“Sleep in?” I asked. “I want to sleep through both days.”
“Not me. I have a soccer match tomorrow evening.” She glanced toward the door. “Do you think they’re going to have a sub? Or even a new professor?”
My heart sunk. I only wanted to see Toby’s gorgeous face walking in through the door. I sighed, fighting a lump in my throat.
“Only like half the kids are here,” Grace said. “Did you notice?”
A handsome thirty-something wearing a tie and trendy glasses came into the classroom and set a bag on Toby’s table. He unbuttoned his cuffs and rolled up his sleeves, exposing well-defined arms. “I’m Roger Fredrickson, and I’m going to be your professor temporarily.”
Grace leaned over and whispered, “This place has the best math department ever.”
“He’s got to be twice your age.”
“I don’t care.” She sighed dramatically without taking her gaze from the new guy.
The professor held up a paper. “It looks like Professor Foley has you working on unit three. Let’s open up to page—”
“Can’t we post fliers?” asked a girl on the other side of the room.
“Yeah,” said another. “We can catch up on math later.”
Fredrickson took a deep breath. “Yeah, I’d rather do something to help find him, too. Okay, here’s the deal. You guys need to stay on track with the syllabus, but if you need help, I’ll set up a study group over the weekend. Sound good?”
“I’m there,” Grace said. Others agreed.
“Okay. I’ll reserve one of the library’s study rooms for Sunday at two. Now if you want to hand out fliers, there are stacks of them in the Student Union Building and also where our offices are. Let’s get to work.”
Everyone packed their things away and filed out of the classroom. Grace and I headed for the student building—I didn’t want to go near the offices in case Soleil was there waiting for me.
Grace and I spent the next half hour posting papers on every blank pole we could find. I found it hard not to stare at them. In the picture, it felt like he was looking right at me. Like he was trying to tell me something.
Someone tapped my shoulder. I turned around to see a lady in a nice dress, holding a microphone. A cameraman was only a few feet away.
“Did you know Tobias Foley?” She shoved the mic in my face.
“He’s my stats professor.”
“All these students handing out and posting fliers, are they in his classes, too?”
“Most of them. Our stats class decided to do this instead of studying.”
“What do you think happened to him?” The lady pushed her mic closer, practically into my mouth.
I backed up. “Excuse me, I’m going to hand the rest of these out.”
Another girl from our class hurried over and spoke with the reporter.
Grace gave me a knowing look. “Pushy, much?”
“I thought she was trying to feed that to me for breakfast.”
She rolled her eyes. “I see some empty poles over there.”
“Let’s go.”
Chapter 23
Victoria
Days turned into weeks without any news on Toby’s disappearance. The warm sunny days were giving way to chilly, rainy ones and most of the fliers were now tattered and falling off the poles.
Each weekend, I joined a group of students and professors who handed out fliers around town, but the size of that group hand dwindled down. It was like almost nobody expected him to return anymore.
Professor Fredrickson had taken over the stats class and a couple others had taken Toby’s other courses.
Carter and I continued our daily study and dinner sessions, but now they were mostly at his house. He didn’t want to be anywhere near his dad, who he said had been in a bad mood for nearly a month.
I’d settled into a routine at the spa and was confident I could give a mani-pedi in my sleep. I hadn’t had any more embarrassing mishaps since the day Toby disappeared.
Thunder rumbled in the distance.
Carter glanced at me from the other side of the picnic table in his garden. “We’d better take this inside.”
The sounds of large raindrops hitting his plants surrounded us. Little wet splashes landed on my face.
In haste, we gathered our laptops, papers, and textbooks. We ran inside just as a flash of lightning lit up the garden like a bright summer day.
He slammed the sliding glass door. Thunder boomed, shaking the glass.
I ran to the middle of the room, not wanting to be anywhere near the storm. The outside lit up again, followed immediately by more rumbling.
Carter came over and dumped his stuff on the couch and wrapped an arm around me. “You’ll be safe, I promise.”
I nodded, breathless.
“Want me to have someone make some hot chocolate?” He gazed into my eyes and ran his fingers through my hair.
“Or we could make it ourselves.”
He arched a brow. “For real?”
“Of course.”
“Do you know how to make it? I sure don’t.”
“I think so. Do you have dried cocoa powder?”
Carter shrugged. “Let’s go see.”
We went into his kitchen and started going through the cabinets until he pulled some out. “Is this it?”
“Yeah. Now we just need milk, sugar, salt, and… something else?”
“Is it important?” He pulled a jug of milk from the fridge.
“Let me think.” I found the salt and sugar, then scanned the spice cabinet. “Oh! Vanilla. That’s right.” I grabbed the little bottle. “Can you start boiling a third of a cup of water?”
His brows came together and he tilted his head. I’d never seen anyone so confused about boiling water—of that, I was sure, despite my lack of memories.
I shoved him playfully. “I didn’t ask you to translate War and Peace into Swahili. Can you at least find the measuring cups?”
“Uh… sure?”
“Oh my gosh, you’re such a princess,” I teased.
He burst out laughing. “I know I should be offended, but you’re too cute.”
I shook my head. “I’ll find the measuring cups, but you’re going to help me pour and stir.”
“Whatever you say, boss.”
Before long, we had our mugs of steaming cocoa. I found a box of candy canes and crushed one. Then I sprinkled the crumbs in the two drinks.
Carter held his up to his face and took a deep breath. “This smells fantastic.”
“Wait until you taste it.”
A crack of thunder sounded. Everything went black.
“Great,” he muttered. “And we never replaced the generator. So much for a romantic evening.”
“Do you have candles?” I asked.
“Of course.”
“Then it’ll be even more romantic.”
“I like the way you think. Should we take it up to my room?”
My internal nun yelled at me louder than usual. I’d been putting Carter off for weeks.
“Not yet?” he asked. “Okay, no biggie. The living room, it is. But I’m turning on the fireplace.”
We managed to make our way to the couch without spilling the drinks. With the flip of a switch, we had a gas fire.
“Still want candles?” Carter asked.
“No, this is nice.” We made ourselves comfortable and watched the fire, sipping our hot chocolates.
After we set the empty cups on the coffee table, Carter grabbed a quilt and covered us. My heart thundered against my ribcage. I was nervous he’d try something, but he kept his hands above the blanket, sliding my hands into his.
Watching the fire lulled me to sleep. Just before dozing, my head leaned against his. He kissed my forehead.
Once again, I found myself in the woods with Toby. These dreams had become a common occurrence.
This time, we were next to a bubbling stream. The sky was colored with bright hues behind the trees and t
he moon was full.
Toby brushed his lips across mine. “Are you ready?”
“As always.” A sharp pain shot through my spine.
“Are you sure you want to do this together? You know, with the clothes situation…” He cleared his throat nervously. “I mean, I’m used to undressing in front of others—don’t get me wrong. It’s just that with you, I want it to be special. Not just for a shift.”
Pains prickled through my shoulders. I held back a groan. “Me, too. We can undress behind bushes. I really want to run together as wolves.”
“Okay. We’ll…”
His voice faded away as fire spread through my legs and down into my toes.
Something shook me.
“Victoria, are you okay?” That was Carter’s voice.
My eyes flew open. I was back in his living room.
“I think you were having a nightmare.”
All my aches and pains were real. I grasped my legs, unable to speak through the agony.
“What’s the matter?” he exclaimed. Terror covered his face.
I cried out, unable to control myself any longer.
This was just like what I had gone through after moving in. I’d eaten enough for ten people at lunchtime, having suffered the same ravenous appetite. The manager at the cafeteria had even asked me to leave.
“What can I do?”
I tried to remember what had happened the last time I’d been ravaged with the pain. “Medicine.”
“What?” he exclaimed.
“Painkillers.” I doubled over, nearly falling off the couch.
He caught me. “You’re going to be safer on a bed.”
I moaned, unable to argue. With my body hurting this badly, I was likely to pass out. I couldn’t remember if I had even managed to stay conscious the last time.
Carter wrapped his arms under me and pulled me up to his chest. “I’ll put you in a guest room.”
Every step he took added to my suffering.
Why did this keep happening?
Finally, Carter laid me in a bed and covered me with blankets. “Do you want regular painkillers or something really strong? I’ve got some prescription stuff from when I broke my leg.”
“Strong,” I mumbled.
“It’ll knock you out for a while.”
I rolled over and screamed into the pillow. When I was done, I had the room to myself.
A few minutes later, Carter returned with an orange pill bottle and a glass of water. “Can you swallow one, or do you want me to mash it up?”
My bones felt like they would melt and explode at the same time. I cried out, my back arched high into the air.
Once the torment eased, Carter handed me the glass. “I mashed up the pill and put it in there. Just drink. Hurry.” His eyes were wide with worry.
He helped me sit up and I drank the bitter, clumpy water.
Once it was gone, he laid me against the pillow. “Stay there. I’ll be right back.”
“Where would I go?” I mumbled.
Carter tucked the blankets around me and left the room. He returned with a damp washcloth and put it on my forehead, cooling me. He held my hand. “I’m right here, and I’m not going anywhere.”
Grogginess overtook me. I drifted into a deep, dreamless sleep.
Chapter 24
Toby
A new guard came into my cell. He set my daily tray of food on the dirty floor and strutted over to me, keeping his gaze averted. He unlocked my shackles and shoved me against the stone wall. I braced myself and managed to not have the wind knocked out of me that time.
He spun around and marched out, slamming the door behind him. It clicked as he turned the lock.
I scrambled over to the tray. It was my usual, leftovers from the restaurant thrown into a single bowl. It wasn’t much, but I’d adjusted—and lost weight. But I’d kept my muscle tone, exercising with the meager free time I was given after my meals.
My bones were starting to ache, indicating that it was probably almost the full moon. I wasn’t sure how close, since I’d been locked in the dark room for so long.
Not that I cared when my food waited for me. I picked up the bowl and dug in, eating as though I were in my wolf form. Aside from using my dirt-crusted hands, I had no other option. If the jaguars had cameras on me, they were sure to enjoy reducing me to acting like my inner animal.
Let them gloat. I was determined to have the last laugh one way or another. I’d survived Victoria’s death so many years earlier. Now that she was alive again, I would find a way out of this and get her back.
I finished the scraps and dropped the bowl onto the tray. It was only a matter of time before someone returned to lock me up again, so I didn’t waste time allowing my food to digest. I simply stretched and ran around the room a dozen times. Then I dropped to the floor and did as many push-ups as I could. I ran again to give my arms rest before doing chin ups on the pipe that stuck out of the ceiling, which was also the hated carrier of the chains that I hung from most of the day.
Since I had some extra time, I rested and then did sit-ups until the doorknob jiggled. I jumped back and leaned against the wall, pretending to be bored.
The club owner came in, holding his dart gun—my constant reminder of what would happen if I tried to take him down again.
He stared at my tattered, dirty pants. “You really should do something about those.” He laughed. “Ready to be chained back up?”
My bones were growing sorer, preparing for the impending shift. “I’m going to shift soon.”
“Oh, right. I nearly forgot about the full moon. I’ve been so distracted watching all the videos of Carter and Victoria.”
I jumped up and lunged for him.
He held out the dart gun. I skidded to a stop, only inches from him.
“They’ve got extra tranquilizers today. I wasn’t sure if you’d already be in your wolf form.”
“If your son is already in love with Victoria, why don’t you let me go? What use am I to you?”
“You think that’s why you’re here?” He shook his head.
“Why then?” I shouted.
“She was here as bait for you.”
“What?”
“That’s right. I’ve got you exactly where I want you, Foley.”
I stared at him, confused. “What do you want with me?”
“First, we’re going to continue torturing you.”
“And then?” I clenched my fists.
He shrugged. “Then we kill you. But don’t worry, we have plenty of time before that, wolf. Let’s get you locked up.”
“You can’t seriously—not now.”
“Why not?”
“You’d have me shift while tied to the ceiling?” I cringed, imagining my wolf form hanging from the shackles.
“Like I said, we’re going to torture you, even in your wolf body.”
I backed away, my pulse drumming in my ears. There was a lot I could power through, but not that. “Can’t we work something out?”
A sly smile spread across his face. “I like to see you squirm. This is kind of fun.”
“What about some other chains?” I gestured toward the ones still attached to the skeleton in the corner. “I’d still be in chains, but I won’t be hanging in the air.”
He appeared to think about it. Then he turned to me. “No. I like the other one better. That’s why you’ve been there this whole time.”
“I’ll go without my meal tomorrow.”
“Stop begging. It’s pathetic.”
“I’m negotiating.”
“No you’re not. You have nothing to offer. Now move, before I shoot you.”
I stared at the darts. Being tranquilized would be my best option if I had to hang in shackles in my wolf form. I jumped at my captor, knocking him onto the ground. Apparently, he hadn’t seen that coming.
The dart gun flew from his hand and spun across the room. Our gazes met for a moment before we both scrambled to our feet and ju
mped after it.
He reached it first, turned to me and aimed for my chest. I didn’t bother trying to move out of the way. It stung as it broke through my skin. A moment later, the hard ground flew toward my face.
When I came to, I was still in my human form and chained to the ceiling. This time, my ankles were cuffed, also. My bones ached with a greater intensity, indicating the shift wasn’t far off.
This was likely going to be one of the worst shifts of my life.
A sharp pain ran from the base of my neck down to my toes. It was probably what had woken me from the tranquilizer.
My right cheek felt tender. He had probably taken advantage of me being passed out to hit me a few times.
Acute pain squeezed my shoulders and moved around through my body. My arms and legs fought fruitlessly to free themselves from the restraints.
The door opened, though I hardly noticed because of my torment.
“Still haven’t changed?” came my captor’s voice. “Because you’re not out under the moon?”
My body convulsed, so close to the shift and fighting the upright position.
“I have a surprise for you.”
“You’re going to release me?” I struggled to focus on him.
“I’m going to shift, too. It’s been a while, so I figure why not?” He turned his back to me and stripped off his clothes, throwing them into the corner. He flexed one butt cheek and then the other. “Like the show?”
I rolled my eyes and let my chin fall to my chest. My stomach and chest were already sprouting fur. I braced myself.
My wolf let out a howl. He was taking over. This time, we would shift as one. We needed to if we were going to fight a jaguar—while chained to the ceiling.
A roar echoed around us. Our captor had shifted, and his glowing yellow eyes stared right at us.
The door opened and two men in suits appeared. They threw off their clothes and shifted before my eyes.
Blinding pain overtook me. My wolf yelped. We fell to the ground, landing on our tail. My pants—what was left of them—lay next to us shredded into rags.
Our paws had been too small to keep us restrained in the shackles.
Three spotted jaguars crept toward us, growling and baring their teeth.
We scrambled to our feet. I felt myself melting into him. As one, we stood a chance. Fighting each other, we didn’t.
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