"I'm sorry," she said. "You'd think that it wouldn't bother me after almost nine years."
"It's okay," Emily reassured her in a gentle voice. "So what do we do?"
"Eat," said Timber, wiping tears from her eyes. "Knowing Aunt Grace, she'll want us to eat. Though, to tell you the truth I'm not hungry anymore."
"Me either," said Henry.
"We should try to eat a bit," said Emily, "even if it's only a piece of bread."
"You need to eat more than that, Emily," said Timber. "You need to keep your blood sugar up. I don't want to rush you to the hospital because you didn't eat."
Emily rolled her eyes but put a small amount of spaghetti on her plate. Xianna, Emily, Timber, and Henry sat down at the table and nibbled on bread and pasta. None of them spoke for a long time but the silence was soon broken. Henry's phone went off thirty minutes after Grace left. He answered it looking worried.
"Is everything alright? I see. No, I don't mind. There's no need to apologize. I'd have done the same thing. No, it's not inconvenient. I'll let them know. You're welcome." Henry hung up the phone and looked at Timber. "Your aunt is on her way home. She wants me to bring you all to my house for the night."
"What were they arguing about?" asked Emily.
"Uncle Chad is dying." There was a tense moment that followed Timber's words.
"What do you mean Daddy is dying?"
"He has cancer. That's why they were fighting. I heard Uncle Chad trying to tell Aunt Grace that she wasn't supposed to find out about the tumor."
"How long has he had it, do you know?" asked Henry.
Timber rattled her brain, trying to remember. "Seven months since he found out because that's when he started secluding himself, but I think he's had it for over a year."
"How do you know?" demanded Emily sharply.
"I could smell it on his breath," said Timber. "I didn't know what it was because I've never smelled it before. I didn't know anything was wrong or I would have said something. I thought he was drinking more than usual or he kept forgetting to brush his teeth."
"Grace is obviously planning to yell at him some more so I would go pack for overnight, grab your stuff for school tomorrow and grab a blanket and pillow. I don't have any spare bedding. I'm sorry, Xianna. I know this isn't how you wanted to spend your birthday."
Xianna shrugged and she, Emily, and Timber went upstairs and grabbed what they needed before meeting Henry at the bottom of the stairs. They walked over to Henry's house across the street and went inside. Nothing had changed since Timber had been in here last. It was still clean and masculine with the same pictures on the mantle and the same scent of lavender in the front room. The girls made their beds on the dark blue carpet as Grace pulled into the driveway.
Timber watched her walk in through the open blinds on Henry's front window and immediately heard Grace start shouting. Then she heard the sound of breaking glass. Timber whined and Turned out of fear. She curled up in a ball in the far corner of the room and covered her eyes with her bristled tail as her body began shaking like a rattlesnake tail. The sound of shouting and breaking dishes brought Timber back to the night she watched her parents die. She tried to stop the memories but they washed over her with the force of a hurricane.
It was as clear and vivid as though it were happening in that precise moment. She could smell the evergreens and the freshwater from a nearby stream. The full moon illuminated the forest with a beautiful pale blue glow. Timber was in her wolf form, hiding in the bushes, watching her parents hunt for food. Timber saw them pass by an old run-down house as they stealthily tailed a female whitetail deer. Suddenly there was furious shouting from inside the house and the sound of breaking glass. Then there was rapid gunfire and both Daniel and Elizabeth went down in a large puddle of blood, never to come up again.
"Timber?" said Emily. She reached down and touched Timber's shoulder but instead of relaxing, Timber sprang backward with a loud snarl. Her fur stood on end and she tried to get away. "Henry! Timber!"
Henry hurried into the room to find Timber shaking wildly in the corner behind a chair. She was crying and panting and trying to get as far away from the sound as possible. She put her head to the ground and covered her ears with her front paws.
"She's reliving the night her parents died again," said Emily helplessly. "The sound from across the street isn't helping."
"I can't hear anything," said Xianna.
"Timber can," said Henry. "It's only slightly muffled, so she can hear it. I can hear it too. It's not a pleasant sound. Wolves have extra sensitive hearing. Emily, how did you calm her down before?"
"I would lay down next to her and hold her but she won't let me touch her," said Emily. "Last time, there was no active noise. It was quiet."
Timber heard the sound that sounded like a gunshot and she lost it. She yipped, ran to the front door and started repeatedly slamming her right shoulder into it. She was trying to get out. She wanted as far away from the sound as possible.
"Timber, STOP!"
Xianna and Emily tried to grab Timber but she was fast and she was far too panicked to relax.
"Don't grab her," warned Henry. "She's too afraid to think properly. She might bite if she can't see you. Wait for her to come back and I'll get her."
Xianna and Emily backed off as Timber ran into the back room in search of an open window. She found none and ran back into the front room. The image of blood pooling around her parents came to her mind and Timber tried to leap out of the front window. Henry caught her in midair with his strong arms. Timber twisted to bite but Henry let go with one arm and grabbed her upper jaw. He wrestled her down to the ground and lay his upper body on top of her until she calmed down and began sobbing.
"That was a car backfiring, right?" asked Emily.
"Yeah," said Xianna, looking at Timber sorrowfully. "Timber saw her parents die?"
"She watched her parents murdered. She saw the whole thing," said Emily. "She hasn't been like this in three years. Last time it happened the neighbor's house was broken into in the middle of the night and Timber heard the glass breaking. Mama, Daddy, and I had to pin her down and restrain her to keep her from leaving the house. She's not afraid of much when she's a wolf, but when she is panicked or scared, she's more wolf than human. Mama said she has Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Her headphones are still at home. Darn it."
Henry cautiously got off of Timber, who was lying still on the ground, covering her ears with her paws. He knelt and Timber looked up at him with frightened ice blue eyes, wagging her tail in apology.
"Is she going to be okay?" asked Xianna.
"Yeah. She needs some comfort to bring her back to herself," replied Emily.
"You two can sleep in my bedroom if you want," said Henry. "I'm going to stay out here with Timber."
"Come on, Xia," said Emily quietly. "Let's go."
Xianna and Emily gathered their blankets and things and went to the bedroom. Henry finally thought to turn on the radio to drown out the noise from across the street. He picked Timber up and carried her to his recliner and put her on his stomach as he reclined all the way back. Timber started to relax when Henry wrapped his arm around her and held her paw with the other hand. Timber stopped shaking after a moment and transformed. She looked at Henry with fearful red-brown eyes. He turned to the side and Timber slid off him and faced him.
"It's okay, Timber," said Henry soothingly. "I've got you. You're safe."
Timber snuggled into his chest while Henry wrapped her up in his arms and their legs tangled together. The gap between them left enough room for the night to pass through.
"I'm sorry, Henry," said Timber with tears falling slowly out of the corner of her eyes. "I shouldn't -" Her head shot up to the corner of the room. The transparent figure that normally occupied her bedroom seemed to be following her. Timber normally wasn't frightened by her presence but she had never seen her outside of her house and it made her more nervous than she was before.
"Henry, please don't leave me," whispered Timber timidly.
"I will never leave you," whispered Henry pulling her in tighter. "Never."
They remained tangled up together until they fell asleep to the sound of each other's heartbeat. Timber felt safer falling asleep beside Henry than she could remember feeling for a long time and he did not seem to mind sleeping so close to a wolf. Neither of them noticed Emily and Xianna coming to check on Timber. They found her and Henry face to face in the recliner, wrapped in each other. Emily covered them with a blanket and both she and Xianna agreed not to tell Grace that Timber had spent the night with Henry.
The next week was nothing but a complete mess for the family. Timber spent her eighteenth birthday at Henry's house with only Henry, Xianna, and Emily, and a small store-bought cake. In fact, because the fighting between Chad and Grace had gotten so ugly, after Timber's cake, Emily went to stay with her friend Amy, Xianna went to Kendra's and Timber stayed with Henry who kept his radio on to drown out the noise they could both hear coming from across the street.
Timber slept in the living room on the couch. In the morning, Henry would lightly scratch Timber's ears to wake her up. She would open her eyes, wag her tail once and transform into her human body before kissing Henry good morning. Timber would cook breakfast while Henry was in the shower and then Henry would clean up while Timber did her makeup and got ready for school.
After school was over and Timber walked into Henry's front door, she would drop her bag and go to the kitchen to start cooking. Timber wasn't as good of a cook as her aunt when it came to Southern food (though it was still marvelous) but she made sensational Italian, which made Henry very happy. Timber and Henry ate dinner together then, as with breakfast, Henry would clean up. After dinner, Timber and Henry would curl up together on the couch and watch TV while Timber finished the last bit of her homework that she didn't finish in the library after school. When she finished she would put it away and snuggle up closer to him and he would put his arm around her. They would talk, and Henry would make her laugh with his crazy stories. At eight, Timber would shower and get ready for bed. Timber liked this life that she was living during the week at Henry's. It made her feel a little like his wife.
It was Timber's last night in the house, so she wanted to surprise Henry. She sent him away to go do something for the day and told him not to come back until dinner time. It was a Saturday so she was able to make the meal from scratch. She put her earphones on so she could dance while she cooked. The noodles proved time-consuming because Henry didn't have a mixer, so Timber did it the old-fashioned way. She was going to make sure it was a special dinner for two. When the noodles were cooking and the scratch made sauce was almost finished, Timber took out her earphones and went to get ready.
She did her usual light makeup but this time, she let her hair down. Instead of her signature peach lipstick, she painted them deep red. Also, as a special surprise, Timber put on the only dress she owned which was nude with black lace. It was something Emily had picked out for her as an "if you needed to dress up" dress. She set up the small table with a few mismatched candles that she found tucked away in the cabinet above the refrigerator and flowers from the back yard that she put into an empty Coke can. She was putting the food on the table as she heard Henry pull into the driveway. She turned off the dining room light and stood beside the table so she was visible by candlelight when Henry came in. When he opened the door and saw Timber, he dropped his keys and his jaw fell open. He closed the door and immediately strode over to her. Henry placed his hands above her waist and ran them down her sides to her hips. Timber closed her eyes and bit her lip as she tried to fight the new feeling Henry was giving her.
"Timber, please - please don't do that," breathed Henry. "I don't know if I could restrain myself."
Timber looked into his eyes and she could see nothing but desire echoing in the depths of his soul. Timber ran her hands from his shoulders to his stomach. Henry was toned and his muscles were firm. She heard Henry let out a low growl and a small smile appeared on his lips.
"Timber," whispered Henry. "Timber - please, you're going to make me lose control of myself."
"What if I want you to?" asked Timber softly. Henry shuddered and Timber stood on the tips of her toes and kissed his neck. Her lips moved upwards and she clasped her teeth around his ear and pulled down slightly.
"Oh, God....Timber...." moaned Henry. "Please....Not now."
Timber looked up at him and put her hands down. She could smell his hormones raging and she knew he wanted her. If she was honest with herself, she wanted him too but Henry, it seemed, was trying to wait. Timber smiled and gestured to the table. Henry sat down and sighed.
"Thank you for stopping," said Henry breathlessly when Timber sat down to his right. "I don't want to take things that far yet. Well, my body does. I won't lie and say I'm not ready. I want you, believe me. I do, but it's not the right time."
Timber nodded feeling disappointed but Henry had a point. They had only known each other for less than six months. It was hard to not fall in love with him so quickly, but giving herself to him was something she did have control over. She passed him the bowl of spaghetti.
"I'm sorry Henry," she said feeling timid again now that the hormones had subsided.
"You have nothing to apologize for," said Henry. "That feeling you gave me was amazing."
"I love you, Henry," said Timber.
"I love you too, Timber. By the way, this looks fantastic!" He was gesturing to the spaghetti with a satisfied smile.
"Thank you," said Timber.
"I'm going to be a little sad when you go home," said Henry. "I know I see you every day and you live across the street but I've liked having you here at my house."
"In all honesty, I feel that way too." Timber was struck with an idea. "I could move in. Not right now because you could lose your job. I was thinking about after I graduate." Henry looked at her with an odd expression.
"I'm not trying to sound doubtful, but you really think we'll last that long?"
Timber lowered her fork and blushed.
"Yes," she said. "Actually, I was hoping to marry you someday. Not this year obviously, but someday."
"You're willing to spend the rest of your life with a werewolf?" asked Henry in disbelief. "I'll let you know now that I do not believe in divorce. If I say I do till death do us part, I mean it."
"Well, I'm not human myself so why wouldn't I be willing?"
"It's just that I never saw myself as marriage material," admitted Henry.
"And I always said I would end up an old maid, yet here I am having dinner with the most amazing and most gorgeous man on the planet."
"I am neither amazing nor gorgeous," said Henry.
"Half of the girls at school would disagree with you Henry," said Timber with a grin. "You're the most popular teacher on campus. Not just for your students but for most of the other girls too because of the way you look."
"Are you serious?"
"Yep. They would all hate me if they knew that I had stolen you. I've heard them talking. By the way, if you get flowers in your classroom one day next week, they're not from me. They're from a junior who wants you to ask her to prom."
"Aren't I too old for prom?" asked Henry.
"Not for this school," said Timber. "They changed the rules a few years back because a couple of girls asked their older brothers to go to prom with them before being deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. The school changed the maximum age to twenty-five as long as the student is eighteen and they have a written permission slip signed by either parents or guardians."
"Hmm... so technically speaking, I could take you to prom?"
"Assuming that it's not a full moon, yes. Though, wouldn't you get into trouble? I would still be your student. We don't want the staff or anyone else finding out right?"
There was a short pause as Henry finished his milk. "Actually, I had to inform the principal of our relationship. She almost fired
me but she let me explain that we met and became close before I became your teacher. I took her a little while but she accepted it."
"I don't want you to lose your job on my account," said Timber.
"You mean more to me than my job Timber," said Henry. "But yes, I would prefer to keep teaching. So I would assume that aside from Xianna, the rest of your friends know about us too?"
Timber sighed lightly and stared down at her nearly finished plate. "Only the four of them but yeah, they got it out of me. They're all thrilled with us of course. Though, fair warning, the closer senior prom gets, the worse it's going get for you."
"How so?"
"All of my friends will be begging you to ask me. Then there are the desperate single senior girls who will try to manipulate you into asking them; usually with their chest. You see more cleavage around prom time than any other time in the school year."
"I appreciate the warning but, to be honest, I'm not much of a chest guy. I mean I love women's beasts, but I like short skirts on women more than low cut tops."
Timber stared at him blankly. She found herself worried that if they ever did become intimate, he wouldn't like what he saw. Timber was not obese, and she did not have rolls but she was not blessed with a toned body. In the wrong pants, Timber would sport a large muffin top. She was very insecure and she wanted to crawl under the table and hibernate. She precipitously vowed to herself that she would start working out. Then Timber realized that Henry had to have experience with other women to know what he really liked. When she thought about it, her heart sank.
"So have you?" asked Timber timidly.
"Have I what?"
"Had sex before?"
He looked taken aback for a second, and then Henry gazed at Timber with eyes full of regret. He paused for a moment, and then replied, "Yes. I'm not proud of it now but I have had a fair share of one night stands and random hookups."
Timber's heart nearly stopped. Henry never seemed like the kind of man who would hook up with a woman, sleep with her and never call her again. The Henry that Timber knew was dedicated and honest. After a moment she found she had to ask.
The Timber Effect Page 16