by Multiple
Ivy didn’t stop until she was home.
Her heart labored in her chest and her breath came in pants. She easily jumped the fence into the backyard of her two-story condo. Her tiger paced the back yard breathing in the familiar scents of home. The fresh dewy scent of cut grass surrounded her even as the sweetness of the night-blooming jasmine grazed her senses.
She knew she was home, but she couldn’t think beyond that. A small part of her brain screamed for her to pay attention. After several minutes of pacing like a caged animal, she lay on the concrete patio and focused to force her change back to human.
Several long minutes passed and nothing happened.
Ivy concentrated on what the change would feel like coming over her body.
Finally, the familiar slow ache started deep inside her bones and her body shifted. She roared out in pain when her bones popped, her tendons shortened while her paws shrank into human hands.
The striped orange fur of her tiger itched as it receded, leaving her naked skin at the mercy of the cold concrete beneath her.
She lay on the ground curled into a ball, whimpering as she wrapped her arms around her knees. A cool, night breeze flowed gently over her skin causing it to turn clammy where the sweat beaded on her body.
Her muscles still burned from the quick sprint home, but she was safe. The tiger was safely caged.
Ivy remembered another time when she lay naked and shaking in the cold night air. Her body had been covered with cold blood, which made her shiver then, and now made her stomach lurch with disapproval.
Ivy threw up into the grass. Her knees and palms burned where she’d scraped them in the alley, and the acidic smell of her soured stomach lingered in the air near her head.
This couldn’t be happening. That night so long ago was back to haunt her, and she wasn’t ready.
Slowly Ivy unwound her limbs and crawled over to the potted palm that sat next to the door. The huge plant wouldn’t be easily lifted by a human. Her naked frame shook as she pulled up the edge of the pot and reached for the key underneath. It would have been easier to move the pot in tiger form, but she hadn’t been able to think that far ahead. She was surprised she had been able to control herself enough to force the change to happen.
She unlocked the single French door and rushed inside. A few more steps took her to the keypad mounted on the wall, where she punched in the code to disable the alarm and quickly reset it.
When the little red light winked at her, she blew out a huge breath and sank to the cream tiled floor. Ivy was safely locked inside her home. A sense of relief washed over her at the same time the night’s events took hold. She dropped her head into her hands, a muffled cry escaped her lips as the attack tore open the vulnerable side of her being.
She would not break down. Ivy didn’t want the attack to overwhelm her, she wanted to be stronger than her fear, but she just couldn’t seem to stop it from sinking its bloody claws into her gut. Tears invaded her eyes.
Ivy had been so scared when the attacker grabbed her that it had flashed her back to when she was a teenager. She was supposed to go on a double date with her twin, Ian, but he had gotten sick at the last minute and wasn’t able to go. Ivy went without him, even though he begged her not to go, just like tonight. To this day the guilt of what happened to her that night still haunted Ian.
What she remembered of that night was all spotty memories at best, flashes of her tiger form and blood. So much blood.
Ivy rubbed a hand over her eyes and pushed herself off the ground. The past was best left in the past.
She inhaled long and deep to calm herself. Her thoughts were scattered, bouncing inside her head as memories of that night long ago pummeled at the door of her mind, begging for entrance.
Ivy slowly climbed the stairs, but paused in the hallway, her gaze wandering toward the bathroom. She could probably use a shower after the change, and a moment or two to wash the night away. However, taking a shower seemed like more effort than it was worth, so she continued toward her bedroom.
Ivy opened the top drawer of her bureau and chose an oversized gray T-shirt and boxers. She just needed to calm down and maybe call Ian.
She tugged the shirt over her head and cold dread pooled inside her belly as she realized her lanyard from the concert was missing. Ivy’s license and house key had been safely tucked inside behind her press pass.
“Oh, no.” Her hands trembled as she brought them to her mouth. Ivy’s chest cinched into a tight ache as fear descended again. When had she lost her lanyard? Ivy prayed she hadn’t lost the lanyard during the attack.
What if her attacker had found her license and house key? What if he now knew where she lived? Ivy’s brain raced with scenarios of him coming after her in her home, her safe place.
New tears formed inside her eyes as her breathing became labored. She forced the thoughts away and held onto the tears as best she could.
Ivy took a long deep breath and dashed the tears from her eyes. Her alarm was set she would be safe tonight. Ivy clenched her teeth together against the fear that her attacker might show up tonight. She had injured him pretty badly, surely that alone would detour him from seeking her out. Ivy pulled the boxers on, crawled into bed and glanced at the phone.
Would Ian be up? Would he be busy? Ivy needed to talk to her brother, to hear the sound of his comforting voice. She should have never gone without him to the concert. He had asked her not to go alone, she should have listened to him. What would he say? Her only worry was that he might be angry with her for not listening to him.
Ivy picked up the phone.
The phone rang three times before he picked up.
A giggle sounded over the line, and Ivy rolled her eyes. He always had someone sleeping over.
“Hello?”
“Ian?”
“Ivy, it’s two in the morning. Is everything all right?” He shushed the giggles in the background.
“No.” Tears flowed slowly down her hot cheeks. Although fear twisted her gut into a firm ball, a blazing anger radiated up into her face. She was angry for a couple of reasonsangry at herself because she should have been more careful, and angry at the attacker for throwing her carefully constructed view of the world on its ear.
“What’s wrong? What happened?” Ian’s sharp tone radiated protectiveness and concern. This is why she loved her twin brother, he always cared about what happened to her. “Hold, on, Iv.” His voice muffled. “You need to leave.” Sounds of protest met his words, and Ian’s angry growl was quickly followed by a slammed door. Then, he was back on the line.
“Tell me what happened. Do you need me to come over?”
She knew Ian’s guilt still ate at him from the night back in high school when he wasn’t able to protect her. The guilt was what made him so concerned for her safety.
“No. I went to the concert and when I left, this idiot grabbed me.” Her entire body shook as fear and anger swirled around her burning like acid against the back of her throat and she sobbed into the phone. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand as she forced herself to take slow, deep breaths.
“I’m coming over.”
“No, really, Ian. I just needed to talk to you. I’m safe…really.” A slight sense of peace washed through her at Ian’s offer. To have that kind of male protection would be welcome, but she didn’t want him to see her as weak, so she protested. Ivy blinked to stop the tears that still fell as her body calmed, and she settled into the covers. She didn’t tell him she’d lost her house key and ID.
“If I come over, I can scent him off you and go after him. I’ll kill anyone who puts his hands on you.”
“No, Ian, he’s not worth it. I don’t want you to hurt anybody. Really, I’m just shaken up,” she managed between sniffs.
“So…what happened?”
Ivy relayed the events in the alley, but she hesitated when she reached the part about her change into a tiger. The man had seen her cha
nge, which was never allowed, but she didn’t know if she should tell Ian.
Part of the pack laws decreed they not expose themselves to humans. Anyone who did, answered to the Alpha of their pack, and punishment from him was always harsh and swift. Allowing a human to see you change was as bad as murder in the human world. Although in the world of the pack, it usually came with a severe beating as punishment instead of imprisonment.
Ian stayed silent as he waited for her to finish.
She figured she might as well tell him. “I changed. Right there in front of him and had to fight the urge to rip his throat out.” Ivy remembered the way her whole being had yearned and ached for the blood of her attacker. She could still feel the rush of power that flowed through her body as she’d taken the small taste of his blood. “I wanted to kill him.” Ivy shook her head as she wiped at her face again and remembered how dominant she’d felt in tiger form. That dominance made her lock her breath down in her lungs as she was enveloped by the cool calm of self-righteousness. Ivy curled up on her side, goose bumps coasting over her skin as the foreign sensation ran through her veins. With her head cushioned on her pillow, she wrapped her free arm around the tightness of her rib cage.
“Ivy, it’s okay. You got away from him, that’s all that matters now.” His voice held a gentleness she had come to rely on for comfort.
“But, I wanted to kill him,” she whispered, her torso tight with anxiety. Her heart beat hard against her hand resting on her chest.
Ian sighed, and she pictured him raking a hand through his short blond hair. “You’re a tiger, Iv. You can’t fight your instincts.”
“I know but…” Ivy worried her lower lip between her teeth wanting so badly to scream at the sheer frustration of the whole situation. If only, she had paid more attention to her surroundings. If only, she hadn’t gone without Ian. The ifs pinged off the walls of her skull like little shouts of distress.
“You can’t expect your cat not to react when you’re in danger. It’s our nature to protect ourselves, to kill when necessary.” Ivy considered Ian’s words as she twisted her T-shirt in her hand. “You can’t be upset about the way you dealt with him. Besides, you didn’t kill him…did you?” A hopeful hint colored his voice.
“No. I did stalk him, though,” she admitted even though it made her angst die a little because she still knew it was wrong. “I think I made him pee his pants.” Ivy reflected on the power that had soared through her. Her lips lifted at the corners into a small smile. A Were could become addicted to that kind of power. The feeling of strength and control had filled her with false self-esteem and made her want more.
Ian laughed and she couldn’t help the small giggle that slipped out.
“See, you did what you needed to do. Not everything that happens will end up like Chad, Ivy. You’ll be okay.”
“I just wish I knew exactly what happened that night with Chad. I don’t remember killing him.” Ivy bit her lip trying to make the memories come to the fore front of her brain.
“That was a long time ago and it doesn’t matter now anyway. What happened is in the past.”
“I know it just haunts me. Sometime I dream bits and pieces of that night, but I never see what happened. All I see is him dead and all the blood.”
“Stop it. I won’t let you do this to yourself.” Ian’s no nonsense tone made Ivy shove away the thoughts of Chad.
“Hey, I have an idea. Come with me to the club on Saturday and you’ll forget all about tonight.” Ian’s complete change of subject took Ivy by surprise. Clearly he didn’t want to talk about Chad.
“Ian, I don’t know. Maybe.” She sighed and sniffled one last time. Ian was always so good at distracting her and giving her a way out of her own head. She loved him for that, but she hesitated, not sure if she should indulge herself this once or not.
“Not going is not an option, Iv. I’m taking you out and you’re going to have a good time.” Ian’s voice softened and Ivy cringed. She didn’t want him feeling sorry for her. “You’ve been alone too long, it’s time we find you somebody. The full moon’s only a night away.”
Most young Weres were absolutely obsessed with the hunt for a mate and kept several partners while looking for new ones just to make sure they covered their bases.
As her father said, to maintain the pack, young were needed, and to breed young you needed a mate.
A female Were could only become pregnant on a mating moon when their hormones peaked and they were at their most fertile.
Ivy hated when Ian teased her about the full moon.
She had never allowed herself to mate with anyone on the full moon. Usually she just rode the heightened sexual desires out by herself. Her own version of penance for her crime.
Her mind drifted back to that horrible date in high school, a flash of blood-soaked skin momentarily colored her vision red.
She just couldn’t seem to find anyone worth keeping for more than a date, if that long. Besides, she didn’t trust herself or her tiger to be around a man without hurting him. Well, at least not a human man. Maybe a Were male would be okay if she could find one she liked, but she hadn’t tried to date in a long time.
Deep down Ivy knew Ian was only trying to help by fixing her up with an endless stream of eligible Weres. He loved her and wanted to see her happy. Beyond that, when his mind was set, the argument ended. That’s just the way it was with Ian.
Ian was only trying to help, but it still made her twist her hands in the covers with nervousness. There were just so many things to consider before she dated on the mating moon.
“I’ve had a horrible night, Ian, and I don’t really want to go out. But I also know you’ll make my life a living hell until I agree. Fine. I’ll go.” She sighed and shoved her worry down into the bottom of her stomach, where she usually kept her feelings. The worry could just sit there for the rest of the night, she was too tired to fight her emotions. “Thanks for talking to me.”
“That’s what I’m here for. Now, go to sleep, I’ll call you later.” He hung up.
She replaced the phone on the cradle and snuggled down into the cool sheets. What a night.
~~~
Ivy tossed and turned as the familiar nightmare formed inside her mind.
She was back inside Chad’s truck, her human date from high school. He kissed her on the mouth and squeezed her breast so hard it hurt. Fear knotted inside her stomach as his hand rubbed down her side and he slipped under her short skirt. The dream morphed quickly, and Chad’s voice boomed through her head. “You stupid, little bitch. You think you’re better than me? You’re just a tiger whore like all the rest of them.” Chad’s usually pale face was riot-red, his features contorted with rage, his lips pulled back in an animalistic snarl as he came at her with a baseball bat he’d pulled from under the front seat.
Instantly, her hands sharpened into claws extended for attack, and her lips pulled tight into a snarl full of pointed teeth ready to rip through skin and cleave meat from the bone. Her teeth sank into soft flesh, hot coopery blood filled her mouth like rich thick wine.
The soft thunk of the baseball bat dropping onto the blacktop barely registered over the urgent rush of his blood.
Blood coated her fuzzy face and wetted the now matted fur of her chest. She threw her head back, shaking it as a roar tore up and out of her throat.
Ivy shot up in bed with a gasp and clawed at the sheets that had constricted her limbs. They were wrapped like coiled snakes around her body. She shredded them from her torso and arms in an attempt to get away from the bindings. Frantically she touched her face, her throat, and her chest checking for the blood that had tinged her skin red and chilled her to the bone.
“It was just a dream.” Her heart labored in her chest, and Ivy’s body pulsated with the heat of the fear running through her veins. As the memories rushed back, she labored for a full breath while her eyes ran with scalding tears and panic beat her chest like an alien trying t
o tear her apart. She curled tight into a ball, her arms wrapped around her shins as loud deep sobs wracked her back and shoulders, making her hunch even farther into herself.
Chapter Two
Ivy woke to a loud thud, thud, thud.
Groggy, she reached for the clock in an attempt to turn it off. Ivy glanced at the large red display through half-open eyes and groaned in frustration. Why wouldn’t that sound stop? She smacked the clock again before falling back onto her soft pillow.
It was seven in the morning for God’s sake.
The banging started again. She grumbled and almost fell out of bed in her half-awake state. Catching herself on the edge of the bed, she straightened and slowly headed down the stairs to see what was going on.
Still dressed in her gray T-shirt and boxers, she reached for the door, then, remembered the alarm and turned it off.
The banging started again.
“Just a minute!” Ivy vowed to rip off whoever’s fist was about to break down her door.
She left the chain in place and cracked open the door.
“Hey, sis. You up?” Ian’s smiling face stared at her through the crack.
Irritated at the sight of her overly happy brother at such an early hour, she opened the door.
“Damn it, Ian. It’s seven am,” Ivy complained, her voice a low gravelly rumble and laced with her annoyance. Her brother was wild, maybe he ran better without sleep. Not her, she always needed her beauty restespecially after that nightmare last night.
Ivy’s stomach scrunched up tight making her woozy just thinking about the attack.
Ian ignored her grumbling and grabbed her in a fierce embrace, picking her up off her feet.
Ivy laughed in spite of herself. Just being around him made her smile, and she wrapped her arms around his neck.
“I had to come see you first thing this morning.” He nuzzled her against her neck. “You scared me last night, Ivy. Are you okay?”
