by Aria Ford
“I mean it and if you try anything then you won’t wake up until morning. That’s not a threat…. It’s a promise and one that I intend to keep. I don’t need you running off and having me track you down like some kind of dog in the street.” He was wearing what looked like an off-the-rack suit, but it was his power red tie that made it a focal point. It was the perfect contrast to the white shirt. It didn’t hurt that I could see that underneath the Clark Kent persona was a superman quality physique.
“I hope you know what you’re doing. Joseph will not allow me to testify. I have all of his dirty dealings inside my head and the numbers to prove that he has been living a lie all this time. I’ve only agreed to testify to keep this man from hurting anybody else.” I could tell that this was personal, and that he had seen something that he couldn’t forget. “That man is a monster. I need to make amends for some of my own sins.” He was fingering a cross around his neck, and it was similar to the one that I wore every day to remind me that god was standing on my shoulder.
“It’s nice to see that you believe in something. I don’t know how you got mixed up with all of this, but now you’re gonna have to learn to live with what you have to do.” I followed from behind, keeping a watchful eye on him to see if he was going to bolt down the sidewalk. Amazingly, he went directly to the open door of my bronco and slipped into the passenger seat. I stood there at the window as he put on the seat belt and lay back with a sigh of resignation.
I went around to the other side, climbing in and driving away, while keeping my eye on the rearview mirror to see if I was going to be able to spot anybody tailing. My eyes focused with razor like precision on anything that would stand out in the crowd. Nothing was there, and I was happy to see that I wasn’t going to have to possibly run down innocent victims in the street.
“The one thing that we have in common is our religious belief. Do you suppose that we have a few moments for me to stop at my local church and talk to my priest? I really don’t think that it’s asking for too much.” He was hitting me where it hurt, and I could not deny him his right to religious counsel. “I promise that I won’t be more than a few minutes. I just need to get some things off my chest and to find penance for some of the things that I allowed to happen underneath my own nose.” He gave me the address, and I was still a little hesitant to deviate from my course of action.
“I hope for your sake that you’re not using my catholic upbringing against me. I may be a good catholic girl, but I will punch you in the face if you think for one second that you can get one over on me. I might have to confess it later, but it would be a small price to pay to make you see that there is no way out of your destiny.” I drove, but I was still constantly looking at him and feeling like he was drawing me to him like a siren of the sea.
I hadn’t notice, but his hand was now resting on my knee. He was drumming his fingers on my pant leg. “You could probably use a few moments to get some things off of your chest.” The way that he said that had a connotation of something sexual. His voice was laced with this seductive tone that made me feel like I was sitting there naked and at his mercy.
I found the strength to reach down and release his grip from my knee. I pulled his arm over to his own leg, but at the same time I grazed something that had been sleeping and was now awakening for the first time. That brief touch had made him gasp. He did not try to hide his obvious arousal. I would never consciously jump any man’s bones, and my purity was still very much a part of me.
The church was very old and had this air of being able to stand up to the test of time. There was some graffiti on the side, but for the most part it looked like it was untouched. I walked behind him as he climbed the stairs and pulled open the two double doors at the top. I surveyed the area, making sure that there were no uninvited guests that would have to be taken care of.
He turned abruptly and put his hand on my chest to prevent me from following him in. The contact made me become flushed and my eyes narrowed. “This is as far as you go. I’m going to need a few moments, and I don’t think that you can begrudge me that. This is a private conversation and one that I don’t want anybody to overhear.” His blond hair went down to his shoulders, but it was slicked back with some kind of product that made it virtually windproof. He had the dimples of the boy next door, and his eyes were practically undressing me the entire time that I was standing beside him. I was not immune to his charms, but there was no way that either one of us would forsake what we believed in.
Having relations with anyone was off the table until I got that ring on my finger and that four letter word to make me want to throw caution to the wind. “I will allow you five minutes, but if after that you don’t come out, then I’m coming in to get you.” I was laying down the law, and I didn’t want him to think that I was a pushover. “Don’t try anything. If you are good, then I promise that I won’t be bad.” I emphasized that last word to make him show a little confusion. I wanted to slap that smug smile off his face
He went inside and I stood there until I got bored and sat down. I made my claws appear and disappear at will. It was an exercise to control those tendencies. I made it impossible for the wolf to raise its ugly head without my direct permission. I’d forgotten that tonight was the full moon. I would need to remain completely quiet. If I could do that and keep my heart beat down to the bare minimum, then the wolf might not have a chance to grab me by the throat.
Five minutes elapsed and I finally had enough. I got up, and the door opened as I was reaching for the handle. Ryan came out looking like a new man. Confession really was good for the soul. “I told you that I would only be a few minutes. I am a man of my word, and that is the one thing that I do take seriously.” Behind him was a priest with a prerequisite white collar and black robe to complement the outfit. He was bald, except for stubble. He was carrying the good book, and he was looking at me and then at Ryan and then shaking his head in disbelief.
“That’s very interesting… that’s very interesting indeed.” His words were strange and they didn’t make much sense. I didn’t get a chance to question him further. He turned and went back into the church, laughing underneath his breath and making it sound like this was one big joke.
“This better be the only other stop that we’re going to have to make today. We still have a couple of hours to get to our final destination. I think that you’ll find that the place is very quiet and serene. There isn’t a neighbor for at least a couple of miles. The land around the house is owned by my family.” What I didn’t tell him was that my father was in no position to do anything. He was wasting away, and I could only hope that he would finally shake free of his demons.
“I’m ready to go.” He was being very cooperative and that was giving me a false sense of security. I was going to have to watch and wait to see if he was going to try anything to get out of testifying. “Father John has been with me for a very long time. There is nothing that I can’t tell him. He has been a true confidant and someone that I trust with all of my secrets. He is bound by the sanctity of the confessional.” I could use some of that same counseling, but I was in a hurry and getting there before dark was very important. Amazingly, even with the wolf’s senses, I was still not a great driver at night. I could see like it was daytime, but it still made me feel like there was an accident waiting to happen.
“Keep your hands where I can see them at all times.” I didn’t want him to touch me again, but deep down I wanted nothing more. He had found that part of myself that craved human touch. I couldn’t explain it, but his mouth was in need of a kiss that would make him breathless. I was this close to grabbing him and forcing him to take my tongue down his throat, but I stopped myself. I didn’t want to do anything that would be seen as untoward.
Fantasies were one thing, but acting on them was an entirely different matter altogether. I couldn’t, in good conscience, use him for my own pleasure and amusement. Besides, I think he would like it too much.
“You don’t hav
e to worry about me. I’ve made my peace with what I have to do.” I still didn’t trust him, but the attraction was ripe with its own consequences. I could hunt him down and eat him alive like an animal. There would be no place that he could hide. I could pretend that his presence wasn’t bothering me, but it was going to be an effort in futility. Just sitting this close to him made me almost powerless to any kind of advance that he would initiate. “I’m tired of running. I’m ready to finally see this come to an end.” He could do whatever he wanted to do, but I was going to be there to make sure that he stayed on the path of righteousness.
“You can’t always be looking over your shoulder. You may not like the idea of going into witness protection, but it is the only game in town. According to your file, you really don’t have any family, except for a distant cousin that you barely see and only talk to on holidays. Your family was killed by a fire, and I don’t wish that on my worst enemy. It couldn’t be easy being the only one to survive.” They’d found him on the back lawn with burns to his skin. They extrapolated that he was thrown clear of the blaze.
“I really don’t like to talk about something that is painful to me. I’ve made peace with what has happened. There’s no way that I can go back and change things. I’ve learned through therapy and through my own personal journey that life has a way of shocking you. You need to remain positive and not think of those negative things that are going to keep you down. I can see from your posture that you’re not a stranger to meditation or yoga.” He tried to reach for me again in a comforting gesture, but I put my finger up to chastise him like a little child.
“I’m sorry that I struck a nerve. It was never my intention to touch on old wounds. I just wanted you to know that I can sympathize. My mother may have not died in a fire, but her death was something that took my father and me by surprise. We’ve never been able to see eye to eye after that.” I was telling him something that was very personal to me. I was usually more selective with who I trust with my emotions and my secrets.
“You can’t fool me ,and you did that on purpose to try to get a rise out of me. I think that you’ll see that I’m not easily rattled.” I wasn’t sure, if I could believe that. The way that he was shivering in the cell made me think that he was going to have himself an accident. “I never get a chance to smell the roses. This landscape is amazing and would make the perfect picture postcard to send to anyone.” We were outside of the city limits and things were taking on a more residential quality.
“I’m just trying to get a better understanding about the man that I’m trying to protect.” The residential area was slowly becoming more secluded, until finally there were only trees lining the street.
“I have to tell you that I’m not much for the country kind of living. I’m more comfortable with the sound of sirens and honking of horns in the middle of the night. I don’t think that I could get used to crickets and the sound of water lapping against the shore.” I couldn’t have cared less what he wanted. I’d taken on this assignment, and the money was well worth dealing with his constant chatter. It was nice to have company, and I was usually more of a loner. The only person that really understood me at all was my best friend and therapist. I’d gone to her with Jacob still in the truck secured and not going anywhere.
We talked at length, and once again I left there feeling like I was lighter in the inside. She didn’t say much and she allowed me to talk it out. It was nice to have that sounding board, even though I really didn’t think that she could grasp the concept of what I was. I don’t think that anybody could really put themselves in my shoes, unless of course they were the ones that bit me in the first place.
“This place is very special to me. I would think that you would be grateful for the chance to get outside your comfort zone.” I went down the gravel driveway, and I carried the go bag that I had in the back of the truck. It had everything that I needed to survive on my own for at least a week. I heard something, and I turned to see that he was looking around with his back towards me. “Come with me, and I’ll show you where you’re going to be staying.” It was getting dark and that feeling was starting to creep up on me very slowly. It was always like that before a full moon. I could hear everything.
He stopped abruptly, and I looked over my shoulder to see that he was looking winded like he was just in a marathon. “I’m just going to need a minute. All of this is starting to get to me. I’m beginning to realize that my life is never going to be my own again.” It had to be hard for him to let everything go and become somebody that he didn’t recognize. That was one thing that I could sympathize with, because every day that I looked into the mirror, I saw something looking back of me that wasn’t human.
We settled in and I sat back, listening to nature and the crackling in the fire in the fireplace. I’d chopped my own wood, and he was now sitting there reading one of the novels that I had in my collection. I was going to have to make myself scarce. I was hoping that I could put him to bed and go out on the hunt for fresh prey.
There was suddenly the sound of backfire and then one of the windows on the side of the house exploded inwards. Fragment of glass littered the floor, and I grabbed for Ryan, but he was not there. It was like he was some kind of Houdini, and then the door was smashed open with two men coming in with guns.
A man in a brown tweed coat that went down to his knees came through the door with a look that told me that he had confidence in his stride. “Maya, I regret that this meeting had to take place like this. I’ve heard of you and I’m quite impressed, but don’t mistake that for weakness.” I knew his photograph, and Joseph was not exactly out of the public eye. “I don’t think I have to tell you why I’m here.” He had found a way to get to him, but he had chosen the wrong time to pursue this matter. I remembered how Ryan had his back to me. Son of a bitch… he set this up.
I made this growling sound, and I fell onto my hands with my back arched. They were staring at each other and wondering what the hell was happening. “Get out… get out now, if you know what’s good for you.” My voice had changed and my eyes were now glowing red, until finally my limbs began to crack and my body began to shift in a way that was not normal. “Run… for god sakes… run… before it’s too late.” My senses picked up on something, but I couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was.
“What the hell is happening to you?” Joseph’s voice was like it was coming through a tunnel. My vision blurred, and I felt like I didn’t have control. The animal instincts that I had feared for so long were now becoming a warm comforting blanket. I turned my wrath towards those that were threatening me. I was going to tear them apart limb from limb.
Stalking my prey, I circled them and watched them shake, knowing that this was not something that they expected to find. “You have no idea what you’re dealing with.” Those were the last words I said as I turned into a wolf with a black mane. All the hairs on my body were standing on end. I drooled at the prospect of sinking my teeth into them, when suddenly a gray blur came out of nowhere.
I watched, mesmerized, as this blur emerged. It was a wolf that had now latched onto the throat of Joseph. His men tried in vain to wrench him free, but all they did was make it worse. The blood loss alone was going to kill Joseph.
They grabbed for their guns, and I was on them in a second, slashing their hands. They ran away like scalded dogs. I felt bad about what I had done, but it was the wolf that had decided to protect itself.
Joseph fell with the wolf holding on to him the entire time. The wolf tore into his neck with a vengeance, and then it lifted its jaws from its prize. Blood dripped from its teeth and bits of flesh stuck to its mouth like a second skin.
We took off through the open door, and I lost myself. The wolf took over and was doing what it always did on a full moon. I was in this black abyss that swallowed me whole and left me a prisoner of my own mind. Everything that happened was so quick that it almost felt surreal.
I awoke with a start, lying in a field completely naked a
nd trying to cover myself up. I was looking at the sun that was beaming down from above. Clothing was tossed my way, and I looked up to see Ryan. “I’m sorry, but the only way that I was going to get out from underneath this was to bring the enemy to me. I saw an opportunity to walk away from this and I took it.” I got up and dressed quickly, keeping my body hidden behind a tree. “It was never my intention to drag you into this, but the full moon offered me a way out.”
“You were the gray wolf.” I said it like it was a question, but I already knew the answer. “I didn’t know that there were others like me. I thought that I was alone. I thought that I was the only one that was cursed.”
“I know that there are the two of us and that one that made us. Other than that, I have no idea if we are an anomaly or an evolution of mankind. Either way, I’m leaving and I would really like you to go with me. There’s this obvious connection between us ,and I can’t say for certain what the future holds, but I want you there to share it with me.” I’d never had anybody offer to take me away from it all.
“I have no choice and I need to explore these feelings. We are both wolves and I think that we have a duty to find out what this means. I want you, and I think that I’ve always wanted you from the moment that I met you. That might sound strange, but I don’t think that it’s all that strange, if you think about it. We are the same and this attraction is bigger than the both of us.” He was on me in a second, kissing me with a full blown passion that made me swoon to his touch. This continued for some time, and then finally he broke free of my embrace.
I followed him back to the bronco, and then we drove away from my family estate with Joseph dead inside. There would be no need to testify, and his empire would come crumbling down without him around. He did not have any heirs to pass it on to. It didn’t mean that there wouldn’t be a vacuum, but hopefully the police would be able to cut it off at the pass, before somebody took up that mantle of responsibility.