by Savage Rose
Alexander seemed pleased that she had joined him, and the two young wolves padded silently through the forest together. She couldn’t tell if his silence was intentional, or simply a matter of finding talking too difficult to bother. Either was fair, she decided, holding her own tongue. As they reached their hidden bundles of clothing, Lara and Alexander found themselves yet again facing each other, ready to shift. There was a little splash of blood on one side of his gray-flecked muzzle, and she wanted to lick it off, to feel his tongue against hers again to see if it would cause the same interesting visceral response it had the first time, but he was already transforming, his body reshaping rapidly. She let herself focus on doing the same, bone and sinew and muscle all stretching and changing into the other form they knew so well.
It was easier to be quiet when shifting this direction, Lara had always found. Perhaps that was fitting— the wolf always brought out more of herself, she felt. This human form was… a repressed version of that. She shivered as the chill of March air hit her bare skin, bringing one arm up to cover her modest breasts, her thighs clenched tight at the sudden cold. Before she reached for her clothing, she risked a glance at Alexander, who regarded her with much the same hopeful curiosity.
He seemed less effected by the cold, his arms hanging at his sides loosely, his mop of curly mousy brown hair hanging in his eyes the barest bit, a smudge of drying blood painting his jaw just beside his lips. She had been hoping she would feel a stronger sense of attraction to him now that they’d shared that hunt, but her heart remained stubbornly ambivalent. One look between the young man’s legs confirmed that he was exactly as aroused as she completely failed to be, his penis looking nice as such things went, but determinedly disinterested. We both seemed to feel a spark of something as wolves, but now? Jesus. Get us BOTH to a nunnery already.
Lara shivered a bit as she pulled her bundle of clothing out from the ferns where she’d stashed it, unfolding her sweatshirt and tugging on her boy-short panties and yoga pants, hearing the rustle of cloth as Alexander dressed next to her. As she pulled her tank top over her muscular abdomen, she felt the heat of his body before her, making her freeze.
“Thanks for the hunt,” he said, wrapping his arms around her in a soft but very sincere-feeling hug. She nodded, so startled by this unexpected affection she was at a total loss for words. He released her and held up her sweatshirt, helping her slip her arms through the sleeves. “So, this idea of us getting married for our packs… are you okay with it?” She caught her breath, wracking her brain for an answer, wishing she had more time to give one. “I… I am.”
He IS? Well. Huh. His gaze was steady, patient and open, as if he was as ready to hear rejection as he was acceptance. There was blood on his face. She took a hesitant breath and stepped closer until her breasts pressed against his ribs, taking his handsome face in her hands and closing her eyes. Her tongue stroked his jaw, tasting blood, feeling the odd, buzzing prickle of his stubble. Her heart jolted just a bit, and his hands gripped her shoulders. She pulled back, noticing his eyes had closed as well, and his breath had grown ragged. She had hoped to feel a stronger response, but this wasn’t nothing. Maybe this would even become enough someday.
“Okay,” she said, taking a bracing breath. “I am too.” Well, she’d done it. Now that she had said it, there would be no turning back. They were getting married. The idea was surreal, as if it had no business being true, and yet, there it was. Today was apparently her day for making life-altering commitments.
“Is this weekend good? No sense waiting, right?” he asked, his voice calm, his bright green eyes fixed on her hand as he took it in his own.
“Yeah, I think soooOSHIT!” She’d forgotten about the comicon. The one she couldn’t afford. The one she’d bought tickets for anyway. The one where she would finally meet the woman she’d been infatuated with for a year. Oh yes, she was thoroughly screwed now. “I can’t, I’m sorry. I’m flying out tomorrow.” His expression never wavered, his eyes never raising from her hand.
“How long will you be gone?”
“Only for the weekend. I’ll be back before Monday.” He blinked, finally meeting her eyes.
“Alright, so Monday then. That’s the full moon… a fitting night for a wolf wedding, I suppose.” Right. The full moon. Her stomach twisted.
“Monday it is,” she agreed. He kissed her hand and gave her a shy smile that somehow lacked his earlier warmth. It felt as if her heart had suddenly found itself on the edge of a very steep fall with no idea how to get to safer ground. She watched him walk away, doubts and guilt settling over her like a blanket of frost. Alexander would be a good mate, that much was certain. But after whatever awaited her in Seattle, how could she be sure she would be?
* * *
He had insisted on driving her to the airport. The ride was fairly quiet, neither of the young werewolves really knowing what to say. After a few awkward minutes, Alexander turned on the car’s stereo, and the opening riff to a Metallica song played. Lara smiled, though a sharp stab of guilt pierced deep. He was so attentive, so thoughtful, so very much better at this than she was. And now here he was, unwittingly sending his bride-to-be off to rendezvous with the one person who did make her nigh feverish with desire. Now not only did this all feel like a heartbreak of grand proportions waiting to happen, but a betrayal as well.
He didn’t say anything as they approached the gate, but he leaned in and gave her one sweet, chaste kiss, his mouth soft against hers. It was the first kiss she’d ever experienced in her adult life, a moment she had imagined would come with sweeping emotional revelations the likes of which she had never yet experienced. She raged at herself for her utter lack of physiological response. What was wrong with her?
She did her best to seem pleased by the kiss anyway, not wanting to disappoint him as thoroughly as she was disappointing herself. With a shy wave, he returned to his car, leaving her alone with her thoughts as she waited for the plane. Her fingers raised to her lips, touching softly where his had just been. Her first kiss, shared with the man she would marry… and she had felt nothing. She stared warily out the window at the airplanes waiting on the tarmac.
Lara’s virginity extended to more than just the romantic. This was her first time flying, and she found herself far more nervous than she had anticipated as she located her seat and loaded her meager black carry-on duffle bag into the overhead compartment. Thankfully, the flight wasn’t overly booked, and no one sat beside her to notice the way her fingernails suddenly formed into claws and dug into the plastic of the armrests as the plane took off.
It was a rather anxious few hours hurtling through the air, despite her attempts to distract herself with earbuds firmly in place and Metallica blaring in her ears. Now the songs only reminded her of that tense car ride with Alexander. When she silenced her mp3 player, however, it was Cheri plaguing her thoughts, her dark, beautiful eyes staring into her, stripping her barer than bare. The claws came out again as the plane descended, turbulence making her stomach lurch dangerously… at least, she was going to blame that on the turbulence.
Lara’s legs were distinctly shaky upon departing the plane, though whether it was what she left behind or what waited before her that made them so unsteady, she couldn’t say. Almond shaped amber eyes searched the strangers that had gathered at baggage claim to welcome their families and friends from the plane. She almost hoped Cheri hadn’t shown up. This whole thing had been such a colossal mistake…
Brilliant purple hair teased into perfect 40’s era coils and waves caught Lara’s eye, and once she was caught, she couldn’t look away. There were those enigmatic, penetrating eyes… and a ready smile that made the corners of those eyes crinkle in a way Lara hadn’t seen in any of the pin-up photos. Her heart beat faster, utterly captivated by this new discovery. Cheri clutched a large sign to her chest that read ‘LARA’ in glittering black letters, and she scanned the line of passengers disembarking, looking for her. Oh, right. She doesn’t know what I
look like. After all this time looking at her pictures, I forgot she’s never seen one of me. Damn. Should have worn more makeup.
Cheri’s eyes met hers, and realization set into the beautiful chocolate curves of her face as her smile became a beaming grin. She stepped forward, holding her sign up proudly, looking like a triumphant ebony goddess. Lara swore her heart would batter itself free from its cage of bone and sinew if it beat any harder. She nodded, acknowledging that she was, in fact, the Lara Cheri was looking for, though honestly she would have answered to any name that beautiful creature was looking for at this point.
“Oh my gawd, sugar! It’s so good to finally meet you!” Cheri exclaimed, her joyful voice made all the more adorable as her perfect Southern Belle accent softened her ‘r’s and extended what Lara had always assumed to be monosyllabic words. She hadn’t expected the accent. Her knees seemed to have lost interest in keeping her upright, and she stumbled a bit as she walked toward Cheri, amber eyes drinking in those thick, luscious curves hugged by tight blue jeans and bursting from the low neckline of her sheer green leopard printed blouse.
She couldn’t speak as Cheri ran to her, giant breasts bouncing deliciously, those plump arms ready to wrap around her. Lara instinctively held her own arms close to her chest, needing to ward off the thoughts Cheri’s sudden closeness were threatening to drown her in. Alexander. Remember Alexander. Remember your pack. She stuck out an awkward hand, and Cheri blinked, looking confused for a split second before graciously taking the offered hand and shaking it softly.
The touch was electric. Whatever spark Lara might have felt with Alexander paled in comparison to such degree as to be rendered completely transparent. How in hell can I feel this excited when she’s barely touching me, yet Alexander’s kiss leaves me totally cold? The woman smelled like dark vanilla. It was intoxicating. It dimly occurred to Lara that she should probably say something… if she could get her tongue working, that was.
“I thought your sign was going to say ‘Sexy Smut Partner,” she joked, her tone flatter than she’d hoped. The woman’s smile twisted a bit, dark cheeks flushing with a soft pink undertone as she flipped her sign around. The words glittered brashly at Lara, and a nervous giggle slipped through her defenses. Cheri shrugged self-consciously.
“I thought it might be a little much for SeaTac standards,” Cheri said. “Sometimes ideas just sound better on the internet than they do in real life.” OUCH. Ain’t THAT the truth. “But you must be starving! Want to grab anything to eat before we head out?” That charming accent had Lara so distracted it was difficult to concentrate on what the woman was saying.
“Actually, I’m pretty beat from the flight,” Lara said. It wasn’t untrue, though its veracity wasn’t why she’d said it. She needed space to sort herself out, and the sooner she got it the better. “Would it be alright to just head out?”
“Of course, sugar,” Cheri soothed, perfect eyebrows raising just a bit. “Which are your bags?” she asked, gesturing to the baggage carousel.
“Oh, no, I just have this,” Lara replied, lifting up her black duffle bag.
“Well, alright then. Let’s hit the road.” Cheri led the way through the airport as Lara tried her very best to ignore the swing of those broad hips and the cute bounce of vibrant violet curls. She was moderately successful, until she found herself in a small, otherwise empty elevator. Oh, how badly she wanted the elevator to suddenly break down and leave them no choice but to pursue potential romantic leanings… and oh, how terrified that made her. “Have you flown much?” Cheri asked, her sweet face inquisitive and eager in a way that broke Lara’s indecisive heart.
“No.” It didn’t seem right to just leave it at that, though she tried. “That was actually my first plane ride.” Cheri smiled, a distant sort of smile that made Lara cock her head.
“They used to scare me to absolute death, I tell you,” Cheri admitted with a self-conscious smirk, and Lara felt herself smiling for the first time all day.
“Really?”
“Oh, sugar, I would near hyperventilate. Kept my mind busy thinking how many passengers it would take to construct a human cushion for me if the plane crashed. It was bad.” Cheri’s own laughter unleashed Lara’s. It felt so damned good to laugh together.
“I came pretty close to ripping the armrests off and clobbering myself until I reached a state of unconscious bliss,” she joked, and Cheri’s laughter became a joyous, breathless cackle. The elevator doors opened, and they walked out into the blustery chill of the top level of the airport parking garage. Cheri clicked a button on her key ring, and a shiny black SUV chirped at them, headlights flashing. As Lara loaded her bag into the back seat, the woman let out another soft laugh.
“Hoo boy, sugar. I wager you and I are just one bumpy plane ride from winding up on a no-fly list. I think I could even be alright with that if it wasn’t for the fact that we live so far apart.”
It was an innocent enough sentiment, and a rather nice one at that, but it set off a hopeful flutter in Lara’s chest that she had a very hard time quelling. She slid into her seat, feeling awkwardly slippery on the leather, working to keep her thoughts from fixating on the fact that the woman she had the biggest crush on had just basically told her she’d never give up plane rides she hated simply because it would mean she couldn’t see Lara again. In the enclosed space, that tantalizing vanilla scent was powerful. Cheri started the SUV, directing the vehicle down an unexpectedly long continuous spiral that led from the top floor to ground level. SeaTac is a hell of a lot different from Juneau International.
“I take it this will be your first time at a comic convention, won’t it, sugar?”
“Yeah. I’m only kind of completely wondering what the hell I got myself into.”
“Oh, you’ll get on just fine. It’s a very welcoming, inclusive kind of atmosphere. Now, I don’t know if you’re into cosplay— do you know what that is?”
“I did a little Googling. I think I’m adequately prepared.” Cheri smiled at her, a decidedly pleased variety of impressed on her lovely, round face.
“I’m really glad you came, sugar. This is the first time I’ve had anyone to spend time with when I’m not doing signings or panels.” A warm, fuzzy, extremely happy feeling was setting up camp in Lara’s belly.
“And how is the sudden popularity treating you, Ms. Bouchard?” she jibed, finally beginning to feel as if this trip wasn’t the worst thing she could have done to her life.
“Well, that is a complicated question. It’s real nice having people pay attention to my work and all, but I have to wonder if they’d care as much without all the rabid, and often ridiculous, fan fiction stories and comics it’s spawned. You’ve seen them. You know how bad they can get. So I never know how much the people here really care about the writing that started it all, you know? Sometimes, it feels like my signature and photo is more of a status kind of thing, like… these people, they tell me how much they love my work when I’m signing my book for them, but how soon will that end up on eBay? You know? I didn’t write these stories to be collector’s items. I wanted them to be read. I wonder sometimes if even half as many readers know the books better than they know the fan fiction or the comic book offshoot. But, on the other hand, it also feels really good to be a part of anything this big. So, it’s complicated, but I suppose I’d say the sudden fame, such as it is, has been treating me decently, if a bit bewilderingly.”
Lara watched Cheri unashamedly for the first time, observing the way that smooth brown brow crinkled as the woman spoke her doubts and fears with such soft, casual eloquence. She really was a writer through and through. The young werewolf watched the words pour from those full, glossy lips, coated in a sheen of deep red, the flashes of brilliant white teeth as she smiled through some of those words. They were not strangers, they were friends, and in Lara’s discomfort at being in such close proximity to the object of her affections, she had somehow forgotten that fact.
“Nobody writes for your world li
ke you do,” Lara said with quiet authority. Like Cheri had said, she had seen the fan fiction stories, the artwork, the comics, and a high percentage were quite decent, but a lot were bad. Worse than ‘Twilight’ bad, and in Lara’s book, that was an impressively awful achievement.
“Nobody but you,” Cheri added with an eyebrow twitch and a smile that stopped Lara’s heart. A slight edge of panic intruded into the slowly building camaraderie as Lara shoved back all the replies she wanted to let out, her heart struggling madly against her mind’s stern ruling of silence. Cheri wasn’t flirting, she was stating a fact. She just didn’t know how right she was about that fact. The only reason Lara wrote as well for Cheri’s stories as she did was the simple reality that she lived in that world. And Cheri could never know. It was a painful, sobering thought, and it gave Lara the motivation she needed to create a little emotional distance.
The rest of the drive into Seattle was filled with small talk about the city and the expectations they held for the event. Lara pulled the directions to her motel she’d printed at the library and played navigator for Cheri, who handled the confusing layout of a brand new city with all the genteel calm of a Southern Belle. It wasn’t until they pulled into the crowded parking lot for the Come On Inn, the small, dingy looking motel Lara had booked last minute, that Cheri’s demeanor showed the first sign of discontent.
“This is where you’re staying?” she asked, sounding like she very much hoped she was mistaken. Lara nodded.
“It was the cheapest place I could find in the area with vacancies.”
“In the area? Sugar, this is a mile away from the convention center!”