She felt like she was pulling the petals off a flower, but instead of wondering if some beau loved her, she was worried about her mental stability. I’m crazy, I’m not crazy, I’m crazy.
“What do you think? Want to take a walk in the woods with me? The moon will still be almost full so there should be plenty of light.” Talking to him like he’s human definitely pulled an ‘I’m crazy’ petal.
She watched in muted disbelief when he sauntered to the door and sat, looking at her. Well, he understood some of what I said, didn’t he? A grin rested on her lips and she shook her head. Before they could go for that walk she needed to finish cleaning up the dishes and place the leftovers in the fridge. The entire time she spent in the kitchen her wolfie friend sat, watching, from near the door
The walk in the forest was wonderfully soothing. She loved the night, and having Titan along made her feel that much safer. He stuck close to her, brushing his coarse fur against her hand or leg every so often. She found it odd that he didn’t go chasing nocturnal critters, or stalk off into the dark for a little ‘alone time’, but she was grateful that he stayed so close to her.
Ron’s visit to her home had shaken her belief that she was safe there. Being alone in the woods would have terrified her without her new friend. She rambled on about everything and nothing, talking more to hear her voice than to say anything specific. She talked about her father, which brought tears to her eyes. She railed about Ron and his ass-like behavior. She cried tears of self-disgust because she’d been too weak to walk away sooner from an abusive man.
She noticed that when she became emotional her furry friend touched her more often. She wanted to believe he was lending her his support. When she cried, he whimpered. The anger that she spewed about Ron drew growls from him. The walk, and the pouring out of her thoughts, loosened the aching knot in her chest. She breathed deep and felt as if a huge weight was finally off her shoulders. Sure, no one really had listened, but just voicing her fears and pain had helped.
Her calm was shattered when they neared her home and Titan took off, snarling deep in his chest. He ran, ears pinned to his skull, towards the house. Fear jumped in her throat. Would Ron have come back so soon? Once again she lamented not having her rifle. Slowly she approached her home, trying to see in the windows.
“Cammie, it’s just me.” The voice traveled to her on the night breeze and she let out a deep sigh. Margie. The sight of her friend standing stock-still against her car, with a pissed off wolf glaring at her brought Cam to a standstill.
“Titan. Back down. She’s my friend and I’m assuming she’s here to check on you.” The fact that he did as bidden as soon as she spoke should have surprised her, but she was beyond being surprised by his behavior. Just another item to add to the growing list. She walked the last few feet and ran her hands through his fur, smoothing down the hairs that still stood up along his shoulders. “Hey, Margie,” she said, finally looking up at her friend. She knew what the other woman would see, and wasn’t looking forward to the speech.
“Holy shit, Cam. He hit you again, didn’t he? Did he come here or were you stupid enough to go see him?” Margie’s actions spoke of her fear and compassion more than her words did. Her hand slowly rose to trace the newest bruises on Cam’s face. “Oh, hon. Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m okay. He came this morning and attacked me. Titan saved me. I’ve already talked to Connor, so don’t go threatening me with calling him. I’m done, Marg. Done. Ron was going to really hurt me today.” A sob hitched in her throat and she turned away so Margie couldn’t see the tears.
“Oh, hon. I’m so sorry. Come on, we can go in the house so I can check up on Titan here, and then we can have a cup of tea or something.” They walked to the house arm-in-arm, stopping at the steps. Cammie turned to call Titan in but he was only a step behind them. She smiled. If he wasn’t so strange he would make the perfect pet.
“So, how is your boy doing?” Margie’s question pulled her from her thoughts.
“Oh, he’s doing great. We went to town today, had lunch at Mama’s Place and bought some groceries.”
“You’ve taken him all those places with you? Geez, Cam. What if he’d attacked someone? You still don’t know if he really is someone’s pet.”
“No, he’s a good boy. Yes, he growls a lot, but honestly he is extremely smart. He understands a lot of stuff when you speak to him.” The look on her friend’s face was disconcerting.
“Like what?”
“I don’t know, stuff. Like just now when I told him to back down. He even brought me my phone this morning after Ron left so I could call Connor.”
“Cammie. I want you to come with me right now. I need to talk to you.” Margie grabbed her hand, not waiting for Cam’s acceptance, and dragged her into the house and up the stairs to her bedroom.
The frantic look on Margie’s face was enough to give Cam a spike of fear. “What the hell is going on?”
“Close the door and follow me into the bathroom. I don’t want him to be able to hear us.”
Cammie closed the bedroom door and walked into the bathroom, glancing at the running water in the sink. She quirked her brow and waited. Her friend was definitely adding to the mystery and she’d had enough. She opened her mouth to demand what the hell was going on but Margie started talking first.
“If I told you that I think something strange is going on in this town would you believe me?”
“Sure. Maybe.”
“You know I’m not prone to hysteria, right?”
“Okay, you’re starting to scare me. Just spit it out.”
“I think there are animals in town that aren’t just animals. Bears, coyotes, cougars… wolves. I think they are so much more.”
“You’re still being cryptic. Are you talking genetically engineered? Space aliens? Shifters? Christ, Margie, you’ve been watching the SyFy channel way too much lately.” She waited for her friend to giggle, grin, grimace, something. When nothing changed and she still stared expectantly at Cammie, a trickle of fear ran down her spine. “Seriously? You think they’re shifters?”
“I don’t know what to think, but something is definitely off here.”
Silence hung between them, filled the space with too many thoughts that neither wanted to speak. Cammie thought about the day, focusing on the weird behavior of Zeke and a few of the other men that she’d seen. The way Titan growled at so many men yet didn’t seem to be overly aggressive. The way Mama Hannah had served him on a plate and talked to him like he’d understand her. Titan carrying her phone in his mouth after she said something about calling the cops flittered through her mind. His behavior while on the walk bubbled up as well. “Holy shit, Margie. What are we going to do? I have a wolf living with me that is definitely more. Should I make him leave? Do you think he is dangerous?”
“I don’t know. Has he done anything that makes you afraid of him? I mean, if he’s been aggressive or something then I can come up with some way to get him out of here for you.”
“No. He’s actually been super sweet and great to have around. Do you think we could test him somehow? See if we can’t figure out if there is something going on?” She watched her friend mull over the idea. An image of her dream man skated through her mind. Ian. Holy shit. “I think I know his name. If we are discussing hypothetical stuff I think Titan is named Ian when he is a man. I’ve been dreaming about this guy. Last night he came to me as a wolf, and today during my nap I’d swear he told me he was a shifter or something like that. The dream is blurry, but that rings a bell.”
They both whipped their heads toward the bedroom when a scratching sound interrupted the steady gurgling of water. She looked at Margie and could see fear in her eyes, sure that the same emotion was lurking in her own gaze. He was trying to get into her room.
“Okay. Let’s assume that there might be something different with him, but that he is safe to be around. He hasn’t hurt you and from the sounds he’s done a lot to protect you. Let’s
see if we can’t tease out some responses from him. Follow my lead.”
Cammie watched her friend swallow hard and turn the water off. They walked into the bedroom and the scratching was louder. She was going to be pissed if he ruined her door. Margie opened the door and a large, furry, furious wolf came pushing into the room. He looked larger than she’d ever seen him, all puffed up and his hackles stiff. No wonder everyone seemed to back away from him when he growled at them. He was scary right then.
“Titan. Calm down.”
His snarl deepened, showing more sharp teeth, and the sound that rumbled in his chest was as close to death as she wanted to get. A quick glance at the other woman showed that they both felt the same way, scared shitless. A deep breath didn’t do much to calm her nerves, but she had to do something. Staring into the enraged amber eyes of a fully grown wolf wasn’t something she wanted to do again for a while. Slowly she knelt, looking down at the floor. She’d read enough shifter romance novels and watched enough documentaries to know that wolves lived by a code of dominance. If her submissive behavior would get him to calm down then she’d do what was needed.
“Titan. Calm down.” She’d whispered, unable to get more voice behind her words. She couldn’t see him. If he decided to attack her she’d have little to no time to react. She jerked when warm fur brushed against her arm. Her eyes flew up and she found herself eye to eye with her wolf. He’d moved silently across the floor and was standing mere inches from her. His eyes were beautiful. She slowly reached out to brush her hand down his shoulder. That seemed to calm him more than her words. She stroked him again, loving the feel of his coat between her fingers.
“You need to stop growling at everyone. Scaring us is not the way to make friends, big boy.” The wet tongue came out of nowhere, swiping along her jaw and curling over her cheek. “Eew, stop that. No licking.”
Margie clearing her throat reminded Cammie of what they’d just been discussing. She stood and backed away from the animal, eyeing him critically for some sign that he wasn’t just a really smart wolf. “Cam, seeing I haven’t heard from anyone yet about him, do you think you’d keep him?”
Play along with her, that’s what Margie had said. “Um. I do like having a dog around. He saved me from Ron, and it’s nice having another being in the house. I don’t feel so lonely that way, so, yeah. I probably will keep him.”
Cammie raised her eyebrow quickly in question at her friend. She wanted to know where this was going. It would have been nice to plan their attack, but she knew if anyone could tease information out of a sort-of-animal it would be the vet standing in front of her.
Margie nodded sagely and gave a quick wink. “Well, you might want to get him tagged, you know, with one of the tracking devices, and get him f-i-x-e-d.”
Chapter Fifteen
The growl was immediate. He couldn’t stop the deep bass grumble from rolling in his chest before the sound erupted from his throat. No one was neutering him, no matter how much he liked the female. The look of surprise and comprehension that moved across Cammie’s face told him everything he needed to know. She’d guessed what he was, or had at least come to the conclusion that he wasn’t a normal wolf, and they’d just tested their theory. Fuck.
He watched her ease toward the door and caught a whiff of their fear. Great. Fantastic. Fucking hell. He wasn’t going to shift in front of her, that would be just too much, and until he knew for sure that he could make it completely to his human form he wasn’t going to chance freaking her out more. He stopped in his tracks and lay on the floor, tucking his nose under his paws. He wanted to get her to see him as the animal she trusted long enough to get her to believe he wouldn’t hurt her. What a clusterfuck. He’d so hoped to get out of her house and woo her a little before she figured out what he was, and that she’d harbored a man in wolf’s clothing for a few days.
A whine quietly snuck from him. He’d hoped for so much with Cammie. Until that moment he’d only consciously thought of dating her for a while, but his wolf knew better. She could be his mate. She was funny, smart, caring, beautiful.
“Cammie, come on. We need to get out of this room.” Margie’s whisper was loud enough that he caught every word.
He looked up, finding Cammie standing in the doorway watching him with a strange look on her face. He begged with his eyes, trying to convey the only way he could that he wasn’t going to hurt her. He even pulled out the tail-wag gig that puppies used. If another shifter caught wind that he’d wagged his fucking tail he’d have to hurt someone. He knew if she walked away she might not understand or forgive him, so any advantage he had, he was using.
A low whimper escaped his lips and a surge of triumph made him giddy. She stepped back into the room. It was only one tiny movement, more of a shuffle, but it was enough to know that she wasn’t too afraid.
“Cammie. Come on.”
“I can’t, Marg. I need to know.” Ian watched Cammie take one more step into her bedroom and turn determined eyes to her friend. “He’s saved me from Ron, he’s listened to me ramble on and on about everything, he’s offered me sympathy. I can’t just run because I don’t understand. He’s brave enough to lie there and wait for my decision, right? I should be brave enough to at least figure things out. I’m done running from my fears. Done, Margie. Fear is what drove me to Ron, what kept me with him, and look where that got me.”
Something passed between the women before they nodded and turned fear-pinched gazes on him. If he wasn’t frozen in place before, those eyes would have iced his veins. He’d never wanted to wipe an emotion from someone’s face so badly before. The amount of bravery needed by those two women to walk into that bedroom shook him to the core. Females of worth for sure with these women.
Margie snorted. “Fine. But, if things get weird I’m outta here.”
“Come on. We’ll go downstairs. I think I need a beer.” Cammie’s voice was soft but steel-edged resolution colored the words. She turned and looked at him expectantly. “You need to come downstairs, too. No point in hiding from us if we aren’t hiding from you.”
Yep, female of worth. He snorted after she left the room. And he’d been worried about her freaking out and fainting. Now he was scared in case she decided to pull her rifle out. Why the knowledge that she was stronger than she looked made him like her more confused him, but he didn’t have time to think about it. He needed to troop his ass downstairs and commence a strange conversation with two human women.
* * * * *
Cammie shook inside. That was the only way she could describe the feeling. Her guts felt like they were vibrating at a pace just slightly faster than her washer’s spin-cycle. How she made it down the stairs without face planting or doing a tumble amazed her. Arms and legs of Jell-O weren’t conducive to maneuvering stairs safely.
Titan wasn’t just a wolf. The statement answered some questions, but brought up so many more. Did she really have a shifter, a werewolf, in her house? Christ. Maybe the whole thing was a dream. That would make more sense than her life taking this turn into crazy town. The internal conversation she refused to start was the one about her dreams.
If Ian was Titan then—
She sighed. Not going there. She couldn’t handle those thoughts until she knew for sure she wasn’t going nuts, and that the wolf living in her house was some sort of supernatural being.
“Sit down before you pass out.” Margie’s comment snapped Cammie out of her thoughts.
“What?”
“Sit down. You’re white as a ghost and I don’t want another bruise to mar that face.”
Listening to the instructions led Cammie into the living room, where she collapsed onto the couch. She sat for a few moments with her head in her hands, resting her elbows on her knees. Titan wasn’t just a wolf. The click of sharp nails on the floor brought her head up. She found Titan slowly entering the room, or should she start calling him Ian? Either way, the man-in-wolf skin slunk into the living room. If he’d been a dog she would have exp
ected his tail to be tucked between his legs. His posture screamed submissive. Was he trying to make it easier on her? Perhaps. She studied the animal for a few moments, taking in the intelligent amber eyes, the absolute stillness in the way he sat, waiting.
“You aren’t just a wolf?” She meant it to be a statement but it still came out a question. A cold sweat broke out when he shook his head. Christ, he really wasn’t a wolf.
The room dimmed and she knew she was moments from passing out. Breathe, nice and slow. You can handle this.
“I knew it.” Margie’s excitement bubbled out in a laugh. “I’ve been trying to find out for over a year. I knew there were shifters around here. Can you shift into anything other than a wolf? Are you completely cognizant of your surroundings while in animal form? How fast do you heal? Can you—”
“Stop. Margie, stop. He can’t answer your rapid-fire. Yes or no questions. And, seeing we’re in my house and he’s been sleeping in my bed for the last two days, I think I get to ask the questions first.” She clenched her hands to still their shaking and asked the question most important to her. “You’re Ian, right?”
* * * * *
Shit, she went right for the balls. He nodded.
“You were in my dreams. All that stuff that we talked about, and did… it was all real? Well, sort of, but you know what I mean.”
Nod.
“Yes, it was you, or yes it was real? Wait, don’t nod again. I’ll ask them right. Were you in my dreams?”
Nod.
“So, the walk, the kiss… you were there?”
Nod. He saw the breakdown coming but, like a car accident, even slow motion wasn’t going to stop it. Her eyes widened for a fraction of a second and we waited for screaming, or tears. He didn’t expect the couch cushion that sailed across the room. He moved, but it still hit him in the side.
“You ass. Sleeping in my bed, next to me… Oh, God, you saw me naked?” She stood and started pacing. “I talked to you, and petted you. Fucking crap.”
Accidentally Yours (Coyote Bluff Series Book 1) Page 11