I poked in my contacts before slapping on my makeup, taking care to hide the dark circles under my eyes, and stepped back to take a look at the whole effect. It would have to do. I wanted coffee.
When I made it down to the kitchen, I found out why Lacey had become an early riser. It was just us three girls and Hades.
“So. What’s going on?” asked Lacey, sipping her mug of microwaved blood.
“I just thought it would be good to have some time before the humans come with questions.” Percy handed me a steaming mug.
I raised it to her in a salute, then took a taste. Mmmm... Caffeine, sugar, cream, and a hint of cinnamon.
“How’s Doug?” Lacey fidgeted with a napkin.
“All right, I think. Percy?” I looked to our wise leader.
“He’s going to be fine, though I doubt you bled so much.”
I looked down into the spiraling top of my drink. “Yeah, I doubt that anyone would have gone through that trouble for the life of a whore, no matter how much I brought in.”
“Well, I’m glad you survived. I kind of like having you around.” Percy walked around the table and slung an arm around my shoulders, squeezing me affectionately.
I glanced over at Lacey and her shiny red mustache. “So what do we tell them about our little blood sucker?” She licked the liquid from her lip and grinned.
“Nothing, if we can help it. Vampires don’t exactly have a good reputation.” Percy came to rest on her husband’s knee.
“Neither do weres. How come Gretchen gets the grand revelation, and I get locked in the closet?” Lacey gave a pout to beat any three-year-old.
“Well, there’s the whole thing where we think it may be your vamp friends who are draining hairdressers,” I pointed out.
“Yeah, well, nothing’s been proved.”
“It will if I ever get near another crime scene.” I set my coffee on the table and crossed my arms.
“Oh, go chase a rabbit.” She rolled her eyes at me.
I rolled mine back.
There was a clamor coming from the stairs, signaling we were about to get some company. Fern was the first to burst into the kitchen.
“Do we tell them about Lacey-Marie?” she hissed, grabbing the coffee carafe and pouring herself a mug.
“It’s been voted down,” said Lacey, her features going from pouty to grumpy.
Ah, mornings.
“Okay.” The petite redhead took a seat on my left.
Meredith and Toni burst in, making a mad dash for the coffee maker.
“Should I make another pot?” Percy pondered the bottom of her mug.
I drained my own. “Yes.”
“No more for you, young lady.” Percy put down her own mug and grabbed mine, demoting me to herbal tea. She refilled the coffee maker, then set a kettle on the stove to boil.
“Young lady? How old are you, Gretchen?” Meredith asked.
“Younger than Percy,” I stated with a smug grin.
“She’s 181. Ish.” Lacey got up to rinse out her mug before the rest of the room could guess its content.
Meredith’s mouth gaped open. “Holy crap.”
I scowled. “Thanks a bunch, Lace.”
“No problem, grandma.” She smirked at me, dancing across the kitchen to peruse the fridge.
“So, how old are you?” Meredith addressed Percy.
“We’ve lost count,” I supplied helpfully. I couldn’t be the only one getting picked on.
“Well, the myths about us were told thousands of years ago. Add a few, and you might get our correct ages.” Percy settled her hand against Hades’ shoulder.
Somehow, we managed to skip the age question in regards to Lacey-Marie. Thank goodness for small favors.
I checked on Doug after breakfast. As he was still out cold, I went to work.
I had my first client in my chair when the bell over the door rang.
“Good morning. How can I help you?” Meredith wandered out from behind the desk to greet the pack. She had seen them at the fair, but she didn’t know what they were.
“You can’t help us, little lamb, but Gretchen can,” Kaine said, brushing past her.
“Oh.” Meredith stepped out of the way, looking in my direction with concern.
Individually, the pack were not threatening men to look at, but all together with rabid expressions on their faces, they looked far from safe.
“Mrs. Peterson, would you mind letting Percy finish your cut? She’ll only be a few minutes.” I stepped between my client and the menace stalking towards us.
Mrs. Peterson, a frail looking woman, scuttled out from behind me and straight to Meredith, who offered her a cup of my herbal tea from the cozy-covered pot.
“Time’s up. If you don’t wish to cause more of a scene, you’ll come with us.” Kaine grabbed my upper arm, his claw-tipped fingers digging into my bare flesh.
“I’ll come. Just give me a moment to wrap things up.” I jerked my arm from his grasp.
Kaine nodded. He wasn’t used to being disobeyed, but he didn’t really have a choice. I planned on staying in control of the situation.
I approached Mrs. Peterson again. “I’m so sorry about this, ma’am. There will be no charge for your cut. If there’s anything else we can do for you, let us know.” I nodded at Percy, who nodded back.
I raced upstairs to grab my cell phone and check on Doug once more. He was resting peacefully, so I left him with only the smallest bit of worry I could spare for him.
The pack had a limo waiting outside, which we all piled into with Quintavious in the driver’s seat.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“North, away from people. Drink?” Kaine held a flask out to me.
“No. Thanks.”
Kaine was sitting so close to me that our knees touched. I didn’t want this. I didn’t want any part of it. Maybe if it had been a different pack, and maybe if I’d been included all along, who knew? They had no claim on me, beyond being in the same building when I was changed.
“Where are you taking me?” I asked again.
“I just told you, north. We’ll be meeting up with the rest of the pack and the alpha changer. You will be my mate, little Miss Maude.” He ran a fingertip down the side of my face, his claw scraping my chin as he pulled away.
Uh-uh, no way. “No, I won’t.”
“We’ll discuss this in front of witnesses.” His breath tickled my ear, and I shuddered.
“Fine.” I crossed my arms and shifted as far from him as I could in the confined space with three other people besides Kaine and me.
Kisa and Dirk, the mated couple, were huddled close while Jacque sat staring at me. Quintavious kept his eyes on the road, as he was the only wolf in the front seat.
If there had been a way to resolve everything with my friends present, I would have taken that route, but as it was, there were innocent humans about, and I couldn’t risk them getting hurt. Funny, I was willing to risk my friends but not clients.
The car slowed after an hour, and the unpaved road crunched under the tires for quite some time after we turned down some kind of logging road.
The smell of alpha was so intense that I could barely stand when Quintavious stopped the vehicle and opened the door. I managed to stumble out before falling to my knees. The alpha stood waiting for us in the middle of a semicircle of weres.
“Rise, children,” he commanded, raising his massive paws.
I climbed slowly to my feet, difficult even with the command given.
Kaine, standing beside me, moved to grab my arm.
“No,” the alpha’s voice was a low rumble like thunder.
Kaine withdrew his hand as if burned.
“Maude, is it your desire to be separated from Kaine’s pack?” the alpha asked.
“Yes.” I hoped the one word answer was enough.
“And Kaine, you wish to keep Maude as your mate despite the fact that she is more dominant?”
“The pack needs her. A
nd she is not more dominant.”
I snarled at that.
“I think the lady is begging to differ,” the alpha said with a chuckle, then turned to address the pack. “Here is how it’s going to be: Maude and Kaine will fight for dominance. If Kaine is the victor, he will claim Maude as his mate and a permanent member of the pack. If Maude succeeds, then she walks away from the pack, instead of claiming it.”
We bowed low to the alpha, showing our acceptance.
I was being given a chance at freedom. If I didn’t take it, then I deserved to be condemned to be Kaine’s mate.
“Strip, and wolf,” the alpha commanded as he signaled the pack to create a ring around us with a turn of his finger.
It was nearly new moon, so we weren’t at our strongest, yet neither of us complained.
I wandered to the edge of the clearing to change. I hated turning my back on the pack, but I had to trust that the alpha would keep them in control. I pulled my shirt over my head, unzipped my dark wash jeans, and began wiggling free. The fact that my underwear came with them was of little consequence as they’d be coming off anyhow. I knelt down with my pants around my ankles to loosen the buckles of my boots. All that was left was my bra, which I unhitched and let fall with the rest of the pile.
Taking a deep breath, I welcomed the wolf into the forefront of my mind. I’d need her to be more in control then I’d ever let her be before. There was no room for human qualms, just raw wolf instinct. My muscles creaked, and my bones cracked as different areas expanded and contracted. I watched, slightly cross-eyed as my snout grew out of my face.
Oh, did it hurt. The farther it was from the full moon, the more it hurt.
My scream of pain took on a deeper tone as my throat reshaped itself. My muscles felt like cold rubber bands as they stretched. I barely comprehended the deep-throated roar that meant that Kaine was having just as hard a time as me. Finally, the adrenaline kicked in, the snaps and creaks rapid-firing, and I lifted my muzzle to the sky and howled.
The pack howled as well, though in support of Kaine and not at all for me.
I scratched as my fur continued to grow out of every follicle, itching almost as much as it hurt, until it was over.
I turned to face Kaine across the circle, neither of us looking away. To do so would be to admit submission to the other. Deciding it was as good a time as any to get the fight over with, I attacked, my lips pulled back from my teeth, aiming to get a grip on his shaggy throat.
We reared up and clashed with such force that it would have been enough to knock the air out of my human body, but in the body of this 400-pound beast, it was nothing.
I managed to get a mouth full of his scruff as he fastened his teeth into my shoulder. We tore sideways, our combined momentum bowling us over each other a couple of times.
His claws found purchase first, and he thrust forward, getting a better grip on me and shaking me with enough force to throw me a couple of feet.
My turn.
I let him get close before catapulting myself up and over, grabbing his ear as I went. Tasting blood, I bit harder and ripped, the slickness of his blood caused me to lose my grip and serving only to piss him off.
Again he shook and flung me. This time I let him charge me while I planted my feet and crouched. I was the bigger wolf, and therefore harder to move.
The impact of his hit slid me over the dirt of the forest floor but allowed me to get a good grip on his neck. Still not his throat and still not a fatal bite, but my best so far. It was my turn to shake. I clamped my jaws tight, not wanting to accidentally let go, and shook him with all my might.
Shaking its prey is part of how a dog kills in the wild. With enough force, a dog can snap the neck of its opponent. Kaine thrashed as I shook him, gaining purchase once again, twisting away, leaving me with a mouth full of fur and managing to toss me a couple feet.
We backed off, getting a lock on each other’s eyes once more, and I knew how to win. It was a dirty trick, and it gave me no small thrill to use it, even though I thought I could win without it. I dropped my eyes and rolled over onto my back, signaling my defeat and my acceptance of his dominance. I even went so far as to curl my tail up between my legs. I think I got the drama queen flair from Lacey-Marie.
He dropped his head and kept an eye on me, wagging his tail.
All I had to do was wait as he trotted over, lowering his muzzle for me to lick.
I lunged up and grabbed his throat instead of kissing him, rolling him underneath me and digging my teeth still deeper, cutting off his air supply. He whined, but I didn’t let go, squeezing my jaws together and holding fast as he fought to get out from under me. I just had to hang on until he ran out of air.
It didn’t last all that long. I felt his pulse weaken until he stopped moving. I didn’t let go until the alpha came over and touched my head with a heavy paw.
Letting go of my prey, I crawled backward on my belly, whining softly as his dominance rolled over my every nerve.
Kaine had fought like a wolf. I had fought like both an animal and woman. I gave a doggy smile and bounced to my feet. I’d changed back without a wince. I was going to enjoy this moment on my own two legs.
I spat Kaine’s blood out of my mouth and wiped my lips on my bare arm. “I want out of the pack. I want nothing to do with them ever again. I will not be forced to be anyone’s property.” I straightened my shoulders and stalked over to the limo.
Quintavious followed me, tossing me my clothes before shutting the door. I dressed quickly as we drove, knowing I was going to be sore later on. The sun didn’t even set before I got home. He came around again and opened my door as soon as we pulled up to Olympian’s Salon and Day Spa. He kept his eyes downcast as was appropriate behavior around an alpha.
“Congratulations, you earned it,” he said before flying back down the driveway.
Hell yeah, I did.
Bruised, bleeding, and downright exhausted, I marched my butt up the stairs and turned on the hot water in my tub. As steam rose, I added just enough cold water to make it bearable. I wanted a bubble bath but instead added a menthol and lavender soak with Epsom salt. It would sting at first, but my joints would appreciate it in the morning.
Doug was still sleeping like the dead, so I hoped I could moan and groan without bothering anyone. I assumed that Percy had seen to it that Mem got her own room or made it back to her house.
Just as I sank into the hot bath, the door burst open.
“So are we celebrating or commiserating? Either way, I have wine!” Lacey-Marie balanced herself on the edge of my clawfoot tub, holding out a bottle for my inspection. Cabernet Sauvignon, my preferred grape. Lacey was a white wine girl, so I was touched that she’d considered my taste.
I sank lower in the water, wishing I had gone the way of the bubble. “Celebrating. Good choice.”
“Percy will be up in a minute with a corkscrew and some glasses.” She set the bottle on the floor. “You look like hell.”
“Gee, thanks.” I glared at her with tired eyes, then admitted, “I feel like it.”
“So, what happened?” She swirled her hand through the water above my feet.
“The alpha refereed while Kaine and I duked it out. I kicked his ass.” I was still feeling smug about the fact.
“Celebrations all around!” She threw her hands in the air, sending water cascading everywhere.
“I figured by the noise,” Percy said from the doorway, juggling three glasses and the corkscrew.
She took position on the edge of my tub by my arm and accepted the bottle from Lacey in exchange for the glasses.
I waited, holding my glass as Percy popped the cork.
She filled our glasses, set the bottle aside, and raised hers. “What shall we toast to?” she asked.
“Freedom.” I touched the rim of my glass to Percy’s, then Lacey’s.
“To freedom, indeed. Congratulations, by the way.” She tilted her glass again in my direction before taking a del
icate sip.
Toasting complete, we settled in to drink and laugh. It had been a while since we’d had some good old-fashioned girl time.
A moan from my bedroom and footsteps jarred us from our revelry. I jumped up as Percy leapt across the room and slammed the door.
“Naked girl in the tub! Naked girl in the tub! Naked girl, get back in that tub!”
I was pretty sure Percy’s first two exclamations were aimed at either herself or Doug. The last was definitely for me, as I was about to climb over the edge. I sank back down into the soothing hot tub, splashing water over the edge, not having the energy to disobey, nor the inclination.
Lacey jumped up as the water soaked into her jeans along with a splash of wine. “What the hell, Gretchen!”
Mmmm, wine. I took another sip.
“Drink up, ladies, I’ll be back in a bit.” Percy set her glass on the floor. “Nobody knock that over.” She pointed to us each in turn.
“I’ll try and restrain myself.” I sank up to my chin in the water and took another sip.
“No problem.” Lacey-Marie regained her seat.
“Good. I’ll be back.” Percy edged out of the bathroom, so as not to reveal too much to Doug, and closed the door behind her.
Being very naked, as Percy had pointed out, I let a good deal of the water out of my bath.
“What’re you doing?” Lacey asked, scrubbing uselessly at her pants with a dry washcloth.
“I want bubbles. Will you pass me that bottle?” I waved my hand in the general direction of my bubble bath.
Lacey located it and went so far as to open it for me.
“Thank you.” I turned on the water again and poured until I was satisfied with the foam.
Leaning back, I let the water run over my feet, I wanted to sleep more than anything, but my friends were determined to celebrate.
“Doug’s awake,” Percy announced, reentering the bathroom.
“So I heard. How’s he doing?” I pulled the bubbles up towards my chin, covering the floating bits of my body.
Beauty is the Beast: Beasts Among Us - Book 1 Page 29