She Wolf and The Detective: (Suspense, Crime, Thriller, Mystery, Fantasy) (Book 1-3)

by Michael Reyes

  “Hello, Ella? How are things in Maryland?”

  “Actually, Lindsay and I are back in Mayville now.”

  “Really? How come?”

  “Lindsay missed her friends, and I’m hearing that there have been no attacks for over a week now. I guess the patrols are working?”

  “Seems to be.”

  “Well, since Lindsay was miserable being so far away from home, I decided to come home and just be more careful, but I do feel better that the patrols are working.”

  “That’s great, Ella.” Wilson had an idea. “Can I come over after work to talk to you, then?”

  “Alright. Do you need me to start dogsitting Charlie again?”

  “No, Aria’s still here and she’s taken to loving Charlie and he her. But it does have to do with Aria. I will explain everything when I get home.”

  “Okay, I’ll see you later, then. Have a nice day!”

  “Thanks and welcome back!”

  “Thanks.”

  When he got home, he told Aria about his plans to go to Massachusetts for a few days, and then asked her to come with him to Ella’s.

  “What’s going on?” Aria asked.

  “Just…follow me…and trust me. I have an idea about what to do about leaving you here alone.”

  “Okay.”

  They knocked on Ella’s door, and she answered almost immediately. “Hi, Wilson. And Aria, hello, how are you? You’re still visiting?”

  “She’s decided to stay, actually.” Wilson had already filled Aria in on her new “story”. “Is Lindsay here?”

  “She’s spending the night at her friend Kari’s, actually. She missed Kari so much they just HAD to have a little slumber party when she returned.” Ella gave off a little bit of a laugh. “Come on in!” She gestured them into her living room. “Please, sit down. Can I get you some tea or something?”

  “No, I’m fine,” responded Aria.

  “Me, too, but thank you,” said Wilson.

  “So, what’s this you need to talk to me about?”

  “Well, before I tell you all this, I need you to promise me you won’t tell anyone. Not George. Definitely not Lindsay. And especially not the police.”

  “Not the police? It’s not something illegal, is it?”

  “No, it’s nothing like that. It’s just that…well…first of all I have to tell you that Aria’s not really my niece. She’s actually the daughter of a friend of mine. I think of her as my niece, but she’s not…biologically.”

  “Then why did you…?”

  “I didn’t lie about it, if that’s what you think. I just wasn’t clear.”

  “Okay…”

  “And there’s something I want you to know about her, but I don’t want you to get scared off…”

  At that, Aria immediately got up. “Wilson, what are you about to do??”

  “Trust me, Aria. You know I would never intentionally hurt you or let anyone hurt you.” He then looked back to Ella. “Those attacks that have been happening in town…”

  “Oh my god, Aria doesn’t have anything to do with those, does she?”

  “No, but there are those who might think she does. The reason being is that she has a special ability. She can turn into a wolf.”

  “A…wolf? How?”

  “It’s hard to explain and she doesn’t even know herself. Right, Aria?”

  Aria sat back down and tried to calm herself. “Y-yes. Some time ago I was bitten by something. I’m not sure what. But ever since then I have been changing into a wolf at random times. I can’t control it but I also still remain conscious of what I was doing. I know I did not kill those people, but I’m afraid nobody will believe me. Well, except Wilson.” Aria smiled at Wilson and put a hand on his.

  Ella seemed taken aback by this sudden news. She probably thought that werewolves only existed in movies, television, and books, as did Wilson for quite some time. “I…don’t know what to say. And you have proof that Aria has nothing to do with those attacks?”

  “Yes,” responded Wilson. “She had been with me during times of the last few attacks. She never left my site. So I know it can’t be her.”

  “But…why are you telling me this now? Why are you telling me this at all?” asked Ella.

  “Because I need a favor. Have you heard about the latest two attacks in Massachusetts?”

  “Yes, just today on the news.”

  “Well, I need to go investigate those crime scenes in person. It may help me solve the mystery of the attacks that happened in Mayville. But I can’t leave Aria alone. I need you to be here with her in case she changes…”

  “What? Are you crazy??”

  “Don’t worry,” Aria chimed in. “Like I said, I am conscious of what I am doing and I won’t attack you. But I still need to be locked up, just to be safe, when I change, which could be at any time.”

  “Locked up? How??

  “I will give you a set of my handcuffs, the key to the handcuffs, and the key to the doorlock to my basement. If she starts to change, she will have ample time to warn you. You just need to get her downstairs with a blanket to cover herself up when she changes back, handcuff her to one of my gym equipment, and then lock the door for the night. When the sun rises, she will be back to normal.”

  “I don’t know…”

  “Please, Ella; it’s the only way I can get more information on this case and finally put an end to it all and prove Aria’s innocence once and for all.”

  Ella thought about it for several moments. “Okay. I will try.”

  “Thank you, Ella. Hopefully she won’t change at all while I’m away, but if she does…thanks.”

  “But how will this work? Will I need to stay at your place for a few days?”

  “No, you only need to check on her. If you want you can give her your phone number and she can call once she starts feeling something…IF she starts feeling something.”

  “What about Charlie?”

  “Charlie will be safe as long as you don’t lock him in the basement with her.”

  “Alright. I’ll do it, and I won’t tell anyone. Not even George or Lindsay.”

  “Thank you!” Aria got up to give Ella a hug.

  Chapter 9

  Wilson left bright and early the next morning. The diner wasn’t too far away, so Aria agreed to borrow Wilson’s bicycle, which had been sitting unused in his garage for the past few years. She dusted it off the night before so that it’d be all ready for her to use starting that day.

  Aria set up a bowl of dog food for Charlie and asked Ella to come check on him later. Aria’s very first shift was going to start at ten and be six hours long, and she was excited at the prospect of feeling normal…at least during the daytime. She left at nine so that she could check on her apartment before going in for work.

  When she got there, she found that the door was unlocked. Had she forgotten to lock it over a week ago? She thought for sure that she had, and if there was a break-in, the landlord or a neighbor surely would’ve seen a stranger come into the building, wouldn’t they? She left the bike in the hallway next to her door and carefully entered her apartment, and found a surprise waiting for her on her couch.

  “Hello, sister.”

  “Sienna?”

  Thirst of Blood

  (She Wolf and The Detective series 3)

  Chapter 1

  Aria entered the apartment, closing the door behind her. “How are you alive?” she asked her sister.

  “Well, that’s a long story, but since we have all the time in the world, I will tell you.”

  “Actually, I don’t. I need to go to work. It’s my first day…”

  “Oh, come now,” interrupted Sienna. “You don’t have time for your very own sister? The one you used to play dolls with for hours and hours?”

  “I’m sorry but I don’t want to lose this job. If you’re really the same caring sister you were before you died, you would understand.”

  “Fine fine. Go to work. But I will be waitin
g for you here when you’re done, so you better return. And don’t go telling that boyfriend of yours that you found me, either.”

  “My boyfriend? Do you mean Wilson?”

  “If that’s the name of that cop you have been living with, then yes, that’s who I’m talking about.”

  “He’s not my boyfriend. He’s just a friend. And how do you know about him?”

  “That’s also a long story, one which I will tell you after work.”

  “But why can’t I tell him that you’re alive and all? He’ll be happy for me.”

  “That, I will explain later. Go! Before I change my mind and decide to force you to remain here. But you should know that if you defy me and let him know I am here, I’ll have to kill him. I can’t let anyone know that I’m alive except you, and I will have to kill anyone else who knows.”

  “Okay okay. Just please don’t kill anyone.”

  Aria quickly rushed back out the door and rode to work. However, the whole shift, it was hard not to think about Sienna waiting for her in her apartment, much less her desire to let Wilson know that she’s alive. But Sienna said she would kill him. When did she become a killer? Could she be the one behind the murders in town and in Massachusetts? Cheryl noticed her constant stewing about and not being able to give her full attention to diners.

  “What’s going on with you?” asked Cheryl, interrupting her thoughts while she was taking her lunch break. Aria was obviously unable to eat, constantly forking through her salad, but not taking a bite from it.

  “It’s nothing. Just that…something came up right before work…but I didn’t want to call you and tell you I couldn’t come in. I’m sorry.”

  “Well, I need you to be focused on my customers. They’re complaining that you’re taking too long to bring them their drinks and such and that they have to call your name several times to get your attention. Can you do that for the remainder of your shift, or do I need to let you go?”

  “No. I’ll focus from now on, really.” Aria started eating her salad so that she could get back to work.

  “Okay then, because I really like and trust Wilson, and I want to believe his recommendation of you. At that, Cheryl walked away.

  Aria did as she promised for the rest of her shift, but as soon as it hit the end of her shift at three o’clock, she all but ran out the door to go back to her apartment.

  Chapter 2

  When she got there, Sienna looked bored, thumbing through her book collection and constantly clicking through channels on her television. Aria was glad she didn’t trash her apartment, at least.

  “Now tell me what happened to you,” Aria said as she walked through the door.

  Sienna dropped the book onto Aria’s table and turned off the television. “Well, I have to start from the beginning, of course, in New Zealand, since you weren’t there.” Aria dropped her purse to the floor and sat down to listen intently.

  “As you already know, of course, I was going to school in New Zealand when this happened.”

  “When…what…happened?” interrupted Aria.

  “I will explain that. Now please don’t interrupt,” responded Sienna. Aria nodded. “One night I had gone away with some friends off-campus to a local club to do some drinking and dancing and hopefully hook up with a guy or few. After a few hours, I got a lot of drinking and dancing in, but no guy really interested me, so I decided to go back to campus. My friends, however, were having too much of a good time and wanted to stay, so I agreed to walk back by myself.”

  “At night? But that’s dangerous,” interrupted Aria again.

  “I told you not to interrupt me, Aria…please.”

  “I’m sorry. Please continue.”

  “The club was actually not that far from campus. Just about a quarter mile. That’s why I had no problem walking back by myself. At least I thought I would have no problems. However, that turned out not to be the case. As I was walking home – quite drunk, I must admit – I heard some noises coming from the bushes that I passed by on the way. I have seen animals in the area, so I just brushed it off as a nighttime animal of some sort and didn’t think anything of it. However, something came up from behind me, grabbed me, and bit me on the arm. I never saw what it was before I passed out.

  “When I woke up, I was in a coffin. I remember hearing the voices of some men nearby talking about getting ready to bury me. I took a peak out and saw that they had their backs turned while they were talking. I quickly but quietly got out, and then closed it so that they wouldn’t see I was missing, because I couldn’t just let them see me. What if they had questions? I couldn’t explain how I was suddenly alive when I was originally dead. So I snuck away and hid until they buried my coffin, thinking I was still inside it. When it was clear, I ran away.

  “Eventually I realized I was in New Orleans, but I knew I couldn’t show myself to you, Mom, or Dad either. Because again, how would I explain that I’m not dead? So instead I ran away and took on a new identity. I had my own apartment for a while with a new driver’s license. I even tried to work. But something happened that became a problem.

  “You see, when the first new moon came along, I realized what happened to me. I had been bitten by a wolf.” Aria gasped at this because the same thing had happened to her, but she couldn’t say so because she had promised not to interrupt.

  Sienna continued. “I looked in the mirror at my apartment and saw myself begin to change. I watched as I grew ears, a tail, fur, claws on my fingers and feet, a larger body. I watched as the clothes I wore tore to pieces. One moment I was a female human. The next, a female wolf.

  “I realized also that I had an insatiable hunger that was so great, the food in my kitchen would not suffice. So I ran outside, looking for something bigger. I of course made sure no one saw me, and it helped that I had changed late at night. I made my way to the woods, where my first meal as a wolf was a large deer. Then I spent the night in the forest, not wanting to risk anyone seeing me returning as a wolf. I would wait until I changed back into a human and then return home to my apartment.

  “I eventually realized I was able to tell when I was about to change, which made living like this more bearable. The moment I started feeling like I was going to change, I would immediately run into the woods and remain there until morning. But one night, I was seen by a hunter. He pointed a gun at me and tried to shoot me. Instead of running, I attacked him and I killed him. I swear it was unintentional. I had no idea my strength was so great. But when I did so, I also realized that his blood…it had such a satisfying taste on my mouth. I couldn’t help but suck him dry. And sadly, I couldn’t stop.

  “After him, every time a human came my way I couldn’t control my taste for blood. I killed another, and another, and then when the police started patrolling the area more, I had no choice but to satisfy my thirst elsewhere, so I moved out to Massachusetts.” Sienna paused for a moment then. “You may speak, Aria. I can tell that you can’t hold it in any longer.”

  Aria practically burst. “How could you kill all those people??”

  “As I’ve already explained, dear sister, it’s a thirst I can’t control. I suppose you could compare it to that first taste of alcohol for an alcoholic or that first taste of heroine for a heroine addict. You can think of me as a blood addict, perhaps.”

  “But there must be a way to control this. Don’t you have any humanity?”

  “Unfortunately not when I am a wolf, but I also have no remorse now as a human.” Sienna gave somewhat of an evil grin.

  Aria decided Sienna had to know the truth about her, too, but just when she was about to say this, Sienna spoke up again. “And if you’re thinking about telling me what you are, I already know.”

  “That I am also a wolf? How?”

  “The one who bit me? I found out who it was because he followed me here. Let me introduce you to my new boyfriend.” Just then, a man stepped into the room from another room. Aria was wondering if he had been there the entire time, since that morning
when she came in and discovered Sienna was here. “This…is Lucas. Lucas and I were classmates in New Zealand.”

  “Nice to finally meet you, Aria.” Lucas bowed.

  “Lucas has been a wolf for quite some time. He was attracted to me since I first started school in New Zealand, but I was completely oblivious to his advances. So, he decided the only way to get my attention was to change me into a wolf, like him. However, like Mom and Dad he thought he had accidentally killed me and left me for dead. But when he heard about the attacks starting here in Mayville, he wondered if they were by me, knowing that I had originally come from the States and all. So he tracked me down and here we are.” Lucas came to Sienna’s side, put his arm around her, and they embraced each other in a short, passionate kiss, right in front of Aria. This made Aria cringe.

  When they let go of each other’s lips, Sienna turned to Aria to continue her story. “I have to tell you, though, that not all of the killings were by me. Some were by Lucas.”

  “Wait,” interrupted Aria, “then who turned me? It wasn’t Lucas, was it? Because that would mean…”

  “No, I was the one who turned you, dear sister.”

  “W-why? Why would you do this to me?”

  “Because I had hoped you would be like me and we could be wolves together. I started watching you from afar and that’s how I know about that boyfriend of yours.”

  “He’s not my boyfriend!”

  “Whatever. That cop.”

  “I must tell Wilson then…”

  “No, you won’t, and you know why you won’t? Because we’ll kill him if you do. You don’t want us to kill him, do you?”

  “No, of course not!”

  “Then protect us from him. Especially me, your very own dear sister.” Sienna let go of Lucas and tried to embrace Aria in a sisterly hug. Aria felt very confused. She couldn’t tell Wilson because she didn’t want them to kill him, but she couldn’t stand by and let her sister and this boyfriend of hers kill innocent people either.