by Dena Christy
“Do you know why I’m here?” she asked, her voice soft with confusion as she continued to stare at him.
“I do. Please come in the house and I’ll explain everything.” He reached out his hand, and she took hold of it, and the feeling of being called from afar left her. She stepped inside the house.
He led her to the kitchen and she sat down at the small table on one side of the room.
“Are you hungry or thirsty? Can I get you something before we get started?” He stood beside her, with his hands in his pockets and looked as nervous as she felt. For some reason that helped her relax.
“Could I get a glass of water?” She was starving too, since she hadn’t eaten anything but the chips since she’d woken up in the room. She didn’t want to impose on his hospitality, but her stomach chose that moment to let out a loud rumble. He quirked an eyebrow, and the side of his mouth kicked up.
“I think I can do better than just a glass of water.” He turned away and went to the fridge and pulled out a few things. Silence reigned in the kitchen, but it seemed appropriate. Kate had a feeling that whatever they had to talk about was too serious to discuss while he made her a sandwich.
He put her food in front of her, and it didn’t take her long to eat it all. Once she finished she looked at him expectantly.
“I’m not sure where I should start with all this. Most of it is going to be unbelievable.”
“Considering some of the shit I’ve seen in the past twenty-four hours, I think it means I’m going crazy. I’ve followed a signal in my head that led me here, and you knew I was coming, so I’d say pretty much anything is going to seem believable to me.”
Kate looked over at the man sitting across from her, and could read indecision on his face. She decided to help him along, since he seemed to be stuck.
“Let’s start with something easy. I’m Kate, and you are?” she asked as she held out her hand to him. He grasped it with a rueful smile on his face.
“I’m Rowan, and I’m very pleased to meet you, although I wonder if you will be as pleased to meet me once you hear what I have to say. I might as well drop the big bomb right now. I’m a werewolf and so are you.”
Kate sat there blinking for a moment. If he’d told this to her the day before yesterday, she probably would have maced him and gotten the hell out of here. If she had any pepper spray, she might have been tempted to do it even now. Then she remembered what she’d seen in the parking lot last night, what she’d chalked up to a combination of stress, fear and her fevered imagination. She decided to quiz him, to see if what he was saying was true or if this was some sort of hallucinogenic duet.
“When you turn into a werewolf, do you look like the wolf man, like in the movies?” She looked him straight in the eyes, and although he didn’t appear to be a lunatic, she didn’t look like one either and she thought she should be labeled crazy with a capital c.
“No, when I change I turn into a wolf. I look like any other wolf, just bigger.”
“I see,” she said. That definitely lined up with what she’d seen in the parking lot last night. But something else he said caught her attention, which she hadn’t noticed with the big reveal that he was a werewolf.
“What do you mean, I’m one too? I’ve been in this body my entire life, and I can assure you I’ve never once turned into a wolf.” A look of shame came over his face, and he seemed to hesitate. “Does this have something to do with my being drawn here even though I have no reasonable explanation as to why? Please just tell me all of it. How do you know I’m a werewolf?”
“I know because I bit you. Please know that I will regret that for the rest of my life, and I know there is nothing I can say or do to make up for it.”
Kate stood quickly, her instinct to run fighting with the need to stay. She turned and made it as far as the door.
“You can leave if you want,” he said quietly from behind her. “I won’t blame you. You have no reason to trust me. But there are things you need to know. Things I can help you with. That’s why you’re here.”
“What kind of things?” she said between her teeth. She desperately wanted to leave here, but his words stopped her. “What led me here?”
“The force inside you is a call of sorts. I don’t know much about it because I haven’t bitten anyone before, and don’t know anyone who has. But from what I understand it’s nature’s way of ensuring you have a successful first transition. Please come back to the table, we’ll talk.”
Kate’s breathing was harsh in her ears as she lowered her hands. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to slow down her pounding heart rate. Having a full blown panic attack certainly wouldn’t help anything. She turned around and faced him.
“I’m going to stand right here and you are going to explain this to me. And you can start by telling me why you did this to me?”
“The why of it is long and complicated, but when I bit you I wasn’t myself, and unfortunately you happened to be there at the time.”
“Why?” she insisted, wanting the full story so she could understand why he’d bitten her and changed the course of her life.
“I was infected with a close variant of the rabies virus, it wasn’t enough to kill me, but it did turn my mind. The best I can explain it is it caused me to go mad.”
“Are you still rabid?” she asked as she edged ever closer to the door. She reached behind her and put her hand on the knob. She didn’t know if she could outrun him, but she’d sure as shit give it her best shot.
“No. It wasn’t a true case of rabies. Look, will you please come sit down and we can talk about this. I promise you are safe here.” He turned and walked to another part of the house. A few moments later he returned with a knife in his hand.
Kate pressed herself against the door, her hand frantically twisting the knob.
“I thought you said I was safe here,” she cried as she opened the door.
“This isn’t for me to use,” he said calmly as he turned the hilt toward her and offered her the knife. “It’s pure silver. Stab me with it and I’m not going anywhere for a long time, if ever again. Please come and sit down. I promise I won’t hurt you, and you can hang onto the knife if you doubt me.”
She took the knife from him, and held it down at her side, pointing it at the floor. She calmly pulled the door shut and walked back into the kitchen. She sat and put the knife on the table within easy reach, picked up her glass of water and chugged the contents.
“Talk,” she commanded as she set her glass on the table.
Chapter 3
Rowan knew he had to convince Kate that he wasn’t a bad guy, but in order to do that he needed to tell her everything. He still felt deep shame over this latest episode of his life, and he hadn’t shared any of it with anyone except family. He had to do it, he had to convince her to stay, at least until she went through her transition. The full moon was coming, and she would need his help to get through it.
“If you aren’t going to talk, I’m going to leave. Well, try to, if this weird mind meld thing will let me.”
“You will be able to leave, it will just be uncomfortable and annoying for a while. Until the full moon.” Rowan watched as Kate ran her finger on the hilt of the knife he had given her. It made him nervous, but he had figured giving her the knife was the only way to get her to stay and feel safe. He didn’t think she’d use it, at least he hoped not.
“Why am I going to wolf out?” she scoffed as she continued to play with the knife. She had picked it up and was twirling the pointed end on the top of the table. Rowan stared at her, hard.
“Yes, and if you are going to live through it, you need to take this seriously.” There was a bite in Rowan’s voice, and he was glad he put it there, because the knife clattered back onto the table, and she gave him her full attention. “The reason you were led here by the signal in your head is because you need me to be with you when you turn into a wolf for the first time.”
“Isn’t it something that just
happens on it’s own?”
“It does and it doesn’t. It’s not like in the movies where the full moon comes out from behind the clouds and boom you’re a werewolf. It’s a lot more complicated. The fullness of the moon will drive you to change, it will become an instinct that you can’t fight, especially for someone like you, who is a bitten wolf and a new one.”
“What’s the difference between me and you besides the fact that I’m new? Weren’t you bitten too?”
“No. I’m a born wolf, which means that I’m stronger and more in control of the change than you are. Your strength will grow too, and you will be more in control of the change, but it will never surpass that of a born wolf. And no matter if you’re a born or bitten wolf, you need someone with you who knows how to go through the transition to wolf, to help guide you.”
“Does it hurt?” she asked, and Rowan could see the apprehension in her eyes.
“I think you will find it painful at first, but you get used to it. The urge to change will be so strong around the time of the full moon, it actually helps you through the pain because by the time you get to that point, your body is running entirely on instinct. I’ll be with you, and I may not seem like much consolation to you right now, but when it happens you will be grateful to have someone with you.”
She was silent for several moments and seemed deep in thought.
“Please, all I ask is that you stay here until after the full moon. I’m responsible for you, for what’s been done to you, at least let me be with you for this. I just want you to be safe.”
“I don’t really have much choice, since you’re the only werewolf I know. Well I know of two others but I never actually met them. And I really don’t want to go back and ask them for help turning.”
“When did you see the other two wolves?” Rowan asked sharply. “Do they know you’re here?”
“I hope not. I saw them when I was escaping from that place.”
Rowan had a feeling that whatever place she was referring to would hold big implications, and he needed to get in touch with his brother Nick. The Order would want to know about this, since it was more than likely related to the group responsible for the Dark Wolf formula, and for Nick almost dying.
“I need to call my brother. I think there is some important information for the organization he works for that you can share with him.”
“I don’t know anything,” Kate said, a frown drawing her delicate eyebrows together, her deep blue eyes catching his as he stood. For the first time since she arrived, he felt the thrum of attraction pulse through him. He’d been distracted by trying to convince her to stay, but now there were no such distractions. He blocked it from his mind, since right now was not the time for it. He had to make sure she stayed safe, and the only way to do that was if she trusted him enough to stay with him. And coming across as a horn dog looking for some was not the way to go about that. Keeping her safe trumped everything. He’d meant it when he told her he was responsible for her, and just once he would like to keep a woman safe so he wouldn’t have to add that load of guilt to the one he already carried.
“You may know more than you think. I’m going to call Nick, if that’s okay. If you aren’t comfortable with any of this we can wait until you are.”
“Why would the organization your brother works for be interested in me? I’m not in trouble am I?” She stood, the chair sliding on the floor. “Is your brother with the police?”
Ryan could read the alarm on her face, but didn’t know what caused it. He reached out and put his hand on her arm, surprised and relieved that she didn’t pull away. At least she knew he wasn’t going to hurt her.
“My brother isn’t with the police. What has you so spooked?” Rowan asked, as he ran his hand up and down her arm. His touched seemed to relax her, as her shoulder lowered and she sighed. She bit her lip, and he wondered why she was hesitant to talk to him. “If you are worried that I’m going to turn you into the police for whatever it is you think you did, I won’t.”
“I stole a car. I had to, to get away from that place.”
“I wouldn’t worry about it. Anyone with an ounce of sense would realize you had no choice. I’m going to call my brother now, okay?”
She nodded and drew away from him, and for a moment his hand felt empty without her flesh beneath it. He fished his cell phone out of his pocket and called Nick. Once he was finished, he sat back down.
“When did you bite me?” she asked quietly, her gaze steady with his.
“Three months ago. I know I keep saying it, but of all the things I regret in my life, that has got to be the biggest. I didn’t want to bite you, and under normal circumstances would never have done it.”
“I wasn’t asking because I wanted to know more about why. I’m trying to take in everything you’ve told me so far, so can we save the whys of it for another time. If I hadn’t already seen those wolves with my own eyes, I would never have believed all this. I have a bigger concern right now. If you bit me three months ago, why is it I don’t remember it and anything that happened to me until I woke up yesterday?”
“I don’t know, sweetheart, but I promise we’ll find out. That’s why I want you to talk to my brother’s employer. They can help you find out where the last three months of your life went, and they can get those responsible for keeping you in that place.” He reached out and put his hand on hers, and she turned it over and grasped it, squeezing.
“I was so scared when I woke up. I didn’t know where I was, or how I got there. I don’t know what they did to me while I was out of it. It’s like a big dark void in my head. I don’t want to go back there Rowan.”
“You won’t. I’ll keep you safe,” he said fiercely as he stood and pulled her to her feet. It seemed natural to pull her into his arms, to offer her comfort. She didn’t resist and put her head on his shoulder.
“I’m so confused. I should be scared of you too, but I’m not.”
Rowan swallowed hard when he felt her breath brush against his neck. He needed to let her go, to put some distance between them. She had no where to go, except here. He wouldn’t spoil that for her. He stepped away.
“I don’t know how long it’s going to take Nick to get here, since he’s working right now. A lot has happened to you in the past twenty four hours, and you’ve got to be feeling it. Do you want to lay down for a while?”
The energy she had seemed to sag out of her, and she nodded. He led her to his bedroom, and pulled shut the curtains so it would be dark inside. He looked over at her and tried to ignore what the sight of her in his bed did to him.
“You’re going to stay in the house, right?”
Rowan looked at her from the doorway, and he could see the apprehension in her eyes.
“I’m not going anywhere. You’re safe,” he assured her. She nodded her head and closed her eyes. Rowan left the room, easing the door shut behind him. He didn’t know if anyone was after her, but someone had locked her up for three months. A snarl curled Rowan’s mouth at the thought of someone taking her. A wave of protectiveness rose up inside him, and it replaced the guilt that weighed heavily on him since he’d woken from his coma. He embraced it and promised himself that after all he’d done to her, he’d give his life to protect her. He owed her that much.
* * *
Shrouded in fog, Kate crept through the woods. The moon periodically peaked through the clouds, and every time it did the world got brighter. The silence broke when a low rumble came from behind her. She turned to see what it was, but the fog was so dense that all she could see was two yellow, glowing pinpoints of light. Sweat broke out on her forehead as her heart pounded in her chest. She could swear it wasn’t yellow lights she was seeing, but yellow eyes. The two round points grew larger, as whatever it was came closer. The mist parted like a gauzy curtain, and a long grey muzzle revealed itself to her. The yellow glow was indeed it’s eyes, and they narrowed into slits as the wolf pulled back it’s upper lip to reveal his razor sharp teeth. She
turned away, running into the fog that got thicker and denser the farther away from the wolf she went.
Her lungs pumped hard as her feet pounded on the ground, but the wolf kept pace. She could feel it’s hot breath on her heels as she ran. The trees surrounding her seemed to be on the side of the wolf, as they seemed determined to stop her. Branches whipped her, and she had to duck to avoid being hit. Vines snaked out at her, and she leapt over them as she tried to keep ahead of the wolf. She dared not look back, but she could feel it’s hot gaze burning into the back of her skull. A tree root shot out and wrapped itself around her ankle, pulling her sharply so she landed face first on the forest floor. She flipped over, and quickly sat up, desperately trying to pull the root off her foot. The wolf stalked closer, it’s deep throated growls bringing goosebumps to the surface of her skin. Her fingers bled as she desperately clawed at the tree root still holding her prisoner. The wolf was upon her now, it’s paws on either side of her body as it forced her onto her back. It’s giant jaws opened and—
Kate bolted upright in the bed, screaming as she clawed at the blanket that had worked it’s way around her legs. She had no idea where she was, the room she was in lay in darkness, but she had to get away.
Adrenaline pumped through her body as someone came into the room. She managed to untangle the blanket as a man’s voice came to her.
“Sweetheart, what is it?”
She didn’t know who the fuck it was, since she didn’t have a man, and no one called her sweetheart.
“Stay away from me,” she yelled as she freed herself from the bedding and rolled over to the other side of the bed. The nightmare stilled lingered in her head, and while she could see he was a man and not a wolf, her first instinct was to bolt. She skirted around the bed as he came toward her.
“Kate, talk to me. Tell me what is wrong,” he said as his voice got closer. Her eyes had adjusted to the lack of light, and she could make out the rather indistinct outline of him, but still couldn’t get her brain working enough to tell her who he was.
