by Mac Flynn
Stan's face fell and he blinked. "You're not?"
Lenore rolled her eyes. "No, and if you would've asked me that sooner than you wouldn't look so stupid right now."
Her brother frowned. "I was just protecting you," he insisted.
"From who? Nick? If he wanted to kill either of us he would've done it in the basement and buried our bones so he could use them as chew toys later," she pointed out.
"I have only done that once," Nick protested. Lenore paused, and both she and Stan turned to look at him with frowns. Nick sheepishly smiled and shrugged. "It was a cow's bone," he added.
"You're really not helping here," Lenore growled. She turned back to Stan and put her hands on her hips. "Now you're going to listen to me. I may be a werewolf, but I'm not a monster. I'm just-well, I've got a lunar handicap," she told him.
Stan's eyes flickered from Lenore to Nick and back. "Nothing's going to change?"
She shrugged. "Well, except when I get all hairy sometimes when I get angry, so you don't want to see me when I'm angry, got it?" she commanded him.
Stan turned to Nick and frowned. "Did you tell her the truth? Nothing has to change?"
Nick smiled and nodded his head. "I told her the truth. Living as a werewolf does not change the daily life of a former human," he assured him.
Stan raised an eyebrow. "What about the not-daily life?"
Lenore grasped Stan's face in her hands and turned him toward her. "Stan, everything's okay. You don't need to kill him for my sake. Now let's get you sat down and take care of those bruises. You've got a nice lump on the back of your head, and if you don't come with me I'll make you another one."
The situation was defused and Stan led her lead him away to the living room so she could play doctor on him.
Chapter 16
Nick remained in the hall while Lenore guided Stan into the living room and sat him on the couch to get a look at his bruised head and his cracked, bleeding knuckles. "For somebody who works with tools you certainly have wimpy hands," she teased him.
He winced when she touched the bruise on his head. "I'm careful with my tools," he countered.
"I wish you were more careful with yourself. Nick's a little better at fighting than you," she scolded him. She pulled back from him and sighed as she looked into his face. "You really didn't have to go to all this trouble for me," she whispered.
"What would you do if I told you a girl knocked me up?" he argued.
She snorted. "I'd say it's about time you got a girlfriend." She was glad when Stan smiled. "That's the face I want to see. That whole bloodthirstiness and revenge killing look just doesn't look good on us."
At that moment Nick entered the room with a tall glass of opaque liquid. "I thought Stan might need this," he explained. Stan looked at the glass and his eyes narrowed.
Even Lenore frowned at the offer. "It's not-"
"Blood? No, just whiskey," Nick told them.
"Then he'll definitely want it," she agreed. She took the glass, shoved it into his unwilling hand, and stood. "Now drink all the doctor's medicine and I'll be right back." She turned Nick around and shoved him across the hall and into the dining room. Lenore pushed him into one of the chairs and looked him over. "No bruising, I'm guessing?" she inquired.
Nick smiled. "There was, but it's gone," he assured her. He looked over her concerned face with teasing eyes. "Your family seems very eager to kill me," he commented.
"Just think of it as our special welcome to the neighborhood," she quipped. She finished looking over him, stepped back, and crossed her arms over her chest. "We werewolves heal really well, don't we?"
"Very well, or my scar would have killed me," he replied. He looked her over and mischievously smiled. "But what about you?"
"What about me?" she asked him.
"No wounds or bruises to inspect?"
"Um, I wasn't part of your fight-ah!" Nick grabbed her and pulled her into his lap. She squirmed and squealed as he tickled and touched her.
"Let go of me!" she demanded.
"Can't you two get a room?" a voice hoarsely told them. They froze and whipped their heads to the doorway where stood Stan. He held his empty glass in his hand and a small smile on his lips.
"This is my home," Nick reminded him.
"And that's my sister in your lap," Stan countered.
Lenore jumped up and brushed herself off. Nick arose to stand beside her. "Not anymore, and he was just-well, just inspecting me for any damage."
"I'm sure," Stan quipped. He turned to Nick and his smile slipped. "You said nothing would change for her day-to-day life? What about beyond that? What about children? A future?"
"Children are possible, and a future is likely," Nick assured him.
"And there's no trouble being a werewolf?" Stan wondered.
Nick raised an eyebrow. "There can be complications," he admitted.
"What sort of complications?" Stan persisted.
"There are certain people who treat us like a disease. That makes them rather unfriendly toward us," Nick replied.
"And do you have someone like that following you now?" Stan asked him.
Lenore glanced between Stan and Nick. "Um, I get the feeling you two know something that you're not telling me," she commented.
"I would also like to know where this line of questioning is going," Nick agreed.
Stan pursed his lips and his eyes flickered over to Lenore. "I heard your store's security system was hacked into."
"Yeah, so?" she countered.
"I also heard they hacked into the system a week ago, just after Nick here came into town," Stan added.
"What does that prove?" she argued.
"I don't think it's a coincidence that somebody's hacking into all the security cameras in town just when Nick comes here," Stan pointed out.
Nick looked agitated and his eyes narrowed as he thought over Stan's information. "All the cameras in town were hacked?" he asked Stan.
"All the ones from one company, but that company protects most of the town," Stan replied.
"Did the company cut off the hack, or did it cease on its own?" Nick wondered.
"On its own," Stan told him.
"What night did they last have control?" Nick asked him.
"Last night."
Nick's eyes widened, and they flickered over to Lenore. She blinked and furrowed her brow. "What? I didn't have anything to do with it," she defended herself.
"You felt the effects of the change at your store?" Nick asked her.
She nodded. "Yeah, why?"
"Where?"
She frowned. "In the parking lot, and then in the backroom. Why?"
Stan's eyes widened. "You think whoever hacked the cameras saw her and got what they wanted?" he guessed, addressing Nick.
"Yes, I do," Nick agreed.
Lenore held up her hands and glared at the pair. "Could you two let me in on this conversation because I'm pretty sure you're talking about me," she demanded.
Nick sighed and gestured to the chairs around the dining table. "We may want to be seated," he suggested. Lenore plopped herself down in a chair and Stan took another. Nick himself paced the floor between them. "I haven't always been able to control the beast within me. Occasionally I have made-well, we shall call them mistakes."
"Did you kill anyone?" Stan questioned.
A bitter smile slipped onto Nick's face. "Yes, but not to feed. On occasion I have been careless in my prowling and have been caught rummaging around in trash cans."
Lenore's face fell. "Is this something I'm going to be doing?" she wondered.
Nick chuckled. "I'm afraid so, but to explain myself further, I have made it known in past towns that werewolves do exist and that one resided wherever I traveled. That caught the attention of several individuals who believe they would perform a public service if they killed me," he told them.
"Werewolf hunters?" Stan guessed.
Nick's smile slipped off his face and he nodded. "Yes. Various one
s have tracked me down over the last fifty years and tried to kill me. In order to defend myself I have had to kill them."
"I bet their buddies didn't like you doing that," Stan quipped.
Nick snorted. "No, I'm afraid they didn't. I have dealt with enough of them that I hear I'm quite a legend among the hunters. The one who got away." He bitterly laughed at the title. "Some of them see it as a game, a sport. They hunt down werewolves and place a notch on their guns when they kill their prey."
"So you what? Think these are the guys who hacked into the security systems and watched the town?" Lenore wondered.
"As Stan said, it is not a coincidence. I came here to escape a pair of such avid hunters, but it seems they followed my scent," Nick replied. He paused and looked over Lenore. "And I'm afraid they may have found something more than they expected."
Lenore glanced down at herself and, seeing nothing, looked to Nick. "What? Me?" she squeaked.
"You, and the first evidences of your change," he explained. "Knowing I would need to buy meat they would have been watching the store most carefully. They probably hoped to figure out a pattern to my visits and hope to catch me unawares in the parking lot or some dark alley around the store. Unfortunately, they found you before they established that pattern."
Lenore's eyes widened. "B-but I'm not their target! I haven't done anything to anybody!" she protested.
Nick shook his head. "That means nothing to them. They see only that you are a werewolf, and because of that you must be killed."
Stan jumped to his feet and glared at Nick. "This is the future you said she'd have? Being hunted down like an animal?" he protested.
"It isn't constant, and this pair of hunters is a rare breed. Many hunters aren't equipped to chase me across the country, never mind hack into a security system," Nick told him.
"So how to you usually get rid of these guys? Eat them?" Stan asked him.
The corners of Nick's lips twitched upward. "Actually, yes." Stan and Lenore paused and blinked at him. "It leaves very little evidence and removes them from my trail," Nick defended himself.
Lenore snorted. "So do we-um, do humans really taste like chicken?" she wondered.
Stan frowned at her. "That's not something I want to hear you ask," he scolded her.
She sheepishly smiled and shrugged. "I just want to be prepared for the taste in case I bite somebody," she countered.
"Humans have a flavor similar to lean pork," Nick admitted.
Lenore looked Stan up and down, and he stepped back. "One bite and I'll make myself an only child," he warned her.
"Ah, but one bite and you'll be a werewolf. Right?" Her question was addressed to Nick.
A shadow slipped into Nick's eyes and he frowned. "That is a fate you should not inflict on another against his will." Both Stand and Lenore scowled at him, and she crossed her arms over her chest. "Unless it is for a noble cause," he added.
"Uh-huh. Well, now that we've got that bit of hypocrisy out of the way, what do we do about these Hunters?" she wondered.
"I will deal with them," Nick promised.
"No, I will," Stan spoke up. He strode past Lenore and snatched his empty shotgun from the entrance to the living room. "If they're after my sister then I want to make sure myself that they don't get her."
"But you do not know their habits like I do," Nick protested.
"No, but I do know the town better than you. If they're staying at one of the motels or hotels, I know who to talk to to find out for sure," Stan pointed out. He moved toward the door, paused, and turned back to the pair. "This might take a while. Can Lenore stay here?" The question was directed at Nick.
Nick smiled and bowed his head. "I wouldn't have it any other way."
Stan frowned. "Don't get too familiar with her," he warned Nick.
"Too late," Lenore mumbled. Stan's face drooped and he tightened his grip on the gun.
"In the werewolf sense we are married," Nick spoke up.
"Not until I see a ring, so don't get anymore ideas," Stan objected. He strode out of the house on his mission to find the Hunters.
Chapter 17
Lenore sighed and shook her head. "I'd be mad at him for being so pushy, but his heart's in the right place," she murmured.
Nick wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pressed her to his side. "No one can doubt that," he agreed.
She looked up into his smiling face and smiled back. "Yeah, just me and Stan. It's been like that for a long time."
"And I won't change that. I merely intend to add myself to the group," he told her.
A dark cloud swept over her face. "And when he's growing old and I'm dying?" she wondered.
The smile slipped from Nick's face. "Everyone must say goodbye some time," he insisted. Lenore frowned and turned away. Nick grasped her chin between his fingers and turned her back to him. "Perhaps we should speak of that bridge when we come to it. For now I have many others more pleasing things to show you," he commented. Her eyes unconsciously drifted down to his waist, and he chuckled. "Not that, but another time," he promised.
Lenore's face drooped. "Then what are you planning?" she asked him.
"Practice with controlling your appetite," he explained.
She perked up at the promise of food and grinned. "Let me guess what you're planning on cooking. Could it be-hmm, steak?" she guessed.
Nick grinned and nodded. "However did you guess?" he teased.
"Oh, it's one of the perks of working at the only grocery store in town," she replied.
The pair of werewolf romantics wiled away what remained of the morning and afternoon in talking, eating, and watching the day tick by. As the hours that remained in the day shortened and the shadows lengthened, Lenore found herself staring out the front windows and door looking for her brother. Nick stepped up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders.
"I know you want to, but you shouldn't call him. Wherever he is he may wish to remain concealed, and a ringing phone would ruin that," he told her.
The color drained from Lenore's face and she turned her head around to stare into Nick's face. "You think he's in that big of trouble?" she asked him.
Nick smiled and gave her shoulders a squeeze. "Whatever trouble he is in I'm sure your brother can handle himself," he comforted her.
Lenore sighed and a small smile slipped onto her lips. "I suppose you're right. He did take his gun with him," she remind him.
Nick chuckled. "And he has exceptional aim if his target isn't an experienced werewolf," he agreed. He glanced out the window at the setting sun. It would be dark in half an hour. "Would you like to take a walk with me? The night air is refreshing."
"And distracting," she added. She lifted her nose and sniffed the air. Her heightened sense of smell caught the whiff of a lit barbecue eight blocks away and her hearing picked up on the tiniest mouse scratching in the yard. "Is there anything our sniffers and ears can't pick up on?" she wondered.
Nick smiled and offered her his arm. "They can't offer to take you for a stroll through the lawn," he replied.
"Weeds, you mean. You haven't made it into a lawn yet," she pointed out.
"I've been very distracted by a certain beautiful, charming young woman," he returned.
Lenore took his arm and he led her through the front door. "A beautiful and charming woman? Sounds like I should be jealous. Do I know this young woman?" she teased.
Nick grinned. "Can a person be jealous of their own good fortune?" he wondered.
"If they have a split personality they can be jealous of a lot of things they do," she countered. Their walk took them down the path toward the road. She furrowed her brow and tapped her chin as a pensive expression slipped onto her face. "Come to think of it I suppose we do have that. A wolf and human side," she mused.
Nick stopped them at the steps that led down to the road and turned so they faced each other. His eyes sparkled as he looked at her with an intense gaze. "However many personalities I have you must know they al
l love you," he told her. She blushed and looked away, but he caught her chin in his hands and turned her face back to his. "No matter what happens always remember that I love you," he whispered.
Nick leaned down to capture her lips with his own. Lenore closed her eyes and waited for the pleasure of his flesh against hers. She waited. And waited. And waited. Finally she opened her eyes and saw Nick had pulled back and his attention lay down the road. She followed his gaze and saw Stan's truck bouncing toward them. Lenore was both relieved and angry with her brother when he parked the car in front of the walk and stepped out.
Lenore turned to him and crossed her arms over her chest. "You have the worst and best timing," she snapped.
He frowned. "And I have the worst and best news," he returned.
Nick raised an eyebrow. "What sort of news?"
"It took me all day, but I found out where the men were. They're staying in one of the motels just outside of town. The Grizzled Grizzly," he told us.
"The old one with the grizzled old man on the porch outside the main office?" Lenore guessed.
"That's the one. It took me a while to get anything out of the old man and his wife. She's the one who runs the office. For some reason she didn't like me," he continued.
Lenore snorted. "That's not hard to believe. You went out there during high school during Halloween and "decorated" their entire building," she reminded him.
He shrugged. "It was a harmless prank."
"And egged their office," she added.
"Just some fun."
"And managed to capture her poodle puppy and shaved its head."
He furrowed his brow. "I thought that old dog she had in the office with her looked familiar," he mused.
"May we focus on the problem at hand?" Nick requested.
Stan cast a warning glare at Lenore, and she stuck her tongue out at him. "As I was saying, the owner lady wasn't going to talk, but I ran into an old buddy of mine who did the repairs around the place," he continued. "He said he'd been getting a lot of complaints about a room on the second floor of one of the wings. Something about how they kept strange hours and whenever they were there the internet wouldn't work in all the other rooms."
"That would be their hacking into the security systems," Nick assumed.
"That's what I figured, so I had my buddy point out their room and their cars. One was an old green jeep, one of those ones that you could pull the top off, and the other was a dull-red van. I tried to look through the van's windows, but the back ones were blacked out and I didn't see anything in the front seats. The jeep didn't have anything in it, either. I hid in some bushes near the stairs leading up to the second story for an hour or so waiting for the guys to come out. One of them finally did, a husky fellow who wore a lot of black. He came out on the balcony and smoked a few cigarettes."
