by Leigh Allen
I followed closely behind, afraid to tell him other than shopping, I wasn’t sure I knew how to do anything. Oh well, I guess this tour would be enlightening for the both of us.
CHAPTER 5
Brad led me to a large four car garage on the side of the house. Inside there were two large SUVs with dark tinted windows, a white newer model BMW, and a Ford Truck, a beautiful charcoal gray. Brad walked straight to the truck and looked over at me.
“Get in,” he ordered.
Rolling my eyes, I did what I was told even though I didn’t like it. He backed out of the garage and began to drive onto the grass of the property.
“Where are you taking me?” I asked.
“I am going to show you around the property and then we will figure out what your role here will be,” he said as he never took his eyes off the grass ahead.
I looked out the window and admired the large trees lining the property. It was almost serene here. There were no others houses or neighbors in sight and it was almost like we were in our own world.
The truck began to slow as we came up to the guest house I had noted earlier. Brad parked the truck in a driveway and got out without saying a word to me.
“I guess I will follow you,” I stated with a sarcastic tone.
Brad just shook his head and continued walking to the front door of the house. As we entered, I noted how this was just a smaller version of the larger house. Everything looked the same. The same kitchen, the same dark, stained wood beams, and the same hardwood flooring throughout.
“I guess you all used the same decorator,” I mused.
Turning to me, Brad looked at me like he was confused. “What?” he asked.
Laughing, I waved my hands around the space. “This looks just like the other house,” I noted.
“Oh well, we like what we like,” he stated.
He led me around the house pointing out the five bedrooms that were designed just like the one I had slept in the previous night. “We have hunters coming soon so we need to make sure this place is clean and ready for guests. We stock the refrigerators, make sure they have clean towels and sheets, and make sure the place is immaculate. Part of the charm of this place is how guests feel like they are living in luxury while they are here,” Brad finished.
“Well, then you need fresh flowers and maybe some more paintings on the walls. It is beautiful, but it lacks a personal feel,” I said.
Thinking this over, Brad just nodded his head. “Maybe,” he said as we walked back out the front door again and back to the truck.
We drove to the back of the property where Brad showed me a large pond that was full of catfish and salmon used for the fisherman who stays at the lodge. Beside the pond was a large gazebo and beautiful flower gardens surrounding.
“Wow, can we stop here for a minute,” I asked.
Pulling the truck to a stop, Brad did as I asked without talking. I got out of the truck and made my way to the water. “You know, this is very beautiful,” I stated.
The sun was trying to shine through the trees that served as a canopy around the area. I noticed Brad squint as he too noticed the rays trying to attack. “Can we hurry?” Brad more stated than asked.
Ignoring him, I moved along the edge of the pond. “You could have weddings here. The gazebo would be perfect for the ceremony. The pond and flower gardens would be a perfect backdrop too,” I said.
Looking around too, Brad almost seemed to agree. “I guess we never thought about that,” he said. “We focus more on hunters but that might be something to consider too,” he noted.
Pleased, I smiled back at him. “See, I have something I am good at.”
Shaking his head, Brad made his way back to the truck. “Not sure if you know this or not, but werewolves don’t really care too much for the sun. It looks like the trees are about to turn on us and allow the sun’s rays to get to us,” he said.
“What will happen if they do?” I asked, curious.
“We won’t melt or anything like that if that’s what you are thinking,” Brad scoffed. “But, it does hurt. Just a few seconds of the sun hitting our skin will burn like fire,” he stated.
“Noted,” I said.
We began driving again, further into the property. More trees began to clutter the area as we delved deeper in the woods. Now we were shadowed and not in fear of the sunlight. Brad began pointing out areas of the woods where they take some of the hunters. He showed me deer stands where they come out into the woods early in the mornings during deer hunting season and hide up in the trees in camouflage. Driving further, he showed me a clearing where they take hunters dove hunting so they have a good view of the sky. Next, he took me to a large barn where they cleaned and drained the animals they hunted. Finally, he took me to a large pasture where they kept horses for taking guests on tours and on some of the hunting trips. There was a large barn that resembled the guest house too. It was all very intriguing. Once the tour ended, Brad took me back to the main house. I learned that John worked in the barn and was responsible for cleaning and draining the animals. Some hunters wanted the heads of the animals they caught, stuffed to be used as memorabilia from their trip. Nelly took care of the horses and led guests on riding tours of the property.
“Now, it is time for you to see what everyone does here inside the house,” he said.
We parked the truck back inside the garage and went back into the house. Brad first showed me a large laundry room with seven washers and dryers. “We clean all laundry here. You are responsible for your own clothes. We don’t have maids,” he stated.
“Ok, well, someone will have to teach me,” I said quietly.
For some reason, I was embarrassed by my admission. Growing up, I had maids and nannies who cleaned for me. When I started college, my roommate just did my laundry for me.
“You don’t know how to do laundry?” Brad gasped. “I guess you really were a princess.”
Fighting the urge to hit him, I felt anger growing inside of me. Sure, his comment pissed me off, but I had never felt like this before. Noticing my change in demeanor, Brad looked at me closely.
“You are starting to feel the changes,” he said.
“What?” I snapped.
“Your body is starting the change. You will feel rage, sorrow, pain, and more emotions. When the time comes, it will be bad before it’s over,” he finished.
I grimaced at his words. I didn’t want to feel those things. Anger rose in me again as I wanted to hurt him. Brad had done this to me. This was all his fault.
Continuing to move, Brad continued the tour. He led me to a large living room with several brown leather couches facing a stone fireplace and large flat screen television mounted on the wall. Next, he took me to the basement where I found a large bar area, another den area with a television, pool table, and ping pong table. When we went back to the main floor, Brad led me down a long hallway to a series of doors.
“These are the offices,” Brad said as he took me into the first room. “This is where Ally books the guests and makes note of their food preferences and hunting desires.”
We moved to a second room where Will was working on several spreadsheets. “Will takes care of all the business transactions and financial accounts. He handles the money and paying all of the bills.”
I waved, but Will quickly went back to work. Next, we moved to another room where Davis was engrossed in his computer. “Davis checks the notes that Ally leaves in our spreadsheet about the guest’s food preferences. From there, he creates the menu for the nights they stay with us,” Brad added.
Finally, he led me to another room where Sarah was busy talking on a telephone. Whispering, Brad only stood in the doorway. “Sarah keeps the grounds looking good. She designs the flower beds for each season, schedules maintenance for the tractors and vehicles, calls the lawn crew who cut our grass and maintain the property.”
Closing the door behind him, I realized this really was a business. Everyone had a very important
role. I thought the tour was over, but Brad took me to another room at the end of the hallway. “This is my office. In here I decide what we will hunt and follow the hunting guidelines for each sport and animal. I lead the hunting expeditions,” he noted quickly.
I stood in the hallway wondering what role I would play. Almost as if he were reading my mind, Brad opened the door across from his office. “In here is an empty office. It’s yours once we decide what you will do here,” he added.
“What do you need me to do?” I asked as I looked at the blank canvas before me.
“What can you do?” Brad said with a smirk.
My body tensed and rage filled me once again. I didn’t understand this sudden anger issue I was facing, but I hoped it wouldn’t last too long. “I can...” I began to speak but I shut my mouth. I couldn’t do anything but shop. I was useless.
Brad watched me carefully as I thought over his question. The more I thought, the less comfortable I felt.
“What about designing?” he asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, you seem to know about decorating the houses. Maybe you could be in charge of redecorating the houses and planning some more fun events for the guests. I kind of liked your idea of having a wedding here. I mean, this is a hunting lodge, but people do like rustic weddings,” he considered.
A smile lit up my face. “Are you serious?”
“Sure,” he replied.
“Ok, that might work,” I said with a smile.
I didn’t feel so hopeless after all.
MAYBE IT WAS THE NEED to prove my purpose around here or maybe it was the high I was still feeling knowing that I was actually good at something, but I got to work immediately planning my first event at Dark Haven.
It still baffled me that werewolves and humans found a way to co-exist and humans had no earthly idea it was even happening. It was like some kind of twisted inside joke between all werewolves. We, monsters who were known to howl at the moon and stay up all night,, were inviting humans into our world and they were willingly joining us. If they only knew they were staying at a lodge full of werewolves, they might rethink their plans. However, with business booming like it was, I had no desire to ruin a good thing. Especially, when I was gifted this new role as an event planner. I was going to make Dark Haven much more than a hunting lodge. With the exquisite scenery and perfect landscape here on the property, I couldn’t believe the other girls hadn’t thought of this before.
I set to work on the laptop I was borrowing from Brad. I began creating flyers to send to local wedding dress shops and event vendors. I listed Dark Haven as the picturesque venue for a rustic outdoor wedding, corporate event, and charity functions. I had been to enough elaborate parties in my old life to know that people loved a great outdoor space for events.
I even sent the flyer and information about booking an event with Dark Haven to the local newspapers and news media. By the end of the day, we had several brides calling in to book wedding dates, a local mortgage company wanting to host a corporate event on the property and even the local Children’s Hospital wanted to have a charity function. It was all coming together nicely.
“Brad,” I called as I spotted him walking past my office door. I had just hung up with a bride and had written down all of her information to give to Sarah and Ally to make arrangements.
Stopping, Brad eased over to the doorway. “Hey,” he said.
“I wanted to let you know that I am taking my new role as an event planner very seriously. I sent flyers out and just booked a wedding to be held here,” I added with a bright smile.
Brad’s eyes lit up and his shoulders relaxed. “That’s awesome, Amelia. Wow, I didn’t think you would get to work so fast,” he added.
“Why not?” I asked, wounded. I folded my arms across my chest and sat back in my chair waiting for my response.
Seeing my change of attitude, Brad quickly shook his head and threw up his hands in defense. “I didn’t mean you aren’t capable of handling the task, it’s just...” he paused and ran his hands through his hair.
“Well, what is it then?” I prompted.
“It’s just...you haven’t turned yet. It is coming soon. It only takes days for the change to take effect and you should be starting to feel the effects any moment now. To be honest, I thought you would be too preoccupied with worrying about your upcoming change to focus on the job right now,” he said as his eyes began to examine me.
His stare began to make me feel uncomfortable and I could feel my body heat rising. My throat began to ache and my joints were sore. He had me so frustrated that I was having anxious pains.
“Are you alright?” Brad asked as he took a step further into the room.
“Yes,” I snapped.
“Are you sure? You don’t look like you feel good,” he said as he watched me carefully.
“Don’t you dare try to tell me how I feel? This is still my body, I think I would know if I wasn't feeling well,” I yelled out.
How dare he? It’s my body, I think I would know if I didn’t feel well. It was just my frustration with him that was causing me discomfort.
“Fine,” Brad stomped as he turned and left the room with a huff.
Good, I was glad he was gone. He had no idea what he was talking about anyway.
LATER THAT EVENING, I found myself sitting in the large living room sorting through home design websites on Brad’s laptop. Now that I had a purpose here (sadly, this was the first time I ever felt like I had a purpose anywhere) I was ready to begin decorating. I knew how to shop, finally, it would come to good use.
“Hey,” Ally said as she walked in and sat down next to me.
She looked adorable in a soft pink sundress and flat sandals.
“Hi,” I nodded as I looked up from the screen.
“How are you?” she asked.
“Fine,” I said, a little taken aback by her question. She was looking at me with concern.
“You are sweating,” she noted as she pointed to my face.
Lifting my hand, I felt my forehead and was surprised to find my face was drenched in sweat. I hadn’t even noticed.
“Why?” I asked, clearly upset.
“You are changing,” she said as she spoke softly.
Just then, Brad entered the room. Noticing my startled expression his eyes roamed over me. “What is going on?” he asked.
“She is changing,” Ally noted before I had a chance to answer.
Looking at me, Brad with his dark eyes. “You need to come with me,” he said.
Without thinking, I followed Brad down to the basement. My body was trembling with fear as I realized this was it. I was about to transform completely into a werewolf and it would be painful. He took me to a small room nestled at the back of the basement. Inside, there was a large bed, a reclining chair, and a small bathroom.
“You will stay in here tonight. It is safe,” Brad said.
“Why? I don’t want to be down here alone,” I cried out.
“You won’t be. I will stay here with you,” Brad said as he softly closed the door.
I wanted to cry and scream and beg for mercy. But, none of that would do any good. This was going to happen whether I liked it or not. I could blame Brad and hate him for what he had done to me, or I could accept this metamorphosis as what it is- my chance at a new life.
CHAPTER 6
Restraints held me down as my body writhed under the weight of my own pain.
Brad stood next to me, patting my face with a cold washcloth every few minutes.
“It won’t be much longer,” he said in a soothing voice.
“Until it’s over,” I choked out as my teeth bit into my bottom lip.
The pain was excruciating and I was sure I wouldn’t make it through the night.
“No, until it begins,” he said with sadness radiating in his eyes.
My eyes grew wide as his words cut through me like a knife. This wasn’t it? There was more?
&n
bsp; Pulling Brad aside, Ally had tears in her eyes as she glanced from me to him. She spoke low, but I could hear her words clearly. “Brad, why don’t you leave and let me take care of her,” Ally insisted as she tried to nudge him out of the door.
Standing firm, Brad refused to take his eyes away from me. “No, I won’t leave her. Especially not when she is like this,” Brad spoke as his voice was full of meaning.
Leaning in closer to him, Ally tried to reason with him. “I don’t think it is right for you to be here. Trust me, Brad,” Ally said, her eyes pleading with him.
“No. If you don’t want to respect my wishes, then you can leave, Ally. You know how I feel about this. About her,” Brad stated one final time before he turned away from Ally and knelt by my side again.
My body was writhing in so much excruciating pain that I didn’t have time to process his words. All I knew was that I wanted this to be over with soon.
“Just kill me,” I begged as heat rushed through my body. I felt like fire was coursing through my veins and I would internally melt from the searing pain it caused.
“I won’t do that,” Brad said.
“But you could?” I asked, my eyes pleading with him to take me out of my misery.
Brad paused and his eyes looked conflicted. “Technically yes. I could kill you right now, but I won’t,” he stated.
“Why?” I asked as the pain in my body amplified. My arms jerked as I tried to get out of the restraints placed on me.
A loud scream released from my lips and the bed below me shook like a gigantic earthquake had just taken place. Brad watched me with a pained expression and if I didn’t know any better, I might believe that he almost felt sorry for me.
“You are wanted,” Brad said with his eyes locked on mine.
The adrenaline coursing through my veins blended with the searing agony throbbing through my tender body had me fading away. Darkness was taking over as I couldn’t make out shapes and forms in the room. Brad’s golden eyes were lost on me as I closed my eyes and gave in to the torture.