by Zoe Chant
He had a few ideas about where to put things. “I’ve been told I’m extremely obedient, and a very good boy.”
Stephanie laughed, telling him which bottles to put in the fridge. “Well, you are. I don’t think we could’ve filmed that scene with Vicky the way we did with a real dog.”
“I’m sorry you have to cover for us now,” he told her as he helped her. “I didn’t want to make things more awkward for you.”
Stephanie’s blue eyes were bright when she looked up at him. “Don’t worry. Besides, telling Vicky you two visited me here isn’t lying.”
“She seemed worried beforehand, so I was extra-careful.”
They chatted about the scene as they tidied up, then grabbed two kitchen chairs to sit on the porch. They saw the fairy lights around the catering cabin in the distance and heard the chatter and laughter from everyone else drift over.
Louis glanced over at Stephanie, who looked tired but happy, and didn’t think there was anywhere he’d rather be. He reached out to clink his bottle against hers. “Well done on your part of the job. The sausages tasted great.”
“Even with syrup and peanut butter?” She sounded skeptical.
“Not for every day,” he admitted. “Wait, you took pictures of me, right? Can I see?”
“Sure.” She sat up and grabbed her phone, scrolling before handing it over. “There you go. Very vicious.”
“Wow.” If he hadn’t known better, he would’ve thought she’d taken the picture right after he’d attacked an animal. “That looks very real.”
“You think?” Stephanie leaned in to see which pictures he was looking at. “Definitely the right shade for your fur.”
He smiled and scrolled through the rest of the pictures she’d taken, and gasped at the shots of Vicky’s stomach with the sausages and syrup. “These look really cool. Over the top, but still realistic enough.”
She grinned. “Thanks. I don’t even want to think about how much syrup we’ve gone through, but it’s worth it.”
He scrolled back to the stomach wound Stephanie had created, and an idea formed in the back of his mind. “You know how you’re not sure if Michael will stop bothering you?”
“Yes?”
“And how he keeps going on about you jumping to conclusions about what you saw?”
“Yeah…?”
He gestured at the picture. “Why don’t we prank him?”
“You mean with a fake wound and he thinks it’s real?”
Louis nodded, handing her the phone. “You heard him during Vicky’s death scene. He already thinks I’m dangerous.”
“He only thinks that because you chased him out by growling,” Stephanie told him. “And he doesn’t want to admit you scared him.”
A guy with an ego. “And he didn’t like it on set when no one agreed with him that I was a risk. If he sees you on the floor with me standing over you, he’ll think it’s evidence that he was right all along and run off to tell everyone.”
“Except whatever wound I have is fake.” Stephanie gestured at the picture. “And when he turns up with whatever poor soul he dragged along, he’ll realize that.”
“In front of someone else.” Louis smirked. “Do you think he’d feel nicely humiliated?”
Stephanie laughed. “Oh, he’d hate it. He’d hate me.” She perked up. “He definitely wouldn’t want to try and get back together.”
“Mission accomplished.”
“What if he doesn’t fall for it, though? Then I look like an idiot for putting a fake wound on myself.”
Louis shrugged. “Tell him you were trying things for tomorrow. A rehearsal.”
“Good point.” She tapped her fingers against her beer bottle. “All right. Let’s do it tomorrow if he keeps bothering me.”
“You sure?”
She smiled. “I’ve spent enough time trying to get him to listen. Maybe it’s time to change tactics.”
He clinked his bottle against her. “Let’s hope it won’t be necessary. Maybe he’s moved on.”
“Maybe he has,” Stephanie replied. “Did you notice him flirting with Vicky?”
“I think everyone with eyes noticed that.” Louis wondered how she’d taken it. Was Stephanie still hung up on her ex deep down? Or had the experience soured her on relationships for now?
What if she was done with relationships forever?
6. Stephanie
“The shower’s over there, and here’s a clean towel.”
Vicky took the towel carefully with her clean right hand. Her left one was covered in dirt and fake blood from filming. “Thanks!” She laughed when she looked down at herself. “I’m a mess.”
“Getting killed will do that to you.” Stephanie picked a bit of sausage off of Vicky’s t-shirt, throwing it in the trashcan. “You happy with how the scene went?”
“Oh yeah! It was more fun than I expected. I was worried beforehand because of the dog, but he was great.” Vicky’s grin faded. “Not sure why Michael turned up like that, though.”
Stephanie was glad she wasn’t the only one confused by it. “He said it was because of the sausages.”
Vicky snorted derisively. “Please, he’s been flirting with me since we got here.”
“He’s what?” She’d spent so much time avoiding Michael that she had completely missed him flirting with one of the actresses. Despite her dumping him and telling him to leave her alone, it was still a punch to the gut to know he’d never meant any of it.
Vicky bit her lip. “Flirting? Shit, does he have a girlfriend or something? You’re from the same town as he is, right?”
Stephanie let out a bitter laugh. “Yeah. I’m his ex.” She ran one hand down her face. “He’s been coming in here to convince me to get back together with him.”
Vicky was silent for long time. “I, um, hope you didn’t.”
“No. No way. I broke up with him because I caught him kissing another girl.” She wondered how often Michael had done that before she caught him. “But it still sucks knowing he tried to persuade me to forgive him while he was flirting with you.”
“What an asshole.” Vicky sighed. “And an idiot. Did he think he could flirt with me in front of you and you wouldn’t notice?”
Maybe he did. Or maybe her obvious rejection had made him decide to give up. “I guess it means he won’t bother me again.”
“You can totally do better,” Vicky told her brightly.
She smiled, thinking of Louis. “Oh, I know.”
Vicky raised an eyebrow at that, but didn’t comment. “I’m gonna get this gunk off of me, then I’ll help you clean up.”
Stephanie was about to say that wouldn’t be necessary, but Vicky had already closed the bathroom door behind her.
She was sorting through the various sponges and brushes on the counter when Joshua and Louis arrived, and she was glad Vicky and Joshua were happy to leave them alone. Although going by Joshua’s smirk, that had been his plan all along.
Hanging out on the porch with Louis was just the easy fun she needed after her long evening. It was after midnight by the time they’d finished with everything, and she knew it’d be another long day tomorrow. She looked over at Louis, and his soft smile made her stomach squirm.
She liked his plan to pull a prank on Michael. He definitely had it coming, but she wondered if she had the guts—real ones rather than sausages covered in syrup and peanut butter—to go through with it.
But it’d be worth it for the look on his face…
She took a sip from her beer. It was a shame she had to drive back, but alcohol-free beer was just as refreshing. “I wonder why Michael keeps bothering me if he’s also after Vicky. If he doesn’t genuinely want to get back together with me…” She trailed off and sighed. She didn’t want to discuss this with Louis. It was bad enough he had to deal with Michael as well. “You don’t want to hear about my ex. How did you think your scene went?”
“I don’t mind you talking about your ex.” He smiled. “Especially if
it’s trash-talking!”
She laughed. “Okay, then maybe I am done talking about him. C’mon, how do you think it went?”
“Paul seemed happy,” he hedged. “I did my best to be careful with Vicky. Did she mention anything to you?”
“Only that she was nervous beforehand, but she thought you were great.” She didn’t miss his omission. “But are you happy with it?”
“I don’t know!” He sighed, sagging in his chair. “I’ve never acted before, and there’s a lot to think about! Where is the camera? Am I snarling loud enough? I wish I could see what we’ve recorded so far, and whether I’ve embarrassed myself.”
“I thought you did great, but this is my first shoot.”
“Thanks for your attempt at reassurance,” he replied dryly, getting up to bring them both another bottle. “But I guess I can’t be the worst animal actor out there, right?”
“You definitely aren’t the worst ever werewolf, including humans and animals.”
Louis perked up at that. “I might not even be the worst werewolf in one of Paul’s movies.”
“Ooh, you watched his other movies as well? Which one did you like best?”
“Probably Grandma’s Revenge,” Louis replied, after giving it some thought. “Although I want to point out that me liking it best doesn’t mean I think it was the best movie Paul’s done. But Grandma’s Revenge was hilarious.”
“Yes!” She laughed as she remembered. “I would watch a whole series of horror movies where grandmothers fought werewolves or other monsters, and won.”
“Never underestimate a silver knitting needle!”
She leaned in, smiling when Louis closed the distance between them with a kiss. It felt like they’d spent lots of evenings like this, chatting about movies and kissing under the stars. She wanted many more. She broke the kiss, resting her head against his shoulder. It was a little awkward on two separate chairs, but manageable.
“But you’re not afraid of dogs in movies?” He wrapped an arm around her.
“Sometimes. If they’re attacking or chasing someone, I have to look away,” she explained. “But if it’s obviously fake, like a puppet of a dog, then I’m fine.”
“That sounds annoying.”
“It’s more annoying in real life. I have to cross the street if I see someone walking up with their dog. Pretty much everyone in Elmworth with a dog knows, but that doesn’t make it any more fun.” Especially since that meant everyone kept giving her advice on how to handle it.
“I can imagine.” He ran her fingers up and down her arm, the simple touch making her shiver. “So you didn’t know they’d cast a dog for the movie?”
“Kat had been complaining about how difficult it was to find a suitable dog, and she’d been looking into costumes,” Stephanie explained. “So I figured I was safe.”
“And there I was.” Louis squeezed her shoulder. “I’m sorry I scared you.”
She smiled. “You’re forgiven. I should’ve given Kat a heads-up about it, but I didn’t want to make things more difficult for her.”
“You’d rather make things more difficult for yourself?”
“I—” She considered it. Was that what she did? Was she so focused on not disappointing or making things more complicated for others that she ended up making things more difficult for herself? “I didn’t want to let her down after agreeing to do the makeup. She had trouble finding someone who was willing to work here in the woods.” She sighed. “I also didn’t want her to think I was weird for being scared of dogs.”
“It’s not a weird fear,” he insisted.
“Still. I can’t even walk down the street without constantly being on the look-out. I’ve never been attacked since that first time and that was years ago! But I see a dog and I freeze up. Except with you. I thought I was getting over my fear. Finally, after all those years, and then you’re not even a real dog!” She let out an annoyed groan. “Thanks for nothing.”
He chuckled at that. “You sound very disappointed I’m not a real dog.”
“Extremely,” she muttered, smiling as he kissed her hair. “I wish I had the guts to get over it.”
“You’ve got plenty of guts.”
She snorted. “Yeah, yeah, in the fridge, ready to be covered in fake blood tomorrow.”
“No, for real.” Louis moved, and she had to sit up and look at him. His gray eyes were serious. “You have got all the guts you need.”
She smiled at his confidence. “I was a mess after your audition.”
“But you still came here. You didn’t back out.”
“Yeah, because I didn’t want to let Kat down, and—”
“So you’re brave enough to deal with your fears.” He took both her hands in his. “You feared me, but you agreed to let Joshua leave me behind in the cabin. You didn’t run. How’s that for having guts? You faced your fear. You even petted me before knowing the truth. And I could smell how scared you were, but you still did it!”
Stephanie stared at him, feeling choked up at his words. It had been a long time since anyone talked to her like that, especially about her dog phobia. She got pity and good-natured jokes, or in the worst case, skepticism and bad-natured jokes. Her parents and sister tried to be helpful, but they’d given up on the pep talks.
Maybe because she had given up on the pep talks herself.
“You’re right.” It felt awkward to say it, and to agree that, yes, she had guts and courage to do things she was scared of. She wasn’t the type to boast or pat herself on the back. “I should try again to deal with the fear.” She didn’t want to think about how she was going to do that, because that involved thinking about dog owners she knew and trusted to help her, and that involved thinking about all the dogs back in Elmworth.
He smiled at her. “Don’t you ever think you’re not brave enough, ever again.”
She flushed. “You’re determined to be the perfect guy, aren’t you?”
“Well, if I’m a good boy when I’m a wolf, I gotta be better than good when I’m a man, right?”
She laughed, then kissed him, dropping her empty bottle on the porch to wrap both arms around him. It didn’t take Louis long to haul her into his lap, and that made the kissing and touching a lot easier. “Does that mean you don’t want belly rubs when you’re a man?” She ran her hand down his chest.
Heat flared in his eyes. “Oh, you can give me all the belly rubs you want, any time you like.”
They kissed again, his strong arms around her to keep her in his lap, and her hand dipped under his t-shirt to find the hard planes of his abs. Need blossomed inside her at the feel of his body against her own.
Louis broke the kiss to nuzzle her neck, and his mouth soon found a sensitive spot that had her squirming in his lap.
Sudden laughter in the distance reminded her that they were outside, on the porch. They couldn’t keep making out like this.
Reluctantly, she pulled away, her hands lingering on Louis’s bare skin.
“You okay?” Louis asked, gray eyes worried.
“Yeah, but it’s getting late.” She glanced over at the catering cabin. “I should go home. It’s another long day tomorrow.”
“And you’ve got plenty to think about, I bet,” Louis said. “I know it’s a lot to take in.”
She did, and not just about shifters existing. She got up, missing the contact with Louis already. “Can we talk about it some more tomorrow?”
“We can talk as much as you like.” He stood up, taking her hand in his.
Stephanie leaned in for another kiss. “I’m probably gonna have a ton of questions.”
Louis smiled as they broke apart. “I’d be surprised if you didn’t.”
She was about to kiss him again when she heard footsteps on the path behind her, and turned around.
Joshua waved at them. “I’m not interrupting anything, am I?”
“We were just talking,” Louis told him, still holding Stephanie’s hand.
Joshua looked skeptic
al. “I bet it was an intense discussion. I’m heading for the car. Louis, if you’re not there in five minutes, I’m driving home without you.”
“I’ll be there,” Louis replied.
Joshua shook his head as he sauntered off.
Stephanie smiled up at Louis. “So, talk to you again tomorrow?”
He grinned, giving her a quick kiss. “Can’t wait to pick up the discussion.”
7. Louis
“Did you tell her?”
Louis buckled his seatbelt. “Actual talking, or…” He trailed off, the sweet taste of Stephanie’s lips still fresh in his mind. His wolf grumbled over leaving her behind.
Our mate should come with us to our den! It is where she belongs!
The thought of waking up with Stephanie was definitely appealing. But his wolf was moving several steps too fast. She has her own den.
There were still so many things they needed to talk about. Things he wanted to learn about her.
Joshua laughed as he started the car. “About being fated mates.”
His stomach squirmed guiltily. “I figured that the shock of shifters existing was enough for one night.”
Joshua threw him a sideways glance as they drove off. “She didn’t seem very shocked to me.”
And she hadn’t. She’d taken the revelation in stride. “She just broke up with one of the catering guys after he cheated on her. I don’t want to rush her into anything if she’s not ready…”
Joshua hummed in agreement. “But you can still tell her what’s going on and what it means.”
“Yeah, but… how do I prove it?” With shifting, he could show her it was real. How was he supposed to convince her they were meant to be together forever if she didn’t have the shifter senses to tell her?
“I can’t help you there, but she seemed plenty attracted to you.”
He still remembered her in his lap, in his arms, her hands eagerly running across his skin…
Louis let out a slow breath out, trying to get himself under control. Joshua was right. He should tell her tomorrow. But when? Their schedule would be as busy as tonight’s, with the death scenes for the two male actors, and his own death at the hands of the final girl. And then there was the plan to prank Michael. Louis hoped the guy had learned his lesson after tonight, but he seemed pretty stubborn.