
Caged Moon
rachel deagan
Caged Moon
Copyright © 2012 by rachel deagan
Cover Art © 2012 by Sarah E. Melville
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
http://moonlightprose.blogspot.com
Dedicated to the person who inspired me to be more than I am. Thank you, Roxanna, for everything.
Many thanks as well to my family, whose constant support has been immeasurable. You truly are a blessing.
Something moved outside the window as I leaned against the chilly glass. The evening had set in, making it hard to see. I could feel them, watching me. I wiped at the small crystallizing ring of fog my nose had made from half dozing against the car door. Only the ominous clustering of trees streaked by as we drove. Goose bumps covered my arms and my body turned cold. It had been years since the wolves followed me. Why now? I wanted to hold my ears, half expecting their howls to ring in my head. How did they find me?
A loud thump resounded off the windshield. I screamed. Thick black shadows distorted my vision. My fingers dug into the seat. The wheels screeched. The gravel ripped at the tires as we drove onto the road's shoulder.
"Dad, we're going to crash!"
I could hear Dad spinning the wheel, but I couldn't look away from the wildly flapping image in front of me. It shifted as the car moved, slid, then flew off into the trees.
"Did you see that?" Dad asked.
The car jolted back onto the road. I blinked, staring at my dad. "How could I not?"
"It was a Great Horned Owl," Dad said.
"What?"
He leaned over the back seat, then dropped a well-worn North Eastern Bird Guide in my lap. "Here," he said. He reached up to the ceiling and flicked on the overhead light. We swerved again and I clutched the side door. "I believe it's around page thirty-two. You should see the Great Horned Owl there."
Was he serious?
I rolled my eyes and thumbed through the book. He apparently didn't realize we went off the road a moment ago. He gets a little focused, especially when it comes to birds. I welcomed the distraction. The chill on my arms faded, the wolves gone, at least for now.
I obediently found the owl and nodded. "Ah." I tried my best to sound enthusiastic.
"Do you want to hear its call?"
He grabbed a CD and slipped it into the player. The car filled with numerous loud shrieking sounds as he fiddled with the buttons. "Here it is." He opened up the window and began hooting and shrieking along with the CD. Did he really think the owl would call back?
Next time I would down play the enthusiasm by a few notches. Distraction or not, I already had a headache.
Dad finally admitted that it was too dark to see anything, and turned off the CD. I sighed and returned to my position, leaning against the glass in an attempt to doze.
"This move is going to be great for us, Charlotte. Your mother's going to love it out here."
"She likes birds attacking her car?" I smirked tightly, but the joke fell flat. I looked out the window and held my arms. I didn't like the woods. I blamed it on my suburban upbringing, but in truth, it just scared me -- moreover, what lived in it.
Dad glanced at the clock on the dashboard. "Well, we're only a town away, but it's too late to get the keys from the realtor tonight. It'll have to wait until morning. So," he said, turning to me, "are we camping or going the hotel route tonight?"
He spun the wheel around before I could speak, making a sharp U-turn. "What are you doing?" I asked.
"There's a campground right back there."
I groaned. Not another Dad Adventure.
My chest felt tight. I hated feeling so paranoid.
"Oh, come on. It's our last night. It'll be fun."
I'd have better luck convincing a cat to swim, so I fought down my nerves, and went along. "Sure, Dad."
He proudly took a turn down a long, winding dirt road that led into the woods. With no streetlights, I couldn't see a thing. Claustrophobia strangled me.
A small flickering of lights soon appeared and I sighed with relief. The small club house, if that's what you would call it, was nothing more than two oversized trailers someone had put together to resemble an office. The hand painted sign, withered from years of weather, swung back and forth from a chain attached to a small wooden post out front. I would have thought the place deserted, if I hadn't heard the sudden trickle of male laughter coming from behind the office.
Dad pulled the jeep to a stop and I eagerly swung my door wide. Not in anticipation of staying there, but because my legs killed me from the drive. The scent of sulfur and burning embers hit my nose.
"I wonder where everyone is," Dad said, rubbing his index finger along the crook of his mustache as he joined me.
"They're out back, Dad. Can't you hear them?"
"Ah," he said. "Must be my bad ear. I can't hear a thing."
He started towards the make shift office, and I shrugged, following along behind him. Three burly looking men tending a fire looked up just as we came around the back. The fire crackled and several ashy smelling sparks flittered up into the air. Each of the men had a beer in their hand and several more littered the small stone circle of their camp.
I began looking for our quickest escape route. I probably could make it to the car if I had the keys ready in my hand. Of course, I didn't. My father had them in his pocket. Thoughts of crazed woodmen and gruesome murders flashed across my mind.
"Aye, we've got company," one of the men exclaimed, lifting his can in greeting. "Care to join us?" He flicked the lid of his red picnic cooler open to reveal a hefty stash of beer.
"Nah," my dad said. "Just here to spend the night. Do you have any camps available?"
He was so clueless sometimes.
"Sure thing." The spokesman stood up from his log. I already could hear the banjos playing in my head. He set his beer on a log and trotted over to us. The man towered over my father, and he was six-two. I felt very short. "Let me just get you the map."
Yeah, like the one for the exit.
The man came around to the front of the trailer and pulled out a large wad of keys, opening the squeaky old door, leading to the make shift office. The inside of the building matched the outside perfectly. A disheveled array of dishes, old clothes, and papers littered the small confines of the trailer. It also stunk really badly, so I hung back by the door. If my dad wanted to go in there with a strange drunk guy, his call.
I turned to the woods behind us, suddenly very aware of its presence. It felt like every little shrub and leaf watched me. Something in me wanted to run, but logic told me I was being ridiculous. Even as a little kid I knew wolves didn't really follow people. So why now, after all these years, did it feel that way again?
A hand landed on my shoulder, making me jump. "Ready Charlotte?"
I tried to breathe normally and smiled up at my dad. "Sure, sure." I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, and led the way over to the car. My father roared the jeep to life and we followed another winding dirt road until we came to a tiny clearing with a small wooden sign indicating Lot 24A. It had a stone circle matching the one the men had sat around and something that looked like an RV hookup.
I helped my father pitch the small green tent and then watched him build the fire. I hadn't seen any signs of the men, or wild animals, so I took the opportunity to slip into the tent and grab my toiletries before it got any later. I headed over to my dad.
"I'm going to go brush my teeth and clean up. Where are the bathrooms?"
He placed his kindling down, and pulled the map out of his pant pocket. "Right here along this walking route. There should be flags. Just be careful."
Now he's worried.
"I will, Dad."
Taking the map, I started out of the campsite down the dirt road. The beam from my flashlight fell on the red flag indicating the trail to the restrooms, and then fizzled out. I rolled my eyes with a groan and gave the handle a firm smack. Nothing.
Lovely.
The moon allowed a small sliver of its light to escape through the branches above me. I thought it enough to see, but my foot snagged on something. It snapped. I stumbled two steps and then lost my balance. My hands burned as I caught myself on the rocks.
I sat there, half cocked on my hands and knees, welling in my inward disgust, when something wet touched my ear. Instinctively I jumped back, catching myself with my raw hands. It stung, but I didn't care. I could barely see.
Wetness brushed my hand, and I let out a short high-pitched scream. My head felt light and then I heard a bark amongst the soft scampering in the leaves. My chest seized up. Dogs terrified me.
The soft furry creature nudged his head against me, and I succumbed to another scream as I tried to back away. Laughter filled my ears and I clenched my teeth.
The forest path lit up around me, making me blink several times until everything came into focus. A teenaged boy about my age, with ashy, slightly disheveled hair, and very striking green eyes, stood there with a flashlight, looking amused at my dire situation. My stomach tightened in a knot.
"It's just a puppy," he said, revealing a surprisingly bright smile. I looked away.
He grabbed the small puppy and brought it over to me, making me look.
I scrunched my face up, trying not to scream. "I'm afraid of dogs," I said.
He laughed again.
I clenched my fists. "Hilarious. I'm glad you're enjoying the show."
"How can you be afraid of this little pup?" He rubbed the riley little thing until it jumped up and licked his chin. He laughed again. "Come on," he said, trying to show me the dog.
"Don't." I held up my skinned hand.
"Okay, okay." He smiled again.
I quickly looked down at the dirt I knelt in. Angrily, I stood up, brushing the pine needles from my knees. For some insane reason, this too seemed to make him laugh. I scowled.
"What are you doing out here anyway?" he asked.
"Digging for worms." I refused to look at him. I knew he was smiling. "I was looking for the restrooms."
"Where's your flashlight?"
"The batteries died."
"Here, let me help you," he said, putting the dog down. He quickly shooed the puppy away and it eagerly ran off into the trees. He held out his hand.
I refused to look. This was too embarrassing. "I don't need help. I'm fine, thank you." Brushing off my jeans, I started to walk past him down the path. As fate would have it, I tripped, again.
I stumbled two steps, readying myself for the inevitable burn of my hands, when he caught my arm, pulling me up.
I was about to say something. A grumble. A thank you riddled with annoyance. But all of my thoughts disintegrated into thin air as I accidently met his gaze. A flush of prickles ran down my back.
He looked spooked. The smirky sarcasm disappeared. He tilted his head to the side, and audibly inhaled.
"It's you," he whispered in a voice that seemed two octaves lower than it had been.
His hand still gripped my arm as I stared back at his oddly mesmerizing green orbs. His irises pulsed, growing larger, blocking out the white with their intense jade, and then just as quickly, they shrunk back, melting into an almost iridescent hue of gold.
My heart pounded like crazy and my body shook. What had I just seen? Flashes of the wolves screamed across my mind and I squeezed my lids shut.
I'm going mad. I'm losing it.
His hand seemed to burn against my bare arm. He smelled of rich pine, and I damned my senses, wondering why I was still standing there.
"What's wrong with your eyes?" My voice surprised me. I stole a peek.
"What?"
He looked like I had startled him from a trance and he blinked a few times, clearing his throat. "Nothing." He shook his head and looked down.
It felt like I could breathe again. My heart, unfortunately, didn't comply. I did my best to tune it out. "No," I said, pressing the issue, "not nothing. I saw them change. They used to be green. Now they're gold."
I began to question my sanity. Perhaps if we had taken our time getting out here, I wouldn't be still standing here interrogating this guy.
"The moon," he said, pulling me from my thoughts.
"What?"
He looked pale. He fidgeted next to me, making me even more edgy. He pointed his finger and I looked up. The moon, high above the branches, cascaded a soft hue over the multi colored autumn leaves. "My eyes sometimes reflect the light. The moon light probably hit them at a funny angle."
I guess it made sense, but why did I still feel skeptical? I dared to steal another peek. His normal looking emerald hues stared back. The moonlight had to have been playing tricks on me. But why did he seem so nervous? He seemed ready to bolt.
I stared at him until he looked up from his sneaker and our gazes locked. His body, mirrored mine, frozen. I could almost hear the rhythm in his chest. He cocked his head, fear and confusion plastered across his face.
"What?" I asked. My voice sounded tight and foreign to me. Something very familiar pooled from his pores, strangling me like infused oxygen.
I saw his nostrils expand and slowly, his irises began to dilate.
This is not happening.
The sound of his throat clearing made me jump. To my horror, he still had a grip on my arm. He seemed to notice that too. He dropped my arm, almost stumbling as he stepped back.
"Who are you?" he asked, his liquid amber eyes wide.
"What?" I told myself to make up a name. Sally Hemmingway sounded good to me. "What do you mean, who am I?" Everything in me wanted to run. "Who are you?"
The boy roughly ran his hand through his hair. I could hear his breath coming ragged. With an odd hunched over stance, he began to move around me. I stood my ground. Prickles trickled down my back as I watched him circle me. His nostrils flared, creating a visible wisp of breath against the air.
Every muscle in my body tensed.
"What are you doing?"
He didn't answer. He continued to move around me like a wild animal.
Another shudder ran through me. I kept still, afraid to move.
The boy stopped in front of me, his warm breath still blowing visibly. I did everything I could not to inhale it.
"Who are you?" he asked again. The concern in his voice took me by surprise.
"Charlotte."
The word came out before I could stop it. I bit my tongue.
"That's not what I mean. How did you get here? What are you doing here?"
"I'm camping with my dad..."
The boy closed the distance between us so fast I felt dizzy. I froze as he sucked in the air around my neck and up through my hair. I couldn't think. Something about the scent of pine and musk lifting from his skin, so familiar, yet distant, discombobulated my senses. No. No. This wasn't right. I didn't even know him.
"Stop it," I said, stumbling away from him. I grabbed a fallen tree branch and aimed it at the stranger. "Stay away from me."
He stepped back, shaking his head as if lost in thought. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I don't know what's wrong with me. You just smell..." The boy shook his head again. "I'm sorry. I was wrong. I saw you earlier and I thought...never mind. You're not."
"I'm not what?"
"Nothing." He chuckled tightly and a small smile teased his lips.
"Nothing? You're driving me crazy."
"I am?" The grin grew.
Did he really think I was flirting with him? I scowled. "That is not what I'm talking about."
He chuckled.
"What's so funny?"
"You."
I looked away. I didn't need this.
"Were you really going to take me out with a stick?"
"I still might."
I glanced at him by mistake - his grin ridiculous. I ground my teeth. Why did I look at him again?
"What was all that about anyway?" I asked.
"All what?" I could hear the chuckle in his voice. He knew exactly what I was talking about. So that was how he wanted to play this game.
"All that circling and sniffing. You know what? Forget it. I don't want to know." I had enough. At this point, I just wanted to find the restrooms, brush my teeth, and go to bed. Hopefully I would wake up in the morning forgetting this entire night existed. Without waiting for a response from the stranger, I held my head high and started carefully walking past him, down the path.
"Hey," he called after me. "You could use this."
Slowly, I turned around to see him gently toss me his flashlight. "Thanks." I turned away from him. My cheeks felt warm. I didn't want to see his expression. With my head down, I started down the path.
"You were gone a while," Dad said, not looking up from his fire. He had several long sticks dangling over the crackling blaze, each with several marshmallows attached at the end. "I was getting worried."
"Sorry." I sat down on the log beside him, relieved to be back in a place of sanity. "Are we expecting company? What's with all the branches?"
"Nope, just trying to get the perfect marshmallow." Dad chuckled. "This camp site is great."
Dad found Eden. I wish I could have said the same. I wanted to curl up in my sleeping bag and forget this night existed. Turning off the flashlight, I placed it down along with my dead one.
"Where'd you get the extra flashlight?"
I sighed, not wanting to explain my strange encounter in the woods. "I found it." I stood up from the log. "Sorry, Dad. I'm really tired from the drive. I'm going to sleep."
"Everything all right?"
"Just tired." I unzipped the small tent entrance and crawled inside without looking back. I felt guilty leaving him there.
I pulled the strap holding my green army looking sleeping bag, letting it unravel by itself, and I slithered inside. It made me feel a little better, the warmth - nice and comfy. Dad had made sure to bring the heavy-duty sleeping bags since the fall weather varied so much. I curled myself into a ball and closed my eyes.
When I opened them sometime later, everything had gone black and Dad snored beside me. I scooped the edge of my sleeping bag tightly under my chin and rolled to my side, trying not to feel the uneasiness of the forest.
A shadow moved outside the tent. My heart quickened.
They found me. Why are they following me?
It could be the drunken men from the office.
I rolled my eyes. The wind, it had to have been the wind. I tried to drift back to sleep, until I heard a small twig snap. A low voice said something outside. My body went cold. I couldn't move.
"Dad," I whispered. He didn't stop snoring and I didn't want to speak louder, afraid that they might hear me. At least voices meant they were human.
It still could have been the wind.
Oh, who am I kidding!
"Where?" a voice said.
"Over there, Nimrod."
"What'd you call me?"
"Shut up you idiots."
I shot upright. My sleeping bag fell down around me, but I didn't care - as if a piece of cloth would protect me. A familiar scent of musky pine saturated the air, but new variations filtered it: birch, rust, and something close to warm honey. With my lack of vision, my other senses screamed.
My fingers ran across the thick sleeping bag that had become twisted from my restless sleep, and searched for the flashlight. I touched the smooth round frame, and turned it on, illuminating the small enclosure.
A brush of wind and several shadows swept by the side of the tent. I jumped. A crack sounded, feet shuffled, then all went silent. My pulse thudded in my ears.
I crawled to the tent flap, my muscles stiff and heavy, and then undid the zipper. The crisp air made me shiver, but I didn't go back for my coat. I didn't see anyone so I made my way out.
A dull smoldering hue burned from the ashes of Dad's fire and the smell of sulfur so strong, that I couldn't discern the other scents anymore. I glanced at the Jeep. Everything seemed intact. Had I scared them off?
"Hey." A voice spoke behind me. "You okay?"
The flashlight fizzled out. I went to flick it back on, but my fingers trembled so hard I couldn't get it to work. I tapped it several times then smacked it across my thigh.
"You know, I'm not going to want it back if it's broken."
I froze, knowing the owner of the voice. Why couldn't I get my fingers to work right?
"Hey, it's okay. Relax." He looked like a shadow as he moved closer, placing his hand on the top of mine. "Here." He took the flashlight from my hands and turned it on. "They're gone. See?" He cast the light around the camp.
"Did you see them? Were they the guys from the office? They were drunk earlier and I thought..." I paused. His warm scent filled my nose and I shook my head. "What are you doing here? Are you following me?"
The boy fidgeted. He wouldn't look at me. "I'm not following you, Charlotte. Your camp is right here along my walking route. I just happened by when I heard shuffling around your site. I was worried."
"Your walking route?" My brows furrowed. "Who in their right mind walks around the woods at...at...whatever ridiculous hour this is?"
He remembered my name.
He shifted awkwardly and pointed to the moon. "Three fifteen in the morning." He gave me a small smile, surprisingly gentle, which I hadn't expected. It temporarily knocked me off my guard, making me blink.
"Three fifteen? Please. How can you possibly know that?" I reached into my pocket and pulled out a small watch head dial. It read three fifteen.
"Well, who goes for a walk at three fifteen in the morning?"
"Me."
"Why?"
He ran his hand through his messy hair. "It's peaceful? I don't know. No one's around at this hour; it's nice."
"This is the woods; no one's around at twelve in the afternoon either." I said.
"You ask a lot of questions."
"Well it's not everyday I have a strange boy following me."
The boy grinned crookedly. "I'm not following you and I'm not that strange."
"Yes you are." I said. "And that goes for both of those statements" I turned from him. "Who are you anyway?" The night air made me shiver. I sat on the log by the smoldering remains of Dad's fire and rubbed my hands.
"Liam," he whispered as he circled behind me. I looked in the direction of his voice, but he had already sat down on the opposite log. My nerves jumped.
"Don't do that."
"Do what?" he asked.
I glared at him, but he seemed confused. "Moving so fast like that. It's dark and...do you live here or something?"
The way he sat there, leaning on his elbows, watching me, made me nervous.
"Sort of." His attention shifted to something in the trees. He tilted his head and when I followed his gaze to the dark growth, goose bumps flushed across my spine. I couldn't see anything, but I could feel it. The wolves just out of sight, watched us, and moved with silent steps against the stilled forest ground.
My body tensed. Did he see them? No one ever had before.
"What is it?" I asked, realizing I wanted him to say that he saw them.
"Nothing," he said.
I cursed myself when I felt the pinch of disappointment, but he didn't change his focal point.
"I live a few miles from here on the outskirts of Maplefield."
"Liam?" I asked.
He shook his head, making his hair fall half in his face, and looked up at me, away from the trees. "Sorry. It's nothing."
I blinked my mind into focus and then said it. "I know what's out there. You saw them, didn't you?"
Even in the dim lighting, he appeared ashen. "What are you talking about? The men who were here? No, they're gone."
"No. Not that." I motioned my head towards the trees.
His sneakers shifted against the dirt. "I don't know what you're talking about, but you don't need to worry about those people. They're not coming back. You're safe."
"Wait. Do you know who was here?"
"No." He shrugged. "Yes. It doesn't matter. They're not going to bother you anymore."
My jaw dropped and I stood up. "Who was it?"
Liam's face twisted. "My friends. They weren't going to hurt you or steal anything. They were just curious."
"Your friends?" My arms crossed protectively around my chest. "Curious about what?"
"Nothing." He wouldn't look at me. His gaze fell to the hole his heel had dug beside the log.
"Not nothing, tell me."
"You." His whisper seemed loud in my ears. I felt dizzy.
I tried to stay lucid. "Why me?"
He lifted his head and slowly inhaled.
"What...are you doing?" I asked.
"Your scent. It doesn't make sense, but it's there. Even from your car I could smell you."
"My car?" I felt a little cold. "What are you talking about?"
He sat so close, that his scent, too familiar, confused me. He closed his eyes and clenched his fists.
"Liam?"
He opened two blazing gold orbs on me. I scrambled off the log, nearly falling backwards. Howling broke just past the covering of the trees. Liam whipped his head in its direction.
My body shook.
A low reverberating sound came from Liam's chest. "Stay here." He took off into the woods, leaving me alone.
I sunk to the ground in front of the log and pulled my knees to my chest. The sounds of vicious snarling filled the air. I buried my head in my knees, praying it would all go away.
The snarls finally waned, replaced by high-pitched yelps and barks. I heard paws scampering away from the camp.
I jumped when Liam reappeared out of the shrubbery, dusting off his worn jeans. No way. He didn't just fight those wolves. Clearly, I had lost it.
"It's okay. They're gone." He glanced back towards the tree line. "Immature pups."
"What?"
He shook his head and cleared his throat. "Nothing." He reached an arm out to me. "You okay? Here, let me help you up."
I didn't know if I was scared of Liam or grateful, but I slowly opened my fingers to take his hand. He easily pulled me to my feet and steadied me. I trembled. He took off his jacket and handed it to me.
"Thank you." I swallowed hard and wrapped the jacket around my shoulders. "What's with all the wolves around here?" I tried to joke. "What am I a wolf magnet?"
"You have no idea."
"What?"
"Nothing." Liam cleared his throat and shifted his stance. "Why are you so afraid of canines anyway?"
I watched him. He avoided my eyes, kicking and poking at dying embers with his sneaker.
"I got attacked by one when I was really little. It bit me pretty badly. Still have the nasty scar to prove it." I nodded.
"What?" His head shot up and he stared at me like I had committed a crime. His shoulders trembled.
"What? I'm okay now." He looked terrified. "It's okay. I don't even remember it. My parents had to tell me why I had the scar. I was only five when it happened. But I think something in my subconscious remembers it. I've been afraid of dogs ever since."
"Where's the scar?"
"On the back of my shoulder." I pointed. "Really, I'm fine, Liam. It's okay." I wished he would relax. I didn't expect this reaction.
"Let me see it."
"I...I don't think so." My stomach tied in knots. "I'm really self conscious about it. Maybe another time."
Another time?
I couldn't think straight.
He ran his hand roughly through his hair. His breathing seemed irregular and shallow. "I'm sorry. I don't want you to do anything you're uncomfortable with. Besides, that's impossible. It happened years ago."
"What are you talking about Liam? What's impossible?"
"Nothing."
"Everything's always nothing with you, do you realize that?"
He shrugged and the corner of his mouth twitched. "I'm sorry. This is why I don't usually talk to people. Things get confusing."
"What do you mean you don't talk to people? Why are you talking to me?"
He cleared his throat and looked down at his sneaker as it fiddled with the dirt. "You seem different. I had to find out."
Different? "How? And find out what?"
He smiled and my cheeks felt hot.
"You're cute when you blush."
"I'm not blushing and you're evading my questions." I sat back on the log and wrapped the coat around my shoulders. "Why are you so interested in me? Why were your friends here? What do you want from me, Liam, if that's even your real name?"
The grin on his face widened. I tried not to look. "First of all, you're adorable." I shot him a glare and he chuckled with a little shrug. "Secondly, something about you seems very...familiar."
The choice of words made my stomach flip. My eyes stung. "You know what? I don't even know why I'm talking with you." I got up and then started towards the tent.
"Hey, I'm sorry. Charlotte, what's wrong?"
I paused. "It's nothing. I'm fine. I'm going to bed. You can leave now."
"Charlotte..."
"Please." I couldn't look at him.
"What'd I say?"
I sighed a shaky breath and shook my head. "It's nothing. I'm going to bed. Night, Liam."
"Charlotte Patterson, have you been paying attention?"
I couldn't think. Snickers erupted around me and the back of my neck felt hot. Someone in the front row said something, temporarily catching the teacher's attention.
A small ripped piece of paper landed on my desk with the answer written in pink ink. I turned around to see who had sent it. A short, curly blond girl waved her pen at me.
"Thank you," I mouthed.
My hand clamped down on the paper just as the teacher glanced back. "The Gettysburg Address," I said, answering his hanging question.
His brows narrowed and I forced a poker face. He grunted and walked back to the front of the class. I sighed and stuck the note in the pocket of Liam's jacket. I still wore it. The warm musky scent felt like home.
The bell rang. I dumped my book into my backpack and took off into the crowd of students.
I scanned the halls for Liam. Not a sign of him anywhere. Maybe he didn't go to school here. I hadn't seen him since the night at the campground.
"Hey, Charlotte, wait up."
I took a chance and stopped amongst the swarm of oncoming teenage traffic. The corner of someone's plastic folder nearly took off my ear, but I wanted to find the voice.
"Over here." The tiny blonde from class waved. Why couldn't it be Liam?
Seriously. I had issues.
"Wait there," she said.
I couldn't have gotten to her if I tried.
"Hey," she said again, once the current brought her closer. We both followed the other students down the hall. "I'm Ty. Well, Taylor Jacobs to be exact. But I prefer, Ty."
I couldn't help but smile at her perkiness, and she did save me from the clutches of Mr. Castrow. "Hey. Thanks for helping me back there."
"No problem. You're the new girl, right?" She laughed and rolled her eyes. "Of course, you are. Glad to have you on board. This school so needs more interesting people."
"I'm not that interesting."
"That's where you're wrong Charlotte. Everyone around here's so into fitting in and who's on the cool list. It's plain tiring. You're the first person I've met who seriously doesn't seem to care." She motioned her head to the oversized bunchy jacket of Liam's that hung to my knees.
"Ah, thanks, I think?" I didn't exactly know what to say.
Ty laughed, nudging me in the shoulder. "See? Don't worry, that's a good thing. So what class do you have next?"
"Oh, um." I fumbled with my backpack and pulled out my schedule. Three days here and I still didn't have the thing memorized. "Chemistry with Mr. Phelps. Sounds thrilling. You?"
"Sweet. Me too." You would have thought she'd won the lottery. I chuckled.
I didn't have a clue what Mr. Phelps said during the lesson. I spent the entire class texting back and forth with Ty. The class bell rang and I eagerly looked forward to lunch. "Ready to eat?"
"Oh, no." Ty pouted. "I've got the second lunch session. I have math next."
Just my luck, what might have been a fun time with a new friend, now had become an impending claustrophobic moment of doom; lunch, when everyone enjoyed mocking those who didn't have someone to sit with. Oh well. After three days, I was used to it.
With my head down, I crossed to the lunch line. I could feel eyes on my back and could have sworn people were whispering about me. I shrugged it off as nerves, remembering. I'd thought wolves followed me too. I grabbed a sandwich and juice, then shoved them on my tray. The quicker I could get this done, the better.
An empty table stood on the left side of the cafeteria. Head held low, I darted towards my target. When I dropped my tray on the table, I almost lost my drink.
I sat down, took a bite of my egg salad sandwich, and realized I had forgotten napkins. I could never manage to eat anything messy without half of it landing in my lap. I went to get some.
I grabbed a fistful and headed back across the cafeteria to my table. I stopped short. An overwhelming scent of rich pine hit my nose. Liam sat at my table, along with four other teenaged boys I had never seen before. They stared at me as if in shock...all of them except, Liam.
He wore a smile that literally touched his ears. He looked amazing. The thin material of his black t-shirt fell over his square shoulders, revealing the faint line of well-defined pecks underneath. My heart felt like it stopped and restarted again.
No. No. Not amazing. What is he doing here?
He leaned on the table, his disheveled ash blond hair catching whispers of sunlight that washed in from a small skylight overhead giving it and his light bronze skin a faint illuminating glow. I swallowed hard.
"We thought we'd join you," Liam said, smiling.
My focus flicked to the others sitting with him. Two tall lanky teenagers with matching sunburned complexions and raven dark hair sat bookending Liam and a much younger scrawny guy with a beat up grey hoody. He couldn't have been more than fifteen and reminded me of a group from my old school who thought World of Warcraft was a religion. A large blond jock type sat in the middle, starring.
I shifted my feet and tried to think rationally.
"What are you doing here?" I asked Liam.
"Eating," he said.
I scanned the table. Nothing.
"Where's your food?"
Liam's face lit up.
"Stop looking at me like that." I kneaded my hands to take my attention off him, feigning casual. I wouldn't let him know how jumpy he made me and prayed he couldn't tell my face warmed.
"Like what?" he said, grinning. "Nice jacket."
My stomach flipped and I became grossly aware of the long thick leather sleeves covering my hands. I tucked my arms around my chest. "I was cold. It's drafty in here. Besides, it's your fault for giving it to me."
Liam chuckled.
"So does this mean you guys are going steady now?" the left bookend asked.
"Yeah, are you his girlfriend?" The opposite sunburned twin asked. "Cause if not, my schedule might be open."
The left bookend snorted a laugh. "You wish."
My mind went blank with embarrassment. I didn't have words.
"Shut up, you guys," Liam said. "I knew I shouldn't have brought you."
"Wow, Liam," the large Jock said, shaking me from my numbed state. "You weren't kidding. She does smell like a bitch."
My mouth dropped open.
Liam jumped to his feet and I cringed, hearing the impact of bone on bone as he caught the Jock square in the jaw with his fist. The guy toppled to the floor. People from the neighboring tables began to chant. "Fight, fight."
The world moved in slow motion as the administrator on duty ran over.
"There will be no fighting here," he said. His voice snapped like a brittle stick covered in ice, the man's glare not any warmer.
"We're not fighting." Liam offered the guy he punched a hand. He pulled him to his feet.
The Jock dusted off his jeans and smiled. He didn't seem fazed or hurt in the slightest.
"Nope," the Jock said. He gave Liam a playful punch in the shoulder. "No fighting here. Might want to check out that table over there." He cocked his head to the side as he pointed to a table full of Barbie wannabes. They glared back at him. "If you could just hear what those girls are talking about." The guy shook his head, chuckled, and sat back down next to Liam.
The administrator's expression shot daggers, but he turned and left.
"Sorry about the comment," the Jock said. "That truly wasn't an insult. But that is." He nudged the small younger guy that I had labeled a 'gamer' to his right.
"What? I'm starving," he said, through his hefty bite of roast beef on rye.
The Jock huffed. "When'd you get a sandwich?"
"When we first came in. This is a cafeteria, stupid."
"Give me that thing." The Jock grabbed for the sandwich, nearly shoving the poor little guy off the table.
"No, it's mine." The boy held it as far from the Jock as possible. Sunburned twin on the end right, leaned in, and took half the sandwich off in one big chomp.
"Not bad," he said with a laugh.
"Hey, give me that."
"That's it," Liam said. He reached across the Jock's lap, snatching up the sandwich from the mass of grabbing hands. "Forget about the stinking sandwich." He motioned his head in my direction. "We're not here to eat."
Liam sat and then took the last bite of the sandwich with a smirk. He quickly chewed, then swallowed. "Charlotte, I'd like you to meet my...friends."
I gave a weak smile, not knowing what to think.
"This idiot here," he said, playfully punching the Jock in the shoulder, "is Byron."
"Flynt," Sunburned right end said with a nod. The motion made the light catch a long scar tracing the bone of his cheek up to his ear, where it disappeared into his dark hairline. I wondered what happened.
"Eldridge and Flynt," Liam said, pointing to the other guy at the opposite end of the table, "are twins. And our sandwich thief, is Steve."
"Hey," Steve said with a small wave.
"How come he gets saddled with the ordinary name?"
Of all things, I ask that. I needed some serious help. I didn't even know these guys, not to mention they screamed suspicious...and obnoxious. Were these the friends Liam said had been prowling around my campsite? If so, what had they been doing in the woods at three in the morning? What did they find so interesting about me? I didn't like this.
Byron laughed. "I like this girl, Liam."
Liam made a motion as if he kicked Byron from under the table. Byron's expression grew serious.
"He's the youngest," Liam answered.
"Oh," I said, nodding. It took me a moment to realize that didn't make sense, but under the circumstances, I didn't care. More important things took my attention, like what they really wanted with me. "What are you doing here? This is the first time I've seen you at school."
Liam leaned across the table towards me with a grin. "You were looking for me?"
"What? No. That's not what I meant." I stumbled over my words like an idiot. My cheeks burned. Forget interrogating. I wanted to leave.
I still had a large wad of napkins clenched in my hand and I used them as an excuse to stand up. The entire group rose with me.
"Where're you going?" Liam asked. "I didn't mean anything by that."
"I'm... just going to throw away my...napkins?" I showed them my handful.
"I'll take care of that," Byron said. He nabbed the napkins from me and shoved them in his mouth. My eyes went wide; he couldn't even close his mouth all the way.
"What do you think you're doing?" Liam asked.
"Helping," Byron said through a grinning mouth full of paper.
"What are you an idiot?" Liam laughed and shoved him away from the table. "Get out of here you goof. Go throw those away already."
The others chuckled and we all sat back down. "Moron," Steve tossed. Byron walked off apparently proud of the comments. The guy was nuts, but I did have a smile on my face.
I swiped it away when I felt Liam watching me.
"What's the matter?" he asked.
Did he have to talk to me? He made it very difficult to stay focused. I had to remain in control. He screamed suspicious and abnormal. I didn't trust him. Liam cocked his head to the side and my body tightened when I saw his hand slowly edge its way across the table towards mine. I couldn't breathe. My mind fought against my body, demanding for me to move my hand, but I didn't. The world shifted into slow motion. His fingers slid closer and closer, pulling on me with an invisible thread. I tried to swallow, but I couldn't even get that to work right.
"Can I help you boys?" a man's voice said.
Oh, thank God.
I retracted my hand.
The principle, Mr. Vela, loomed over us. Next to him stood the tall skinny administrator from earlier.
"We're fine," Flynt said.
The principal's face darkened. "Don't be fresh with me young man. This is a high school, not a public park. Move it. All of you."
Confused, I turned to Liam. "What's he talking about?"
Byron made an appearance, standing beside Liam with a shrug. "Probably something to do with the fact that we don't go to school here."
"Do you ever shut up?" Liam shoved the big guy into Steve.
"Ow." Steve whined. He pushed Byron back into Liam. The little guy's strength surprised me.
"That's enough." Mr. Vela grabbed Byron's shoulder in an attempt to break up the squabble, when a low snarl snapped from Byron's throat. My body flushed cold. His upper lip curled over his teeth as he whipped his head towards Mr. Vela. The principle stumbled back, catching himself on the table behind him. Liam stood up and caught Byron's jaw in his hand, turning his head away from the principal. I almost fell out of my seat when I realized why. Byron's eyes blazed liquid gold.
My throat felt strangled and goose bumps erupted across my back. I couldn't move. Had the principle seen? Had anyone else heard? I felt dizzy as if half in a dream.
"Sorry," Byron whispered to me. His voice sounded hoarse and his entire upper torso shook.
"Get out of here. Just leave," Mr. Vela said. A light sheen of sweat traced his brow. He looked sick and unsteady. He had seen. I wasn't crazy. The rest of the cafeteria appeared curious, but unaware.
"It's all right," Liam said. "We're leaving."
Flynt, Eldridge, and Steve stood up. Liam hid Byron's face from the cafeteria crowd, hugging him to his chest.
"I'm sorry," Liam whispered back to me. "Maybe this was a bad idea." His sad gaze held mine for a moment, and then he turned and left.
"So, are you going to tell me what happened at lunch today?" A smile spread across Ty's face and I nearly dropped the tub of mint chocolate chip ice cream on my kitchen floor. Ty and I had met up after school. Since neither of us had plans, I invited her back to my house. She giggled, making the small leaf shaped locket she wore around her neck jingle softly against the chain. "And you thought you weren't interesting." She placed two small glass bowls with sparrows etched on them down on the counter. "You are so going to spill. So come on. Who were those dark and mysterious men?"
"They weren't that dark and mysterious." I placed the tub of ice cream down next to her and sat down on one of the hard wooden kitchen stools surrounding the island, trying to remain expressionless.
Ty's face told me I failed. "Uh, huh," she said. "This is even more interesting than I thought."
"I don't know what you're talking about." I decided to play dumb, filling my mouth with an oversized glop of mint chocolate chip. The cold stung my forehead making me wince.
Ty leaned across the counter. "So, which one is it?"
"Which one is what?"
I swallowed my bite down with a little effort.
"Which one's got the hots for ya?"
She didn't just say that.
"Just because Liam's been kind of following me doesn't mean he has the 'hots' for me, Ty. In fact, I think that categorizes him more as a stalker."
"Uh huh." She nodded with a strange expression that seemed part surprise, almost as if the name stirred some kind of recollection, and part impermeable curiosity. "So Mr. Mysterious has a name does he?"
Oops.
I watched her face become an unreadable slate. "Do you know him?" I asked.
She shook her head, making her short blond curls bounce. "Nope, but I want details. This is the most intriguing thing to happen in my small town life since I won the 4-H livestock photo contest in the third grade." I didn't know what to say. "Joking, Charlotte." She laughed.
"Aren't you going to eat your ice cream?"
"You are so not getting out of this one, girl."
"You're evil." I mock scowled and shook my head.
"Fine. Look. I'm eating." Ty held up her spoon with a nod as if to say 'see', and then took a bite. "Now who's Liam?"
My cheeks burned. "I don't know." I shifted in my seat. "He's just this guy I met at McGulliger's Campground just outside of town a few days ago. His friends were rummaging through our campsite at night and he made them leave." My brows twisted. That whole scene still didn't make sense.
"Wow," Ty said. "Handsome, mysterious, and saves the day. No wonder you've got the hots for him."
"What?" My spoon clanged into the tiny glass bowl. "I do not have the hots for him. I don't even know him, and who goes sneaking into people's schools and follows them around campgrounds at night anyway? The guy's got serious issues. Not to mention the fact, that if you say, 'hots' one more time I'm going to strangle you."
Ty shook her head, laughing. "Wow, you really are smitten."
I groaned and flopped my head down on the counter. "Okay, he's kind of cute." I couldn't look up. I could hear her giggling.
"You act like this is a bad thing, Charlotte."
"You don't understand. He doesn't make sense. He avoids questions, sneaks around following me, and don't even get me started on his weird eyes."
...and his smell.
"Weird eyes?" Ty asked, taking a bite of her ice cream.
I sat up and held my head in my hands. "I swear they turn different colors according to his mood, or something. I don't know. But I've seen them change twice now when he's gotten really...intense."
Ty's laugh fizzled. "Wait. Let me get this straight. They turn different colors? You mean like how hazel sometimes looks blue and other time's green?"
"No. I mean they are normally green and then become this really creepy gold color. They look animalistic." I shuttered and in my mind I was five again, hearing the wolves moving in the distance. I quickly pushed it away.
"Are you sure he doesn't wear contacts or something?"
"No." I forced myself to stay in the present. "It happened right in front of me. His friend's did too. That's why they had to leave the cafeteria. Well that, and they got found, so to speak. But Byron, his friend, looked right at me, and his did the same thing. Liam told me in the woods that the moonlight reflected off of them. That's what made them look different. But there is definitely no moonlight in the cafeteria."
Ty chewed her bottom lip as she processed what I said. She seemed to believe me. She hadn't bolted for the nearest exit, but she did seem nervous. Her hands fiddled with her spoon. I didn't want her afraid, but it felt good to tell someone. An uncomfortable silence wafted between us, until we simultaneously took a bite of our ice cream, swallowing hard.
"That's not it either," I said, surprising myself at my eagerness to go on. "He acts strange too. His body language is different. It's hard to explain, but when he first met me in the woods, he kept circling me and sniffing me like an animal."
He smelled like one too.
I shook off the thought.
Ty's fingers found her small locket, rubbing it between her index finger and thumb. "But he didn't do anything to hurt you, right?" Ty asked. "Didn't you say he helped you?"
"Yeah, I guess he did. More than once actually." I had to admit, it did seem like he cared. He didn't want his friend talking badly about me either. I laughed inwardly; as if that excused his cryptic behavior.
"Really?"
"Look Ty. Okay. I'll admit he's attractive."
"Attractive?" Ty asked with a grin.
I glowered. "But seriously, there's something not right about him. He's too secretive, even if he does have a knack for showing up at the right time to save the day."
Which is a little suspicious.
A trickle of goose bumps ran down the back of my neck and every tiny hair on my body stood. "Ty. Do you feel something?" A light sound found my ears, soft, still in the distance. "Do you hear that?"
Ty leaned on her elbow as she tried to listen. I thought for a moment she might have, but she shook her head. "I don't hear anything. Why? What'd you hear?"
I paused, straining my senses. It stopped, but the icy trail across my back hadn't left. "I know this sounds crazy, but I thought I heard...howling. You know, like wolves."
Ty's left eyebrow lifted precariously. "It can't be wolves. We're too far east for wolves." It looked like she wanted to add something, but she stopped. "Wait. I do hear something."
The howling returned, getting closer.
"When does your dad get home?"
I had to agree, this was getting creepy. The late afternoon sun had died down, covering my kitchen in a cascade of dull winding shadows. "Not until late. He's on call at the hospital tonight."
Ty forced a laugh, waving her hand as if that would push her fear away. "What are we doing Charlotte?" She laughed again, this one more convincing. "We're getting ourselves all worked up over nothing. So Liam and his friends are a little different." She shrugged and turned towards the large glass doors in the back of the open kitchen-living room. The sounds continued to get closer. "It's just some stray dogs. We're in the house, Charlotte."
Yeah, just dogs. Little did Ty know, that's what scared me. I wouldn't go back there. I wouldn't tell her about the haunting visions that followed me ever since...I stopped. They couldn't get us anyway.
"You're right. We're just being silly," I said.
The doorbell rang and both of us jumped. The prickling sensation on the back of my neck made me shutter and I slowly willed myself to stand up off my stool.
"Are you expecting someone? It's after dark."
I shook my head. "I have no idea who this could be."
"Maybe you shouldn't get it. You know, just pretend no one's home."
I nodded, when the doorbell rang again. "You know, I don't hear the dogs anymore. Maybe I'll just take a peek. I won't open it."
Ty gave me a face that clearly said I'd gone insane. I agreed with her, yet I found myself cautiously walking to the front door. Every floor board seemed to creep under my feet and my pulse slammed in my ears. Reaching up on my toes, I strained my neck to peer through the small peek hole high up in the large wooden door.
When my vision focused, my entire body went numb. I gasped, dropping my gaze. I couldn't believe it.
"Who is it?" Ty shout whispered from the kitchen. Apparently she was too afraid to move from the protection of her stool.
I couldn't find the breath I needed to say it. I had to be hallucinating. Maybe the milk in the ice cream had gone bad.
"Charlotte?" a voice said through the door.
My nerves went haywire.
"Who is it? What's wrong?" Ty whispered, still unmoving from her safety zone.
I swallowed hard and forced it out. "It's Liam."
Ty's features fell, reflecting the horrified shock I felt inside. She scrambled to my side, looking a little pale. "What?" She pointed to the door. "Are you sure?"
I nodded. "What should I do?"
Liam chuckled on the other side of the door. I quickly shook off the thought. No one could have heard us whispering through several inches of thick oak. Could they?
"I don't know," Ty whispered back. "Get the door."
"Have you lost it? How does he even know that I live here? I told you, total stalker."
"You didn't give him your address?"
"No."
"Well, you've got to do something. He's at the door."
"I know!"
It felt like I couldn't breathe. My mind blurred.
"Charlotte," Liam's said. "We know you guys are in there. We just want to talk, you know, about today. We feel really bad."
"How does he know we're in here?" I looked to Ty who appeared just as surprised to hear him calling through the door as I did. She shrugged, her face showing up blank.
"Maybe he saw us come in?"
"That was over an hour ago." I paused for a moment, realizing something else. "Did he say we?"
"I think so."
I stood up on my toes and braved another look through the peek hole, but Liam looked right back at me with that infuriating smile. I shot back down.
"What it is?" Ty asked.
"Nothing." I placed my head in my hands. "Do you think I should get the door?"
Ty shrugged with a look of resolve. "You have to now. He knows we're here."
I took a deep breath, exhaling slowly, and turned back to the door. With my face a twisted mass of lines, I fastened the chain, and unlocked the main part of door. It opened with a whine and snagged against the metal fastener. I tried not to look at Liam, but I failed miserably.
"Hi Charlotte," he said with a crooked grin. His green eyes danced down at me from under his ashen hair. My heart quickened and I furiously fought with my body temperature. I prayed he didn't notice, but from the look on his face, he knew exactly what he was doing.
Dark shapes moved behind him on the dimly lit lawn only illuminated by the singular low volt bulb Dad installed on the front porch. I strained to see them. Byron waved. I could guess the others.
Fantastic.
"What are you doing here, Liam?"
I held my arms with a vice-like grip around my chest. Liam chuckled.
"I'm glad you find this so hilarious, Liam. Why are you here? How do you even know where I live?"
This seemed to catch the attention of the other guys, for they stopped goofing around and wrestling in the dark. My poise didn't falter.
Liam leaned in closer to the small gap between the chained lock, blocking out my view of the others in the background. I wanted to move, but I refused. I would not give him the gratification of thinking his proximity affected me.
"You're kidding, right?" he asked, smiling down at me despite my efforts to inflict some sense of warning into him. How could he be so calm?
It was annoying.
"I mean your dad is the new town doctor, Charlotte. It's a small population. Everyone knows where you live."
I turned to Ty for backup, who failed me by returning an 'it's kind of true' shrug. Groaning, I focused back on Liam. "It still doesn't explain why you're here and why you snuck into the cafeteria today. You're following me, aren't you?"
Liam's eyebrows pinched into a twisted 'V'. He mumbled, "Maybe."
"What?" I took a step back, my temper flickering at the surface. "You are unbelievable! You can't just go trailing people around like some stray dog, Liam."
"Why not?" He chuckled. How he found humor in this was beyond me. I clenched my fists.
"Because that's stalking." I tried to shut the door, but he stuck his arm in the way. "Move, Liam."
"But we just got here."
"I don't care."
I grabbed his wrist in an attempt to move it from the crack, when a wave of electricity shot up my arm and a brush of musky scent lifted to my nose making me dizzy. A falling sensation surrounded me and it felt like something deep inside me grappled to Liam for life. To my surprise, Liam's face had gone flush. The cocky smugness had vanished and his lips parted as he audibly inhaled. His head flopped back against the door jam.
"Liam?" I whispered.
He tilted his chin down at me and his irises began to dilate. I dropped his arm and stepped back, almost tripping over Ty. "What are you?"
Had Ty seen it? I needed proof that I wasn't going insane.
"I just want to be near you, Charlotte," Liam said, voice low. "I can't explain it. I know you feel it too. Please let me talk to you. I just want to talk to you."
"And you do this by stalking me?" And how'd we get off the eye thing? I was clearly rattled.
"I'm sorry. I don't know how else to see you. I don't go to school with you. Tell me what to do. I don't want you to be afraid of me. Please, I'd never hurt you. I just want to know you."
"How do I know this isn't some ploy?" Am I actually contemplating this? "I don't know anything about you, Liam."
Understatement of the year.
The gold flecks that had been melting into his irises faded back to normal. A warmth surrounded him, as if the electricity I had felt still burned low under the surface of his skin. Part of me wanted to test it, to touch him. I furiously dissolved the thought.
"Charlotte," he whispered, still leaning his head against the door. "I've ran into you twice alone at night, not to mention in the thick of the woods. Don't you think if I was going to do something, I'd have done it then?"
He had a point.
I needed to think rationally. I had seen things I couldn't explain, things that terrified me, yet I couldn't deny a pull to him. The scent of his warm skin felt so comforting and familiar. Part of me wanted to melt into it. It didn't make sense. "Why are you so interested in me? You don't even know me?"
His head brushed across the doorframe until his breath ignited my cheek on fire. I couldn't move. As angry as it made me, I didn't want to.
"I know," he whispered. "But I want to change that."
Where'd everyone else go? Ty?
He brushed the tips of his fingers down my cheek and closed his eyes. I knew then that I had lost it. Everything in me wanted to touch him. I should have shut the door. I should have done a lot of things, but instead, I unfastened the chain, and let it swing wide.
What was I thinking?
Letting Liam in, signaled an open invitation to his entire crew. They didn't even bother waiting for us to move out of the way. I stood, flabbergasted as they pushed past Liam and me into the front hall, and then down into the kitchen. At least their rude manners knocked me temporarily out of my trance with Liam.
Byron and Steve had made themselves at home, perched on the kitchen counter. They fiddled with Dad's little bird carvings that lined the sink, while the twins disappeared into the house. For all I knew, they had planned to rob the joint.
Steve picked up a pair of binoculars Dad dumped by the flour jar and peered through. "I see you." He chuckled, aiming them at his friend.
"Give me those." I stomped over, swiping them from Steve. "Those are my Dad's."
"What's with all the bird stuff?" Byron asked, as he shook a wooden house finch as if it might release salt.
My cheeks burned, which almost annoyed me more then them being there. I didn't want to care what they thought, but I had to admit, the bird thing embarrassed me a little. "My Dad likes birds, okay? It's his hobby. It's none of your business. Just leave his stuff alone."
"Fine, fine," Byron said, putting it down.
"Alright guys. We're not here to trash Charlotte's house. Don't touch her things." The sound of Liam's voice beside me almost sent me back into that swirling state where everything but him disappeared, but I grounded myself, and focused on the others.
Eldridge immerged from somewhere in the back of the house and plopped himself down on the couch in the connecting open living room. He fumbled with the remote until he flicked the TV on and found a sports channel. Flynt still remained MIA, until his head arose from behind the door of the fridge.
"Anyone want something to eat?"
"What? No. What are you doing?" I said.
Flynt tossed some lunchmeat and a liter of soda across the kitchen to where his twin sat perched on my parent's russet and cream couch. It had been pretty at my old house, but now it clashed terribly against the bright 70's style wallpaper adorning the room. I assumed when Mom got out here, she'd take it down. I hoped. Somehow Eldridge caught the food before it went crashing through the large paned window behind him.
"I said to leave her stuff alone." Liam brushed passed me to the living room, retrieved the food, and then put it on the counter in front of me. "Sorry. They're good guys, just as little rough around the edges."
You don't say.
I began to feel ill. What had I gotten myself into?
"Speak for yourself, Liam," Byron said from where he sat on the kitchen counter. Steve smiled as he swung his legs from the ledge.
"Shut up," Liam said with a grin. He shook his head and then lowered his chin, flicking his eyes up to stare the two guys down. Steve and Byron chuckled and I thought I saw light flicker behind their gazes. Both leaned forward from where they sat on the counter, their hands fisting the smooth granite edge.
A low reverberating sound, startlingly similar to one I heard come from Byron earlier in the cafeteria, rumbled from deep in Liam's chest. I jumped, stumbling back, when Ty scooted her tiny frame through the small opening between Liam and me.
"Dishes," she said, before I could even get my thoughts together. Had she heard that? She loudly collected the small glass bowls with the globs of melted ice cream in them and placed them in the sink. It didn't appear so. Had I imagined it? No. Not twice. I couldn't have. Could I? "Anything else you want washed, Charlotte?"
"Um...no, thanks. I'm good," I said as if speaking through milk.
Byron handed her two spoons sitting next to him. "Thanks." She gave him a sunny smile.
"No problem."
Eldridge stole my attention from Ty and Byron when he called from the other room. "Who wants to order a pizza?" His attention remained fastened to the television, completely oblivious to anything going on in the kitchen. He reminded me of Dad when he watched a game. An explosion could go off and he wouldn't hear it.
"No pizza. You're not staying here. This is not some kind of party. Besides, I don't think they deliver this far out." Maybe living in the middle of nowhere did have its perks. My anxiety level had reached an all-time high. If Dad found out I had boys here, I'd be grounded for a month.
"Ah, come on," Steve said. "I'm starving. We're starving, aren't we Byron?" He elbowed the big guy in the ribs. Byron didn't respond. "Byron?" Steve turned to his friend. "Are you washing dishes?"
"Leave me alone."
"I'll go in on a pizza," Flynt said with a grin.
"Did anybody hear me? No," I said. "No pizza. Liam, tell them no pizza. You guys are just stopping in. You can't stay here."
"You heard Charlotte," Liam said. He stepped towards the counter, but as he did, the edge of his shoulder brushed up against my arm making my breath catch. Glancing down, I saw his fingers reach for my hand.
Focus. Focus. The guy just growled!
His fingers slipped between mine and he squeezed them gently. Despite my protests, my arm felt on fire.
He paused before taking another step. He squeezed his eyes shut and his facial muscles twisted as he appeared to struggle with something. I could feel a low tremor in his fingertips.
"Liam?" I asked. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," he said too quickly for me to believe. His fingers stilled inside mine and his composure softened. "No pizza," he said to the others and gave me a wink. "What is it with your stomachs anyway? Is that all you guys think about?"
"Pretty much," Steve said, stretching his arms over his head. "You don't think this buff physique comes from nothing do ya?"
"Dude, all the protein in the world won't help you there," Flynt said with a laugh. He flicked Steve with his fingers as he walked by to join his brother in the living room.
"Ow." Steve whined, rubbing his arm.
"So do you like it here?" Liam asked, ignoring them.
"What? I mean, here?" I jumbled my words like an idiot.
Really cool.
I chalked it up to so much going on at once.
"It's okay," I said, pleased that my words came out coherently. "Maplefield's nice. I definitely have met some interesting people here."
Liam led me out past the kitchen area into the living room. "Nice house," he said with an approving nod.
I shrugged. "It's a little big. You know, for three people. My mom's coming out here in about a month. My Dad got the job at the hospital, but she has to finish up a contract..." Liam started for the dinning room and I tugged him back by his hand. "Don't go in there. It's messy. Trust me. You really don't want to see that. We did just move here. Remember?"
I shouldn't have said anything. A mischievous grin rose across his face and he started to tug me towards the door.
"Ooh, let's see what we've got in here."
I tried to protest, pulling back on his arm. "Liam, no. I mean it."
"Oh, yeah?" The grin grew and I forced my best scowl.
"I swear, Liam. This is my house with my rules. You are not going in there."
I pushed all my weight onto the back of my legs and leaned in the opposite direction, but it was no use. He easily dragged me lightly by my arm.
"Not alone. No. You're coming with me," he said.
He tickled me under my arm, making me drop to the floor.
"No. You can't make me."
His fingers moved across my ribs, making me laugh despite myself. Knowing the others watched embarrassed me. Gritting my teeth, I pushed through the onslaught of tickles, and scrambled away.
I stood up and crossed my arms around my chest. "I am not moving one more inch. You can't make me."
"Oh, yeah?"
"Why? What are you going to do?"
I should have known better.
I screamed as Liam grabbed me, lifting me up over his shoulder. "Put me down. I swear, I'm going to kill you."
Everyone stared, but Liam quickly twirled me around and opened up the sliding door to the dining room. Once inside, he kicked it closed. "Wow, you weren't kidding. This place is a mess."
"I told you." I groaned. "Can I get down now?"
"I don't know," he said, pausing as if he actually had to consider this. "I kind of like you up here."
"Liam!"
He chuckled and then carefully placed me down on top of a large moving box.
"I can't believe you just did that," I said. My temper flickered.
Liam ignored my comment. "You guys have a lot of unpacking to do."
Heaps of various boxes and furniture lay haphazardly around the room. Some half opened, some not. Clothes littered the dining room table, the only thing resembling the actual use of the room. A good thirty or so books had fallen out of the container they had come in, the beige rug now littered with a thin line of dust and pages.
"You don't say." I groaned and rolled my eyes. "It's not like my dad's the quickest unpacker and I do have school. Honestly, I'm surprised we pulled off a decent kitchen this soon." I didn't add the fact that the kitchen had been my doing. I just couldn't stand searching for dishes to eat off of out the dirty boxes.
"Are these pictures?" Liam picked up an old photo album off the floor. My face went hot. A room heaped in a mess of everything known to mankind and he finds that. Go figure.
"Give me that." I grabbed the large leather book from him.
"Oh, come on. I want to see."
I stood on the box, holding the album away as I stared back at him. A wisp of his musky scent filled my nose and a strange urge to run my fingers through his hair engulfed me. I inwardly screamed.
"I told you I wanted to get to know you."
"Yeah, you did." I gave up and joined him, sitting down on the edge of the box. "Go ahead," I said, handing over the album.
He hesitated and I nodded for him to go on. "Oh god," I said, my hand clamping down over the picture the moment Liam opened the thick leather cover. "I forgot this was in here. This is so embarrassing."
Liam chuckled and removed my hand to reveal a picture of a six year old me singing show tunes in a hot pink tutu. I buried my face in my arm. My cheeks probably matched the color of the ridiculous outfit.
"You like to sing?"
"Kind of," I said, guarded.
"Do you still sing? What kind of songs do you sing?"
"I do." I shrugged, half waiting for him to make fun of me, but he didn't. "At my last school I was in the choir. Now I just mostly sing in the shower." He didn't laugh and I nudged him in the shoulder. "That was a joke, Liam."
"You should join the choir at your new school if it's something you like doing."
"I don't know. We'll see."
"Why do you say that?"
I looked at him, wondering his intentions. "You ask a lot of questions."
"Why are you so guarded all the time?"
His question caught me by surprise. It burned. The wall I didn't know existed suddenly teetered and I felt disoriented. My pulse sped up. "I don't know. A lot of things make me nervous. I don't know you. I'd rather just stick to myself, although Ty's cool. No one..." I stopped myself.
"No one what?"
My fingers trembled and I tucked them between my legs. I wanted to scream it, to let him know that I'm being followed, but fear over-road that. It always did, and even though I sat with him so close, I felt alone. No one understood. After the attack, when I first saw them on the edge of the woods, watching me, I would tell my parents. That had gotten me a year of therapy for posttraumatic stress and pills that made me feel half unconscious. I never spoke of it again.
I shook my head. "It's nothing."
"Charlotte, if it's something that bothers you, it's not nothing."
The depth of the conversation made me uncomfortable. The tone of his voice and demeanor, so empathic, tore at my defenses. I hadn't seen this side of him before. He tilted his head to the side as if trying to read me. Funny how that little behavior bothered me in the woods, but it didn't now.
"People don't understand me. I feel different."
He regarded me for a moment and then spoke. "I think I know something about that." He glanced down at his faded jeans and shrugged.
"What do you mean?" His openness, even more disarming then his concern, made my chest tighten. "But you have all those guys in there you hang out with."
His gaze, taut with sincerity, met mine. "I mean other people. That's why we stick together. We're different."
I swallowed hard. "I know," I whispered. The words barely made it past my lips.
Liam's eyes grew wide and his shoulders and arms started to tremble. "How do you know?"
My pulse quickened, but I didn't move. "I can feel it. I don't know what it is about you and your friends, but I can feel it."
Liam slowly tilted his head the other way. He leaned in closer to me and openly inhaled the air around me. His lips parted as a small sigh escaped. I froze to the box. If someone pushed me, I probably would have cracked into a thousand pieces. "You smell so good. The pheromones on you...it doesn't make sense."
Pheromones?
"Who you are?" I asked, my voice barely audible as he continued to lean closer to my neck, smelling me. "What you are?"
He pulled back just enough to speak. "I can't."
"Why?"
"I'm sorry," he whispered. The scent rising from his skin intoxicated my senses and I almost wanted to do the same thing he had just been doing. "I shouldn't be here. I usually have this rule about mingling with...people. I don't know what I'm doing."
"What are you talking about, Liam?" His words made me nervous, but every pore on my body tingled with excitement. His proximity stirred something inside me, something dormant, and very much alive. Flashes of woods snapped by my line of vision, along with the crackle of the rhythmic soft thump of a paws on the fallen leaves. The breath of a wolf pumped onto my tender skin through his sharp teeth as he closed in around me. The others followed after.
I trembled and blinked, bringing reality back to my senses, Liam the only one here.
"There's something about you, Charlotte." His voice lowered with a rough hoarseness. I couldn't seem to breathe as he brushed his cheek gently against mine. I shivered.
"There's something about you too."
Liam shook, as he settled his forehead softly against mine, and closed his eyes. His warm breath on my face too familiar. "No, I mean, you are right. There really is something about you...something different."
I tried to speak, but he pressed his lips to mine. All the air dissipated from my lungs and I grasped onto his frayed shirt to keep from falling over. Logic and instinct tangled in a roaring battle, but at that moment I didn't care. I returned his kiss with a hunger of my own.
Liam's eyes went wide and they instantly pooled gold. What ever had been dormant inside me unbelievably ignored that little fact. I stood up on the box, pressing for more.
"Charlotte?" Liam groaned, his voice so low it sounded more a growl.
I heard something loud rip by the neckline of my shirt where Liam held me. I pulled back, stunned. Looking down at the small neckline, I gasped. Five long tear marks streaked down the fabric on my shoulder. Ice fell over my body and I looked at Liam, too shocked to be terrified. His irises burned amber and a set of long sharp canine teeth protruded past his lips. I didn't know who looked more horrified. He turned away from me and nearly stumbled over a box. His entire body trembled.
I couldn't speak or move as I stared at his back. That couldn't have been real. Cold, numbness gripped my body. I imagined it. My childhood delusions had finally caught up with me. Maybe I did need medication. I tried to swallow, but I couldn't. Nothing in me worked.
"Liam?" My voice trembled and I realize my hands shook. Protectively, I tucked them around my chest.
He didn't respond. His body had become a statue, facing the back wall. Part of me didn't want to know why. "Liam..." I tried again.
"I'm sorry, Charlotte," he said. The low hoarseness, gone, now replaced with a pinched, painful sound. "I shouldn't have kissed you. It was stupid of me to think I could without change..." Liam stopped mid sentence and turned to me. An audible sigh escaped me and I realized I had been holding my breath. His features were normal. I tried to convince myself I imagined it, but Liam blew that theory when he stepped up next to me and reached for the torn material around my shoulder.
"It...it's okay. I'm not hurt. I'm okay."
Liam's fingers froze on my collar bone and his complexion flushed white. Had I said something wrong? I couldn't fathom what. "What? What'd I do?"
"Is this your scar?"
My hand darted to the spot on my shoulder. "Yes, that's my scar. Why? What's wrong? I told you before. It doesn't hurt. It looks a lot worse than it is."
"I don't believe it." His shook his head back and forth. "It can't be. That's impossible. That's..."
Liam's chest rose and fell in short hard gasps as he backed away from me towards the kitchen door. He looked completely freaked. "Liam? Please, what's wrong?"
"I...I have to go."
I took a step towards him and he nearly burst through the kitchen door to get away from me. Everyone stared, even Ty. Eldridge tore himself from the game and joined Liam's side. It hurt. I didn't know what I did or why he was acting like this. I thought he liked me. We just kissed.
The guys moved to the front door with merely a nod from Liam and hurried outside.
"I'm sorry," he said. He looked hesitant, as if he struggled with something, but the fear I saw in his eyes overpowered it. Before I could stop him, he had turned from me, and disappeared into the night.
Hot damp breath gurgled across my cheek and the grass scratched my skin. I could hear the others. The scampering in the leaves, the rough wisps of panting that grew louder with each step. The one closest to me went first and his jowls ripped my shoulder. My own fear buried my screams as I sealed my eyes shut, waiting for it to be over. The pain made me dizzy. It seemed to last forever.
'Charlotte.'
My lids flew open at the sound of Liam's voice. Had he come to save me? Only the wolf looked back at me, his lips curled in a familiar smirk, but razor sharp canines shown down.
I started to shake. "No, no, no!" I thrashed and scrambled to get up off the cafeteria bench. My tray fell to the floor with a crash and Ty grabbed my arm. The entire room went silent.
"Let go of me!"
"Charlotte, it's Ty. It's okay. Relax."
I froze and the school lunchroom came back into focus. My chest rose and fell erratically and I felt cold drips of sweat run down my back. My lower lip trembled as my eyes misted over. I buried my head in my hands.
Someone else joined us, but I didn't bother to see who. "Take her down to the nurse's office. She may have had a panic attack."
"Yes, Mr. Atterson," Ty said. Her arm circled around me, ushering me to stand. "Come on, Charlotte."
"No. I'm fine. I just..." I rubbed my temples. What happened?
"You're not fine," Ty said, holding my arm fast. "You're coming with me to the health office."
"I've just had a lot on my mind." Ty gave me a look that said, 'argue and die', so I groaned and stood up. "All right, lead the way."
"Think of it this way, we'll get out of Chemistry."
I rolled my eyes.
The class bell rang as we entered the small nurse's room and I took a seat on the hard metal cot. I felt ridiculous, not to mention embarrassed. The nurse did her thing and checked my vitals. Everything turned out normal, but she did allow Ty and me to stay through class. I even convinced her not to call Dad for fear of amplifying the stress.
I lay back on the small bed and turned to Ty. "Am I a freak?"
"What? No. Everyone has a panic attack at least once in her life. It's not a big deal."
I shook my head. "No, I mean with Liam. Am I that much of a freak that even a freak doesn't want me?"
Ty's face fell. "Charlotte..."
"I know. I need to stop thinking about that. Just can't help it. I don't know what I did wrong."
"You didn't do anything wrong."
"Then why'd he leave me? I thought he liked me, Ty. I thought we actually shared something that night. I feel so stupid." Anger burned inside me and my eyes stung. "I never want to see him again."
"You really like him a lot, don't you?"
I didn't answer.
"I'm sorry, Charlotte. I don't know what to say. It's his loss."
"Yeah."
I fiddled with the loose hem of my jeans, trying to convince myself I really felt that way. Liam's words, 'there really is something different about you' hurt more than I wanted to admit. All my life I'd felt left out and alone, like no one understood. Liam, by far the strangest person I ever met, and he proved me right. My head hurt.
"Ty?" I asked, looking up from my jeans. "Did you see anything strange about Liam that night? I mean, besides the whole freaking out and running from the house thing?" My fingers still jittered and I tucked them in my lap.
"Um." Her gaze shifted to the door the nurse left open when she left for lunch. She quickly got up and shut it. "What exactly do you mean by 'strange'?"
"You know," I whispered. "The eyes and my shirt for starters? Did you see my shirt, Ty?"
Her lips tightened into a hard line as if contemplating exactly what to say and she twisted her locket around her thumb. "Okay, I saw the eyes." Her face sallowed. "I'm sorry I didn't say anything earlier, it's just you've been so upset. I just didn't want to make it worse."
I broke into a quick fit of laughter and rubbed my head.
"That bad?"
"Ty, you have no idea how relieved this makes me feel. I've doubted my sanity for weeks. This means I'm okay. I don't need to be shut away in some nut house."
The expression on her face told me she felt the opposite, but I didn't care. I got up and gave her a hug, knocking the locket from her finger. I jumped.
"Ouch. Your necklace shocked me."
She quickly tucked it into her blouse. "Sorry."
"You're the best, Ty." I cleared my throat and stepped back. "So what do you think?"
"About you or the boys?"
"Very funny." I glowered.
Ty laughed and then nodded. "You're right. Majorly freaky."
"And the shirt?"
"Who was I to guess what you guys were up to in there?"
"Ty!" My jaw dropped. "You thought...you thought we were doing something?"
"Weren't you?" She picked up a plastic container labeled band aides, and then put it down.
"We kissed, Ty. That's all. It was just a kiss."
She seemed confused. "Then what happened to your shirt?"
I felt a little nauseous, the sound of the ripping replayed in my memory, and I shivered. Ty's face turned a weird shade of muted green.
"Did he hurt you?"
"It's not what you think."
"Then what is it?"
"He kissed me..."
"Yes?"
She found her locket again.
"Well, it was good, really good. So I started kissing him back." I paused, my focus strangely mesmerized by the way she played with the tiny metal leaf as if it soothed her. Blinking my thoughts clear, I shifted on the cot. "That's when things started getting weird."
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"His irises turned gold. That's when I heard my shirt rip."
"So you think it was an accident? You know, from him pulling away?"
I shook my head. "Well, you may be right about it being an accident, but that wasn't it. He was...changing into something." I didn't want to believe it myself, but I knew what I saw. The images from my panic attack crept into my head and I did everything I could to force them down. I didn't need another episode.
"What do you mean, Charlotte? Changing into what?"
"I don't know." I paused, then decided to just spit it out. "He had grown these sharp canine-like teeth. He spun around really fast so that I couldn't see him, but I saw them."
"Are you messing with me Charlotte?"
"I swear." I could feel my temple pulse. "He also told me that all of them stick together like they do because they're different. Of course you do realize what this means Ty?"
"What?"
I looked straight at her. "All of them can change just like Liam did."
"A pack of sharp tooths?"
"I saw Byron in the cafeteria, Ty. I'm not crazy."
I think.
Her calm reserve surprised me after such news, yet she did seem curious. She probably thought I needed counseling. Everyone always did. "So what do we do now?" she asked, sitting down next to me. "I mean, what are they?"
Flashes of salivating jaws ripping my flesh burned across my mind, but I pushed it out.
"I don't know." I glanced down at my jeans, feeling a little numb. "I guess we do nothing. I mean, they left, remember? I'm too weird even for them." I forced a tight smile and Ty shot me a glare. "Sorry."
Ty sighed. "It's okay. You like him."
"But I shouldn't, not after what he did to me. This whole thing is just insane. I mean, he could be dangerous, Ty."
She placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "Then we stay away from them. They're gone. We move on."
"Right."
If only my feelings believed that.
The nurse walked in, our signal to leave, and the rest of the school day passed like sludge. I watched the gravel under my feet as I walked by the parking lot over to the area where the buses parked. My fingers hung to the straps of my backpack with a death grip, hoping that would keep my thoughts in check. I almost made it all the way to my bus, when a strange rush of goose bumps trickled down my back, making me stop.
The musky scent of pine filled my nose and every nerve in my body came alive. I refused to acknowledge it. I held my breath and started for the bus.
"Charlotte," Liam called.
"Go away," I said, barely loud enough for anyone to hear.
With my heade down, I pushed past several students lagging along the walkway. My fingers painfully dug into my strap. I wouldn't falter, despite the pounding in my ears.
"Charlotte, please?"
He sounded closer. What a surprise. Stalker. I quickened my pace, when he stepped in front of me, making me jump.
"What are you doing, Liam?" I tried to catch my breath. "How did you? You know what? I don't care." I started to walk around him, but he moved in front of me. "Move out of my way, Liam."
"Charlotte, please," he said. "Just give me one minute. We need to talk."
"We did that already. I know where that led me. You made yourself pretty clear."
Liam ran his hand roughly through his ashen hair. "I'm sorry about what happened. It's not what you think."
"How do you know what I think? You didn't stick around long enough to find out."
I saw my words sting him, but I didn't care. I couldn't. He had his chance.
"I shouldn't have left like that, Charlotte. I'm sorry. Something didn't make sense. I freaked and ran. It was a mistake. At the time I didn't know what else to do. I'm sorry. Please."
I turned and started past him.
"Please give me another chance. I'm sorry."
I spun around on my heels, and my words whipped off my tongue. "Why did you leave?"
Two students walked by, staring, and Liam fidgeted. "Can I give you a ride? We can talk in the car. Please? This is kind of private." The classmates whispered to each other, giggling as they continued on their way.
"I like taking the bus."
Liam arched an eyebrow. "Have you been eating the school food?"
"Not funny, Liam."
He smirked tightly at his failed joke. "All right, all right. But come on, Charlotte. Please? Give me a chance to at least explain myself." He fidgeted and lowered his voice. "You know I can't talk here."
"How am I supposed to trust you?" I whispered, but for whose benefit I didn't know. "You don't tell me anything. Everything with you is a secret. Now you want me to get in your car? Put yourself in my shoes, Liam."
"All right. I know." He groaned and rubbed his forehead. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for putting you in this situation, but I don't know what to do. I'm crazy about you, Charlotte. My leaving had nothing to do with that. You have to believe me."
"Then tell me why you did it."
"Charlotte, I...I can't. You don't understand."
It hurt. I wanted so much for it not to, but it did.
"Then I'm not getting in your car."
"Charlotte...Please..."
"Goodbye, Liam." My lip trembled and I bit it as I started to walk away.
"Your scar," he whispered. I don't know how I heard it, but I stopped. My hand touched my shoulder and my body went cold. I was six again. Blinking the past away, I slowly turned around. "What do you mean?"
Liam reached his fingers out to me and I watched with an almost out of body experience as they threaded through mine. I didn't move. I didn't know why. My pulse throbbed in my ears. "Please. Come with me. I'll give you answers. Just not here."
I trembled. Everything felt surreal. "You really have answers?" I hadn't realized until then how much I wanted them, needed them.
He nodded in a way that told me this went deeper than him running away. He knew things, secrets about me. "How do I know you're not going to leave me again?"
Liam's body deflated with relief and a small smile lifted at the corners of his mouth. "I won't. I promise." A newfound energy seemed to spark through him. "I never met anyone like you, Charlotte. I didn't even know someone like you could exist. It scared me at first, but I know what I want now."
I swallowed hard. "What do you want?"
Liam gave the most sincere smile I had ever seen. "Just come with me."
I leaned my head back against the passenger seat with a groan. If Ty found out about this, any remaining shred of my self-dignity would be destroyed. As if I had any at this point. How did I get here? At least he didn't know about the panic attack. I think.
"You okay?" Liam asked.
"Fine," I said tightly. My fingers still clutched the strap of my backpack that I now held in my lap. I kept my sights on the road. I would remain in control.
"You look a little tense."
I turned to him. "Well, why wouldn't I be? It's not like we don't have any white elephants hanging around the room. Car." I winced and tried to breathe right. Okay, not keeping it cool.
Liam gave me a strange look. "You know, you're kind of scary sometimes."
I glared and he smiled.
Amusing.
He refocused his attention on the road, and took a turn that led us down a winding one-lane highway. I didn't know the area too well, but I recognized the river to our left. Dad and I passed it on our way back from the realtor's office the morning we came into town.
"Where are we going?"
Liam shrugged. "No where in particular. Just thought we'd drive up around the parklands while we talk." He motioned his head out the window to our left. "It's a preserve, mostly used for hiking. They allow fishing but only at certain times. Hunting," he cleared his throat, "is forbidden."
I followed his gaze. The vast sweeping valley of rocks and canyons woven in between thick mazes of pine and birch made me shudder. Wherever forests grew that thick, lived other things as well. The tiny hairs on the back of my neck rose and I felt cold. The river wound seamlessly up the hills and disappeared around a bend. What else could be just out of my line of vision?
"It's pretty," I said. He peered at me as if he could see right through me. "What?" I asked.
"You don't like the woods, do you?"
"I do."
Liam spun the wheel and pulled the car over onto a small dirt viewpoint along the side of the bend. He didn't look at me. "You don't have to lie to me, Charlotte."
I opened my mouth to protest, but stopped. "Fine. I don't like the woods. Happy?"
"No. Why would I be?" he asked with a snap to his tone.
Anger boiled within me. How this became my fault was beyond me. Enough stalling. "Why did you leave that night?"
Liam's knuckles went white against the steering wheel and his body stiffened. "I told you, your scar."
The instinctive reaction to reach for the spot on my shoulder screamed, but I didn't grab for it. The thought of relapsing into some sort of delusional hysteria right now would be too much. "What about it?"
He finally faced me and the intense rigidity throughout his body deflated. "You aren't the only one who was attacked by a wolf."
The effect of his words discombobulated my senses. I expected excuses. The implication that he had been through something similar destroyed my entire internal arsenal. I didn't even know what to say.
"When I saw your scar, I freaked. Your dining room ceased to exist. You were no longer human. Do you understand what I'm talking about?"
Unfortunately I did. So much so that the similarity to my earlier panic attack in the cafeteria made me eye him with suspicion. Did he know? No. Impossible, and why would he use that to deflect my interrogation? I couldn't fathom why. I had to believe it true. Besides, I never told him a wolf bit me.
"Can I see it?" I regretted my words the moment I said them. Facing the window, I watched the valley below.
"I'd rather not," he said. I nodded, knowing all too well about the shaky state that can bring on. Then it dawned on me. Liam understood. Somebody actually knew what it felt like to live on the edge of reality and dreams, never knowing for sure if insanity or truth dictated. Of course, I was getting ahead of myself. He never said that, only that he'd been bitten. But he did have a panic attack.
"Do you ever feel followed?"
Liam looked at me like I had grown two heads. There went my theory. I couldn't help the physical slouch of disappointment, despite what that really insinuated. Why would I want Liam to be followed?
"What are you talking about, Charlotte?"
I forced a tight grin. "Never mind."
"Are you being followed?" He unfastened his seat belt and shifted his body completely towards me, one hand resting on the back of my seat. His sudden movement, unexpected, made me swallow hard.
"No," I said.
His gaze hardened. I knew he saw right through me and was getting annoyed.
"Maybe. I don't know."
"Who?" Flecks of gold began to fuse and melt together in his eyes and my pulse pounded in my ears. I didn't want him to think me crazy, but this intense interrogation scared me. I tried to shut it out, to stay lucid, and not see the sharp canines protruding from his gums in impossible ways. "Charlotte, who?" Reality came back, his face normal.
"Wolves."
There, I admitted it. Now he knew I was certifiable. I readied myself for the speech my parents and psychologist gave me so many years ago, their words almost as haunting as the movements of those just out of view, who waited for me in the woods. 'It's not real. You've been through a great deal of trauma. You're not well.' I shivered and my backpack fell to the floor by my feet. I shouldn't have said anything.
Liam leaned in closer and I crushed myself up against the small space between the door and the seat. I should have been fumbling for the handle, but I couldn't seem to muster further movement. "What are you doing?"
A low rumble resonated from somewhere deep in his chest and I saw his nostrils expand. It's not real. I'm hallucinating. Oh, whom was I kidding? Ty, herself, saw what happened at my house.
"When did this start? What do they look like?"
He moved back into his seat, allowing me to breathe, but he continued to glance over at me as if the one following me hid in my seatbelt. "Soon after the attack. Days." I smiled tightly and gave a short chortled laugh. "Liam, the only one following me is you. It's called posttraumatic stress. Relax." Please. My fingers knitted between my legs.
He appeared to be contemplating what I just said, but his expression seemed worried. I couldn't help to feel a little flattered. He did care.
"Okay," he said, although I could tell he didn't buy it. Neither did I, yet I was grateful to drop the subject. "Charlotte?" he asked.
Any question hanging with a name doomed disaster, but I answered. "Yes?"
"If you do see something or anything strange, will you tell me?"
My fingers stopped moving. "You mean like you?"
"Charlotte, I ..."
"I know what I saw, Liam. I'm not crazy. What is going on?"
He fidgeted in his seat and went to start the engine. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Don't lie to me." I caught his fingers, pulling them from the key. The engine fizzled. "I saw you. You were changing into something." I held his hand in mine, refusing to let him go. "Look at me and tell me I'm insane. Tell me I imagined the whole thing. Tell me."
He met my gaze, and I sat there, watching the crease of his brow tighten into a twisted knot. "You imagined the whole thing."
"Liar!"
"Charlotte..."
"Let me out of here." I shoved his hand away and scrambled to the door. My fingers found the latch, flicking it open, and I stumbled outside.
"What are you...?"
I slammed the door on him and took off over the metal guardrail. The slope dropped instantaneously and my pathetic excuse for sneakers skidded and dug at the loose soil. I landed on my butt and began to slide. My hands burned as I tried to slow my momentum, shoveling up piles of damp leaves, stone, and dirt. I heard the car door open and close somewhere behind me.
"Leave me alone," I called out, just as I managed to stop myself. Scrambling to my feet, I took off through the branches, not caring which direction I headed. I had to get away from him. My eyes burned from the run, and when I wiped them with my sleeve, I found my arm damp.
I hated him.
A faint rustling came from behind me and I knew it was Liam. I forced myself to keep moving, even though my lungs felt raw and my thighs ached. I ducked under a low hanging limb and pushed through a dry thorny bush. It snagged at my jeans, holding me its prisoner for a moment, until I snapped its spiny tendrils, and stamped it down with my feet. I stopped short. The river I had seen, gurgled and rolled in front of me, hopping over rocks as it rounded the bend. I refused to be trapped.
Several rocks jutted out between the current and I went for it. My sneakers did no better on their wet surface, but I managed to keep my balance as I worked my way to the second one, and then the third. Only one remained, but when my foot touched it, the stone rolled. My ankle twisted, and with a loud groan, I fell.
A hand grasped my arm, pulling me up before I even hit the water. Knives of pain shot up my calf, and I winced, stumbling forward.
"Hold still. I got you," Liam said.
"I don't need your help." I jerked my shoulder free of him and then nearly cried out as I tried to put pressure on my foot.
"Don't move. You probably sprained it." He wrapped one arm under me, pulling me to his chest, while he scooped my legs up with the other. I felt humiliated, but in all truth, it really did hurt too much to walk.
Liam splashed through the water, soaking his shoes, and then placed me down on the edge of the bank. Without acknowledging him, I pulled my pant leg up, to investigate the damage. I couldn't see anything, but the slightest touch made me flinch.
He plopped down next to me on the damp dirt. Without even turning, I felt him watching me. "What were you thinking anyway, Charlotte? Were you really going to find your way home through the woods?"
I shot him a glare. "Yes.
"But you hate the woods."
"It was a better alternative than being in your car."
His expression fell and his fingers picked at the dirt. "Charlotte, I..."
"How could you say that to me, Liam?" I grabbed a pile of mossy, soaked leaves and chucked it at him. "You know what that means to me. You lied to me."
"I'm sorry."
"Sorry?" I asked with a bemused snort.
"You don't understand. I had to." He stopped fiddling with the dirt.
"People always have choices, Liam."
He looked up at me from under his ashen hair, his deep, slowly melting hues told me more than words. I swallowed hard. "You're not human, are you?"
He froze, seemingly timeless, like a forgotten statue left to stand alone under the fallen leaves. "No."
My mind spun. I took a deep breath and tilted my chin up to catch the late afternoon sun cascading down through the branches, trying to hold onto my sanity. "What are you?" I whispered. My body felt cold.
"A wolf."
The drumming of my pulse drowned out the babbling of the river. Everything had been true. I had known all along. The musky scent of pine, the way he moved around me, and those golden hues. I knew them. I knew him. Had it been him all along? I started to tremble.
Liam caught my hands and held them fast. "It wasn't me. I didn't attack you. I'd never hurt you. You have to believe me, Charlotte. Please. Look at me."
"I can't."
A twig snapped somewhere behind me and Liam stiffened.
"Shh." Liam put his finger to my lips, silencing me.
"This isn't helping with my nerves, Liam." He didn't answer; his attention on something over my shoulder. "Liam?"
"Don't move," he whispered.
I had opened my mouth to protest when I heard it. Soft padded footsteps inched closer. I wanted to turn, but I couldn't. Everything in me shook as Liam shifted his body from where he sat next to me, into a half crouch, his hands splayed on both sides of my legs. His attention focused with pin point intensity on something behind me. I didn't even know if he realized I still sat there. The dampness from the soil seeped through the thin material of my shirt as I instinctively inched down away from the uncomfortable proximity of Liam's chest. A thick cloud of musky pine invaded my nose and then a low rumble reverberated from his throat.
My muscles quivered so badly, they hurt.
Another growl joined his and I wanted to scream. I opened my mouth, but nothing came. My focus squared on Liam's hands. Long sharp claws broke through from under his fingernails, slicing down into the dirt.
This isn't real. This isn't real.
Liam's shoulders shook and the soft crack of steps moved closer. In my mind I saw jowls tearing into my flesh, opening my scar. This time, I screamed...and then the world went dark.
The sound of clanging pots stirred me from my murky state of consciousness. Where was I? My hand moved to my scar. The rough, dry skin told me no one had reopened my wound. Had I imagined the whole thing?
A soothing combination of scents hit my nose, chamomile, honey, and pine. Musky pine. My eyes flew open and I sat up, shifting to put my feet on the floor. I instantly regretted doing the latter. I bit my lip to keep from crying out, the movement on my ankle killing me.
Liam appeared at my side, ushering me to lean back on the couch against the pillows. "It's okay. Relax. I'm making you some tea."
"Wolves drink tea?"
Liam smiled down at me. "It calms the nerves," he said. He moved back away from me and headed into the kitchen. I heard him turn the water on and off and then place what must have been the pot on the stove.
I turned my head to the side of the pillow as I took in the room. A small scuffed up coffee table sat in front of where I lay on the couch. The rest of the living area appeared sparse, except for a few large body sized pillows haphazardly thrown about the floor. At the far end of the wall, a large stone fireplace reached up, disappearing through the thick beams that ran horizontally along the ceiling.
"Where are we?" I asked.
Liam returned, sitting down on the coffee table across from me, and extended a large steaming mug. "My house," he said, placing a matching cup down beside him.
I slowly took the mug from him and paused to inhale the sweet damp steam. It did help. "You have a house?" I asked.
Liam smirked slightly and then leaned forward on his knees. "Don't act so surprised."
I took a sip of the tea, rolled its smooth taste over my tongue, and then swallowed. "Sorry," I said. "It's just, I'm trying to wrap my head around this whole," I paused, "wolf thing." I nervously tapped the handle of my mug. "I didn't imagine that, did I?"
"No," Liam said. The corner of his lip turned up. "And I'm not always in wolf form, Charlotte." He motioned with his head for me to look at the way he was dressed. My gaze followed, noticing the way he sat made his faded gray tee shirt hug his abs. I quickly looked up, and covered by drinking some more tea. The subject needed to be changed.
"So what happened? How did I get here?" Strange, how I could have meant that in more ways than one.
"You passed out. After I scared the other wolf off, I carried you here. You're hurt."
He reached for my ankle, but I tucked it back under me with a wince. "So there was another wolf?"
"Yes, but not like me. That one was purely animal. He probably sensed your injuries, figuring on an easy meal."
My jaw dropped. "He was going to eat me?" My stomach coiled.
Liam took the mug from me and placed it down next to his. "Wolves don't usually attack humans. It had to be desperate. I could tell my scent confused him."
"Because you look human?"
"Yes."
I didn't want to ask Liam if he had reacted like a wolf to communicate to the other one properly, or if instinct had dictated that. The whole thing made me feel numb. I wanted to wake up.
Liam offered my cup back, but I shook my head. "Why do you look human? Are you some kind of werewolf?"
"I don't know."
"But a wolf bit you. You were once human."
Liam stared down at his sneakers as steam rose off his untouched tea. "I never said a wolf bit me."
My jaw dropped just as the front door to the living room slammed open. A heavy clamber of footsteps and male voices filled the air. Liam put his finger to his lips, and then took off over to stop them before they entered the doorway.
"Ah, Liam. Thank God you're here." I recognized the voice as Steve's.
"Guys, this isn't the time. I need you outside."
"But, Liam. I saw tracks. Something's out there." He must have tried to move past Liam, because Liam's arm shot up and blocked the door jam. "What's going on?"
Byron leaned over and his face broke into a grin. "Hi, Charlotte."
I sank down into the couch and buried my head under the pillow. "Go away."
"Come on you guys. You heard her."
"Since when does she rule the house?" I couldn't tell who said it, but a low gurgling snarl came from somewhere deep in Liam's chest. "Leaving," the voice said and the front door opened and then clicked softly back in place.
"But what about the tracks?" Steve asked.
"Solitary wolf from what I could tell. Met him down by the river. I would have smelt others if there were more. He was desperate. Something must have scared him our way, but I'll be checking into it. Don't worry."
I saw Steve nod and then he peeked down under Liam's arm. "Bye Charlotte," he said with a little wave.
"Get out of here," Liam said, as he dropped his arm and playfully shoved Steve towards the door. Byron took the opportunity to slip in and gave a quick wave too. "All of you," Liam said, pointing. "Now."
Byron chuckled, but I heard the door open and close again. Liam made his way back over to where I lay. He sat down next to me on the edge of the couch, instead of the coffee table this time. He touched my arm. "You okay?"
I peeked around the edge of the pillow that I held over most of my face and muttered, "Is it safe?"
Liam chuckled. "Yeah. Sorry about that."
"Are they...?"
"Wolves?" he asked. "Yes, but they were bitten."
I took a moment to roll that around in my head, but it still didn't make sense. If Liam hadn't been attacked, what did that really mean? My nerves started to go haywire and I extended my hand towards my mug sitting on the edge of the coffee table.
"Want me to heat it up?" Liam handed me the cup. I shook my head and took a long, deep sip.
"Do they live here?"
"Yes."
I expected as much, although I did feel guilty about getting them kicked out of their own home. Liam seemed to read my thoughts.
"It's still my house, Charlotte. I took them in. They need to follow my rules. Besides, outside isn't exactly a punishment for a wolf." The corner of his mouth lifted and for the first time I saw how even that small gesture had an animalistic undertone. "They're fine."
I swallowed and took another sip of my tea. "So if you're in charge of them, would that make you their Alpha?"
Liam chortled a small laugh and then rubbed his forehead. "Yeah."
"What?" I asked. "You don't sound too thrilled."
He shrugged and then brushed a stray hair from my cheek. It made me shiver. "I never asked for this. My brother's the one who always wanted power and control. Even as pups. I'd rather just hang out, hunt, and do my own thing."
"More of a solitary wolf," I said, purposely ignoring the fact that he said he had once been a pup. My mind wouldn't grip that, at least not yet.
He smiled. "Maybe that's why I turned human."
I sat up a little bit further without trying to move my foot. "Wait a minute, you mean you were a wolf first?" My mind tried to catch up with what that meant. I knew he said he was a wolf, but he couldn't mean he really was wolf. He meant, werewolf, right?
Liam cleared his throat and looked a little uncomfortable. "Yeah," he said. "I was born a wolf. When I was about three in wolf years, I woke up one morning human. Scared the life out of me, but yeah."
I think I stared at him in shock for a good two minutes, not even knowing what to say. "So you were three, out in the woods, human, all by yourself?
"Well, no. My brother was with me and soon after we ran into a guy named Thomas who sort of adopted us. Long story."
"Okay." I rubbed my forehead trying to get all of this to sink in. "But, how did this happen? I know how the werewolf thing works." I think. "Don't you have to be bitten or something? I mean, you were like bitten by human were you?"
Liam chuckled, shaking his head. "No. I don't know why I turned human. I've searched for a reason for years, but still haven't found the answer. Guess I'm just a freak."
"Maybe," I said, teasing. His knuckles rested on my cheek and I had to admit, it felt really nice. The scent of him so close combined with the sweet tea felt like home. I saw Liam swallow hard, as his gaze searched mine. I thought he might kiss me, but instead he asked, "All of this isn't making you run away?"
"Can't. Bad ankle."
The grin on Liam's face grew.
"What?" I asked, feigning innocence. He shook his head, but didn't answer. His hand still lingered on my jaw and I heard the rush of my pulse in my ears.
"So did your brother change?" I asked, trying to say focused on the conversation. It seemed strange that I never met him, if he had.
The tips of Liam's fingers turned cold on my skin and he slowly retracted them back into his lap. "He did." Liam fidgeted and quickly got up.
The sudden absence of his touch and mood change left me feeling empty and exposed. Part of me knew I shouldn't ask, but I did. "Where is he now?"
"Dead."
The answer came too quick. He wouldn't look at me.
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be."
He scooped the mug up from the table and brought it back into the kitchen. I heard the liquid pour into the sink, along with the clang of the ceramic mug. I felt terrible. I didn't know what to say.
"Maybe I should go," I said, pushing myself up into a full sitting position. Walking would still hurt, but I'd live. "My dad will be home soon and he'll be wondering where I am."
"No. Please don't." He rounded the couch and sat back down on the coffee table. His legs opened to each side of mine and he took my hands. "I just don't want to talk about my brother." His expression seemed sad, lost. "I don't want you to leave."
"Why do you care so much about me? Is it my scar?"
His fingers squeezed mine. "I didn't know about your scar when I first met you. I liked you then."
A feeling of defensiveness came over me out of nowhere and I didn't know why. "Cause if you think just because a wolf bit me I'm going to go all canine on you, I'll save you the trouble now. I'm not. It happened eleven years ago. Nothing. So if all I am is some pet project of yours, you might as well forget it. I'm human and always will be."
Maybe I really should have left.
Liam's lower lip caught mine and all the air vanished from my lungs. I couldn't even remember what I just said, and when he pulled back, I realized I had closed my eyes.
His chest rumbled a few inches from mine. I could tell he struggled to remain in human form. I didn't move.
"Maybe you shouldn't kiss me," I whispered.
"I'd rather die."
My chest swelled and every wall in me crumbled. Fingers found my hair and I reciprocated, threading mine up around his ears. I pulled him close. Something stirred in me, under the skin, but I ignored it, pressing into the kiss. Nothing else existed.
The front door banged open, ruining my thought. The clamber of boots and squeaky sneakers entered the front hall.
"What the?" Liam broke the kiss with a groan. "I told you guys I was busy. That means - I'm busy."
Steve, a little pale, and slightly out of breath, leaned over, resting his hands on his knees. "The tracks. Woods. Outside."
"I told you, I saw the wolf," Liam said, his tone annoyed. "It's nothing, just a stray. Seriously you guys," he motioned to me, "come on."
"No," Byron said from the foyer behind Steve. He entered the living room and clapped Steve across the shoulder. "Smooth explanation, dude."
"You didn't chase that guy for five miles." Steve panted. "I did. Man, whoever it is, he's fast."
"And stupid," Flynt said, leaning against the door jam. "If he thinks he's messing with us."
"Woah, wait," Liam said. "What are you guys talking about?"
"The wolf tracks by the river are human," Byron said.
"What?"
Flynt nodded to Liam. "It's true. The wolf tracks run up through the back of the woods. We followed them. They circle up, leading here, to the house. When they get to the outskirts of the yard, the tracks turn human. I saw it myself. It couldn't have been the same wolf you saw."
"Someone's watching us," Byron said.
"Another werewolf," I said with a gasp. My hand clapped over my mouth, but not fast enough. The guys looked horrified.
"She knows," Liam said.
I didn't dare read their expressions, hiding my face in my hands.
"Cool," Steve said.
I forced a little smile, letting my arms drop to my lap. Byron grinned, Flynt and Eldridge appeared concerned.
"Did she...?" Eldridge asked.
"No," Liam said.
"Did I what?" Then it hit me. They think I turned into a wolf. My stomach turned. "Can I use your bathroom?" I needed a moment to breathe. Frankly I was surprised I was taking this as well as I was. I shifted myself onto my ankle, and I stood up. It hurt.
Byron pointed down the hall.
"You okay?" Liam asked.
"Peachy." I forced a smile.
I wondered if I looked as green as I felt. Limping in the most nondramatic way possible under the circumstances, I searched for the bathroom. Several doors aligned the left side of the hall, but one of them on the right had been left open. Not wanting to pry where I shouldn't be, I went there first. I found the switch on the wall and watched as one bulb in a group of three flickered in protest. It illuminated the room in a dull glow. A round marble sink, decorated with cracks and the weather of age, sat along a wall that was crumbling with dusty paint chips.
Not the Garden of Eden, but at least I found the bathroom.
I turned the rusty faucet on, and splashed the cool water on my face, trying to let everything sink in. Werewolves existed and now according to Byron and Steve, something strange was going on. My own creepy feeling of being followed swept over me, and I couldn't help but wonder if my presence had something to do with the tracks. Paranoia began to settle in. I knew it. But if there really were werewolves, was it that absurd to think that wolves had been following me all of my life? What if they were waiting for me to turn into a wolf?
The thought scared me.
Cupping some more water, I doused my cheeks again, and forced myself to regain composure. I needed to put things into perspective. I could deal with all of this. One thing at a time.
A faint brush of cool air tickled my hair from across the hall, catching my attention. A door stood, slightly ajar. For some reason, my curiosity spiked. I turned off the water, emerging from the bathroom, and slipped across the way.
The contrast from the hall lighting to the darkened room made me blink. The breeze came from an open window on the far side of the room. It appeared to be a study of sorts. Bookshelves aligned the adjacent walls from where I stood and a large antique, burgundy colored desk faced the view outside. Aside from the smooth wisp of air circulating, the place cast an odor of moldy paper and age.
Several pages of an album fluttered up from the desk, catching my attention, and I started over. The floorboards creaked under my feet, causing me to pause in hopes that no one heard. When I didn't hear anything, I continued over and flipped the large leather book open.
My stomach fell.
A police photo of a half mutilated body stared back at me. The caption at the top read, "Mysterious Animal Strikes Again." All my fears from my own attack, coupled with all the recent issues hit me at once. I began to shake. I recognized those bite marks.
"What are you doing in here?"
Liam's voice made me jump. I spun around, and nervously dropped the album. "I was just looking for the bathroom."
"It's across the hall," he said, his voice hard.
"Right." I started for the door, when he caught my arm.
"What did you see?" he demanded.
"What? Nothing." My voice came out high and pinched. His grip tightened and a faint rumble came from his chest. "Liam, you're scaring me."
He tilted his head to the side and I realized despite the human guise, only animal looked back. I stumbled, trying to get away from him, but his arm held me fast. "That book is private."
"I know. I'm sorry," I said. My fingers trembled at my side. Liam's demeanor seemed so different, cold. I didn't know what to think. I just wanted to go home.
"What did you see?"
"Just a picture." I shrugged, trying to brush it off as nothing. The way he was acting made me want to hide what I saw. At that moment, I was afraid of him.
"It's not what you think," he said.
"I wasn't thinking anything," I said, although I was pretty sure my tone gave me away. His gaze felt like a weight on my body.
"I have to keep track of anything strange going on that involves animals, Charlotte. It's for our protection. That wasn't me."
"Of course," I said, with a nod, feigning a blank face. I couldn't breathe right, strangely becoming aware of every inhale and exhale I took. The picture I saw, of the young man's neck half torn off, had become permanently fixated in my mind. Someone or something did that, and I had a good feeling on the what. "I think I should probably go home. It's late."
To my relief, Liam dropped my arm from me. "I'll drive you."
I swallowed hard. "Okay."
The trees couldn't pass fast enough, as Liam sped the car down the one lane highway leading up around the preserve, back towards town. My stomach knotted as I kept my focus out the window and not on the way he stiffly gripped the steering wheel. No one had spoken since we left the house which only added to the dreaded suspicion that Liam was hiding something about the photograph.
We wound our way past the lookout point overlooking the stream, when the car began to sputter. "Damn." Liam groaned. He let go of the wheel and smacked his forehead. "We're out of gas. I'm sorry, Charlotte. I think we have enough fumes to make it to the mini mart down the way. It's not too far."
I sunk back into the seat. Great.
Liam let go of the gas, letting the car coast down the hill and around the bend. It choked and shuddered as we got to the bottom and the road straightened. A small mom and pop station appeared up ahead on the left just as Liam anticipated, and we slowly hobbled in. Once parked, the engine fizzled out.
"I'll be right back," he said.
Liam took off out the door before I could even say anything. I sighed and leaned back in the plush leather seat. Glancing out the window, I could see him inside, paying the attendant at the register. The man behind the counter seemed pleased to be actually having business at this remote location, for he was smiling and making conversation with Liam.
A shadow moved by the window, startling me. I turned in the seat, but the blind spot blocked my view. Not wanting to remove my seat belt, I ignored it, resting my head against the glass. I couldn't see Liam anymore and my mind went back to the photo. Could Liam do something like that? Would he? His reaction bothered me the most. He seemed so different. My stomach didn't feel right.
A hand slammed down on the roof of the car and I jumped, as a large burly man moved passed, dragging his palm along the hood. He spat on the pavement, and coughed. With hunched shoulders, he moved quickly towards the station, glancing about as if someone might be following him. The uneasy pit in my gut grew. I still didn't see Liam.
I shifted in my seat and rolled down the window, needing some air. The scent of musky pine hit my nose and despite the nervous tangle in my mind, I felt relieved. Liam walked over and leaned his elbow against the sill, pump in his other hand. "Sorry, got to talking. The guy in there's an old friend of mine. I hope your dad isn't going to be too upset. It's kind of late."
"Why? Are you afraid of what he'll think of you?"
Liam chuckled. "Maybe."
I pulled the little watch head from my pocket. Quarter to six. Dad didn't usually get home from the hospital until seven. "You're in luck. We still have some time. He won't kill you yet."
The irony of my word 'kill' got lost in my throat. I needed to stop these thoughts. Liam didn't kill anyone. He was an Alpha. He had to keep track of these things. I really wasn't being fair. My nerves were just messing with me again.
Two loud gunshots snapped me to attention and I froze. Through the front window I saw the attendant collapse out of sight. I tried to scream, but nothing came out. Liam pushed himself off the car and tore across the parking lot to the small building.
"Liam?" My words came out like a garbled squeak. I couldn't breathe or think right.
A pair of large hands landed on the driver's side window and I screamed. The man spat on the ground and then started shaking the handle.
"Open the door!"
I tried to bury myself down in the car. He growled in frustration and moved around to my side. I forgot my window was down. He reached in and grabbed me by the shoulder, placing the tip of his gun to my temple. "Give me the car!"
Something landed on the roof with a crunch. A hand came down and lifted the gunman up off the ground, hurling him away from me. The man crashed into a hard plastic trash container with a groan. Liam jumped down beside my window, crouching on all fours. His lips rose over his teeth with a low snarl. He turned his head towards me and I gasped. Nothing about him looked human. His eyes burned gold and to my horror, his jaw had shifted forward, giving his entire face a more elongated, wolf look. Sharp canine teeth sliced down, piercing through his curled lips.
I didn't know if I wanted to laugh with relief or pass out from fear.
The gunman groaned as he pushed several pieces of garbage off him, and started to his knees. Liam turned from me, springing from his position, and landed on top of the man. The man tried to scramble away, but Liam caught him by the shirt, and dragged him back.
The man thrashed and hollered. "Get away from me you freak!"
Liam lifted him up by his collar. With a ripping snarl, he opened his mouth wide, brushing his teeth to the man's neck.
I couldn't look. My heart pounded so fast I couldn't even feel anything but the thunderous rhythm shaking my body. The album picture screamed in my head and I started to hyperventilate.
Another shot crackled across the lot, and to my horror, I watched Liam drop to the pavement.
"Liam!" I cried.
My fingers felt numb as I fought with the door handle. "Open! Open!"
Tears clouded my vision and I furiously blinked them away. I fidgeted with the door handle. This time, it swung free. My legs seemed to have forgotten how to work. I stumbled out of the car, landing on my hands and knees. My palms burned, but I could have cared less. I needed to get to Liam. Finding my feet, I started forward.
Liam gasped as if suddenly coming to, and his head shot up in my direction. "Charlotte, get back! Run. Get out of here now."
He shook and trembled. A set of razor sharp claws began to push through the tips of his fingers. I blocked it out, seeing the blood covering his shirt.
"No, I won't leave you," I said.
"Just go...please."
Arms wrapped around me and I screamed. The hot metal butt of a gun painfully pressed into my neck.
"Get away from me you freak, or she's dies," the gunman said.
Everything in me dropped as ice flushed through my body. My lower lip trembled. 'I'm sorry,' I mouthed to Liam as tears fell down my cheeks.
Liam groaned, holding his stomach. The claws extended further as he rolled to his side, staggering to his feet. The skin around his face and shoulders rippled and stretched.
"What are you?" the man asked. The gun burned against my skin, hot from the prior shot.
Liam lifted his half human gaze to the man with a low reverberating snarl. Sweat broke across his brow. "You're going to die."
Liam moved so fast, I didn't even see him. All I felt was the impact of his body, knocking me to the ground. The gun skittered across the pavement and I turned my head to see the man had fallen too. Liam lifted him by the neck of his shirt and threw him into the gas tank. It cracked and the stench of gasoline filled the air.
The man moaned and rolled to his side. Liam started towards him and the man raised his hands defensively. "Don't hurt me. Please," he said. "I didn't mean it. I wasn't going to hurt her. I didn't mean it."
"Liam, let him go," a voice said from behind me.
I turned to see the station attendant standing in the doorway to shop. I had to blink twice. How did he...? I thought he got shot.
Liam tilted his head to the side, as if listening, but didn't stop. Stepping closer, he exposed his elongated teeth and slowly licked his lips. The claws at his side opened and closed. I swallowed hard. He was really going to kill him. I couldn't believe this.
"I called the cops," the attendant said, his voice calm. He reminded me of one of those trained professionals who talked people out of jumping off buildings. "They're on their way. They'll be here any minute now. Everyone's safe. He doesn't have the gun anymore."
I got up off the ground, but my body wouldn't stop shaking. I took a few brave steps toward Liam and gently placed my fingers on the back of his shoulder. His skin rippled under my touch. "Liam, please," I whispered. "I want to go home."
Liam gasped at my touch. His arms dropped from the gunman and his skin tightened and firmed under my fingers. The sharp claws that had erupted under his nails, slid back, retracting, along with his extended teeth and jowls.
When he turned to look at me, his features were normal, but his eyes were wide. "Charlotte," he whispered. "How did you...do that?"
"What do you mean?" I asked. "What'd I do?"
The gunman scrambled to his feet.
"Hold it." The attendant grabbed the gun and aimed it at the man.
"Look, I don't want anything to do with you freaks, okay?"
"You'll wait right there," he said. "Liam, you better move it on out of here. The cops are on their way. I'll take care of everything."
He did know Liam? He obviously knew about his little secret too since he just witnessed what I had, and didn't seem remotely freaked. Liam nodded and looped his arm around the small of my back. I felt numb as he escorted me back to the car.
He opened the door and helped me inside. I didn't look at him when he sat down behind the wheel. I couldn't. I heard him turn the key, bringing the mustang to life, and we tore out of the small parking lot.
We drove in silence, neither of us braving words for several miles. The trees passed the window at a blinding rate, and I realized the speedometer had hit sixty.
"Liam, the speed limit is forty."
"I know," he said, his gaze fixed on the road. The car slowed a few notches.
"Liam?" I didn't turn in his direction, but from my peripheral line of vision, I saw him stiffen. White rose from his knuckles as he clenched the steering wheel.
"Yes?" he asked.
He sounded in pain and then reality dawned on me.
"Oh, my God, Liam, you're shot!"
The front of his shirt was pasted with blood. I quickly unfastened my seat belt and leaned over.
"What are you doing?" he asked. He wrapped his arm down around his midsection, and shrank away from me, closer to the door.
"Let me see your wound." I tried to slip my fingers under where he held his sticky torn shirt, but he pushed my hand away.
"No," he said. "Get back in your seat, Charlotte."
"Stop the car." I reached over and grabbed the wheel.
"What are you doing? You're going to get yourself killed." He dropped the arm holding his midsection and wrestled my fingers off the wheel. We swerved and I heard the tires hit the gravel on the side of road. I gave up and gripped my seat. He steadied the wheel as we bumped back onto the road. "Are you okay?"
"Am I okay?" I asked. "You need to be in a hospital, Liam. You were just shot in the stomach. You shouldn't even be driving. Frankly, I don't even know how you're sitting there."
"I'm fine," he said. He didn't look at me.
"Don't give me that. Look at your shirt. There's blood everywhere." My voice cracked. This was too much. I lunged for the lower edge, and pulled it up before he could stop me.
"What are you doing?" He tugged it down and his chest heaved.
I stared in shock. There wasn't anything there.
"I...I don't understand," I said. "You were shot. I saw it. There's blood."
"I told you I was fine."
"I don't understand."
"It's the shifting," he said. "I don't really get it either to be honest with you, but it started after I became human for the first time. I think it has something to do with the body being able to reform itself into the different shapes. I heal very quickly."
I didn't know what to say. My mind raced to catch up with reality but couldn't find it. "Are you saying you can't die?" I asked, bewildered.
He shook his head. "No, I can die. You cut off my head, it won't come back." He smirked and I glared at him. Nothing about this was amusing.
"Not funny," I said.
"I'm glad you care," he said with a small grin.
I frowned. How he twisted this back to some kind of flirty banter was beyond me. We could have been killed. He almost ripped that man's throat out!
He seemed to pick up on my mood and focused on the road. "I shouldn't be telling you all of this," he said.
"What do you mean?"
"It's dangerous."
"Dangerous?" I asked. "Did you forget that I just had a gun to my head? I was almost killed ten minutes ago."
"Of course I haven't forgotten that," Liam said. "You don't know what that did to me."
"What?" I asked.
"I almost lost you, Charlotte." His voice broke. "I was going to kill that man." He started to tremble and his face twisted in a way that looked like shear agony.
"Liam," I said. I reached out and threaded my fingers with his.
"There are worst ways to die, Charlotte," he said, squeezing my hand. "The more you know about me, the more I chance others knowing about you." He winced as if what he said, told too much. "You already said you're being followed."
"That's probably all in my mind, Liam."
"What if it's not?"
"It is," I said, surprising myself at the confirmation of my tone.
Liam glared at me and the car swerved. "I don't want to lose you."
"Then why does it feel like you're breaking up with me?"
"We're together?" he asked. A small smirk tickled the corner of his lip and I groaned.
Liam leaned over and kissed me. "I love you, Charlotte," he whispered, then pulled back. His gaze fixated out the windshield.
I stared at his profile in shock. "Liam, I..."
"Don't say anything," he said, interrupting me. "Please, not now. Just don't."
"But..." I tried to protest, when he pulled to a screeching halt in my driveway. My dad's car sat in front of the large green two car garage. The incident had kept us out later than I thought. I fiddled with my pocket and pulled out the watch head. Past nine.
"Are you going to be okay?" Liam asked.
"What should I tell my Dad?"
Liam shrugged. "Just tell him you were studying late with your blonde friend. There's no need to let him know about the other stuff. He'll just worry. Besides, the fewer questions, the better."
I nodded, Liam's words bringing reality back. How were they getting out of this? Wouldn't there be a police investigation? What if the gunman tells everyone about Liam?
"Lou, the gas attendant, is taking care of everything" he said, reading my thoughts. "You don't need to worry. He's a friend of mine, remember? He's gotten us out of tight spots before."
"Does he know what you are?"
"Yes."
I was confused. "But you said it was dangerous."
"It is," Liam said tightly. "But it's different with Lou."
"Why?" I asked.
"Because he's human."
"Of course he's human, Liam. What are you implying?" My stomach twisted. "Are you saying I'm not?"
The expression on Liam's face told me more than I wanted to know. "You're crazy, Liam. Seriously, that is not funny. I'm not a...werewolf," I said, barely getting the word out. "I'm human and always have been, so just...stop that."
Liam didn't say anything nor did he look in my direction. His gaze remained fixated on my house through the windshield. It made me uneasy and I swallowed hard.
"Yeah, joking," Liam said in a very unconvincing tone.
"What are you looking at?" I asked.
"Your dad. He's been watching us the entire time. He's in the upstairs window to the left with a pair of binoculars." Liam pointed.
"Oh, my god. This is so embarrassing. I'm going to kill him. I'm so dead."
Liam chuckled, shaking his head at my conflicting words. "Should I go say something?"
"Your shirt," I said, reminding him of the nice dried blood stain across the front. "Might not be best."
"Right, the shirt," he said, giving an apologetic shrug.
"It's okay. Trust me, confronting my dad is nothing compared to what we just went through."
He didn't look convinced, but he'd have to deal. I started to get out, when he leaned over, placing his hand on my cheek. "I can't," I said, knowing that look. He wanted to kiss me. "My dad." My gaze lifted to the bathroom window. It tore at me. He just said he loved me and I couldn't give him a good night kiss, not even a 'thank you for saving my life,' kiss.
I wanted to.
Looking at him sitting there like that, drove me crazy.
He threaded his fingers through mine and I felt his warm breath on my neck. I started to protest, when he rested his head against my shoulder. "I really do love you, Charlotte." He said.
I didn't know what to say, but I no longer cared that Dad watched. Leaning into him, I ran my fingers through his hair and down his jaw.
We sat speechless in each other's arms. Words seemed too frivolous to intrude. The porch light started to flicker on and off.
"I better go," I said.
"I don't want you to," Liam whispered, squeezing my hand.
I touched his cheek and he closed his eyes. Despite everything I had seen and feared, I ached to stay there. The lights flashed again, and I saw Dad standing on the front porch.
"I can't," I said. Dropping my hand, I opened the door. As I stepped out, I turned to him. "Can I see you tomorrow?"
The corner of his mouth lifted. "Definitely."
I bit my lip and skipped towards my impending fate. My own giddiness surprised me. Dad stood there with the most reality-grounding scowl I had ever seen. My smile waned.
"Hey Dad," I said, avoiding eye contact. I heard Liam take off in the car behind me.
"Inside right now."
My stomach clenched up and I went in with Dad following.
"Who was that boy? Do you know what time it is? Where have you been and what were you and that boy doing in that car?"
"Dad, please. It's not what you think. I'm really tired. Can we talk about this in the morning?"
I knew it wouldn't make any difference what I said. My head hurt. I just wanted to disappear up to my room.
"No, you are not getting out of this Charlotte Olivia. Who was that?"
"Dad, please. Not tonight. I can't deal with anything else right now." My voice broke. Buried emotions from the afternoon flooded through me.
Dad's face reddened. "Did that boy do something to you?"
"What? No." I couldn't believe he would draw such a conclusion. "Liam's a good guy. He just gave me a ride home from school. That's all."
"School ended six hours ago. It's quarter after nine. Where were you?"
I took a deep breath, giving in. I couldn't do this. I wouldn't lie to him. "I was at his house," I said. "It's not what you think. We were just hanging out. Liam's a good guy, Dad."
Dad's lips pursed. "You said that already." He sighed with a groan. "So, you really like this guy, huh?"
I nodded, feigning a blank face. "Yes." Please, please be okay with this.
"What's his name again?"
I couldn't believe it. He was giving in "Liam."
"Liam," he said. "Well, okay. I'd like to meet this Liam. I want to be aware of any visits to his place before they happen. Do you understand me? I'd also like to talk to his parents."
"Dad, I'm not twelve." His look of death shot through me. "I understand." Did Liam even have parents? My head hurt.
"Alright," he said. "Get some sleep."
"Thanks, Dad."
As soon as the door shut behind me, I flopped down on my bed, and screamed into my pillow. Conflicting emotions welled in me; the gun, Liam, the photographs, the vision of his canine teeth readying to impale that man's throat. I whimpered into the sheets.
When I woke, it was light outside. The clock on my bed stand read quarter to six. I groaned at my bad luck at waking so early. I knew I wouldn't fall back asleep. Adrenaline pumped in my veins at the memory of the past afternoon. I twitched and turned, then got up. Still wearing the same clothes I had on yesterday, I headed into the bathroom, and slipped them off. I needed a shower, something to clear my thoughts.
What had Liam meant by it being too dangerous for me to know about him? For some reason, that is what stuck in my mind. 'There are worse ways to die', he had said. I shivered despite the hot water, and turned it off. I needed to call Ty.
Returning to my room, I sat down on the edge of my bed, and grabbed my cell. "Come on, answer the phone," I said.
It rang until a groggy voice answered. "Hello?"
"Ty, can you keep a secret?"
"Huh? What? Charlotte, is that you?"
"Yes, it's me. Look, I need to know if you can keep a secret."
"Do you know what time it is?"
Looking at the clock, I winced. "Sorry." I forgot.
I heard a breathy sigh. "I can keep a secret. What is it?"
"They're werewolves."
"What?" she asked. "Who is? What are you talking about, Charlotte?"
"I can't explain right now. Can I pick you up in about thirty minutes? I need your help with something." I lowered my voice and glanced around the room.
"Charlotte, you're kind of scaring me. Are you okay?"
I nodded even though she couldn't see me. "Yeah, I'm fine. I know this sounds crazy, but I'll explain in the car."
She groaned. "Where are we going? You know it's Saturday?"
"The library."
I slipped my shoes on, grabbed a light jean jacket, and started for the door.
Ty stood outside waiting for me as I pulled the CRV into her driveway. She gave a quick wave and ran up to join me.
"Okay, this better be good. I should still be sleeping," she said, climbing inside.
I shifted the car into reverse and headed out onto the road. "Okay, look," I said. "Liam and the others are werewolves." I paused for a moment, letting that sink in. She didn't say anything, but she looked at me as if I had grown two heads. "I know what you're thinking, but I swear it's true. He told me. I also saw him change."
"He turned into a wolf?" she asked.
"Well, not entirely, but, yeah."
Ty remained speechless as I replayed the entire afternoon for her. She seemed to be growing paler by the moment.
"You okay?" I asked.
"Yeah," she said, her voice an octave higher than usual. "I...I just have no words. I mean this is surreal."
"I know."
We pulled into the library parking lot and I turned off the car.
"So, why the library? What are we looking for?" she asked.
I unbuckled my seatbelt and turned to her. "Evidence, or hopefully the lack of," I said. "I saw some pretty disturbing stuff at Liam's house and I need to make sure he wasn't involved in it. If I'm going to be with him, I need to know everything about him, and whether that affects me. I'm hoping to find some records in the papers about a local wolf attack."
"Wait, you're with Liam?" Ty asked. "I thought you were mad at him?"
"Ty," I said with a groan, "more important matters here."
"Right. Sorry."
We easily found our way to the media center. The place was empty, considering the early hour, and it worked to our advantage. We had the entire section of computer terminals to ourselves. I scanned my card, and found a listing of last year's newspapers.
My fingers spun over the mouse, flipping through page after page. Nothing, even when I entered 'wolf' into the search terms. Not a single mention of anything in regards to an animal attack in the last year. It didn't make sense. Something tragic enough to take a man's life would have been reported in the town's papers.
"I don't get it," I said, staring at the computer screen. "I saw the photograph."
"Charlotte?" Ty asked.
"Hm?"
She nudged me in the side and I looked over. She had logged in herself and had a headline at the top of her page.
"I decided to take the date out of the search options. I know this is crazy, but look," she said, pointing.
Wild Beast Is Dead
Aug. 28, 1912
Maplefield, Massachusetts
Today the wild creature claiming a total of three lives has been found and killed by young hunter Philip Grant at six thirty am Eastern Time. Over a short period of two days, the 'monster', as some people have claimed, brutally killed three men, whose names, out of respect for their surviving families, have not been disclosed. Authorities are still baffled as to where this creature came from and the manner of species it is. Further inquiry into the background of the animal became futile while during investigation on its latest victim, the body of the beast vanished. Authorities guarantee that the animal was indeed dead and are actively pursuing leads to any and all pranksters involved.
My body went numb. "Ty, I don't think they're teenagers."
"Teenagers?" Ty asked.
If the article truly related to Liam, it meant he had not only been alive back in 1912, but had been seventeen back in 1912. My equilibrium felt off and I turned to Ty. "What?"
"Age? Their age is what you're concerned about?"
Personally, I thought the idea that my boyfriend was really over a hundred held credence to a little wow.
"Did you read the part about the deaths and this wolf creature that magically disappeared?"
Oh, yeah, that part.
"Do you realize what this means? That murderous creature may still be out there, especially if they don't die of old age." The way her index finger jabbed at the monitor made me believe she might topple it over. I had never seen her so animated.
"Ty, we don't know that," I said, trying to be the voice of reason. "The article clearly states that the creature was killed. There were witnesses."
Ty scowled. Seeing her so serious, seemed foreign. "Then why did the body just disappear, Charlotte? It doesn't make sense. It also doesn't state anywhere over the next few months or even years that anyone ever found any signs of that creature's body again."
"Ty," I said, when she interrupted.
"You said Liam instantly healed from a gun shot. What if
these wolves can heal themselves and normal things like bullets don't hurt them? What if that creature was faking?"
She had a good point. A cold chill slithered down my back.
"What if he just wanted the authorities off his trail?"
Any form of retort remained strangled in my throat. I needed to pace, yet I couldn't muster the will to move. "Even if what you're saying is true," I said. "It doesn't mean that he's here in Maplefield."
'There are worse ways to die.'
'If others found out about you.'
Liam's words rang in my head. I felt nauseous. "He knows," I whispered.
"Who knows what?"
I pointed to the article. "Liam. He knows this other werewolf is alive. He must. This is why he said it was dangerous for me to know too much. He's afraid this creature will find out and come after me."
"What?"
I nodded my head, the only reaction I could muster. "Something still doesn't make sense though. Liam said the clerk at the gas station knew his secret. He said that was different because he was human." I smirked at the ridiculous implication and forced out a small laugh. "Eh, it's crazy. I mean, come on, what? I'm not human?"
"What if you're not?"
I gave her a disbelieving glare.
"No, no, hear me out," she said. "I've seen the way all of those guys look at you, Charlotte. It's like they all know there's something different about you, something about you that drives them all crazy."
"Yeah, it's the killer heels I'm always wearing."
"I'm serious, Charlotte." She nudged me in the shoulder. "Remember that night at your house when they all ran out? You even mentioned Liam said you were different. Remember how scared they all looked?"
"How could I forget," I said. My insides twisted into a rock and my face fell.
Ty placed her hand on my arm. "I'm sorry, Charlotte. I didn't mean it like that. I just meant that in retrospect, considering this new enlightening information, it seems suspicious."
My fingers tapped nervously on the back of my chair. "So what are you saying? What am I?" I felt ridiculous for even entertaining the stupid question.
"I don't know," Ty said. "Maybe you're a werewolf too."
I took one serious look at my friend and then forced a laugh. "I'm a werewolf, Ty?"
She shrugged. "You never know."
"Ty, I'm no werewolf expert, but I'm pretty sure you have to be able to turn into a wolf to be one. Just a thought." I shook my head. "You sound like the guys."
"They think you're a werewolf?" She gasped. "You didn't tell me that."
Why'd I say anything? I had to tell her now.
Grabbing her by the arm, I led her over to the women's restroom.
"Charlotte, what are you doing?"
The door swung wide and I checked to make sure the room was empty.
"I've been bitten," I said, locking the door behind me.
"What? What are you talking about? That's not even funny."
"No, I'm serious," I said. "It happened years ago when I was five. It's why Liam freaked and left. He saw the scar when he kissed me."
"You were attacked by a werewolf when you were five?" Ty asked. Her voice rose.
"Shh, quiet."
Footsteps approached the bathroom door and I held my breath. A second pair joined them, along with the sound of muffled voices. They moved away and I exhaled.
"Sorry," Ty whispered.
"I don't know if it was a werewolf that bit me. Liam said it's a wolf bite. I can't remember the attack, only flashes. All I know is what my parents told me. They said a dog bit me."
"Did they see it?"
"No. They found me later, out back of my house. I can remember sneaking out that day. There was a lose rail that I pushed under and crawled through. The rest is hazy. My parents said it was the trauma."
I pushed back the collar of my shirt, showing her the scar. Her jaw dropped.
"That's not a dog bite, Charlotte."
"You can tell the difference between a dog bite and wolf?" I asked.
"My parents have raised dogs for years. That thing is huge. A mastiff wouldn't make a scar that big. A normal wolf didn't do that either."
"Okay, you know what? This is ridiculous. Come on. I was bitten by a werewolf? We are forgetting a major factor here. I can't turn into a wolf. Kind of blows the theory, doesn't it?"
"Hmm, true," she said, tapping her lip. "If only we could get a hold of the pictures of the victim's bodies."
"What?" I asked. She couldn't be serious.
"I was just thinking that if we had a picture of their wounds, we could match up yours to see if it was from a similar creature."
She had to be given credit on that one. Still, I thoroughly denied that a werewolf bit me. "I know where we can get pictures."
"Really? Where?"
"Liam's."
"Great."
My gut twisted. "There's one catch. He wasn't exactly happy when I saw the album that has the photo in it. I don't think he's just going to hand this over, and he doesn't know that you know he's a 'you know what'."
Ty nodded and started to pace the bathroom, her fingers playing with her charm. "You have Liam's home number right?"
I didn't like the sound of this.
"You call him, find out if he's home and if not, we shoot over."
"That's breaking and entering, Ty."
"So?" She said with a forced smile. "This is important. We'll be quick. No one will know."
"Who are you?" I asked.
She gave a tight grin and my insides squirmed. I didn't like the idea of going behind Liam's back. I liked him, and I knew he didn't want me to see the album. But how many secrets did he hold from me? I needed to know. Even he said my life could be in danger.
I flicked my cell phone open and brought it to my ear. The number rang, but no one picked up.
"Okay," I said with a sigh. "Let's do it."
The house had a different air about it, stark and forsaken, in the low preamble of day. The wind, though soft, scratched and clawed at the old worn siding, making me wonder about the age of the place. My nerves were on end. The place had been intimidating enough when I had been with Liam. Breaking and entering, especially considering werewolves lived there, didn't sit well. Maybe this was a bad idea.
"Are you ready?" I asked, my voice tight.
Ty's boisterous courage seemed to have dwindled since we turned onto the long dirt road that led out here. Trees, I fathomed. They had an ominous way of casting out the sun as if poison. Of course, Ty grew up on the east coast, unlike me. Woods probably went hand in hand with breathing.
She didn't answer, so I turned off the gas. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, fine," she said. She looked pale, as she stared at the faded blue Victorian.
"This was your idea."
"I know," she said, gently rubbing her temple. "I just didn't think it'd be so..."
"Big? Old?" I asked.
"Creepy."
"We can go back."
"No, no." She shook her head, dropping her hand. "This is important."
I nodded and opened the door, stepping out with a crunch onto the pine needle covered ground. I felt exposed standing outside the car in front of the old place. It didn't feel right. "Why are we doing this again?"
"Charlotte," Ty said with a grumble, grabbing my hand. "Come on."
We started up the creaky front steps to the porch, when I paused, my hands wringing together. "How do we know they're all gone? I only called Liam's cell. Who's to say the others aren't here?"
"Relax," Ty said, squeezing my arm. "We'll knock first. If no one answers, then we'll find a way to get inside."
"Find a way to get inside?" I asked.
Ty gave me a rueful glance. "Charlotte, we don't exactly have a key. I'm sure if no one's here, the door is locked."
This whole escapade screamed bad idea. Ty went to knock on the door and I almost stopped her. But what choice did I have? She wrapped her fingers three times. A scurry of house finches took off out of a nearby tree, making me jump.
"You are nervous," she said.
"Is it that easy to tell?" I rolled my eyes. No one answered. "One more time," I said, "just to make sure."
Ty shook her head, but obliged. Nothing. She tried the handle, but it wouldn't budge.
"I say we head around back to see if we can find an open window or something," Ty said, as she started past me down the steps. If I hadn't known her better, I would have thought she had done this before. "Come on, Charlotte."
The porch groaned as we hopped down from the last step, taking route around the left side of the house. Everything appeared shut up tight. I stepped up to one of the oversized paned windows on the side of the house, and peered in. The large open living room seemed emptier than it did before, dark, the lights off. It helped settle my fears on whether or not anyone was home. I wondered where they had gone. It was still early in the morning on a Saturday. Who else would be up and out at this ridiculous hour? Of course I wouldn't put anything past Liam. He was probably taking one of his overnight walks, or hunting. He was a wolf after all. The thought made me shudder; sharp teeth and blood, all I saw.
"You cold?" Ty asked, moving up from behind me.
"No, I'm fine. It's nothing," I said, ridding myself of the vision. I placed my hands up on the window and shoved. It didn't move. Frustrated, I hopped down from the small vent protruding from house that I had been standing on. The grass squished under my feet, dew still lightly covering the ground.
Ty stood with her sneakers tucked into a large chain linked fence that separated the side of the house from a large drop off down the back. "This view is amazing," she said. "Is this the preserve?"
"Yeah, and be careful. You don't want to fall down there. That material looks a little flimsy."
"Yes, Mom," she said with a giggle.
I rolled my eyes, when I saw a shadow race along the edge of the house. Goosebumps flooded my arms. I turned, but didn't see anything.
"What is it?" Ty asked.
"Nothing," I said. "Let's try the other side of the house."
We headed around the front, past the old winding porch, and the small graveled lot where the CRV sat. Chills still prickled my skin, and I had the strange feeling of being watched. I glanced around, but everything seemed still, vacant. I had to be imagining things.
The other side of the house had been given more attention than this one. Brambles, thorns, and everything known to mankind blocked our path, making walking difficult.
"Ow, my hair," Ty said ahead of me. A low hanging branch had snagged a wad of her blonde curls, twisting them up into a knot. Pushing my way through the shrubs, closer, my fingers went to work, freeing her from the spiny tendrils.
"Thanks," she said, and then pointed in front of her. "I think I found a way in." She kicked a large overgrown bush to the side, revealing an old bulkhead.
"Is it open?"
She reached down for the rusty handle, and pulled. The bulkhead groaned, resisted, but then came free. Swinging it wide, she let it drop to the ground with a crunch.
A small cement stairwell smelling of mold led down to a faded red steel door. Brushing past Ty, I took the lead, and started down the dank steps. A thin trace of cobwebs tickled my arm as I reached for the doorknob, but I ignored them. When I twisted the knob, I was surprised.
"It's unlocked," I said.
With a gentle push, the door swung wide. A draft of moist mildew hit my nose, making me almost sneeze. Save for the small space near the stairwell where light came in, the basement was completely dark. I moved my hand along the inside of the wall in hopes of finding a light switch, but nothing.
"I suppose you don't have a flashlight?" I asked over my shoulder. The irony of the question didn't escape me.
"Sorry," Ty said. She crooned her neck around me, to see. "What do you think?"
"Do we have a choice?"
"Not if we want a look at those photographs."
I groaned, and stepped into the large void of darkness. Ty held my shirt, I think afraid of losing me. She didn't say anything, so I kept moving. My arms splayed out in front of me in hopes that I would find the stairwell and not topple into something sharp and dangerous. Who knew what kinds of things Liam and his friends kept down here. Visions of mauled victims flooded my mind again, and I desperately shook it off.
"Are you okay?" Ty asked.
"Yeah, just nerves," I said, when I saw something move; a flicker of a shadow in the darkness. My heart pounded in my ears. "Did you see that?"
"See what?"
"I don't know. Maybe we shouldn't be here." My hands shook. "What if they're not really gone? We really don't know that much about them."
"They're gone," Ty said. She changed her hold on my shirt to my arm. "Wow, you're cold, Charlotte. Look, relax. Even if Liam or one of the guys did come home, I'm sure they wouldn't do anything. Liam obviously has feelings for you, right?"
I nodded, though Ty couldn't see it. I just wished my mind would stop playing tricks on me. "You're right," I said, trying to shove off the eerie feeling. With a deep breath, I started forward again.
"Over here," Ty said. "I think I found the stairs. I feel a railing."
She pulled me around to where she stood, and when my fingers touched the smooth rounded wood, I sighed. "Thank god," I said with relief.
We carefully ascended the creaky staircase. The daylight seeped through the cracks of the door, giving it an aura like affect in contrast to the dungy cellar. It opened and we stepped into the long, empty, hallway.
"This way," I said, heading down towards the study. The faster we could get out of there, the better.
Warm light greeted us through the now closed and locked up window as I made my way over to the desk. The large leather bound photo album sat, tucked into a small shelf attached to the frame. I glanced around, and then pulled it down. "Here it is," I said. "This is the book."
"What book?" a male voice said.
My head shot up. Prickles of goose bumps rose on the back of my neck as I met an intense blue gaze bearing down at me. He stood, leaning on the door jam, in a way that oddly reminded me of Liam. He appeared about the same age and build too, but instead of Liam's ashy blond hair, he had auburn.
It took a moment for my mind to connect with my body, and I shoved the book behind my back "What are you doing here?" I asked, wincing at how stupid that sounded.
The corner of his mouth lifted into a grin. "I should be asking you that," he said. "You're breaking and entering. Perhaps I should call the cops." He reached into his back pocket, pulling out his cell phone.
"No, no," I said, taking a step towards him. He seemed pleased by my newfound hysteria, and put the phone away.
"Why are you here?" he asked, again. His focus flicked to Ty, and then back at me. Hands in his pockets, he pushed himself up off the door jam, moving towards me. The muscles of his shoulders flexed taut under his thin t-shirt and he rolled them, tilting his head to the side.
"She's friends with Liam," Ty said.
Inside I winced with horror. Liam didn't want people to know I knew about him. He said it was dangerous. My chest felt constricted. His face looked like stone.
"What's with the book?" he asked.
"It...it's nothing," I said. My fingers clutched the leather so hard I could feel the painful pinch of my nails biting into its flesh.
He took another step towards me. "Then what's behind your back?"
I contemplated denying the fact that I held it there, but it seemed pointless. "Just something for a homework assignment that Liam was helping me with." I prayed I didn't look as sickly as I felt.
"I wasn't aware Liam went to school," he said. A coy smile lifted to his mouth.
"Oh, he doesn't. It was for me. I go to school. He just said I could borrow it." I needed to shut up. Seriously. A pin could have dropped and I would have screamed. Where was Ty?
"Can I see it?" he asked.
"No." I swallowed hard.
"Why not?"
My heart pounded in my ears. "Because it's not yours."
He stalked towards me then, but stopped short. His intense blue eyes widened and his jaw went slack. His nostrils expanded, and he inhaled, tilting his head. The familiarity of the ritual did not escape me - werewolf. I needed my body to respond. Run, my mind screamed, but I couldn't move.
"It's you," he said with a disbelieving nod. He reached out to touch my hair, but I shrank back.
"I don't know what you mean," I said. "I don't know you."
"How did Liam find you?" he asked, ignoring me.
"Liam didn't find me. I was in the woods and he ran...into me."
"Mhm," he said with all knowing grin. "Interesting."
"It's not what you think," I said.
"Sure it isn't."
Who did this guy think he was? Did he know his words twisted and stirred subconscious fears I had about Liam and my past? He didn't know me; impossible. But then why did it seem he wanted to make me doubt myself? What did he know?
His blue gaze penetrated my skin as he started to walk around me. I tried to remain stone, and not shake. My nails bit into the book.
"I need to go," I said.
"Of course." He looked mocked hurt, as though the idea of him keeping me there, absurd. He stopped circling, his hands still in his pockets, and cocked his head to the other side. "I'm not holding you and your friend here. I merely wanted to make sure that you weren't here unbeknownst to Liam."
"Well, we're not, so bye." Ty said. The voice sounded so foreign, it took me a moment to recognize it.
The stranger turned, regarding her for the first time. A small smile etched across his face, but he focused back on me. "Why are you here with her?" he asked.
"She's my friend?" I didn't know what he wanted me to say.
"You're friends with Liam and her?"
"Yes," I said, the point of this lost on me. "Why?"
"Does Liam know?"
"Does Liam know what?"
He rolled his eyes with a groan. "That you're friends with her?"
"What's wrong with Ty?"
He took a step towards me. His body loomed over mine so that I had to press back against the desk. It felt like I couldn't breathe and I turned my head away. "You know what I'm talking about," he whispered, his breath on my ear. "It's dangerous to mingle outside..." He paused, to my relief, standing back a bit. "You still haven't changed," he said with a slow nod. He seemed rather amused. "This is interesting. How Liam found you is beyond me. You aren't his you know."
The corners of my mouth fell. "I don't know what you're talking about."
He leaned forward and the hairs on the back of my neck rose. "I think you do," he whispered, flicking his gaze over to Ty.
"We're leaving," I said. I had enough. I didn't like this guy and I wanted to go home. Pushing myself past him, I grabbed Ty's hand. "No wonder Liam never mentioned you living here," I said as I headed for the door. I heard him chuckle.
"Who ever said I lived here?"
I spun around, but he had gone. The absence of his presence made the goose bumps on the back of my neck fade, but I felt cold. How did he get out? The window by the desk sat open and I could hear the faint babbling of birds outside. Walking over, I peered across the front lawn. I didn't see a sign of him anywhere.
"Where'd he go?" Ty asked.
"I don't know." I said. "I don't see him anywhere." I didn't like this. "Let's get of here."
I didn't need to ask twice. We sped out of the study, down the front hallway, and swung the main door wide. Several sparrows flapped and chirped as they startled off into the air, but that didn't give us pause. My hands landed on the CRV with a flush of relief. My fingers couldn't work fast enough as I fiddled with the door handle.
"Hurry, Charlotte," Ty said from the passenger side, jumping and fidgeting. "I locked mine."
"What?" I asked. The door budged open and I slipped inside. Leaning over, I popped hers ajar. "Who do you thinks going to steal this thing out here?"
Ty slipped into the warn seat. "Who'd have thought we'd be running from red haired dudes?"
"Good point."
Gunning the engine, we took off down the small overgrown path that Liam and his friends called a road. Once the shrubbery faded into the main single lane highway heading back towards civilization, I sighed. "What was that?" I asked.
"Did you get the book?" Ty asked.
"Yeah, here." I handed it to her. "I can't even think about that right now. My head is spinning."
"Yeah, whose idea was that anyway?"
I glared at her. "Amusing, Ty."
"Okay, so it was kind of a bad idea."
"Kind of?"
Ty shrugged, flopping back into her seat. "At least we got the book."
"Yeah," I said. I really didn't want to think about this anymore, not now. My head hurt. I also realized we left Liam's front door open. The idea of him knowing we broke into his house, made me feel like the worst person in the world. I wanted to get home.
Ty had drifted into a strange quietness by the time I turned onto my long hilly driveway, but as soon as the house came into view, she gasped. Sitting in front of my garage sat a beautiful black Ford Mustang.
"Wow, nice car," Ty said.
I parked and shut off the engine, afraid to look.
"Is that Liam talking to your dad?" Ty asked. "What's he doing here?"
"I don't know," I said, the words barely passing my lips.
Dad looked up from his conversation with a grin, and waved at me to come over. Liam turned from Dad and his gaze met mine. Panic gripped my chest. Did he know we broke into his house? No, there was no way he would, unless that guy called him. It seemed unlikely considering the time frame involved. Both Liam and Dad smiled at us. I needed to relax.
"Hide the book," I said, forcing a wave back to them as I hopped down from the car. I swallowed hard.
"Liam?" I asked as I approached him. "What are you doing here?"
He flashed one of his ridiculous grins and for a moment I almost forgot what I had been doing. Flustered, I forced myself to focus. Despite saving my life and saying he loved me; some serious details had been omitted from the picture. If he hadn't murdered those people, then he knew who did. The words of the crazy guy at Liam's house haunted me too. Had Liam been looking for me? What if he had been the one following me all along?
"This young man's been waiting for you, Charlotte," Dad said, with a pat on my back. He grabbed my shoulder giving it a hug with his palm. I wobbled, embarrassed. Liam chuckled.
"I missed you," Liam said, the sincerity unmissed.
"Liam..." My glaze flicked in my father's direction.
Dad wrestled my shoulder again. "You kids go have some fun," he said. "Liam seems like a good guy. Just make sure you're back by dinner. Your mother's supposed to be calling."
I looked at Dad with disbelief. Where was I? I didn't know how Liam pulled that off, but impressed didn't come close. "Thanks, Dad. I'll be back for the call."
"Okay then, have fun you two." Dad tossed a quick look of warning to Liam, before disappearing into the house. The door clicked shut, and my body relaxed.
"How did you do that?" I asked.
"I have my ways," he said with a small teasing grin. He closed the distance between us, and my breath caught in my throat. His warm fingers slipped into mine and he brought them to his cheek. My heart pounded in my ears.
"Hey guys," Ty hollered over from the CVR. "Do you think I can get a ride?"
My face burned and I moved back from Liam. "Of course. Right, Liam?"
"Sure," he said.
As we sped down the road in Liam's mustang, Ty had become a ghost of her normal bouncy self in the back seat. "Ty?" I asked. "Are you all right back there?"
Hearing only a tight small grunt, I turned around to face her. "What's wrong?" I asked, when I saw the fear on her face. Both her hands gripped the seat next to her as she stared at the back of Liam's head. I followed her gaze, but saw nothing weird. 'What is it?' I mouthed. She wouldn't answer. She just shook her head back and forth.
Liam pulled into a small shopping plaza in the center of town. A conglomerate of chain restaurants, and stores surrounded us from every angle. Weaving his way through the parking lot, Liam stopped in front of a small restaurant at the far end.
"I hope you like Chinese," he said.
"What?" I asked.
"I ordered take out. Thought we could have a picnic."
I couldn't help but smile. Liam seemed to take my expression as a yes and got out. "I'll be right back."
Liam disappeared inside the building, and I turned back to Ty. "What's going on?" I asked. Ty relaxed a little, but I caught her stealing a glance to the outside. "He's gone, Ty."
She nodded. "Sorry, it's nothing. It's just, I don't know." She leaned forward on the back of my seat and whispered. "He's a werewolf! I mean, in theory I was fine with this, but we are sitting in a werewolf's car!"
"Shh," I said. "Look, I know this isn't normal, but Liam wouldn't do anything to hurt you or me. I know that."
"But he doesn't know that I know. What if he finds out? What he wolfs out on me?"
"I don't think that's going to happen." My voice surprised me with its defensiveness. "Liam wouldn't do that. He's a good guy. You're my friend and he says he loves me."
There, I said it.
Ty's jaw dropped. "What? You didn't tell me that. Are you crazy? You don't even know if he had something to do with those killings? He's not even really a teenager." Her chest rose and fell with quick jerks.
"Look, relax. I know that, okay. Don't hyperventilate on me. I know what I'm doing." I hoped.
"Do you love him?" she asked.
My words caught in my throat. "I don't know. It's complicated. The way he makes me feel scares me, Ty." I wanted to tell her how it felt almost primal, as if he had the key so some hibernating force lying dormant in me, but it terrified me too much. I couldn't think that way. I wouldn't. "I like him," I said. "I do. There's just too many unknowns right now."
Ty nodded in understanding, looking a little relieved. "Look, I'm sorry for over reacting about the whole werewolf thing," she said, rolling her eyes. "It's just a little huge. I'm trying to wrap my brain around it. I trust your judgment of wolf boy."
"Thanks." I smirked over the back of the seat. "Don't worry. Everything's going to be fine. He won't hurt us."
The door opened and we both jumped.
"What's going on?" Liam asked.
"Nothing," Ty and I said at once. I sunk back down in my seat, fixing my belt. "Food smells good," I said with a small grin.
"Delicious," Ty said.
I worked my best poker face as I felt Liam's mind work over us like an x-ray machine. "Were you talking about me?" he asked.
"Not at all," Ty and I said at the same time. My face burned.
"Hmm, I see," Liam said, giving us a curious look as he started the car. "What were you talking about?"
"Just how lucky I am to have a guy like you buy my lunch," I said, teasing. I gave him a peck on the cheek. "Thanks for the food. It smells really good."
His eyes flashed gold from under his messy hair and whispered in my ear. "The food's not the only thing that smells incredible."
My heart rate soared and my body trembled.
"Still in the car," Ty said.
Liam licked his lip as he sat back up with a grin, and then pulled into reverse.
Ty's house appeared in record time, and as I watched her descend inside with the album in her backpack, I knew our investigation would have to wait.
"I wanted to make sure you were okay about yesterday," Liam said.
His words made my stomach turn. I spent most of the morning trying not to think about the horrific scene at the gas station. The earlier diversion had in its own way been at least helpful in that aspect. Now, with the image of yesterday afternoon laid out in my mind, I wanted to huddle into a ball.
"I'm okay," I said, lying.
"That's what I thought," He said, nodding.
I couldn't blame him for being worried. I was not okay. Liam took a turn into a small wooded picnic area. Markers for camping stood to the left of us, and I realized this place looked familiar.
"This isn't...?"
A broad grin broke across Liam's concerned expression, and my jaw dropped. "The one and only. I can't help it. I love this place. It's where I met you," he said with a chuckle. I didn't know if I wanted to kiss him or scream. "We're using a different entrance though. There's mostly hiking and picnicking up here."
"Oh nice," I said. The way he looked at me burned through me. I tried to keep my focus out the windshield. It drove me crazy.
"Charlotte..."
His voice made my blood pressure soar and I gripped the seat, refusing to look. Could he hear the frantic rhythm in my chest? Did he know how my body responded to him? I caught his reflection in the window, his lips had parted, his eyes wolf.
He knew. Of course he did. He had the senses of an animal. Embarrassment flushed over me. He recognized how I felt all along, even from the first night in the woods. Every jump in my pulse, every time my breath caught, or my temperature rose, he sensed it. No wonder he was so smug. I couldn't hide anything from him.
"Hey." His fingers brushed across my jaw line and tilted my chin up. Golden hues swallowed me. "Let's go eat." Dropping his touch with a wink, he grabbed the Chinese food, and slipped outside.
My entire body crumbled against the black leather seat. Slowly I let the air enter and exit my lungs. I needed to stay together.
When Liam had the food laid out on the grass, he waved me over.
"I hope you're hungry. I got a little of everything," he said. Reaching his arm out, he pulled me down into his lap. My temperature climbed. I couldn't help but melt into his chest, hard with lean muscle. He felt warm and safe.
His fingers caressed the back of my hair and he sighed. "Liam?" I asked.
"Mm," he said. I felt his cheek on my head and then his fingers fell as his nose replaced them, brushing up through my hair. "Charlotte," he said with low groan.
I shivered, knowing the animal part of him. I could feel it, so close to the surface, and despite all logic, I found it exciting.
I wanted the wolf.
My back arched against him, and my fingers tangled in his messy strands. Lips brushed across my jaw line, and I reciprocated, tasting his salty skin.
"Charlotte," he said, again. Taking my cheeks in his hand, he crushed his lips to mine.
Heat exploded up my backbone and down every limb of my body. I had never felt so alive. Everything started to tingle and then something inside me began to scratch and claw to surface. It scared me, yet I couldn't stop the sensation of this 'otherness' climbing the walls of my skin. The tips of my fingers itched and burned, and I grabbed onto Liam's back, digging them into his shirt.
His chest rumbled against mine and he pushed my lips apart. I felt a dropping sensation as something inside me began to pull away, allowing a part of me, hidden and subconscious, to emerge. Everything burned. I felt dizzy, and then a flush of light pressed through my line of vision.
The forest and picnic tables sprang to life. Each knot and vein of the trees stood out, defined, and vivid to the last detail. With almost microscopic precision I could discern the innate textures of a hummingbird as it flew overhead.
Trembling with this new awareness, I glanced down at Liam's shoulder as he continued to kiss my jaw. Quivering movements wrestled under his skin and then his ears shifted, rising further up his hairline. Adrenaline pulsing, I wanted more.
I gasped for air, meeting Liam's gaze, and then his body froze.
Panic from our first kiss hit me. He dropped his arms from my body and moved back. The hint of tears began to sting. I wouldn't cry.
"What?" I asked. What did I do? "Liam?"
"Your eyes," he whispered.
"What about them?" I rubbed them hard, blinking, in hopes any signs of my upset wouldn't show.
"Don't," Liam said. Taking my wrists in his hands, he pulled them down from my face. He cocked his head to the side, staring. It made me nervous.
"Liam," I said. "Please stop looking at me like that."
"It's true," he whispered.
"What's true?"
"I mean, I knew it was true, but to see it." He shook his head with a smile. "I don't know how you did it, Charlotte. You're incredible."
"How I did what?" I realized I grabbed a wad of grass in my hand and I let it go. "You're not making any sense."
"Shh," he whispered, placing two fingers on my lips. My body relaxed, even the sharpened vision went normal. "It's nothing," Liam said with a smile. He dropped his hand, and replaced it with a kiss.
"Did you get the album?" I asked.
I had just gotten home from school when Ty showed up at my door. In her enthusiasm, she almost knocked me down, pushing her way inside.
"Upstairs," she said, pointing.
Her face, dark and serious, made me wonder exactly what she had seen in the photos. I had a bad feeling.
"What is it?" I asked.
Greeted by her extended finger, I resolved to head to my room. It couldn't be that terrible. Ty did have a tendency to over react.
As I reached for my door handle, I stopped short. The back of my neck crawled with tiny fingers of goose bumps, and I smelt pine. Not in the familiar way, but as something else.
"Charlotte, what's wrong?" Ty went to move ahead of me, and I put my hand out, blocking her.
"Wait," I said, leaning my ear against the white paneling.
"What are you doing? What's going on?"
"Shh." I said, but I couldn't hear anything on the other side. The crawling feeling still teased the surface of my skin, but I pushed the door open.
The gasp I heard came from Ty first. The covers had been ripped off my mattress and the dresser drawers had been pulled loose. Clothes and personal items covered the floor. My closet door hung half off its hinge. Boxes, old games, and books, spewed, half toppled from the shelves.
"Charlotte," Ty said, pointing.
My gaze followed to an open window. A fresh streak of claw marks ran about a good half inch deep across the windowsill. I trembled.
"My room," I said, barely able to breathe. Everything began to spin.
Ty's hand gently fell on my shoulder, but I flinched, and she withdrew. "You don't think Liam did this?" she asked.
"No," I said, my response immediate. "He didn't do this."
"What if he figured out that we were in his house and came looking for the album? It makes sense."
"He didn't do this," I said, my voice cracking. Tears threatened me. "Liam would never do something like this."
I moved past her, grabbing a wad of tussled clothes, and slammed them into an open drawer. I went for another wad and then kicked it shut. Ty stared at me like she had something to say. "What?"
"Nothing."
"Good."
My actions embarrassed me and I turned away, one hand on the dresser. My lip trembled. I forced my breathing to slow. "Why would somebody do this?"
"I don't know, Charlotte, but look at the window. It was a werewolf. It had to be. How many werewolves do we know?"
"I know. Trust me, I know," I said. I slunk down to the floor and held my knees. "All I know is it wasn't Liam. Even if he knew we took the album, he wouldn't do this. He'd talk to me. I just know it."
Ty's didn't seem convinced and a bite of anger flushed through me. It hurt. Glancing at the windowsill, the image of Liam's claws extending at the gunman penetrated my mind. No. I shook it away. "It had to have been that guy we ran into. He must have followed us here, yesterday, when we left."
Now, for some reason, she appeared stung. "Did you speak with Liam after he went home that night?" Ty asked.
"What are you saying? That he came here today just because I wasn't keeping tabs on him? I'm sorry, I'm not like that."
"Did you?" she asked.
My gut twisted. "No. I haven't talked to him since our date."
She shrugged and fiddled with the remaining edge of the comforter hanging from my bed. "It's just a little strange is all," she said.
"What do you mean?"
"It's just, don't you think he might have called or mentioned something about you breaking into his house? We left the front door open."
"Maybe he didn't know it was us," I said, as I shoved more clothes into another drawer. "Anyone could have waltzed in there."
"He's a werewolf. He would have been able to smell you. Besides, who breaks into someone's house and steals only a photo album of wolf attack? I think he knows."
I slammed the dresser shut. "What are you doing, Ty?" I asked. "Seriously, you're supposed to be my friend." Blinking, I glanced away.
"I'm sorry," she said. "It's just...never mind."
"No, it's just what?" I asked, turning back.
Ty dropped the comforter and kneaded her hands. "Look," she said. "You're in love with him." I opened my mouth to protest, but she held up her hand. "I'm just worried that your feelings may be slightly blinding you to some things. That's all. I mean, how well can you possibly know Liam? You just found out he was a werewolf the other day. A werewolf! He's older than my grandfather, Charlotte. Who knows who he really is? That's all I'm saying. I just think you should be careful."
The verbal darts that passed through my chest left me internally bruised. How could she say that? Did she care about my feelings at all? She knew how I felt about him. A slight part of me acknowledged that she worried because she did care, but I didn't want to hear it.
"How can you say that?" I asked.
"Charlotte..."
"Liam didn't do this," I yelled. "It was that other guy. He's a werewolf too. He has to be. You saw the way he was looking at me."
Ty looked down at her hands, her body stiff and still. "Maybe you're right," she said, her tone unconvincing.
"You don't know him like I do."
Ty sighed and grabbed the old photo album, setting it on her lap. "No, I don't," she said. Her index finger did a small circle over the hem of the cover. "But you don't know what I know either."
"What do you mean?" I asked. The way she said that made me cold.
She opened the thick cover and began leafing through the brittle pages. Stopping at one, she shifted the book around so I could see. "Come look," she said.
I hesitated. "What? Am I a werewolf now?" I asked, my throat tight.
Ty shook her head. "This isn't about that. This is something else I found."
"What is it?" I wanted her to just tell me so I didn't have to peek.
"Please," she said, sliding the album closer. "Just take it."
Moving from my position by the dresser, I got up, and sat down next to her. With a deep breath, I let my focus fall to the page. Surprised, no picture had been attached. An old discolored document had been inserted into the plastic sleeve, the seal on the top labeling it a death certificate.
"I'm confused," I said.
"Read it."
The words before me cut off my gravitational axis. "I don't understand," I said. Dropping the book, I clutched the mattress. "This is a joke, right? Please tell me you're joking."
"I don't think you know Liam as well as you think," Ty said. "In fact, I don't think that's even his real name, considering he's alive."
I needed air.
"No, no. Liam did not die back in 1912. He wasn't attacked, he was born a wolf. He told me. This has to be a mistake."
"I know that's what he told you," Ty said. "Charlotte, it isn't true."
Tears escaped and I furiously shook my head. "He wouldn't lie to me."
Ty took the album, sitting it back on her lap. "I'm sorry, Charlotte." She flipped the page over to reveal an old black and white police shot dated August 28, 1912. A photo of a seventeen-year old boy, with a striking likeness to Liam, stared back at me. A toe tag had been fastened to his bare boot, most of his neck and shoulder shredded and torn. No hoax could pull that off. The person was dead.
"I think I'm going to be sick," I said.
Ty reached out, to grab on to me, but I sank down off the edge of the bed to the floor. "Why would he pretend to be someone else?"
"I don't know."
She slipped down beside me and gave me a hug. "I'm so sorry. I don't know what's going on in his head. I wish I did."
I felt hollow, empty. Everything I thought I knew about Liam had been obliterated. If the person on that slab, bearing his name and resemblance hadn't been him, why did he steal the guy's identity? Why keep all the photos and documents on this at all? His reaction to seeing me glance at the book struck me cold.
"What if Liam killed him?" I said.
"Now Charlotte, we don't know that," Ty said. "I wasn't implying that. I just didn't want you so blinded. You don't know him as much as you think. That's all. You need to be careful."
"Why would he be keeping photos of a mauled victim whose identity he took? This was a werewolf attack!" I covered my face with my hands.
"Quiet," Ty whispered. "Your dad's downstairs."
"I know. Sorry."
"Trust me. I know it's very suspicious, but you're right. It could have been someone else that broke in here too."
I lifted my head from my hands. "What are you talking about? I thought you were adamant that it was Liam. You're confusing me."
"Well, I was just thinking. What if others realized you had the album and had become curious about you? Anyone could have followed you here."
"Ty, you're not making any sense. Who would care I knew about that death besides Liam?"
Ty chewed her lower lip and my stomach sank when she pulled the book back down in her lap. "There's another little thing to the story that I haven't told you."
Great.
Ty thumbed through several pages until she landed on a familiar one. The picture I had seen in Liam's study filled the sheet. Taking it in fully for the first time, I saw three gnarled and torn bodies with blacked out faces. The bite marks seemed to be the focus of the image, and on each person, the location differed. The first had one on the shoulder, the second, this man's leg, and the third appeared to be a hip shot. The unnerving similarity, they all looked like mine.
"I'm not a werewolf, Ty."
"I know," she said. "But according to these, you should be."
This had to be some kind of cruel joke. I wanted to curl up in a ball.
"Maybe they don't understand it either, Charlotte. This might be the real reason why Liam said you were in danger if other werewolves knew about you."
My head hurt.
"So now you think Liam was trying to protect me?"
"I don't know. That's what scares me. We don't know what's going on here. All I know is that since we now have this album, we, or more specifically, you, could be in a lot of danger. We know things we shouldn't. Liam's identity, for example, is destroyed. I can easily see why he'd want to break in here to find the album. But like I said, it could have been anyone that had caught an interest in you considering your scar."
"It might have been that guy from the house. He could have easily followed us."
"Exactly," she said, shifting her gaze away from me. Her fingers fumbled with her charm and then she snapped the album closed. "I don't think you should trust anyone. In fact, maybe we should call the cops. I mean, look at your room."
The cell in my pocket felt like led. "No," I said, shaking my head. "If it wasn't Liam, I don't want any attention drawn to him. You're not even supposed to know about him. Besides, if word of anything trouble related regarding Liam gets to my dad, I'll never see him again."
"But if it was him? Charlotte, this is your life we're talking about."
"I know, I know," I said with a groan. "I can't think right now. Just, no cops, at least until I figure some things out."
I felt terrible. Liam had called my house numerous times over the rest of the weekend, but I hadn't picked up. I still had feelings for him, I knew that, but fear had set in. Why would he destroy my room, even if he wanted the album? Didn't he love me? Now I didn't know if Liam wanted to confront me, kill me, or kiss me. Confusion and conflict twisted my stomach in a knot.
Leaning my head back against the school lockers, I tried to slow my swirling montage of thoughts as the hall drained of students. Everything around me felt like a haze, the normal world surreal compared to what I was dealing with. I had never felt more different and alone. My heart hurt.
I turned to face my open locker, and placed both palms against the metal siding, leaning my head down in. I wanted to stay there forever.
"Charlotte," a deep, familiar voice said. I froze, unmoving from my position. He couldn't be here at school. Ty even said he wouldn't be back after getting kicked out that first time. I had to be hallucinating. My fingers trembled against the locker, and the back of my hairline prickled with electricity. I could feel him right behind me. "Charlotte, please," Liam said, his voice low and calm. "We need to talk."
"No, no we don't," I said.
"Charlotte, please," he said.
I inhaled a sharp breath as I felt the warm sensation of fingers run down my back. My mind screamed for me to run, yet every cell in my body tingled.
"I know you've seen the album, Charlotte."
I couldn't hear anything but my pulse as I gripped the steel frame of my locker, and then I felt his warm breath on my ear.
"Not here, Charlotte," he whispered. "Come with me."
"I don't think that's a good idea."
"You can't hide from me forever, Charlotte. We need to talk." Fingers moved from my back to the edge of my jaw, and he lifted it. Trembling, I cast my eyes down. I couldn't look at him.
"I'm not going to hurt you. You know that, right?" he asked.
"I don't know," I said, mumbling.
"Charlotte..."
He sounded bruised and a flicker of me felt guilty, but I didn't trust him. He had lied to everyone. "I have classes. Please let me go."
Liam dropped his hold on me, his body still looming over mine. "It's not what you think," he whispered. "Can I at least explain?"
His hand moved to the locker next to mine, and I froze, trying to keep my breathing normal. I did want answers. I needed them. The hallway spun and I blinked my eyes. "I can't leave school," I said.
"Not a problem." He grabbed my hand and before I could protest, began leading me down the hallway.
"Wait, where're we going?" Glancing back down the hall, I contemplated screaming, but he rounded the corner, and pulled me into a large open closet. He shut the door, and turned me around. "The janitor's closet?" I asked.
He shrugged. "It's private and you can return to classes after we're done."
I swallowed and looked around. Finding a light switch, I flicked it on. It buzzed sputtering, and then softly illuminated the tiny area. Boxes and cleaning supplies left little room to move. Liam's proximity and stature, blocking the only way out, made my anxiety soar. "I don't know about this."
"You don't know about what?" he asked, leaning against the closed door.
The dim lighting cast eerie shadows, accentuating his deep-set features, giving him an intense air. I struggled to focus and relax, knowing full well he could hear my pulse and smell the fear rising off me.
"I know why you haven't been returning my calls, Charlotte," Liam said, his voice low. I arched my back against the large storage box behind me, trying to manage some distance, my palms sweaty. "I know what you must be thinking. I'm sure this is all very confusing."
"Confusing?" I said with a tight voice. "Confusing, is an understatement." A surprising rush of adrenaline flushed through me. "Who are you?"
I could see Liam's face tighten even with the poor lightening, his eyes vacant, and hard. "I'm a wolf. I told you."
"That's not what I mean. Who are you?"
"I'm Liam."
"No you're not," I said. Liam had never looked so intimidating. His irises flooded gold as they narrowed in on me. I could barely breathe. "Did you kill him?" I asked. The threat of tears stung. "Did you kill that boy and take his name?"
I didn't think it possible, but he tilted his head to the side, and took a step closer to me. His human features seemed more wolf-like then ever. His hand began to reach for me, and I pressed the side of my face to the storage box.
"Charlotte," Liam said, brushing his knuckles down the side of my cheek. Tears fell. "You know I would never do such a thing. Come on. You know me."
"Obviously, I don't."
He dropped his hand and took a step back, casting his gaze down.
"Everything about you is a lie. How am I supposed to trust you? Why should I believe you didn't kill that guy? You're a werewolf!"
Liam flicked his gaze up, gold, and clasped his hand over my mouth. I squeaked a scream under his clasp. "Shh," he said. His nostrils flared as he inhaled, focusing on something outside the closet. Footsteps moved on the other side, and I froze. I could feel Liam's skin begin to quiver and stretch.
A few muffled voices spoke, and then the footsteps moved on. Both of us stood silent. Liam released me and stepped back.
"You can't tell anyone, Charlotte. Do you know what people would do? Everyone thinks I'm Liam. They'd kill me. I'm a monster, remember?"
"So you're really not Liam?"
"No."
I nodded and then scrunched my face up as I felt a tear slip. It hurt.
"Oh, Charlotte, please don't cry. I love you."
He reached out for me again, but I stumbled backwards, knocking over a storage box. "Please don't," I said.
He looked as if I stabbed him.
"I'd never hurt you, Charlotte. You don't know what you mean to me."
I wanted to believe it so much it ached. "I don't even know who you are."
"Aiden."
"What?" I asked.
He fell, defeated, back against the closed door. "My name," he said, rubbing his forehead. "My name is Aiden. Nobody knows that, not even my pack."
"Did you kill him?"
"No," he said.
"Then why'd you take his name? I don't understand."
Liam's face twisted into a mass of stress lines, making him appear a lot older than his 'claimed' age. "Because I know who did do it," he said with a tight groan.
He did know the killer. My first assumption at the library had been right. My mind spun with 'what's' and 'why's'. I couldn't think.
"I looked the same age as the boy. We both had ashy blond hair and green eyes. The way he was torn up, I could easily pull off any facial differences as the result of healing. Forensics was different back then. If I was the only living witness, I could manipulate the case away from...."
My jaw dropped.
"You were protecting the killer!"
"Shh. Please, Charlotte," he whispered. He glanced over his shoulder at the door and then ran both of his hands through his hair, turning back to me. "You don't understand. It's not what you think."
"Not what I think?" I asked. "Were you or were you not protecting the killer?"
Liam winced, and then groaned. "In a way, yes, I was."
I couldn't believe this. "This isn't helping me trust you, Liam. Aiden. Whoever you are."
"Just call me Liam, everyone else does."
I wanted to scream.
"Liam," I said through my teeth, trying to stay calm. "Please tell me. Why would you protect a brutal killer? I saw the pictures of the victims. They were horrible. How could you? You...you're almost just as bad as him. You're an accomplice!" I couldn't look at him.
"Charlotte, please..."
He moved towards me again and when he let his fingers fall on the back of my shoulder, I felt my own skin ripple.
Nerves, it had to be nerves.
Liam inhaled slowly and when I dared look up at him, I saw the points of his canine teeth, slipping past his lips. His chest rumbled, and I thought I might pass out.
"I told you," he said in a low, hoarse voice. "It's not what you think. I didn't have a choice. More people would have gotten hurt. He'd have gone after the cops, their families. They would have kept hunting him, and they wouldn't have been able to stop him. This way, I was able to get the humans off the case, deal with him myself, and send him away."
I tried to take it all in. It made sense, but I couldn't think. That voice and the way he looked at me; I didn't know if he wanted to kiss me or eat me. A low rumble reverberated from his chest and he pressed his nose into my hair. A whimper escaped my lips. "Liam," I said. "What are you doing?"
"Mmm," he said, his voice rumbling. "I'm sorry. You just smell so good. I miss you."
I recoiled as much as I could, being trapped between him and the box. "Are you going to eat me?" I asked.
The corner of Liam's mouth turned up, his teeth longer than before. I shuttered.
"No," Liam said, shaking his head with a chuckle. "You're so cute, Charlotte. I'd never hurt you." His hand cupped my chin. "You smell like a female wolf. That's what's been throwing me since I first met you. It drives me crazy."
"What?"
I couldn't believe what he just said. My mind spun to all the times Liam had done his little ritual of inhaling the air around me, Byron's comment in the cafeteria too. But it couldn't be true. Despite the evidence in that album, there was no way I was a werewolf. I couldn't be.
"I think you do know what," Liam said. "You saw the album. Between us..." He leaned closer. "I know you've felt it." His fingers tangled in my hair. "The wolf is in you somewhere. I've seen pieces of her from time to time. She's beautiful."
My chest swelled. As crazy as it sounded, nobody had ever said anything to me like that. Why did it feel like he was talking about my soul?
I stepped back, shaking my head. "No, no, it's not true," I said, trying to clear my thoughts. "You're...you're just messing with me. I don't believe you. I don't trust you. I barely know who you are. You have so many secrets." My words came fast, my chest tight. "If you love me, why did you break into my room?"
"What?"
"Don't play coy with me, Liam. I know you did it. There were claw marks all over the window sill."
A low rumble shook from his chest. "What are you talking about, Charlotte? Tell me you're joking."
He grabbed my shoulders and I jumped, as he began patting me down.
"Liam, what are you doing?"
His gaze trailed up and down my body as if looking for something, then pressed his nose into my hair. Moving around me, he sniffed up my back and around to the front of my shirt.
"Liam, stop. You're scaring me," I said, pushing him back.
He stopped and placed both hands on my shoulders. "Are you okay?" he asked. "Tell me you're okay."
"I'm okay," I said. "What's going on?"
Liam sighed, dropping his hold. "Oh, thank God," he said. "Have you seen anyone following you lately? Have you run into anyone new? Talked to any strangers?"
I wondered if I looked as guilty as I felt.
"Charlotte?" Liam asked. His face alone gave me my answer.
"At your house, when Ty and I snuck in. There was a guy about our age. Auburn hair. I thought he was one of your pack mates. I didn't know he wasn't until after he stopped me with the album."
"Aaron," Liam said with a snarl.
He slammed his hands up against the wall. Several chunks of plaster toppled down around me. "Does he know you are with me? Does he know what you are?"
Swallowing hard, I nodded my head. "It was an accident. Ty slipped and told him we were dating. He set us up. She thought that would explain to him why we were there in the house."
I could see Liam's skin quiver under his t-shirt as his lip rose over his sharp canines. "Does he know what you are?"
"I don't know what you mean."
"Charlotte, this isn't funny."
"I think he believes what you believe," I said, my voice barely passing my lips. "He was sniffing me and giving me funny looks."
A low growl came from his chest and he began to pace the small square confines of the closet. "Get Ty and go to her house."
"But I have school."
"Just do it. Get her now and go. Don't stop for anything. Just go and stay there until I come back. I'd say to lock and barricade the door, but that won't be much help. Hopefully if you leave now, he won't suspect you'll be there since he probably thinks you're at school. In the meantime, I'll try to find him."
I wrapped my arms around me. I could feel myself shaking. "Is he the one who killed those people?" I asked. "Who is he?"
Liam looked at me with a hard, hollow expression. "Yes. His name is Aaron. He's my twin brother."
"I thought he was dead?"
"He is dead to me. Now, go."
"Psst. Ty."
The tap on the classroom window caught the teacher's attention. I retracted my hand, ducking down against the cold cement wall. I prayed Mr. Stevens didn't decide to investigate. I needed to get Ty out of there.
No one came to the door, so I braved another try, this time, catching Ty's gaze.
'What are you doing?' she mouthed.
I waved my hand for her to join me. The teacher paced by and I ducked back down.
Come on Ty.
The lockers and windows bore down on me like eyes. Aaron could be anywhere. Cold hands of paranoia gripped me.
The classroom door cracked open and I jumped. "What is this about?" Ty whispered, stepping out, and closing it behind her.
"Shh. Not here," I said, motioning with my head, down the hall. I took her hand, tugging her along with me towards the exit.
"Charlotte," she said. "Where are we going?" She pulled back on my arm, stopping me. "I have class."
"Liam was here."
"What? Where is he?" Her whole body froze. "Is he going to kill us?"
I shook my head. "No. I don't think so. But his brother might. It's a long story. We have to get to your house. Liam's going to try to find him and then meet us there."
"Whoa, wait a minute. Find who? I didn't know Liam even had a brother. What's going on? I don't want Liam at my house, Charlotte."
Her fingers went for her charm, when I noticed it wasn't there. She fidgeted, dropping her hands.
"Where's your necklace?" I asked. I had never seen her without it.
"Fell off." She looked uncomfortable. "Not important. I want to know what's going on."
I groaned. "I'll explain in the car. Right now, we need to move. Just trust me."
The school disappeared behind us, and I filled Ty in on my encounter with Liam. The expression on her face told me she took all of this as well as I did. If I still had any working nerves after all of this, I'd be surprised. Even when pushing fifty on the small single lane road, the woods hovered too near. Anyone could be out there.
Ty seemed to be doing better than me, her heartbeat more slow and steady.
My fingers clenched the steering wheel so hard, white bloomed on my knuckles. Did I hear Ty's heartbeat?
Stress, it had to be. It finally got the better of me.
Still, I tried to listen again. The whoosh of the wind filled my ears, along with several crackles and groans from passing trees, and the car engine - but no heartbeat. I had to have imagined it. Of course I did, yet the nagging suspicion wouldn't let go.
Why couldn't I stay focused on one thing, like saving our lives?
Ty was being too quiet. It didn't help my nerves. Her attention had been fixated out the window since we left, as if waiting for something. The urge to break the silence nipped at me, but instead I tried to listen for her heart.
I became aware of the various hums of the engine as I forced myself to relax. Listening, I reached for more, when a low wet pulsing sound joined the chorus. Startled, yet in awe, I let the sound play in my ears. Thump, thump, it sounded its musical rhythm. Like a drum it beat, steady at first, and then quickened its pace. Faster and faster it pounded, louder and louder.
"Charlotte, the road!"
My trance dissipated at once. The putrid scent of burnt rubber flooded the car as I slammed on the brakes. The tires groaned in protest, screeching at the pavement, and then we stopped.
The stampede in my chest drowned out everything as I starred at the line of stopped traffic in front of us.
"Sorry," I said.
"It's okay," Ty said, removing her death grip she had on the seat. "What do you think is going on?"
"I don't know. It must be an accident."
Great. No one knew where we were, trapped, with nothing but woods around us. My arms felt cold.
"What should we do?" Ty asked.
"I guess we wait."
The traffic didn't hint at moving. Claustrophobia set in.
"Right, we wait." Ty said. Her hand went to her throat and then she dropped it, kneading her hands together instead.
"Maybe there's something on the radio about it," I said. At least that would be an excuse to break the silence. I thumbed through the dials until I found the local AM station. After a few excruciating minutes of advertisements and announcements, the voice of the local traffic reporter came on.
There is a pile up on Rte. 42 East before the Scanton Bridge Curve. The entire road has been closed off do to the accident. The accident happened when apparently a man driving a large truck was attacked by what authorities are assuming must have been his dog. The man skidded off the road, causing several other cars to crash as well. The accident was found fatal to the attacked driver. Others have injuries, but otherwise seem okay. The dog has not been found. I'd advise to stay clear of Rte. 42, for this mess is going to take a while to clear up.
"I can't believe this. This isn't happening." Ty shook, her blue eyes wide. "It's him. He's here. He's going to kill us. He knows we're here."
"Okay, look." I tried my best to stay focused. "Let's calm down. We need to think rationally here. I'll try to turn around."
I shifted the gears into reverse and started to edge my way closer to the car behind us. If I could get near enough, I might have enough space to veer out from the lane onto the dried grassy edge of the road. The man behind me blasted his horn.
"I'm not going to hit you," I said, even though I knew he couldn't hear me.
He flashed the bird and then revved his engine, pulling a short, quick movement towards me. "No. Move back," I said. I groaned. There had to be another way out of this traffic.
"What are we going to do?" Ty asked.
"I don't know. Look, we'll lock the doors and..."
"He's a werewolf Charlotte! I don't think that's going to stop him."
"I know!" Stress screamed through my veins. "I'm sorry. I'm just really stressing here too. Okay?" I took a deep breath, trying to relax, when something moved by my peripheral line of vision from out the side window.
I turned my head; nothing. The cars still sat idle, only the branches lining the forest tussled in the light breeze. It had to have been the wind, a shadow.
Liam, where are you?
Why hadn't he found this guy yet? Didn't he have super wolf-like senses? How hard could it be?
An unsettled feeling crossed my chest. What if it was Liam? What if the brothers planned this together as a trap? It made sense. He'd go to the school and get me to take Ty along this old road. The two of them, could then jump us from the woods.
"What is it?" Ty asked, breaking me from my train of thought.
"It...It's nothing," I said.
"It's him, isn't it? Did you see him?"
"I didn't see anything. It's just the wind."
Ty looked a little sick. "But you thought you saw him, didn't you? What if it was? They can move fast, you know."
"It was the wind."
I regretted my tone when Ty turned away from me. I couldn't deal with this anymore. I was on the verge of a break down.
Rolling the window down, I leaned my head out.
"What are you doing?" Ty asked with a gasp.
"Breathing."
The fresh air felt good on my nose, despite the numerous prickles rising up my back. The forest seemed a lot more alive without the faux protection of glass, the scent of the woods vibrant. I inhaled the air, the smell of pine and maple strangely calming to my nerves.
"Come with me." A low whisper, almost too inaudible to be anything but a trick of the wind, hit my ears. I glanced to the edge of the woods; nothing. I rolled up the window.
"What? What is it?" Ty asked.
"Did you just hear something?" I asked. I couldn't turn away from the outline of the woods.
"No," she said. "Why did you?"
"I don't know."
"This really isn't helping, Charlotte."
I stopped watching the window and looked at Ty. "You're right. I'm sorry." I sighed and leaned back in my seat. I needed to get a grip on things.
"Get out of the car."
I shot up from my seat. "There it is again. Didn't you hear it?"
"Charlotte, knock it off. This isn't funny." She looked about to cry.
"But I really heard something, Ty."
"Charlotte, please. I didn't hear anything. You're hearing things, okay? Seriously, this is bad enough as it is."
Fine. Apparently I was in this alone. I turned back to the window, when two golden eyes starred at me from the bushes. "Oh, my God." I scrambled as far from the driver's side door as I could.
"That's it," Ty said, unfastening her seat belt.
"Whoa, wait? Where are you going?"
"I can't take this anymore." She unlocked her door and pushed it wide. "There's got to be cops up around the bend. I'll find them and tell them I'm sick. They'll take me home."
"No, no, no," I said. I reached out, trying to stop her. "He's out there. I saw him."
Ty shoved my hand off her arm and got out. "If I can find the cops, we'll be safe." Her hands trembled as she slammed the door on me.
"Ty, no..." I scrambled across her seat, and followed her out "Ty," I called, but I couldn't see her anywhere.
A chorus of horns greeted me, but I ignored them, taking off through the crowded traffic. I weaved in out of the cars until I came around the bend nearly out of breath. Several officers mulled about, but I didn't see Ty anywhere. How had I missed her?
"Excuse me," I said, waving to closest man on duty. "Have you seen a girl about my age, with short blonde hair? She came up this way."
"Please miss. You have to stay back. Go back to your car." He didn't even look at me as he shooed me with his hand.
"No, you don't understand. She came up here looking for you. It's an emergency."
"Well then she probably went back to her car. That's what I tell everyone to do."
Panic started to set in. I didn't see her anywhere. I really couldn't find her. The reality of that began to settle over me and my eyes started to burn. What was I going to do?
"Charlotte."
I froze, before slowly turning my head toward the familiar voice. Liam stepped from the cover of trees and I gasped. Fear and relief battled inside me as I starred dumbfounded.
He cut across the embankment and hopped the curb. What was he doing here? How'd he know where to find me? My paranoid theory from before raged to the forefront of my mind, and I took a few steps back.
His gaze flickered over the traffic, his face unreadable. "Where's Ty?"
"I don't know," I said, my voice cracking. "Why don't you tell me?"
"What are you talking about, Charlotte? That's not even funny."
"I saw you, Liam. Don't lie to me."
"You saw me?" he asked. He looked confused. "What do you mean? I just got here."
I stepped close enough to him to whisper without the danger of other drivers hearing me. "In your wolf form, by the edge of the woods, back there." My finger pointed in the direction of my car.
Liam stiffened and his head cocked up from where I stood. I heard him sniff the air. "That wasn't me. It's Aaron. I followed him here, but when I picked up on your scent, I stopped. I needed to make sure you were okay."
"Well, I'm not okay. Ty's missing."
"Okay," he said, his voice calm. He placed his hand on my shoulder, pulling my attention to the seriousness of his expression. The green hues of his irises shown under the fading afternoon light, and the shadows of the branches accentuated his features, carving wolf like angles. "Calm down. We're going to find her, okay?"
My trust of Liam wasn't solid, but under the intensity of his words, I found I had to believe him. What other choice did I have?
"Okay," I said. I glanced away from him, back to the scene of the accident. "He did this. Your brother did this to get to us. You don't think he has her do you?"
The pause in the air made my chest hurt.
"I think so," Liam said. "He must. Your scent was most potent from the car, so I started looking for you from there. Hers stopped short, just before the turn near the woods."
My stomach dropped. "He has her?" My body felt cold and I began to shake. I stepped past Liam and started for the tree line.
"Charlotte, wait." Liam caught my arm, stopping me.
"No," I said. "This is my fault. I need to find her. I can't let him...I can't." I pushed myself away from his hold, and started forward. Liam grabbed me around the waist. "Let go of me. Ty!" I screamed, but he wouldn't let me move. "Please, Liam... Please." I slumped down onto the damp grass and Liam followed.
"Shh," he whispered. His arms still held me. "We'll find her. Okay? You running headlong in there, is what he wants, and is stupid. You're going to get yourself killed. We'll go together, with my pack. My brother is old, and a very skilled wolf. We'll need to move fast before he covers up his tracks. He's an expert at throwing people off his trail."
"Is he going to kill her?" I asked.
"I don't know."
The sounds of the engines and horns grew faint behind us, my hand in his, as he led me deeper into the woods. My vulnerability, alone, in the thick forest with the werewolf, was not missed - but I had to trust him.
"What about the car?" I asked, breaking the fragile symphony of nature. Not a top thing on my list to be concerned about, but curious none the less.
"It'll be fine. Once the traffic starts moving, people will just veer around it. I'm sure it'll get towed, but don't worry, I'll get it for you."
"Thanks," I said, watching my shoes as they crunched against the leaves.
Liam squeezed my hand and pulled me around to face him. "Charlotte, what happened to us?"
His question caught me off guard. I didn't know what to say.
"You have to know that I would never hurt you," he said. "I love you. The only reason I kept anything from you, was because I thought I had to. I thought I was protecting you."
"I know," I said, surprised at the confirmation of my words, but even more so by the next ones. "I love you too." Despite the unnerving inner battle in regards to everything happening, I knew it was true. It frightened me.
"Charlotte," Liam said, his voice tight. "No more secrets, okay? I Promise."
Before I could think of anything to say, he grabbed my hand, pulling me further under the trees. "Where are we going?" I asked.
He stopped in a small clearing. "Revealing all my secrets," He said with a grin.
My stomach felt caught in my throat. "Liam, I..."
He winked and slowly took the edge of his t-shirt and swung it up over his head, tossing it on the ground. He started unfastening his jeans when I gasped. "Liam, I know you said all your secrets, but really. Here?"
Liam chuckled. "I have to shift into a wolf to find your friend, Charlotte. Taking off the clothes is kind of a necessity if I ever want to wear them again. They get destroyed." Liam smirked, glancing up at me. "Although, those secrets would be fun to uncover too."
"Liam!" My cheeks burned.
The amused look on his face made me flush more.
"My brother's too clever to track in this form. There're too many limitations. My pack is going to need to be in wolf form as well. I figured I'd adapt you to this slowly, by introducing myself first." He grinned.
"You're enjoying this aren't you?" I asked.
He shrugged. "A little."
I would have glared, but all my anxieties about dogs came raging to the forefront of my mind, not to mention the whole werewolf thing. "Liam, I don't know," I said. Thinking about Liam's wolf form in theory, not bad, but to actually see him shift?
"It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you. It's still me in there when I'm in that form. I promise."
"Okay," I said, swallowing hard. My entire body felt like a giant knot.
Liam slowly backed away from me, his green gaze holding me in place. I clenched my fists at my sides, forcing myself to stay lucid despite the way the ground seemed to spin under my feet. Once he hit the edge of the small clearing, his irises began to dilate and expand into the unearthly gold color that I had become familiar with.
A ripping snarl emulated from somewhere in Liam's chest and his entire body began to tremble. His skin rippled as if it were molten rubber. I couldn't have turned away, even if I tried. Something snapped and popped. At first I thought a twig or a forest branch had buckled under someone's foot, but then I watched in horror as Liam's back cracked in more than three different places. With a groan, he stretched his arms outward. Claws erupted from seemingly liquid skin, and he fell to the ground on all fours. His jaw line extended, and with it, razor sharp canine teeth erupted behind pulled lips. With a loud snarl, the last phase came in a great explosive wave. His entire body burst with golden brown fur, and then before me stood a large wolf.
His nostrils expanded as his eyes met mine, and then the wolf-Liam started towards me.
The world went black.
Somewhere in my swirling semi-consciousness, I realized I had passed out. Movement came from under where I lay and the vague scent of musk and pine surrounded me. My hand fell to the side and the warm soft feel of downy hair startled me. If I hadn't been in a half murky state of awareness, I would have freaked out. No one spoke. The oddness of it brought my mind back into focus.
I retracted my hand from my side, rubbing my eyes. "Liam?" I asked. Everything seemed hazy, and then the motion stopped. The soft bed I had been laying on had now become cold, and itched. Prickles from the leaves and sticks scratched at my skin. I had been placed on the ground.
Opening my eyes, Liam's green gaze stared back at me, amused.
"Morning sunshine," he said with a crooked grin.
I scowled. "Not amusing. I told you I was afraid of dogs."
He chuckled, and I contemplated throwing the stick poking into my back, at him. He could fetch, and if didn't, at least the smirk would be gone.
I sat up. The earth moved and tilted before settling back to where it belonged. Liam tried to grab a hold of me, but I cut him off with a glare. The grin on his face grew. Ignoring him, I leaned forward on my knees to clear my head, and took in the surroundings. A thick forest canopy covered us and dusk had set in.
"Ty?" I asked.
Liam's expression turned serious and he sat down next to me. "We still haven't found her. Don't worry. We will. I promise. She's alive from what the pack's gathered. There's been no scent of human blood or foul play anywhere that we've seen. Knowing my brother, he's using her as bait. I don't think he'll hurt her."
"As bait for what?" I asked.
Liam cleared his throat. "You."
My jaw dropped. "All because of that book?"
"Possibly," he said. "He could also just want to piss me off considering you're my girlfriend, or he could be curious about what you are. Honestly, Aaron doesn't need a reason. He's unpredictable."
I felt sick.
The bushes ahead of us rustled, and the muzzle of a large black wolf poked through the branches. I grabbed Liam's arm, trying not to hyperventilate. The wolf moved without a sound, pushing himself the rest of the way through into the small clearing. His long legged body held a dusting of silver around the fur of his neck and down along his backbone. He let out a whimper as he lowered his broad head, and gazed up at me; golden hues meeting mine. I couldn't breathe as he stood there. He whined again, and then lay down on the ground only a few feet from where we sat. If Liam hadn't been sitting next to me, I probably would have passed out once more.
"He misses her too," Liam said. "Don't worry, we'll find her you big goof." Liam reached out and rustled the fur on the top of the wolf's head.
My chin dropped. "Byron?" I asked.
The wolf gave a short, quick bark and scooted himself forward on his hind legs, placing his oversized head on my lap. My eyes went wide.
"Hey, watch it man, "Liam said with a chuckle. "She's my girlfriend."
The lips of the large black wolf pulled up over his sharp teeth, giving the illusion of a cheeky grin.
"Byron!" I said, with a gasp. I didn't know if I should laugh or freak out.
The tips of my fingers found the long ebony hairs on his head. Byron watched me, remaining still. I slowly ventured further, embedding my hand in his thick coat, and then rounded it up to scratch behind his ear. Byron leaned into my palm. I scratched again and he pushed his wet nose right into me, knocking me over. "Stop that," I said with a laugh.
"Alright, that's enough you two," Liam said. "Get out of here, you." He shoved Byron off my lap and I sat up. "Where're the others?"
Byron moved with a silent, long legged grace, back to the shrub's edge. He stopped, looking back at us.
"Go get them," Liam said to him. "We've got to move." Liam got up, dusting the dried leaves from his jeans, and extended his hand to me. Taking it, I found my feet.
"You good?" he asked.
"Yeah."
I spoke too soon. The edge of the shrubbery crackled and shook. My pulse soared and Liam squeezed my hand.
"It's okay," he said. "It's just the others."
"That's what I was afraid of," I said, as Byron stepped from the overgrowth with two other wolves flanking his side. Flynt and Eldridge: identical, even in this form; rusty brown hair with a hint of white tipping their ears and tails.
This is so surreal.
"You sure you're okay?" Liam asked.
I wondered if I looked as pale as I felt.
"Great," I said with a forced grin
Liam shook his head. "If I have to carry you the whole way, I'm going to have to start charging."
"Very funny."
Liam grinned.
The other wolves started closer to us and I felt the Earth tip. I grabbed onto Liam's arm. He chuckled.
Where was that stick again?
"So is it true?" Steve's voice asked from behind us. He sounded amused. Great, everyone go ahead and laugh. Yes, I'm afraid of canines. I turned from the three large wolves to glare at the youngest pack member, in human form. I should have been grateful for that fact, but the beaming grin on his face kind of ruined it.
"So is what true?" Liam asked, turning around.
Steve shrugged. "You scared her so badly she passed out, yet Byron walked right up to her and plopped himself in her lap? At least that's what Byron's saying."
Startled that this wasn't directly about me, and speechless, my face twisted with guilt. That did look kind of bad.
Liam fidgeted, his cheeks darkening. I struggled with the urge of giggling, his embarrassment, cute. Of course, it was my fault, but I hadn't seen someone turn into a wolf before. It does things to the nervous system.
"Oh, is that what he's saying?" Liam asked, turning to the wolf form of Byron. Liam's eyes flashed gold. "You want to challenge me?"
Byron's lips lifted over his sharp canine teeth, mocking a human chuckle at Liam's retort. Liam dropped down on all fours, taking a runner's stance. Byron pawed at the ground.
"Liam, what are you doing?" I asked with a gasp.
A loud crackling snarl ripped from his human throat, and Byron hunched down on his hinds legs, ready to spring.
"Somebody, do something," I said, but no one paid attention to me.
The two sprang for each other in mirrored time. Liam's skin rippled and I heard his bones crack as his wolf form pushed through in midair. Dumbfounded, I stared as the two wolves slammed into each other with a mass of snarls. Teeth embedded in fur as they toppled to the dusty ground, rolling, only to get back up to do it again.
I couldn't tell who had the upper hand.
Liam's jowls clamped down on Byron's shoulder, and with a shake, tossed the large black wolf several feet. Byron skidded into the edge of the trees, and then scrambled back to his feet with a snarl. He leapt for Liam, flipping him into the dirt. They both rolled, growling, and clawing. I jumped out of the way, as they tussled too close, then they took off again.
My heart felt close to exploding.
Flynt and Eldridge paced the edge of the 'battle field' yelping with quick barks, edging Liam and Byron on.
I groaned.
"It's okay," Steve said.
The sound of a human voice amongst the wolves startled me.
"They're not going to kill each other. They do this all the time. They're best friends."
"What?" I asked. "You mean they're just messing around? They're playing?" This ticked me off. How dare they scare me like this?
"Yup," Steve said. "Liam always wins though." He looked like a little kid envying the big boys' game. "It's great isn't it?"
"No. It's not great." My hands found my hips. "Tell them to stop."
Steve looked at me like I had lost my mind. "Uh uh. If you want them to stop, you'll have to tell them yourself. Are you crazy?"
Fine, someone needed to put a rein on this nonsense. We needed to find Ty. Had everyone forgotten that little factor? Turning to the snarling mass of teeth, I mustered up my strength to overcome my fear. "Stop this now!"
Something in me stirred. Heat burned through me and my body trembled. I lifted my gaze to the wolves and everything cut through my line of vision with crystal clarity. Defined and punctuated, the hair on Liam's thick coat moved with his breath, and the veins of the autumn leaves screamed to life. Even my hearing became amplified.
The snarls waned and I realized everyone stared at me. Liam and Byron had stopped fighting. All of the wolves stood frozen, watching, and then in unison, they let out a long piercing howl of pain. Their bodies twisted and they scratched at the ground.
I held my ears in horror. Trembling and shaking, they continued to whimper, and then human hands broke through the wolves' paws. The hairs along their arms retracted revealing fit, lean skin and muscle. The long jowls shrank back through gritted human teeth, and their dull green, brown, and blue hues cooled their gold gazes.
Four naked, human guys, on all fours, stared at me in shock.
No one moved.
No one spoke.
With a gasp, I turned around, covering my face with my arm.
"I...I'll get the bag," Steve said.
He fidgeted, and then took off into the shrubbery. Returning, he tossed a small leather bag behind me. I hoped that contained what I thought - clothes.
"Charlotte?" Liam said. I didn't look.
"Are you dressed?" I asked. My voice shook.
"Yes."
I turned around, peeking from behind my fingers. Everyone had clothes on. I exhaled, dropping my hand.
"How did you do that?" Liam asked.
"Do what?" I asked, swallowing. I wished everyone would stop staring.
"Charlotte, your words," he said. "The wolf part of me listened to your command. It obeyed and withdrew at your wishes. I tried to fight it. It hurt. I think we all did."
The others nodded without a word.
"We didn't have control of ourselves. You did," Liam said.
I didn't know what to say. I felt dizzy. "Wait, are you saying I made you guys shift back to your human form?" A tight laugh escaped my throat.
"Yes."
I waited for that smirk of his to tell me he joked, but it didn't come. My stomach dropped.
"That's impossible," I said.
"As impossible as werewolves?" Flynt said, tilting his head.
Could it be true? Creatures I had believed to be fiction stood in front of me. Jaws ripped into my shoulder, as I lay, five, in the woods. All of it had happened. My mind spun. What did this mean? I shook as tears stung my eyes. I didn't want it to be real.
"Charlotte," Liam said, moving closer. He took my hand and I snapped it from him, stumbling back a step.
"Please," I said. "I can't do this."
"Charlotte," Liam said. "It's not a bad thing. I know this is a lot, but I think you have a rare gift."
"Gift?" I said with a chortled laugh. "You call this," I motioned my hand around the clearing, "a gift?" I couldn't breathe right. I needed to think clearly.
"Charlotte, please," Liam said. He reached out again.
"Don't touch me!" I regretted the words as soon as I said them. "Just don't," I said, softer. "Just don't." I fisted my hands at my sides. I had to stay together.
"I think it's why you never shifted," Liam said, his words continuing like a dream. I couldn't see. "You have the markings of a bite, Charlotte. You smell like a wolf. I've even seen your eyes shift. We all did just now."
The others nodded.
No. It couldn't be true, but my vision had seemed different moments before they started shifting.
"Oh, my God," I said.
"I think this gift you have to control wolves, works on yourself as well. My theory? You've been terrified of canines your entire life. It would make sense for your subconscious to keep your wolf tamed up inside you since you have the ability to make it do so."
Liam brushed his knuckles down my damp cheek, and I let him. "It's okay, Charlotte. It's going to be okay. I'm on your side. I also think hanging out with me, has helped rid some of that fear, hence why I've seen your eyes change."
"What's going to happen to me?" I asked.
"That's up to you," he said, bringing his hand down to cup my chin. I turned my gaze up to his. "I believe if you wanted to turn into a wolf right now, you could."
My heart beat so fast, I couldn't think. I wanted somebody to change the subject.
"How do you turn into a wolf?" I asked. My voice sounded foreign to me.
The guys gave me an awkward shrug.
"You feel the wolf stirring and moving inside you," Liam said. "It scratches, and claws, vibrating through your limbs. Instead of holding it back, you accept it, and let it come forward. The wolf then takes over."
I swallowed hard, trying to stay lucid. "That makes you shift?"
Liam smiled a little. "Yes, the wolf takes over from there. The rest you don't actually mentally have to partake in. It just happens."
"But your mind is still there in wolf form, right?" I asked.
"Yes," Liam said. He dropped his hold on my chin. "The wolf is part of who you are. There are physical differences, but once you both meet for the first time, you become one and the same. The wolf's instincts and mind are blended and mixed with your human one. As I stand here, the wolf and I are on equal ground. Or rather, in my instance, the human is equal with me." He shrugged a little. "It is why even in human form, I probably seem somewhat...inhuman."
"So you're on equal ground in both forms?"
Liam chuckled. "Yes. The only thing that changes and shifts is the physical form. The rest is blended and stays the same."
"Does it hurt?" I shifted my feet, my face hot.
He paused and I flushed cold. "The first time can be a little painful," Liam said, his face twisting. "The body isn't used to the stretching and remolding that is required for the change. During a shift, your skin, bones, and ligaments actually become flexible. There is a chemical reaction that happens in the body making them no longer firm, but tangible. It is how we are able to change physical form without everything in us breaking."
I cringed at his words.
"The first time, the body tends to resist the change. It's similar to the physics notion of a 'body in rest tends to stay at rest'. After the first time, the body accepts it, and it doesn't hurt at all. In fact, it's rather invigorating," he said with a smirk.
I nodded, numb.
"Charlotte," he said. His fingers found my cheek again. "Do you want to try? You're safe, here, with us."
"Yeah, we already consider you part of the pack," Steve said.
"We do?" Byron asked.
"Quiet," Liam muttered under his breath. He didn't look away from me. "Seriously, we're here for you. We've all been through it before. There's nothing to be nervous about."
He moved his hand to the edge of my hair, brushing it behind my ear. "I love you, Charlotte," he whispered. "I already consider you my Alpha Female." The edge of Liam's lip turned up, giving me flutters despite the situation.
"Told ya," Steve said.
Liam rolled his eyes and I heard a low growl reverberate from his chest. "Of course, there are some downfalls to having a pack around." He shot Steve a glare. Steve gave a tight inhuman yelp, and looked the other way.
"So?" Liam asked.
"What if you're wrong?" I asked. "What if I'm not really what you think I am?"
"There's only one way to find out," he said, his eyebrow lifting. "Come on. Just relax. Feel the wolf and let her come. I'll help you."
"I...I don't know, Liam." My hands started to sweat.
"Just let my wolf help bring yours to the forefront. The pheromones call to each other. It's why it's been so hard for me to stay in human form around you, Charlotte." He smiled. "Being near you brings out the animal in me."
I bit my lip. "Very funny, Liam."
He chuckled, then became serious. "Remember, you're the one not allowing her to come out. You need to let go and give the wolf permission." He leaned in close. "Close your eyes," he whispered. "Listen to my voice and bring yourself inward."
My pulse pounded in my ears, but I did what he asked. I could feel him in front of me. His fingers still rested in my hair and then his warm cheek brushed against mine. I inhaled sharply, his scent of musk and pine everywhere.
A low growl gurgled from him and everything in me went white hot. Something stirred and stretched inside me and my eyes shot wide. Liam opened his - burning gold, and I gasped. My body dropped - something else pushed through, taking over.
I freaked.
Stumbling backwards from Liam, my left sneaker caught on an upturned root, and I fell.
"Charlotte, are you okay?" Liam asked, helping me up.
I nodded, my hands trembling. "I...I can't. I can't do it."
He held my hands, steadying them. "Hey, it's okay," Liam whispered, and pulled me to his chest. "You've had a lot to take in today. I shouldn't have rushed you. I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault," I said. His embrace felt amazing, safe. How could I have ever doubted him?
"Man, I wish I had a girlfriend," Byron said.
My cheeks burned.
Flynt punched Byron in the side, and I smiled.
"Come on," Liam said, motioning his head to trees. "Let's get going. It's getting late and we need to find Aaron."
Dusk had settled in around us. How long had we been out? Ty and I left school midafternoon.
"I should call my dad," I said, feeling very self-conscious. Considering everything going on, the necessity seemed rather insignificant. I didn't want my father to worry though. I had a clear plan of what to say. I'd make it quick, and tell him I was staying at Ty's to study.
"Are you with Liam?" Dad asked with bite.
"Please Dad. It's not what you think. I'll be home soon. I promise. Everything's fine."
I winced and hung up.
"There goes my reputation," Liam said with a chuckle.
"Sorry."
"Come on, let's go already," Eldridge said, pacing the line of shrubbery. He picked up the small leather bag and stepped through the bushes. Several branches shook and crackled and then a large, slender, reddish brown wolf emerged.
I swallowed hard, it all still too new to me. In his mouth the pouch dangled. He tossed it towards the center of the group with a whine.
Liam seemed to read my expression. "We carry our clothes in there."
"Who carries the bag?" I asked.
"Usually Steve," Byron said, stretching his back. "The pup gets the tedious duties. It's a hierarchy thing. Steve's the youngest."
"At least I'm not the ugliest," Steve said with a grin.
Byron laughed. "You wish."
Liam shook his head. "Alright, let's move before Aaron has time to clean up his trail."
"Told you guys I saw tracks outside our house the other day," Steve said. "No one ever listens to me."
"That's because you whine too much," Flynt said, punching him in the side as he grabbed the bag and disappeared into the trees.
Steve looked appalled. "I do not."
Liam lifted a brow at Steve, but said nothing. He turned to me instead. "We're going to have to be in wolf form."
I nodded. "How am I going to keep up with you? Won't I slow you down?"
Liam smirked. "You, my dear," he said, pointing a finger at my chest, "are not walking." He turned from me with a smug little chuckle as he started towards the shrubs to 'change'. I jogged after him.
"Wait, what are you talking about? What do you mean I'm not walking?"
Liam grinned, giving a shrug.
"Liam, if you want to stay in wolf form, you better tell me what's going on."
"Who's the pack leader now?" Flynt said with a chuckle.
"Shut up," Liam said, elbowing him as he passed on his way to the bushes.
I giggled.
Liam shifted his gaze to me. "You wouldn't."
"I would," I said, hand on my hip.
"Fine, I'm carrying you," he said.
"Carrying me?"
"How do you think you got here while passed out? You rode on my back."
Liam wiggled his brow at me, and then stepped out of view. When he returned, his wolf-self beamed at my inability to come up with words. "Yeah well you can't talk either." I said.
Liam's lips rose over his large canine teeth, and I faked a scowl. His large head pushed into me, nearly knocking me over. With a quick, short whimper, he motioned behind him.
"What?" I asked, and then I realized he wanted me to get on. I groaned. The last time I rode an animal, I fell off the pony. Who ever heard of riding wolves anyway?
Liam shoved his big head into me again.
"Okay, okay," I said.
I took hold of his thick rusty colored coat, the soft, fineness of it surprising me. Hoisting myself up, I leaned over his back, and swung my leg to the other side. Athletic ability had never been my thing, and it showed. I started to slip. A cool, damp nose pressed into me from behind, lifting me the rest of the way.
"Hey, no being fresh," I said.
Liam's body shook with laughter and I almost lost my balance. Not a good sign. We hadn't even moved yet.
The other wolves joined us, and Liam took the lead. My fingers gripped the scruff of his neck with a death hold. I didn't have the nerve to sit straight on his back, leaning on my stomach with my legs dangling down on both sides. If it hurt Liam, it didn't show.
I could feel the movement of his muscles under me, his gate long and lanky. He had his nose in the air and Byron and Flynt scanned the ground.
My thoughts returned to Ty and I shivered. I couldn't imagine how scared she must be. We had to find her.
Liam gave a quick, short bark and lurched forward into a long loping sprint.
My knees bore into his ribcage as I squeaked, burying my head into his fur. The wind whistled in my ears and I didn't dare peek for fear of losing my balance. I kept myself low on his back, hoping the passing shrubs wouldn't nab at my skin.
The sun had set and under the covering of the trees I couldn't see a thing. I hoped the nocturnal vision of wolves was good, for Liam weaved in and out of the trees with blinding speed.
For miles we crisscrossed along paths only known by the scent and the instinct of the wolves. My knuckles and thighs ached from the knot I had them in. I prayed to be there. I didn't know how much longer I could hold on.
Liam's body twitched and then he came to an abrupt stop. The hairs surrounding me bristled and rose, as a low growl vibrated from his chest. The others halted too. A chorus of low deafening snarls erupted around me. My skin turned cold.
Straining my eyes, I tried to make out what they saw, but I couldn't see.
Liam's chest reverberated again, and he lowered himself on his haunches, stepping back. The soft sound of shifting feet moved beside me. What was going on? Why were we retreating?
A cloud passed overhead, allowing a small sliver of moonlight to filter through ... and then I saw them.
An electric charge ignited the still air. The skin on my back prickled, and something in me stirred, flushing a wave of energy just below my flesh. In front of us, stepping lowly from the shadows came eight massive werewolves. Teeth bared and ears pinned back, they snarled and spat at us.
I shook, praying I wouldn't pass out. I couldn't fall off Liam now.
Liam withdrew further from the proceeding wolves, his chest vibrating, matching their growls. I could imagine the look on Liam's face and I shivered.
The rest of the pack moved forward as Liam and I retreated. Confused, I wondered why Liam, the Alpha, wouldn't be the one to front the attack. I had seen him fight. I knew why he had that title. Then I realized I was the reason.
The other pack crouched down on their front legs, sharp claws digging into the dirt. They maneuvered in a wide circle around us, readying to pounce. Saliva spat from their bared teeth, and I had to wonder if this had been a trap, Ty being bate. I doubted Liam knew Aaron had back up.
"Ah, Aiden, my delightfully annoying twin brother," a male voice said. Aaron, in human form, immerged from behind his pack of wolves.
Liam stiffened under me.
"Oh, wait. It's Liam now, isn't it?" Aaron said with a snap to his tone.
I could guess the reason why. The snarls ceased, his pack crouched, waiting as if on command.
Liam shifted further under the trees, away from Aaron, but two wolves halted him. Byron snapped at them, and they jumped him, biting his flank. Snarls ripped through the air. Byron went for the neck of the closest wolf, tossing it, just as the other one pushed Byron to the ground. He twisted himself up, embedding his teeth into the other wolf's leg.
I buried my head in Liam's neck. I couldn't watch.
"Enough," Aaron said.
His pack mates ceased attacking Byron and bounded for the border of the make shift circle. I smiled, seeing one limp, but my stomach dropped when I saw blood oozing from Byron's hip. Byron shook, making his dark hairs stick on end and then joined our side without any sign of pain. I exhaled with relief.
"Come on now. We don't want to frighten the poor girl," Aaron said with a smirk that looked too much like Liam's. His intense blue eyes bore into me and I glanced away. He laughed. "You are full of secrets, aren't you, Aiden?"
Liam's large head motioned to the side and I gasped as Flynt grabbed a hold of the back of my shirt with his teeth. I tried to hold on, not wanting to let go of Liam, but Flynt pulled me free, placing me on the ground. My heart raced. I felt exposed on my feet, but Flynt tucked me into his furry chest with his long muzzle.
Steve tossed the small leather bag to Liam, just as Liam started to shift back to his human form. He pulled his jeans on and cocked his head to the side. "Where's Ty?"
"Who?" Aaron said with a smile. "Oh, you mean that cute little blonde thing?" He scratched his chin with his index finger, and then shrugged. "I've grown rather fond of the girl to be honest. I've decided to keep her."
"What?" I said. I looked to Liam.
The amused expression on Aaron's face made me fume. What did he mean, keeping her? Was he going to turn her? Had he done so already?
"You get a human, I get a human," Aaron said. "Oh, but wait, I forgot. Your little precious secret isn't really human at all. Is she?"
Aaron took one step towards me and Liam shoved his hands into his brother's chest with a growl. Aaron stumbled backwards, his eyes flashing gold.
"You stay the hell away from her," Liam said.
The mockery disappeared from Aaron's face as his gaze fixated on me. "Why don't you tell her the real reason you are protecting her. Tell her why you really want her around, Aiden," he said.
A cold welt formed in my stomach. I felt queasy. "What's he talking about, Liam?"
"Nothing," Liam said, glowering at his brother. "He's just messing with you. Don't listen to him."
"Lies, lies, and more lies." Aaron said, shaking his head. "Does your pack know that your real name's Aiden?" He feigned innocence, turning to Byron and the others. The corner of his mouth turned up. "Yes, you see, your Alpha here really isn't Liam. Liam died almost a hundred years ago. Aiden stole his identity."
"I did that to protect you," Liam said.
Aaron let out a tight chortled laugh. "No you didn't. You did it to protect a bunch of loser no life wolf killers."
"They weren't hunting wolves," Liam said. "They were human. You can't go around killing innocent people, Aaron."
"They were hunters. What gives them the right to hunt what they want and not me? Hmm? Really Aiden, to think you'd choose to protect them over your own flesh and blood. You make me sick."
Liam growled. "I was protecting you. I was protecting you from yourself. You were out of control and you still are."
Aaron laughed. "You are so self-righteous. You don't even know it." he rolled his eyes. "Please. Save your 'I am better than thou' speech for someone that might believe them. Saving me from myself? That's borderline hilarious. Perhaps you're the one that needs saving. Did you ever think of that? I mean you are surrounded by my pack."
The wolves around us grumbled and gurgled behind bared teeth. I moved closer to Flynt. Liam didn't seem phased.
"Since when did you get a pack anyway? Did you make them?"
Aaron looked amused. "Some," he said with a smug grin. "A few I found up north wandering around the Canadian border. I figured it was time to make myself Alpha."
Aaron's intense blue gaze narrowed on Liam and I realized more meaning came behind those words. He planned on taking over.
Flynt bristled beside me and I could hear the others fidgeting. Liam's irises flashed gold and I gasped as long razor sharp claws sprouted from his fingers. "You want to challenge me, brother?" Liam tilted his head to the side and rolled his shoulders. The skin on his bare back quivered. "I kicked you out before. I can do it again."
Aaron smiled. "That was a long time ago. I'm a different wolf now." Aaron's back popped, and a pair of matching claws erupted from his hands.
"Please, somebody do something," I said. We needed to save Ty, not to play out some macho Alpha thing. I'd seen my fair share of the learning channel. I knew how these things turned out. They'd kill each other.
No one listened. They didn't even hear me.
The two brothers began to circle each other. The tension in the air sparked with electricity.
"Liam, please," I said. "You're not thinking with your human half. You're going to get killed or you're going to kill your own brother. You don't want that."
Liam froze at my words, stopping his in his tracks. He inhumanly tilted his head in my direction as if trying to understand me. He looked lost, almost sad, and then I started to scream. Aaron's claw ripped across Liam's cheek. A trail of crimson seeped from the wounds and I leapt from Flynt's hold without thinking.
"Liam!"
Aaron moved fast, grabbing me by the shoulder. His razor sharp teeth protruded behind his lips with a growl.
"Don't touch her!" Liam screamed.
Liam grabbed a hand full of his brother shirt, yanking him from me. Wincing, I hit the ground, just as Liam hurled Aaron. With a crack, his back hit a tree, and then landed on all fours with a snarl.
Liam hunched over and started towards him.
They sprang for each other with claws outstretched. Shifting nearly in sync, they collided with a thunderous mass of snarls and teeth. Someone yelped a high-pitched cry that reached all the way to my bones, but I couldn't tell whom it came from. I pinned my hands to my ears.
One of them skidded cross the fallen leaves on his side. I gasped when I saw Liam get up, his shoulder and muzzle smeared with blood.
"Liam!" I tried to reach for him, but Flynt caught the back of my shirt with his teeth. "Let go of me!" Tears slipped down my cheeks.
Flynt released my shirt, stepping back from me with a whimper, his head low with submission. I should have freaked out about him listening to me, considering what that meant, but Liam needed help.
Liam got up, the effort of moving painful on his face. I needed to get to him. I held out my hand, but Liam ignored me and leapt at his brother, sinking his canines into his brother's throat.
A sick gurgling noise came from Aaron and his claw slashed Liam across the head.
"Stop it! Stop it!" I cried.
I couldn't take it anymore. I shook, falling to my knees. I wanted it all to go away.
Burying my head in my hands, all went silent.
I hesitated, and then let my finger fall, my pulse pounding in my ears. Stiff and numb, I questioned my sanity.
Liam and Aaron crouched on the ground in human form, eyes wide. The wounds they had inflicted on each other had vanished, revealing smooth bare skin. I couldn't breathe. It was impossible.
I watched as the edge of Liam's mouth slowly turned up, Aaron's expression venomous.
Aaron moved in slow motion, standing up, and pulling on his jeans. He started towards me, when Liam's hand landed on his shoulder. Aaron didn't look away from me. His body language screamed 'I was prey'.
"It's true," Aaron said through his teeth.
"Leave now," Liam said to him. His hand pressed into Aaron's shoulder. "Leave and take your pack with you. You and yours will not be able to take wolf form here." He nodded to me. "Charlotte will make sure of that."
I tried to stay composed, but my poker face felt rather pathetic. I swallowed hard. "What are we doing about Ty?" I asked.
Aaron seemed on the verge of exploding. His face twisted into a contortion of lines.
"Fair enough," he said. "I will leave after I give you your friend back."
"What do you mean?" Liam asked.
"Obviously, she's not here," he said. "She's back at my place."
"You have a place?" Liam asked.
Aaron gave a disgruntled smirk. "Yes, I've been under your nose for a while now, Aiden." He shook his head. "You and your pack are pathetic. You'd be nothing without this girl."
"Where's your place?" Liam asked, ignoring the comment.
Aaron grinned. "The old abandoned Kingston Farm on Sanders and Owens," Aaron said. "The house is basically dilapidated, but we found the barn still intact enough to make home. Meet me there in two hours and I'll hand over the girl."
"Why don't we just go there now?" Liam asked.
This whole thing wreaked suspicious.
Aaron shrugged. "My pack is hungry and I promised them a hunt while we were out here. I'm not one to disappoint." He gestured with his hand to the other, now human, guys that made up his group.
"Then we'll hunt with you," Liam said with a straight face.
Aaron paused. "Sure," he said.
"Charlotte, stay here with Steve." Liam said. Steve appeared at my side. "Make sure she stays safe."
You would have thought this the assignment of the century. Steve beamed. "Right, Sir," he said with a salute. Liam grumbled, rolling his eyes.
Liam's palm cupped my chin. "Please just stay here," he whispered. "I can't bear anything happening to you." He pressed his lips to mine. "I'll be back in an hour tops."
My chest ached as I watched Liam disappear into the forest with his brother. They'd be able to shift away from me, and that scared me. Too easily they had both bloodied the other. I cringed, wanting to stop him.
"Don't worry. He'll be all right," Steve said.
"Thanks," I whispered, even though I didn't believe it. Too many unknowns saturated this plan. Aaron gave up too soon. I saw the fury in his face. I didn't like this.
"Nothing's going to happen," Steve said as if reading my mind. "That's why Liam's going with them. He's keeping tabs on Aaron. As long as Liam's with him, he can't do anything to you or Ty."
I slumped down to the ground and leaned my back against a tree. Tucking my knees to my chest, I fiddled with a twig in the dirt. "But that doesn't keep him safe," I said.
Steve sat down next to me. "Hey, the guy didn't become Alpha from the lottery. He's smart, strong, and very skilled. He's dealt with his brother before. He can take care of himself. Don't worry so much."
"You really have a lot of faith in him, don't you?" I asked, lifting my gaze. Steve seemed so young, alone, without the others. He reminded me of a little brother, had I had one.
"Liam came to me when I had no one. He taught me to be who I am, how to live the way I do. I'd follow him to the ends of the earth if I had to. I owe him my life."
The candidness of Steve's words shocked me. "What happened to you? I mean, how did you..."
"Become a werewolf," Steve said with a small grin.
"Yeah."
"My mother was a photographer for a small wildlife publication in New York. I was on Summer Break, so I joined her at the location she was at in Australia. Rumors sprang of a wild dog break, tearing up the local farmsteads, mostly killing livestock and the likes. While my mother was out one night, doing a shoot, she was attacked. They brought her to the local hospital. I never left her side. Perhaps in hind sight I should have, for when she shifted that first night, I was her meal."
"What?" I gasped, staring at him. I couldn't summon a coherent response.
Steve shrugged, his focus on the dirt, as he picked at it. "It's okay. It wasn't her fault. The first shift without anyone helping you is terrifying. Her wolf was scared and the natural instinct of a wolf when scared is to attack. I doubt she knew it was me."
Wow. I couldn't believe how strong he was being. My problems felt so small. "What happened to her?" I asked.
Steve fidgeted, and I regretted the question. "The medical staff," he said, "put her down." "They didn't understand. They saw a wolf attacking a kid. They stopped her."
"Steve, I'm sorry."
"It's okay," he said, not looking at me. "I didn't shift until after I was flown back here. Liam picked up my scent. He took me in. The pack's my family now. They can be a little annoying," Steve said with a forced smirk, "but they're all I have."
I took a breath and exhaled. "I don't even know what to say."
"The point is, trust Liam." Steve nudged me in the side with a small grin. "He won't fail you."
I decided I really liked Steve. "Maybe you're right."
"That makes you the first person to admit that this year," Steve said with a chuckle. "Maybe you can talk to the others?"
I couldn't help but laugh, and shook my head. "I'll try," I said.
My gaze drifted to the surrounding woods and I wondered what Liam and the others were doing. "Do you guys...hunt a lot?" I asked. The vision I had of them killing some animal with their own claws and teeth made me woozy.
"Every night," Steve said. "Sometimes twice a day. Once you've had raw meat in wolf form, it's kind of hard to turn back. We eat mostly that way."
He must have seen my appalled expression because he added, "It's an acquired taste. You'll see once you've made your first shift. Everything changes."
My gut knotted. I still didn't believe that I could ever do something like that, never mind turn into a wolf.
I stood up. What was taking them so long?
"Shouldn't we have just demanded to be taken to Ty?" I asked. "She's probably scared stiff and all alone. She could even be tied up, or worse." I started to pace.
Steve watched me from the ground. "Probably," he said. "But Liam knows how to play his brother's games. We already demanded for them to leave our territory, to make another out right demand, we'd have to challenge him again." Steve shrugged, standing up. "It's politics, Charlotte. One win, equals one resignation."
"But I can force him not to change, Steve," I said with a groan.
"True, but I think Liam wanted to try to do this as peacefully as possible. I don't know Aaron really at all, so I'm just guessing. I don't think you want to make Aaron more upset than you have to. The guy's a little loony."
"That's why I'm worried about Ty," I said.
It didn't matter anyway, they already left. No one would run back here just because I wanted them to. At least I didn't think that possible.
The cell phone in my pocket rang and I muttered an obscenity under my breath. Couldn't my father let it go this one time? I told him I'd be home soon. Pulling the small black phone from the pocket, I flicked it open. "Dad, please. I'm okay. I'll be home..." My voice broke off and everything in me went cold. "Ty?" I asked.
She spoke so fast, I could barely understand her. Steve jumped to my side, listening. "Okay, Ty, calm down," I said. "Where are you?"
"I got away," she said. Her voice trembled. "I need your help. I'm trapped. I'm in some kind of underground tunnel. I can't find the way out. It's so dark."
I tried to take a deep breath. "Okay, how'd you get to where you are? Where was he keeping you?"
"In the basement of an old barn," she said. "I don't know. I just managed to get out and I found this passageway. I thought it would lead me outside. There's water everywhere. I can barely see. I'm so scared."
"There must be an old well system under the farm," Steve said.
Ty screamed.
"Ty?" I yelled back.
Sobbing filled the receiver. "I thought I saw something move," she said. "Please, Charlotte. I'm so scared."
I turned to Steve. "We have to get her."
He looked torn. "We should wait for Liam," he said. "They're supposed to meet us here. There'd be no way for them to know where we were."
"We'll leave a note!"
"Charlotte," he said with whine.
"Do you hear her Steve? She's in trouble. She needs us now. I'm not leaving her there with who knows what down in some dark tunnel. She needs us. I am going with or without you."
The phone still to my ear, I started through the woods. I had no idea what direction to go in, but I didn't care.
Steve's hand landed on my shoulder, stopping me. "What if it's a trap, Charlotte? I'm supposed to protect you."
I glared at him. "How can it be a trap if Liam's with Aaron and his pack? Please." I shook his grasp free and continued forward. Another scream filled my ear.
"Ty?" I asked.
"I think someone's down here with me," Ty said. "I think I'm being followed. Please help me."
"I'm coming, Ty. Don't wo..." My phone beeped twice and then fizzled out. "No, no, no!" I smacked my cell phone several times, but the connection was gone. "I lost her. It's dead." Stress poisoned my veins.
I strode forward, pushing the loose branches from my path. I could hear Steve behind me, but I couldn't even see. He grabbed my arm.
"I'm going, Steve."
"That's the wrong way," he said.
Steve shrugged and gave a weak smile. "Liam will kill me if I let you out of my sight."
I felt like crying. "Thank you," I said.
He titled his head to the side, and pointed up at the halo of branches overhead. "The moon's over there. So that means East is this way." He pointed in the opposite direction. "If we head in this way, we should end up at the main road. It will lead us to the old farm. It's a good hike though, about six miles from where we are."
"Six miles?" This would take forever on foot. Ty needed us now.
"I can shift and you can ride me," Steve said with a shrug. "It'll be a lot faster. Of course, you'll have to hold on harder. We won't exactly be loping."
The thought of riding a wolf at a full out run, leaping over logs, twisting and turning on a dime, made me cringe. I knew I'd fall off.
"Let's do it," I said.
Steve didn't hesitate. He stepped under the covering of the brush. They snapped and popped, shaking as he changed form. With a low gurgling sniff, Steve's long angular nose poked through the shrubs. I could hear my pulse in my ears.
Steve, the smallest in the pack, stood leaner and far lankier than the others. His dark brown coat had white spattered around his muzzle, and his eyes, although gold, still held their human likeness. I stared, seeing the intelligence behind the animal. Steve cocked his head to the side and I turned away.
I needed to find something to write on.
"We better leave a note," I said. I needed to focus. Of course the woods left little to work with.
Steve grunted and pushed his large wolf body past me. I watched, curious as to what he would do. How could a wolf leave a message?
Steve stopped in front of the large oak tree and pushed up onto his hind legs, resting his forepaws on the bark. Scratching down, his claws sliced letters into the tree.
My jaw dropped. "You can write with your nails?"
Steve gave a wolfy grin and I shook my head. Why should I be surprised? At this point, anything had become possible.
He finished his carving and then hopped down, motioning for me to look. With a deep breath, I approached his art.
'Ty in trouble. Went to Farm.'
"That'll work." I said. "Come on, Ty needs us."
The tremor in her voice still rang in my head. I even forgot about my fear of riding Steve as I hoisted myself up on his back. I did better this time on my mount, and gripped the scruff on his neck. My thigh muscles squeezed his ribs.
"Okay," I said
Steve lunged forward, and I buried my head against his neck. He bounded and moved through the foliage at an ever-increasing pace, his stride more rude and choppy than Liam's had been. I hung on with all my might. Each twist of his hindquarters made my hips slide in the opposite direction. I did everything I could to keep Ty my focus, the one rationale of why I needed to be up there.
My body felt numb when the old weathered farmhouse came into view. Steve's nose gave a short, snarled sniff. A faint mist of breath circled his nostrils as he stopped about a hundred yards from the farmstead. Still under the faint covering of trees, I peeled my hands from his hair, and slid down. My knees wobbled and I almost lost my balance. Steve caught my shirt with his teeth, holding me in place.
"Thanks." I said. My cheeks burned, but he didn't seem to notice. He stared at the house and the dirty, sage colored barn. Most of the windows had been broken and the panes wore thick layers of dust. The place had to have been abandoned for at least a decade. Even the large, rolling barn door leaned half off its hinge, cracks splintering it in more than one place.
In the bleak lighting from the moon, the place gave off an eerie vibration. Everything was too quiet. Not even a bird rustled. A pit formed in my stomach.
"Come on." My voice evaporated into the void around us, tangling in my throat.
Steve whined a funny sound and shrank back on his hind legs, edging himself under the cover of trees. The hair on his back rose as if brushed with static.
"Steve, what are you doing?"
He whimpered, retreating further.
"We need to find Ty," I said. "Come on. You're the big werewolf. What are you afraid of?"
Steve grunted and motioned with his head for me to back away with him. I stood my ground. "No. I'm not leaving without my friend, Steve. I'll go alone." I turned from him and started across the lawn toward the barn.
"Wait," Steve said. I spun around to see the human version of Steve, hopping after me as he tried to pull on his jeans. The rude change was almost comical given different circumstances, but I was relieved that he decided to join me. "Charlotte, something's not right here. I can smell it."
I groaned. "What can you smell, Steve?"
"Death," he said.
"Death?" I asked. My mind went to Ty and panic flooded over me. I couldn't breathe right.
The ground tipped and Steve caught my shoulder, steadying me.
"Charlotte," he said, trying to focus me. "It doesn't smell like Ty. I don't think it's your friend." I started to shake. "Charlotte, can you hear me? It's not Ty."
I nodded and swallowed hard.
"Look, I know your friend's in there, but something's not right. I don't know Aaron, but wolves don't leave dead bodies around their dens. The scent is human. I think we should go back and wait for Liam and the others."
"Ty is in there," I said. "If she's not dead now, she could be next. She said she thought someone was following her. Oh, my God." My eyes went wide. "It could be too late." Despite the fear rampaging through my body, I knew what I had to do. "I have to go in there."
"Charlotte," Steve said. His palm gripped my shoulder. "Think about what you're saying. We don't know what the hell is in there. We could all die. You could get killed."
"I have to take that chance." Part of me couldn't believe the words coming from me, but I knew I had to.
"Why?" he asked.
"She's my best friend."
The pause following my words felt deafening.
"Then I'm coming with you," he said, dropping his hold on me.
"You don't have to." I didn't want to put his life at stake. I just needed to get Ty back.
Steve groaned. "I'm dead if I don't. I might as well take my odds in there."
"Sorry," I said.
He shrugged, and pulled a warn gray tee shirt over his head. "A pack member needs help. That's the same as if my right arm needed stitching. The pack is a part of who I am. We stick together."
"You really view me as a part of the pack?" I asked. A strange warm feeling knotted in my chest.
Steve grinned. "Always have. Come on." He lifted his nose in the air and started to the barn. I quickly followed.
He moved the sagging door to the side with little effort. A gust of moldy dust brushed the air, making me cough. I couldn't make anything out through the illuminated pixies dancing against the incoming light from the door. I blinked, letting it settle, before trying to see.
Steve stepped around me, his bare feet enlivening the creaky floor. He could probably see fine.
"I don't smell Ty," Steve said. His voice sounded odd in the tight stale air. "Are you sure she said she was at the barn?"
"You heard the call as well as I did."
"Yeah," he said with a grumble. He leaned over a stall door, sniffing. The air had settled and I could see his ears shifting along his head, following sounds too low for humans to detect. "Seriously though," he said. "This is weird. There's not a trace of her."
Stepping through the doorway, I entered the main hull. "She said she was somewhere in a basement," I said. "Do you see anything that looks like it would lead us down?" I wanted to ask him more about smelling blood, but couldn't muster the nerve.
Steve made a low grunt, which I took as a no, so I went to investigate myself. I contemplated trying to pick up Ty's scent in the same way I had heard her heartbeat in the car that afternoon, but chickened out. I didn't want that awful feeling of losing myself to happen again. I shivered at the thought. I needed to stay focused. I needed to stay me.
Trailing my hand along the dusty cow stanchions lining the east side of the barn, the rough coppery layer of rust scratched at my skin. I couldn't imagine how long ago this place had been occupied, werewolves excluded.
I followed the row of milking stanchions down to the far end, when I realized I could see a small hidden area behind them. Stretching my neck through the equipment, I called out. "Ty? Are you in there?"
"What are you doing?" Steve asked.
"Come here," I said, ushering him over with my hand. "I think I see something." I carefully stepped through, pushing the heavy stanchion bars to the side on their chain. The floor boards groaned under my feet.
"What is it?"
I jumped. "Jeeze, Steve. Don't do that. You nearly gave me a heart attack."
He chuckled. "You told me to join you over here."
I shook my head. "I know, I just didn't think you'd sneak up on me."
"Sorry," he said with a little smile. "So what is this?" he asked, climbing in behind me.
"I don't know. Look," I said. "There's a hidden area back here."
The grin disappeared from Steve's face as I lifted my leg over the far side of the stanchion, into the dark passageway. Steve followed my lead and we started making our way down the corridor.
"Wait," Steve said, pausing me. The hairs on the back of my neck rose. A tremor rippled and rolled under his shirt. I swallowed hard.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
His hand silenced me and I strained to see what he could be referring to, but I couldn't.
Why couldn't Liam be here?
I knew Steve could protect me from most things, considering what he was, but something about Liam made me feel the safest. I missed him. I felt torn, not knowing the whereabouts and safety of either him, or Ty.
"The scent of blood is thick here," Steve said, pulling me from my thoughts. "Werewolf too. It's faint, further down." Steve shook his head. "I still don't smell your friend, only blood and wolf. This isn't good, Charlotte. Aaron must have left one of his pack mates to watch after Ty."
"I think I'm going to throw up," I said, leaning over to steady myself, my hands on my knees. "Ty was right. She is being followed." I tried to slow my breathing. My head spun. "Some killer is down here with her."
"We don't know that, Charlotte."
I glared at Steve from my position. "You smell death, blood and death."
Steve didn't answer, his face looking pale.
I stood up. "We better hurry." I said, moving forward. I couldn't stop to think about everything. I had to find her.
Steve caught up to me. Parts of his body had shifted. His iris' burned gold and the tips of his ears had slipped upward on his head. Crouching over, he walked, his nostrils flaring, and then his arm stopped my path.
"Let me go first," he said, his voice lower in range than normal.
I nodded, but he didn't pay attention. His amber gaze fixated on the dark path in front of us. He moved again, more wolf-like that human. A strong aura rolled from his shoulders, and something in me responded. I could feel it scratching under my skin. Lifting my arm, I watched a ripple thread across my wrist. I couldn't breathe.
I bit my lip to stop the trembling and caught up with Steve. He had rounded a small corner exposing a large, half crumbled-down, stone stairwell. He turned to me, and light flooded my vision. The entire place became vivid, every nodule distinct and clear.
Steve stared at me.
"What?" I asked.
He shook his head with a funny expression and started down the steps. "Nothing," he said.
I wasn't stupid.
I touched my eyes with the tips of my fingers. I didn't need to see them. Dropping my hand, I followed Steve, just grateful for the heightened vision.
The stairs opened into an expansive basement constructed from large crude rocks of all shapes and sizes. On one wall a large shelf made of wood had been drilled into the stone. Various items I didn't know had been placed on it, mostly farming supplies, although I could smell turpentine and paint.
"Charlotte," Steve whispered, making me jump. I cursed myself for being so edgy.
Steve waved me over to some make shift wooden door that had been bolted into the rock. An eerie falling sensation washed over me as he tried to pull it free. Something told me I didn't want to know what was on the other side.
With a grunt, Steve ripped the door from its place, tossing it to the side. The putrid, revolting scent of rotting animal escaped, knocking me back.
"Ah, god!" Steve said. He pulled the edge of his shirt over his nose. Stumbling away from the door, he glanced over his shoulder.
I didn't dare ask what he saw, but two steps to the right, and my lovely new vision answered for me. The horror buckled me. I tried to scream, to move, but nothing seemed to work.
"It's okay, Charlotte. Stand back."
Steve's words felt distant. Everything around me had become engulfed in a warm murky cloud of surrealism.
I couldn't tell if the bodies had been male or female. Shredded and torn, they leaned on each other in a haphazard hump, vacantly staring at us. Blood covered them in thick, blackened layers. Gashes and open wounds wreaked with rot.
"She's not in here," Steve said, although it sounded like he spoke through water. "I don't smell Aaron either, but it was definitely a wolf. I don't like this, Charlotte. I think we should go back. Why don't you try your cell?"
"What?" I asked.
"Your cell," Steve said. He lifted the large wooden door and placed it back against the cold stone. At least it helped muffle the scent. With the bodies out of view, reality came back. My mouth felt dry and pasty. Reaching into my jean pocket, I retrieved my phone, opening it.
Nothing.
"It's dea..." I couldn't say the word as I felt my body flush cold
"Look, let's head back and try the farmhouse," Steve said. "We might be able to find a phone there. I think we need to call the cops."
I knew he was right, but my insides twitched. Ty could be close. The police could take an hour.
Steve twitched and his shifted ears perked toward the far doorway just as a loud scream hit the air. Steve took off towards it.
"Ty!" I hollered.
I somehow got my legs to work, and ran after him. I realized in my immobilizing moment with the bodies, my vision had gone back to normal. I couldn't see a thing through the doorway.
The hall had a cold swallowing affect as I headed aimless down. I stretched my hands out in front of me, hoping to find a wall, and not a dead best friend. I cringed at the thought.
"Ty? Where are you?" A hand slipped around my arm, making me almost die on the spot.
"It's okay. It's me," Steve said.
I sighed with relief, holding my chest.
No answer came from Ty.
"You sure that was her?" Steve asked.
I assumed Steve could see me in the dark, so I gave him a death glare.
"Right," he said. "Come on, this way."
His hand remained gripped on my arm as we wove down several corridors. The ground sloped, bringing us deeper into the Earth. The air around us cooled with a damp, moldy smell.
The sound of dripping water echoed within the cold stonewalls. I begged to be able to see. In the darkness, it reminded me too much of drowning in a tomb. I also wished I didn't have such a vast imagination.
A faint mumbling sound came from up ahead and I moved away from Steve's firm hold, going toward it.
"Wait," Steve whispered, pulling me back.
"What are you doing, Steve? I hear her."
"Shh," he said. I still couldn't see, but his hand covered my mouth, the move surprising me. "I don't think it's your friend, Charlotte. I still don't smell Ty."
I shoved his hand away and glared at him. "Well, maybe you aren't remembering her smell correctly, Steve. You only met her once for like ten minutes."
I heard him clear his throat. "Good point, except for one minor detail."
"What?"
"I don't smell anything human. Period."
I froze. "That's not even funny, Steve."
"I'm not joking. Whatever just screamed isn't human. It's werewolf."
"Just stop it!" I said. Tears stung my eyes. "You know that was Ty. Why would you say such a thing? Why?"
"Charlotte, if it's her...I don't know. Maybe Aaron changed her, or..."
"Or what? What, Steve?" I took a step back from him. A tremor rose up and down my spine and the hall filled with light.
"Charlotte, please. Just calm down." His lanky, too long arms reached for me.
"Stay away from me, Steve," I said, backing away. "What? Are you saying that Ty is now some raging werewolf who...who killed those people?" My voice broke and tears roll down my cheeks.
"Charlotte, I didn't say that."
"Well then don't say anything. Just don't. Ty needs me. She needs my help, and you can't stop me. So just stay away from me."
"Please, Charlotte. It's dangerous. If she is a werewolf she could be scared and changing uncontrollably. Remember what I told you about my mother? She might not know it's you. Liam..."
"Isn't here," I said. My chest hurt. I wanted Liam so much.
"How long have you known?" I asked.
"What do you mean?" Steve asked, his face a little pale.
I took a deep breath. "I'm not stupid. How long ago did you realize that her screams were only in the proximity of the werewolf scent? When did you suspect that it was her Steve?"
Steve looked destroyed, but at the moment I didn't care. I felt betrayed, not only by him, but life itself.
"The thought crossed my mind the first time we entered the barn," he said in a defeated voice. "I thought it was odd that I couldn't pick up her scent anywhere, yet werewolf was strong." His gaze hardened and then turned down. "I also knew it was female."
"You bastard!"
I punched him in the chest, yet he didn't move.
"I didn't know for sure until now. There was no way Ty could have screamed from this close of a distance and still smell only of werewolf. I'm sorry, Charlotte. I just didn't want to say anything. I wanted to be wrong. I was hoping I would find out I was wrong."
"Yeah, well you didn't." I knew my words hurt, but I didn't care. "I'm going to get Ty. Don't follow me." I turned from Steve and started in the direction of the scream.
"Charlotte, please. Just let me help."
I turned around and felt a faint rumble in my chest.
"Then go get Liam."
Steve didn't follow me. I was glad. I wiped my damp cheeks and headed down the corridor without looking back.
The passageway wound into a large underground cavern. A faint light trickled down from above, and I looked up to see the moon high over the mouth of what had to be a well. Steve had been right about his theory. It made sense, the trails of water dripping from the walls. There had to be a hidden stream somewhere. Ripe muck sucked at my sneakers and my lips turned down.
A groan echoed off the walls.
"Ty?" asked.
Several small rocks crumbled and rolled on the floor, revealing a small form blanketed by shadows. She sat on the ground clutching her knees to her chest.
"Charlotte?" Ty asked. Her voice sounded weak.
"Ty!" I rushed to her side and slid down on the muddy earth, wrapping my arms around her. "You're alive. Oh, Ty. I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. I know what happened. I'm so sorry."
"Where's Aaron?" she asked.
I shook my head. "Don't worry about Aaron. He's with Liam. Liam's got him under control. He's not going to touch you."
"What?" Ty's body stiffened under my arms. She pulled back. "He's with Liam?"
Her reaction confused me. "Yes. Aaron's pack ambushed us in the woods, but I stopped them...." My voice trailed off. Ty's appearance went three shades whiter. "Ty?" I asked.
"Is he okay?"
The vision of the fight in the woods made me shutter. "It was bad. I think Liam's shoulder got torn open, but he's okay." I tried to push the image away. It reminded me that I didn't know if he was okay.
"No," Ty said, her voice more urgent. "Not Liam, Aaron. Is Aaron okay?"
"What?"
"Please," she said. "Just tell me he's okay. Please?"
I saw Liam's teeth sink into Aaron's neck. I had stopped it. What would have happened if I hadn't? "He's okay," I said.
Ty exhaled, her body nearly collapsing with relief.
"Ty. What's going on here? Why are you concerned about Aaron? I mean, remember the whole psycho stalker killer werewolf thing? He kidnapped you."
"No, he didn't," Ty said, pushing herself up to her feet. "And he's not a psycho killer. If there's any psycho werewolves around here, it's the one you're dating."
"What?" Had I stepped into an alternate dimension? "Ty, how can you say that? Liam's done nothing but try to help you and find you. Aaron was the one..."
"He didn't kidnap me," she said with a snap. "I left with him. It was planned."
"What?" I couldn't believe this.
"I'm sorry, Charlotte. The whole idea was to get you away from Liam. We knew you'd come after me. We had planned on him sneaking off with me when we got to my house, but then there was the accident. It just worked."
My jaw dropped. "He killed the truck driver and you are okay with this?"
"What? God, no, Charlotte." Ty shook her head. "That wasn't him."
"Then who was it? We know it was a wolf."
She shrugged, giving me a look that went through me.
"Liam didn't do it. Don't even think that," I said.
"Was he at the scene?"
I refused to answer. My lips turned down.
"Why would you do this? You're supposed to be my best friend."
"I do care. Liam is using you. Aaron doesn't want to hurt you. He just wants you away from Liam. He doesn't love you, Charlotte. He only wants you because of your gift. It's all about his brother. It always has been. Liam has had this need to control Aaron since they were kids. He kicked him out of his own pack, his own twin brother. If Liam has you around, Liam gets ultimate control over him. He stays Alpha and Aaron never gets to come home. Liam is afraid of losing control to Aaron."
Aaron's words to me in the woods echoed in my head. Liam had said not to listen to him. "No, he's messing with you, Ty. Aaron's a killer."
"It was self-defense, Charlotte," Ty said. "Yeah, Liam nicely left that part out, didn't he?"
"Self-defense? The guy he killed was only seventeen!"
Ty fidgeted. "Okay, that was an accident. The real Liam was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Aaron said the two older hunters had been slaughtering animals for weeks. He said it was sick how they toyed with the poor animals, letting them die slow painful deaths. He got too close one night and they spotted him. They had their guns out before Aaron even knew what was happening. He took a couple of bullets in the hip, before his wolf's instincts of survival kicked in. It happened so fast and then they were dead, all of them, including the teenage boy."
"That was what he said, huh?" I didn't believe a word of it. Ty hadn't seen the venomous glare Aaron gave me in the woods. He was full of it. I knew it. "And just when did you have this enlightening conversation with the killer, Ty? Was this before or after he kidnapped you?"
A low rumble sounded from Ty's chest and her eyes narrowed. "The night I went home with the album, he followed me. Aaron went through the book and explained everything to me that night. He also wasn't the one in your room, Charlotte. He was with me."
"Oh great. So now what? You're dating the killer?"
"Fine," Ty said with a huff, crossing her arms. "I'm not talking to you anymore. You obviously don't care about my feelings."
"Don't care about your feelings? I just risked my life coming here because of you. All I cared about was trying to help you. How dare you."
"Yeah, but you're so closed minded you can't even see what's going on around you. Did you hear me when I said Aaron wasn't the one who broke into your room? He didn't kill the truck driver either."
"Yeah, well, it wasn't Liam either."
"Whatever, Charlotte," Ty said, rolling her eyes.
"I hate you."
I turned before she could see my tears. I just wanted to get out of there. I wanted to go home.
"It was all a lie? You were never kidnapped. No one was ever following you?"
A deafening silence filled the air. I nodded and started out of the room.
"Charlotte..." Ty said. "Please don't. I didn't mean to hurt you. Look, I thought I was helping."
"By lying?" I paused without turning around. "I thought you were hurt, Ty. I thought I was going to find you dead, just like the other people." I scrunched my face up, trying to stop the tears. It hurt. "You can go to hell."
"Wait," Ty said. "What people? Charlotte..."
I didn't respond, leaving her at the base of the well. As soon as I rounded the corner, my legs stopped working. I fell backwards against the stone wall, covered my face with my hands, and sobbed.
"Are you hurt?" Liam asked.
I pulled my hands free from my damp cheeks. Liam rested his palm on my shoulder and my heart burned.
I didn't care how he got there. I wrapped my arms around his waist and buried myself in his chest.
"Hey, it's okay," he said, holding me.
I ran my sleeve across my face one more time. "How did you know where to find me?"
"Your note," Liam said. He motioned behind him and I saw Steve standing in the shadows along with the others.
"I went to go find a phone and ran into them just outside the barn," Steve said.
Liam grumbled something under his breath.
"It wasn't his fault," I said. "I didn't give him a choice in coming here." I sniffled, trying to compose myself. "What about Aaron? Ty's a werewolf."
"I know," Liam said, and brushed the back of his hand down my cheek. "Steve filled us in on the way down here. I'm sorry."
"I'm right here, darling," Aaron said, pushing in between Byron and Flynt. His auburn hair dangled over his mocking, blue gaze. My stomach turned and a ripple threaded up the underside of my arm.
Liam snarled at Aaron to stay back, but I couldn't contain my anger. "How dare you?" My body lunged for Aaron, but Liam held me back. I scrambled and struggled against his hold. He would pay for what he did to my friend.
"Charlotte, stop," Liam said.
Aaron gleamed at me from behind Liam's back.
"I told you I was fond of the cute little thing," Aaron said with a chuckle. "I'm not the brother who lies."
"Shut up," Liam said. His human jaw snapped at his brother.
"You bastard!" I yelled. My skin began to quiver. "You ruined my friend. You went and brainwashed her to your messed up psycho schemes and then turned her. How could you? You're evil. I hope Liam bans you forever!"
Never in my life had I felt so angry. I didn't even recognize myself. Aaron didn't even look sorry.
"Where is she?" Aaron asked. He ignored my rant, which fueled my rage even more. He lifted his nose, sniffing the air.
"Like you really care," I said.
Aaron's eyes flashed gold and his lips rose with a snarl. "You don't know anything about me."
"Aaron?" Ty's voice wavered, echoing through the cavern.
His nostril's flared and he turned towards the voice. Moving more wolf-like than human, he moved past us, and disappeared down the tunnel.
"Don't touch her," I said. Liam caught my arm. "What are you doing?" I asked.
"She's his mate, Charlotte. They've mated. I'm sorry, but you don't challenge for someone else's mate."
"Well I do."
This was insane. I freed myself from Liam's arms and took off after them.
I could hear Liam and the others moving behind me, but I refused to look. My legs had never moved so fast. My muscles burned as I ran around the corner into the large open cavern, but I stopped short.
Aaron sat on the muddy floor with Ty, locked in an embrace. His hands threaded up through her blonde curls as they kissed. He looked...choked up.
I was speechless.
"Are you okay? Did he hurt you?" Ty asked.
"No. Nobody hurt me," he said. Over the back of Ty's shoulder, his gaze caught mine, daring me to say something. My skin crawled, and his focus went back on Ty.
"I'm sorry, Aaron. She wouldn't listen to me."
"Shh," Aaron whispered, stroking her hair. "It's okay."
Liam growled behind me, glowering at his brother. He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me to his chest. "Was that what you intended to do Aaron, talk to her?"
Aaron feigned an innocent smile. "Of course. What'd you think I would do?"
"A bit of an elaborate plan for a discussion, wouldn't you say? What'd you plan on doing, Aaron? Get away from me, come back here, and kill her?" I could feel his muscles tensing.
"Don't be ridiculous." Aaron nuzzled his nose into Ty's soft curls. "I would never hurt Charlotte. She's a friend of Ty's."
The back of my neck crawled.
"Sure you wouldn't," Liam said, "even if she were the one thing stopping you from becoming Alpha?"
Ty's blue orbs turned up to Aaron. "What's he talking about, baby?"
"Nothing. I think my brother hit his head in the woods. Are you okay though, love?" Aaron asked, cupping Ty's chin. "How did you get those bodies in there anyway?"
"Steve told us about them too," Liam said. "Don't worry. Your friend will be safe. We'll cover up the deaths and then we'll teach her how to control her shifts. She won't hunt a human again, I promise you."
The reality of the situation crashed down on me. Ty couldn't have...
"What bodies?" Ty asked.
Aaron faked a laugh. "That's cute, honey, but seriously. We all know." He rolled his eyes. "It's okay. I wasn't here to help you through your first change and I'm sorry. It's my fault."
"Aaron," Ty said with a straight face. "I haven't changed yet."
"What do you mean?"
"I haven't shifted into a wolf. I didn't hurt anyone."
The color drained from Aaron's face. The walls of the well began to feel too close, and my image of the dank tomb haunted me. Everyone realized it at once.
We weren't alone.
Liam shook and trembled. The pheromones filling the air blinded me. I could feel the entire pack readying to shift. "We need to get out of here," Liam said. "Everyone. Right now."
Aaron scooped Ty up in his arms, and joined us. Liam's firm arm cupped me around the waist as he pushed me towards the corridor.
"What's going on?" Ty asked.
"Did you see anything funny while you were in here, Ty?" Aaron asked. "You didn't see anyone did you?"
Ty shook her head. "No, just the wolf that you left to watch me." She paused, her face showing the dawning realization. "You didn't leave anyone with me, did you?"
Aaron's face twisted into a contortion of lines. "No."
"Oh, God." Ty gasped.
Aaron ignored her, and tucked her into his chest as he sprinted to the passageway with Liam and me following. Reaching the exit, a low chuckle echoed off the walls, pausing us. I gripped Liam's sleeve. My entire world spun as the scent hit me, too familiar. I saw it then, the razor sharp jowls ripping into my shoulder, the haunting memory of those following me all those years. They were here. It was them. I began to shake.
"Liam," I said in a small whimper.
Liam didn't move, his back bristling.
Two large men with eyes blazing gold, appeared blocking our route. I watched in horror as razor sharp claws broke through the tips of their fingers.
"Going somewhere, boys?" An older male said behind us.
The hairs on my arms stood.
"Thomas," Liam said under his breath. Slowly we turned around. Standing, leaning against the base of the well shaft, was a cocky looking man in his mid-thirties. He had short, cropped, rust brown hair, with a matching goatee.
"You know him?" I asked.
The man smiled, and dropped the cigarette he'd been smoking; squishing it out with his steal toed Dock Martins. Even without the werewolf factor, he was intimidating.
"What are you doing here?" Liam asked, his body stone.
"Please, Boy. Is that a way to greet your father?"
"You're not our father." A wave of pheromones rolled off Liam, and the skin on his arm rippled against my shoulder.
The man sighed as if wearily trying to explain something to a child. "Technically no, but I did find you two orphaned mutts in the woods all those years ago." He shook his head. "You two had such promise too, considering you were both born this way. It was a pity that you stopped growing at seventeen, but oh well."
"How did you find us? What do you want from us?"
"I don't want anything from you two." He chuckled. "I could care less about you two mutts. I'm here for the girl. She's mine."
Liam's back began to pop. "Over my dead body," he said.
Thomas shook his head with a sigh. "Don't be stupid, Aiden. I've been tracking this chick since I turned her years ago. For a while she threw me though. Made me second guess that I actually bit her, but now I know that's not true. You can thank your brother for that." He grinned. "The boy got a little pack hungry. It was more than easy to slip one of my own in there, unfortunately for you all, my friend likes to talk." He pulled out another cigarette, lit it, and took a puff. "Your brother's so reliably easy to manipulate."
Aaron put Ty down. His chest heaved as his eyes burned wolf. "How dare you." He snarled, lunging forward.
"Aaron no!" Liam tried to grab him, but the older werewolf moved too fast. Thomas' arm shot up, snatching Aaron around the neck and smashed his head down into the toppled stones.
Ty screamed
I wanted to do the same, but nothing came. I starred in horror as blood began to ooze down from Aaron's scalp.
Thomas moved in front of Aaron, lifting him up limply by the collar of his black tee shirt. Aaron groaned something unintelligible as the older werewolf leaned over his bloodied face. "You were always so reckless. You were never as good as your brother."
Aaron's eyes rolled open, locking on the older wolf. He hacked up a bunch of blood and spat it in Thomas' face. "Screw you."
A snarl ripped from the man's throat, and his teeth elongated. He pulled his lips back, his mouth opening wide. I couldn't watch, turning my head away, when I realized Liam wasn't beside me.
Oh, God. No.
"Don't touch him," Liam said.
I turned around in time to see Aaron fly backwards into the cold stonewall. He toppled to the ground along with crumbles of loose debris. Liam began to shift in midair, when Thomas' hand whipped out, catching his jaw just as it started to elongate. I felt the howling yelp from Liam all the way to my toes. His body violently reacted with a spastic shutter, the pain clear in his eyes.
"Stop it. You're hurting him!" I yelled.
Thomas gave me a look of death.
"He's mid shift. He can't go either way. Please," I said.
Liam's expression begged for me to 'run'. He tried to speak, but only a muffled whine came from his clamped half turned muzzle. His body violently shook.
The corner of the man's lips turned up, his sharp teeth glistening in the dim shaft. "Well, hello there, Charlotte. Remember me? It's been a while."
"Don't come near me," I said.
He threw Liam down by the muzzle, smashing his back into more of the fallen rocks. Liam's body jerked, and then went still.
I tried to scream, but I couldn't breathe. Sobs from Ty carried in the distance and my cheek itched as a tear slipped down.
"Liam?" I asked. My lower lip trembled. I tried to reach out to his fallen form, but I couldn't see.
Rustling and snarls came from around me and then everything went silent, everything except the sound of Thomas' boots coming towards me.
"Chain the others up," he said.
Someone kicked Byron's fallen body in the ribs. The entire pack had been taken out.
"Charlotte," Thomas said. Too fast for me to me to move, he grabbed my chin. "You are the cause for a lot of trouble. All these years I kept tabs on you, waiting for you to shift, to find out you are an abomination. It's nothing personal. You just can't be allowed to exist. No one's having that power over me and mine. It's too bad, really. We don't get many female wolves these days. Oh well. Maybe I'll just take your friend."
In my peripheral line of vision, I saw his other hand come up. I squeezed my eyes shut, readying for the strike.
"Don't. Don't! She can help you. We both will," Ty said.
What?
Had Ty lost it?
"What do you mean?" he asked with a growl. He hadn't struck me. Ty stood a few feet from us.
"Think of how invincible of an Alpha you'll be if you can control the shifts of all the other wolves," she said. "Don't kill her, please. She's the best friend I ever had. We'll go with you." Tears rolled down her cheeks. As she approached us, her hand slipped into her pocket. With a groan, gritting her teeth, she pulled out the charmed necklace she used to carry. Her hand sizzled and then she grabbed Thomas, slamming it into his chest.
He howled in pain, dropping me.
"Run, Charlotte!" She yelled, and I scrambled away from him.
"Wolvesbane," Thomas said through his teeth. "You bitch. I'll kill you both." He grabbed Ty by the front of her shirt, and heaved her into the neighboring wall. She slumped to the floor with a whimper. She tried to move, her bloodied hands grasping at the rubble.
My skin rippled.
Thomas moved towards Ty. Claws broke from his fingernails and I heard his back pop and snap.
"Ty!" I yelled.
Fire raged to the surface of my skin. My muscles trembled and shook, and I doubled over, groaning. Pain swept through every limb and my eyes shot wide. The tips of my fingers split and I screamed as a set of claws broke through. The room spun and then my vision changed. My back snapped and broke in several places and then my cries became unrecognizable. My paws landed on the mucky floor and the front of my skull cracked. The wolf's muzzle pushed through with a raging snarl. My clothes shredded as my wolf-self burst through the seams.
Disoriented, the room changed - my height and senses new and defined. I didn't even know how to move. Everything felt strange. I blinked, breathing in a quick sharp breath, the sound of it echoing in my now sensitized ears.
The room stank with rich salty iron and it appalled me to think that the source made my mouth water. A slight movement in the corner snapped my attention back, and my sharp vision zoomed in on the older man. I lowered my gaze, chest rumbling under my new silky gray coat. Slowly, I started towards him, my muscles limber and rubber-like. My lips rose over my sharp canines.
Thomas had stopped to watch me, chuckling. "Well look what we have here. Nice of you to finally join us."
I snarled.
"What? You think you can take me on, Pup? Didn't you just see what I did to your boyfriends? That was nothing, and they've been around a hell of a lot longer than you." He laughed and spat something on the ground. "I admire your spirit though. Those boys could have learned something from you."
He pointed a clawed finger at me with a twisted grin. "Just give me a second while I kill your friend. I'll be with you in a minute."
My chest burned with rage and as soon as he turned towards Ty I leapt at him. He countered my move, spinning around, and knocked me to the cold wet dirt with his arm. It hurt. It felt like I hit a brick wall, but the sensation cleared almost instantly.
"So you want to be difficult, huh?" he said. "Fine." His back popped as he crouched over. "Let's play difficult."
I crawled to my feet, shaking my body to bring the feeling back. With each step, Thomas' body cracked and twisted into more of his wolf form. His long tongue lapped over his extended teeth as he gave a wicked smile. I could feel my nostrils expand as my breathing became heavy.
A warm pressure grew behind my temples, begging to be released. I crouched low on my hind legs, stepping back as he gained on me - almost fully shifted. The pressure grew, swarming my temples. I relaxed, letting the warm tension free, my focus on Thomas.
Shift back.
The man groaned an agonizing howl.
I stopped my retreat, staring, as his body began to convulse. Sweat dripped from his brow. His wide, no longer golden hues, starred, horrified. "No. No." He clutched his chest, as if that would stop him from changing back to his human form. "You're an abomination." He growled, but as soon as he started, it turned into the normal vocal yell of a man. His claws retracted and his back slid and popped back into an erect position.
Thomas stood, appalled. "Stay away from me," he said, retracting his steps.
Unfortunately, this brought him closer to Ty. She sat, half perched, leaning against the wall. I could smell the pain lifting from her muddy, bruised skin.
I paused in my ascent, afraid of bringing attention to her. The man, crazed, stumbled on some loose rock. His hand landed a few yards from Ty as he caught himself. His gaze fell on her. The smile erupting across his face made my blood boil.
Stalemate.
Each of us clearly thought the same thing. Who could make it to her first?
I think he made the first move. It was hard to tell. My wolf instincts only took a moment to react. Digging, my claws spat up the mucky earth as I barreled down on him. My lips pulled back, readying to bite.
His hand lashed out for Ty just as I screamed with my mind, 'Don't touch her!' A surge of energy flushed from my temples. In my mind's eye I grabbed Thomas' arm. The man ground his teeth.
"What are you doing to me?" he asked, his face white.
He couldn't move his arm. An invisible barrier had grown around my friend and each time he tried to touch her, his body refused to obey.
I didn't have time to ponder the disgusting matter of biting someone. My jaw clamped down on his leg, my large head twisting. Thomas groaned with pain, and slammed his fist down on me. I yelped as I fell, skidding to the ground. Sharp razors of pain sliced down through my scalp.
He swung again. Willing myself to move, I jumped up, and spun on my haunches. My ears flattened against my head. Limping, Thomas picked up a large jagged stone. He fumbled with it and then as he arched his shoulder back to heave the rock, I screamed with my mind, 'Stop!'
His hand froze midair, the rock tumbling to his feet.
"What the hell are you?" he asked, gasping. "You...you don't just control shifts. You can control us, period."
"Go for the jugular." Liam's voice groaned from behind me.
I almost lost my concentration. My chest burned so much, I thought it might explode.
Liam! I wanted to cry, but my wolf form, forbid it. I didn't dare look in his direction for fear of losing my hold on Thomas.
"The jugular," Liam said with a cough. Everything in me wanted to run to him, but I couldn't. "It's the only way to stop him. Otherwise, he'll heal."
Dread shot through me as I realized what Liam was saying. I couldn't kill a man. But did I have a choice? He'd kill all of us. Shaking, my mental hold started to slip. I had to focus, but I couldn't. Fear returned.
"Is this the way you treat your father?" Thomas said, his body still frozen. "I raised you."
Something moved by my peripheral line of vision and if human, I would have gasped. Aaron, caked with dried blood and dirt, stopped just behind Thomas - the scowl on Aaron's face, painful. "No," Aaron said. "You ruined me."
Aaron reached up, and with a quick twist, snapped the man's neck. Thomas' body toppled to the ground.
My mind whirled and I felt the mental hold dissipate on the man as he died. The reality slammed down on me. A man was dead, and I was a werewolf. The pain from the blow to my skull returned, and the cavern darkened.
Liam?
\_\_\_\_
Muffled voices swam through my semi-consciousness. Music played, and the sound of spitting tires across gravel filled my ears. Despite the heavy groggy feeling and disorientation, the awareness of my heightened senses startled me.
I knew I had to be in human form. The comforting feel of each of my fingers rested against the soft dossal leather of Liam's car. He was close. I could smell him in a way I never knew existed. It felt like home. I knew I would always be able to discern his rich scent from anything now. I loved it.
"Is she awake?"
The sound of Aaron's voice surprised me, raising me to full awareness. I hadn't expected him to be there. Now that I knew, I could pull his scent from the others around me as well. His, I also wouldn't forget.
"Charlotte, are you awake?" Liam asked. His palm brushed against me.
I curled myself around his arm. "I think so," I said with a smirk.
"Good." He chuckled, refocusing on the road. "We're almost to your house."
I pushed myself up on the front passenger seat, my muscles stiff and sore. Liam seemed to notice. "Your body gets more limber with time. The muscles and ligaments have to adjust. After a bit, you won't feel a thing."
I winced as I refastened my seat belt. My shoulders didn't want to bend. "Did all that really happen? Did I really change?"
Liam's smile lit my pulse. "You were amazing."
"You're not watching the road," I said.
Liam bit his lip. "Am I allowed to drive one handed?"
"Maybe," I said.
He wrapped his arm around me and I snuggled up against his shoulder.
"Charlotte, what you did in there..." I stiffened hearing Aaron's voice again, the warmth from Liam almost made me forget he sat there. What was he doing there? I strained my poor aching body to turn from my little spot of heaven. Ty slept, curled up across the back seat, her head resting on Aaron's lap. His fingers played with her hair. "I know you don't believe me, but I love her."
I hardened, not knowing what to say.
"I'm sorry about what I did." He looked back down at Ty. She made a small noise and nestled up closer to Aaron. "All of it. You saved her life. I don't know what I'd do without her. She's the only person that's ever cared about me." The blunt, honest statement caught me by surprise.
"I don't think that's true," I said. Despite my hatred for what he had done, I motioned to the back of Liam's seat.
"I don't deserve this," he said.
"No, you don't," I replied. The corners of my mouth turned down as I watched my friend sleep.
"I'm sorry, Charlotte."
I couldn't look at him anymore. I returned to my seat, and vacantly gazed out the front window. "He's staying with you, isn't he?"
"He's my brother," Liam said.
I nodded. "I know."
Liam's fingers entwined in mine, and he squeezed my hand. With a sigh, I rested against his shoulder. He pressed a small kiss to my forehead.
"It's going to be okay," he said, and for the first time, I truly believed him.
About the Author
Rachel grew up in small town Massachusetts where she spent most of her time writing about strange paranormal creatures instead of paying attention in class. She has always been considered the 'dreamy' one with her head in the clouds. She now lives in Nevada with her two sons, a cat, and a rat named Sam. Visit her at http://moonlightprose.blogspot.com

