by Domini, Sage
Though sometimes the small fires did make her tremble. She knew the power of fire better than most. Deston never spoke of his lost colony of werewolves. If they could believe the words spoken by a rage-filled she-wolf, the witches’ attack had wiped many of them out right away. And Alicia knew that the coven would coldly pursue the survivors.
Especially us.
Alicia shook off the anxiety and tried to occupy her mind by tidying up the cabin. The biggest thing she sometimes missed about the witch ways was how to push away emotion. Fear, unhappiness and all their relations were kept at bay once.
And love. The only problem with love is that it comes with the terror of loss.
No, she wouldn’t miss the days without love, without warmth and lust and even the more staid feelings of companionship. She was so lost in her musings she did not hear Deston’s bare footfalls until he had seized her. He liked to do that, to ambush her without warning and take her without asking. She gasped as his fingers found their way inside. In their short months together Alicia had noticed how ferociously lusty he became as the sky turns waxed to a full moon. He was impatient this morning, fingering her roughly to conjure the needed juices. It was what she needed. She buried his hand inside her further until she was wet enough to drip. She knelt abruptly and took him in her mouth but he was too eager to wait. He turned her around and bent her at the waist, crashing into her from behind.
Once they had both shattered memorable heights, he said nothing. He looked out the small square window, the handsome plane of his brow furrowed. Alicia stared at his body and once again and delighted in the knowledge that he was hers. She was sure the passion would never get stale. Deston ran a restless hand over his face and she realized something was wrong.
“What is it?”
He continued to look out the window. “We should leave here soon. We’ve stayed for too long as it is. The longer we stay, the more easily our enemies will be able to find us.”
The day was becoming hot and Alicia’s hair was damp. She felt suddenly weary, suddenly very ordinary and human. “And where would we go? You know we don’t have any money.” Her mouth twisted wryly. “It’s not like we have friends and family we can turn to.”
He looked at her. His eyes were dark. “Nonetheless, Alicia. We need to leave.” His instinct for danger was far stronger than hers and she realized he was right. She sighed. The unfamiliar hot tingle of tears pricked her eyes. What had happened to her? This was humiliating. She did not want to face the world and all its terrors.
Deston smoothed her hair, kissing the crown of her head. “Alicia, look at me.” When she did not obey he cupped her chin, forcing her eyes to meet his. “There is nothing I would not do for you, for us.”
Alicia closed her eyes, allowing the luxury of one fallen tear. “I know.” She gave a little cry and threw her arms around his muscular shoulders. He kissed her softly and whispered endearments. Oh, how she loved him. Once, long ago, when they were both practically children, she had saved him from a terrible fate. Caught outside his pack boundaries in violation of the truce, the witches had descended, meaning to teach the impudent werewolves a lesson so that none from the pack would dare to stray again. His friend had suffered the fire, but Alicia had allowed Deston to escape.
She no longer had the ability to save him from anything.
“I love you,” she said. He smiled and closed his eyes, as if the words were something he had tasted.
“I love you too.” His kiss was tender this time. He held her for many long wonderful moments, stroking her back as the sun rose higher in the sky on the day which was to be a full moon.
Alicia was confused when he stiffened. A low involuntary growl came from his throat as he glared out the window. “What is it?” she whispered.
“Company. And not the human kind.”
***
They weren’t far and were closing in quickly. Deston put his arm around Alicia protectively even as the instinctual part of his mind vibrated with alarm. A white truck pulled into view and parked fifty yards away on the gravel path leading to the cabin.
There were four of them; three males and one female. Upon exiting the truck they began casually walking towards the cabin. One, a hulking yellow-haired brute, walked a few steps behind, warily looking about. The other two males wore t-shirts with Greek lettering. They were handsome and young, their faces tanned with the arrogance of dazzling youth. Deston had seen their type before.
College kids. Likely part of a larger pack.
The girl wore very high wedges and her ankles twisted on the rough ground. She was incredibly pretty with sleek blonde hair and a sculpted face. She stumbled, swearing, and adjusted her orange tank top. The big one in the back swore and grabbed her by the arm. She jerked free, her rosebud lips in a pout.
Alicia turned to Deston, her face a question. He shrugged. They were wolves, to be sure, but did not seem bent on confrontation as they had approached so plainly. If they had been seeking a bloody ambush they had missed their opportunity.
Deston hurried into his jeans and took Alicia’s hand. He had doubts, but the four unwanted visitors were coming, whether they wished it or not. Best to meet them directly to show no threat was intended.
The two frat brothers stopped cold when they spotted Alicia and Deston. One carried an open beer bottle and took a gulp, glancing back at their companions. The girl was still unhappy, glaring daggers at her escort. He shot her an annoyed look, then turned his attention to Deston and Alicia. He grinned. “Hi y’all. Hope we’re not being a nuisance. We’re just out here for the long weekend, getting piss drunk and enjoying nature.” His gaze centered on Deston. “And the moon.” He continued to approach until he stood directly in front of Deston. He was an inch taller and even more powerfully built. He flexed his muscles, still smiling. He was certainly the alpha of the group. He was letting Deston know that if there was to be a fight the struggle would be fierce.
Deston had no intention allowing things to come to blows if it could be avoided. The danger to Alicia was too great. With her abilities lost, she was virtually defenseless. He didn’t flinch in front of the stranger. The two frat boys hung back, whispering. Deston held the alpha’s eye.
The man laughed suddenly. “Kenny, from Texarkana. You ever been to Texarkana, bro? Nah, I didn’t think so.” He jerked his head back. “That’s my female, Kira.” Kira examined her painted nails. “Those two bozos back there are Benji and Frisco.”
“Rick Deston.” He tightened his arm around Alicia.
Kenny glanced around with a friendly air. “Like I said, we ain’t meaning to interrupt. We camped last night out by the lake but Queen Kira kept whining about bugs and shit. Kills a man’s buzz. So, we sniffed you out here, figuring you might be willing to host a handful of party animals.” He grinned again. “Deeply respectful party animals.” He seemed to be awaiting Deston’s contribution but Deston still said nothing. “We got our own tents and four coolers full of refreshments. So, how about it? You mind if we set ourselves up in this clearing here?”
“What the hell is she?” Kira’s voice was ice as she pointed a painted talon at Alicia.
Deston felt a growl coming up through his chest but Alicia stepped forward before he could respond. The college pack stared at her. “I’m Alicia. We would be pleased to be your hosts.”
Frisco was the beer drinker. He threw the glass bottle on the ground where it shattered. He growled. Next to him, Benji began to tense into a crouch. Deston flexed, readying himself for the change his body required to defend his mate. His mind raced. He was strong but there were four of them. He couldn’t possibly take on all four at once and what of Alicia while he tried?
But Alicia pressed forward, closer to Kenny. Her voice was low but sincere. “I no longer hold to the witch ways.”
Kenny was thoughtful. “So you are his mate?”
“I am.”
Kenny burst into raucous laughter. Deston shifted uneasily. Kira was grimacing.
&nbs
p; “That’s disgusting,” she said.
Kenny waved her off. He spoke to Alicia, merry amusement in his voice. “Well my juicy darling don’t that just beat all. A werewolf fucks a witch and lives to tell about it.” Kenny turned and gave his buddies a warning glare as they were still poised menacingly. He turned back to Alicia, inhaling the air in her direction. “I would swear you were nothing but a human.”
Deston wanted to wince. Alicia hung her head. He knew the words bit her pride.
Kenny nodded to Deston. “So you in agreement? We’ll be gone in the morning.” He belched lightly. “Got an exam on Monday. You’re welcome to hunt with us.”
Deston did not like it at all. But he did not see what other option there was. It could be disastrous to anger a pack of four werewolves on the day of a full moon. He did not trust any of these reckless creatures with Alicia. Kira especially continued to glare at her as if she were an insect. Frisco and Benji still seemed on the verge of shifting into wolf form. Only Kenny continued to regard them cheerfully, yet there was something in the depths of those cold green eyes which Deston did not believe at all.
When Deston finally spoke he forced his voice to be casual. “Why not? Be nice to have some company. You folks are welcome to stay and enjoy the hospitality of the moon.”
“Fan-fucking-tastic!” Kenny gave Deston a playful slap on the arm. Kira was already stalking back to the truck. Frisco and Benji hung back, uncertain. Kenny yelled to them. “Hey dipshits, get those tents up!”
**
She thought the werewolves might be harmless enough; young, foolish and interested only in their own adventure. But she did not have Deston’s instincts and he was anxious.
What if they turn on us?
Deston would have much difficulty defending them, strong as he was. Alicia felt the despair of helplessness. For a moment she longed for the security of the coven, longed to be in the fold of the sisters again. She shook off the flicker of doubt, guiltily glancing at Deston.
He sat on a worn chair in the cabin, listening to the ring of laughter and the parry of insults. He rubbed at the stubble on his chin, hair askew. He looked like a wild thing and Alicia felt the wetness of her want. She put her cool lips to his tense shoulder.
“You think they’re really just looking for a place to camp?”
Deston shrugged. “They seem a rather reckless bunch. Could be they’re just looking for friends.”
“Is that what you really think?”
Deston looked at her. “No. Stay indoors. I will deal with them.”
“And if they attack?”
“I’m strong.” As if to prove his words he seized her about the waist and hauled her into a straddling position. A few quick tugs of fabric and he was inside her again. She moved languidly, letting the length of him slide in and out, arching her back to let him sink in deeper. Her climax was sudden and she bit her lip to keep quiet. No reason to alert their guests to such activities. He shuddered abruptly and came, but hung onto her, his temporarily spent manhood lingering inside. He kissed her with ferocious, possessive urgency.
After they had dressed again, he placed a small pickax in her hand. “Keep it close.”
Alicia looked down at the petite weapon. It was wholly inadequate to deal with one snarling wolf, let alone four. But she took it anyway because it was all she had. Her other weapons were lost. She knew if she called the fire it would not obey.
As the morning wore into afternoon, the wolves became louder, more raucously drunk. Only Kira sat prissily apart. Alicia watched her sitting on her skinny bottom on a large cooler.
Deston ventured outside several times under the pretense of friendly conversation. Alicia looked out the window, gripping the pickax and feeling silly for it. She angrily tried to will the will the fear away but to no avail.
Fucking ‘human’ my ass.
Yet that is what she was becoming. Ordinary and human she would be.
Each time Deston returned to the cabin his expression was a little darker. Alicia knew he dearly wished the pack would go.
When she heard a girlish squeal she looked outside again. Kira was shrieking and running around the makeshift campsite with her hands flailing in the air. Alicia was confused until Kira’s face broke into a fleeting grin and then she realized the she-wolf was playing a part. The part of a pursued human. Her mate, Kenny, had retained his man form but chased her on all fours with terrifying speed. He caught her easily and in a swift move which made Alicia gasp, he tore Kira’s tank top from her body, exposing pert breasts. Kira continued to play at the struggle, giggling periodically and Kenny tore her tight jeans off, flipping her roughly and entering her from behind. Kira’s face went slack with pleasure, but Kenny’s eyes were open as he deeply thrust again and again. Benji and Frisco sat idly nearby and watched as if they were enjoying some community theater.
Kenny grunted with each powerful thrust and looked up suddenly. His eyes locked into Alicia’s. He held her gaze and grinned as he continued to pound his mate. Alicia backed away from the window. She had seen terrible things in her life but the grin belonging to that alpha wolf chilled her thoroughly.
Deston watched her. She whispered, “What happens when the moon rises?”
He spoke uneasily. “They will change. And they will hunt. They’re so shitfaced there’s reason to hope they will tire early.”
Alicia peered outside again. Kenny pumped frenziedly while Kira screamed her climax. Benji and Frisco sipped their dark beer. Alicia closed her eyes.
***
He was wrong. They did not wait until moonrise to hunt. Kira began banging on the door of the cabin, plainly irritated and still in a state of undress. “Kenny says you should watch.” She turned a cold eye on Alicia. “You like to watch, don’t you, witch?”
It was the time of day when the sun descends in a soft light which makes everything appear a bit muted. Deston watched grimly as Frisco and Benji, full wolves, herded a terrified doe into the clearing. She was young. She hopped over the low tents and tries desperately to find a path of escape. Then Kenny burst forth in a howl of hair and teeth. He joined the game. Deston figured they would end the doe now that she was cornered but they did not. The three of them circled her, nipping and snarling as she scrambled from one desperate corner to another. She loosed her bladder and stood stock still, yet they refused to kill her. Their laughter was terrible, raspy and full of savagery.
Kira had resumed her perch on the cooler and grown bored again. She had not changed with the boys. “For Christ’s sake, get it over with.”
Kenny crouched underneath the doe’s proud neck. Deston could smell her terror in the quickening of her blood. Benji and Frisco came from behind, each grabbing a slim leg in powerful jaws. The bones cracked and the deer fell, maimed but not dead. Her front hooves scratched the ground feverishly. Deston was angry. He felt desperate to put the pathetic creature out her misery. This was obviously a sick game to the pack, one they had certainly played before.
He heard Alicia’s shallow breath. “Is this what it’s always like?”
Deston shook his head slowly. “No.”
Kenny finally tore savagely at the doe’s soft belly and she stopped breathing. Once he’d enjoyed his meal, Benji and Frisco finished her. Kenny sat back on his haunches and licked his paws. After several long moments he sprawled on the ground and his body began the even breathing of sleep. Benji and Frisco lolled around dreamily with full bellies. Kira fiddled with her cell phone.
Deston put Alicia protectively behind him and backed into the cabin. He had to get her out of there.
When he told her his plan she was stubborn. “No,” she said. “I won’t leave you!”
“Alicia!” He grabbed her wrists tightly. She winced in pain but he had to make her understand. “I can’t fight them and protect you. It may not come to that. They still haven’t been aggressive towards us but Kenny is a cruel bastard. And the others will follow. It looks as if they always do.”
She stare
d at the floor. Her dark hair hung around her sweet, anguished face. Deston’s heart tore. “I’m sorry,” she coughed. “I’m weak, I’m a burden.”
He pulled her close. The softness of her flesh was warm and tempting. “You are not. You are my love.”
She followed him into the narrow loft at the rear of the cabin. The small window would be just wide enough to squeeze through. She would have to remain low on the roof. Deston was counting on the small slope of the roof to help hide her. His hope was the dose of alcohol and the invigorating instincts arriving with the full moon would obscure the pack’s senses a little. Enough for her to remain hidden.
Deston burned some wild sage in the cabin to further confuse the wolves’ scent. He sat on the plain chair where hours earlier he and Alicia had joined bodies for the last time.
No. Not the last time...
He waited while the world darkened. His blood, the blood of the werewolf, cried out in recognition as the silvery moon rose to claim its brief reign in the sky. He was unsurprised by the knock on the door.
“Come in,” he said mildly.
Kenny had returned to his common form. He was nude. Deston could see streaks of the deer’s blood around his mouth. He reeked of his kill. “Hey bro, ready for the hunt?”
“Thanks, I believe I’ll pass.”
Kenny clucked his tongue. He was enjoying this. “I’m afraid that’s not an option, bro.” His eyes glittered. “You see, we’ll be hunting you.”
***
It was the first time Alicia had ever considered the moon alive. The moon just was and it didn’t matter much to her. It was not Mother and God as it was to the werewolves. She lay on her back and watched its mysterious ascent.