True Nature

by Jae

  “No,” Kelsey said, lifting her head to meet Rue’s gaze, “I’m not.”

  Slowly, Rue sorted through the thousands of thoughts whirling through her mind. “We?” she repeated belatedly.

  “What?”

  “You said ‘we can take just two forms.’ Who’s ‘we’?”

  Kelsey looked away and watched a drop of water run down the sink.

  “How many of you...” Rue gestured, then finally said, “shape-shifters are there?”

  “It’s better if I don’t tell you anything else. You weren’t supposed to find out, and the more I tell you, the more dangerous it becomes.”

  Anger bubbled up in Rue like a stream of lava, pushing back her confusion and disbelief. “You really think you can just drop that shape-shifter bullshit on me and then leave it at that?” She stormed over to Kelsey, who backed away until she hit the sink. Rue boxed her in by smacking her hands onto the sink on either side of Kelsey.

  Kelsey slouched down and tried to slide out from under Rue’s arms.

  “Oh, no.” Rue crowded her, trapping Kelsey between the sink and her body.

  The heat of Kelsey’s body against hers made Rue’s temperature climb too. Kelsey’s breath brushed her neck, sending shivers down Rue’s body. For a moment, she almost forgot why she had Kelsey trapped against the sink.

  Kelsey trembled against Rue. A wild sound, half whine and half growl, rose from Kelsey’s chest. “Rue, please. I don’t want to hurt you, but if you keep trapping me...”

  For the first time, Rue became aware that she was bodychecking what might be a dangerous creature. Most dogs bite out of fear, not aggression. She froze and made eye contact with orange-brown irises.

  Both breathing heavily, they stood staring at each other.

  A rattling at the door made them flinch. Their heads knocked together. “Hey!” someone shouted from outside the restroom. “Is someone in there?”

  Rue pulled back and rubbed her forehead. “Let’s go back to the hotel. I need to call Detective Vargas.” She pierced Kelsey with a sharp gaze until Kelsey looked away. “And then you will tell me everything I want to know about these alleged shape-shifters.”

  * * *

  Back in their hotel room, Rue took up position next to the door, again blocking the exit. With her cell phone pressed to her ear, she watched Kelsey pace back and forth in front of the window. “You’ll intensify the search for Danny, right?” she said into the phone. “Now that there’s proof that Danny is the victim of a crime.”

  “Proof?” Detective Vargas repeated. “Ms. Harding, a man with a watch that looks like Daniel’s isn’t proof of anything. Even if it was Daniel’s watch, which we don’t know for sure, Daniel might have simply sold the watch to get some more cash.”

  The thought of Danny selling her gift for a few dollars made a burning sensation flare up and down Rue’s breastbone, but the detective was right. She couldn’t rule out that Danny had sold the watch. When she’d given it to him for Christmas, he hadn’t exactly fallen over himself to show his joy and gratitude.

  “If you think it might help, you could come in and give us a description of the man,” Vargas said.

  “We’ll do that,” Rue answered, then paused with her finger on the end button. There was no “we” any longer. Kelsey was either a complete lunatic or... Or what? A mythological creature? A creature that can’t exist, can it? She shoved the cell phone back into her pocket and looked at Kelsey.

  Darkness had fallen, and the flickering neon signs outside bathed Kelsey’s tense face in bluish colors, giving her an otherworldly glow.

  And maybe she was exactly that—otherworldly. Rue wasn’t sure if she should believe her. Her senses told her that what she’d felt was real fur on Kelsey’s hands, but her mind struggled with that concept. Werewolves or shape-shifters or whatever do not exist. Period.

  At least that was what she had always thought.

  “All right,” she said as Kelsey’s silent pacing continued. “We’re behind closed doors. Now talk.”

  Kelsey stopped her pacing and sent Rue a beseeching glance. “It’s not that easy.”

  “Easy?” Rue shook her head until a pounding in her temples told her to stop. “Nothing about the last few days was easy. I just let the only chance of finding Danny get away—because of you!” She stabbed her finger in Kelsey’s direction. “You owe me some answers.”

  “I know. I’m sorry. I wish this hadn’t happened.” Kelsey’s shoulders hunched. Her gaze veered away from Rue’s. “What do you want to know?”

  A hundred questions sprang into Rue’s mind all at once. She struggled to sort through them and then decided to start with the most basic one. “You say you’re not human.”

  “No, I’m not,” Kelsey said.

  For some reason, Rue couldn’t get the unfinished facial features of the shape-shifters from Star Trek out of her mind. No one could mistake that fictional shape-shifter for a human. But Kelsey... Rue shook her head. Kelsey looked utterly human. With her lithe body, shaggy sandy-brown hair streaked with strands of a darker color, and her interesting eyes, she was someone Rue might have asked out under different circumstances. Unlike Paula with her adventurous, independent spirit, Kelsey had brought a calm presence to her home.

  At least for the short time before everything went crazy.

  Nothing about Kelsey screamed werewolf.

  Rue folded her arms across her chest. “Prove it.”

  “What?” Kelsey trembled like a lamb, not a wolf.

  “Show me your wolf form,” Rue said. “If I don’t see it with my own eyes, I can’t believe what you’re telling me.”

  Kelsey opened her mouth and then closed it again. Finally, she nodded. “Okay, then don’t believe me. It’s probably for the best anyway. We should forget I said anything and focus on finding Danny.” She turned away and stared out the window.

  Part of Rue wanted to leave it at that and simply believe that Kelsey was some drug-popping lunatic with a body hair problem, but deep down, she knew she was dealing with something else. “Show me, or I’ll call the police.”

  Slowly, Kelsey turned back around. Her gaze flickered back and forth between Rue’s face and a point somewhere above her right shoulder, but she kept facing Rue. “And say what?”

  Shit. She’s got me there. The police would haul me away to the loony bin if I reported any of that shape-shifter nonsense. Rue squared her shoulders and stared Kelsey down until the younger woman looked away. Rue’s thoughts raced. What else could she say? “I’ll tell them that you tricked me into believing you’re someone you’re not. I could imply that you might have something to do with Danny’s disappearance.”

  It was a shot in the dark, but her words made Kelsey flinch.

  Rue’s muscles stiffened. Heat pulsed through her. Oh my God! Maybe she does! Maybe Danny hadn’t run away to see Paula after all. Had Kelsey somehow driven him away? Rue circled the bed and marched toward Kelsey, hands curled into fists, staring at her through burning eyes. “Do you have anything to do with Danny’s disappearance?”

  “No, no! I swear I don’t!” Kelsey ducked and bent her knees like a dog clamping her tail between her legs. “Please, you’ve got to believe me. I would never do anything to hurt Danny. Never!”

  Blood flowed back into Rue’s white knuckles as she uncurled her fists. Her instincts told her that Kelsey was telling the truth. “Then prove it. Show me that neither I nor any other human has anything to fear from you.”

  “A wolf is still a predator, Rue,” Kelsey said, her voice barely above a whisper.

  “Wolves don’t hunt humans, right?” Rue asked. God, am I really discussing this with her? Do I really believe she can turn into a wolf?

  “No, of course not, but I’ve been under constant tension the last few days, and if I feel threatened by you...” Even though they were almost the same height, Kelsey somehow managed to look up at Rue, like a wolf cowering before a more dominant pack member.

  Stop comparing h
er to a wolf. Rue rubbed her temples. So far, she hasn’t proven anything. “What if I stay over here,” she pointed to one corner of the room, “and you stay over there?” She indicated the opposite corner. “Would you still feel threatened?”

  Kelsey squirmed. “It’s a risk. I’d rather not—”

  “I’m not giving you a choice, Kelsey. Try to put yourself in my shoes. Would you be willing to believe such an incredible story without any proof?”

  Still, Kelsey hesitated.

  Rue tapped her fingers against her thigh. “You’re wasting my time. I should be out there, searching for Danny, not in here, listening to stories about werewolves.”

  “Shape-shifters. Werewolves don’t exist,” Kelsey said softly. She sighed. “All right. But if we do this, if I show you, you’ve got to promise me you won’t tell anyone. Rue, I need your word on this. You can’t tell anyone, or my life and yours could be on the line. Promise.”

  “Our lives?” Rue stared at her through narrowed eyes.

  “I can’t explain right now. Not before you promise. Give me your word that you’ll keep this to yourself.”

  She insists she’s a big, bad wolf, yet she’d trust my word?

  At Rue’s disbelieving stare, Kelsey tapped her nose. “I’ll be able to smell it if you lie to me.”

  Smelling lies? This is getting crazier by the second. Rue finally nodded. “I promise.”

  Kelsey moved closer. “Now we need to…um…” She extended her arms.

  “What?”

  “I need to imprint my scent of you. If you smell familiar, it’ll help my wolf form not to feel threatened by you.”

  Normally, Rue wasn’t the huggy type, but now she shrugged and stepped up to Kelsey. “Whatever works. Come here.” Rue wrapped her arms around Kelsey’s trim waist. She expected it to be a stiff, awkward hug, but Kelsey melted against her. They were about the same height, and their bodies fit together amazingly well, their breasts nestling against each other.

  A sigh escaped Kelsey as she nuzzled her cheek against Rue’s.

  Rue’s eyes threatened to close. What are you doing? She let go of Kelsey and stepped back. “All right,” she said. To her annoyance, her voice sounded hoarse. “Now hurry up and show me that shifting thing.”

  “I’ll need food after I shift,” Kelsey said.

  “I’ll call room service and tell them to leave it outside.”

  Still Kelsey hesitated. “Be careful not to crowd or trap me in any way. In my human form, I can control my reactions, but in wolf form...” She pressed her lips together. “If you scare me and I can’t run, I’ll bite.”

  Rue still couldn’t imagine Kelsey as a wolf, but she nodded. “I’ll keep my distance.” She looked at Kelsey expectantly.

  “Can you...?” Kelsey licked her lips. “Can you please turn around or close your eyes?”

  “So you can slip out the door and disappear? I don’t think so.”

  “But I need to undress before I shift.”

  Rue suspected she was blushing, but she refused to avert her gaze. Her earlobes burned as pictures of a naked Kelsey danced before her mind’s eye. When Kelsey had first stepped into her office a few days ago, Rue had fleetingly fantasized about her. She remembered admiring the way Kelsey’s beige cashmere sweater hugged her gentle curves. For a moment, she had wondered what lay beneath the stylish clothes, clearly worn to impress her during the job interview. But now everything was different. Kelsey was not a woman to lust after anymore. “I assure you I’ve seen naked women before.”

  When Kelsey kept looking at her with that Bambi-who-just-lost-its-mother gaze, Rue sighed and turned around. “All right, all right. There. But if you’re really a shape-shifter, I wonder how you can be such a prude.”

  “I...I’m not a p-prude!” Kelsey stammered. “It’s just...” She paused and then said, “Let’s get this over with.”

  For a few tense heartbeats, silence filled the hotel room. Then clothing rustled.

  Despite the attempts to tell herself shape-shifters didn’t exist, Rue felt every muscle in her body stiffen. Belatedly, she realized she was ill-equipped to fight a wolf. She inched closer to the door, just in case.

  A low groan made Rue’s heartbeat speed up. Crunching and popping noises filled the hotel room, and the groan turned into a whine of pain. Rue’s fingers closed around the cold metal of the doorknob. Jesus, is this really happening?

  She peered over her shoulder.

  In the opposite corner of the room, surrounded by Kelsey’s jeans, sweater, and underwear, stood a wolf.

  Rue blinked several times, but the sight before her didn’t change.

  The wolf took one step forward on tawny legs, then paused, cocked her head, and peered at Rue through orange-brown eyes. Her lips peeled back in what looked like a wolfish grin, revealing sharp canines.

  Rue swallowed but didn’t look away. Then she remembered that the wolf might interpret it as a challenge. Should she drop her gaze, or would that tell the wolf she was easy prey?

  Before she could decide, the wolf took small, careful steps in Rue’s direction, her dark-brown tail held low, wagging tentatively, and her body crouched low. The pointed ears were drawn back, but not pressed flat against the sides of her head.

  A stream of breath escaped Rue. This wasn’t the posture of a wolf about to attack. She had seen this careful approach before—it was how Odo, Elena Mangiardi’s Golden Retriever, approached more dominant dogs. She hoped wolf body language wasn’t all that different from that of dogs.

  The wolf—Kelsey, Rue reminded herself, still barely able to believe it—approached Rue at an angle, ready to jump back should Rue reach for her or attack.

  Rue stood still, not moving, hardly breathing.

  Another step and the wolf stopped, now only inches from Rue. With her head still ducked, the wolf stretched her neck as if to sniff Rue, but then she stopped and stiffened. Her dark ears flicked forward, listening to something Rue couldn’t detect. Then she gave a short, sharp woof. It sounded like a warning.

  Rue jumped.

  “Hey!” Someone pounded on the door. Rue recognized the hotel clerk’s voice. “You got a dog in there? We don’t allow dogs in the rooms!”

  Jesus! Rue pressed a hand to her pounding heart. Is this jerk spying on us? “It’s not a dog,” she answered through the door. She was still unable to look away from the wolf. “Just...just the TV.”

  The clerk muttered something about “kinky sex,” then his footsteps faded away.

  After a few more seconds, the wolf sniffed the air and then retreated toward its corner.

  Her corner, Rue corrected herself. Part of her still couldn’t grasp that this was Kelsey.

  The wolf turned in circles and then curled up on top of Kelsey’s sweater. From the corner, she observed Rue with her white-tinged muzzle resting on long front paws. A chocolate-colored tail half covered her black nose. After long moments, the orange-brown eyes squeezed shut.

  She’s going to sleep now? Rue let go of the doorknob. Part of her tension escaped on a sharp breath. She tiptoed across the room and sank onto the edge of the bed she’d slept in last night. She sat staring at the wolf, who now seemed dead to the world. Thoughts and questions bounced through her mind, but she couldn’t grasp them.

  This is real, isn’t it? Slowly, she stretched across the bed and reached out her hand as if only touching the sleeping wolf could convince her that she wasn’t imagining things.

  With her hand an inch away from the sand-brown fur on the wolf’s flank, she paused.

  The wolf opened her eyes.

  Their gazes met before the wolf looked away.

  Rue pulled back her hand. Exhaling sharply, she stretched out on the bed and pressed her hands to her eyes. Jesus Christ! I feel like I’m trapped in one of those paranormal romance novels they sell at the airport!

  Chapter 31

  The meat in the stew was nearly tasteless. In fact, Danny wasn’t even sure whether it was meat or some other unidentif
iable ingredient. But after living on just a granola bar and a bagel for the last two days, he didn’t care. He gobbled down the stew as fast as he could, his elbows on the table to protect his bowl from the men to his left and right.

  The table wobbled back and forth whenever he or one of the men leaned forward or sat back. The black folding chairs had seen better days too. A hard edge dug into his thighs, but he ignored it and the sticky rust-colored tile floor beneath his sneakers and focused on eating.

  When the bowl was nearly empty, Danny let his gaze sweep through the room. Not that there was much to see. Except for a large crucifix and a bulletin board, the walls were empty. Danny wasn’t sure whether the wallpaper had faded or the yellowish beige was the original color.

  Across from him, Greg waved his hand to get Danny’s attention and held out a written message. “You got a place for the night?”

  Danny glanced through one of the soup kitchen’s unwashed windows. Outside, streetlamps came to life as darkness fell. He shrugged and wiped his bowl clean with a piece of bread. The thought of sleeping in front of stores again sent icy shivers down his spine. “Yeah.” He pointed to one of the flyers on the bulletin board. “I thought I’d try a homeless shelter.”

  At the flat sound of Danny’s voice, a few people looked up from their bowls and stared at him.

  Danny clenched his jaw and glared at the most obnoxious starer. Fuck you, idiot. How do you like it when someone stares at you? He stared back until Greg tapped his shoulder and handed him the next note.

  “Bad idea,” Greg had written. “Too many people there. Everybody is fighting all the time, and if you look away for just one second, your stuff gets stolen.”

  A growl rose up Danny’s chest. He wrapped his left hand more tightly around the backpack on his lap.

  “I know a place just a few blocks away,” Greg wrote. “It’s got a roof, and someone always has a fire burning.”

  Danny pulled the notepad toward himself and wrote, “Then why didn’t you stay there last night?”

  Greg shrugged. “I keep to myself most of the time. Fewer people, fewer complications.”