A Werewolf's Saga Books 1, 2, & 3 (A Werewolf's Saga Boxed Sets)

by Michael Lampman

  Hearing him, Marie stepped out of the front door and stepped to Sasha’s right. “I see you finally made it.” She smiled. She couldn’t wait to see him again. She had to answer that need.

  Jimmy watched her come towards both of them. “I would never.” He smiled and took a heavy breath.

  “You remembered how to get here?” Marie breathed, being there within the trees again made her feel better all ready. It always did, standing in the shadows of the earth. Now with Kalima there with them, everything seemed like old times again. His scent added to everything. After all, this was such a special place for all of them. It was their home, if they ever had one.

  He laughed a subtle one at that. “How could I forget?” He looked up to the roof of the porch, which matched the floor as it wrapped around the front and side of the house towards his right. “This is a nice place.” He felt polite in having to state.

  Marie laughed. Hers was strong and full of life. “We bought this place a long time ago, Collins and I. He used to love it then. He always did.”

  Jimmy walked up the steps, stopping besides Sasha on the porch. “He did?”

  Marie left them and walked to the far end of the porch, to their respective left and right. She nodded; placing both of her hands onto the railing, and now leaned against it with her hips. “Collins and I loved it here, he more than I at the time.” She laughed subtly. “He said that it reminded him of his place back in Ireland. He said that it made him feel like he was home again.”

  Jimmy passed Sasha and walked towards Marie, stopping directly behind her. “How long were the two of you together?” he asked, seeing the memory of her lying there beneath him again. The feeling of loving her was there as well. Collins did love her that much was certain.

  Marie passed him a casual smile. “It was a long time ago. Many years. Many decades ago now.”

  “How did you meet him?” He bowed his head, trying to think of how to ask the question that was the strongest on his thoughts. He felt curious as to how she became what she was, but didn’t know how quite to state it. What he said, he hoped would do just fine.

  “You mean, how was I bitten?” She smiled, turning towards him.

  He returned her smile. His cheeks flared with the heat of the embarrassment that flushed through his soul. He blushed for the first time in ages.

  “Collins and I met in 1939. He was so very beautiful. He looked so young. He acted so pure. He cared for me. He made me what I am.” She bowed her eyes to the ground that ran along the side of the porch. A few dead plants ran along with it. “I loved him for what he did for me.”

  “He bit you?”

  She nodded. “He made me yes. I met him on this absolutely gorgeous summer day. We saw each other across the road in Central Park. I just couldn’t take my eyes off him. He followed me out of the park and asked me out for lunch. Later, he walked me home. He was about to leave, but I’d forgotten to give him something, so I ran out across the street to give it to him. I never saw the car that hit me. Why would I when I couldn’t see anything else but him?” She laughed some, sounding young and almost girlish. “They rushed me to the hospital. I wasn’t supposed to live, so he gave me a second chance at life. He made me what I am.” She locked her eyes onto his. “In fact, he made all of us.” She turned, looked to Sasha, and smiled again.

  Sasha bowed her head to the floorboards.

  Jimmy listened and lost his breaths. He didn’t expect to hear what he just did, and in a way, he couldn’t believe it. If he was the one that bit the two of them, he could only feel guilt for doing it. He didn’t know how else to feel. He could just turn to Sasha. “He bit you too?”

  Sasha chuckled some at his question. On the other hand, maybe, it was the sound of his voice. He almost sounded childlike to her. “He didn’t bite me.”

  Her laugh made her seem so young to him all of a sudden. “Then who did?”

  “She was made by Samuel.” Marie turned back to look at the trees. The subtle nighttime breeze made a few of them bob within it. She loved the sight. She loved the feeling. It all made her think of him, every time she experienced it. It made her miss him so much.

  Jimmy looked back to Marie. Her deep black hair glistened in the soft air. “I thought you said that I, or Kalima, started all of you?”

  Marie laughed again. The sounds of her voice went deeply through the air. His voice sounded so innocent. He sounded so pure. He was more like Kalima than she ever thought she would see again. “We are all the children of Kalima. All of us.” She turned and looked to him and their eyes met. “You are the Alpha Male. You are the founder of this pack.”

  Jimmy blinked, not sure of what he just heard. “I bit Samuel?” He saw the memory of the field again. He saw Samuel lying on the ground in front of him. Hearing what he did, everything made sense.

  Marie nodded. “You are Kalima. You are the king of all of us. You are the black wolf, the first of your kind.”

  Jimmy bowed his head again, taking everything in. He didn’t know what to think or what to say, so he kept still. He kept quiet.

  The front door opened and Markey stepped outside and onto the porch. “Marie? It’s dusk. It’s time for the hunt.”

  Jimmy turned to him with wide eyes.

  He smiled back to him with bright white teeth.

  Jimmy noticed it. He was the first of their kind that he noticed as having nice teeth, other than Sasha, and he wasn’t sure what it meant.

  Markey felt instantly confused by the look that he gave him. “What?”

  Jimmy tried not to laugh. He felt awkward all of a sudden. “Nothing.” He didn’t know how to say it, so he figured that he better not try to.

  “No, what is it?” Markey asked again. He felt almost like he made fun of him, so he wanted to know why he would do such a thing. Especially, since they stuck up for him and took his side against Samuel. Something he still wasn’t quite sure if it was the right thing to do or not.

  “It’s just,” Jimmy began. He swallowed a fast forming frog from his throat.

  Sasha looked to him and gave him the look of go ahead on her face.

  He paused. “Well. I was just wondering why some of you have bad teeth.” He laughed, awkwardly, trying to sound like he wasn’t really meaning anything that he said. He could feel that Markey had doubts about him. Hell, he vocalized that much, but he still didn’t feel like pushing him any more than he already was. He didn’t want him to hate him. He didn’t want him to doubt him either.

  Marie laughed.

  They all turned to her together at the same time.

  “You have molted, yes?” She lowered her head from the laugh. The sound of it echoed around the trees.

  “Molted?” He looked back to everyone in turn.

  They all smiled and nodded together.

  “Peeling. You have shed your skin?” Sasha now came in.

  He looked from Marie to her. He nodded. He never heard of the word before, so he could only accept their explanation for what it meant.

  Marie looked to all of them and smiled.

  “Teeth don’t molt.” Sasha now smiled as well.

  Jimmy nodded. He shrugged for good measure.

  Marie turned from the railing and met Markey at the door. “Well, we should leave and begin.” She turned to Sasha. “You ready?”

  Sasha turned to Jimmy and smiled. “Are you ready for the hunt?”

  Hearing her, he bowed his head. He didn‘t know how to answer such a thing. “I’m not sure how to,” he winced some. He felt inadequate all of a sudden. That felt funny in itself. He should have felt revolted but he didn’t feel that way. They made him feel so much more complete than he ever thought that he should have felt.

  Marie laughed. It wasn’t against him, but only for the continued innocence that he showed them. “It’s not hard. Just change and let him go.”

  He kept his head down low and his eyes fixed on the floorboards at his feet. “I don’t know how to.” He swallowed, forcing the heaviness of t
he frog again out of his throat. “I don’t know how to change.”

  All of them looked surprised.

  Marie smiled, reached for him, and again used her right hand to lift his face up to hers. “It will come to you again. Stay here. Sasha will stay with you.” She turned, hoping that she would. She loved the hunt too much to want to stay with him herself.

  Sasha turned to her and pouted some. She too loved the hunt, but if he couldn’t go with them, then she would stay behind with him. “I’ll stay.” She smiled.

  This made him shake his head. “If you want to go, you can. I don’t want to be a bother.”

  “Too late for that,” Markey looked down to the floorboards.

  Marie passed him a snarl. It sounded soft but very much heard nonetheless.

  Jimmy looked to Sasha and smiled.

  Markey kept his eyes down, and shut off the impulse to say anything else.

  Marie smiled and turned back to Jimmy. “Stay here. Get reacquainted with the place, and we’ll be back shortly.”

  Jimmy returned her smile.

  Marie turned to Sasha. “What would you like us to bring back for you?”

  Sasha shrugged her shoulders. “A thigh would be good.” She smiled.

  Jimmy winced some, hearing that one. “What are you planning on hunting anyway?” he had to ask. The thought of all of them hunting now flashed in his thoughts. A million ideas came in with it.

  Marie laughed, and everyone else there smiled, even Markey. “Deer of course. We only hunt humans in the city. We keep to those that are not important. Transients and others like them, but leave the others alone.” She looked back to the trees. “Out here, we don’t find too much of either, so deer is all that’s left.”

  Jimmy nodded. He couldn’t do or say anything else so he didn’t. Hearing the words offered him some amount of relief, nonetheless. He didn’t know why, but he already knew the answer that she gave him. It felt like how they always hunted. He also knew that he was the one that came up with the idea in the first place.

  Marie smiled, and turned back to Markey. “Get Susanna would you please.”

  He turned, left, and went back inside.

  Jimmy could hear him calling her name from the other side of the front door.

  Marie looked back to Sasha. “We shouldn’t be long.” She cupped her shoulder in the palm of her hand.

  Sasha nodded, keeping her eyes on Jimmy. She gave him a smile.

  Markey returned to the porch with Susanna on his right arm.

  Together, the three of them went to the steps of the porch, disappeared when they were clear of it, and went around the side of the house. As they ran, each of them began removing their clothes one piece at a time. They left them behind them on the ground as they moved.

  Jimmy watched them leave. “You didn’t have to stay with me you know that.” He smiled, not truly meaning what he said. He felt happy that she did stay with him. He wanted the comfort of company.

  She sensed what he felt. “It doesn’t matter really. There will be plenty of hunts to come.”

  Jimmy put his hands into the front pockets of his jeans and shrugged his shoulders to her as well.

  She smiled from the sight. “I’m happy that you came. It’s nice to have you with us again. We’ve missed him.”

  Jimmy nodded. “How long have you been with him? Been with all of them?”

  Sasha walked over to the railing and looked out into the trees. Off in the distance, the sounds of the others snarling could clearly be heard. “I’ve been here since 1967. I met Samuel and he offered to help me end my suffering.” She turned back towards him. Her green, emerald eyes sparkled in the cool mountain air.

  He could also hear the snarling and howling off in the trees. For some reason, it all seemed like a natural sound. It seemed like he was becoming more and more used to everything happening around him. He paid none of it any further thought, and only what Sasha said was there. “What was your suffering?” He bowed his head and smiled. He lifted it back up again and stared into her beautiful face.

  The look told her that he did truly care. It comforted her completely. “I had cancer. I was only 15. I can still remember the pain I felt. I can remember everything almost as if it all just happened yesterday.”

  “And he took away the pain?”

  She nodded. “He did. We’re not animals you know?” She bowed her eyes to the ground off the porch. “We’re all just trying to live. We’re all just trying to be.”

  He swallowed with that one.

  “Why do you want to end him? I never told the others about what the woman, your friend, was trying to do.” Everything she heard earlier came rushing back to her thoughts. She needed the answer. She wanted to know.

  Jimmy gushed. “I wasn’t sick. I wasn’t depressed. I don’t know why he bit me and made me this.”

  “Maybe he saw something in you that you didn’t know you had.”

  He nodded, but shrugged his shoulders as well. “I guess.”

  “Walkers like Kalima choose their mates. They choose who they want to be with.” She looked to him and back out to the trees. “He chose you. You have something a lot more important inside you than what you give yourself credit for.”

  He lifted his head and smiled. A loud exhale followed it. “What was Collins like? What was Kalima like before him?”

  She sighed some with that one. “You knew Collins, didn’t you?” She stared deeply at his face. She looked into his soul.

  “I did, but not all that well.”

  “What did you see in him?”

  He shook his head. “Well, he seemed free. He seemed excited. He seemed bashful, I guess.” He looked out to the trees.

  She chuckled some under her breath. “Well, that was him. That was always him.”

  He nodded. “And what about Kalima?”

  She breathed. “I never knew him. Collins said very little about him.” She exhaled, this time stronger. “From what I did know, he was sad—very, very sad.”

  “About what?”

  She shook her head again. “Kalima came from a very different time. He came from the beginning. He came from the time before this world began.”

  He nodded.

  “Besides, you shouldn’t be asking me.” She turned to him.

  Her pale skin now began to sparkle with her eyes. “Who should I ask then?” He smiled, half-hearted and subdued.

  She returned it. “Why Kalima of course.” She looked back to the trees.

  He turned to the oncoming darkness. The smell of perfume, or something like it, filtered over to his face. It smelled so strong he almost gagged with the smell.

  She smelled it too. “Someone’s here?” She left the railing and walked to the edge of the stairs. A second smell followed the perfume with this one smelling more masculine.

  Jimmy smelled it too. He knew the smells. He knew who they were. “Why are they here?”

  The two of them left the porch, and moved towards the dirt road. The smells came stronger, so they could tell that they were coming either from the main road, or from the area of the barn.

  He hoped that he wasn’t right, but feared that he was. It meant that she came to find him after all. It meant that she didn’t return to Redford Forge. Why can’t she ever listen to me? Why can’t she just let me go?

  30

  Rachel took Brandon with her up north.

  Brandon was still half-asleep, being that it was still rather early. He worked nights as a security guard for a reason. He wasn’t the morning type. He hated them, and he knew that feeling was mutual.

  They left the hotel a little after eight. With the bright sun out, everything looked normal. The traffic looked light.

  She kept her eyes focused on everyone. She wasn’t sure if Gary was following them, but she still had to be sure. As far as she could tell, he wasn’t. She didn’t see him. It made her feel better, if only for a little bit.

  They came across the little town of Castleford a little after noon
. Being there and trying to remember what Jimmy told her, she quickly found herself lost. She had no idea where to start the search. When Brandon wanted to have lunch, she took the opportunity and stopped at a small restaurant in town. It gave her the time to think. He said something about a dirt road. He said something about it being deep within the trees. Trees were everywhere. The town was small. Both made everything look the same. To top it off, Brandon wasn’t helping.

  “So where the hell is he?” He chewed on his burger. With him doing it, and talking, it made his words sound like a struggle.

  So much so, she barely heard him. At least, that’s what she told herself. With her thoughts on trying to find Jimmy, she wasn’t really listening. “He’s just outside of town.” She nodded, and shrugged for good measure. She looked down at her plate and didn’t feel like eating, so she didn’t. She just sat there and stared out through the window next to them, but stared at nothing at all.

  “Then how are we going to find him?” He swallowed.

  She just sighed. They fell silent.

  After lunch, they headed out again and left town. She found Route 9 and followed it through Castleford. She kept to the highway after leaving town.

  She turned down every dirt road.

  She drove down each of them, but found nothing. None of them fit his description. Realizing that, she would then head back down to the highway and start over again.

  It took all day to find a dirt road that led to a large barn that was tucked neatly into the trees. She wasn’t sure if this was the place, but decided that it was the best place to start.

  She parked next to the barn, deciding to head out on foot instead. It just seemed like a good idea to be cautious. She wanted to make sure, before they did anything else.

  This small move made Brandon question everything again. “Now what are we doing?” It was already starting to get dark. He thought that they were trying to find Jimmy, and if they were, then why were they stopping? Why was she doing this? None of it made any sense. To top it all off, he was also getting hungry again. He was also getting tired. He was tired of sitting in the car.