“What is it?” Ki asked, even though she could see it fine. “How can it…?”
“I have no idea,” Jake said. “And it’s still coming closer. What the hell?”
It stopped at just past ten yards from the porch and grinned at them. Then, not in a blink of an eye, but in a twist of flesh, bone, and sinew and with a creaking that seemed to come from the ground itself, the wolf began to change into a man. A man more completely unashamed of his body than any of the shapeshifters, some of whom had to adjust to living in a place where they were allowed to indulge in their pure human skin. He stood naked in the yellow light from the porch, touched in his shadows by silver from the moon. He was short for a man, maybe five feet and eight inches, but he was built in such a way that his presence was greater than his height. His dark hair was thick, with enough length to show a slight wave. His facial hair was neatly trimmed around his mouth and up the lines of his jaw, which was neither prominent nor weak but structured, like the rest of him. He was strong, compactly proportioned. In spite of the chill of the evening, he did not seem to be cold, with the exception of the tightness of his nipples along the ridges of his chest.
He gave his onlookers a smirk and said, “So, does a place like this have an opening for a guy like me?”
Chapter Two
They were all in the shapeshifters’ barn. Malcolm had woken Leslie up so he could join them. But Britt wouldn’t let Renee get near the man. He was sitting on the edge of a cot in a pair of jeans and a dark red, worn dress shirt that was about one size too big. They were his own clothes—he had brought a bag with him. From the wear marks on the sides, he’d held it in his teeth. Before the shapeshifters had ushered him into the shifters’ barn, he had retrieved it from the edge of the road where he had left it to meet them and put on the clothes while they watched. Renee didn’t think he’d put on clothes for the modesty, but perhaps to make himself appear less threatening. If that was the case, he’d failed miserably. He never seemed to stop grinning—even if it was just a slight curve of his mouth or a crease of skin near his eyes.
Jake sat opposite him on another cot, and the other shapeshifters stood awkwardly along the edge of the room. Jake’s gun was still trained on the man.
“Judge, jury, and all we’re missing is the executioner,” the man said. “Unless you’d be that black-hooded man, my friend.”
“More like prosecuting attorney, really,” Jake replied. He tried to relax his frame, but he could not seem to shake the tension out of his shoulders. The other man, however, lounged in his seat.
“Then where’s my defence lawyer?” the man asked.
“This isn’t a fair trial.”
The man laughed a little. “Look, if you all don’t want me here, you can just tell me,” he said.
“Tell you the truth, I don’t want you here. But it’s not up to me to decide,” Jake said.
“No,” the man murmured. “It’s hers, isn’t it?” He looked over at Renee, before Britt pushed Renee behind her.
“Hey!” Renee tried to move to the side again, but Britt stood in her way. “Brittany, what’s going on?”
“She’s just trying to protect you, love,” the man said, “from big, bad me.”
“Protect me from what?” Renee asked.
“Look, Renee, trust me,” Britt said. “I’m just trying to—”
“Protect me from what?” Renee grabbed Britt’s arm and whirled her around. “What are you trying to protect me from? So he shapeshifts into a wolf. What about it?”
“Oh no, honey, that’s not how it works,” Britt said. She led Renee to a cot and sat her down. Renee felt more than a little patronised, and she did not like it.
“Look,” Britt said, sitting down next to her and looking her straight in the eye, too intently for Renee’s comfort. “Canine shapeshifters aren’t the only breed out there. I’m sure you’ve figured that out by now. Other shapeshifters turn into bears, ferrets, raccoons, house flies, sparrows, warthogs, just about everything out there. Even wolves. But that—” She pointed at the man. “That is not just a wolf shapeshifter. If he was, he would look like every other wolf around, and maybe a few that have recently gone extinct. But he doesn’t, and he’s not. That’s not a wolf shapeshifter. That’s a werewolf.”
“What difference does it make?” Renee asked.
“Long story short—werewolves are bad news. Shapeshifters are born, werewolves are made. And how are they made? By other werewolves attacking and biting people. They’re the shapeshifting equivalent of a plague. They’re evil, and you don’t want one here.”
“Now wait just a damn second, bitch,” the man said. “No need to hang me for crimes I haven’t even committed yet.”
“He was probably the one doing all those animal killings,” Jake said. “Either that, or we’ve got another rabid wolf on our hands.”
“Hey, if you prick me, do I not bleed?” the man said, holding a hand to his heart as if wounded.
“I don’t know yet, but if you’d like, I’ll go fetch an axe and see,” Jake said.
“Okay, okay, I get it. I’m unwelcome by the overprotective sheriffs in town. But you said it yourself. You two aren’t the ones I have to impress. None of you are. The only person who can give me the okay to live here is the woman whose picture is on the website, and that would be you, love.” He stood up and looked down at Renee, even from a few yards away from her.
Jake grasped his arm hard. “Don’t call her your love,” he said, through gritted teeth. “You don’t even know her. And I swear, if you—”
Jake was taller than he was, but the man was not threatened by Jake’s ability to lean over him. “Think she can’t decide for herself? Do you trust her judgement so little?”
“Don’t do that,” Jake said, his voice soft at first. Then he shouted, “Don’t you dare do that! Don’t turn this back on me! She doesn’t know what you are!”
“Because you won’t let him talk,” Renee said quietly, standing up from her place on the cot. She crossed her arms.
“Renee, don’t…” Britt whispered, but Renee shook her off.
“I appreciate all your input on this,” Renee said. “But I would at least like to know what he has to say before I throw him out. Does that sound like too radical a suggestion? We don’t even know this man, and you’re condemning him just for what he is. Don’t you know that’s what people might have done to you a hundred years ago? Hell, fifty years ago? Thirty years ago? Ten years ago? Isn’t that why you came here in the first place, Britt? There are still people who would look at you if you changed in front of them, and they’d think ‘witch’ or something like that. Now, everybody sit down. Because I want to hear this.”
It might have been the longest speech Renee had ever made.
“Thank you,” the man said.
“Start talking,” Renee snapped.
“Your friends are right,” the man said. “I’m a werewolf, not some little shapeshifter. I pack more power in my punch. But that doesn’t mean I’m a bad guy. Name’s Grant Heath. I’m from here and there. I was last a bank accountant in Missouri, and that was after I got bit. I can be respectable, mild-mannered, whatever you like, love. But to be honest, I left the job because it just wasn’t me anymore. I wanted to let the wolf out to play. And isn’t that what you all wanted from this place? Somewhere you could cut loose, be yourself more than in any of those tidy, domestic places? So why am I so different?”
“Because you’re dangerous. Not as a man, maybe, but as a werewolf,” Britt said. “Why should we trust you?”
Grant took a second look at Britt, taking his time a little more and clearly enjoying the view before returning his attention to Renee. “I didn’t attack you, did I? I guess all you have is my word.”
“You haven’t earned the trust of your word yet,” Britt snarled.
“And you’re going to need time for that trust to grow,” Grant said. “Which I can’t have if you just throw me out without letting me prove myself.”
“Well, at least you’ll know,” Grant said mildly. He looked back to Renee. “And I promise not to turn anyone who doesn’t want to be turned.”
Renee found herself shivering at the intensity in his gaze. It sounded stupid and a little cliché, but it was true. Everything about him was like a bundle of copper wires vibrating with electricity. He was a little dangerous. Maybe a lot dangerous. Renee could sense it. But she did not think that she could just throw him out when she didn’t even like some of the shapeshifters who came in, even though they were harmless. She couldn’t throw people out on instinct or because of hunches or prejudice. She had to throw them out based on evidence. Evidence that she did not have against him. And underneath all her logic…she was just not sure whether he would leave, even if she told him to.
“Well? Do I pass inspection?” Grant asked.
“This is a dog and dog shapeshifter sanctuary,” Renee finally said. She’d thought her voice was going to shake, but it didn’t. “But I’ll consider letting you stay. You get a week’s trial run. Carefully watched. I reserve the right to throw you out at any time.”
Grant flashed a toothy smile. “You can watch me all you like, love. I promise you won’t be disappointed.”
“Hey,” Jake said, resigned to Renee’s decision but not at all happy with the way that Grant was looking at her. “You treat her with respect. She’s the one letting you stay.”
As Grant whipped around to face him, Renee knew that the animosity between them had not lessened a bit just because of her permission.
“I’ll keep that in mind, Junior,” Grant murmured, his jaw tight. Then he relaxed back and put his thumbs in the belt loops of his jeans. “So where do I sleep?”
“In here,” Renee said. “With the rest of the shapeshifters. Choose a cot.”
“Not in that nice, comfy house up there? Or one of the beds?” Grant asked, leaning back until he was lying on the cot.
“That’s a privilege that comes from time and hard work,” Renee said. “Or if you’d be more comfortable slipping into your werewolf skin, you’ve got the whole woods. I don’t recommend the dog barn.”
“In fact, if you go in there, I hope I can consider that a threat to this facility,” Jake said. He checked with Renee, who nodded.
“No problem on that front,” Grant said. “I know wolves and dogs don’t really mix. No need to cause unnecessary animosity. Don’t you agree, Junior?”
“Stop calling me that. Are you even older than me?” Jake said.
“Much older, Junior,” Grant answered. “Age works differently when you’re turned.”
Renee’s brow furrowed in curiosity. “How old?”
“Closing in on fifty,” Grant said. “I’ve kind of lost track.”
“Fifty?” Ki said, her appraising double-take incredulous. “You’re shitting me.”
Grant shrugged. “It’s part of whatever voodoo that changed me more than just the moon can account for.”
“Speaking of moon, do you change—?” Renee began.
Grant responded before she could finish her question. “I have to change when the moon is full and above the horizon, but as long as I’m not under direct midday sunlight, I can transform into the werewolf at just about any time. They’re night creatures. We’re night creatures. But sunlight won’t kill us or turn us into dust or anything.”
“All the old werewolf stuff applies, though,” Britt said. “A silver bullet can kill them, decapitation, explosives, wolfsbane, that kind of thing.”
“Hey now, bitch, no need to give away all the family secrets,” Grant said brightly.
“Call me a bitch again—”
“It’s what you are,” Grant interrupted. “No need to get defensive about it. No insult was intended, I assure you.”
“Well,” Britt said, less defensive this time, although Renee thought she still had the right to be, because Grant obviously had meant to get her riled up. “You know how to kill us, so a little reciprocation probably doesn’t hurt.”
“I suppose not,” Grant said.
“How to kill you?” Renee said. “There’s a special way?”
“No,” Britt explained. “That’s the point.”
“Oh.”
“Shapeshifters have always been this way. They don’t trust weres,” Grant said, directing his accusation conspiratorially to Renee.
“As though there’s nothing inherently wrong with something that was born and bred to prefer the blood and flesh of humans and to propagate itself through vicious attacks,” Jake muttered.
“You have heard of mosquitoes, right, Junior?” Grant said.
“Look,” Renee said, interrupting the back and forth—or rather, the around and around. “It’s about two in the morning, and I think we should all get back in our beds.” She nodded at the early birds in her group. “Just shut down for the night. I promised a week-long trial, and that’s what I am going to give him. Starting now. Anyone who isn’t okay with it is free to sleep in the walk-in freezer. Understood?”
Grant’s eyebrow arched in approval, but he did not push his unwelcome luck.
“Fine,” Jake said, lowering his gun at last. “When are you coming to bed?”
That perked Grant’s interest again. Renee felt a compulsion to qualify Jake’s question, but she fought it. There was no reason for her to explain the sleeping arrangements to a perfect stranger like him.
“I’ll come to the room when I’m finished,” Renee said. “I’ve got a few more things to put on the website.”
Jake headed towards the door, but he bent down to whisper in her ear. “I don’t feel you’re safe when you’re all alone in the office.”
“You never seemed to worry about a psychopath coming in to slaughter me before,” Renee said. “Even though we’ve got the perfect horror movie set-up where no one can hear us scream.”
“Yeah, well, we never had an actual psychopath we knew was here,” Jake said.
“That’s just the thing, Jake,” Renee snapped. “We don’t know. You don’t know. And I’m not going to make these kinds of judgements on someone I don’t even know. Sure, he’s something of a bastard, but that’s not the kind of criteria that immediately rules him out. You know that.”
“Listen to the girl, Junior,” Grant said. “She’s making good points.” He pointed to his ears with a grin. “Wolf hearing. Even if you whisper, I’ll probably hear you. Made for good blackmail in a corporate setting.”
“Shut up,” both Renee and Jake said at the same time.
Grant held up his hands in mock surrender, then lay back down on the cot again, propped up by his elbows.
“Extra blankets in the second chest over there,” Renee explained. “If you need any food during the night, check the cabinets or the fridge.”
“I’ll be just fine. I’m hot-blooded,” Grant said.
Once again, there was something about the way he was staring at her. As though he wanted to put his mouth on her and bite down hard for his own pleasure. It could have made her shiver again, but instead she just felt heat under her skin. She knew she was blushing in spite of herself and the cold when Grant flashed one of those quick smiles with his brilliant teeth, before turning his face away.
“Look, I’ll be fine,” Renee whispered at Jake, even though she knew that Grant could probably still hear her. She began to lead them all out of the door. “Isn’t there the whole ‘they can’t come in unless they’re invited’ thing?”
“That’s vampires,” Jake said. “Completely different animal.”
Renee blinked. “Do vampires exist, too?”
Jake shrugged. “I never met any, and they never really talked about them when I was around our shapeshifter community. So they either don’t exist or they aren’t of any consequence to shapeshifters. I couldn’t tell you.”
“They exist,” G
rant called after them.
Jake and Renee stared at each other for a moment before walking the rest of the way to the house, the others following them up.
“We should plant some wolfsbane in the greenhouse,” Britt said. At Renee’s expression, she explained, “No, I’m going to try and reserve my judgement. But just in case. It’s not like we have a silver bullet on hand or anything.”
“Hypothetically, a silver bullet could be made, although it melts at a higher temperature than lead, so it’s harder to keep it liquid long enough for a smooth casting,” Leslie said. “But they’re not very accurate. I wouldn’t depend too much on something like a silver bullet. I know some companies add trace amounts of silver to their lead bullets to harden them, but then there’s no guarantee that silver particulates would make it into a werewolf’s bloodstream to poison them. So they’re popular in fiction, but considerably impractical in reality.”
“How about a silver knife?” Renee asked.
“That is a better suggestion,” Leslie replied, nodding as he contemplated the possibility. “In fact, I think it is a brilliant idea. Well done, Renee. I’ll have to write that down somewhere.”
“What did you do, old man?” Max asked. “Write a werewolf story?”
“Not yet,” Leslie answered, in all seriousness. “But one never knows when the answers that stem from simple curiosity will have a purpose later in one’s career.”
“No, one never knows.” Max hid a grin. The mockery was all in fun and affection. Leslie was just odd enough that the average person might dismiss him, but the core pack knew better than to do so.
“Night, everyone. Again.” After everyone had made it in and headed to their respective rooms, Renee closed and locked the door to the cabin behind her. She was unused to having to lock her door, as out of the way as they all were. It was usually too much work for someone to try and invade their area without a damn good reason.
Winter Howl (Sanctuary) Page 5