by Zoe Chant
Joshua eyed them suspiciously, then shook his head and left.
“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” Stephanie laughed as she headed over to the kitchen to get a washcloth for Louis.
“What’s not to enjoy?” Louis was still grinning when he joined her at the kitchen counter. He started on the syrup around his eye. “Michael deserves some payback.”
“I know.” She grimaced at her ex’s persistence. “He was badmouthing you to me just then. Asking why you weren’t here, insisting you were probably sleeping with some girl in Bear Creek…” All she’d told Michael was that Louis-the-human was busy, and that it was none of Michael’s business. Not that that had helped.
“He really doesn’t like not getting his way, huh?” Louis’s grin faded. The syrup had come off, but the skin around his eye still looked pinker than normal.
“He doesn’t.” Michael was good at talking people round, and could sulk for days if things didn’t go his way. How had she put up with him for so long? She looked Louis up and down, her eyes lingering on his t-shirt, which stuck to his side. “Should you clean up before we put our plan into action?”
Louis raised his t-shirt, revealing a glorious set of abs and smooth skin along with the sticky, dark red syrup. “We’ll only put fake blood around my mouth for the prank, so yeah, I think I will. And I guess we know that syrup shifts along with me.” He prodded the syrup experimentally.
Stephanie found her hand reaching for him. “Now we know…”
Wait. Prank preparation.
She folded her hands behind her back. She could touch Louis later.
Louis must’ve noticed her expression, because he smirked. “You want to help me get cleaned up?” His voice dropped as he edged closer.
Desire pulsed inside her as she looked up at him. His gray eyes were dark with intent. “Well, if you think that’s necessary.”
“You’re the makeup artist, so you’d know how to remove it.” He pulled his t-shirt over his head.
Stephanie bit back a moan at all that naked skin in front of her. She wanted to touch him everywhere. “Water and soap usually does the trick,” she managed, tearing her eyes away from his chest to get a damp cloth. She might as well really help him get cleaned up.
She gently pressed the cloth against his lower ribs where he’d been stabbed as Dr. Werewolf. When she rested her other hand against his chest, he shuddered at her touch. She wasn’t the only one affected. Rivulets of water ran down his side, taking the syrup with them. “There’s a lot of syrup here. Cleaning you might take some time.” She smiled up at him.
He leaned in closer, and she lifted her head to be kissed. She needed his touch. “Any more questions about shifters?” he asked. “Now that we’ve found out about the fake blood?”
She pulled back in surprise. She had plenty of questions. “How did you keep it a secret? Not just you, but your entire town.”
“Practice. And you know what we’re like with outsiders.”
“Right.” He’d mentioned before that it was a big secret. “Then why tell me? And don’t say it’s because I was scared. By the time you told me, I’d already petted you.” It had to be more than that, and she wanted to know.
“You’re right, that’s not the only reason.” He shivered when she dipped the washcloth lower. “I smelled more than your fear.”
“O-kay?”
His gray eyes met hers, and she could see the apprehension in them. “When you arrived at the auditions, I also smelled you were the one.”
What was he talking about? Wait, did he mean… “What, for real?” Her heart thumped in her chest. He couldn’t be serious.
He nodded, taking her other hand. “We call it fated mates, and shifters have the senses to know when we’ve met them.”
“Because you have a wolf’s sense of smell.” She’d stopped washing the fake blood off, her brain going a million miles an hour. “What does it mean?”
“It means we’re destined to be together. Forever.”
Her breath hitched. “Soulmates.”
“Yeah.” He was quiet as he watched her.
Stephanie still tried to wrap her mind around it.
It was impossible to smell the love of your life.
But yesterday, she thought it was impossible for a man to turn into a wolf.
And the day before that, she’d thought she’d never willingly pet a dog.
But she’d trusted Louis. She trusted him like she’d never trusted any other dog.
“Is that why I wasn’t scared of you yesterday?” When Louis frowned in confusion, she continued, “I kept wondering why I trusted you, and why I petted you when I’ve never done that before. I don’t have an animal’s sense of smell, but is that why?” Her heart raced in her chest. Was she right?
Louis’s grin threatened to split his face. “I don’t know for sure, but it makes sense. Your fear is an instinctive reaction, and our shifter instinct tells us who our fated mate is. It’s a gut feeling.”
“You can’t rationalize it.”
“Exactly.” He leaned closer. “You can’t rationalize fear or love.”
She dropped the cloth, wrapping both arms around his neck to give him a quick kiss. “How is it going to work, though? Between us? Bear Creek keeps to itself. Are they even going to accept me?”
He tucked a strand of hair behind her ears, caressing her cheek. “Yes. You wouldn’t be the only non-shifter in town. Being fated mates is more important than anything.”
“Okay, so I won’t get kicked out if I come visit?”
Louis kissed her forehead. “I’ll have to do some explaining first, but no. We’ll welcome you with open arms.” He smiled down at her. “Especially if you bring cupcakes.”
She grinned. “You know, I’ve always wanted a food truck.”
“If you come to Bear Creek with baked goods, I think they’d let you stay even without being my fated mate.”
Stephanie laughed. “We’ll have to spend a lot of time baking first, so you can tell me what cakes and pastries shifters like. Lots of taste-testing.”
“All the help and taste-testing you’d like.” He kissed her, his arms around her to pull her even closer.
Oh, she could think of some taste-testing they could do tonight. She ran her hands down his chest, feeling the strength and muscle underneath.
And the sticky remains of the syrup.
They still had a prank to pull off.
“Michael,” she told him firmly, and a flash of hurt crossed his eyes. “The prank!”
“Yes! Right, of course.” He let her go reluctantly. “Should I help you get ready?”
“Yeah.” She pulled her mind away from all the dirty thoughts she had and focused on revenge. “I’ll tell you what to do.”
He kissed her forehead. “Your wish is my command.”
She smiled, thinking of ways to test that later. Ignoring her need to touch and feel him against her, Stephanie told him which fake blood to get, and looked around the cabin for a suitably dramatic spot.
“In front of the door inside?” she suggested. “Or on the porch?”
“Porch is more visible from the path.” Louis gestured with one of the paintbrushes she used. “We don’t want him getting too close.”
“You can scare him off,” she decided. “Don’t attack him, but block me from view while growling.”
“Acting like a wolf defending his prey from others,” Louis agreed. “That’ll work. Where do you want to be wounded?”
“A neck wound is always nice and dramatic.” And it’d be faster than a stomach wound.
“Do you need my help with it?”
She could do it by herself, but Louis looked so eager to help and she definitely wouldn’t say ‘no’ to him touching her. They’d just need to focus. “I think after all the syrup I’ve put on you, it’s only fair you get to put some on me.”
He glanced over at the containers on the kitchen counter. “It’s just syrup and food coloring, right?”
His smile turned suggestive. “So, it’s edible?”
Heat flared inside her. “Yes. It’s very sweet, though.”
“I like sweet.” His gaze was full of intent as he kissed her all too briefly before stepping back. “What do I do?”
She gave him instructions on how to mix the chunky peanut butter with the fake blood she had left from his death scene. Since Louis as a wolf would make sure Michael didn’t get too close, Stephanie didn’t worry too much about getting the color and consistency absolutely perfect.
But she still had her pride, and she showed Louis how to add more red food coloring to get the right color.
“You want me to use the brush to put it on you?” he asked, while she peered into the jar he’d prepared the fake blood in.
“No, get one of the dirty sponges first. Let’s get a thick layer on my neck first, then do the detail work with the brush.”
He gently lifted her chin so he could dab sticky syrup onto her neck.
Her pulse quickened at his touch, and she focused on the wooden ceiling as hard as she could. Having Louis so close and looking at her so intently was hard to ignore.
“How big do you want the wound to be?” he asked.
“Huge,” she replied. “It’s got to be visible from a long way away, and look like the blood has come pouring out all over me.”
“We could put some on the porch. They’re renovating anyway.”
“Ooh, yes!”
Louis laughed. “You’re way too excited about this.”
She smiled up at the ceiling. “Oh, like you’re not dying to prank Michael after all the things he said about you.”
“He’s said worse about you.” His fingers trailed down her neck as he finished with the sponge. “Far worse.”
“I know.” And she’d put up with him for too long. “Shall we get ready? You should still add some syrup to my neck when I’m in place so it drips down.”
He followed her out to the porch, where she lay in front of the open door. The light from inside the cabin was bright enough that Michael could see her wound, but not so bright he’d immediately realize it was fake.
Stephanie brushed her hair aside so her neck would be visible from the path, and Louis got to work. Eventually he finished, snapping a few pictures with his phone to show her the result.
“How did I do?”
“Pretty good for a newbie.” She smiled up at him. “You listened very well. Good boy.”
He laughed and leaned down to kiss her. “Does that mean I get a belly rub?” he whispered against her lips.
She ran her hand down his chest, stroking his flat stomach. “All the belly rubs you want.”
Louis’s eyes were heated as he looked down at her. “I should shift. That’ll make it easier.”
She nodded. They’d taken long enough to get ready, and she wasn’t sure how much longer she could take Louis walking around without a t-shirt.
He shifted right there on the porch. The fur rippled over him until he stood on four paws. He wagged his tail, then walked onto the path, sniffing the air before sauntering back. He stood on her other side so he wouldn’t block the view from the path.
“It’s gonna be awkward if we went through all this trouble and Michael doesn’t even come here tonight.”
Louis whuffed, wagging his tail.
“Optimist,” she told him, assuming he was convinced Michael would show to rub her face in the fact she didn’t know where Louis-the-human was. “Let’s give him fifteen minutes. I’m not lying here all evening. It’s not very comfortable.”
Louis whined in sympathy, pawing at the wooden planks.
“Yeah, I know.” She sighed, trying to ignore the growing feeling she was being an idiot. Michael wouldn’t fall for their prank. He wouldn’t even bother coming here.
Louis stood up, ears pricked forward, and his tail stopped wagging.
“What is it, boy?” Stephanie didn’t want to move and risk ruining the neck wound.
Louis let out another low whuff, standing over her, his muzzle against her neck.
Michael.
Stephanie lay still, and after a few long seconds, heard leaves crunching as someone walked over. The footsteps stopped.
“Stephanie?” Michael called out. “You in there? You left the door open and—what the hell...”
Stephanie closed her eyes and held her breath as the footsteps came closer and stopped again. Above her, Louis growled, low and threatening.
Another step, and Louis snarled at Michael. The wolf stepped over her to keep Michael from getting too close.
Stephanie heard Louis jump off the porch as he growled again.
“Stephanie?” Michael sounded like he was still twenty feet away. His voice was tentative, and was that a slight tremble? “Are you—that damned dog!”
Louis kept snarling and growling, and Stephanie could only imagine how threatening he had to look. A wolf wanting to keep his prey.
“Stephanie, please!”
She fought to keep from smiling. That had sounded like genuine panic. She hoped he wouldn’t linger too long, because her lungs were burning with the need for oxygen. But if she breathed, it’d all be over…
Another loud growl from Louis, and Stephanie heard Michael swear under his breath before he ran off. She breathed in slowly and carefully, in case he looked over his shoulder.
She felt Louis’s wet nose against her neck. He was standing on the side of the path, blocking her from view now, and she opened her eyes.
“I think he bought it,” she whispered, reaching out to pet him. “Let’s get inside before he gets back.”
She used a mirror to remove the worst of it and to make it even more obviously fake. That way, anyone Michael brought with him would buy her cover story of practicing wounds and rehearsing death scenes.
Louis wandered from the door back to her, tail wagging harder when she leaned down to pet him. “Belly rubs later,” she reminded him.
Stephanie was drinking some water when she heard voices from outside, and she went to meet them. “You’ve come to help me clean up?” she asked, feigning surprise.
Michael was in front, his hand around Paul’s elbow as he tugged the director along. “Stephanie?”
“Yes? Is something the matter?”
Michael had not only dragged Paul along, but Kat, Joshua, and Vicky as well. Kat looked annoyed, and Joshua had ducked his head. She assumed it was to hide his smile as he realized what they’d done.
“Yes, something is the matter,” Kat eventually said. “Michael said he found you here, mauled to death by Louis.”
As if on cue, Louis joined her on the porch, tail wagging happily.
“What?” Stephanie laughed, reaching down to stroke Louis’s head. “Seriously?”
“I told you my dog wouldn’t hurt a fly,” Joshua insisted, glaring at Michael, who was spluttering.
“I saw her!” He turned to Stephanie. “You were lying here! Louis was growling at me! Your neck!”
She touched her neck as if she only just realized the syrup was still there. “Oh, I was trying a few things for next week. Since Louis was so obedient tonight during the death scenes, I thought Paul might want to get more shots of Louis attacking and eating his victims.”
“We got a lot of good ones this weekend,” Paul agreed, “but I still need to review the footage.”
“You weren’t moving!” Michael insisted hotly. “I know what I saw!”
Stephanie shrugged. “I didn’t want to startle Louis. Besides, it gets pretty shadowy here on the porch. Maybe you didn’t see it clearly.”
Michael narrowed his eyes. “Maybe I didn’t see it clearly? Come on!”
“Calm down,” Vicky told him. “This is good news, isn’t it? Louis didn’t attack Stephanie. She’s fine!”
Michael whipped his head around to glare at Vicky and huffed in frustration. “She didn’t look fine when I was here!”
“It must’ve looked
very convincing, then!” Paul sounded extremely pleased. “I told you your wounds looked good, Stephanie, but if Michael thought you were really wounded, you must’ve outdone yourself.”
She ducked her head, hoping it only looked like she was shy about the compliment rather than hiding her grin. Paul had no idea how much extra salt he must’ve rubbed in the wound by complimenting her. “I had a lot of practice during the shoot.”
“I’d like to see what you did,” Paul told her. “If there’s time, we might do some re-shoots of the death scenes if we can improve on the makeup.”
“We need to look at the schedule first.” Kat’s tone was firm. She gave Stephanie a wan smile before she led Paul back to the catering cabin, while he was still talking about which death scenes might require more footage.
Stephanie hoped she hadn’t just piled on extra work for everyone, but it was worth it for the look on Michael’s face. He’d never cared for her helping with the local Halloween Fair and regularly complained she spent too much time online searching for new tips and makeup techniques.
“If that’s all, I’m heading back.” Vicky pointed in the direction Paul and Kat had walked. “Unless you need help cleaning up, Stephanie? You didn’t join us last night either.”
Stephanie smiled, glad for the offer of help. “Thanks, but I’m good. I’ll take a raincheck, though.”
Vicky gave her a thumbs up before following Kat and Paul.
Joshua folded his arms. “I hope that’s the last I hear of you accusing my dog of being vicious and aggressive.”
“He has been vicious and aggressive,” Michael insisted, gesturing at Louis angrily. “He growled at me yesterday! You were there, Stephanie!”
“Maybe because you were getting angry with me,” she replied. “He must’ve picked up that. You know dogs are sensitive to that kind of thing.” She’d read up on dog behavior during a previous attempt at conquering her fear, and some of it had stuck.
Michael walked closer, freezing a few feet away when Louis got up on all fours. “See!” He pointed at the dog, then looked at Joshua. “He’s doing it again!”
“He’s just standing there,” Stephanie told him.
Louis was alert, but he didn’t growl or look threatening. He wagged his tail when she spoke.