“So?” I asked as I went about finding something to wear.
“I don’t trust her,” Yeager said.
“I don’t either. So what should we do?” I asked in a hushed tone.
“Well, if they meant us any real harm they wouldn’t have driven up and introduced themselves,” Yeager observed. He had a point. I still felt like they wanted more than to see if what they had been told was true or not. The fact they knew about me at all is what concerned me.
“I’d feel better if she wasn’t involved with my half-brother,” I told Yeager. Dolan claimed his father, the man Yeager had caught raping a woman years past and who was killed by Sheriff Jones, was also my father. My mom was dead so I couldn’t ask her but I knew it was true. I sensed it. Dolan now was dead too but the questions remained.
“You’re thinking she can tell you about your mom and Dolan’s father?” Yeager stated as much as asked.
“My father, Yeager,” I corrected.
“I’m skeptical,” he replied.
“I’m not. I know Dolan was being truthful. I could sense it,” I told Yeager.
“Well, let’s get dressed and invite her in. I have to admit, I’m a bit curious about meeting a female shifter. The young girl too. I know our history is a bit sketchy, all hearsay and rumors, but it’s hard to miss something like a female shifter, much less two of them,” he said. I had to agree with Yeager. I was curious about that along with the reason Lady Violet believed I was special.
“Can’t hurt to talk, right?” I replied.
“I guess we’ll find out,” Yeager said a bit ominously. I felt it too. Lady Violet was more than she appeared. Her purpose was unclear but she had a purpose and it wasn’t just to verify my existence. Whatever it was, I felt like things were about to change. For the better or worse, however, I couldn’t know.
We dressed, just blue jeans, t-shirts and such, and then invited Violet and her assistant inside. Edie too. She wasn’t a shifter but she was caught up in all of this along with Yeager and me. She was one of the few people that knew about us, about our ability to become wolves and that we were mated. Edie and Agnes sat at the dinette while Yeager and I sat on the ratty built-in sofa covered with an Indian blanket. Violet chose to stand as we talked.
“Thank you for hearing me out. Our kind must stick together if we are to survive,” Violet told us.
“How many of our kind are there. Do you know?” Yeager asked.
“Tens of thousands, maybe more. Many reside in Eastern Europe, where our kind was born, but since the new world was discovered and now with modern transportation, our kind has spread. Some have become isolated. You, for instance, Yeager,” The woman explained.
“Isolated?” I wondered.
“Isolated from other shifters. We have always been a loosely organized lot. We live in packs without any centralized leadership. But we, like the rest of the world, have learned to act more civilized over the centuries. The various packs cooperate, those that know of one another. Others are cut off from the larger community in smaller groups. Even you two associate with other shifters. It makes sense to associate with your own kind, does it not?” Violet told us.
“I suppose it does,” Yeager admitted. He rubbed his bearded chin gathering his thoughts but his question was not subtle or thoughtful. “So why have you really come?” he demanded with a soft voice but the edge it held was unmistakable.
“You get right to the point, don’t you? I know what Dolan and his pack did and that you, both of you, eliminated him. He worked for me, though I am ashamed to admit it. There are realities that must be dealt with and those like Dolan are an effective tool. His actions towards you, Cassie, I do not condone, however,” Violet said by way of apology.
“What of my mother?” I asked pointedly. If Yeager could cut to the chase, so could I.
“Child, I don’t know. I know Dolan’s claims and I believe them but his father was a rogue. So was Dolan for that matter until I tamed him with money. He was a means to an end. I’m sorry I can’t reveal more,” Violet said. I wondered if her choice of words were unintentional or not. Did she really not know or was she unable or unwilling to reveal what she knew. I chose to take her at her word.
“So, you still haven’t answered my mate’s question, Lady Violet. Why are you here?” I prodded. Violet smiled that practiced, disarming smile. The same kind you’d get from politicians and used car salesmen.
“I want to bring you into the fold. My pack, or rather a collection of packs choosing to live as one, resides in Colorado. Wolfsbane Ranch is thousands of acres of meadows, streams, forests and valleys in the Rocky Mountains. It’s named after the flowers that grow there but it’s rather fitting, wolfsbane, isn’t it? There we gather and live as our kind deserves, free and with dignity. I want you to join us, Cassie. You and Yeager. Edie as well, if she wishes. You are correct in part, there are few female shifters so many human women join their mates,” Violet told us but she had more to reveal.
“We must protect the females of our kind. They are our future. But you, child, you are special. You were born of a human mother. That is rare thing, child, if not unheard of. You could be the key to our survival,” Violet said. I found her story a bit unnerving. I didn’t want to be some kind of savoir. I just wanted to be me.
“I’m not sure I want to go to Colorado. I love living here with Yeager. We live here on our terms and I’ve come to cherish that,” I told Lady Violet.
“Me either. I love it here,” Edie piped up. There was Violet’s disarming smile again. The one that carefully hid her true feelings.
“Of course, I don’t want to force anyone to do anything they don’t want. Our kind values our freedom, our individuality. Come to Wolfsbane as a guest. Let me show you what we have to offer and you may come to see differently. Our kind are few but a healthy few. I don’t mean to come off as dramatic. But I think you and Yeager will come to see the value of living as part of a larger pack and I know you will have much to offer us in return. I only ask you give me, us, a chance,” Violet said, her hands folded now and her voice almost pleading.
I looked at Yeager but his eyes told me that he would let me decide. I wasn’t ready to make the decision there and then, however. I needed time. I needed to discuss this without Lady Violet present or hovering nearby. “I’ll consider it, we’ll consider it. But we need time. Give us a few days and we’ll talk again,” I said. For a moment, there was obvious displeasure on Lady Violet’s face but it was gone almost as soon as it appeared, replaced by that practiced, reassuring smile.
“Of course, child. Agnes and I will come again in three days, at dawn. I look forward to your answer no matter what it is. We will leave you alone now,” Violet said and then glanced at Agnes who immediately stood up and came to her mistress’s side. Violet was the young girl’s mistress, she held some sway over Agnes but in what way, I couldn’t tell. They walked outside but as they left, Agnes looked back at Edie. Her expression was forlorn but in her eyes, I saw a glimmer of something else. The door to the motorhome closed and we sat in silence until the Black Cadillac Escalade had gone.
“Well, that was awkward,” Edie observed. Yeager turned to her.
“No kidding,” he replied and then turned to me. “You’re not really thinking of going, are you?” He asked me.
“I...I don’t know,” I admitted after a moment.
“You don’t trust that woman, do you?” Yeager pressed.
“No, but I’m curious. Other shifters, other women shifters? Aren’t you curious?” I asked.
“Yeah, I suppose I am,” Yeager admitted.
“It can’t hurt to visit, can it? I mean, meeting other shifters would be a good thing, right?” I wondered. It was obvious Violet wanted us to go to Colorado, and probably not just to visit with us, but what was she going to do to us once we arrived? If she meant us harm, there were easier ways to accomplish that. I suspected she was simply looking out for her own, trying to ensure our kind’s survival. Would I do an
y less?
“Let’s sleep on it, at least,” Yeager suggested. I wasn’t certain and some time to ponder the offer would probably be best. Some distance and perspective couldn’t hurt either.
“Yeah, that’s a good idea. What about you, Edie?” I asked.
“I’m up for whatever. You’re all I’ve really got, you and Yeager,” she replied. Edie was all I had too. Well, until Yeager appeared and announced I was his mate that is. But Edie had a special place in my heart. She was my best friend and she was there when my mom died when I had no one else.
“I’ve got to work tonight. I need to get some sleep. We’ll talk it over in a couple of days, OK?” I offered. Both Yeager and Edie nodded in agreement. Edie bid us goodnight, though it was morning, and left Yeager and I alone. We undressed and climbed into the bed wedged in the back of the old motorhome. Yeager held me but he didn’t say anything for a while. Finally, I asked, “Is being a shifter always so dramatic?”
“I was going to ask if your life was always so dramatic. Things were pretty quiet until you came around,” Yeager teased. I could tell he was joking but there was a hint of truth in his words.
“Well, in any case I’m glad I’m facing this with you by my side,” I replied.
“Yeah, me too,” he said and we both let it drop. There would be plenty of time to discuss this tomorrow. I didn’t sleep for a long time, however. All the thinking and considering I did over the next few hours didn’t get me any closer to an answer though. Yeager snored peacefully next to me and finally, sleep took me as well. My strange but oddly perfect life just became complicated but how complicated I had yet to discover.
~~O~~
Yeager and I ran hard side by side through the desert. My tongue lolled out and despite the cold night air, I was hot. My heart pounded in my chest. I needed this to clear my head. Lady Violet’s revelations had upset my world and now I was torn. Should I go to see what she had to offer at her Wolfsbane Ranch in Colorado, go find out why she claimed I was special, or should I just forget about all of it and stay in California with my mate?
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious. Yeager was as well. As far as he knew, I was the only female shifter to exist but now we’d met two others. Yeager was also unaware of the pack of shifters Violet represented. He and his friends, like Murphy, thought shifters were scattered and few but it seemed there were some that were organized and had been for some time. Yeager and I both wondered what we could learn from Violet about our kind’s past and how we fit into the world.
But neither of us was completely trusting of Violet. I was sure she had ulterior motives. There was a subtle desperation in her request. Violet wanted me to come to Colorado but I wasn’t sure why. I knew it just wasn’t to show me around. Maybe she did just want to bring us into the pack, to strengthen it with our presence and offer Yeager and I some protection in return. That was most certainly part of it but there was more and it seemed to have everything to do with my uniqueness.
I was born to a human, my mother, by way of a shifter. Girls never become shifters from such a pairing. Apparently, two shifters could bear a female shifter but not a human and shifter, until now that is. Violet hadn’t stated as much but it seemed logical. She insisted that I was significant but she wasn’t clear as to why. I wanted to believe that I was just an oddity, a curiosity, but I knew deep inside that wasn’t the case. Violet indicated I was important in some way and I felt it too. But beyond that vague feeling, I wasn’t sure about anything.
Yeager bumped me and I turned, startled from my human thoughts. They were stark and devoid of any deep emotion in my current state but the thoughts refused to go away. I regarded my mate, the gray wolf with the silvery streak of fur along his back. I could see the reassuring smile in his piercing amber eyes. I smiled back with my own emerald eyes and slowed. Running wasn’t working. Yeager slowed as well, turned and sat facing me with his tongue hanging out. Suddenly, he changed into a man.
“We should go to Colorado,” he told me. I remained a wolf hoping the cold, calculating instincts I possessed in this form would help me to work this out. It wasn’t helping, however. I slumped and then changed, the pain of shifting still keen but I was used to it and almost welcomed it. I felt the cold air immediately and Yeager came to my side and wrapped me in his arms as I sat on the desert floor.
“Are you sure?” I asked.
“I can tell this is weighing on you and I have the feeling you won’t be satisfied unless we go. I have to admit, I’m curious too,” Yeager said. He was right. This would bother me if I didn’t at least go and find out what Violet and her pack was all about.
“Then you’ll come with me?” I wondered.
“I would follow you no matter what. We’re mates, partners and friends. Where you go, I go, fur ball,” Yeager said and I smiled despite myself.
“I love you, old man,” I teased. Yeager wasn’t old enough to be my father but he wasn’t far from it. Gray tinged his beard and the long hair at his temples. He wasn’t old but I was still young, barely twenty.
“I know,” he said and turned my head towards his and kissed me. I savored his warm lips. Yeager’s hand moved from my face and slid down my body. I pulled away.
“Not tonight. I’m sorry,” I said. Yeager frowned.
“This thing really has you tied up in knots, doesn’t it?” he asked me.
“Yeah, and I can’t figure out why. I just have this feeling that there’s more than Violet is telling us. Something significant,” I said. Yeager nodded.
“I know what you mean. Still, some wild sex couldn’t hurt,” he offered and I giggled.
“It’s not that I don’t want to. I’m just so distracted,” I assured him. Yeager grinned and then bared his fangs. I rolled my eyes as he moved to kneel in front of me.
“Let me help you with that,” he said and dived between my thighs. I inhaled sharply as his warm mouth engulfed me and arched my back in response.
“Well, maybe just a quickie,” I said as I reclined on my elbows and looked into Yeager’s eyes as he pleasured me. He was right. I was already forgetting about Violet and Colorado. By the time we made it back to the old motorhome we called home, I could barely remember the damn woman’s name or why she had come in the first place.
~~O~~
Edie came over that evening. I traded shifts and Yeager cleared his schedule so we could discuss Lady Violet’s offer with Edie. She was a part of...well, our family. She had suggested she would go with me but I had to ask again. I wanted her to know she didn’t have to go. I had a vague feeling that she might regret going. I had no evidence that going to Colorado as Violet wanted was a bad idea but something nagged at me. It was probably silly but I wanted Edie to make the decision on her own and not just follow me out of loyalty.
Yeager grilled steaks along with corn on the cob and we had plenty of cold beer. We avoided the discussion of Lady Violet and her offer until after we finished eating. But as we lounged in the motorhome, sipping beer, I finally broached the subject. “I’ve decided to go to Colorado, Edie,” I announced.
“I figured. When do we leave?” Edie asked.
“Well, I wanted to speak to you about that. Yeager’s going with me but he has his own reasons. He hopes he might learn some more about our kind there. You, however, don’t have a reason to go. You don’t have to,” I told my best friend. She narrowed her eyes as she stared at me.
“Yes, I do. You’re all I really have. I’m not letting you go visit Cruella De Vil all by yourself...even if you are a wolf,” Edie told me. I laughed at her assessment of Lady Violet. I got that vibe as well. She seemed pleasant enough, not friendly or warm but pleasant, but the woman had a hard edge under her practiced, disarming smile. She did indeed remind me of the evil Disney villain.
“Damn, I’ve been trying to think of who she reminded me of. Cruella De Vil,” Yeager exclaimed.
“I know, right? She’s just like that bitch from 101 Dalmatians,” Edie replied. I laughed again but th
en turned serious.
“I mean it, Edie. You don’t have to go just for me. I can take care of myself,” I assured her. It’s not that I didn’t want her to go but I didn’t want any regrets either.
“I can take care of myself too, Cassie. Besides, I’ll get a chance to see Agnes again,” Edie told me. Yeager and I looked at each other. We had our suspicions about Edie. Hell, she was a lesbian and I’d known it since high school. But I’d never said anything and neither had Edie. It wasn’t my business and I didn’t care either way. Edie frowned as she noticed our reaction.
“Did I say that out loud?” she asked us. I nodded and smiled at her warmly. “So, I like girls. So what? You’re a wolf. Both of you are,” Edie said defensively but she wasn’t being completely serious.
“I know, Edie. I’ve always known,” I told her reassuringly.
“Is it that obvious?” Edie asked.
“Yeah, it is,” Yeager replied. Edie smiled sheepishly but Yeager stood up, set his beer down and squeezed between Edie and me on the sofa before he continued. “And we don’t care. We love you just the way you are, Edie. I know what it’s like to be an outsider, to be different. It’s hard sometimes but having people that love you for who you are makes it a whole lot easier,” Yeager told her and then glanced at me meaningfully.
“Thanks! I guess I knew you guys knew, I just...I don’t know. I was embarrassed to say anything,” Edie told us. I put my hand on her knee and she smiled.
“You don’t need to be. It’s cool. Besides, I feel so cosmopolitan having a lesbian for a friend,” I teased her. Edie laughed and then lifted her arms and threw them behind Yeager and me. She pulled us close, both of us in a head lock of sorts.
“I love you guys,” she said in a shaky voice. Yeager grunted.
“Can’t...breathe. Room...going...dark,” he said weakly. Edie let go and laughed again.
“Like I could really strangle you. You’re twice my size,” Edie said and then hugged my mate before turning and hugging me. “I’m going. I want to see what Cruella wants. And...dammit, I want to see Agnes. She’s fucking hot,” Edie exclaimed, almost defiantly, then she giggled despite herself and I couldn’t help but join her.
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