by Jean Booth
My panting subsided as I thought about what the rest of the night would bring and worried about Stephan’s lack of appearance. He’d never made me wait this long before. Tentatively, I stepped out of my hiding spot. Lifting my nose, I scented the air. Nothing. Following my trail backwards, I tried to find exactly where I’d lost him. Maybe this was a new lesson? I needed to learn my wolfish ability to track and hunt; maybe this was Stephan’s way of teaching me. If it was, it royally sucked, and we were going to have words later.
I picked up his scent when I reached the area where I’d run in circles. He wasn’t alone. Another female had discovered us, and from the scent path, Stephan had taken her back to the house. My hackles raised in anger. How dare he! This was our territory. I hunted here; we played. I felt safe and welcome here in a way I never had anywhere else. How dare he bring another woman into my den!
I stormed through the woods, temper rising with each step. I was furious. The house was close, only about a mile away, when I started feeling uneasy. The hairs on my scruff and between my shoulder blades started to prickle. I stopped to figure out why.
Sitting down, I scented the air and listened to the birds. Their chattering was muted, warning others of the brewing tension. I didn’t smell anything out of the ordinary, though. My ears swiveled to listen for the cause of the disturbance, still unable to place it.
Thinking about Stephan and the woman, I started on again, ignoring the lingering unease of my surroundings. I couldn’t believe he’d bring someone back there. Our training grounds, my home, he… I stopped so suddenly I almost fell over myself.
I didn’t have a home.
This was Stephan’s house, his property, to do with as he pleased. I was just his guest and his student. He was a grown man. If he wanted to bring someone else here, I had no right to complain. Although, I didn’t quite understand why he’d bring a woman here instead of the bar. With the full moon upon us, though, I didn’t question the erratic behavior.
Depressed now, I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t want to interrupt them, but I didn’t want to hide out in the forest alone, either. I wished I had a place of my own, a place that I could go to where I was safe, protected, and cared for. I was suddenly, overwhelmingly homesick. I missed Katie and her pain-in-the-butt habits. Her inability to understand and deal with anything out of her own little skewed view of the world would be a balm on my weary soul.
I missed Ashlyn. That kid was the sun itself. I’d give up everything to just be able to go back and read horrible bedtime stories to her, both of us oblivious to the reality between the pages.
Placing my head on my front paws, I lay in the woods. For the first time since leaving my family, I mourned them. I was alone. Completely lost in a world that was so different from what I knew, I was utterly alone and homeless. The only person that could ease my heartache was trapped on an island hidden in the depths of the ocean. Tearlessly, I wept, hating everyone and everything that had happened since that fateful day.
It was strange to cry as a wolf, without tears. Mostly, I just huffed and snorted, nose running and chest heaving. I cried at the loss of my tears, just another thing that marked me as different—freakish. I cried at the stupidity of crying. I cried until I was all cried out and emotionally drained.
I had to go back. It was time. Surprisingly, I felt better after my bout of weeping, just very tired. I no longer wanted to go back to the club and dance. I wanted a cheeseburger and my bed. Surely the woman would be gone by now, and Stephan and I could go back to the bar where I at least had a small sense of self.
My tail hung low to the ground as I walked back to his house. I kept reminding myself it was his, not mine, and I had no reason to be upset. It was the longest mile I’d walked in a long time. During that time, I made a vow with myself to find a place I could call mine. I didn’t need much, a small cottage and room to run. Maybe John would help me find something. He always seemed eager and excited to help. I’d ask him tomorrow if he would. Feeling better from the cry and knowing I had a tentative plan set in motion, I was more relaxed as I walked into the clearing.
I emerged from the woods, head high and tail wagging slightly with renewed purpose. Stephan and the woman sat across from each other on the small outdoor patio. From my spot at the edge of the woods, I could tell that the woman was speaking, and Stephan was listening intently. My steps faltered just a bit. They didn’t notice. I walked around the pond, reassuring myself and trying to maintain my calm acceptance. This woman obviously knew Stephan, was on friendly terms with him, and wasn’t any of my business.
I knew the minute Stephan noticed me. He stiffened slightly, then relaxed almost immediately. The woman continued to prattle on, seemingly oblivious to my entrance. When I was close to the patio, Stephan interrupted her, speaking clearly and loud enough that I could understand.
“Sonja, please forgive me. It appears Natasha has decided to join us after all. I wasn’t expecting you tonight and have not had a chance to discuss this with her. If you’ll excuse me for a moment.” He didn’t bother waiting for a response. He stood and walked toward me. Sonja smiled at him, turning to get a quick glimpse of me as he walked over. Her eyes widened in surprise.
I watched them with a wary disposition. Sensing my unease, Stephan walked slowly toward me, palms open in a nonthreatening manner. I didn’t like the tension in the air and wanted to bolt. It took everything I had in me to wait for him to approach. The wolf’s instincts were stronger and harder to control than my feline ones. Either that, or I still needed more time adjusting to my dual nature.
“Natasha, I meant to talk to you about this before Sonja came, but apparently things progressed faster than either of us had anticipated. I hope you can forgive me the awkwardness of this introduction. Please come into the house with me for a moment so I can try to explain. You’re still safe. Sonja means you no harm and she’s alone.” He held his hand out, waiting for me to take it. His voice was soft, pitched low so only I would hear him.
I snorted. He was an idiot if he thought I was going to change in front of this woman. Head-butting his hand, I felt him stroke my pelt down to my tail as I walked past him to the house. The rear door opened into a mudroom of sorts, where there were still large washbasins complete with hand cranks and washboards to clean with. It was a long, thin room, spanning the length of the house and only about six feet wide. I hadn’t been in the house since our first night here, and this room was a surprise.
I was sniffing around one of the basins as Stephan walked in, shutting the door behind him. He waited for me to finish my self-guided scent tour, knowing I would change back into a human when I was ready and not a moment sooner.
I thought about what I’d been learning, thought about the nicely dressed woman outside, and tried my best to have clothing on when I changed back. This had proven to be somewhat of a challenge for me in recent days. I could understand fur, skin, and the various intricacies of different animal forms, but for the life of me, I kept getting stuck on the clothing concept.
The transformation was quick. One moment I was a wolf, the next I was me. I was still crouched on the ground with my eyes closed, concentrating on the finer details of a long dress. Stephan, as usual, was waiting patiently for me to finish and acknowledge him. I opened my eyes and stood, hoping I was finally successful with the whole clothing thing.
“Very good.” He smiled at me, satisfied that I’d finally managed to get myself covered.
I stood barefoot in a knee-length red dress. It wasn’t exactly what I’d been trying for, but at least this time all my bits were covered. It was a vast improvement over the past few nights. I looked back up at Stephan, refusing to be distracted by a stupid dress.
“Who is she?”
“Forgive me, Natasha.” He bowed his head, baring the side of his neck to me. Great, he must be really upset to revert to such formality. He never used my full name, and certainly never bowed to me. I started to worry. “I wasn’t expecting Sonja for another
week, at least. I was planning on spending that time to talk to you about this. I wanted to run, get the moon’s pull out of our systems, but she surprised me. Sonja is a Nymph, and my attorney. It seems as if she was able to process my request faster than anticipated and was eager to meet you with the good news. It was not my intention to surprise you in this manner.”
“Why’s she here?” He was doing his formal speak thing again, something he only did when he was uncomfortable. “Why does seeing her have you so upset?”
“I am only concerned for you and your reaction. I do not wish to see you troubled.” He sighed. “You told me once that you felt like a burden, that I was a busy, important vampire who didn’t need to babysit you, or some such nonsense.” I blushed at the reminder. “I told you this was my home and that I owned and ran the Krypt Keeper. I fear I may have misled you by omitting a few details. Over the many years of my long existence, I’ve accumulated a vast empire. This is my home; however, it’s not the only one I have. Truth be told, I own property in every nation in the world. The Krypt Keeper’s where I run things, simply because it’s the only safe home in Florida, and I prefer to be close to the Atlantic Ocean. It makes me feel closer to Atlantis. I’m the leader of a kiss, but it’s more than that. I’m the leader of all of the Atlanteans that remain on the surface.” His hands ran up and down my arms, distracting me slightly from what he was saying.
I’d learned over the past few days that touch was important to Stephan. He didn’t touch many people, but when he did, it was to comfort either himself or them. I wasn’t entirely certain who he was trying to reassure here. He knew I wanted to keep to myself, that my interactions with other Atlanteans hadn’t been positive and I didn’t care to meet more.
For him to spell out where he was in the power structure was intense. If it were anyone else, I’d have thought he was trying to impress me. I knew he was powerful, and I knew on a subliminal level that he was formidable, but being the leader of an entire race on earth was more than powerful.
“I didn’t want to overwhelm you with so much all at once. I’ve lived for over eleven thousand years. I’ve had time to procure wealth, to build my empire. I’ve had time to become the leader my people needed. I’ve—”
“Why are you telling me all of this?” I whispered, unable to speak any louder.
“I know how you are,” he whispered back. “You are a strong, independent woman who doesn’t want to rely on others. You’ve shown me your steel core time and again. I know, more than you realize, what you’re going through, what you’re giving up for our people.” His voice was thick with pain, allowing me a glimpse of what he hid from the rest of the world. The whole time he talked, he caressed my arms, subconsciously pulling me closer to him until I could feel the curves of my body lining up with the hard lines of his. He cleared his throat. “I want you to know that all of that, my position, power, wealth—it means nothing to me. You are returning my homeland to me, to all Atlanteans. I want to show you my gratitude by giving you back something you’ve lost.”
I looked up into his magnesium eyes. Not for the first time, it was difficult to ignore the underlying tension between us. Looking into his eyes, I knew that the more time I spent with him, the stronger this pull would be, and I hated myself for feeling this way.
He was vulnerable, open to me in whatever way I wanted. I could read the invitation etched in every part of his face. His eyes swam with an emotion I knew he’d never express. And I wanted it. Gods be damned, for the first time since finding Raif, I wished I was free to feel what I felt for Stephan. But how could I feel anything for someone who wasn’t my mate? How could this craving surpass the love I felt for Raif? I closed my eyes to block out the temptation staring back at me. I had to focus on what Stephan was saying.
“I don’t understand.”
“I want to give you a place to call your own—a home.”
“You’re giving me a house?” I squeaked out, eyes fluttering open in shock. He nodded. “I can’t accept that, Stephan. It’s too much. People don’t just give houses away!” First, he was the most powerful being on the planet, then he was the leader of the most powerful creatures on the planet, next, one of the wealthiest people in the world, and now he wanted to give me a house.
“People don’t give up their very existence to help a band of mythical ancient warriors either,” he replied, very softly. “Tasha, you forget your worth. You, miña mascota, are truly a rare gem. I don’t understand how Raifuku was able to let you go so easily.”
I winced at his callous words. It wasn’t an easy parting. I let it go, though, partly because of my inexcusable, fluctuating emotions, and partly because I just didn’t want to argue.
“Please, allow me to do this one small thing for you. Let me give you a place to call home.” His eyes pleaded with me. I didn’t know what to say. I was completely numb from shock. Somehow, I managed a small nod.
He smiled, kissing my forehead before leading me out to the table where Sonja still sat, waiting patiently for us to return. She smiled at us, standing as we approached. She was beautiful. I hadn’t really noticed as a wolf, the colors skewed through my animal eyes. She was well over six feet tall, thin, and had tight, firm breasts accented by the deep blue halter dress she wore. Her long, strawberry blond hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail. Her wide, sapphire blue eyes shone with an internal humor. She held a long, delicate hand out to me. Numbly, I shook it.
“It truly is a pleasure to finally meet you. The whole community has been buzzing about your arrival. We’ve all been wondering about the one who finally fulfilled the prophecy.” She sat as Stephan led me to another chair and held it for me. The fog was slowly lifting from my mind, leaving behind the knowledge that I was finally meeting another Atlantean—and she wasn’t trying to kill me.
“I apologize for arriving unannounced. I was just so thrilled to be able to expedite this for you.” She beamed at me, expecting admiration, I guessed. “Also, I just really wanted to meet you.” She blushed a deep crimson that finally succeeded in making me smile.
“Let’s get this taken care of. Natasha and I still need to hunt tonight.” Stephan’s rough tone surprised me a bit. Sonja took it in stride.
She pulled up a thick black briefcase stuffed with paperwork. We spent the next hour signing, initialing, and legalizing the transfer of one of Stephan’s homes to me. I couldn’t wait to see it. I felt a tad guilty, but desperately tried to ignore it. I knew he was trying to be nice, and I didn’t want to be rude. I was also thrilled that I now had a place where I could go to run, to be myself without the strange looks. I smiled as the last page was signed.
“All right then, everything’s settled. I’ll file these tomorrow. You should have your new title in a few weeks. Stephan, I trust you’ll give her the keys later?” He nodded, and she continued. “Do you know when you’re going to have your coming out party?” She asked me as she gathered her paperwork.
“My what?” I asked. Stephan had the grace to blush.
“Your coming out party. It’s a celebration into a new vampiric life. All the created vamps have one before they turn. If they have it after, well, things tend to get messy. I know you’re not a vampire, but you must have a party. People are dying to meet you.” She laughed at a joke I didn’t understand. I smiled, shrugging as I looked at Stephan.
“I hadn’t thought about it,” he said, still embarrassed at his obvious social blunder. Sonja gasped, hand fluttering to her throat as her mouth gaped open in astonishment. I ducked my head to avoid laughing at her.
“Stephan! You can’t keep her hidden all to yourself. She needs to meet the rest of us, see for herself that we’re not all like that dreadful Stuart.” She glanced at me, her expression of pity quickly replaced by one of excitement. “I know. Have it here during the Hunter’s Moon next month. We can all get moon-drunk and celebrate properly. It’ll be wonderful!” She beamed at the thought. I thought it sounded fun but was nervous at the idea of being around so m
any people.
“That sounds like a wonderful idea. I’ll get John on it immediately. You know how he likes to plan a party.” Stephan smiled at Sonja. With that decided, I said farewell to my first Nymph. Life certainly wasn’t dull anymore.
We drove off shortly after Sonja left, as I wasn’t in the mood for hunting. Stephan was his usual gracious self and stopped by a fast food place so I could load up on greasy protein and carbs. He silently nursed his thermos of blood as I inhaled my third double cheese. It was awful and oh-so-yummy at the same time. The Miami lights came into view, and I had to disrupt the peaceful silence.
“So, where’s my house?” I asked around a mouthful of burger. Stephan coughed, a spray of blood hitting the dash.
“What do you mean? It’s the house we just left. I thought you knew.” He looked astonished as he mopped up the droplets of blood with one of my napkins. It was my turn to choke.
“What? That place is huge! I thought you were giving me an apartment in the city or something. I can’t take that house. Besides, it holds memories for you.” He had to be joking.
“It’s already done. John will go out with you tomorrow and help you figure out how you’re going to fix it up. It’s been empty for three hundred years; it’s about time someone lived in it. It’ll need electrical, plumbing, and I don’t know what else. John has updated property for me before. He’ll be happy to help you.”
We drove the rest of the way to the club in silence. Just when I thought I was getting used to my new life, a curveball was thrown at me. Usually by Stephan.
I went straight to my room as soon as we arrived at the club. I was exhausted and needed some time to myself to decompress after such a strange day. I flung myself on the bed and closed my eyes. I was out in seconds.