The Wolf Prince

by Karen Kelley

  He moved his hands away from his face and she was suddenly staring into the eyes of the wolf again, except this time, Surlock’s face was hairy. He bared his teeth, then growled from deep in his throat. Shivers of fear wracked her, suffocating her.

  She stumbled back, almost falling. Surlock growled again, a demonic sound that sent cold chills down her spine. A fog began to roll in, damp cold making her feel even more chilled. Oh God, this wasn’t happening. She was dreaming. She had to be. She’d fallen asleep and this was a really bad nightmare.

  “Run, Darcy, run! Don’t look back!”

  Surlock’s voice jerked her back to the present. This wasn’t a bad dream. This was real, and happening right now. She turned on her heel and ran for the house. She didn’t stop. She didn’t look back.

  Oh God, Surlock had started changing right before her eyes. What had happened? One second they were having the best sex she’d ever had and then he was turning into a … a wolf. She stumbled, caught herself, and kept running.

  Her blood suddenly felt as if it were freezing inside her veins. Oh, hell, she knew what he was. It all made sense now. The wolf she’d seen before he appeared. Everything.

  Surlock was a werewolf! That’s all it could be. She stopped at the place where she’d taken off her nightgown and jerked it over her head, shoving her arms through the arm holes. She glanced around, but a cloud had drifted across the moon—the full moon!—and it was too dark to see anything.

  A lone howl echoed over her parents’ property. Her whole body began to shake as she hurried around the trees and bushes. She had to get inside where it was safe.

  Then it hit her. What if she were a werewolf, too, and just hadn’t gone through the change, or whatever it took to become a full-fledged werewolf? Jennifer was in the house. Would her best friend be in danger if Darcy went inside?

  Peter would give her sanctuary. He was always there when she needed him. He would take her in. But she didn’t want to eat Peter.

  She frowned, then shook her head.

  She quickly examined her arms. They weren’t covered in long hair. She felt her face. It still felt smooth. Maybe there was some ritual that she had to go through before she made the change. Oh, hell, she hoped that was it as she hurried inside. She tiptoed up the steps, then slipped back inside her bedroom. For a moment, she leaned against the door and breathed in deep gulps of air. She was safe.

  But what about Surlock? Was he safe?

  Darcy went to the French doors and opened them, slipping out onto the balcony. She heard another mournful howl. Surlock was out there somewhere. She hoped he’d retained enough of himself not to eat her neighbors, or anyone for that matter.

  “Please let him be okay,” she whispered to the night and prayed somehow her words would carry to him.

  She went back inside and slowly closed the doors, then locked them just to be on the safe side. If Surlock had turned into a werewolf, she wasn’t sure how he would react to her. He might not recognize her.

  Tomorrow everything would be back to normal, she was certain. Surlock would be in his bed, and then he would explain what the fuck had happened, because she really needed to know.

  She froze.

  Oh, no, her parents were probably werewolves. Her biological parents, not her adoptive ones.

  She frowned. It was damned inconvenient that her biological parents had left her at an orphanage to fend for herself. What if she had changed? Would the people who ran the orphanage have sent her to the dog pound or something?

  Great, her adoptive mother and father would have heart attacks when they found out what she was. How the hell did she even explain something like this to them? Guess what, Mom and Dad, I know where I come from now. Mom, how do you feel about getting a dog? I know you’re allergic to them, but you can take allergy pills, right?

  Darcy pulled the cover back and crawled beneath it, curling into a tight ball. She really didn’t relish the idea of running around the countryside howling at the moon. Or eating people. Even as she yawned, she doubted she would get any sleep tonight.

  Darcy opened her eyes, then blinked against the bright light that burst into her room from the curtains as they were flung open. Oh, Lord, someone was torturing her. What had she done to deserve this?

  “Wake up, sleepy head,” Jennifer called out in a bright cheery voice.

  Darcy sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She felt like death warmed over. Had she partied last night? Maybe drunk a little too much? She had to admit to a fondness for pomegranate martinis.

  Then it hit her. “Ohmygod,” she said.

  “Yes, I know,” Jennifer said. “It’s after eight. I thought maybe you’d died in your sleep or something. This is like seriously late for you.”

  “I’m a werewolf,” she said.

  Jennifer stared at her. “Wow, you have lots better dreams than I do.”

  “No, it’s true. I couldn’t sleep last night so I walked out onto the balcony. Surlock was standing beside the guest house.”

  “He does look kind of dark and dangerous with that black-as-night hair brushing his shoulders.” She sauntered over to one of the maroon upholstered chairs and curled up on it. “If you ever get tired of him, I would certainly let him howl at my moon.”

  Darcy frowned. “I thought you didn’t trust him.”

  “I don’t want to marry the guy, only have sex with him. That is, if you ever get tired of him.”

  Darcy shook her head to try to clear it. It was way too early to have this conversation. “I’m serious.” Jennifer didn’t believe a word Darcy was telling her. “I went downstairs and slipped outside last night.”

  Jennifer leaned forward in the chair. “Tell me more. I’ll live vicariously through you since I’m not getting any while I’m in the country.”

  “We went running through the park behind the house. Then we made love.”

  “It always takes you so long to get to the good stuff.”

  “And then he grabbed his head,” Darcy continued as if Jennifer hadn’t interrupted her. “But this time the humming didn’t stop. He told me to run away. I think he was afraid he might hurt me.”

  Jennifer’s expression turned serious. “I told you he was strange and couldn’t be trusted. It’s better if you forget all about him.”

  Darcy shook her head. “No, there’s more. When I looked at him, the eyes of a wolf stared back at me, and his arms and face got all hairy.”

  “I hate hairy men,” Jennifer said. “He could always do laser hair removal.”

  “I’m telling the truth.”

  Jennifer untucked her legs and got to her feet. “No, you think I’m as gullible as you and you’re trying to pull a fast one.”

  “It really did happen. Don’t you see, if Surlock is a werewolf, then I’m probably one, too.”

  “Or you could be just losing your mind.” Jennifer crossed her arms.

  “I’m not crazy.” At least Darcy didn’t think so. Maybe Surlock could help her sort everything out. Surlock! “I have to make sure he’s okay.”

  She hurried to her closet and flung open the door, then quickly pulled on underclothes, shorts and a T-shirt. She pushed her feet into a pair of sandals and rushed from the room.

  “Will Surlock be joining you for breakfast?” Ms. Abernathy asked as Darcy flew down the stairs.

  “Yes, why do you ask?”

  Ms. Abernathy raised an eyebrow as if she expected Surlock to follow Darcy down the stairs.

  “He’s not upstairs if you’re implying anything.” Darcy slowed her steps to a fast walk as she went past the housekeeper.

  “One of the maids took fresh towels out to the guest house this morning and said it looked as if his bed hadn’t been slept in all night. I thought maybe he’d slept elsewhere.”

  Darcy skidded to a stop halfway across the room and turned to look at the housekeeper. “He’s not in the guest house?”

  Ms. Abernathy studied Darcy. “You look a little pale. Maybe you should sit for a bi
t.”

  “I’m fine.” Surlock hadn’t changed back. He was still roaming the countryside as a werewolf. Could he come out in the daylight? She mentally shook her head. She was pretty sure vampires were the ones who couldn’t walk in the sunlight. She had to find him before some hunter came along and shot him.

  Her parents had problems with hunters sometimes. Some redneck would see a big buck and want to shoot it for sport. Her father usually made sure the no-trespassing signs were in place, but the hunters didn’t always pay attention. She swallowed past the lump in her throat as she pictured Surlock’s beautiful head mounted on someone’s wall.

  “I’m going for a walk,” she said as she continued out the door.

  “Darcy, wait for me,” Jennifer called down to her.

  Darcy hesitated. She didn’t want to put Jennifer in danger, but right now she really needed her friend, even if Jennifer didn’t believe her.

  They went to the guest house first. Darcy prayed the whole time that the maid had been wrong, or that maybe Surlock had only been out for an early morning stroll.

  The guest house was empty, and worse, his bed looked as though it hadn’t been slept in. The maid had been right.

  “Where do we look now?” Jennifer asked.

  “Are you sure you want to go with me? I don’t want to risk your life.”

  “I don’t believe in werewolves,” Jennifer reminded her. “I don’t know what you saw, but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t a wolf.”

  “You might change your mind. Just remember I tried to warn you.”

  They made their way past the bushes and trees. Darcy stopped and looked around.

  “Why are we stopping here?”

  “This is where I took off my nightgown.”

  Jennifer raised her eyebrows. “You were running around outside naked? Was he naked, too?”

  “Yes. It wasn’t a big deal.”

  “Oh, I’m not judging you. I’m just surprised I never thought of doing it. Of course, it would be a little more difficult to run around naked in the city. Maybe having a country home wouldn’t be so bad after all.”

  Jennifer didn’t realize how serious the situation was. They walked down the trail that led through the park. Darcy scanned the area, but didn’t see or hear anything unusual.

  “No werewolves,” Jennifer said. “Darn, and I was hoping Surlock might have a brother. Some big strapping … German shepherd.” She snickered, then bit her lip when Darcy cast accusing eyes her way.

  Darcy should have known Jennifer was just playing along and didn’t really believe anything Darcy had told her. Not that she could blame her friend. When she thought about it, the whole story did sound crazy.

  “I’m sorry,” Jennifer said. “I couldn’t help it, but you don’t really think Surlock is a werewolf, do you? If you do, then that means your fashion wardrobe this fall might include a strait-jacket. This is all a prank you and Peter set up, right?”

  Darcy shook her head.

  Jennifer drew in a sharp breath. “You’re telling the truth.”

  Darcy nodded.

  Her friend threw her arms around Darcy. “Don’t worry sweetie, we’ll find help for you. I won’t let them stick you in any cold institution.”

  “I’m not crazy.”

  Jennifer stepped back and looked Darcy square in the eyes. “There are no such things as werewolves.”

  A low growl came from the woods, followed by rustling in the underbrush. Both girls froze in their tracks.

  CHAPTER 16

  Darcy took a step toward the dense woods.

  “Are you crazy?” Jennifer grabbed her hand and tugged her along as she ran toward the house. “It could be a rabid dog or something.”

  “No, it was Surlock.” But Darcy had to admit that she was a little afraid, too. She wasn’t sure if Surlock would recognize her. He might attack first, ask questions later.

  Rather than go inside the house, Darcy pulled Jennifer toward the guest house so they would have a little more privacy.

  “What are you doing?” Jennifer looked at her as if she’d lost her mind. “We have to tell someone there’s a mad dog on the loose.”

  Darcy could feel the color drain from her face. “No, we can’t say anything. That wasn’t a mad dog. It was Surlock, and he is a werewolf.”

  “There are no such thing as werewolves,” Jennifer said between gritted teeth.

  Darcy had a feeling she would never be able to convince her friend, but she knew what had happened last night. Surlock had changed into something that wasn’t human.

  “Think what you will, but you can’t tell a soul.” She couldn’t bear it if Surlock was hunted down and killed. “Swear it.” She gave Jennifer her steely-eyed look.

  “Okay, I won’t say anything, but if anyone is hurt by a wild dog that’s running loose over the countryside, then it will be on your conscience, not mine.”

  “I’ll take all the blame.” Now she only had to hope Surlock didn’t kill anyone, and if he did, that he got rid of the body.

  She sat down with a thud on the sofa. What if he did hurt someone? Would she be able to live with her guilt for the rest of her life? She didn’t think so.

  “It will be okay,” Jennifer said, sitting beside her.

  Darcy shook her head. “No, I don’t think it will. I don’t think anything will ever be the same.”

  “Are you sure about what you saw?”

  “Yes.” She closed her eyes and relived the scene last night. “We’d made love. He grabbed his head.” She looked at Jennifer. “He always gets this loud humming noise in his head after we make love. Like someone screaming.”

  “But it always stops, right?”

  “Yes, when I put eardrops in or he goes underwater.”

  “Underwater?”

  She shrugged. “We were in the pool, and we’d just made love. When he went underwater, it seemed to help.”

  “I’ll never go swimming in your pool again.” She shook her head. “Never mind. Just go on with your story.”

  “We didn’t have any eardrops or anything. I tried to help Surlock up so I could get him back to the house, but he told me to run. He said he couldn’t stop it this time.”

  “So you ran,” Jennifer said. “Don’t you see, he didn’t change into a werewolf or anything else. He probably had a really bad headache.”

  “No, he moved his hands away from his face and it was like I was staring at the wolf, and his face was hairy.”

  “How bright was it outside?”

  “Almost like daytime.”

  “No shadows? The clouds didn’t drift in front of the moon and maybe made you think you saw something that wasn’t there?”

  Darcy closed her eyes and tried to visualize it all again. His eyes had looked strange, and there had been hair on his face. But it had gotten darker when the clouds drifted in front of the moon. Could it have been a trick of the light?

  There was a dog or a wolf roaming the countryside. Maybe when it howled, she had only connected the dots and thought werewolf. Maybe? But there was still one question left unanswered.

  “Then where’s Surlock now?”

  Jennifer’s expression turned thoughtful. “You said he had a horrible humming in his ears.”

  “Yes.”

  “It might have scared him. Maybe he thought something was happening to him and the pain was so bad he was afraid he might lash out and hurt you.”

  Darcy thought about it for a moment. It could have happened like that. “But that still doesn’t explain where he is now.”

  “Maybe by the time the pain stopped, people were up and about. You did say you were both running through the woods naked. He can’t very well walk up to the estate without any clothes on.”

  A few days ago, Surlock might have done exactly that. But would he now since Ms. Abernathy had warned him to keep his clothes on? Darcy rubbed her forehead, wondering if she had only imagined everything.

  “It could’ve happened like I said, Darcy,” Jennifer s
aid quietly. “I mean, think about everything you told me. It doesn’t make sense. You’ve been watching too many horror flicks.” She raised her hand when Darcy would’ve protested. “What was the last movie you watched?”

  Besides James Bond? Her shoulders slumped. Jennifer was right. “I was bored, and Dad has all the old Friday the 13th movies. It’s not my fault I’m addicted to them.” But Jennifer’s answers made more sense than Darcy’s werewolf theory.

  Jennifer hugged her, then stood. “Come on, we’ll have some breakfast, and everything will look better on a full stomach. I’m meeting with Peter later to go over the final details of the party.” She smiled. “Who would have thought I could be more than a socialite?” She winked. “I told you my clubbing days would pay off.”

  Darcy tried for a smile, but wasn’t so sure she pulled it off. She was glad for Jennifer, but her mind was on other things. Was Surlock okay?

  Once inside, they went to the dining room and fixed their plates. Darcy did little more than move her food around while she listened to Jennifer chatter about her ideas for the party.

  “Okay, are you ready to go over to Peter’s?” Jennifer asked, interrupting Darcy’s thoughts.

  Go to Peter’s house? When Surlock was stuck in the woods naked, or in pain? “I think I’ll pass this time. I have a bit of a headache.”

  Jennifer studied her for a moment. “I think I’ll call Peter and cancel.”

  That was the last thing Darcy wanted. “I’ll be fine. You’re probably right. Too many scary movies, I didn’t sleep well last night, and poor Surlock is probably running around the woods naked.”

  Jennifer eyed her. “You’re not going to run out to the woods as soon as I leave, are you?”

  “Of course not,” she scoffed. “I’m sure Surlock will be back by the time you return and we’ll laugh about all this. He’s probably sneaking up the back side of the estate as we speak.” Jennifer still didn’t look convinced. “Werewolves.” Darcy snorted. “No more spicy food for me at dinner.”

  “I knew you would come to your senses.” Jennifer hugged her, then said, “I’ll see you later. If you get bored, come over to Peter’s.” She frowned. “No, call me on my cell. I’m not sure where we’ll be.”