by Zoe Chant
“Louis, no!” Joshua scolded him.
Stephanie froze when she looked at him, her mouth open in shock.
Was she a shifter? Had she recognized him as her mate as well?
Louis sat on his haunches next to Joshua, gazing up at her adoringly.
She was so pretty, wearing a black t-shirt with Dr. Werewolf in a dripping, blood-red font, and practical jeans and sneakers. It was hard to tell from his current angle, but she looked to be only a few inches shorter than him. The perfect height for kissing.
“You, um, that’s a dog,” she managed.
Louis tilted his head. If she worked on the movie, surely she knew there’d be a dog on set today for the audition?
And that was when he smelled something terrible. Something sour and sharp underneath the sugary sweetness.
Fear.
His mate was scared of him.
How can she fear us? She should love us! His wolf was both confused and disappointed.
What could he do to put her at ease? Make himself look less threatening? He lay down next to Joshua to look smaller, but she kept her eyes on him as she edged away.
“Well-spotted,” Kat remarked dryly. “We’re doing auditions for Dr. Werewolf, remember?”
Stephanie nodded, her blue eyes still on Louis. “I thought that—that it’d be a guy. That there’d be makeup and a suit.”
Paul frowned. “Didn’t I tell you we were looking for a dog?”
“You said you were thinking about it,” Stephanie replied, “but Kat was looking at costumes.”
“Right, yeah! In case the dog didn’t work out.” Paul nodded at Louis. “But he looks the part.”
Stephanie didn’t look reassured.
“I’m sorry about that.” Joshua sounded genuinely concerned and apologetic. “I don’t know why he did that.”
“I don’t like the sound of that,” Kat said. “We want your dog to pretend-attack our actors, and for that he can’t freak out or lunge at someone.”
Louis rested his head on his crossed paws, hoping to look harmless. What if he’d blown their audition? He had to spend more time around his mate. Right now, all he knew about her was her first name and her glorious scent.
“Maybe it’s the cupcakes?” Paul looked at Joshua. “Does your dog have a sweet tooth?”
“Not really.” Joshua looked down at Louis. “You know what, I think this is all my fault. We usually only come here to go on a long walk through the woods, and he’s probably confused about why we’re not doing that. I’ll take him on a quick walk and then we can run the scenes.”
Paul and Kat looked at each other, and Paul shrugged. “It’ll give us time to go over a few things with Stephanie,” he said. “I’ll see you two in fifteen minutes.”
“No problem! Come on, Louis. Walkies.” Joshua’s voice was cheerful.
Louis got up, watching Stephanie take a step back. He moved to Joshua’s other side, away from Stephanie, and wagged his tail as they walked off. The scent of her fear lingered in the air.
Joshua led him down a trail that led to a clearing. “All right, let me get this thing off you, and then we need to talk.”
Louis wasted no time shifting back once he was out of the harness. “She’s my mate.”
Joshua looked over his shoulder in the direction of the set. “Who? Wait, the makeup artist? Congratulations!”
Louis shook his head at Joshua’s grin. “She’s scared of me. Or dogs in general.”
His friend winced in sympathy. “Okay, so what do you want to do? Because the makeup artist being your mate complicates things. So far I think they’re all buying that you’re a dog.”
His mate definitely seemed to think so. What if he’d made her existing fear worse? He had to make it up to her.
He knew nothing about her apart from her name. If he wanted to get to know her better and show her he wasn’t scary, there was only one thing for it.
“I need to ace these auditions.” He looked at the dog harness, remembering how confining it had been. How he’d have to listen to Joshua and act like a dog. “I want to show her there’s nothing to fear.”
Joshua nodded. “And when filming starts, we can figure out a way to get the two of you alone so you can get to know each other better.”
All while keeping the existence of shifters a secret from everyone else.
“Good idea. Let’s head back.” Before he could see Stephanie again, they had to prove to Paul and Kat they were dependable. And after his attempt to jump up at Stephanie, they couldn’t afford more mistakes. “Show them we’re up for the job.”
He shifted. His wolf still hated the harness and the straps, but it was the only way they could be close to their mate.
By the time they got back, Stephanie had vanished. Kat explained she had a lot to do in the makeup cabin, but Louis knew better. She was hiding from him.
We should go see her! His wolf insisted while they followed Paul and Kat to the other side of the movie set. We should make sure she’s okay!
And Louis desperately wanted that, but the only way he’d get to spend more time with her was if he played the part.
The part of a very well-trained, obedient dog.
2. Stephanie
“Will you be away both Friday and Saturday evening?” Her older sister asked while Stephanie put the cupcakes she’d made in the box.
“Yes, from six thirty until midnight.” She’d been on set in the Elmworth Woods vacation park since noon until five and driven back home for a quick dinner before heading back out. Her stomach fluttered nervously as she ran through tonight’s scenes in her head. “There’s at least one death scene and those can get complicated.”
Not to mention that tonight the dog would be on set. The thought made her stomach drop.
Cynthia shuddered. “Rather you than me. But are you sure you need to be there next weekend as well? We could use you in the bakery.”
Stephanie was silent when she put the lid on twenty-four cupcakes decorated with little wolf heads on top. “I know.” She still felt guilty over taking the job of makeup artist, knowing it would take up a lot of time.
Time she could spend at McLean’s Bakery. There wasn’t a kid in Elmworth who hadn’t had a birthday cake made by Stephanie’s parents, and Stephanie loved the work. It was incredibly gratifying to make a batch of delicious cinnamon rolls, or decorate a cake and watch the customer’s enthusiastic gasp when they saw it. She loved working with her hands, trying new recipes and getting better at them.
But she also loved horror movies, especially the practical effects and makeup. She wanted to know how those monsters were brought to life, and she’d volunteered at the local Halloween Fair every year to help with the haunted house.
She’d jumped at the chance to do makeup on an indie horror movie shooting nearby. She could do fake wounds well enough, and she’d been curious about the movie-making process. Worst they could do was turn her down.
As a teenager, Stephanie had looked into a career as a special effects makeup artist, but after doing her research, she’d decided it was too risky. So many talented people wanted a career in that industry and only a few turned it into a full-time job. Some things were better left as a hobby, just as there were plenty of talented homebakers who shuddered at the thought of turning their baking hobby into a business.
This way, turning someone into a zombie or vampire stayed a fun diversion from her work in the bakery.
Stephanie had convinced her family the movie was worth her time, since she’d have to focus on getting the tiniest details right for the camera. She’d have to be consistent with her wounds or risk continuity errors, and it was always good to practice that. Her parents had eventually agreed.
What she hadn’t mentioned to them was the money.
Ever since she’d been to her first food festival, she’d wanted to get her hands on a food truck. Sure, it was a cramped space compared to her parents’ bakery, but she’d also get to travel. Festivals and other outdoo
r events attracted a different clientele than their bakery, and Stephanie was eager to try new recipes along with their usual fare.
She’d mentioned the idea to her parents a few times over the past few years, but they’d been reluctant to commit to the plan. Cynthia was interested as well, and together they had worked on an initial business plan. Stephanie knew it was a risk. If she could show her parents she was serious by putting her own money where her mouth was, they’d be more likely to agree.
“We have plenty to do around here,” Cynthia continued, “and there’s two birthday cakes that could use your hand. Including a zombie cake, if you can believe it.”
Stephanie could believe it, and part of her wanted to call Kat and see if they could figure something out.
But she was the only one who could help with the movie, and she hated letting people down.
“I already promised them I’d work on the movie. I didn’t know it was going to be so busy over here.” Her stomach squirmed with guilt at Cynthia’s sigh.
“It’s my fault for underestimating how much this was gonna take,” her sister said. “We’ll manage with you. Go have fun.” She smiled. “Maybe send some of ‘em our way for lunch tomorrow, instead of having to suffer Michael and Colin’s catering. It sucks that you have to put up with them.”
“Colin isn’t so bad.” But Michael was a whole other issue.
Stephanie had caught him kissing another girl at a party a few weeks ago and dumped him. Michael refused to accept it, insisting that Stephanie was overreacting and should get over herself so they could work things out.
She didn’t blame Paul and Kat for getting Michael and his brother Colin to do the catering. Their parents ran a restaurant in town and had equipment for on-site catering for outdoor weddings. The two brothers were using that equipment along with the log cabin’s kitchen to supply everyone on the set with food.
“Has Michael been bothering you?” Cynthia’s voice was worried.
“He’s busy with the food, and I’m in the makeup cabin a lot.” She hadn’t mentioned anything about it to Kat, figuring that the other woman didn’t need the additional drama in her life. Besides, Stephanie’s avoidance technique was working great.
“I don’t know why he’s so hung up on it,” Cynthia said.
Stephanie didn’t get it either. They’d been together for over a year and talked about moving in together, but she thought Michael would have moved on by now. “Beats me.”
What she didn’t tell her older sister was that she wasn’t sure how to handle the situation. Should she feel flattered he hadn’t given up? Was his persistence his way of showing how much he regretted what he’d done? Was he right when he said she was unreasonable for not wanting to talk to him?
Plenty of people made mistakes. It wasn’t like he’d slept with the other girl. No relationship was perfect, and it wasn’t like she had any other experience being in one.
And every time her thoughts went down that road, a voice in her head reminded her that Michael had never apologized for that kiss, and she was back to feeling frustrated and angry with him all over again. Back to avoiding him, because that was easier than talking to him when he refused to listen.
“Well, if he gives you a hard time, you tell me and I’ll come and give him a piece of my mind. No one cheats on my sister!”
Stephanie laughed as Cynthia hugged her. Cynthia might not get Stephanie’s love of horror movies, or understand why Stephanie wanted to spend her evenings in the woods, but her sister had her back. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
Stephanie was tense as she drove over to the vacation park and her stomach churned more nervously the closer she got.
She’d been scared to death of dogs ever since she was a toddler. Her parents had taken them on a camping holiday and their neighbors on the campground had been a couple with a Siberian husky. The dog had been friendly and energetic, and for the first two days, everything had been fine. Cynthia and Stephanie had played with the dog. The dog owners and her parents had been right there as the two girls played fetch.
All Stephanie could remember was the dog’s hot breath in her face after it had knocked her over when she held the tennis ball.
It hadn’t lasted more than a second. The man and woman had immediately hauled the dog off of her, apologizing and putting the dog away in their camper van.
But the damage had been done. She hadn’t been able to look at the dog without bursting into tears, and eventually the owners had moved to a different spot on the campground.
Those memories rushed back whenever she saw a dog, and she was relieved no one in Elmworth owned a husky.
She hadn’t told Cynthia there was a dog on set, because she didn’t think she could handle her sister taking it as another reason Stephanie should quit the horror movie.
Stephanie knew it sounded ridiculous. She looked away whenever a dog chased after someone in a movie, but happily munched her popcorn if a chainsaw-wielding maniac killed some hapless college student.
Her family helped where they could. Cynthia was the first to step up to the counter if a dog owner came in, and her parents never batted an eye when Stephanie mumbled an excuse to do something in the back.
But still. She was twenty-four years old. She couldn’t stay afraid of dogs forever. Which was why, she firmly reminded herself, a dog on set was a good thing. Even if it was a big dog that had already jumped at her once. A big dog that would do a lot of snarling tonight as part of the death scenes.
Her throat tightened up at the thought.
She’d talked about the dog’s behavior with Kat after the dog’s audition. Kat had told her the dog had behaved perfectly when they’d run through the scenes where Paul had been the werewolf victim. It was Kat’s own surprise that reassured Stephanie. The trainer had apologized profusely as well, which had been very gratifying. Stephanie had met several dog owners who felt their dog was beyond reproach, and that a dog barking wildly or jumping up at people was never a problem.
If she was going to be sharing a set with a dog, at least it was a dog with a decent trainer.
She reached the vacation park. The Johnsons, an older couple who were friends with her parents, ran the place. They were renovating and fixing up the cabins slowly but surely. Tourists who wanted peace, quiet, and good hiking spots loved the forest and hills around Elmworth. The Johnsons had agreed to let the film crew stay in a couple of older cabins that would get fixed later.
“I can do this,” she told herself, picking up the box with cupcakes and trying not to remember the last time she’d carried a box of sweet treats while that dog was around.
The last rays of sunlight falling through the trees and birdsong around her were exactly what she needed to find some inner calm. Crew members were already busy setting up lights across the clearing.
“Hey, nice and on time!” Kat grinned when she saw the box. “Ooh, more cupcakes? You shouldn’t have!”
“We could do with the sugar, right?” She looked around, groaning inwardly when Michael spotted her. “Where can I put these?”
“I need to talk to Colin about the food for tonight. I’ll bring them over to him.” Kat took the box. “Joshua and his dog were looking for you.”
“Why?” They weren’t shooting the death scene until later in the evening. Paul wanted to get some shots of the dog prowling through the woods first and record some good howls.
Kat shrugged. “Something about makeup for the dog. I think he still feels bad over Louis lunging at you during auditions.”
Stephanie hoped her smile looked sincere. “He doesn’t need to. Louis aced those auditions, right? He was just feeling playful.”
“I know. Maybe he wants to talk about the stuff you’re using for when he’s feasting on his victim’s guts.”
Her throat tightened at the thought of putting fake blood along the dog’s muzzle and jaw. “He can double-check the ingredients. I made sure none of the syrup has xylitol, since that’s toxic to dogs, and the food c
oloring should be fine. If he’s happy with it, I can make the blood and he can put the fake blood on the dog.”
“I think it’s best if you do that,” Kat told her. “You’re more precise. If we need to clean him up and start over, you’ll be able to match the blood for the continuity.”
She knew how important it was that the blood splatters were exactly the same throughout a scene. If some shots had the dog with bloodier fur in the same scene, there was always one audience member who’d notice.
Stephanie hadn’t told Kat about her fear of dogs. She hadn’t thought it necessary at first, figuring that the search for the perfect wolf-like dog would come to nothing. And then Joshua and Louis had turned up.
She couldn’t back out now. Besides, the thought of telling Kat about her ridiculous fear made her stomach churn with embarrassment. Stephanie liked the other woman and her practical approach to the outlandish ideas the director came up with, and she wanted Kat to like and respect her work. She loved horror movies. She wasn’t supposed to be afraid of anything, let alone a dog.
“It won’t take too much time if that’s what you’re worried about,” Kat said kindly. “Some syrup on his nose and along his jaw should do it. That’s easier than applying fake wounds.”
“That’s true.” She glanced over at Colin and Michael’s log cabin. Michael was headed their way, and the last thing she wanted was to deal with him right now. “I’ll talk to Joshua about his dog.”
Fighting down her nerves, she walked over to the old cabin she used for doing makeup. Joshua waited for her outside, his dog standing by his side. The neon-orange harness did little to reassure Stephanie, even when the dog wagged his tail when he spotted her.
Stephanie paused a few feet away, plastering a friendly smile on her face. “Ready to film your first scenes?”
“As ready as we’ll ever be, right, Louis?”
Louis’s gray eyes were on Stephanie. His mouth was slightly open and relaxed with his tongue hanging out. He sat down neatly.
“He seems calmer than last time.” After that lunge, she was surprised to see the dog sit back down of his own accord.