My gaze fell to his black-shoed feet. “But the bond allows us some distance apart, right?”
“Not enough,” he sounded irritated. If I wanted to plead my case, I’d have to work faster.
“How far?” I lifted my hopeful gaze to his. Could I still escape, break the bond somehow? Maybe Grandma would know a way.
“It varies, but from your little stunt tonight, about twenty yards.”
That wasn’t far enough. Any plans of escape I’d conjured trickled from my mind, and dread settled on my shoulders like an iron jacket. There had to be a solution that didn’t involve hiding in the woods for the rest of my life.
“Come, Tayla,” he said in a low commanding voice.
My body jerked in response as his command took hold of my body—again. “Please, no.”
“We have little of the night left to travel.” He came closer to me, and I saw the desire in his eyes to finally carry me off.
Tears welled in my eyes, but I held them back. There had to be a way out of this mess. I refused to leave my aunt, my family, my life.
“I can’t leave my family.”
“And we can’t stay here.”
“Please!” I begged. “My aunt is unwell.”
There were still days, sometimes weeks, where Aunt Lily could barely function, leaving me to buy groceries, cook meals, and clean. Sarah deserved a better childhood than to become an adult at eleven.
His command on my body loosened at my words, and his face turned expressionless. “It’s late. My truck’s this way,” he said, effectively ending our conversation.
He flipped up his jacket hood, veiling his monstrous features from the few passing cars as he walked down the street towards the museum. My body wasn’t forced to follow yet, opening a narrow window for escape. With his back turned, I lunged to rip the passenger side van door open. My fingers touched the icy metal handle before they were jerked to the side, restrained by a large hairy hand. The other hand came around me, forcing my back into his chest. I kicked, struggling to twist out of his hold, but exhaustion quickly flooded my limbs and a sticky warmth of ease flowed through the connection that tethered me to the monster.
I sagged in his arms, and cried. “I won’t go. I won’t.” My voice was hollow, edged with years of heartache I’d fought to suppress.
Everything I’d worked for, everything I’d suffered was for nothing. This monster would drag me away and shatter my family’s fragile existence. It would be better if he killed me here and left my body to be found. At least then, my family would have some closure.
I swallowed hard. “Please, just kill me quickly.”
His arm flexed around me. “I’m not going to hurt you!”
I sucked in a sob, fear constricting my lungs. “Don’t take my body away. They need to bury me. I can’t just disappear. You don’t understand—”
“This is ridiculous!” He let go, and I sagged to the ground, stifling a sob. He turned his back to me and paced, but I had no energy to run. He thrust a hand in my direction. “You shouldn’t even be awake!”
He huffed, and stilled to look down at me. His eyes warmed with something I dared not hope was compassion. Was there a chance he might let me live? Let me stay with my family?
“I’m sorry,” the beast said. “Your memory isn’t supposed to be so intact. But there’s nothing to be done, now.”
“What do you mean?” Horror washed through me. Was that pulsing cord supposed to erase my memories? My life?
He looked at me with pity in his eyes.
“Your memories would’ve resurfaced slowly over time, allowing you time to adjust.” He spoke as if he was causally retelling a movie he’d watched over and over.
I stared at him, my mouth gaping.
“Tayla, my house is very comfortable. You’ll have your own room and freedom to choose if we see each other or not. Life can be…comfortable.”
My intuition flickered. “I’m not the first girl you’ve hunted and enslaved, am I?”
A subtle flinch told me I’d hit the truth. His caramel eyes were veiled in sorrow. “As I said, I’m as much enslaved by this curse as you are.”
I couldn’t keep the “yeah-right” expression off my face. He probably had a harem of sobbing girls stuffed in a cabin in the woods.
“Do you think I enjoy this?” His brown eyes flicked silver. He balled his fists, his frame quaking with anger. I shrunk back a little. Was he going to change into a wolf like the legends claimed?
Instinct cautioned me to lower my head, but I glared defiantly into his color-shifting eyes while my insides trembled. I would not be the newest addition to his collection.
“What can I think? You’re stealing my life away,” I crossed my arms defiantly for emphasis, tucking my shaking hands against my sides, “and I refuse to go!”
He jerked sharply. For a moment, his eyes were cast upward, letting the gentle beams of moonlight fall on his hairy face. His chest fell in even intervals, as if he was calming himself. Then he stared at me again. His eyes returned to their caramel color.
Suddenly, I felt a power emanating from him, causing my stomach to flop under its intensity. His eyes bored into mine, trying to tear away the layers of my soul. Then a flash of silver shot through them again, and the wolf image entered my head, different from the first time. The air of indifference was gone. His ears were pointed forward and his eyes were focused on me with attention. Surely this change wasn’t good. Something about the wolf’s eerie eyes sent my skin crawling.
Mercifully, the vision faded, and a slow smile played on the man’s lips, showing an unnerving display of canine-looking teeth. “And what do you suggest we do? Sleep in the park?”
Honestly, I didn’t know. Deep down, I figured he wouldn’t give me a choice in the end. Was there a way I could keep my family and hide this stranger until I figured out a way to reverse whatever had happened?
“I…um…” I stuttered. His eyes danced with amusement and triumph. Frustrated with my lack of choices, I spoke the only solution I could live with. “You’ll just have to come home with me.”
He arched his bushy right eyebrow, and I swallowed hard. What was I thinking? How could I be sure he wouldn’t kill us all in our sleep? There were no guarantees, but if I didn’t at least try, wasn’t Aunt Lily dead anyway? Whatever the future held, I knew I couldn’t leave the girls motherless. It was a weak argument with too many probabilities, but I was afraid no matter what choice I made everyone I loved would suffer. So I prayed this monster had enough humanity left to leave my family alone until I found a better solution. What other choice was left?
“You said we only have to stay together. That doesn’t translate into staying at your house.” I met his eyes, and my fingernails bit into my upper arm to keep focused.
“You’re going to take me home? Introduce me to the family?” He chuckled as if the very idea was ludicrous. It sounded more like a repetitive, guttural hiccup than a laugh.
I cringed from the sound.
“I can see you explaining how a werewolf will now be sleeping in the house.”
I continued to stare at him, waiting for some indication of what he’d do next. He held my eyes.
Exhaling sharply, he said, “I can’t believe I’m even considering this.”
My heart fluttered with hope. Maybe things would work out. I opened the passenger side door and in a small voice said, “Let’s go.”
He shook his head. “Well, this will be interesting,” he mumbled and slipped into the seat.
I shut the door, stunned he actually got in. Why was he playing along? The question filled my body with dread. Did he have some ulterior motive? But that didn’t add up, either. If he wanted to hurt me he could have just knocked me out and done whatever he wanted, but he didn’t.
When I reached the driver’s side, my door was already slightly ajar, and a hairy smile greeted me when I hopped in. I ignored it, making him grin further. I scowled at the steering wheel, having had more than my fill o
f masculine stupidity for the day.
We drove in silence, my mind racing. I had to be crazy to take a mythical creature home with me. In my peripheral vision, the stranger stared out the window, not uttering a word. The moonlight bathed him in an ethereal glow that turned my mind to putty, as if Grandma had woven one of her story telling spells over me, but this wasn’t just a campfire tale, and that is what scared me. Yet, he looked so peaceful as he gazed out at the dimly-lit streets.
I pulled in front of my house and shut off the van. The stranger didn’t move or even acknowledge we had stopped. Seeing the house, my heart seized in panic. How could I put my family in danger? Maybe his house wasn’t too far away, and I could still go to school?
As soon as I thought it, my mind was filled with the image of a room lined in steel bars and sunken-eyed girls crying in despair.
I shuddered.
I averted my thoughts to how I was going to make this situation work—if only for tonight. I wanted to get his attention without startling him into violence. Disheveled, I swiftly went through my options: “Hey, you!” or banging on the steering wheel or whistling.
Finally, I bluntly asked, “What’s your name?” I couldn’t very well be attached to this creature without a name.
Still gazing out the window, his rough voice vibrated through the van. “Beast.”
I snorted, “Seriously? You couldn’t think of something better?” I bit my tongue, horrified I’d said it out loud. Pissing off a werewolf wasn’t on my bucket list.
Stony eyes snapped to mine, and he growled low. “No.”
His deep tone sent chills through me, as if his voice alone could compel me to comply. It wasn’t just his voice, but the power behind it, that stopped me from pushing for a real name.
Clearing my throat, I shifted mental gears: how was I going to hide him from my family but keep him close enough not to cause pain?
Timidly, I asked, “What do you do on nights you’re away from your house?”
He turned suspicious eyes on me but didn’t open his mouth.
I fidgeted. “We have a large backyard and—”
“I’m not sleeping outside, Tayla.” His voice was normal again, but still strong and unrelenting.
We sat there in silence for what seemed like minutes as I struggled to figure out where to put him. We didn’t have a spare room, and our living room already served as Sarah’s bedroom. I ran my hand across the bumpy steering wheel, releasing a small, frustrated sigh.
“Come home with me.” A slight plea entered his voice, all his previous bravado worn away.
I chewed my lip.
“No.” My tone was bleak as I finally settled on where he’d have to sleep.
He could lose his temper at any moment and kill me. Or maybe this was another sick game to see how much I would trust him, before he attacked. None of these thoughts helped my growing apprehension to let him sleep in the same room with me, but there was no way I was going to his house in who-knows-where. I’d probably never come back.
“I guess we’ll have to share my room.” I didn’t try to hide the dismay in my voice.
“Never has a girl invited me into her room overnight.” He baited me, a twinkle in his eyes completing his genteel act.
“I don’t have a choice,” I snapped, falling for his taunt. “You refuse to sleep outside, and I can’t have you lounging on the couch with my cousin. So my room’s the only option.” I cringed as I said the words.
His lips twitched, resisting a smile. “There’s always a choice.”
I took a deep breath, reining in my spiraling emotions. “Fine, I chose not to go to your house and by default this is the only other option. Just don’t try anything.” I let my threat dangle in the air.
Humor played at the corner of his lips. He was obviously enjoying my frazzled rambling, as his voice took on the tone of a proper southern man, one that hadn’t had a drink of water in days. “No need to worry ma’am. I may be a wolf, but Mama raised a gentleman.”
Catching me off guard with his sudden humor, I suppressed a laugh, but my lips twitched. How could I be laughing at a time like this!
“It’s not gonna work, so save it.” I tried to recover by sounding severe, but didn’t manage it. His smile widened. “Just wait for my signal before coming in through my window.” I pointed to the northern most window of the small house. Not waiting for a reply, I jumped out of the van. I had to be insane. This was crazy!
Entering the house, I knew one thing. I wasn’t going to let this magical bond, or whatever it was, ruin my life. I didn’t know Beast’s plans for my future, but I was determined to make this arrangement work. Yet, it pissed me off that Beast found my predicament entertaining. If he had nothing better to do than hunt unsuspecting girls, he could suffer right along with me. I admit his daunting strength had me nervous. It was nerve-wracking to feel so out of control, afraid that Beast would force me to do anything he wanted. For now he was humoring me. How long that would last I didn’t know.
CHAPTER 14—A Chuckling Werewolf
The house was dark as I treaded softly through the living room. A shaft of dim light stretched through the darkened room from the far archway of the kitchen. Sarah won’t admit that she is afraid of the dark, but the minute glow from the microwave nightlight said otherwise. It was a little early for my cousins to be in bed, wasn’t it? And where was Kathleen?
Spying the clock on the wall, I barely had enough light to decipher the time: 9:00 pm! Shocked that the conversation in the park had taken hours, not minutes, left me slightly disoriented. How was that possible?
Shakily, I took another step toward the TV in the living room, sure I’d find Kathleen sound asleep in the reclining chair. Instead, I kicked an errant backpack full of cursed books. Pain shot through my abused big toe, and I gasped.
“Tay, is that you?” Sarah’s sleepy voice called from behind the oriental bamboo dividers that served as two walls for her makeshift room.
I spun around with a startled scream, and then berated myself for being so jumpy. “Hey, Sarah. Sorry I woke you up.”
She yawned deeply, and I smiled. I didn’t have to see her to know that her fingers were tangled in her long red hair as she slept on the hide-a-bed couch. It was something she’d done off and on since she was a toddler, but it became a comfort behavior after her father died. For a moment, my heart ached to relive those happy memories before the accident.
“You didn’t. Mom came home a few minutes ago.”
“Oh.” That would explain why Kathleen wasn’t here. It must have been a slow night for the hospital if they let her go this early. “Goodnight, Sarah.”
“Night,” came her sleepy reply.
My bedroom door squeaked unusually loud as I opened it, or was it my guilty conscience? Man, I hated keeping secrets from my family. I felt like I was painted scarlet. Aunt Lily trusted me, and now I was breaking that trust to let an annoying, girl-stealing werewolf into my room. If I was going to break house rules, I wanted it to be for something or someone I actually wanted!
“Snap out of it,” I hissed. I knew I didn’t have a choice. Whatever bound me to this creature was something I couldn’t control. If I was caught, Aunt Lily would understand, wouldn’t she?
I doubted the answer was as easy as a yes or no. I’d just have to come up with a good explanation by morning. But it would be better for everyone if Aunt Lily never found out about the werewolf. Besides, I didn’t plan on staying with him any longer than forced to. I would find a way to break the creepy bond. This arrangement was only temporary; at least, that’s what I kept telling myself.
My hand froze on the windowsill. All I had to do was lift the pane and pop out the screen. What was usually an easy task felt like lifting a boulder. Once I opened the window, there was no going back. I gripped the wooden frame, channeling all my fear into it. My white knuckles ached. What if I was wrong about Beast? Was I letting in a killer? Nausea assaulted my gut. A vision of Beast’s sad honey eyes relaxe
d my grip on the window frame, and I prayed that the glimpses of humanity weren’t a lie.
Clenching my teeth, I flipped the metal lock and shoved the wooden frame up, meeting my decision head-on. The cool night air blew into my anxious face, sending a shiver down my spine. Sliding a shaky hand over the scratchy screen, I found the aluminum frame and pushed.
It popped out effortlessly, and I waved for Beast to come. The van door didn’t open. Squinting, I leaned out the window, trying to see him, but the moon’s reflection on the van window’s obscured my view. Did he decide he’d sleep in the van? I didn’t dare hope.
The house was one story, but my window was high enough to make climbing difficult. I contemplated grabbing my folding chair from my desk, when suddenly, Beast’s hairy face popped in front of mine. I jumped back, biting off a scream and ramming my shoulder against the dresser next to the window. The resulting bang froze me in place as pain raced up my arm. I prayed Aunt Lily already had her earplugs in for the night.
Beast stood under the window, his face as relaxed and unworried as the night air. I glared at him. “Don’t scare me like that again,” I hissed. “No one can know you’re here.”
He shrugged, as if it didn’t matter one way or the other. It might have been his plan all along to get caught so I’d leave with him if my aunt called the police. But he was in for a surprise. He’d find out just how stubborn I could be.
After a few minutes of silence, I managed to breathe again, assured that Aunt Lily hadn’t heard. He lithely swung into my room. My eyes widened, amazed at his agility and the soundless landing he absorbed with his legs. Beast stood confidently and looked around.
Nervousness wrestled in my chest as he stared at my life, told through the knickknacks displayed on various surfaces: a picture of Uncle Stan and Aunt Lily hugging a toddler in a lavender leotard after my first dance recital, a lopsided, orange pencil holder that was my first and last attempt at pottery, a small canvas of wild paint strokes reminding me of the first time Grandma Jonas put a paintbrush in my hand, my bronze chess tournament plaque I won last year, and a whole shelf full of my favorite books. My room was like a 3-D scrapbook of my entire life, a life I was proud of and would fight to keep.
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