“Yes… no... Maybe, I don't know.”
“Say what you will, but nothing I would have said would have changed your mind. You had it in your head that I was a lowly human and we couldn’t be together. Now that you know the truth, you will be more objective to my proposal.”
“And what proposal is that?”
“Well, for starters, we date…exclusively. No more friends with benefits for you. I want you all to myself. I am tired of sharing you.” “Tired of sharing me…what…who…”
“I didn’t mean it the way you are obviously taking it. I am not calling you a garden tool. I just mean that you have went on dates with other men where I have always just been your friend. Well, with the exception of the other night. I want to be the steady fella in your life and someone else can be the ‘friend’.
“No more lies?”
“No more lies. I promise. You can ask anything you want and I will tell you the truth.”
“I am not saying yes, but I am not saying no, either. This is a lot to think about. I hate being lied to and you have been doing it for years.”
“No I haven’t. I just didn’t tell you exactly who I am. Anything I ever told you has been the truth.”
She drank her coffee and thought about all he had said. She understood his intentions and motivations, but still, in the end, there were lies and secrets.
I hate lies and secrets. I understand sometimes it’s necessary, but this…I wouldn’t have been mad at him. It was Sebastian I was furious with and I totally agreed with the need for protection. I was just upset because he didn’t tell me. Granted, it turned out OK. I understand it would have ended badly with Edwin, but if I had known, I wouldn’t have entered into relations with him in the first place. What do I do with Jaxson? I couldn’t help but fall in love with him. Should I tell him? Does he already know?
“What is she in deep thought about? Did she find out who you are after all?”
Her head popped up at the sound of another male voice moving around the kitchen. She watched him as he poured himself a cup of coffee and sat down at the table.
“Nice to see you found your clothes, Ozzie.”
“Yes, well, I’m sorry about earlier. We didn’t think you would awaken so soon. I hope you weren’t too embarrassed.”
She dropped her hands on the table and leaned back. “Me? It wasn’t my face turning three shades of red. That would be yours and Paige’s.”
“I was embarrassed because you caught us in the act, not because you saw me naked.”
She raised her hand in the air and dropped it. “Either way, I wasn’t the one embarrassed. I was too drowsy to care at the moment. Speaking of Paige, where is she?”
“In the shower.”
“Oh, you guys finish up in there?”
She watched a wicked smile cross his face as he winked at her before he answered, “I’ll never tell.”
The kitchen filled with the sound of the three of them laughing. With a giggle still in her chest, she got up and refilled her coffee mug. “So, perve, what have you been doing since I have been out of it?”
“I have been waiting for you to call me.”
She turned to head back to the table and flashed a look at Jaxson as she passed. “Not you, Jaxson, I was talking about porn star here.” She tilted her head toward Ozzie.
“Diggin’my moves were ya’, Anna? What can I say? Your friend is a freak.”
“Of that I have no doubt. However, I would wager she is not the only one. Is that what the two of you have been doing the entire time I have been out…doing the nasty for days?”
“That is not all we have been doing. Guess you didn’t notice the silver stain in your floor.”
She slammed her hand on the table. “Don’t tell me you did the freaky nasty in my room while I was sleeping.”
She watched him sigh and roll his eyes. She tried to keep a straight face. “No, freak show, we didn’t. Actually, what happened in your room is why we were glad Jaxson was showing up.”
“And that would be…why?’
“Well, don’t freak out….” “Crap, Ozzie, I will tell her. Perry, our
neighborhood wolf, decided to make a house call while you were out. We found him hovering over you while you slept. I morphed into kitty overdrive and Ozzie here put a silver bullet in his brain. We buried him off in the woods far behind your house.”
She felt her mouth hanging open and she found all she could do was stare at her friend who was all clean and showered and talking so matter of factly, as if it were any other day. Her heart seemed stuck in throat, preventing her from speaking.
Hovered over me…too close. Had they been a few minutes later, I might have been toast. She blinked as the sound of fingers snapping in front of her face brought her out of her mind.
“Anna, you OK?”
She looked back at Paige. “Yes…Yes, I guess I am fine, thanks to you and Ozzie. How did he know?”
Her attention turned to Ozzie as he answered her question. “We have been monitoring him for a while now, my team and I. He moved in down the street. He was here when we showed the day you went into your trance, so apparently he was home when you went under.”
The table shook and jarred her elbow as Jaxson slammed his hand on the table and yelled, “I knew I should have followed you home and made sure you were OK. I figured you would have called me if you decided to take my advice. I had planned to be here to watch over you!”
“Hey! What did I tell you on the phone? Ozzie and I handled it just fine, thank you! Dead is dead and he is exactly that, dead.”
Her head felt like a ping-pong ball as it bounced from face to face during the conversation. With her hands on each side of her face, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
Good lord, I take a nap and all hell breaks loose. The air stuck in her throat, and her chest tightened up as paramount information filtered
through her brain.
“Wait a minute. You guys killed Perry? That means…”
Paige took center stage as she spoke. “Wow, I would have thought you would have caught on quicker than that. You’re slipping.”
She stuck her tongue out at her friend and said, “I have been out of it, it takes a minute. Actually, how long was I out?”
“About four days.”
Shaking her head, she got back to the issue at hand. “Perry is the Alfa, I believe.” She looked at Paige as she spoke, followed by Ozzie.
“That is why we were going to ask Jaxson to come over, but he freaked and said he was showing up before we got to ask.”
“Paige and I were discussing that earlier. I think you’re right, which means…”
“The pack will show up. How long has he been dead?”
“Three and half days. We killed him the evening you went into your trance, as I said.”
She crawled into her mind and tried to recall all the things she knew about werewolves and all she had ever read in order to come up with a time line.
Three and half days…they would have felt him die. Then they would have assembled and held a ceremony…CRAP!
Her head jerked up and she blinked her eyes as she entered back into the present.
“Ozzie, by my calculations…”
“They will come for you at sunset tomorrow. Yes, I know. That is what I was trying to tell Paige earlier today.”
She eyed everyone in the room for a split second before Jaxson jumped from his chair and his loud voice bounced off the walls.
“Paige, Anna, put on your fighting clothes. Ozzie, grab your gear from your trunk.”
She rose from her chair and cut Ozzie and Paige’s protests off before they could speak. “Now wait just a minute, Jaxson! Don’t go ordering everyone around here. We will all work together. We need a plan.”
“I have a plan. We kill them, simple as that. It is the only thing we can do. What are you still standing around for? Get a move on, unless you plan to fight in your oh-so-cool jammies.”
She put
her hand to Ozzie to let him know to stay quiet. She looked at Jaxson and calmed her voice as she worked to lead the proverbial horse to water. “Jaxson, how many of them are there?”
“I don’t know.”
She turned to Ozzie. “Ozzie?”
“There are seven, well, six now that Perry is dead. Stratton and Dixsin are the biggest ones. They were Perry’s next in command.”
“Thank you.” She turned back to Jaxson. “Where are they hiding out at? Where would they be plotting to fight us? Where do they hold their ceremonies?”
“I don’t know that either. I see what you are trying to do here, it doesn’t matter. They will all come and they will all be trying to kill you and anyone helping you. This is no time to be careless. Anna, I know you don’t want to kill anyone, but this going to be one of those kill or be killed situations.”
“I’m well aware of that. You are right, this is no time to be careless, which is why you are going to sit back down and all of us are going to come up with a plan. There is no doubt in my mind, they will know. We will expect them and be ready for them. That is why we are going to have a few plans to work with. I will be wearing my fighting leather, Ozzie will bring in his hunting gear, and you and Paige can get into full on bad ass kitty mode, but we are not going to meet them in the yard and just duke it out. This will be a fight to the death and I plan on living through it.”
She remained standing as she watched his face. He looked at each of them and sat down. The room, along with their moods seemed tense and somber. She sat in silence as she tried working angles and advantages through her mind.
Chapter 11
Two hours until sunset…
She stood with her back against the wall and stared at her newly remodeled house. All that time
and energy now looked wasted. Her kitchen now darkening and somber seemed to match her mood. With the help of her friends, the cute café table sat nestled along the far side of the kitchen, out of the way, and the chairs carefully stacked against the wall. Her eyes turned and lingered on the living room. All of her pretty wood and plush furniture which once sat neatly displayed around the room, were now crammed into every corner. Where maroon and cream used to beautifully mesh together and flow through, today looked as splotches on canvas corners.
The glowing, dark rays of the sunset splashed the room through curtain-less windows. Inhaling once, she took one last look, and then returned to the present and her awaiting task.
I am sure glad that I have money because I am sure all of my stuff is going to be destroyed. If we all make it…it will be worth it.
She strode over to her stereo and clicked the play button. Metallica’s “Fuel” wailed through the speakers. Heading to her room, she let the music feed her beast and fuel her adrenaline.
Time to prepare for battle!
Through the bedroom door, she marched to her closet and flung open the double doors. Her black leather outfit felt smooth in her shaky hands. She crossed the room, dropped the garment on her bed and pulled off her clothes. She yanked the one-piece outfit over her limbs and slowly pulled the zipper closed in the front. It fit as tightly as skin. The leather squeaked a bit as she moved her arms and legs, testing for mobility. She dropped onto the softness that was her bed and pulled on her tall, black boots that had been sitting under her nightstand. Dressed and ready, she walked to the bathroom and put her hair in a loose ponytail.
“If we weren’t about to fight a pack of dogs, I think I would take you where you stand.”
She turned her head and looked at Jaxson in his human form, leaning on the doorframe. He looked as good as always, tight black T-shirt, jeans, and boots.
She smiled as she asked, “Like it, do you?” “Oh, yes. Black leather outfit and long, bloodred nails…”
“Focus. Get your mind out of the gutter and on the task at hand.”
“I’m focused. Just admiring what I’m fighting for.”
She smiled at his words and heartfelt expression on his face. “I’m not nervous, just anxious.”
“I see you have put on your battle rock music, are you feeding on that as well?”
She moved from the bathroom and started down the hall. He followed.
“Yes, it’s helping to fuel my adrenaline, too. I’m ready.”
As she entered the living room, she spotted Ozzie and Paige sitting in the floor, casually, as if they were awaiting a pizza delivery. Paige sat in some old painting clothes, and Ozzie wore denim and leather.
“Ozzie, we all know you’re cool, but must you wear sunglasses in the house?”
“These aren’t just any sunglasses. These are my night vision aviators. I love these glasses. A few years ago I came across a man who made some nifty gadgets for a few of my Navy Seal buddies. He wanted a challenge, and so jokingly I suggested night vision aviators. Turns out, as you can see, the joke was on me. They are awesome: Lightweight and efficient. The best part, when someone sees them in my car, they assume they are just regular sunglasses. Ya know, kick ass sunglasses, but just plain ole sunglasses, nothing more.”
“Well, OK then, but in case you haven’t noticed, it’s not dark yet, playboy!”
“Yeah, I know. Just getting in the mood. You know how I love hunting!”
“Yes, I do.”
****
Ozzie laid flat on his stomach, rifle in front of him. Steady and still, he watched the pack of dogs creep onto the property.
I’m so glad the wind is blowing away from me, or they would smell me for sure. Just means dead hounds, much quicker. I like it when it’s easy.
He watched as they broke away and snuck into position. Two sat on their haunches in the front facing the two windows. They had one on each side of the house perched below the window seal while the other two planned to attack from the back of the house.
They think they got us surrounded. A surprise is in store for them. Stupid dogs, like we didn’t know this was going to be their plan of action.
He slowly turned toward the two in the back and awaited their signal.
Any minute now.
Stratton tilted his head back and let loose his howl. Two shots filled the air followed by shattered glass and yelled commands as all hell broke loose. He watched the two bigger wolves fell to the ground lifeless. He quickly made his mark and filled their brains with liquid silver.
Gotcha!
He crawled quickly to the edge of the roof and dropped down onto the back patio.
Time to join the real fun.
****
Anna stood stock-still waiting for the signal. She smelled their dirty odor from where she stood inside the hallway. The howl rattled the walls, the fired shots echoed around her house, and the shattered windows caught her by surprise.
Ozzie must have gotten the ones in the back. She bolted toward the living room in search of more enemies just as “Even It Up” by Heart burst through the speakers. Rounding the corner she came face to face with a smaller female wolf and she couldn’t help but comment.
“Is that supposed to be a smile or does your face always look jacked up?”
“Nothing wrong with my smile—”
“There will be when I’m done with it.”
She sprang at the wolf, hands out and grabbed a handful of fur and flung it into the wall. She ran to the crater in the wall and grabbed a hold of the wolf again, carefully avoiding snapping jaws and massive sharp teeth. Her body flew through the air as the wolf gained leverage and kicked her. She quickly dodged to the left, evading the wolf’s grasp and jumped on its back. Her hands wrapped around the muzzle in an attempt to crush it. As bones cracked and teeth grinded against flesh, she sent the wolf into a terrified frenzy. Anna slammed into the wall and slid to the floor. The howls of the injured wolf echoed through the room.
She jumped from the floor and kicked the wolf in the head, knocking it of its feet. Her clawed hands slashed across its throat and blood splashed on her leather and along the walls. Her heart pounded against her chest and her b
reath was heavy. She stood and stared at the wolf's limp body sprawled on the hallway floor, dead.
How fitting. “ Let the Bodies Hit the Floor” by Drowning Pool.
Catching her breath, she turned from the grotesque, disfigured lump and headed into the living room. Jaxson, in tiger mode, flung his wolf back outside through the shattered window and dove through the opening after it. She crossed to the gaping hole and checked to see if Jaxson needed her help.
Trading blows in a tit for tat fashion, he slowly made ground. He rolled to the side and ducked the next set of swings and came up under the wolf's right arm. Using his weight, he knocked the wolf off balance and balled up on top of him. The next song played; “Badass” by Saliva.
They rolled down the steps and into the yard. Claws, fur, and blood sprayed the grass and the sounds of growls and crude remarks echoed through the air.
It looks as if he has that under control.
A yell from behind caught her attention and she spun. Her eyes on the scene, she could only stare and watch. Ozzie burst through the shattered kitchen window and dove on the wolf about to hit Paige from behind. It happened in slow motion, and a scream erupted from her throat. The wolf rolled on top of Ozzie and slashed his chest open. His yell thawed her bones and she sprang at the beast. Metallica’s “Seek and Destroy,” was the one sound that penetrated her ears.
She clawed, scraped, and jerked the wolf until the only thing left was a muddled mass of blood and bones at her feet. She spun to help her friend. Paige was crazed and angry, her eyes seemed to glow an eerie color and her growls were low and deep. The wolf tried to duck the blow, but Paige was faster. Her massive, white paw swung from way back, lopped the wolf's head right off his body, and it rolled across the kitchen floor. Paige’s blurred form zoomed past her.
Tripping over the gore on the floor, she ran and knelt down next to Ozzie, opposite of Paige. “In the End” by Linkin Park sounded through the now somber house. She looked down at her friend on the floor. There was a smile on his face, his breath was ragged, and his chest was open and bleeding. He looked at Paige and choked out a few words.
Rock n Roll Promises (YAE) (Rock n Roll Paraphantasy Series) Page 10