by Paula Mabbel
Annika wandered back into the living area, and was surprised to find that all of the dishes had been cleaned up, and the leftovers from the night before packed away in the fridge.
How did I sleep through all of that?, she thought.
She was just about to crawl back into bed when she found a note, scrawled on a napkin, tucked under a washed wine goblet.
I'll find you.
I love you.
K
Annika couldn't explain what it was about the note that made her feel so safe, but she did. Somehow she knew, nothing in the world could ever harm her again.
*****
The weather had turned again, but this time, it was far colder than it should have been given the month. Because of the unseasonable cold, and the fact that the theater was showing a Bogie and Bacall double feature, the theater was full for another evening. But, one of the college kids in town wanted some extra hours, so Annika let her take the booth, which meant all she had to do was show up to lock the door.
She'd stayed in her apartment all night, hoping to hear from Kyan, but he didn't even call. Rather than wait around for him, though, she decided to go watch the last film of the night, The Big Sleep. That meant she wouldn't get out until after midnight, but Kyan seemed to be kind of a night owl anyway, so maybe he'd be waiting for her when the film ended.
The film ended, the theater emptied, and the kids working all went home, but Annika decided to dawdle around a little longer and do some inventory. Unfortunately, it didn't take as long as she had anticipated, and she was done in less than hour. Once all of her options for distraction were tapped out, she resigned herself to going back home, and left the theater, locking up the doors with a sigh as she wrapped herself tighter in her peacoat.
However, she wasn't a few steps away when she got that same feeling again, the feeling that something was wrong, that she was being followed. Only she knew it wasn't Kyan. Annika tried to convince herself that the same thing couldn't happen twice in one week, but then, out of the shadows, he was back. The man with the knife. Except this time, his face and neck were covered in bloody, bandaged wounds, as if he'd been mauled by a wild animal.
Annika got one look at him and took off as fast as her short legs could carry her. She didn't even know where to run; everything was closed and she didn't want to lead him back to her apartment. Despite being flooded with panic, she took a moment to be grateful that she'd worn sneakers tonight, instead of dressing up as she had the night before. But she knew she could never outrun the man. He was so much bigger than her, and faster. She'd barely gotten a block away from the theater when she felt his hands grab hold of her arms and yank her back, dragging her to the pavement in a dizzying thud.
The man stared down at Annika with blinding contempt. She tried to scurry away backwards, but he reached down and grabbed her ankle, preventing her from moving.
“You think you can sic your dog on me, and that will protect you? Well, I hate to break it to you missy, but he didn't get me good enough. And now you're going to pay,” he snarled.
Annika couldn't fathom what the man was talking about.
“My dog? I don't... What do you mean? I don't have a dog! And YOU attacked ME! What right do you have...”
The man cut her off, waving the same giant knife in her face again. Annika wasn't going to let him hurt her a second time; she began kicking at the man's legs as hard as she could, while doing everything she could to dodge the man's attempts to cut her. She was just about to take a chance and scream when she heard that same howling wolf she'd heard the other night, but it sounded as if it were so close, she could have reached out and touched it.
And then, it was there. Standing right next to her on the sidewalk, was the most beautiful white wolf Annika had ever seen in her life. It was like nothing she could have even imagined, white as snow, with eyes greener than the spring grass. It stood next to her, at the ready, its teeth bared, its deep growl shaking her to her core.
Annika felt like she should get up and run, but then the wolf looked at her, and something in its eyes made her feel secure. There was something almost familiar about the way he was looking at her. She felt as if the wolf was staring right through to her very soul. Annika was so lost in the moment that she didn't realize the man who had been threatening her with the knife just moments before had taken off down the street at top speed. Before she had a chance to register anything, the wolf took off after the man, its lean, muscular legs flying faster than she could fathom.
There was no way Annika was going to be left behind again. While her logical mind told her to go find somewhere to hide, her heart told her to run after them. She wanted to know where the wolf had come from, where it was going, and what it was going to do to the man once it caught him. So she crawled to her feet and ran as fast as she could manage, her lungs and the pain in her neck pushing back against the speed at which she was forcing her body to go. But she couldn't stop, not now.
She could just make out the shape of the wolf in front of her, its beautiful white fur giving it the look of a cloud streaking across the sky. Annika felt as if she'd been running forever when at last, she reached the edge of the forest that surrounded Maryville. The wolf was gone, as was the man, but she heard a howl fill the night air, and it was enough to give her a direction. Annika began pushing further and further into the woods, until at last, she reached a clearing, bathed in moonlight.
And she couldn't believe what she saw.
*****
The man who had attacked her was lying in the middle of the clearing, his throat all but gone. He had died before Annika had even reached the woods. And standing next to the man, naked and pale in the light of the moon, was Kyan. He was hunched over, his hair dangling down in his face, his face and hands covered in blood.
Annika stumbled backward, tripping over her own feeling and falling hard on to her back. By the time she lifted herself up so she was sitting, Kyan was crouched in front of her, using his bare arms to wipe the blood from his mouth and beard. Annika opened her mouth to say something, anything, but nothing came out. Kyan reached out to touch the hair that had come loose from Annika's ponytail, but she squirmed out of his reach, confused and afraid.
Kyan took a series of long, slow breaths, as if he were trying to gain control of his heartbeat, before he spoke.
“Annika, I should have told you. My family on my father's side... we're skin-walkers. Shape-shifters. And my spirit animal is the wolf. I'm so sorry, I just didn't know how to tell you.”
Annika started running a lifetime of horror films through her mind: Lon Chaney Jr., Bela Lugosi, full moons, silver bullets. Kyan could see her mind racing and reached out a hand to her, gently placing it on her leg, just as he had the night they met.
“It's not the same thing as being a werewolf, Annika. I've seen the movies too. It's not the same thing. In Navajo, we're known as the yee naaldlooshii. There are many Navajo legends, some of which are true, many that aren't, but you must know, I would never hurt you. Never, Annika. I shifted to save you. I showed you, to save you.”
Annika inched forward slowly, and stretched her fingers out to touch Kyan's long, silky hair, his full, manly beard. She tried not to look at the blood on his hands, tried to remember that he'd done it to save her. She moved close to him, and let her hand rest on the side of his face, as she looked deep into Kyan's eyes. They were the wolf's eyes, the same, kind eyes that had been watching over her for days.
Annika slipped carefully out of her coat, then wrapped it around Kyan's shoulders. It wasn't remotely big enough to cover his broad form, but he pulled it as tight as he could around himself anyway. Then he sat down on the brush and the grass next to Annika, and pulled her close to him. All of the fear she'd felt before was gone. She just wanted to be nearer to him.
“Do you forgive me, my love?” he whispered into her ear.
Annika set her head on his shoulder, and stole a glance at the man who had twice tried to kill her.
�
��There's nothing to forgive. I suppose I'm just a little... surprised. Are all of your brothers, skin-walkers too?
Kyan nodded thoughtfully.
“Every one of them. They all just have different spirit animals.”
Annika nudged Kyan, “What are we going to do about... him?”
Kyan took off Annika's coat and wrapped it back around her shoulders. She looked at him with concern in her eyes. She couldn't bear the thought of him leaving her again. But again, as if he could read her mind, he leaned down and kissed her tenderly, letting his forehead touch her own as he did. It was as if he were filling her with warmth from the top of her head down to her toes.
“Go back in to town, go to the theater, and call the police. Tell them you think there may have been an animal attack in the woods. Don't say anything about me, or you being out here. I'll take care of covering the tracks, and I'll meet you back at your apartment. Just, get yourself to safety, okay?”
Annika nodded nervously, and reached over for another kiss, before she jumped to her feet and started for the edge of the clearing. She allowed herself a quick look back, just in time to see Kyan drop to his knees. Before her very eyes, his body shifted and changed to become the gorgeous white wolf she'd seen on the sidewalk.
She thought she must be crazy, but something about the sight of Kyan as a wolf, brought her more comfort than she could express. Kyan was her protector, her lover, and most of all, the only man in the world she could imagine spending her life with.
If the worst thing about him was that he could change into a wolf, Annika thought that might be something she was willing to live with...
*****
Annika curled up on her bed when she got home, and fell into a strange, dizzying sleep. She was roused by a light knock on her door, barely audible, but it was enough to bring her around. Annika ran to the front door and flung it open, to find Kyan standing there, in a grey t-shirt, khakis, work boots, and a bowler hat. He looked tired, but his cheeks were bright red from the cold, and his smile was from ear to ear.
Annika threw her arms around Kyan's neck and he lifted her up in the air, spinning her around as he peppered her face with kisses. As he ran his long fingers through Annika's hair, he grinned at her and handed her a small jewelry box.
“Whadya say, baby? Will you spend the rest of your life with a wolf like me?”
Annika kissed Kyan with every bit of passion she had within her, overwhelmed as she was by all of the emotion she was feeling for this strange and exceptional man in front of her.
“I'm yours. Forever and ever.”
Kyan picked Annika up and carried her into the bedroom as the light of the full moon sparkled and shined in the distance...
*****
THE END