"Make the call. And for your sake," Derek leaned in closer, "She better answer." Danielle nodded and dialed the number again.
Chapter 1
Yellow rays from the afternoon sun filtered through the thin curtains. Alice Bane dug her head further under the pillow trying to avoid the light as her eyes fluttered open. A soft moan beside her caught her attention, and she popped her head up. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and focused on the stranger beside her. His chiseled bare chest and peaceful breathing rocked her to her core.
Carefully, she pulled the sheets away from her body and slipped out of the bed without making a sound. Her heart drummed in her chest as she tried to remember the events of last night. Pieces filtered through her blurred memory as she slipped into her skirt. A smile played at the corner of her lips as she got dressed.
"Leaving so soon?" a low husky voice broke her concentration. Alice whipped her head around. The fit young man rested on the bed —propped up on one elbow. A warm smile stretched across his face and he winked at her.
"I, um," Alice tried to place his name, but no matter how hard she tried to remember, it eluded her. "Hi," she sputtered while pushing her foot into her high heel.
"Hi," he said watching her with a spark in his eyes. "You don't remember anything about last night do you?" Alice's face burned from embarrassment as she shook her head.
"James," he said throwing the sheets off him. Alice's eyes widened as he moved from one side of the room to the other. She couldn't help but glance at his firm butt and his smooth muscular back. She sighed when he yanked his jeans up, covering the lower half of his body.
"Well, James," Alice cleared her throat and turned searching for her blouse among the clutter thrown about the room. The disarray in the room gave her an idea of the kind of night she had with him. The sex must have been amazing as her joints felt unhinged and her body was relaxed.
"Looking for this?" James asked lifting up her black blouse with one finger and dangling it before him. Alice looked at him and smiled. The spark of lust in his eyes ignited the passion in her. He flashed a crooked little smile waving her garment before him.
"Maybe."
"Well, if you don't need it," Alice's eyes followed the material as James tossed the blouse over his shoulder. The fabric drifted gently to the ground and landed in a pile of clothes in the corner. Before the garment landed, James stood beside her, wrapping his arms around her tiny waist and he pulled her off her feet.
The heat of his chest sent a flame through her. With a single kiss the passion sparked from the embers of lust. It didn't matter that Alice had forgotten his name, or even how she had gotten to his place. All she cared about was helping him out of his jeans again.
"Perhaps you can jog my memory about the events of last night? I seem to have forgotten some important stuff."
"Really?" James pulled her to him once again and pressed his lips to hers. Alice curled her body around his as they embraced. He tasted like honey and smelled like Axe body spray. She wondered for just a moment if he had by chance gotten up before her to shower, or if he always had that remnant of musk on his skin. The thought drifted from her mind as James' hand glided over her lower back before cupping his fingers around her ass.
Alice lifted her leg and curled it around his waist to hold herself to him. Their tongues drifted around each other as the lust burned hotter. Everything melted away except for James who held her attention.
"Are you hungry?" James asked pulling away as a low rumble interrupted them. The pang of hunger snapped at Alice's stomach. She couldn't ignore her rumbling growing from inside her. She giggled as she pulled away from James.
"I could eat," she said with a smile. "Or I should I just eat you?" Her eyebrow rose as she glanced at him. James lifted her up and brought her back to the bed. She dropped from his arms, landing softly on the crumpled up comforter and pillows.
James dropped to his knees as his fingers played with the hem of her skirt, pushing the fabric up her thighs. Once he had her where he wanted her, James moved in to the space between her thighs. His hot breath teased her as she arched her back waiting for his tongue to dive into her.
A low chirping from a phone pulled her out of her serenity. The tiny bells from the phone pierced her happy place and grew into an irritation as James nibbled on her inner thigh. She wondered if he could hear it, or if he was ignoring it. But when the chirping didn't stop, Alice lifted her head off the pillows and tapped James' shoulder.
"Are you going to answer that?" she asked hoping he would at least put an end to rude interruption. James lifted his head up and stared at her. He cocked his head to strain his ears and shrugged. The chirping stopped and Alice plopped back down into the pillows. Alice settled back down pushing James' down on her again when the rumbling of the phone vibrating against the wooden table started once more.
"I believe that is yours."
Alice scrunched her eyebrows together trying to remember the day. She didn't have work, so there was no other reason for anyone to be calling her. Her roommate Danielle flashed into her mind. She sighed with frustration rocking her head back and forth ignoring the sound. James waited to see what Alice would do. Alice shook her head and closed her eyes.
"It's my roommate checking in." Alice's eyes shifted to James who held his gaze on her face. His eyebrow rose with confusion and cocked his head.
"Is she your mom or something?"
Alice chuckled darkly and shook her head throwing her arm over her head. "She went to Yellowstone. I told her to ring me every day. She is letting me know she's still alive." Alice said reaching for James.
“One ring tells me she’s fine, two and I better answer. It’s a code we have,” she explained. He smiled and nodded letting his shoulder slump down. Alice sucked in a deep breath trying to succumb to her desires.
"A code huh?" James nibbled on Alice's inner thigh again, inching his way closer to her secret flower. Alice exhaled as he drew closer, his hot breath tickling her as he moved. With his tongue stretched out, she felt a tiny wet flick of his tongue over her slit. Her leg muscles twitched in anticipation when the tiny bells of the phone interrupted once more.
"Oh for fuck’s sake," she grunted. James pulled away giving Alice space. She twisted her body around and grabbed the phone from the side table. She glanced at the number and immediately pressed the green button.
"This better be good, you are interrupting something important," Alice blurted keeping her gaze on James. James rose from his knees and played with the hem of his jeans tempting her. He shook his waist and spun around teasing her while unfastened the button of his pants and inched them down over his hips. Alice tried to smile, but her attention was elsewhere. The silence from the other end of the phone held her hostage.
"Danielle? What’s wrong?"
"Alice!?"
Alice shot up at the frantic tone in her roommate’s voice. She was no longer concerned with James' attempt at seduction and shook her head. She pulled the sheets over her body to cover herself up, closing herself off. James' shoulders dropped with despair and walked out into the living room of the one-bedroom apartment.
"Talk to me—what’s going on? Are you hurt? What's wrong?" Alice asked once James was out of the room.
"I don't know how to say this," Danielle panted. The fear in her voice had Alice's hair standing on edge. Her mind raced to calculate how long it would take her to find Danielle if she was lost in the backwoods of the national park.
"Do you have any broken bones? Are you bleeding? Lost? What?"
"I know what you are." The words Alice never wanted to her roommate to utter stopped her heart. Suddenly everything was clear. Alice pressed her lips together into a tight line while her eyes widened with fear.
"What you are talking about, Danielle? Tell me where you are and I will come and get you."
"Listen to me," Danielle panted. "I know everything."
"I doubt that," Alice said trying to keep the tone light and playful.
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"Stop deflecting." Danielle's voice rose, taking Alice by surprise. In all the eleven years she had known Danielle, her friend had only lost her temper once. Alice paused as Danielle took a deep breath. "Look, I'm in serious trouble. I need you to come to Yellowstone. Now."
Alice froze. Every inch of her body tingled as the idea of setting foot in Yellowstone stole the air from her lungs. A lump of fear settled in her throat. She swallowed hard forcing the fear down as the ghosts of her past came back to taunt her.
"Danielle, if you are in trouble, you need to call the park ranger. He will find you faster than I can."
"No. It has to be you. These people specifically asked for you."
"People? What people?" Alice rose from the bed and raced to the corner where she plucked her blouse from the pile of clothes.
Her heart thundered in her ears making it nearly impossible to hear Danielle. Through her heavy breathing, Alice heard the phone crackle as it was switched between hands. She moved at lightning speed pulling her blouse over her body and slipping into her skirt before the silence on the other line broke.
"Hello Alice." She gasped.
"Derek?" Alice dropped her voice making it no louder than a whisper. She tried to hold back her anger as she glanced through the open door to James.
"Well, I'm impressed. I thought you may have forgotten all about me."
"What are you doing?"
"Enforcing the law."
"So help me, if you hurt Danielle I will kill you."
"That's funny. I thought I heard you threatening me."
"I don't threaten people, Derek." Alice hissed.
"Well, you see, dear Alice, your friend was in the wrong place at the wrong time and saw things she shouldn't have."
Alice didn't need any further information. Her heart sank as her mind reeled at the potential outcome for her friend. All Alice could see was Derek twisting Danielle's thin elegant neck, causing the light in her friend's eyes to go out.
"Are you certain?"
"I take it you didn't get the text," Derek's voice dropped causing Alice to flinch. Alice pulled the phone from her ear and glanced at the screen as a message popped up. Quickly, Alice clicked on the link. Her eyes widened as a video played.
There in the deepest part of Yellowstone National Park, a pack of wolves shifted to humans. Alice held her breath with her eyes focused on the screen in her hands. The camera jerked about as Danielle raced up the tree to safety.
"Oh Danielle," Alice sighed exhaling the air trapped in her lungs.
"Alice?" Derek's voice drifted over her pounding heartbeat.
"So, now you understand the situation," Derek continued as Alice brought the phone back to her ear.
"What do you want?" Alice hissed with hate.
"Justice, but I’ll settle for a trade."
"What kind of trade?"
"You return home, or I will kill her."
"What kind of trade is that? You aren't offering a trade. You're giving me an ultimatum."
"Alice, I'm willing to let your friend go if you come back."
"I don't belong there."
"You’re one of us." Derek yelled causing Alice to flinch. She flexed her jaw muscle as she thought of Danielle. There was no way Derek would simply let Danielle go, after she’d witnessed their secret first hand. There was only one solution for Alice, and that was to eliminate the problem.
"I may be, but I don't belong to you. You can't order me to come back."
"I may not be able to order you to come here, but if you don't your friend will be dead by the time I drop this phone."
In the background Danielle's cry stabbed Alice. Alice cringed with the realization that she had no other option but to go back. She had to take a life so she could save another. Alice sighed and dropped to the bed sitting in silence.
"You’re going to kill her no matter what I do."
"Not true. I'll spare her if you take her place."
"Oh, so you want to kill me? Sorry, but I like my life."
"Then it's settled. You know, I thought that you cared for this human."
"Alice!" Danielle's screams pierced Alice's heart.
"FINE!" Alice shouted. "I'll come back."
"I knew you would come around eventually," Derek laughed. "I promise that your friend will be cared for until your arrival. Once you arrive it'll be up to you to decide her fate."
"But you said you would let her go!" Alice could feel the fire coursing through her veins. The animal in her was rattling its cage begging to be released.
"The terms of Danielle's fate will be decided when you get here. Oh and Alice, I do hope you get here soon. Her presence is making the others twitchy."
"So help me, if one hair is plucked from her head, I'll kill you myself."
"Well, that would be a fight worth waiting for." Derek's laughter pricked Alice causing her to anger burn.
"See you soon?" Derek said sharply.
Alice sat on the bed with the phone to her ear listening to the silence from the other line. Every breath she took was to calm her nerves. She glanced at the human in the other room. James flashed her a warm smile. Alice rose from the bed and balled her hands into fists. She knew she would be attacked the moment she stepped foot in the park. Hope seeped out of her as James walked into the room.
"You okay?" he asked his eyes filled with concern. Alice pressed her lips into a tight line letting the air escape from her nose. She didn't say a word. She glanced at James to speak. Hurt and rejection flashed across his face. She tried to smile but only shook her head and closed her mouth.
"Thanks for last night, I had fun," Alice's voice was harsh. She stole one last glimpse at James, hoping she could remain in the fantasy. But she knew that her existence would always put others in danger.
"Wait, don't you want some food? I ordered pizza." Alice paused at the door and turned to look at James. He was tall and handsome. Strong and endearing, but her heart froze as she stared at him.
"No, but I did have fun."
"So that's it? You're just going to leave?"
"This isn't the start of a beautiful relationship," Alice said flatly crushing all her hopes of starting something with James. The spark in his eyes faded as she tried to smile. "But thanks."
Alice reached for the door knob and pulled the door open. She slipped into the hallway and shut that part of her heart off forever. She raced towards the parking lot, letting her thoughts consume her. After all this time, she finally understood that she could never hold on to a relationship with anyone in the human world. The lesson was hard to swallow as she realized she had put her best friend in danger because of who she was.
"Hold on Danielle," Alice sighed. "I'm coming for you."
Chapter 2
Alice's heart skipped the moment she crossed the state line into Montana. Her eyes bolted from one side of the road to other before darting to the rear-view mirror. With each glance, she expected to find a pack of angry wolves waiting for her. But as she drove on, all she could see was the wide open country, lost to time.
The high-rise buildings of the city were long gone. Only lush green trees towering towards the sky and wide open spaces surrounded her. She sucked in the crisp clean air and exhaled allowing the pollution of the city to be expelled from her lungs. Her nose filled with the sweet aroma of honeysuckle and wheat. For a split second she wondered about pulling over but she didn't have time to lollygag—Danielle was in trouble.
Alice's mind shifted from the open space and serenity of the wild to the confrontation she was about to drive into. She clenched her teeth and gripped the steering wheel harder.
"What do you have up your sleeve?" she mumbled to herself while keeping a keen eye on the road. It was nearly twelve years since she had last seen him and their parting had been anything but mutually agreed. Her heart sputtered with worry.
Danielle was more than a best friend and roommate—she was a sister. There was no telling if Derek would keep his promise. He wasn't her al
pha which made the situation worse. She wasn't bound to him in any shape or form, which meant that Derek could do anything he wanted to Danielle and there wasn't anything Alice could do about it.
She pressed down on the gas pedal, propelling her car down the road faster. She no longer cared about the speed limits or any other human restrictions. Her only thought was to find Danielle and run away as fast as possible. Her thumb drummed against the steering wheel as the trees whizzed by her in a blur. The animal within her growled, and she wondered if ditching the car wouldn’t be a better way to travel.
She glanced down to the speedometer and shook her head. With the needle hitting over one hundred, she knew there was no way she would be able to run that fast. But, even 100 miles per hour wasn't fast enough. Her eyes narrowed and her body twitched as she remained behind the wheel, pushing her little Honda as fast as it could go.
It wasn't until she reached the large wooden sign that she finally slowed down. Her heart skipped and sputtered, as the needle dropped below the speed limit. She sucked in a deep breath hoping beyond hope she wouldn't have to confront anyone right here. She rolled past the welcome sign to Yellowstone National Park and smiled.
"Yes!"
Her fears dissipated as she came to a stop behind a long line of cars waiting to enter the park. Alice's head turned from side to side while her eyes peered into the forest. She tried to calm herself but her nerves were shot. Every inch she moved forward was like a notch on a noose around her neck. The air in her lungs burned the closer she got to the small welcome hut of the park.
"Get a grip, Alice." She mumbled searching the shadows of the trees. "They wouldn't be stupid enough to attack you here. Too many people."
She continued to follow the line of cars until she came up to a stop at the entrance. A stout young woman, wearing a brown shirt and khaki shorts, stepped out of the shack. She smiled and leaned down to Alice’s window. Alice's eyes lingered on the poor girl and pulled in a deep breath. The scent around the park ranger was complex. Alice caught a hint of lavender soap mingled with coffee and chocolate but no traces of the musky animal scent.
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