It was almost dawn when we finally closed our eyes, the apartment secured, though still a mess. I wondered what the day would bring.
* * *
We slept in late and I wanted to try the collar again with the protection removed. The words Alex said kept going through my mind when I finally opened my eyes in the late morning . He couldn't be trusted, but maybe the witch lady with her protection bag wasn't helping us so much either.
Ali spent the morning picking up the apartment. She still walked with a limp and the bruise on her face looked awful. I wished I could help her. I felt useless without hands. In the end, I pushed around some of the furniture for Ali and held the dustpan.
It was quite a shock when the door opened and Alex stepped in. His hair was crusted with blood and stuck to his head, and he carried a baseball bat.
“You girls really don't know who you're messing with.”
I wanted to cry. Not from sadness so much, but from utter frustration and general crankiness. Right now I would even take being a mouse. At least then I could find a quiet place to hide.
Ali's phone sat on the arm of the sofa. Snatching it with my mouth, I jumped the couch and carefully dropped it at her feet, silently apologizing for the slobber. There are some things that even a best friend should not be forced to endure. But Ali was as close as close could be, so I guess she'll learn to live with it.
I spun back determined to be a block between Ali and Alex.
“I filed a complaint with the police. You're going to jail.” Ali said behind me. I was facing Alex, so I just had to assume she was also making the phone call.
“You're so cute. What did you say? I forced myself on you?” He held the baseball bat with both hands. And I knew that he could kill either of us with one swing.
Ali started talking behind us. “Yes, we're in trouble.”
Seeing the cell phone, Wizard boy pulled the bat back with murderous intent. This little punk was not going to kill my best friend. With a growl, I leapt for his arm, snapping my jaws. He shrieked.
My teeth closed on the arm holding the bat. Ewwww. He dropped the bat without a fight and I released his arm. To be honest, I didn't bite as heavily or thickly as I should have. Our very lives depended on a firm and steady bite, but truthfully, I let go as soon as he did and while I definitely broke the skin, I let go before his arm started bleeding.
“You bitch.”
Technically he was right. Still, I didn't care for his language. I snapped at him again, forcing him back. Ali tucked her phone into the breast pocket of her pajamas. I always wondered what those could possibly be used for. Now I know. “Time to tie you up again.” Ali said. “That or my friend will chew you to death.”
Alex started crying. I was as surprised as the next person, which was Ali, and she looked fairly surprised. He swiped at the tears with the hand that wasn't injured. I wondered if I'd done him any real harm, but seeing the bat on the ground and remembering Ali's injuries, couldn't bring myself to care.
“The wizard's hat doesn't belong to me. They'll kill me if they discover it missing.”
A wolf's eyebrows don't have quite the emotional range that a human does. Still, I'm sure my expression must have been somewhere between quizzical and incredulous. Ooops. Guess he's in for a rough time. Still, not my problem. Except for the slight discomfort of having yet again to deal with a homicidal sociopath with magical tendencies.
“Jen, can you keep him occupied for a few minutes?”
With a nod I growled at Alex and settled my body on top of the bat. If he were at all creative, Alex could have come up with a thousand weapons in Ali's house. He struck me as an underdeveloped teenager, perhaps a boy who had spent his life spoiled, never forced to live in a world where someone else might have different needs or desires. But he was close enough to adulthood to know better. So as he swiped at tears bemoaning his existence, I growled again, just to be clear that all was not forgiven and I might just bite his leg so that he had a matching set.
Ali came out of her room in jeans and a sweatshirt, socks, but not shoes. She carried ropes and a bungi. “Okay, let's try this again.”
Alex sniffed, “Please don't tie me up. My brother will kill you when he finds out.”
If his brother was anything remotely like Alex, I was officially worried. He might not have emotional fortitude, but as a magic user and person without a moral compass, an older and more experienced version of Alex was something to be avoided.
“You've really got to stick to a method. You can beg or you can threaten but mix the two and everyone gets confused.” Ali looked exhausted. Her hair was sticking out every which way and her pajamas were rumpled.
“Which one will work?”
“What will it take for you to leave us alone?” Ali leaned against the counter at a safe distance. She'd chosen to negotiate. If I were human, we might be having an argument right now on whether to tie him up, with my vote a tight knot that he wouldn't be able to escape.
“Return the hat and amulet to me.”
I laughed. It was borderline hysterical, I will admit. As a wolf, it sounded more like a low chuff.
“The hat is gone and I'm not returning the amulet until Jen's human.” Ali twisted the rope in her fingers, not so much as a threat but as something to do. For Ali to be threatening, she needs to be in raccoon form. With those long claws and the nasty snarl she manufactures, she's managed to scare off security guards.
“I already told you how to make her human again. She's wearing protection for any form of magic, even the natural kinds.” Natural being were-magic and such.
“Rob will be here soon. What should I tell him?” This she directed at me.
I barked, “The truth.”
Too bad angel voice was buried with the hat. I wanted her to understand me that time.
Ali shrugged, “Don't worry I'll think of something.”
“Can I sit down?” In all of the excitement, I'd forgotten about his head injury. Not that it made me feel sorry for him or anything.
“Don't try anything.” Ali grabbed a kitchen chair and handed it to him, every muscle tensed. She was expecting him to use the chair as a diversionary tactic. I could swear she looked disappointed when he thanked her and sat down.
We waited in a standoff for what seemed an eternity before the doorbell rang. Rob answered. “Do you have any idea what time it is?” He groused when he stepped inside, then he turned to me with his sunshiny smile and said, “Hey Jen.”
“Sorry.” Ali didn't sound sorry. She never does. It's just a word she uses when things go wrong.
“What are you going to do to me?” The tough kid act was long gone and now he sounded scared. Of Rob—and he's a big pushover. Ali's the scariest of us, if you get down to the person most likely to actually do something sinister to the kid.
“We're going to wait.” Rob closed the door and locked the deadbolt, looked at Ali, looked at Alex, and with a half grin said, “Let's start with frozen peas. Ali, do you have anything like that in the freezer?”
“Why would I keep frozen peas?” Ali grimaced. I love peas myself, especially with mashed potatoes. “You can't be hungry for peas at five in the morning.”
“For your face.” Rob strode across the room with an exasperated sigh.
He frowned at the contents of the freezer. A pint of ice cream, frozen waffles, orange juice, a package of burritos. In the end, Rob grabbed a couple freezer bags with the zippy function, filled them with ice, and handed one to Ali and one to Alex. Wizard boy was looking worse with each passing moment.
Ali studied the ice dubiously. “No harm in trying.”
Rob waved her to the couch. “You look ready to fall down. Take a nap on the couch. I'll watch the prisoner.”
I'm the reason Alex didn't make a move for the door. I'm scary when I draw my teeth back into a snarl.
It was incredibly strange. We all waited in the apartment together as if something would happen. I wondered if Rob called the police. He seemed
to have everything in check. And he was waiting for someone to show.
Sure enough, a knock on the door stirred the strange silence.
Ali's eyes were closed, so Rob opened the door.
My throat tickled in a low growl. I couldn't help it. She was standing there, in a black leather mini-skirt with legs that went a mile. She wore a tight black leather jacket over a shockingly bright pink blouse. To a man, she was hot. To a woman, she was competition. “Ah, yes. That is a problem.” She said, looking at Alex.
Alex had paled and he looked like he might faint. He said, “I didn't give up any secrets.”
“What do I care for secrets?” Her mouth might have formed the words, but I knew without a doubt she cared very much to protect her secrets.
“Well, now that we've caught the miscreant, I guess you don't need that protection bag anymore.” Boy, did she walk fast in heels. She was kneeling in front of me with her hand reaching for the bag before she'd even finished talking.
I'm not proud of myself for my actions. As far as I knew at that moment, she was an ally. Still, I bit her. I don't like people reaching for me. I have a rather large circle dedicated to personal space. I'm sure it's somehow related to my being a mouse among wolves. At any rate, I bit her and she pulled her hand back. I stepped away, growling.
“Jen, she's on our side.”
I lifted my lip, letting my teeth show. Snarling lifted my spirits. I've never been able to do anything like that. Mice don't snarl. And in human form, I never could quite look menacingly enough. And I was jealous.
“It's okay. If you could just remove the collar from her, I'll take it and the boy and everything will go back to normal.”
Ali was sitting up now, looking around with a groggy, confused look. Rob was stepping toward me with the intention of doing just what the nice witch asked. What if I was stuck in this form forever? The witch clearly showed interest in Rob during our earlier visit. I was surprised she wasn't flirting and falling all over him now. But her eye was on my collar.
I turned tail and dashed to the end of the couch, looking over my shoulder to see what Rob would do. He nodded once.
“Jen doesn't want to let go of the collar just now.”
The witch smiled at me, saccharine sweet and ugly. I grimaced, but stared at her with a tail wag, just because I could. “Others will come for her. The sooner you rid yourself of the magic, the better.”
“Doesn't she still have protection?” Rob asked, noting the bag hanging from the collar. Personally, I couldn't wait to have the collar off. Timing was everything. And now wouldn't be the time to lose whatever protection I might have.
“Yes, but I'm afraid this one called his brother. My little warding spell won't do anything to stop one like that.”
I didn't trust her. It was probably just jealousy. Her hair, dyed in platinum strands glinted with the light, and her makeup was perfect, which made me wonder why I cared so much to be human again with my brown curly hair, although I suppose my face was cute enough.
“Jen?” Rob asked.
I shook my head. Nope. Not giving up my amulet. At least not until I changed back to human.
The witch smiled and touched Rob's shoulder. Ali put a finger to her lips when I growled involuntarily. “If you run into any more trouble, give me a call.” I swear her glare at me was accusatory, but what exactly was I being accused of? Growling out of turn? I didn't even break the skin. As bites go, it was more of a nip.
In all this Alex remained tight lipped. I glanced at the baseball bat lying on the floor behind the couch. No, I wouldn't feel sorry for him, either. When the witch said goodbye, he stood and followed her out. Her butt was perfectly rounded in the leather, and I glanced at Rob to see if he caught any of those haughty butt moves.
His eyes were locked on mine, and he was smiling. I found myself returning the smile. In that moment, we shared something. I'm not sure exactly what.
After the door shut, Ali said, “What do you think she will do to him?”
“Probably lecture him about showing us mortals his power.” Rob dropped into the recliner and I padded over and put my head on his knee. We all looked horrible.
“Jen doesn't trust her.” Rob scratched my ears and the longing I felt in that moment was too much. If I could only be human. I wanted so much to tell him everything that had been happening. I felt so alone. So powerless in this wolf form.
Ali remained silent. Which meant that Ali didn't have an opinion yet. I wasn't sure how I felt about that. Was it just petty jealousy?
We sat that way for at least an hour, too weary to move. Finally Rob stretched and stood, “I'm going to take Jen home with me.”
“Are you sure that’s wise?” Ali lifted the ice from her face, her eyes boring through Rob.
Ali, shut up. Of course it’s wise. With a doggy sigh, I just waited for her to talk Rob out of it.
“Jen needs to stay with someone she can trust until we can figure this out. You work tomorrow. We’re past the full moon, so I’m sure Jen and I can handle one more night without too much awkwardness.”
I thumped my tail and grinned. Ali nodded and sat up. “Jen, come here for a minute.”
Without knowing quite what Ali had in mind, I went to her. She reached to the collar and after a few tries, released the hex bag. “I think this is preventing the change. Remember to think human before you go to sleep.”
“Rob, can I keep this?” Ali held the bag up.
Rob shrugged, “Uh, sure.”
We stopped for breakfast in a small diner where Rob picked up a pair of chicken fried steak breakfasts. He drove to the office where we ate. I didn't realize how hungry I was until I smelled the hashbrowns. Rob caught up on his emails, yawning all the while. Meanwhile, I dozed on the floor by the window. I liked the feel of the sun on my fur.
Right before lunch the phone rang and Rob answered. It was the witch. I heard her ask about the hex bag. Rob answered,” Yes, she's safe. I'm not sure why you'd show the spell as deactivated.”
A lie. Rob must have his doubts about her as well. I missed what she said then, but got the gist of the conversation when Rob said, “You turned him into a rabbit?” He laughed, the twinkle in his eyes gave me an achy feeling in my stomach. It might have been indigestion, but I think it was love.
“I'll call you if we have any unexpected visitors.” Rob snapped the phone closed.
He stood and stretched, yawning again. He even made yawning look hot. “It's been a rough few days. Wanna head home?”
I leapt up and pattered over to him.
* * *
At Rob's house, I followed him around while he did chores, washing dishes, starting laundry. He made a frozen pizza for dinner. As a wolf, the only part of the pizza that looked any good was the sausage. When Rob finally settled on the couch, I sat awkwardly on the floor until he smiled at me with a look of welcome in his eyes.
“You can come up if you want. You’re in animal form anyway, so you know…” Okay, what did he mean by that? On the full moon he might like me well enough, but for the rest of the time, I would just be his pet. But I did understand. We could just be us this way.
I hesitated. Still, he looked so comfortable on the couch. I jumped to the spot where he made room and curled up against him, my head on his chest, thinking that usually animals only got the ends where the feet go.
We watched television together and I felt his heart beating strongly against my ear. Rob had fallen asleep, and the moment felt so good to me. Maybe wolves don’t cry, but I felt my eyes tear up. How long have I wanted to be right here in Rob’s arms, and here he was, available and affectionate, but only because I was an animal. It was like a bad joke. For years I longed to be a wolf and now I only wanted to be return to my normal self again.
I fell asleep with all of that longing bottled up inside me, murmuring of my desire to be human again.
Chapter 26
“Jen? Jen? Wake up.” Sprawled across Rob’s body, I opened my eyes and with a s
hock reminiscent to plunging into a pool of ice-water, I realized I was also human and naked.
Blushing furiously, I pushed away. “Oh, Oh Crap, I’m sorry.”
Then Rob’s face turned a few shades of red. “Jen, I thought you liked me. I wouldn’t have suggested this otherwise. I never thought you'd change back.”
I was still close enough and the sorrow in his eyes, and the longing in my soul sent me plunging into deep waters again. Touching his cheek lightly, I leaned into Rob and kissed him, my first real kiss. I mean my first adult one where I knew what I wanted. “I do like you. I like you a lot.”
It was then that I knew I was hooked…and maybe he was, too. He kissed back, tentatively, gently. Not the hungry way I saw him kiss his office tryst last month. He blinked and smiled, his hand caressing my hair. “We’ll take it slow.”
I kissed him, putting all of my love into it. I knew then that he genuinely cared for me.
I eased away feeling awkward warmth, and I couldn’t help but think that we were starting something that would last. Yes, like every woman, I had flaws, but they were mine, and I loved them.
***The End***
For more adventures with Rob, Jen, and Ali, read When, Were, & Howl: Vampires Bite.
Dear Reader,
With this latest edition of the When Were & Howl series, I have made significant additions to the story line. The covers on the old series are rainbow with a black shadowed wolf and will not carry the new storyline. If you've accidentally purchased one of these after the release of the new series, please contact me at the email below.
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Excerpt of The Zombie Cowboy Two-Step
Chapter 1
Thursday afternoon at the saloon. That’s all Wyatt wanted, a quiet moment every week to drown his sorrows and numb pains best left forgotten. Then he could return to his life as a sheriff. He'd picked Red Bluff in the Nebraska territory to live. A quiet town with a few rough weekends when the miners got rowdy. And now he wanted to live his days in peace, in the shadow of the mountains.
Moon Struck: Book 1 (When, Were, and Howl) Page 14