She smiled, but didn't like the sound of that. Running a bar in a small town wouldn't exactly let her stay in the shadows, but she simply didn't want to know a lot of people.
Rob recited his number for Marie, which she jotted down and shoved back in her purse. He started jumping in place, shaking his head. Apparently, it was time to run once again, but he looked ridiculous. She tried not to laugh.
"Okay, I'm going to get back to my run. If I end up behind a bar, serving drinks to single ladies, I have to look good, right?"
"If you say so."
"Call me anytime. Hell, if you want help for the cleanup, I'll help with that, too. I just have to dust off my hazmat suit."
"Thank you, Rob. I really appreciate it."
He resumed his run, reversing direction and sticking to the sidewalk. Turning and waving, he nearly ran into a woman getting out of her car. He held his thumb in the air, to let Marie know everything was fine.
She simply waved and shook her head.
Turning back to the bar, she took a deep breath as the scope of the project settled on her once again. So much to do. She had no partners. She didn't even have a shoulder to lean on. But she would pull it off.
One thing at a time. That's what she constantly told herself. The first step was cleanup, and that began tomorrow.
She had other plans for the night.
CHAPTER 9
Marie pulled up in front of her apartment building just in time to see two men having a discussion near a delivery truck. The rear of the truck was open, a couch sitting on the lift gate. A man dressed in a yellow uniform leaned on the back of the couch while his partner paced in the grass, a cell phone to his ear. With her keen hearing, she heard the conversation as she pulled into the lot.
"Nah, boss, she ain't home. We ain't got her number. Can you give her a call? See if she'll answer?"
"What's going on?" the partner asked.
He covered the mouthpiece. "I'm trying to make Randy do some actual work."
She couldn't hear their boss, Randy, but he spoke only for a second. The delivery man on the phone shrugged and tucked his phone away.
"He just says to come on back."
She parked and quickly jumped out of the car.
"Whoa, there. Hold on a sec. I'm here. I'm so sorry. I guess I lost track of time running around town."
He pointed at the couch. "This is for you?"
"Yeah. A couch and chair. For apartment 2-C. I'm Marie." Her new name still sounded foreign to her. "Marie Johnson."
The delivery man looked her up and down, obviously liking what he saw. He double-checked the paperwork and her driver's license.
"Okay, then. Just point us in the right direction."
Her apartment was on the second floor. She held the door open for the delivery men while they went to work. The single-bedroom space didn't yet feel like home. The living room was completely empty. No TV, and the furniture only just arriving. Only a phone sat in the corner, which wasn't yet turned on. There were no pictures on the walls, and a rush of sadness overwhelmed her as she realized she might never put any up. She had no family, no friends. There was a vampire she occasionally traded emails with, but those emails stopped years ago. Either he was bored of Marie, or a stake found its way into his heart.
Marie was unlike other werewolves. She didn't run with others of her kind, had no use for a pack.
She would never associate with a pack.
"Wow," one of the men said. "Did you just move in?"
Sarcasm was her first temptation, but she held her tongue in check.
"Is it that obvious?"
"Yeah. You should put up some pictures. Home the place up a bit."
"I'll keep that in mind."
The delivery men did their job, and she looked over the simple furniture as she signed the paperwork. It actually almost looked like a living room. The couch against the wall, the chair adjacent to it, creating a bit of path when entering the front door. The patio door leading outside was completely unobstructed, letting her come and go as she pleased. Soon, she'd get a coffee table for the middle, maybe a small TV for the corner.
She stood in the middle of her apartment with her eyes closed, simply enjoying the moment. Just the mundane act of accepting a furniture delivery was a small step in her new life, and it was exciting.
The excitement faded as the sounds of apartment life found her ears. Despite being alone, it was far from quiet.
A man on the third floor obviously had trouble with something he'd eaten during the day, and his toilet was paying the price. On the first floor a couple was having sex. Marie smirked when she realized it wasn't a couple, but a trio. Two women and a man.
"You go, boy," she said.
She laughed aloud when his moaning slowed, and the women's picked up. The man just couldn't keep up, and the women were taking care of each other.
There were more noises, simpler in nature. A couple watching TV, arguing who to vote off on Survivor. A single mother shushing a crying baby. A young boy playing a video game.
"Ahh," Marie said, stretching her arms. "Life is good."
The lack of a pack, either human or supernatural. A noisy, empty apartment. A huge personal project lying ahead. Rebuilding her family's bar would either be the most fulfilling thing she'd ever done, or it would crush her.
It was the life she'd chosen, and she loved it.
Marie had her moments of despair, like any living creature, but she never pitied herself. She never cried or pouted at the attack that changed her life forever. She was a werewolf, and there was nothing like it.
It was a feeling she'd never be able to describe to anyone. She tried, once, to her vampire pen-pal. She thought being supernatural himself, he would have a better time understanding, but she never believed he got it.
The latter half of twentieth century, and the beginning of the twenty-first, had romanticized the supernatural. Movies, books, Halloween parties. Witches with large cleavage and short dresses. Vampires making love to their donors as they sampled their exposed necks with huge, luscious fangs. Bare-chested werewolves with perfect hair, posing on the hilltop beneath the full moon.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Witches didn't even exist, as far as Marie knew. Her vampire friend did confirm there was a certain sexual element to vampirism. A human would actually orgasm during a vampire's feeding. There was the thrill of the hunt, the energy, the long stares from across the room.
Lycanthropy wasn't like that at all. Despite their agelessness, their naturally appealing looks, being a werewolf wasn't about seduction and intimacy.
It was about power.
Marie could turn into a large, strong wolf. She traded two legs for four. Even the experience of walking, her nose inches from the ground, was amazing. But when she ran through the trees, winding through the leaves and rocks, nature around her, nothing could compare.
Water flowing from a river tasted so much better than that pouring from a faucet. Curling into a ball in the moss, napping under the moon, was cozier than any old plush blanket. Marie liked steak. She had no problem at all sitting at a restaurant. But tracking a deer through the woods, pouncing, eating its delicious meat. There was nothing like it.
She stared out the patio. The sun was down. Dusk was slowly giving way to night. There was a patch of grass and dirt that ran behind the apartments, leading to a playground, but beyond that lay miles of nature. It'd been decades since she explored Sandy Cliffs.
Walking into the kitchen, she pulled down the map of Sandy Cliffs taped to the refrigerator. Marie didn't need it at all. She just liked to look at it, like a man staring at a picture of a car he already owned.
Sandy Cliffs was a small town, only fifty miles south from the Canadian border. Only three main roads led back out to the highway. Surrounding the town on all sides was beautiful, wonderful nature. Marie remembered decades ago, before she left, running for miles, staying out for days. She remembered the rivers, streams,
and caves. There was a ridge overlooking a lake, about fifty feet above the water, with a beach below. She fell asleep there countless times, lulled by the sound of animals and water.
Marie went into her bedroom. She had only a single dresser and a mattress on the floor. Tomorrow would be a busy day. More furnishings were on the way, and she had plenty to do regarding the bar. Phone calls, meetings, organizing the cleanup.
But that was tomorrow.
She left the apartment, locking the door behind her, and circled around the building. There was no one around as she walked through the playground toward the woods. She disappeared through the tree line into the darkness. The random scents of the apartment building faded as nature took their place. Birds, wet tree bark, rabbits, squirrels, water.
She found what she was looking for. A simple tree stump, barely in view of the apartment through the trees. Basically nature's end table. She pulled off her blouse first, followed by her bra. She stripped completely naked. After folding her jeans, she felt along the pocket to make sure she brought her key. That would have been a rather embarrassing thing to forget.
Under the light of a half moon, she changed. Pain and pleasure. Bones breaking. Muscles stretching. Her jaw broke and extended, her tongue reformed. Her field of vision changed, growing wider but shorter. Gray hues rushed in to push out the black.
Her tail wagged on its own as she arched back. She was a second away from howling, but fought the desire off. The apartment wasn't all that far away. There was no need to frighten the humans.
Marie ran. She had no destination, no purpose. She simply ran. Wildlife scattered around her. Birds flew away, making way for her arrival. If only an over-sized, monstrous wolf could smile. The sounds and scents around her brought crystal clear images to her head. A doe drinking from a small stream to her right. A sparrow sitting on her eggs above. A snake unhinging its jaw to eat a mouse.
Thirty minutes passed. She found a few trails and spots she toured decades ago. Grass had grown over certain trails, but they were otherwise the same.
Marie found her ridge overlooking the lake. She sat on her haunches as she watched the shimmering water below. Catfish and crappie reached her nose, and she snarled. She didn't like fish. Fish was for cats.
She finally let out a long, steady howl. More birds darted around her. She curled around herself and rested her snout on her hind leg. Closing her eyes, she let daydreams take over.
Her bar was up completely and running, with people lining up outside to get in. When the last person made their way inside, Marie saw her parents, standing in the middle of the lot. They waved, and she blew a kiss before disappearing inside as well, ready to work. They were proud of her.
Slowly, she drifted off in a light sleep under the stars. Her leg kicked slightly, like a dog chasing a car in a dream. She wished she could give herself to the night completely, change in the morning and start on her day, but that wasn't an option, not with the chores of the next day looming. After another hour or so in the night, she'd head back to her apartment, sleep in her human bed.
Voices quietly invaded her dreams.
"Wow, isn't the lake beautiful?"
"Yeah. I should have brought my fishing gear."
Her ear perked up by reflex. One eye opened, settling on the clouds moving through the horizon.
"You know," a male voice said. "This scenery is making me a little…happy."
"Down, boy." A female. "We talked about this."
Both ears shot up as Marie examined the air with her nose. Two humans, male and female. They weren't close enough to differentiate scents. They grabbed her sense of smell as one large mass. Strawberries, watermelon, basil, coconut, and most strongly, marijuana.
She climbed to her feet and walked to the edge of the ridge. Through the gray distance, lounging on the beach below, were a man and woman. They passed a joint back and forth. They sat with their legs out, the water nipping at their bare feet. The man rested a hand on her knee. The woman noticeably stiffened as she grabbed his hand with her own.
"Mike…."
"What? I'm just touching your knee. I can do that, right?"
"It never stops at the knee with you. I told you, I want to wait."
"Fine. Shit, I'm not doing anything."
Marie growled slightly at the invasion. Decades ago, humans were afraid of the woods around Sandy Cliffs, especially after the brutal murders. Those days were long forgotten, and she shouldn't have been surprised at humans enjoying her lake. It was beautiful. She huffed slightly, deciding there was enough room for a young couple. Even if the smell of marijuana nearly made her sick.
She dug in the dirt, to make a nice, cozy hole for herself. Turning in place a few times, she was ready to lay back down when their words caught her attention.
"I said stop."
"Come on, Dana," Mike said, trying to keep a sultry tone. "I can't help it, you're just too gorgeous. Just a little kiss."
Marie would have laughed, if she could. She remembered the last time a guy tried to pull a similar line on her, fifty years ago. Just a little kiss turned into hands reaching where they shouldn't. She broke his wrist.
She could already see where Mike was heading, even if Dana couldn't.
Peering over the ridge once again, she saw the couple below. Mike was on top of Dana, her knees spread wide. He already had his shirt off. He had one of her arms pinned over her head in the sand, kissing her neck. From the little moans of delight that escaped Dana's throat, Marie assumed the young woman changed her mind. She was jealous, in a way. There was nothing wrong with a little make-out session.
She nearly turned back to her dirt bed when her original theory reared its head.
"Okay, Mike, stop. That's enough."
Mike didn't stop. He forcefully pulled her shirt over her head.
"Damnit, Mike, I said stop!"
"For fuck's sake, Dana. Stop being a tease. You want this just as much as I do."
"Mike…."
Her voice trailed off. There were no more words, only struggling. Mike didn't bother with her bra. He tried to pin both of Dana's hands in place while he fumbled with the clasp on her jeans. He couldn't secure her second hand, which she used to smack him across the face. The blow only angered him, and he struck back, knocking her senseless. Dana cried out and tried to drag herself away, but Mike threw his weight on her, returning his attention to her jeans.
Marie fought with herself on what to do.
The thought crossed her mind to simply do nothing at all. Nothing good would come for her if she intervened. If she scared Mike off as a werewolf, then there was a monstrous, terrible creature running loose in the woods. Not everyone would believe him, but some would. If she changed back into a human, then there was a crazy naked woman running around, with a recognizable face.
Marie licked her lips. The thought of doing nothing only lasted three seconds. Becoming a werewolf didn't completely change who she was. She didn't need to be human to be a good person.
She leapt from the side of the ridge, away from the couple, completely sailing over a tree. Her paws stung only for a moment when she hit the ground, in between two bushes. The change overtook her. Bestial growling turned into quiet moaning. Hind legs shifted into bare feet and thighs.
Near the end of her change, she willed it to slow down.
Not many werewolves were capable of manipulating the change. They either lacked the focus, the willpower, or they simply didn't care. From what she understood from ten-year-old rumors, there were even werewolves out there that thought they were mindless beasts, controlled by the full moon. Utter nonsense. Marie told herself when she was first turned that she'd control the werewolf, not the other way around.
She rose on human legs, still a little wobbly. The shadows in the trees kept her out of sight. Mike and Dana still fought up ahead, with Mike getting the better of her. Her jeans were pulled halfway down, her panties ripped away and discarded. She cried and kicked as Mike struck her again. He turned his
attention to his own jeans.
Marie stepped out of the shadows and walked forward, calmly, but with purpose. Neither human saw her.
Violently, she raked down his bare back, from the top of his shoulders to his left hip. His back arched as he shouted at the top of his lungs. She didn't use human fingernails. Her hands were long, razor-sharp claws.
The claws ripped through his flesh like paper. He collapsed on top of her and rolled to the side. Dana was screaming as well from sheer terror. She scooted backwards wildly, kicking up sand and dirt.
Marie was surprised when Mike climbed to his feet. She could smell the blood, see it dripping down his jeans. His eyes were wild as they traveled along her naked body. Rage overwrote all rational thought.
"You fucking bitch!"
He cocked his fist back, but compared to Marie, he had the speed of an infant. She went a little easier the second time; she didn't want to kill him. His chest had three claw marks stretching from rib to chest before he could take a step.
Rage quickly gave way to pain and fear, and Mike ran. He didn't bother checking on Dana, his girlfriend, intended victim, whatever she was. Disappearing into the woods, he didn't even bother getting his shirt.
Marie locked eyes with Dana.
The young woman was nearly in a state of shock. She clutched her shirt to her chest, covering her breasts. A bruise was forming under her eye, which would definitely hurt in the morning. Marie breathed deeply, calming her own nerves. Dana jumped when Marie looked down at the torn panties in the grass.
Marie winced as her fingers popped and cracked. The claws folded into her fingertips, the digits growing shorter. She reached down, scooped the panties in one finger, and tossed them lightly at Dana.
"You might want to think twice about your next boyfriend."
Dana said nothing. Marie smirked at the thought of how she looked. Completely nude, her strawberry blond hair stopping just at the shoulders. Her right side was covered in dirt, the side she lay on during a change.
Damned and Cursed (Book 2): Witch's Kurse Page 11