by Trina M. Lee
I was careful to park a few doors down and scour the area. When I rang the doorbell, I called out that it was me. Inside, I heard nothing but silence. I sensed someone on the other side of the door just before it cracked open.
“Hurry up and get in here,” he growled, stepping back just enough to allow me inside.
“Well, aren’t you a grumpy old wolf?” I thought he’d appreciate that.
“I’m not old. What do you want?”
“That’s no way to talk to someone who just hauled your ass out of jail. And, may be stuck doing so again.” I stepped inside and kicked my runners off. He locked the door behind me and frowned at my baggy sweatpants.
“Again?”
“Don’t pretend you don’t know. Why else would you be hiding here under lock and key?”
“All I know is that Richard Price has been asking around about me. He thinks I murdered his wife.”
I couldn’t help but frown. He didn’t sound all that broken up about it, but his dark eyes were red rimmed. He looked tired when he added, “Yeah, I heard about Sheridan if that’s why you’re here. I’m surprised the cops haven’t come for me already.”
“Why would they?” I asked.
This is it, I thought. If he admits his involvement, I’m washing my hands of this.
Then, a memory hit me. During my first year as a werewolf, another wolf, older and stronger than I was, wanted me for his own. I had made it clear to him that I wasn’t interested in being his pack run playmate, and he’d attempted to take me by force.
Raoul had stopped him, beat him until I thought he was surely dead. That wolf had never risked so much as a glance in my direction again. He left town soon after.
Perhaps, Raoul knew how to drive me absolutely insane. Perhaps, he knew how to piss me off royally. Still, he was pack, and as much as I hated it, I owed him one.
I was suddenly embarrassed; Arys knew that memory.
“Don’t they always blame the ex-husband or ex-lover?” He asked and startled me out of my thoughts.
“That’s because it always is the ex.” I met his eyes evenly. I had to.
“Do you think I killed her?”
The silence that settled between us was heavy and uncomfortable. But, in that moment, looking into his hard and unflinching gaze, I knew he was innocent. I couldn’t scent even a hint of a lie on him.
I replied honestly, “No. I don’t.” He swallowed hard then, as if he’d expected to hear otherwise. “But because I don’t, I need you to answer a question. Why would another one of your lovers turn up dead?”
Raoul paled considerably and took an involuntary step back. I could hear his quick intake of breath. “Is this an accusation? How the hell would I know?” His voice began to rise.
“Because if you didn’t do it, then someone is setting you up.”
I’ve never seen the poor guy look so distraught. I followed him into the kitchen, a chef’s dream, where he poured himself a scotch on the rocks. When he offered, I declined. My stomach was starting to feel fluttery again.
“Julie was a great woman and fantastic in the sack,” he said before draining his glass in one swallow. “But, I didn’t love her. And, there’s no piece of ass so good that it’s worth a murder charge. I haven’t even seen her in six months or more. Even longer with Sheridan.”
“Do you have any idea why someone would want to frame you for either murder?”
He refilled his glass and seemed to stare off in thought. “No. I can’t think of anyone.”
I didn’t like the way his negative energy stung my skin. It was similar to the irritation of a mosquito bite. My own personal power instinctively grew as if to shield the unwanted assault. “So, there is absolutely no way that you are involved.”
“I told you that I was here the night Julie died. With Belle.”
I chose not to address his words directly. “And last night?”
“In the city. At a business function.”
“Alright then, Raoul. But, the question remains, who hates you enough to dedicate their existence to destroying yours?”
When he finished his third scotch and reached to pour another, I laid a gentle but firm hand on his. I pulled it away from the bottle. I saw something then in the ebony eyes of my former Alpha that I’d never seen before. Fear.
“Alexa, promise you’ll help me if I tell you this.” He gripped my upper arms in desperation. He surprised me, and I barely suppressed the urge to fight.
“I’m helping you by being here; now, get off me.” I shrugged out of his hands. “So, spit it out.”
He nodded and stepped back. He rubbed his hands as if my skin had burned him.
“Someone broke into the house about a week ago, while I was at work. By the time the alarm company dispatched police, they were gone.”
Now I could see where this was going. It wasn’t looking good. “What did they take?”
“Personal belongings: A wristwatch, some photographs, and some jewelry, a ring with a wolf’s head to be exact.” He swallowed hard, and I was beginning to understand why.
“That’s all? Your computer, TV, everything else of value was left untouched?”
“Completely.”
“Ok, Raoul. I’m doing my best here to be loyal and supportive, but if there’s something you’re not telling me-,” “You said you don’t think I did it!”
“I’m just saying you can’t hide shit from me. I will find out. And, then you’ll be on your own.” I meant business and felt incredibly annoyed. “You probably messed with the wrong woman, and this is the outcome. You know what they say, ‘Hell hath no fury…’”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Another silence ensued, but more comfortable than the last. I became aware of the itch starting beneath my skin. The pull of the moon created a warm glow in the pit of my stomach. Soon, the need to shift would be upon me. If I concentrated on Raoul, I could feel his wolf waiting. He needed the release, too.
“Why don’t we grab a coffee and head back to my place?” I readied myself to leave and risked laying a gentle hand on his forearm.
His gaze fell to where our skin touched, and I resisted the urge to pull away. “I can’t thank you enough, Alexa. I don’t know how I managed to secure your trust, but I am truly grateful. Considering our history, I don’t deserve this.”
Alarm bells went off in my head. He wasn’t sucking me back in, not now. “We’re pack.” I shrugged it off and swallowed hard. “Now, let’s go run with our wolves.”
Chapter Nine
Raoul wouldn’t leave with me, but I refused to go until he promised to show up, with a tired, “I’ll be in the clearing by midnight.” We often met there in the years since I’d vacated his place. He offered no further explanation, and I didn’t prompt for one.
I stood in the kitchen at home and gazed out the window. Across the field, the silver moonlight illuminated the outline of Shaz and Kylarai as they trotted toward the trees. I had said that I would be right behind them.
I wasn’t feeling so hot. Since I had left Raoul’s, the hunger had been carving out my insides like a dull blade. The craving for human blood tore through me like a sickness, and at one point, I doubled over in pain. Waves of nausea wracked my body, and I gasped for air, clutching uselessly at my stomach.
Arys’ hunger ate at me like a disease. I began to understand why so many vampires chose to take the kill; I’d do anything to make the undying need stop.
The clock on the stove approached midnight. The part of me that was wolf felt confused and irritated. Tonight was supposed to belong to my wolf, who didn’t have time for this.
Clad in only a velvet robe, I let myself out on to the back deck. Determined, I fought back the blood sickness that didn’t belong to me and focused on the moon lust that did. I closed my eyes and breathed the night air deep into my lungs. It was cool and crisp; it made me feel alive.
I allowed the robe to slip down my body and pool at my feet. The power of my wolf reached for the moon. T
he change broke over me, and I shifted quickly and smoothly.
The pain in my guts ceased as I took off at a run.
Werewolves, my pack, filled the clearing. Most of the dozen or so local shifters waited there, many of them in human form. Some sat in the grass talking while others stretched or wrestled playfully.
And as he had promised, Raoul stood in the center of them all. I was glad to be in wolf form. I wasn’t a fan being nude in close proximity to Raoul. He stood there beneath the moonlight, unashamed in his naked glory.
Belle began to make her way to him from where she sat with one of the younger males. Typical. I intercepted her just because I could. Her place will never be at the center of the circle with the Alpha. At least, not until she can best me in a fight, the good, old-fashioned way.
Raoul met my eyes and nodded. He didn’t even so much as cast a glance in Belle’s direction as he gracefully went to his knees. By the time, he touched the ground he was a striking black wolf. He fled the clearing with Belle hot on his heels in a pathetic attempt to keep up.
Kylarai and Shaz appeared out of the shadows behind me. Ky’s deep brown fur contrasted greatly with Shaz’ brilliant white and my ash blonde.
The three of us ran with a few others. We frolicked under the midnight sky until we picked up the fresh scent of a deer. I’d much rather hunt something a little less cute and a little more evil, so when they veered off to follow the trail I went my own way.
Shaz came back to me, and we soon found ourselves stalking small animals through the brush, just for fun. A good chase was exhilarating and didn’t hurt anybody. We flushed out a few gophers and gave chase until they squeezed their fat little bodies down a hole.
Even as I enjoyed my time with nature, I regretted that my reprieve was only temporary. I welcomed the escape; I ran with abandon, but I could shake neither the phantom hunger for human blood nor the fear that raced through me.
Human blood. The thought called up a memory. I didn’t like seeing through Arys’
eyes. His memories were beyond disturbing.
He was in bed with a young, dark skinned woman. I was looking down at her perfect, slender neck. Even in the pale light of an oil lamp, I could easily make out her pulse leaping against her creamy skin. Only the thinnest barrier separated my lips from the crimson river that flowed through her veins beneath. I bent to kiss that warm pulsating spot on her throat, and she pulled me closer, eagerly. I was going to kill her.
(Arys never even paused to consider the morality of it.)
I bit deep, fatal. Enraptured by my power, my victim sought only to draw me closer as the life pumped out of her body. A struggle was preferable, but this quiet complacency was nice, too.
The grip of the vampire’s memory was broken as my muzzle hit the dirt. Shaz had successfully caught me unawares with that pounce. His playful attack sent me sprawling, and when I got to my feet, I was angry.
Irrational rage filled me, and a deep growl erupted from my throat. Shaz’ ears twitched, and he looked at me with confusion. Blood and death, they filled me, and I could already taste his blood. I could see only the invigorating rush of hot, violent death.
When I rushed him, I had very little sense of self and a need for blood that I had never known. He realized, as I reached him, that something wasn’t right. He met me with his lips peeled back in a snarl, but fear shined in the depths of his jade eyes.
The impact of our colliding bodies broke the stillness surrounding us. The wind rushed out of my lungs as we went down and rolled. On my feet, I rushed him again, but a part of me asked what the hell I was doing.
The scent of blood hit the air, and my stomach cramped. Hunger swarmed me until I was drowning in it. I saw only through the vampire’s eyes. Need drove me, and I fought hard for Shaz’ throat.
His powerful jaws snapped inches before my face and drove me back. I circled wide and prepared to spring on him again. When I leapt, however, I quickly found myself going nowhere as pain shot up my spine. I thumped heavily to the ground and whirled around.
Raoul gripped my tail with strong hands. He was in human form, but he bared his fangs at me. With one great heave, he flung me away from Shaz. All four of my feet left the ground as I flew a good twenty feet through the air. So much for healing up those sore muscles.
Before I could get to my feet, Raoul was on top of me. He straddled my upper body and pressed my face against the ground. He had me trapped; I couldn’t get up.
My every instinct screamed for me to remove him metaphysically, but in my wolf form, I was not very skilled in that area. Instead of struggling against Raoul, I stilled under his weight; I submitted.
My face stung, and my tail ached. I cursed both Arys and myself up and down. I needed to talk to Lena about this.
“Alexa?” Raoul’s voice came low in my ear. “Have you lost your damn mind?”
I was hoping he didn’t expect a verbal reply. There was no way that I was going to shift with his naked ass on top of me.
“What’s gotten into you? You’re beyond this kind of loss of control.” When I made no move to fight, he slowly began to release his hold on me.
“Is she ok?” Shaz’ voice. He’d shifted fast. Even after what I’d just done, his first concern was still for me.
My heart broke, and I knew, suddenly and exactly, how bad I’d really fucked up.
Power like Arys’ and mine was a curse before it was a gift.
“She seems fine. Other than the rabid bitch mentality.”
“I’m not sure what happened. I was just playing around, and she snapped.” I could see Shaz shrug as he came into my line of sight. “Don’t poke the bear, I guess.”
It pissed me off how they spoke as if I wasn’t there.
“I think it’s more like, don’t tease the werebitch,” Raoul said, and I felt my anger begin to bubble again.
He wasn’t sounding like someone who needed my help. He looked down at me and said, “I’m going to let you up now. No sudden moves.” As if to enforce his meaning, the jerk dragged a clawed finger across my throat before releasing me.
I have never felt as humiliated as I did right then. Without looking at either of them, I turned tail and fled into the night. I ran blindly for hours, until I could run no more.
Nearing sunrise, I was thoroughly exhausted and finally headed for home.
Kylarai met me as I stepped through the patio door. She wore a look of concern and stood with her arms crossed over her chest. I could take a wild guess that she’d heard about my temporary loss of sanity.
Before she could open her mouth to speak, I burst into tears. I felt ashamed, and it made my gut ache to think about hurting Shaz.
“Alexa…” she was hesitant. It seemed as if she wasn’t sure what to say. Her lips formed a small “o” of surprise, and when I wiped my eyes, my hands came away red.
Blood tears, only vampires cry blood tears.
“I don’t know what’s happened to me, Kylarai.”
“You need to talk to Arys. Maybe he’s not well either. Maybe he needs help, he could be a danger.”
I gave her a look that clearly indicated she wasn’t helping. Arys was already a danger. “I need to call Lena. She knows almost everything about metaphysics.”
Ky nodded but said nothing. She seemed to be having a hard time meeting my eyes. I went to the bathroom to wash my face, but my reflection stopped me dead in the doorway.
My eyes were a sparkling vibrant blue. That sapphire blue belonged on someone else. Red streaks stained my cheeks, hideous and mocking. Unnerved, I forced my feet to work so I could stare closer into my face in the mirror.
“Holy shit,” I breathed, horror struck. I didn’t look like me. My deep brown eyes were now the color of Arys’ eerie vampire orbs. A shiver crawled up my spine.
“How are you feeling?” Kylarai spoke from the open doorway behind me.
“Not like myself. If that wasn’t already apparent. How’s Shaz?”
“Worried. I had to f
orce him to go home. He wanted to stay here until you showed up, but I wasn’t sure that was a good idea.” Ky shrugged and did her best to keep her expression neutral. “He was pretty torn up. He blames himself for setting you off.”
“You didn’t tell him about Arys?”
“Of course not.”
I slammed my hands down on the counter in frustration. The sound of wood splitting did little to soothe me. I generally accept my mistakes, but this time, I’d really blown it.
“Son of a bitch! When was the last time I did something so stupid, Ky?”
“Are you looking for a real answer or a fake “there there” answer?”
“Real.”
“It’s been a long time. Probably, the last time you slept with Raoul.”
Ouch. I’d asked for honesty, though. Count on a good friend to never let you forget the dumbest things you’ve ever done.
“Ok. So there have been things worse than this. I just have to find a way to work through it.”
Ky gave a scoffing laugh. “I’m glad you’re being so positive about it, but would you mind sharing with me why you tried to bleed Shaz? What the hell happened to you out there?”
With a long, shuddery breath, I told her about Arys’ memories and the insatiable bloodlust. Her expression never changed, but I felt the shift in the atmosphere. Was she putting herself on the defensive? A little part of me died when I realized Kylarai was afraid of me.
“Well, that sums it up,” she said when I’d finished. “You need to speak with a few different people. But, it’s up to you who is first on that list.”
Despite the fact that the sun would rise in an hour, I couldn’t sleep. I just couldn’t stop thinking about Shaz. Long after Kylarai had gone to bed, this time locking her door, I lay awake staring at the ceiling.
Maybe, Shaz was awake. I rolled out of bed and pulled on some jeans. I grabbed my car keys and neared the front door, when I sensed him, on the other side. He lingered as if afraid to knock.
Afraid he would leave, I pulled the door open quickly. He just looked at me expectantly. Instead of stepping inside, he reached out with a gentle hand. His fingers deftly brushed the hair away from my neck. Before I realized what he was doing, he’d tugged the strap of my tank top down and exposed the vampire bite in the hollow of my collarbone.