by Mac Flynn
"We will see," Mark argued. He pulled me to my feet, tossed me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, and strode toward the exit. I had a great view of our retreat. Morgan grinned and waved to me while his hand dug into Johnny's shoulder. The last I heard of my friend he cried out in pain at the feel of Morgan's claws digging into his flesh.
Chapter 10
We exited the room and Lieutenant Goodman shut the doors behind us. I glanced over my shoulder and glared at the back of Mark's head. "How the hell could you leave my friend like that?" I growled at him.
"We can do nothing for him without a plan," Mark protested.
"Without a plan? What do we need a plan for? You kicked ass back there?" I nodded at the still-unconscious guards near the closed doors.
"They are nothing compared to Morgan and the lieutenant. Their abilities at combat are much greater," Mark argued.
We stepped into the elevator and the doors closed on the long hallway. The lit button on the panel showed we were at the top of a fifty-floor building. "Combat abilities or no combat abilities, you'd better let me go back and try to save my friend," I ordered him.
"We will see what we can do to save your friend. First you have to focus on tonight," he told me.
"Oh, I have plans for tonight. Most of them involve hiding under a bed so the moon doesn't find me," I quipped.
He chuckled. "I'm afraid it doesn't quite work that way. Remember what I said about the time deciding when to change you?" he reminded me. I took his soft reprimand with all the grace of an adult.
Which means I grabbed his hair and pulled. Hard. Mark gave a sharp cry and his grip on my person loosened. I slipped from his arm and landed on my feet on the elevator floor. The elevator looked oddly familiar, but now wasn't the time to be comparing the inside of a tin can to another tin can. I stepped away from him and slammed my hand on the emergency stop button on the panel. The elevator jerked to a stop. I crossed my arms and glared at Mark who stood there rubbing his head.
"You think this possessiveness is supposed to impress me? That I'm supposed to thank you for saving my hide back there while my friend's bones might be doggy biscuits by now?" I questioned him.
"They won't harm him. Not so long as they can use him to bring you back to them," Mark assured me.
"I'm sure that makes Johnny feel so much better knowing he's being used as a lure," I quipped.
"No, but it may give him some comfort," Mark countered as he tapped the emergency button on the panel. The elevator moved downward again, but my temper didn't lower with it.
"Give him some comfort? How about you give me some comfort by telling me you can use that influence you threatened Morgan with to free Johnny," I insisted.
Mark turned away from me and shook his head. "My influence won't work to free him. He's a human and knows about the Foundation. The others in the Foundation wouldn't want him released to possibly cause us trouble," he countered.
"He doesn't know anything! They lied to him and told him I was sick, and when they caught me they took him with me!" I told him.
Mark raised an eyebrow and glanced back at me. "They lured him into association with you?" he guessed.
"Yes, why? Does that matter?" I asked him.
"It may, but we have tonight to worry about," he reminded me.
At that moment the elevator stopped and the doors opened. Then I recognized the elevator as that of the one in the murder building, and had arrived at the parking garage. Near the elevator sat our usual yellow ride with Roger at the wheel. Mark stepped out of the elevator and turned to offer me his hand.
"It's time to go home," he told me.
I stretched out my arm, but not towards his. Instead my hand hovered over the button to the top floor. "Not until you promise me that you'll help save my friend," I insisted.
Mark pursed his lips, but sighed. "Very well, I give you my word that we will come back to help your friend, but no earlier than tomorrow," he replied.
I smiled and stepped out. The elevator doors closed behind me and I took his outstretched hand. "I can live with that," I told him.
He chuckled and led me over to the taxi. "You are a strange girl. You never seem to focus on yourself," he commented.
I shrugged and slid into the rear seat of the taxi. "Right now it's easier dealing with other people's problems than my own," I returned.
Mark followed me into the vehicle and Roger drove us away from that terrible building. "Your greatest test will be tonight, and then you will have time to rescue your friend," he assured me.
I slid down the seat and scowled at the back of the front seat. "So when do I need to start hiding from the moon?" I asked him.
He smiled. "After sunset. Though the moon is in the sky the sun interferes with its glow. With that interference no one can change into a werewolf," he told me.
I sighed and glanced out the window. The weakening light from the sun glittered against the glass buildings. "Fine, let's just get this over with," I muttered.
"It might be more enjoyable than you assume," he pointed out.
"We'll see," I countered.
We rode the rest of the way in silence and Roger dropped us off at the Tudor mansion. Mark's mother greeted us in the hall. "Where did you find her?" she asked Mark.
"I followed her trail to the Foundation building where Morgan had taken her human friend and her," Mark replied.
Mrs. Fuller frowned. "A human at the building? Whatever was he there for?"
"Morgan used him as a lure to catch Danny," he explained.
Mrs. Fuller straightened and stiffened. "Of all the foolishness! Does he mean to kill the entire human population in the city to keep our secret?" she wondered.
"He'd better not kill anyone," I spoke up.
"He is using Danny's friend to guarantee she returns to be judged," Mark told his mother.
Mrs. Fuller raised an eyebrow. "If that is his only reason for keeping a human than he is out of his mind to be risking all of us to catch this young girl here."
"He is nothing if not persistent," Mark commented.
Mrs. Fuller turned her nose up and sniffed. "No doubt he believes Miss Lyman here personally insulted him by escaping his sloppy execution," she returned.
My stomach interrupted this riveting conversation with a loud, echoing grumble. I sheepishly smiled at Mark and his mom. During all the running around I hadn't had anything to eat. Mrs. Fuller smiled and laid a gentle hand on my shoulder. "You must think us very rude to be discussing such terrible business while you starve. Come, let us to dinner. I have a good meal provided for you," she informed us.
Mrs. Fuller led us to the dining room where sat a table with three places and loaded with meats of every kind. Every local variety of bird lay on the shining silver plates, and the domesticated livestock were also well represented. Mark guided me to a seat to the right of the head of the table while he took the chair opposite me. Mrs. Fuller took the head. I set my napkin on my lap and gazed patiently at the variety of meat.
My patience lasted for about five seconds before my eyes fell on a large turkey close at hand. The glistening dark meet, the tempting drums. Something inside me snapped. I grabbed the whole bird from the plate and plopped it on my own. The wings flapped over the sides of my plate and the grease dribbled onto the table. I dove head-first into the side of the bird, and by the time I pulled my head from the picked-dry rib cage I had an audience.
Mark and his mother looked at me with shocked and bemused expressions. The corners of Mark's lips twitched and Mrs. Fuller, when our eyes met, turned away and proceeded to politely cut her own meat with a fork and knife. My cheeks took on the color of red Christmas lights and I hurriedly wiped away the remains of my already-dead victim.
"I-I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me. I guess I was hungrier than I thought," I apologized. I wished the floor would open up and swallow me. At least then they'd have a hole in their floor to distract them from my disgusting behavior.
Mrs. Fuller
glanced to Mark. "Perhaps you should take her to her room," she suggested.
"Yes, that might be best," he agreed. He scooted back his chair and walked around the table to pull mine away from the food.
I glanced between his mother and Mark. "But I didn't mean to, really," I insisted.
Mrs. Fuller smiled gently at me. "We know, but what you are exhibiting are signs of the werewolf arising inside of you. Mark will take you to your room and-" her eyes flickered to her son with a warning in their depths, "-walk you through the process," she assured me.
"I will try my best, Mother," he replied as he helped me up.
Chapter 11
Mark guided me from the room and up the stairs to my bedroom. I have to admit I was a little nervous about changing into a bloodthirsty monster who I'd seen tear apart humans with a couple of swipes and gnashing of their teeth. With memories of the party flowing through my mind I clung to Mark and tried not to shiver with fear.
He wrapped his arms around me as best he could without tripping me and we arrived at my room without a crash. Mark shut the door behind us and led me over to my bed where he sat me down. Outside the windows the last rays of the sun disappeared beneath the horizon. Mark shut the window through which I'd escaped and lit a fire in the hearth. Even with the warm crackling of the flames I wrapped my arms around myself and shivered. Something felt off in the room.
He noticed my uneasy attitude and stood from where he knelt before the fire. "Something wrong?" he wondered.
I shrugged. "Just chilly in here," I replied.
Mark came to sit beside me. "Do you feel the chill on your skin or inside of yourself?" he asked me.
"I don't know, kind of inside myself," I told him.
"Any sensations of prickling on the skin? As though someone were poking you with a feather pillow?" he persisted.
"Yeah, a little," I agreed.
"Any sense of having a heart attack and dropping dead?"
My eyes bulged from my head. "What?" I shrieked.
He laughed and wrapped his arms around me. "It was merely a joke. You shouldn't have any feeling like that," he comforted me.
I was so irate I could have comforted him to death with a hug. Instead my mind unwillingly wandered to more pleasant things, like the feel of his warm, strong arms around me. I found myself snuggling against him, and before I stopped myself a soft, alluring growl slipped from my lips. My mind returned from vacation and found I had just made an idiot out of myself.
"I-I'm sorry, I don't know why I just did that," I quickly apologized. I tried to pull from his grasp, but he held me firm.
His grip wasn't the only firm thing about him as my struggles brought my hand into contact with the bulge in his pants. I blushed and whipped my head up to look into his face. He looked down at me and his eyes had a decidedly feral glint in their yellow depths. His teeth were also longer than they should have been and his hands ended in sharp, pointed fingernails.
"I'm supposed to be the one changing into an uncontrollable monster, remember?" I reminded him.
His voice had a tinge of lust with a dash of growl. "Who says I'm uncontrollable?" he countered.
"Your hands that won't let go," I retorted. Mark leaned down and buried his face in my neck. His warm lips blazed a trail down my flesh that sent tingles of lust and shivers down the rest of my body. My heart picked up speed and my hands grasped the sheets that lay beneath us. "M-mark, you can't do this. We can't do this," I protested.
His thick, hoarse voice against my skin made me gasp. "Yes, we can," he whispered.
Mark lay me down to the sheets and pulled me up so my entire body lay across the bed. He released me so his hands could glide down to my thighs where his sharp claws cut into my jeans. I grasped his shoulders as his kisses drew lower toward my heaving chest. My shirt felt tight, restrictive. My breasts longed to be freed from the confines of my clothing. He obliged when he reached up and cut my shirt open with his fingernails. I groaned as my full, aching breasts spilled over my bra. I arched my back and pushed my sensitive buds toward him.
Mark growled and tore away my bra, leaving me exposed. His hot, wet lips captured my buds and he suckled me with all the care of a lover. My body ached and tensed. Heat pooled between my thighs and I rubbed my legs against each other to satisfy the hunger growing inside me. It wasn't enough. The creature inside of me wanted more, lusted for more fulfillment, more touch. I wrapped one leg around Mark, and he obliged by spreading his body over mine, covering me with his warmth.
My hands roamed over his shirt, leaving long cuts in the cloth as my fingernails lengthened and sharpened. I felt more changes inside me, ones that left me shivering and aching for more. My muscles tensed and thickened. I felt my body tighten and raw power slip through every aching pore. My breaths came out in harsh, quick gasps that begged my lover for more. Mark obliged as his hands tore and cut away my clothes and his own. In a few minutes we were covered only in sweat. Our naked bodies ground against each other, reveling in the feel of warmth against succulent warmth.
I leaned my head back, exposing my neck to him. He growled and nibbled and kissed my tingling, warm flesh. Each of his touches left a fire burning on my skin. The flames grew taller and taller. I writhed and squirmed beneath him, wanting the fire to be prolonged and yet doused by the coolness of satisfaction. My body strained against his own, but also against my very skin. Something new and exciting demanded to be free, to feel the world and know it. To know the deliciousness of life and revel in the carnal pleasures offered by the beast above me.
Mark's breathing was hoarse, strained. He raised himself over me and his yellow eyes glowed in the dim light of the room. His teeth were long and sharp, and his muscles twitched as the beast inside of him threatened to break free. He closed his eyes, shuddered, and turned his face away. "I-I won't take you unless you want it," he growled, his voice more monster than man.
I was dizzy with lust, but still capable of knowing what I was doing. I grasped his chin between my fingers and pulled him back to stare into my own heated eyes. "Please take me," I whispered. The new thing inside of me stirred and strained to be free. I groaned and arched my back. I wanted it to be free, to take control and overwhelm me with its lust and carnal desires. "Please," I groaned.
Mark growled and his head dove into my neck. His sharp teeth bit into my skin, but only enough to hold me still. He spread my legs apart and thrust deeply into me. His thick, stiff member filled my wet, hot core. I shifted my hips and he grunted and thrust harder, deeper. He wanted to be one with me, and I with him. We were joined by a blood bond, and our bodies demanded reunion.
As he started a tantalizingly slow penetration, thrusting in and pulling out, my body stirred with a passion that I'd never felt. The beast inside me clawed and dug at my flesh, and I felt the changes loosen upon my human form. Fur sprouted from my naked body, soft, luxurious fur. My face elongated, stretching into the air and filling with sharp, pointed teeth. I groaned and the sound was more growl than groan. My ears shaped into points at the top of my head, and my hands were now claws that dug into the back of my lover. Fur burst from his own body as his muscles stretched and tightened.
His thrusts grew faster, more demanding. He ached as I did, and his feral side longed to meet the needs of his mate and himself. I gasped and writhed beneath him, my fur-covered body soaked in sweat. My muscles tensed, relaxed, and tensed against with each push of him inside me. Our grunts filled the air as we rutted atop the sheets, beasts in name and form. We pressed against each other trying to become one, to satisfy the ache inside us. That horrible, beautiful feeling of reaching for heaven and finding it along the path to the light.
The tremors started small. My hazy mind felt them slip through my body like the hands of a sensual lover. I panted and whimpered. I wanted closer, and yet not. Closer meant the end, but the end meant bliss beyond compare. I strained, demanding more from my lover. He thrust harder, his pounding rubbing against me and heightened my lust, my aching ne
ed.
My body tensed. The tremors grew into tidal waves of hot passion. My body filled with heat that stretched over my like a hot silk blanket over my bare flesh. I leaned back and howled as I was taken by the tide into a hot and sultry paradise of pleasure. My mate thrust again and again, filling me with himself and keeping me in those heights of lust and desire.
I was brought back to earth when he collapsed atop me. Our pants filled the air for a few minutes, and then he raised himself on his arms to look down on me with heated yellow eyes. The creature inside of me, exhausted and pleased, reawakened at the sight of the lust in his depths. It was going to be a long and busy night.
Chapter 12
With my transformation complete that was one complication down, one more big headache to deal with in the form of Morgan. Well, two headaches, but one of them wasn't Morgan. The other one was the heavy lump atop me when I woke up. I opened my eyes and saw that Mark still lay on me. He was warm and soft, but very heavy, even for my new and improved body.
I tapped him on the shoulder, but he only snuggled closer to me. His head lay against mine and he buried his nose into the crux of my neck. "Mark?" The only response was a bit of grumbling. "Mark? Mark!"
His eyes snapped open and he raised his head to whip it to and fro. "What? What's wrong?"
"Not a morning person, are you?" I wondered.
He glanced down at me and sheepishly shrugged. "Not really. I'm more of a night owl," he admitted.
"You mean a wolf," I quipped.
He smirked and slid off me to lay on his side beside me. I shivered at the loss of his warmth and wrapped my arms around myself. "The same applies to you now," he reminded me.