Wild

by Meghan O'Brien

  Seeing Selene strapped down, writhing in pain as nightfall approached, made walking away easier to say than to do. She understood why Selene didn’t want her to witness the transformation, but after the day they’d just spent—building a primal connection Eve could feel in her bones—she couldn’t bear to abandon Selene to the torment of the moon.

  She wanted to stay. To help, somehow.

  “No. You agreed to go.” The panic in Selene’s voice tore at her heart. “It’s time. Go!”

  Tears welled in Eve’s eyes and she didn’t try to hide them. She knew Selene could feel her anguish. “I hate seeing you like this. I don’t want to leave you alone.”

  Selene gritted her teeth and her face turned red. “Listen to me. In about fifteen minutes, I won’t know who you are. You won’t be safe around me.”

  “You won’t hurt me.” Eve had no idea where she got her confidence as far as that statement went, but she believed it to the bottom of her soul. Especially after today, having shared what felt at times like some kind of primitive mating and bonding ritual, Eve just couldn’t imagine Selene causing her harm. “Maybe my presence will help with the transformation, too. Like it did today, with the arousal.”

  Shaking her head furiously, Selene squeezed her eyes shut against the tears that had started to fall. “You promised me, Eve. Don’t break your promise.”

  “But I just—”

  “We can talk about it tomorrow.” Selene opened her eyes, which were so haunted Eve shivered as soon as they fixed upon her own. “I can’t protect you tonight—not even from myself. And I need to know you’re safe. This will be so much easier for me if I know you’re out of danger.”

  It was clear she wouldn’t be able to talk Selene into letting her stay. Going back on her promise could damage their relationship irreparably. No matter how intensely they connected, their relationship was still new. Eve expected Selene to be honest with her, so she needed to demonstrate loyalty and honesty in return.

  “Okay,” Eve said. She swiped the tears from her face quickly, putting on a brave front. “I’m sorry. I just love you. This is so…hard.”

  Selene’s eyes had gone wild. She was slipping further and further away. “Love you. Now go.”

  With a teary nod, Eve bent and kissed Selene on her damp cheek, then turned and walked swiftly out of the guest room. She shut the door behind her, then put the key to the cuffs in her pocket as Selene had instructed. She walked to Selene’s living room, glancing out the window at the darkening sky. According to Selene, the transformation would happen any minute now. Eve hoped tonight would go as planned, and that Selene would be safe until she returned in the morning.

  Eve’s cell phone rang inside her backpack, which still sat where she’d dropped it just inside the front door. Heart pounding, she rushed across the room to unzip the bag and dig the phone out. Praying she wouldn’t see Jac’s name on her caller ID, Eve feared someone had discovered her absence. When she checked her phone and confirmed that Jac was calling, she exhaled and answered the phone in as casual a voice as she could manage.

  “Hey, Jac. What’s up?”

  “You’re not home. That’s what’s up.” Jac sounded like she was trying hard to keep her tone neutral, which meant she was very angry. Eve wouldn’t have expected anything less. “I’m standing in your living room and you’re not here. So where the hell are you?”

  “I’m coming home now.”

  “That’s not what I asked. What possessed you to sneak away from your protective detail?”

  An agonized, guttural shriek rattled the walls around Eve, cutting off her reply. Eve whipped around, zeroing in on the closed guest room door. Her stomach flip-flopped uneasily—Selene’s transformation must be under way.

  “Eve! Are you okay?”

  The alarm in Jac’s voice brought Eve back to their conversation. “I’m fine.” The growing commotion within the guest room sent Eve scurrying to the front door, afraid that Jac would overhear the growling, groaning, and plaintive, agonized wail. Each sound of distress unleashed an answering wave of pain within her own body. “I’m sorry, it’s just the television.”

  “Are you at Selene’s house? Tell me and I’ll send someone to get you.”

  Eve’s stomach leapt into her throat. “That won’t be necessary. I told you, I’m coming home right now. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes. There’s no reason to worry.”

  “Did Selene convince you to do this? What reason did she give you for why you should put yourself at risk?” Jac no longer tried to hide her fury. “Doesn’t she care about you at all?”

  “Hey,” Eve said sharply. “It’s not like that. Stop making assumptions, calm down, and we’ll talk about this when I get back. It’s not a big deal. Unless you’ve neglected to tell me that Kevin Pike is in the wind.”

  Jac grumbled under her breath. “According to my guys, he went up to his apartment two hours ago and turned out the lights. No movement since then.”

  “Taking a nap, maybe?” Despite her rattled nerves, Eve forced a light chuckle. “Explain to me why you’re so freaked out again?”

  “Because I don’t want anything to happen to you. Because it’s not like you to do something this stupid.”

  Eve realized that the noise from the guest room had suddenly ceased, leaving Selene’s house almost unnaturally quiet. Just as she wondered whether she should be worried, a piercing howl arose from behind the door, so mournful it sent chills down Eve’s spine.

  “Television again?” There was no humor in Jac’s voice.

  Eve snatched up her backpack, zipping it closed, then slinging it over her shoulder. She needed to leave now. Jac knew where she was, and Eve had already overstayed her welcome. She was skating dangerously close to exposing Selene’s secret, which was a risk she couldn’t take. Eve was pretty sure Jac didn’t believe in the supernatural, and if she was confronted by evidence of its existence, her reaction would not be good.

  “It may not be like me to do stupid things, but I did this. Me. I decided to get away for an hour because I wanted some privacy. It is what it is, and I’m sorry. We’ll talk about it when I get home. Okay?”

  Sighing, Jac said, “Fine.”

  Eve picked up Selene’s house keys and threw open the front door. Her terse good-bye to Jac died in her throat. Standing on the porch was a man whose face she’d never seen before, yet she recognized him immediately.

  Kevin Pike.

  Eve quickly stepped back and moved to close the door, but he shouldered his way inside, shoving her backward hard enough to knock her to the floor. Her cell phone clattered out of her hands and skidded across the hallway, coming to rest beneath a small end table.

  For a terrifying instant she couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t open her mouth, couldn’t force out sound. Then her lungs started working and she screamed, “Jac!”

  Kevin kicked the door shut and launched himself on top of her, hitting her hard across the face with his fist. Stunned into momentary silence, she moaned in pain as he scrambled over to the cell phone and disconnected it. He shoved it into his pants pocket and clambered back onto her body, pinning her down before she could gather her wits and try to escape.

  “I wasn’t expecting to find you here.” His pupils were so dilated they made his eyes look black. Sweat beaded on his forehead. The expression on his face was a curious mix of fear and arousal. “I came for your girlfriend. She was going to be my final gift to you.”

  “She’s not here,” Eve said. Even as the lie rolled off her tongue, a growl from the guest room raised the hairs on the back of Eve’s neck.

  Kevin glanced sharply at the closed door, then back at Eve. “Is that your new dog? I saw you walking her right before I discovered the police watching me.”

  “Yes, that’s my dog.” Eve’s heart hammered in her chest. It would take Jac at least fifteen minutes to get here, assuming traffic was moving. Kevin Pike might not keep her alive that long, especially when he knew someone had heard his entrance. “Please
don’t hurt her.”

  “What good is having a protection dog if you’re just going to leave it locked in a room?” Amusement transformed his face into something almost human. “I mean, it’s a little tragic to be murdered right after you’ve put away your only weapon. Stupid bitch.”

  Kevin’s words sparked Eve’s memory. She’d shoved the gun Jac had insisted she carry into her backpack before she left her apartment. Though she hadn’t honestly imagined that Kevin would escape his surveillance detail and come after her on the one night she was unprotected, Eve had liked the reassurance the gun provided. Not that it was doing her much good, hidden in a backpack that lay facing away from her, just out of reach.

  A vicious snarl erupted from the guest room, then a series of increasingly frustrated howls. Selene could sense she was in danger. Even now, with Selene’s mind completely divorced from its human sensibilities, their connection remained. The emotion coming from Selene was raw and disjointed, difficult to discern. But Eve knew that she was enraged. As Eve’s terror grew, the noises from the guest room rose in volume.

  “What the hell’s wrong with your dog?” Confusion passed across Kevin’s face and he met her eyes for the first time, really studying her. “What is it with you and dogs? Every time I get close to you there’s some fucking dog to chase me away.”

  “I like dogs.” Eve fought not to let her gaze stray to her backpack, not wanting Kevin to anticipate her next move. “The police are on their way. You should leave now if you don’t want to get caught.”

  Kevin laughed. “Stick to forensic pathology, Doc. Your psychology needs a bit of refinement.” Sitting up slightly, Kevin reached behind his back and withdrew a large, wickedly sharp-looking knife. “I wasn’t expecting to get close to you again. I’m not losing this opportunity. Not after everything we’ve been through.”

  Eve’s stomach churned. He spoke of her almost fondly, as though they had a relationship he truly valued. “You’re going to kill me? Is that your endgame? I thought this was about getting the better of me.”

  “Oh, I’ll get the better of you.” Kevin stroked the back of his hand across her cheek, tenderly. “Trust me, when the cops find you, they’ll know who won our little game.” He dropped his hand to her throat, paralyzing her with the fear that he would cut off her air supply, then touched her breast through her shirt. “When I came to see you last time, I’d intended to rape you and cut your face up. Pity I don’t have the time or the prophylactic to do that tonight.”

  Eve’s stomach dropped into her feet when he raised the knife, positioning the edge of the blade against her cheek. “Please,” she whispered.

  “Well, the raping part at least.” He drew the blade down her cheek in a quick, brutal slice, splitting open her skin with searing precision. Eve winced as hot blood oozed from the wound and ran down her face. That would leave a scar.

  An absolutely savage roar shook the walls around them, pulling Kevin’s attention away just long enough for Eve to drive her fist into his neck. Choking, he brought his hands reflexively to his throat. Eve shoved against his chest as hard as she could, scrambling out from beneath him as he fell to the side.

  She crawled to her backpack and unzipped it, thrusting her hand into the bottom in a mad search for the gun. Just as her fingers brushed against the cool metal, Kevin grabbed her legs and yanked her toward him. She lost her grip on the gun with a defeated whimper, swearing in frustration when Kevin surged up over her to shove the backpack farther away.

  Rolling over beneath him, Eve kicked out wildly, first striking his shin, then landing a solid blow between his legs. He gasped and rolled away, holding himself protectively. Taking advantage of his momentary lapse, Eve leapt to her feet and ran toward the guest room. Going for the gun hadn’t worked the first time, so Eve abandoned that plan in favor of going straight to her most deadly weapon—a pissed-off, fiercely protective werewolf.

  Or at least that’s what Eve hoped she’d find behind that door. Deep in her heart she believed that Selene would recognize her even in her changed state, but that didn’t stop a slight trill of apprehension from crawling down Eve’s spine. Selene was making noises unlike anything Eve had ever heard before. Vicious, throaty growls of murderous intent.

  Still, Eve would rather take her chances with full-moon Selene than with Kevin Pike.

  Taking a deep breath, Eve opened the guest room door, then quickly closed it behind her. The door didn’t lock from the inside—Selene probably figured there wasn’t much use for that—so shutting it could only slow down Kevin briefly. But every second counted, especially when Eve thought about just how tightly she’d tied Selene.

  At the sound of her entrance, the hulking creature strapped to the table lifted its head and stared at her with malevolent green eyes. Eve’s hands went numb at the sight of her lover, now wholly unrecognizable—larger than any wolf on earth, but distinctly canid and devoid of any humanity. Her silver fur caught the low light, gleaming, as she bared her impossibly sharp fangs in a classic aggressive snarl.

  There was no sign of recognition in Selene’s eyes, yet Eve still felt their connection in her gut. Selene was reacting to Eve’s fear and pain—even if Eve couldn’t see Selene in there, she could feel her. Running to the table, Eve looked deeply into cold green eyes as she dug the keys to Selene’s cuffs out of her pocket.

  “I know you’re in there, Selene,” Eve murmured. “I trust you. You will not hurt me, okay? I’m going to untie you, because I need you right now—”

  The guest room door banged open and Eve jumped, nearly dropping the keys to Selene’s cuffs. Refusing to get distracted, she fumbled to unlock the first cuff around Selene’s wrist. Already she knew she would never have time to unlock the other three, let alone untie the rope that held Selene down, but she refused to give up until the last possible second.

  “What the fuck is that?”

  Eve glanced up at the terror in Kevin’s voice, just in time to watch him bring her gun up and aim at Selene. Releasing her wrist, Eve jumped out of the way when Selene swung her massive arm through the air, trying to use her new leverage to break free. The loud crack of gunfire pulled a scream from Eve’s throat, which turned into a sob when she saw a vivid bloom of red stain the silver fur on Selene’s chest.

  “No!” Unconcerned with her own safety, Eve ran at Kevin Pike and tackled him around the middle. They fell backward into the hallway even as another shot rang out. Eve drew back her fist and threw a punch at Kevin’s throat, but narrowly missed when he moved his head to the side. Her hand slammed uselessly against the hard tile floor, sending breathtaking agony rocketing through her body. He took advantage of her pain by rolling them over so he was on top.

  “You’re one crazy fucking bitch.” Kevin wrapped his hands around her throat, squeezing hard. Apparently he was done messing around—no more toying with her, no more drawing things out. The end was here. “I don’t know what the fuck is up with you and your freaky animal friends, but I’m done. You’re done.”

  Eve opened her mouth to call out to Selene, but couldn’t draw in enough air to do more than whimper. She kicked out a foot, knocking weakly against the guest room door frame. It was getting more difficult to fight back without oxygen—her perception became distorted in the strangest way. A terrible groan filled her ears, then a blood-chilling howl of rage from Selene.

  At last, all of the pressure around her throat eased and Eve could breathe again. Drawing in a lungful of cool, sweet air, Eve sat up clumsily, ready to move. She scanned her surroundings, assessing the situation, then went still when she spotted Kevin’s body just inside the guest room. He stared sightlessly at the ceiling, body convulsing as blood poured from the savage gouge in his throat. An impossibly large wolf loomed over him on all fours, its silver fur standing on end in a line down its back.

  “Selene!”

  At Eve’s exclamation the wolf turned its head and fixed its stare on her face. Selene, Eve reminded herself. That wolf is Selene. Forcing her way
past her instinctive caution, Eve extended her hand to the wolf and met her eyes. “Selene, I’m safe now. Everything is okay.”

  Lips still drawn back in a snarl, Selene took a step away from Kevin’s dead body. Then she slowly relaxed her face, transforming from ferocious beast to majestic creature in a heartbeat. Lowering her head and gazing up into Eve’s eyes, looking almost submissive, Selene trotted over to Eve and bumped her head against Eve’s chest.

  Eve inhaled sharply at the unmistakably affectionate gesture. “You saved my life.” She lifted a careful hand, running her fingers through the thick fur covering Selene’s broad skull. “Thank you. I love you.”

  Selene lifted her head and brushed her face against Eve’s. Then a large, warm tongue lapped gently at the blood that covered Eve’s face from the slice Kevin had made. Eve could feel Selene’s concern and lingering anger, even in this primal state.

  “Jac will be here any second,” Eve said softly. “We need to hide you until after I deal with the police. Do you understand? The body is in the guest room, so I’ll need you to stay in the bedroom.” Eve had no idea how she’d explain the rope and the table to Jac, but knew that moving the body somewhere else wasn’t a good idea. It would be obvious if she tried to cover anything up, and Eve knew Jac’s suspicion would fall on Selene.

  Selene whined and rested a large paw on Eve’s thigh. It was obvious she wanted to stay close.

  “I know, darling. As soon as I can get Jac to leave, I need to look at your wound.” She touched the bullet hole in Selene’s chest, wincing at the blood that oozed from the opening onto her fingers. “I’ll try to make it quick.”

  As though triggered by her words, Selene’s front door crashed open. The sound of rapidly approaching footsteps raised Selene’s hackles and she leapt in front of Eve, assuming a protective stance. Eve got to her knees and called out, “Jac? Stay where you are.”