by Brenda Bryce
Her breath caught in her chest, she closed her eyes and pressed harder into his hand, loving the feel of him, surrounding her, needing her, hating the fact that she needed him, too.
“Not a good idea.” She tried pulling away from him, but he wouldn’t allow it.
“It’s a great idea.” As he pulled her into his chest again, she looked into his eyes. The red glow startled her and she gasped.
“What’s up with your eyes?” Leaning back in his arms, she kept her eyes on his.
“It’s natural. Ignore it.”
“That’s kind of hard to do. I mean, really, Kyle, your eyes are bright red. Something isn’t right with this picture.”
She blinked when he growled and dug his nails lightly into her back. “All is as it should be.”
“Dang it ...” Her voice trailed off as she continued to look at him. His face had begun to change. Becoming narrower at the nose and chin, he started to sprout hair where he had been clean-shaven before. His chest was also getting hairier.
“You are mine, Lannie. Always mine.” His voice had become more gravely, and as his face and body continued to change into a canine shape, he leaned over and bit her where her neck and shoulder came together.
She jerked awake around noon. “Freaking dreams are going to be the death of me.” Dressing and getting her sculptures of mythical creatures crated didn’t take long. She was soon walking, pulling her wagon that had the crate in it, the mile toward town and the post office.
After leaving her almost-fiancé, she had wandered aimlessly for a few days, searching for inspiration. When she’d stopped at a diner for a bite to eat, she’d asked where she was. The unanimous answer had been “nowhere.” It had taken her several minutes to realize that “Nowhere” was the name of the town and not the prevailing attitude toward it. The name had struck her funny bone as nothing had for what seemed like a long while, so she traipsed around the countryside for a few days. She gradually began to feel better, not so heartbroken. On a whim, she visited the local realtor, rented a small house, and moved out of the motel that she had spent the previous nights in. Lannie had decided that until she was over Kyle, perhaps an entire change of scenery was in order. She had money in the bank, so the rent hadn’t posed a problem. Her parents had invested wisely before their car had been hit by a drunk driver. They might not have been the best parents, but at least they hadn’t left her destitute. She sighed, thinking she would’ve rather been loved.
Shaking her head, she dismissed the thoughts of what couldn’t be changed, and thought about what had been. She’d fallen into her newest obsession by accident. She’d always loved sculpting, but the macabre was her new genre. She had been watching an old black-and-white horror movie on the television one night and realized that she could do clay figurines of the creatures. She started with pencil and paper and drew the first of a series of vampires, werewolves, mummies, witches, and sorcerers. Using the town library’s computer, she searched out the best clay producers and ordered a large quantity and a small kiln.
The moment her purchases had arrived at the post office, she’d run them home and set them up. As soon as possible, she had her hands in the clay and drew her creatures out of the gooey slabs. After finishing several of the figurines, she took pictures of them and sent the photographs to an agent. Timing must be everything. The agent was ecstatic. Apparently, she’d been commissioned to find artists who dealt with more than the usual flowers and meadows for a specialty gallery. The agent had mentioned that any type of paranormal art was selling like hotcakes right now, and she already had the gallery clamoring for those and more of her sculptures.
Buying quality carving tools and good paints was her next step. It made the second set of sculptures look more professional, something she wouldn’t be embarrassed to show to strangers. The crate she was mailing out today would be the fifth set of sculptures that she’d sent to New York. The news of her first gallery showing had hit the papers a couple of days ago, and until this moment she had been so busy, what with the creatures running around in her head clamoring to be made, that she hadn’t spent any time stressing about an honest-to-goodness showing.
Her mind still felt too full to worry about the gallery. As she pulled her wagon down the street, she clenched her teeth in frustration. Now that she had the mythical beings and monsters out of her head for the moment, Kyle popped back in.
Kyle. Other than in dreams, she tried not to think of him too often. It hurt too badly. Remembering how he had attacked her verbally and how he hadn’t believed in her innocence still caused a pain in her heart. It felt as if a steel spike were being driven into her chest every time she remembered. She kicked angrily at a rock that lay in her path and continued on her way towards town.
She didn’t plan on seeing the man -- or whatever he was -- again.
Remembering how she had imagined he had grown physically and how his eyes and teeth had changed had been the original basis for her sculptures. She knew she hadn’t really seen that. There are no such things as shape-shifters. She figured it must have been some sort of adrenaline-induced mirage that made her see what she had. The reality is that only in her dreams did she see him changing.
She had started on the first sculpted piece within two weeks of his betrayal.
Enough of that ... Lannie realized she had made herself depressed when she should have been at her happiest. That was Kyle’s fault, too, she decided as she looked around and started seeing habitation. She had made it to the outskirts of Nowhere, and the post office sat in the center of town. Luckily, the center of town was all of two whole blocks from the outskirts.
Passing the only chain grocery store in town, she reminded herself to pick up something for dinner. Spending all her time working, she sometimes forgot the essentials, like eating. Often, when she remembered eating was a necessity, she opened the fridge and ate the first thing that came to hand. At the moment, there wasn’t much to reach for. She would have to restock. She actually felt a little faint from lack of sustenance. She would have to change that soon.
Waving at the ladies and men in the hair salon, she crossed the street at the crosswalk and entered the post office. She wasn’t there long, even though the postmistress had asked her dozens of questions concerning the new sculptures. Lannie smiled and assured her that it was indeed the final batch, that the first showing would be soon, and that she would be sure to get the woman an invitation to the gallery for the exhibit. The postmistress smiled grandly and mentioned that, while she wouldn’t be able to actually attend, the gallery being in a different state and all, she would most certainly put the invitation in her scrapbook.
Smiling and shaking her head at the difference between big-city attitude and small-town friendliness, she headed to the diner. “Always shop on a full stomach” was an adage she followed. The bell over the door tinkled, and every eye in the place turned to her. Knowing that anything to break the monotony interested everyone in Nowhere, she smiled and looked around for an empty seat.
Her eyes clashed with a pair of brown eyes that she knew all too well. Kyle!
Kyle had been, not so subtly, questioning the cashier/waitress about Lannie. He had spent the last two months looking for her and had traced her to this tiny, backwater, one-horse town. The need to find her had become critical. His emotions had been so volatile ... Damn, I miss her so much. But getting answers turned out to be next to impossible. No one wanted to give him any. He had been on the verge of taking some answers when the bell made the presence of a newcomer known. He looked toward the door, and there she stood. The blood drained from her face, and her knees started to wobble; she gripped the back of a booth that stood next to her. The seat seemed to be the only thing holding her up. His name slipped between her bloodless lips, her eyes closed, and she started to collapse. In one leap, he caught her. Ignoring the startled gasps of the locals, he didn’t care what they saw, or how they interpreted what they couldn’t possibly understand, he had leapt the six feet in one fl
uid move, catching her easily.
“Finally.” It rattled and rolled around in his brain until the only thing he knew was that he finally had her back and nothing on this green Earth would ever take her away again.
Gently he lifted her into his arms, and with her pressed tightly into his chest where she belonged, he looked around for an empty table. None were available, so he strode to the nearest one, ignored the sole occupant on the opposite side, pulled out a chair, and sat. He settled his mate in his lap and called for water. When the waitress placed a glass of ice water in front of him, he dipped a clean napkin into the glass and tenderly ran the damp paper over her face.
His eyes roamed over her beloved features. Her hair had grown longer and she looked tired. She felt thinner than when he had last seen her. Obviously, she hadn’t taken care of herself. He blamed himself. He had messed up so badly with her, he only hoped she let him get in a couple of words in his defense before she killed him. Holding her in his arms, he couldn’t help but remember the instant his life had crumbled.
The men were laughing in the break room about the great joke they had pulled on him. As if his goody-two-shoes girlie would really cheat on him. She had a great thing going and knew it. The idea of the joke had been a great one. They had laughed and patted each other on the backs, while he had felt like killing them. He’d been so wrong and immediately went to her house to apologize. Running inside, he called her name.
There’d been no answer to his call, and as he glanced around the apartment and into her bedroom, he noticed that the closet door stood open and several of the drawers sat ajar. The place had felt deserted. He hadn’t believed the rumor that she’d left town, but the empty sensation pressing against him, caused his stomach to cramp in fear.
“No, tell me I’m mistaken. God, don’t let her have left me before I could make it right.” He’d pleaded to no avail. Frantic, he’d rushed through the apartment searching for her.
She hadn’t been there. He’d sat on the edge of the bed realizing just how badly he’d screwed up. Thinking about the accusations he’d flung at her and the look on her face as she had tried to explain that he had bad information ... he should’ve listened. Why hadn’t he listened to her? He loved her with his whole being, and he’d dismissed her entreaties in favor of the lies of others.
Finally, Kyle had run a hand over his face and stood. He pulled the ring he had bought her out of his pocket and placed it on his pinky finger. He vowed on that ring that he would do whatever it took to get her back. His eyes changed color, and he growled low in his chest. “And I will find out why my own people would lie to me.”
He still hadn’t found out why they had set up such a foul hoax, but he hadn’t given up on locating Lannie.
Giving thanks for finding her to every deity he could think of -- and some he made up -- he patiently waited for her to wake.
Chapter Two
Well, that dream stank. If Kyle had really walked into the diner, I would have ... Lannie took a deep breath and stretched the same way she always started her day. I would have ... taking another deep breath she shook her head. Well, I hope I would give a better showing than just passing out. Since she couldn’t think of a really good reaction to that scenario, she gave up and opened her eyes.
“AUGGHH!” She flung herself to the floor, crouched on her hands and feet, then narrowed her eyes and glared at Kyle. Before anyone could blink, she had jumped up, turned away, and began to walk out of the diner.
“Lannie.” He took a step toward her, which caused her to freeze.
Quickly, she turned back to him and held up her hand. “No! I don’t want to hear it.”
“Miss, is everything all right?”
She didn’t take her eyes off Kyle, but answered the man who had asked the question. “I’m fine. Stay out of this, please.” She didn’t want anyone to interfere. This was her problem, and she would damn well take care of him herself, even if taking care of him simply meant ignoring him.
Still standing near the door, she started to back away from him. He was watching her, but held his ground, probably not wanting her to run.
“I came here to ...”
She cut him off again. “I said no!” Lannie was in no mood to deal with this and, deciding the ignoring idea held merit, turned away again.
That quick he was gripping her arm, holding her still, and keeping her from escaping.
“Lemme go.” It had come out with a calm she didn’t feel. Her insides were rioting, and she had to hold back growls. She analyzed the feeling, and yes, it was deep, chest growls that she fought.
“No, Lannie, we have to talk.”
She struck out with her free hand, hitting him on the wrist, surprising him into letting her go. When he reached for her, she jumped back and out of his reach.
His threw up his hands, and an impatient sound emerged from low in his chest. It nearly caused the growls to erupt from her. She barely managed to contain them.
They were facing off like two dogs fighting over a meaty bone. No way. Not going to happen. She slowly backed toward the exit. Not letting her eyes break contact with his, taking shallow breaths, she reached behind her to pull the door open.
Roaring her name, Kyle barreled toward her. Bursting out of the diner, he reached for her. “I am not going to lose you again, damn it. Not because of my stupidity and not because you won’t hear me out.”
Ducking, she eluded his grasp and stepped out of reach. “Why should I? You didn’t listen to me the last time.”
Still advancing on her, he shouted, “I know, and I’m sorry! Everything I did that day was screwed up.”
“You’ve got that right, buster! Since we’ve cleared that up, you can leave. Now!”
“I don’t think so.” He growled and stomped toward her.
“Just stay back, or you’ll get it.” Lannie glared at him and raised her fist menacingly.
“Exactly what I was hoping for.”
“Hey, lady. Are you sure you don’t need help?” The man from the diner called from nearby.
“He’s a jerk, but he won’t physically harm me. Will you, Kyle?” She scowled at him and curled her lip.
“Of course not. Damn it, Lannie. I would never hurt you.”
“See? He won’t hurt me physically.”
“If you’re sure?” The man was looking between the two of them, curious and confused.
“I’m sure.” She glowered at Kyle once more for effect and stomped off.
He stalked her through the parking lot and beyond, into a vacant field that was out of sight of the diner. Lannie could feel her heart racing. She had to get away from him. Immediately. Not out of fear of him or anything as simple as that, but because of the sheer magnitude of loss she felt. Hurrying across the field, she choked back a sob. Damn him!
She could hear him behind her. Pacing her. Not gaining, not losing ground.
“Argh! Would you just go away and leave me alone?”
“Not in this life or any other,” he calmly replied.
Skidding to an abrupt halt, she turned on him viciously and snarled at him. “Leave -- me -- alone!”
“No.”
“Fine!”
More angry than she had ever been in her entire life, Lannie flew at him, teeth and nails bared. She threw everything she had at him. Biting, kicking, scratching, even an attempted head butt, but to her eternal frustration, she couldn’t touch him.
He wasn’t even fighting back, damn it! The ass was just keeping her from hitting him. Attempting to kick the crap out of someone who wouldn’t even let you touch him turned out to be frustrating. She stepped back, turned away, and strode off muttering to herself.
He continued following her. Every few feet, Lannie glared back at him. Finally, she couldn’t hold her silence -- such as it was -- any longer. Spinning on one foot, she faced him. When he stopped, she put her hands on her hips, and shot daggers at him with her eyes. “What exactly do you want from me?”
Kyle had hal
ted just out of her reach. “Everything.”
“You could’ve had everything, but you believed other people over me.” Oh, damn, she could feel her eyes welling up, and a sob burst from her chest. “You had everything, and you threw it away.”
His hand went to the ring on his pinky, and he twisted it around and around. “Please, don’t run away. Let me ... tell me what I can do to make it better.” He actually sounded as if he were begging. He never begged, so she must be mistaken.
Shaking her head, she tried to stifle the sound of her crying, but she only cried harder. “Nothing.” She took a deep breath. “Trust is something that we apparently don’t have between us, and without it ...” She shrugged. “Without it, we have nothing.”
“I know you don’t trust me now, but if you give me a chance, half a chance, I will do everything in my power to make it right.”
Lannie’s eyes flashed. “Make it right? How could you ever make what happened right? You listened to some slanderous bastards and believed them. Then, without even making an attempt to listen to anything I had to say, you stormed out.”
Kyle flinched at the truth of it. “I’m not going to deny it, and I’m more sorry than you will ever know, but I refuse to let that end our relationship. I need you -- in my life, in my home, in my heart, and in my bed. And I’ll do whatever necessary to get you there permanently.”
That startled a choked laugh out of her. “I just can’t believe you. Really, you have some nerve. I’m sort of glad that all this happened. I didn’t know you at all, did I?”
“You know me.”
“Right! I knew you so well. Yup! I expected you to take someone else’s word about my fidelity, and I expected you to show up now and try to boss me back into your life. Not gonna happen.” She turned and stalked off.
“Damn it, Lannie, can’t you just listen for one minute?”
“No!” Making sure her stomps were audible, she continued to walk away. “How does it feel to be ignored? Sucks, doesn’t it?”