Winter Wolf

by RJ Blain

  Dominic jerked and pointed the gun at me. “Shut up. You know nothing. All I ever needed from you was your body so she can live. Do you understand?”

  I stared at him, my mouth hanging open. I pressed my back against the cage, the links of the silver chains biting into me. “You locked her in that cage so she couldn’t transform, didn’t you? You knew the Fenerec were dying. Are dying. You knew it!”

  “Will you shut up?” Dominic snarled.

  “I hope she kills you slowly,” I snarled back. “Do you know what happened to those women in Vegas?”

  “I don’t care about them.” Dominic’s cold tone shocked me into silence.

  “You had them raped and murdered, you son of a bitch!” I shrieked.

  The Fenerec remained poised like a cat on the table though she didn’t move. Her growls, however, quieted to the silence of a hunting wolf. To my horror, Dominic met my gaze and shrugged.

  “I did what needed to be done to save her. I am not sorry for that.”

  My anger surged, but was quickly smothered under the strength of my self-disgust. I’d been right all along to suspect Dominic’s motivations for helping me, a scarred actress with a ruined voice. Weren’t there other women without my flaws who would serve as a better host for his Fenerec? Why me? I remembered the accident at the movie studio and wondered just how deep his treachery went. “Was it you who rigged the collapse at the studio?” I whispered.

  “Why would I do something like that? You are stupid, aren’t you? I need you alive.”

  I clenched my teeth. Without a watch, I had no way of knowing how far Patrick was into the magic he was using—and I had no idea what interrupting him would do. I grabbed hold of the cage and pulled myself to my feet.

  The Fenerec remained on the table, one ear pricked forward while the other was cocked back, as though listening to our conversation and deciding who was the larger threat. She made no move to attack either man—or me.

  If Dominic needed me alive so Patrick could evict me from my own body, there were two ways I could put an end to it. I could interrupt Patrick or I could make my body unsuitable for the Fenerec to take over.

  If Dominic shot me, he could render me even more defenseless than I already was. If he shot the Fenerec and Patrick somehow forced me into the wolf body, I’d likely die anyway. If Patrick succeeded, I’d die because he could only keep one of us alive.

  I couldn’t see a scenario where I lived. My best hope was lasting long enough for Amber to find me, but I suspected she’d find someone else in my body by the time she arrived.

  “How do you know the plague won’t just infect my body once she’s in it?” I whispered.

  Dominic flinched.

  “You have no idea? You’re going to kill me on the chance—”

  The concussive bang of the gun cut me off and a spray of shrapnel burst from the floor near my feet. A gouge in the concrete marked where the bullet had struck.

  Twisting around, the Fenerec lunged from the table and slammed into me, her paws bearing down on my shoulders. Her fangs snapped at my throat. Instead of growling, she barked once. I froze. The Fenerec pressed her muzzle against me. Instead of the cold, wet sensation I expected, her nose was hot and dry.

  I expected her to bite me, but when she shifted her weight, she lifted a paw and pressed it down on my throat. Her weight settled on my windpipe, cutting off my breath. The pressure intensified until spots appeared in my vision.

  I lifted my arm enough to grab hold of her leg, but there was no strength left in my fingers. When I touched her, the Fenerec made a low groaning noise, her nose brushing against my cheek.

  “What are you doing?” Dominic cried out. “Stop that! Get away from her, I need you both—”

  The pressure on my throat strengthened. The last thing I heard was the Fenerec’s heartbroken whine.

  ~~*~~

  Pain woke me and despair anchored me to consciousness. I hurt, and because of that, I knew the Fenerec had failed in her attempt to kill me. I tried to open my eyes, but my lids felt glued together. When moving didn’t work either, I focused on what hurt. I couldn’t tell what was wrong with me—my entire body throbbed in a slow beat and I was feverishly hot.

  How had I lived?

  My next thought chilled me. Was I a woman or a wolf?

  I couldn’t tell and that frightened me more than anything else. Had the Fenerec somehow stopped whatever the sorcerer had been doing? I could remember her trying to kill me. Why she hadn’t ripped out my throat with her fangs? It would’ve been over in a short, bloody moment.

  The simplest answer hurt; the Fenerec likely wanted to live as a human unfettered by the plague killing her. I couldn’t blame her for agreeing with Dominic’s plan.

  She had a single choice: do or die.

  I couldn’t blame her for what Dominic had done with Patrick’s help.

  Since I hadn’t been able to stop Patrick, nor had I been able to do anything about the Fenerec, I was likely trapped in the Fenerec’s body. At least that theory explained why I was in so much pain.

  I didn’t know how long it took me, but I forced my eyes open. Darkness greeted me, broken by a sliver of light in the distance. My eyes adjusted quicker than I expected, revealing the outline of a door across the room and the legs of the worktable.

  The bars of the cage surrounded me. I sniffed, and my nose was filled with the cinnamon scent of a Fenerec, blood, and of sickness. With a sinking feeling, I dredged up the courage to look down.

  Instead of a hand, I had a mangy paw with more bare skin visible than fur. Some tufts of tattered fur remained, while the pale hairs of new growth protruded from my skin. I flexed the paw with unsettling ease, scraping my claws against the concrete. The cage was locked and the key had once again been left in the lock.

  I lurched upright, legs braced as I tried to adapt to standing on four paws instead of two feet. When I could move without falling over, I approached the bars with caution, remembering Richard’s aversion to my silver mirror. I felt nothing as I prodded one of the chains with my nose. The metal was soothingly cold. I leaned against the cage to lessen the heat of fever.

  When I no longer felt like I was going to burn alive, I turned my attention to the lock and key. I tried forcing a paw through the tangle of chains and bars, but it didn’t fit. Huffing in frustration, I took several steps back, ducked my head low, and rammed my shoulder against the cage.

  The lock held.

  I glared at the lock. Either the stories about a Fenerec’s strength had been played up or the Fenerec’s body had been weakened by the plague. I hadn’t done any damage to the cage despite throwing all of my weight against it. If brute strength wasn’t going to work, I needed to find another way out.

  Once I escaped, I’d try to get my body back, if the plague in the Fenerec’s body didn’t kill me first. I shuddered at the thought. Would I prove to be immune to the plague’s lethal consequences because I wasn’t a Fenerec? As far as I knew, the plague didn’t kill until a Fenerec transformed—something I was incapable of doing.

  Maybe I wouldn’t die, but I’d be trapped in a wolf’s body with no hope of becoming human again.

  I sat on my haunches and considered my predicament. I didn’t feel like a wolf, not that I had any idea what a wolf was supposed to feel like. I felt like me, a me stuck in a hot, aching body that didn’t move quite right. I wasn’t like Richard or Alex, who reacted with instincts more attuned to their canine selves than their human ones.

  There was something comforting about the fact I didn’t have any unusual urges, including a desire to howl at the moon. It meant I was still a human, albeit one in a wolf’s body. Did that mean the Fenerec was a wolf trapped in a human body? I didn’t know enough about the relationship between a Fenerec’s human and wolf forms to know whether or not the being occupying my body was human, wolf, or some strange mixture of both.

  No matter what, I needed to get my body back.

  Getting my body back was important
, but I wouldn’t stoop to Dominic’s level. I’d get my body back—but I’d cure the plague so the Fenerec had a body to return to.

  It wasn’t her fault. She had been kept in a cage until her fur fell out and disease brought her to the brink of death. Unless I did something about it, that fate would be mine. I sat straighter, forced myself to ignore my weakness, and concentrated on the lock.

  Relief washed over me as I was able to detect faint surges of electricity. I whipped my head in the direction of the source.

  Amber’s cell phone lay broken against the wall. With my wolf-enhanced vision, I could see I had managed to shatter the screen and bend the frame. The battery, however, was still intact. It had a lot of charge left, and the phone was so damaged it wasn’t draining any of the power anymore.

  I stared at it, and with ruthless delight, drained the device dry. As the electricity surged into me, I became aware of more sources of power waiting for me to tap into them. I stood, leaned my shoulder against the cage’s door, and stared at the lock and key intently. It was like when I had unlocked the gate to the dog park, but all I had to do was manipulate what was already there.

  I concentrated, reached out with my powers, and used my magic to turn the key in the lock. I shoved open the door, grimacing at the grind of metal on concrete. I froze, watching the door on the other side of the room.

  I couldn’t hear anything, so I eased my way out of the cage and padded my way over to the door. I didn’t appreciate just how large the Fenerec was until I realized my eyes were higher than the knob. When I had first saw her, I hadn’t thought she was quite so gargantuan. Tapping into the basement’s wiring for the lights, I siphoned enough energy to manipulate the knob. It rattled as I tried to open it.

  Locked.

  I lowered my head, peering at the knob for the keyhole. When I found it, I stepped back a little and solidified the air to form a key.

  Instead of the normal, invisible force of power I was accustomed to, ice burst into existence around the lock, cold shards striking my nose as it cracked away from the metal. It took the shape of a skeleton key jammed into the lock. The cool air wafting from the door soothed the heat rampaging through my body and I basked in the chill before willing the key to turn.

  The door clicked and the ice melted away to puddle on the floor. Grabbing the knob in my teeth, I pulled. Many of the boxes in the storage room had been knocked over, blocking my way to the den beyond. I settled back on my hind legs, gathered myself, and plowed through the obstacles. Many of the piles crashed down, showering me in an avalanche of old clothes and junk. I shook myself and kept going, using the Fenerec’s bulk to make a path.

  I halted at the door leading into the den, cocking my head to the side. I heard nothing. Once again my magic manifested as ice. When the lock clicked open, I grabbed the knob in my teeth and pulled.

  Beyond, the tapestry waved a little and warm air gusted into the storage area from the next room. Flattening myself to the floor, I poked my head underneath the heavy material. The den was empty, lit by a lamp near the stairwell. Someone had lit a fire, leaving it to smolder unattended. I crept across the room, listening at the bottom of the stairs for any noises above. All was quiet.

  Wincing at the creaking of the steps, I climbed up to the ground level. Unlike the previous doors, it was unlocked and creaked open when I pawed at it. The hall was quiet. Making my way to the door leading outside to the guest house and Dominic’s office, I lifted my head enough to look out the window. It was dark outside and the covered walkway was unlit. I closed my eyes and concentrated, reaching out with my wizard senses for the electronics nearby. I counted at least six security cameras between the main house and the office.

  With savage delight, I fried them all, drawing all of the electricity they had to myself. I followed the power to where it was concentrated, surging electricity through the protectors to wreck mayhem on his security system.

  When an alarm blared somewhere behind me, I silenced it with another jolt of power. Pressing my nose to the nearest electric socket, I channeled all of the electricity I could from the breaker into me, absorbing so much of it my fur crackled and stood on end. Ice formed around my paws. Creating a key, I opened the door and headed outside. I nosed the door closed and relocked it. Breaking into a lope, I crossed the distance to Dominic’s office, pausing long enough to check for any electronics. When I didn’t sense any, I opened the door and slipped inside. Making my way to Dominic’s office, I found my bag where I had left it leaning against his desk.

  I shoved my nose inside and pulled out the book. ~Free!~ the book cried out in delight. A fierce joy flared up within me. When the sensation faded, the book crumbled apart in my jaws. I spat out decaying bits of leather. I wasn’t sure whether to be alarmed by the book’s disintegration or not. Part of me was relieved. I didn’t need the book for what I wanted to do first.

  All I needed was my gun.

  Grabbing the weapon, which was still in its shoulder holster, I worked the straps over my head so it dangled around my neck like a collar. Anticipation filled me.

  ~Hunt!~ For a moment, I thought it was the book; the voice was my own, but there was something different about its presence. Instead of knowledge and cunning, she wanted nothing but violence and blood—blood for the sins committed against us. I snarled and flattened my ears back.

  Dipping my muzzle back into the bag, I pulled out the moonstone. It pulsated in my mouth, spreading cooling relief through me. I heard it whisper to me, though I couldn’t most of what it said. I did, however, recognize one word.

  Fenerec.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  I made it outside in time to hear doors crash open as more than a few security guards burst out of Dominic’s mansion. Taking shelter among the carefully-cultivated bushes skirting the house, I waited for the excitement to settle down. While I had intended to destroy the security system to prevent anyone from seeing who—or what—prowled through Dominic’s office, I hadn’t thought it’d stir so many people.

  I waited for an opportunity to hunt down Dominic and his pet sorcerer. My gun was a comforting weight around my neck. With so much electricity at my disposal, I’d have no trouble using my magic to manipulate the weapon without the use of hands.

  While I lingered, the first waves of fever heat washed over me, making me pant. I shuddered. I tried to ignore the truth, but fear forced me to acknowledge it. Along with the Fenerec’s wolf body, I had inherited the plague. The scent of sickness clung to me.

  At least whatever had been blocking my wizardry and stifling it no longer hampered me. If anything, my new body craved the power and channeled it far better than my true form.

  ~Hunt!~ the wolf within me howled. She wanted blood. She cared nothing for justice or human sin, but I remembered. The faces of innocent women haunted my memory, chaining me to my goal. First, I would deal with the sorcerer and force his secrets out of him. Then I would turn on Dominic, who was ultimately responsible for the murder of so many innocents.

  I could feel the wolf considering my thoughts. Her presence was icy in my head. She drove away the heat of fever and frost formed over my fur. As the air cooled around me, the plague’s grip eased.

  ~Hunt,~ the wolf urged, though her need for violence was far more controlled than before. She was eager but didn’t demand action from me yet.

  I silenced her with a low growl. The ice on my fur broke off in a shower of shimmering crystals as I shook myself. I froze as I heard footfalls draw close to my hiding place. The wolf urged me to flatten to the ground and be still. I obeyed, ears back and teeth bared.

  I felt the wolf’s apprehension and desire for silence. I heeded her, and as I did, I understood her desire: a hunting wolf made no noise.

  Several people passed by and I drew a deep breath the catch their scents. The wolf disregarded two as human, unfamiliar, and thus unimportant. One reeked of the cinnamon and spice of a Fenerec partnered with the sickly sweet stench of plague. I concentrated on the
Fenerec and its—his, the wolf informed me—illness.

  I felt the virus eating away at him like the prickling of thousands needles. With insatiable need, it fed on the Fenerec. In my excitement at having finally found the plague, I delved deeper. The Fenerec’s heart beat erratically. Pain lanced through his stomach as the plague feasted on his organs. As fast as the Fenerec healed the damage, the virus resumed its meal, relentless in its hunger.

  I delved deeper while the wolf within urged me on. The plague wasn’t the only illness infecting the Fenerec. Like an angler fish, the plague lured other viruses to it, sickening its host so that fever created the ideal breeding ground. I felt the Fenerec’s body trying to fight the viruses off, only to have the plague kill what little defenses his immune system could muster. I shuddered and broke contact.

  The moonstone pulsed in my mouth, and I once again felt it in my head. Instead of words, I understood its meaning in pictures and emotion. I stiffened as I realized it, like the wolf, saw what I did—and unlike me, it knew the plague.

  The stone had existed when the plague had killed before. It was a stone of healing and life, and it named me Fenerec.

  But the plague wasn’t just an illness. It was a predator with primitive, lethal intelligence, slaughtering without remorse. The moonstone’s anger became my own.

  It couldn’t heal victims of the plague because it couldn’t hunt the hunter. I could. Because of that, it would help me.

  The moonstone’s fury joined with the wolf’s and they demanded I fight with them and for them. Their desire for the power I possessed bolstered me.

  If it couldn’t heal, the stone would help me destroy the plague until it could once again fulfill its purpose. Energy flooded through me, manifesting as a bone-deep chill. But with the chill came a relief from the aches and pains the wolf body suffered. The wolf’s anticipation of the hunt washed through me.

  I dropped the moonstone out of my mouth and willed it to hover in front of me. A faint golden glow radiated from it.