell as you should, whether dirty or clean. Only your wolf smell will be hidden.”
He pushed a strand of hair behind my ear that had fallen forward and ran his finger down my cheek. I realized I was leaning into his caress and jerked backwards. He frowned at me and I bit my lip to stop from crying. “You don’t know how hard it is to…” I stopped talking and turned away. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come here.”
I started to walk to the bedroom, but he appeared in front of me and blocked my path. He moved incredibly fast, even for a warlock. “Lily. Please. I know it must be hard for you, being the last werewolf and all, but I can give you some comfort.” He put a finger to my lips as I opened them to protest. “I’m not talking about mating. I’m just talking about touch. I had a good friend who was a werewolf and I know how much touch from even a human can comfort you.” He reached out slowly and caressed down my arm. Every centimeter he touched tingled. “Just let me hold you. Let me give you the touch you’ve been without for two years.”
Without waiting for my answer, he walked forward and wrapped his arms around me in a hug. It was a simple gesture, but it brought out every emotion I’d been holding back. Tears welled in my eyes and I tried to pull away, but he picked me up as though I weighed nothing and carried me to the couch, sitting with me in his lap. I turned my head into his shirt so he wouldn’t see me as I cried and sobbed. I wiped my eyes on his shirt and then rubbed my face against his neck and face. He rubbed my back and let me rub on him like a cat would. He grabbed my face between his hands and looked into my eyes. “How have you survived for two years like this?” he asked.
I laughed bitterly. “It’s been difficult. I have to warn you, I’m probably not the most sane person anymore.”
He smiled. “Who’s sane anymore?”
I smiled back at him and then did something I shouldn’t have. I kissed him. His lips were hesitant at first, but he let go of whatever was holding him back and he kissed me back. He held onto me tightly as we kissed and a pain inside of me released. I pulled back from the kiss and lay in his arms as he caressed my back. He cleared his throat twice before whispering, “See, that wasn’t so bad.”
I laughed and nuzzled his neck as I lay against him. The sun began to set and Irving stood up. I lay on the couch for a moment, enjoying the warmth of the seat from where he’d been. Irving started cooking again so I went and put my clothes in the dryer. When I walked back to the kitchen, Irving was staring outside. “Irving?”
He turned around and smiled. “Sorry, just spacing off.”
I sat down at the counter and whispered, “Thank you for comforting me.”
He flipped a piece of bacon on the pan before turning to me and smiling. “Anytime.”
I folded my arms on the countertop and rested my chin on them while I watched him cook. Now I understood why he cooked me so much, he knew. It was strange to have someone else know what I was and not try to
kill me. It was, nice.
I looked outside and noticed the sun was nearly set. I had to get outside and hide. I would need to change, but where could I go. “Irving, I need to go.”
Irving frowned at me. “Why? I thought we’d…” Understanding lit his eyes and he ran a hand through his hair. “Hm…well I know it’s not ideal, but could you stay in your room and go through the change?”
Change indoors? I knew it was possible because I’d done it before, but I hated it. I hated changing indoors, away from the moonlight. “I need to let the moonlight hit me first and then I could run back inside and change in the room. I suppose.”
Irving nodded his head. “I’ll bring you raw meat, if you’d like?”
“That would be nice.” He cooked his food while I sat in silence and pondered everything that had happened during the last few hours.
The sun finally set and I walked to the back door. I pushed it open and the moonlight covered me in an instant, drawn to my body. I knew I would be glowing from it and would draw attention to myself, particularly if the Hunter was nearby, so I ran back inside and to my room. I pulled my clothes off and let my body change. It was instant and painless and wonderful. I stretched in my wolf form and yawned loudly. Irving opened the door slowly and smiled at me. “You’re just as beautiful in wolf form.”
It was a good thing wolves didn’t blush because I would have been even more embarrassed. He tossed me a few pounds of raw red meat and then shut my door. I ate the food and then lay down to enjoy the night dozing in this form.
I heard the back door shut a moment later and then Irving’s bedroom door.
My body stopped moving as I smelled werewolf, but I shook my head and snorted. I needed to stop being so delusional.
The night wore on and I fell into the deep sleep that changing on the full moon brings. Not even a dream disturbed me.
CHAPTER FOUR
Early the next morning I woke up and found Irving dressed and reading from his book again. I sat down across from him on the couch. “Are you up to a trip to the pub?” he asked as he put a bookmark in to mark his page.
The Last Werewolf Page 3
