“I think she was saying they’re lucky to have us here and they aren’t planning on getting us drunk. You’ll get used to it. Remember they think we say funny things too. I’m going to run over to say hi to that table over there,” Pru points to a small table across the room. I recognize the guy as one I’m going to compete against in the agility contest.
Oakley and I people watch for a while, not really talking about anything. My wolf zeros in on Brianna, and now I know the sound of her voice. Her accent is Irish, but it doesn’t sound like everyone else. Every time I feel her looking my way, my head turns her direction. She’ll bashfully smile and turn back towards her friend.
“Something is strange; I can’t quit checking out that Brianna girl. Do you think she’d be upset if I go introduce myself to her?” Going out with girls has been awkward since Chrissy left. We still talk, but we’ve decided to date other people. My wolf has been restless, but it’s hard to meet people when you don’t go out very often.
Oakley looks at me as though I’ve grown a third eye on my forehead. “Every girl in this room is batshit crazy to meet you. Brianna isn’t any different. The way she keeps stealing looks at you, I’m sure she’s going to be thrilled to meet you. Go get ‘em tiger,” Oakley chuckles.
The waitress shows up at that very moment with our food. My stomach is growling so loud I postpone introducing myself to her. Pru rushes back and the three of us practically inhale our dinner. I was too hungry to wait, so I burned the roof of my mouth with my first bite. My healing ability is faster than most wolves and it heals instantly, letting me eat it straight from the oven. Another round of beers arrives as well as two ‘shorts’ which are shots whiskey.
We hold up our shots and shouted ‘Cheers’ before tilting our heads back and downing the drink.
Someone says my name and I turn around, it’s Brianna.
“Are you Abel Casey?” Brianna asks.
Overwhelming waves of heat spread through my body, undeniably a reaction to her being so close. “I am. You’re Brianna right?”
Pru and Oakley suddenly found themselves in an intense conversation about salting before doing a shot of tequila. Thanks for abandoning me, you losers.
I pull the empty chair closer to me and ask her to take a seat. No matter how loud it is inside, I can hear every breath she takes.
“You’re competing against Pru aren’t you?” I signal for another beer for the table. No matter how much I drink, my body absorbs it and heals. I’d have to drink a lot in a short amount of time to get a buzz. By the noise in the room, it isn’t the case for all the wolves.
I study her face, every small detail is etching in my memory. The way her eyebrow raises when she’s talking, to the flush of her cheeks when I’m talking to her. Her eyes are gold with flecks of amber in them and her skin is porcelain white.
“I am competing against her, if I make weight,” she admits.
To me she’s perfect and curvy in the right places. “I think you look perfect, aren’t you two competing in woman’s capoeira?”
“Yeah, but there are weight restrictions in the women’s class. I’m 5’3” and 130 lbs, she’s 5’8” and whatever weight she is. Obviously, she’s thinner than I am, but our bodies have to bend the same way in the same amount of time to be equivalent to each other. If I do a backbend, it has to look exactly how her backbend looks. When we qualify, we’ll go through a long drawn out sequence of exercises. We’ll do handless cartwheels but they’ll need to be timed and executed exactly the same…..I’m probably boring you to tears.”
No, I hang from every word she speaks. Her voice sounds lyrical as she tells me about qualifying. I wasn’t aware the girls had to be so precise. Bryon is competing in the male version of capoeira and he hasn’t said anything about weight. He’s one of our wolves who gets a little pudgy during the winter. He doesn’t like running in the cold weather, and lately it’s been freezing in Oklahoma.
“No tears, I swear,” I promise.
Without warning, the entire bar goes quiet. In walks two men, they both look to be in their late twenties, which in werewolf standards they could actually be in their mid thirties.
“Who’s that?” I whisper to Brianna. Oakley and Pru have stopped talking and both are sitting straight up, ready to pounce if needed.
“Me brothers Denny and Marc,” Brianna’s friend is motioning for her to come over there, but Brianna stays at my table.
Denny and Marc both glance around the room until they come upon our table. Neither smile at their sister, instead they head our direction.
“Why do they look so mad?” I ask.
She gives me a half smile, half apologetic look, “they’re perpetually in a bad mood. They dink they have to know where I am 24/7, I’m over it. They’re throwing shapes to show how dey can intimidate everyone. Don’t let ‘em worry you, dey won’t do anything with the games next week.”
Her Irish accent is coming out more pronounced with the arrival of her menacing brothers. “What’s throwing shapes?”
“Ah, day’er showing off.”
“Oh, gotcha.” Both brothers are huge, their arms are bigger than my thighs and their necks blend into their shoulders.
Oakley stands up and I follow. I’m not sure why everyone is scared of them, the bigger they are, the worse they fight. If they boxed me in the head I’d probably hit the floor, but I’m faster and leaner, I’ll outrun them.
“This can’t be good,” Oakley says to me. I’m not sure if he said it out loud or communicated in my head. Lately, the three of us are able to talk inside our heads like we do when we’re a wolf. They can only talk to me when I’m open for them to be inside my head. If I put up a mental block, neither can talk to me. All part of being great.
“Yeah, my thoughts too,” I whisper.
They finally make it over to our table, stopping in front of us. One of them has a scar across his eye and along his cheek, the other has pit marks in his skin from acne.
“Are you the guy everyone’s making such a fuss over?” Scar-face asks.
“I guess so,” I reply in my deepest voice I can muster.
“You’re the wolf who will combine the packs? You’re what our ancestors of Kilkenny have waited for? It doesn’t matter if you’re God, you screw wid my sister, consider yourself dead.” Scar-face turns his attention to his sister. “You said you’re going out with Jules and I find you here with Americans. What’s dis about?”
Brianna stands up, her cheeks matching the color of my shirt, and I literally hear her heart pounding in her chest. “Go away Marc, you’re making an arse of yousef. Dis is the Great Wolf Abel, and father would kill you hisself if he were ‘ere. Go away.”
“You leavin’ wid us,” Marc demands.
“This is all a huge misunderstanding. We’re here to have some dinner and go back to our hotel. I’ll make sure Brianna gets home safe. She’s welcome to sit with us, I enjoy her company,” I boldly say.
Both brothers look at me, and I’m certain I’m about to be punched in the face when Denny starts laughing. Marc joins in and the room collectively exhales the breath they’ve been holding. “Drinks for da house,” Marc yells to the bartender. “Good to see you’re not a pansy boy. If you touch her, I will kill you….even if you are who everyone believes you are.”
“Understood,” I reply. Brianna’s brothers walk away, not before whispering something to her. It was said in Gaelic so I’m not sure what it was, but I’m certain it had something to do with me.
The time difference is getting to me, and I call out to our Pack that it’s time to go back to the hotel. Oakley, Pru and I decide to grab a taxi back so we can give Brianna a ride to her hotel.
We step out into the cool night air, the temperatures have dropped since we arrived. I’d been hopeful it’d be warmer than Oklahoma, but it isn’t. Dolly says it’s better to compete in the winter months, wolves are at peak performance in the cooler weather.
Brianna’s hotel is a 100 year old house that
’s been turned into a bed and breakfast.
Stepping out of the SUV, I take Brianna’s hand, helping her out of the car.
“It was nice meeting you, Brianna. Tomorrow, we’re working out, but then we’re going out sightseeing. Would you like to go to dinner with me tomorrow night?” I’m nervous her brothers will hunt and kill me for going out with their sister. It’s a risk I’m willing to take.
She smiles sweetly at me, “I’d love to have dinner with you tomorrow night.”
My wolf rumbles in my chest in approval. “Good night, Brianna.”
“Good night, Abel.”
****************
Chapter 2 - Workout
A few members of the pack stop in the hotel bar for a drink and powwow before bed. Oakley and I walk past the bar and head to our room. We both are ready to sit and veg-out for a little while.
“What did you think of the pub?” Oakley asks and kicks his shoes off by the door.
I hang up my jacket and put my shoes next to his. “I thought it was interesting how the place was so lively. What did you think of Denny and Marc?”
“I think you’re asking for trouble by going out with their sister. I don’t know if she’s worth the aggravation,” he reaches in pulls out two bottles of CelticPure water.
The overstuffed denim couch creaks as I sit down. “It’s the strangest thing, I barely know her but I’m overly attracted to her. Talk about animal attraction, my wolf was blinded by her. Her brothers might be annoying, but I’m ready to know Brianna better. I want to take a run, do you want to go, or should I get Pru?”
“I’ll run, we can double check the perimeters while we’re out. I’ll call up to Dolly and see if she and Pru want to join us.”
****************
Dolly and I run side by side, both of us shadowing the other. Pru and Oakley sprint to the perimeters, flirting and hunting along the way. Shaynie and Bryon follow Dolly and I as we dart around the grounds. Oddly enough, there aren’t any little critters to chase so we settle on a friendly game of lone-wolf. Basically, whoever won the last time we played is the one to corner. The more wolves we have playing, the harder it is for the lone-wolf who’s being cornered. We take smack talking to another level, and Dolly talks smack like no one else. She’s ruthless on the field, but afterwards she goes around and apologizes to everyone for being so mean. She never makes it personal, except for the random ‘yo mama’ jokes she says to Pru.
The run will do good to put our wolf to sleep. The pool house is used as a locker room for our clothes. While we were out running, someone put a note out that said there’s a warmer by the showers and inside there are heated hotel robes.
In a matter of minutes, we all are dressed in our robes and proclaiming we’re getting a warmer as soon as we get back to Oklahoma. We hurry into the warmth of the hotel and say our goodnights.
****************
“Turn that thing off!” Oakley shouts, referring to the blaring sound of our alarm clock.
“We have to go train, get your furry butt up and take a shower.” I’ve been up for the last twenty minutes, I’ve showered and I’m ready to go eat breakfast. “Pru and I are going down to eat.” I grab a pillow from my bed and give him a good whack with it. “You can’t go back to sleep!”
“You’re a pain in the ass Abe,” Oakley growls.
“Awesome story, now get up.”
I hear Pru at the door before she knocks. She is standing there in a blue tank top thingy and yoga pants. Her red hair is covered by a baseball hat. There was a time, I wanted nothing more than to have the attention of Pru, but things changed. Once it was obvious she had eyes for Oakley, I quit daydreaming of asking her out. Now she has the same appeal a sister would, a sister that isn’t a vampire.
My sister Allie is a vampire living in Paris. It was two years ago when we had a war with vampires and I had the opportunity to save Allie. She begged me to leave her be and ultimately, I respected her wish. I’m probably the only wolf in history to be blood related to a vampire.
There are fables of vampires and werewolves falling in love. The forbidden love of mortal enemies is romanticized in books. Vampires repulse me, so I don’t know how it’s possible for them to be together.
Allis is invited to holiday dinners, but she doesn’t want to leave Paris. She says her bloodlust is too strong right now, and it will be a little while before she’ll have control. What exactly is a little while in vampire-speak? Mom and Dad Skype with her twice a week, I don’t.
****************
The thirty minute ride to the gym is uneventful other than early traffic. Everyone’s tired and quiet, minus Dolly who is giving pep talks to our van.
The term rolling hills is obvious after a few minutes outside of Kilkenny. The sky is overcast, giving the gothic buildings an eerie ambiance. It seems like an hour before we pull up to a large warehouse.
Our workouts were intense, especially since in a week we’ll be competing for the gold. We worked out for two hours without a break.
One of the coaches yells for everyone to gather around him as he stands in middle of the gym. His white polo clung to his lean build, proving he’s still in amazing shape for someone his age. I recognize him from the flash cards we studied about the other competitors and coaches. He’s Coach Gerald and lives in Maine with his pack of five. Dolly said he is probably in his sixties or seventies which is a long life for a wolf.
“I’m here to announce that Seeker has been approved. As you may know from reading in the history of the W-Olympics, we have a special game called the Seeker. Seeker is a maze set up with obstacles to uncover a gold coin. The coin is disguised and well hidden within the maze. Fifteen Olympians have died in the maze, either killed by a competitor - which is illegal if caught, or by the obstacle itself. The alpha can send in whoever they want from their team to compete, but the decision isn’t announced to the other teams until an hour before the event. All of us have been training, and everyone is qualified, but your alpha will be the one to make the decision. If the alpha chooses; they can compete, however, their mate cannot compete with them. It can be brutal, and we’ll have healers available to help with the wounds. It’s illegal to use charmed artifacts, and all weaponry will be checked prior to entering the maze. Think about it and remember not to make it obvious which wolf will be competing. You don’t want to give anyone an advantage by knowing what your Achilles heel is. If you have questions, write them down and we’ll address them this evening. Have a good day, stay out of trouble and great work out everyone!”
Someone let out a howl, the next thing we know, the entire warehouse is rattling with howls and laughter.
Two months ago, we were told that Seeker would probably not be included in the Olympics this year. The last two W-Games the competitors in the maze were individually attacked. Even though fifteen people have died, at least fifty have been permanently disfigured or crippled. Regardless of the danger, I plan on competing this year.
****************
As we step out, I catch a familiar smell….Brianna has been here. By the look on Pru and Oakley’s face, they smell her too. We walk through the lobby and I see a group of people gathered by the fireplace. I notice her sitting there laughing with her friends. As though she can feel me looking at her, she turns my direction.
“Looks like you won’t have to wait until tonight to see her,” Pru whispers to me.
Instead of stopping to talk to her, I go straight up to my room. “I call dibs on the shower!” I shout out to Oakley.
“Got it,” he replies with his southern drawl.
I throw on a brown polo and a ridiculously expensive pair of jeans. Pru swore up and down that all the hip guys are wearing them. Hip or crazy, the debate is still out on that conversation. I slap on some aftershave, which is nothing short of another dumb purchase. The stuff burns like hell on a freshly shaved face. My final smell good ritual is a squirt of cologne that Shaynie bought me for Christmas. Whenever I wear it, the girls i
n the pack tell me how good I smell. I hope Brianna feels the same way.
“Did a French whore stop by?” Oakley says as he steps out of the bathroom with a white towel wrapped around his waist. “Give me five minutes and I’ll be ready.”
“Let me guess, you won’t let me go downstairs alone.”
“You got it,” he says and drops his towel.
I turn and go over to the window to look out at the grounds of the hotel.
My stomach is turning as we ride down in the elevator. I know Pru won’t be ready for another twenty minutes, so Oakley won’t let me out of his sight.
Brianna is sitting across the room in one of the big overstuffed leather chairs, reading on an e-reader. She glances up just as I approach her.
“Hi Abel, I didn’t know it last night, but we’re all going site seeing together. They’ve chartered a couple of buses to drive us around and professional tour guides will tell us about the different sites. The other packs will be here soon.”
I take a seat on the leather chair across from her. There are only two chairs so Oakley walks over to the group by the fireplace. “I think that’s a good idea; all of us meeting one another on a social level. Is your whole pack here or just the competitors?”
“We’re a small pack, so everyone is here” she replies. “How about you?”
“Our pack is about half and half. We have a farm that must be run while we’re gone, and things have a tendency to break when we’re not home.” I notice a cart with Danishes and coffee approaching us. My stomach growls as the aroma hits me like a ton of bricks.
“It’s been yonks since I’ve had a pastry, they look delicious.” Her eyes dart across the room, when she doesn’t find whoever she’s looking for she takes a Danish. She tears off a piece and puts it in her mouth. “Oh bloody hell! That’s divine!” Brianna takes her bottle of water to her lips and my brain went to places it shouldn’t have.
I glance up and catch Oakley looking back at me with a grin on his face. I hadn’t had time to block my thoughts, some just happen and I get looks from Pru and Oakley when they’re inappropriate.
The Great Wolf: A Legacy of Kilkenny Novel Book Three (The Legacy of Kilkenny Saga) Page 2