Make Me Howl

by Susan Shay

  The jet taxied onto the runway, then lifted off the ground so smoothly, it was hard to tell we were moving.

  As we rose in the air, I leaned forward to see the brilliant colors of the sunrise. “Don’t you love this time of morning?”

  Doc shook his head, a half smile on his face. “I’m usually asleep about now.”

  “So am I. But when I’m not, I love seeing the sun come up.”

  The rising sun moved behind us as the pilot angled the plane toward home, so I picked up my overnight case, went to the restroom and changed.

  I didn’t sleep the entire trip, but the time passed much quicker going home than it had going out. Before I knew it, we were at the airport and I was being dropped at my car.

  “I’d be happy to follow you home.” With Doc’s hair sexily mussed, his five o’clock shadow, wrinkled bow tie and open collar, he looked so hot I could hardly keep my hands off him. How could I tell him no?

  Something within me took a step back, letting me see the emerging pattern. The last time I’d seen him, when I’d been at his parents’ house the first time, I’d had a coming-home reaction when his scent reached me. He’d been in the forefront of my mind for the past few weeks. I hadn’t even noticed another good looking man, and normally I have hot guy radar. I’d chatted with almost no one but him on our flight to Miami then danced almost only with him at the party.

  My heart thudded slowly as awareness gripped me. The predator in me had chosen him as my mate. Although I knew it could happen, I thought I’d evolved enough from the primitive wolf to control that sort of thing. No, I knew I had. I would control it.

  No matter what, I would choose my husband when I fell in love. I wouldn’t be bound by the he’s-the-alpha-male-who-can-best-take-care-of-me instinct.

  Even if it killed me.

  “I’ll be fine.” Snatching my bag, I fished out the keys and was in my car before he could do more than blink.

  Driving home, I scolded myself. What was I doing, thinking I’d chosen a mate?

  Being in heat during the Blood Moon Wildness was too much for my system. On top of that, I’d taken this job with Hollidays, while gearing up for the holiday season at the mall had exhausted my system. And that’s all there was to it.

  Besides, I was a human first. Then a werewolf. Even if it were true I’d chosen him to mate—and I was certain it wasn’t—I could control it. Like a recovering alcoholic controls the longing for a drink. I would be the one in charge of my emotions, not some animal side of me, passed down from ancestors who’d lived in caves.

  He would never know.

  As I walked into our apartment, I met Bella, awake, dressed and drinking coffee in our kitchen. “Why are you up already? Did your date for last night fall through?”

  “I canceled it.” She took a sip then set her cup in its saucer with a shrug. “I wasn’t really excited about a blind date.”

  “So what excuse did you give him?”

  “I had to work.” She looked a bit sheepish then rushed on. “Doc had a process running in the lab, and I wanted to keep an eye on it for him.”

  “Your poor date,” I snarked. “That’s about as lame an excuse as I’ve ever heard.”

  “He sounded almost relieved when I called him.” She gave me a weak smile. “So, did all the boys go to Miami to see their parents off?”

  “You should have come with us. There was plenty of room on their jet, like Beatrice told you.” I decided to quit skirting the issue. “Spencer decided at the last minute not to go.”

  “He did?” Her face brightened momentarily then dimmed as another thought hit. “Did he have a date?”

  I shook my head. “I don’t suppose he called you?”

  She shifted her gaze away from me. “No.” Her tone dulled.

  I tried to wait her out, but she didn’t continue.

  Bella had always enjoyed making me sit up and beg when I wanted to know something. Rather than play the same tired game, I changed the subject. “So what kind of process was Doc running?”

  She tossed her empty yogurt container in the trash. “A research project, still trying to get isolation.”

  “You didn’t do anything?”

  “Like what?”

  “Destroy it, maybe?”

  She lifted an eyebrow as she went into veterinarian mode. “Do you know how unprofessional of me it would be to sabotage his work? Even if I don’t necessarily agree—”

  “Agree?” I interrupted, my hackles rising. “He’s trying to eradicate my species, and you’re too professional to do anything?”

  She rolled her eyes. “It’s not like he’s trying to end your life. He’s only isolating the Syzygia Gene. Big difference.”

  “He’s trying to isolate it so he can eradicate it.” Frustrated at Bella’s blank look, I lifted my voice. “Kill it. He wants to wipe what and who I am from the face of the earth. A werewolf is who I am.” Making a breakneck decision, I nodded sharply. “I’m going to fulfill my pledge. Starting tomorrow.”

  “Your pledge?” Horror crept over her face. “You mean the one you signed at the dedication? You’re going…”

  Her voice faded to nothing, so I finished the sentence for her. “Start helping Doc in his lab.”

  ****

  Surprise jolted through Chase and was quickly followed by sharp pleasure when Jazzy walked into his lab early Tuesday morning. His mouth went dry just seeing her. “How did I get lucky enough to see you this morning? Did Bella have car trouble?”

  Jazzy’s smile was pure magic as it broadened, lighting up her face. As she shook her head, her hair flipped over her shoulders to curl around her breasts. He tried hard to swallow as he forced his gaze back to her face. “I’ve come to learn my job. Fulfill my volunteer commitment.”

  Had her voice always had that smoky quality? It made him want to pull her close, her lips near his ear, so he wouldn’t miss a syllable. He tried to draw a breath, but found the air thick. Uncooperative. Clearing his throat, he tried again to inhale.

  Job? Who could work when she was there? Within his reach? “Great. Then why don’t you put on a lab coat and come he—”

  “Clean recovery cages,” Bella all but shouted.

  Momentarily confused, he glanced around at the woman. Where had she come from?

  Jazzy took a step toward him, a slight frown marring her face. “I’d really rather help in your lab.”

  He forced his gaze from Jazzy to focus on her twin. “I was goin—”

  “No. The cages are where she’ll be the most help. I’ll get the supplies.” With a forceful nod, she turned on her heel and left the room.

  Damn. Unable to argue with Bella, especially now that she’d left, he gritted his teeth to keep from yelling after her. Besides, she was right. The recovery cages had been neglected. But why did Jazzy have to do it? Frustrated, he jammed his fingers through his hair then shaking his head, forced a smile. “When you’ve finished, I can at least give you a tour of the lab. Why don’t you let me buy you a cup of coffee before you get started?”

  Leaving the clinic, he walked with her across the compound to the canteen. Inside, he grabbed a pair of white mugs and moved to the steaming coffee urn. He filled their cups, handed one to Jazzy and led her to a small table, where he took a chair adjacent to her.

  Bella rushed into the room, her face stormy. She took a moment to focus on them before marching to the cups kept for employees and snatching one for herself. After filling it, she claimed the chair directly across from Jazzy.

  Concern at Bella’s attitude ate at Chase’s gut, but Jazzy just set her cup down, a manufactured look of surprise on her face. “What are you doing, Bella? You had your two cups before we left the house.”

  Bella lifted her shoulders, her shrug insolent. “Maybe I needed an extra one to get me started.” Tilting her head, she stared at Jazzy with a half smile.

  “That’s unusual.” Jazzy sipped from her mug then flicked Bella a hard glance. After a moment she raised her hands t
o massage her temples.

  The smile, still on Bella’s lips, left her gaze. “One of your headaches, Jazzy?”

  Jazzy stopped all pretense of smiling. “A tiny one, but it’ll pass.”

  “Maybe you should go home before it gets worse.” Bella’s hard tone sounded almost like a threat.

  Chase straightened in his chair as concern changed to alarm. He enjoyed a girl fight as much as any guy, but not now. And not between these two.

  “I think once everybody goes about her own business, it’ll get much better.” With a determined smile, Jazzy picked up her cup and took another drink.

  “Mind if I join you beautiful ladies?” Norman Briderson’s laugh reminded Chase of fingernails on a blackboard. “And you, Doc Holliday?”

  Chase forgot his worry about the twins as his gut tensed at Norman’s presence. “We don’t mind, Norman. But we were about to go to work.”

  “Well, maybe I could just take care of this pretty lady. She doesn’t work here.” Norman leaned close to Jazzy, the oil on his hair all but dripping and running down his face.

  Anger flashed, but Chase clenched his jaw to keep it contained. This was no time to act like a Neanderthal, but he wasn’t letting Norman anywhere near Jazzy—especially if he wasn’t around.

  Before he could speak, Jazzy answered, “I do today.”

  If possible, Norman’s cheesy smile grew broader. “That’s great. What job will you be doing? Maybe I can give you a hand.”

  Smile sweetening, Jazzy blinked innocently. “I’m cleaning recovery cages.”

  Norman’s mouth dropped open as a look of horror spread across his face. “Recovery cages? That’s, like, the worst job in the park.”

  Jazzy fired a lightning glance at Bella then zeroed in on Norman. “And you offered to help me. Aren’t you the sweetest man?”

  “I… I …” Norman looked like a fish out of water, his mouth opening and closing as he gasped for his last breath. “You know, I just remembered I have to see about the giraffes’ feed mixture. They’re looking a little, uh, pudgy. But if I get finished, I’ll come find you. Maybe lunch?”

  Jazzy’s gaze lingered on Bella this time. “I doubt I’ll have much appetite by then.”

  After Norman left, Chase didn’t try to contain his laughter. “I shouldn’t have worried about you, Jazzy. You know how to handle him.”

  She gazed back at him, her face softening. Suddenly all he wanted was to pull her into his arms. Then as if remembering Bella, she blinked hard. “I’m about out of patience with that man. The next time he bothers me might just be the last.”

  Unsure about her meaning, Chase swallowed his libido along with the last of his coffee, gathered the others’ cups and took them to the counter. Then walking abreast, they headed back across the parking lot. He glanced left, then right, and with a blink of the eye he’d reverted to high school mentality. Five boobs in a row. And four of them too beautiful to be believed.

  But before the fantasy could burgeon, Bella touched his arm. “I’ll just take Jazzy and get her started then I’ll be right back.”

  He nodded, wishing he had time to help Jazzy at her task. It was dirty, hot and smelly, and could discourage the most determined volunteer. Too bad Bella had demanded Jazzy do it. This would probably finish Jazzy off as far as the zoo was concerned. And if she did nothing else, she made for great scenery.

  As he turned to walk into the lab, Bella said, “All right, the cages are out here. Come on.”

  Jazzy’s answer sounded a little like a snarl.

  ****

  Determined to show Bella I could withstand any nasty job she forced on me, I cleaned all her damned cages. I didn’t even take a lunch break since Doc and Bella were out at the zoo’s far acres, seeing about some animal or other. I just grabbed a sammy at the canteen, inhaled it on my way back to the cages, and got busy again. When at long last I’d finished every enclosure in the room, I went back to the first one.

  Using a machine made for the job, I fogged the cages to get any bacteria that might have escaped. Or were they viruses? Whatever, I went after it like I knew what I was doing.

  And when I finished that interminable day, I looked like an old flag on a still day. My neck was stiff, my back sore, and all my nails except one had broken. Bella would definitely pay for that.

  Bella and Doc were in surgery. Again. Obviously trying to find an animal to stick in the recover cages that I’d just finished cleaning to within an inch of my life.

  I glanced around the room, wishing for something to kick or throw or bite, but I failed to find anything. Nothing there would give me the satisfaction I sorely needed, so I’d do the next best thing while I waited for Bella to finish.

  I’d go for a run. A wolfed-out run.

  Knowing better than to go wild before leaving the clinic, even with night falling, I took a swift walk to the area beyond the compound. Once there, I knelt behind a tree and thought about what Bella had done to me that day.

  I gathered my lingering anger into a fiery orb. Within moments, I’d begun to change. Energy, the human portion of which I’d used up during my cleaning enslavement, flowed through me. My muscles lost their soreness as I grew strong. I was ready to clear my mind!

  Funny how things change when I’m in the wild. The heat, building in my muscles, seems to sterilize even the meanest problems. Irritations level out. Prejudices disappear. Niggling worries turn into nothing.

  The world becomes a place with only a few basic choices. Food. Water. Survival—and the survival of my kind.

  I moved into an open area, where many fairly docile species were allowed to commingle. Lowering my head, I ran flat out until the bottoms of my feet burned with the pounding. Most of the animals ignored me, with only an occasional cow rolling her eyes in case I were to go into feeding mode.

  As I ran, the country grew rougher. Drainage ditches crisscrossed, making it difficult to maintain my speed, so I slowed some, my breathing deep and full.

  That’s when I smelled blood on the wind, fresh and hot. Surprised, and not a little curious, I followed the odor into heavy brush. I took my time, not wanting to happen onto a feeding animal that might think I was there to fight for his kill.

  The scent in the air grew heavy. Lowering my belly to the ground, I crept along until I came to the scene of the devastation. A dead buffalo calf, torn up almost beyond recognition. A hungry predator wouldn’t do that kind of damage, and it wouldn’t leave most of the animal uneaten. Dread filling me, I moved closer until I found the first clear print made by the attacking animal.

  Wolf.

  Curious, I sniffed the print. It smelled like a wolf, but there was more. Something that upset me so, the hair bristled along my spine.

  Glancing at the sky, I confirmed what I feared.

  The moon was full.

  Chapter Seven

  Turning, I ran as hard as I could to get back to the compound. Only a newly turned werewolf would do that kind of damage for no reason, and they were probably the most dangerous creatures walking the earth. They had nothing to relate to. No one had taught them to contain themselves. To hold back.

  They were a threat to everyone around them.

  And in my experience, they usually had to be destroyed like a rabid dog.

  By the time I got back to where I’d started my run, my lungs ached. I didn’t have time to cool down. I morphed, threw on my clothes, and rushed to find Bella, standing at our car.

  Unfortunately, Doc was kicked back next to her against the vehicle.

  I slowed to a walk. My heartbeat had dropped, but sweat dampened my face.

  Doc’s eyes widened when he saw me. Bella straightened, alarm creasing her face. “What’s wrong, Jazzy?”

  It’s next to impossible to carry on two conversations at once—one telepathically and one orally—but I did it that day. “When I heard you had an emergency surgery, I decided to go for a run.”

  You’ve got a terrible problem here, Bell, I shouted in my mind.r />
  What is it? What’s wrong?

  “You went for a run in a wild animal park?” Doc interrupted our mental dialogue. “That’s dangerous.”

  I gave him a weak smile. “Not nearly as much for me as for a baby buffalo that some predator decided was dinner.”

  I continued to Bella. He tore it completely up. I couldn’t tell if he’d eaten any of it. It was a werewolf.

  Doc frowned, concern filling his gaze. “That shouldn’t happen. We try to keep the animals separated so it doesn’t, and we feed the lions and wolves so they don’t feel a need to hunt.”

  Bella grasped my arm. “How awful for you. It’s a good thing he was full of buffalo and didn’t decide to taste you for dessert.” What makes you think it was a werewolf?

  I nodded, as if agreeing that I didn’t want to be part of a meal. Because when I sniffed his paw print, I smelled the human part of him. And aftershave.

  Bella frowned sharply as if she was ready to argue with me, but changed her focus to Doc. “We’d better call someone to take care of the mess before the scent makes every carnivore in the place go on the prowl.”

  With a nod, Doc took off for the clinic with Bella right behind. I had no choice but to follow. By the time Bella and I got there, Doc was talking on the park’s inner-communication system and I only caught the tail of his conversation. “Find Tony and some of the guys. Take the second truck and follow us there. I want to survey the site before anything is moved.”

  His nod finished their talk. He turned to Bella and me. “I need you to show me where the carcass is, Jazzy. And Bella, if you don’t mind some overtime, I could use your help in assessing the situation.”

  Bella nodded as I wondered if I could get back to the same place while riding in a truck. I hadn’t followed roads on my run. I’d followed animal trails, which often were little more than tunnels through the grass and brush.

  Maybe I could leave a window down and follow my nose.

  We walked into the night, made bright by the fat moon. I could taste the strangeness on the wind. Actions took on a dream-like, slo-mo quality.

  “Let’s take the tiger truck,” Doc said, his voice hushed. “If the killer animal is still around, we’ll sedate him and move him back to the clinic.”