Howling at the Moon: The Complete Series (4 page)

“Maybe you should lie back down. It’s late, and you have been through a lot today. I just thought it was best if I stayed with you until you woke up.” He was so caring, his voice gentle and filled with worry. He was different now than how he was with those things in the field. Then I remembered how he’d acted once he’d heard them howling; the way his eyes glowed and his body began to change. Was he one of them?

“I... I just don’t understand. How...” He shushed me before I could finish my question.

“Get some rest. I’ll explain it all in the morning.” He pointed to the pillow, encouraging me to lay down as he smiled and walked towards the door.

Seeing him leave made me afraid for some reason. I didn’t want to be alone. My mind was connecting the dots, and I knew he must be one of them. But my grandmother knew his grandfather, which meant he was safe.

“No... Don’t go. Please...” I sat up again, ready to plead my case and tell him that right now, I needed him.

I scooted over in the bed, giving him a place to lay. I needed someone beside me, someone warm, and someone safe. He was the closest person to safe right now.

He didn’t say a word as he walked back toward the bed. He laid down, his legs dangling off the edge, and pulled me onto his chest.

“I promise you have nothing to worry about. You are safe with me.” I believed him. He squeezed his arm around me, securing me against his warm skin. I hadn’t felt this safe since Grandma was alive.

Closing my eyes, I breathed deep, taking in his scent. The musk of him was not like an aftershave, but more like a scent of the earth; like a fresh field on a spring day.

As he stroked my hair, I thought about what happened.

Mine
I remembered him saying. Warren had told them that I was his. Wow, one day and he wanted me all to himself, or was I confused about what he’d meant? Was Warren claiming me for his own, or was he just protecting me from harm?

Hearing his heart beat in my ear was more like a lullaby sending me back to sleep. Laying there with him felt natural, as if we had known each other for years.

But why wasn’t I afraid of him? The questions raced through my head and my feelings careened along a roller coaster of uncertainty and doubt as sleep began to overcome me. One emotion that wasn’t present was fear. With Warren, I was safe, and that was the way I wanted it to stay.

I
awoke to a pulsating pussy and a note on my nightstand.

“We’ll talk later,” was Warren’s only message to me.

I was fully clothed when I woke up, but my body was in need of sex, so much so that I had to take a cold shower to cool off. I guessed these were the signs that my pussy was not happy about the lack of physical attention. Going from no attention to full third base action from Warren would send anyone’s libido into a frenzy.

I was sure this heat wave of horniness was payback for allowing Warren to tease me the night before. I could still feel his fingers inside me as I allowed the cold water to run over my curves—fingers that I wasn’t sure belonged to a human.

Instead of investigating, I made my decision that maybe it was best that I leave Hillston. Rushing to get dressed, I went outside in the blistering heat to survey Becky. Up the hill, I could see that Warren’s truck was gone, and there was no sign of wolves or naked men.

Becky started right up without the plumes of smoke or the sputtering tail pipe she had sported the day before. From the sounds of her, she was good enough for me to get out of here, but there was one problem: I had paid Warren a year’s worth of rent.

I’d completely forgotten about that until I spotted a bank receipt on Becky’s passenger seat. There was no way for me to get that money back, and the only excuse I had in my head would probably be an insult to Warren.

Sorry, Mr. Werewolf Man, I need my rent back so I can leave this town with you crazy wolf-people.
I wasn’t even sure if that’s what they were called.
Good one, Jaime—you're in a pickle now.

With my head against the steering wheel, I ran through the events again in my head, wondering if it were possible that I had merely imagined the glowing eyes in the field and the shape-shifting man with the fiery hair.

Moe was his name. I could still see his body every time I closed my eyes; his steel-grey eyes that matched the color of the moon; how he and Warren seemed to be enemies of some sort. What would have happened if Mo hadn’t left, and why did Warren start to unbutton his shirt?

I had a million questions swirling around my head, but one managed to be heard more clearly than the others:
What would you be doing if last night wouldn’t have happened?

I thought about it for a moment. I would probably finish unpacking and go into town to get groceries and some other things. Then I would get to work on my novel.

Something told me it was best that I leave well enough alone and pretend like nothing happened.

Putting Becky into gear, I followed the signs toward town, trying to take my mind off what I saw last night.

I felt secure today in the daylight. Warren said not to go out alone after dark; he never said anything about when the sun came up.

*****

T
he town was only ten blocks long and was actually busier than I thought it would be. People meandered down the main street, and there was even a mini traffic jam of cars further down the road. Various shops lined the streets, and I decided to get acquainted by parking and walking around.

I had imagined this place to be a small town with only a few restaurants, a grocery store, a post office, and a hardware store. To my surprise, the town of Hillston included boutiques, galleries, and even a movie theater.

I made my way through the streets, smiling at people and taking in the view, but a dark question lingered in my mind. How many of these people are werewolves? I couldn’t even tell the signs of one. What did they like? What did they eat? I wasn’t sure, and it didn’t seem like I would have anyone to ask.

My growling stomach led me to a diner. From the looks of it, this was the town hangout, and I went straight to the counter. An older woman with a long, grey braid hanging down her back greeted me with a smile. Her uniform was white as snow and her apron was perfectly pristine with different buttons fixed to it along with her name tag. Sue was her name, and it fit her gentle demeanor. She reminded me of my grandma.

“Hi, sugar welcome to The Spoon.” Her smile made me feel like I was at home. No wonder Grandma loved being here. “You’re new here, aren’t you?”

“Yes, ma’am.” I smiled back. I must have stuck out like a sore thumb from the regulars. I hoped she wouldn’t ask me too many questions.

“Well, I recommend you try our biscuits and gravy. They’re world famous!”

I chuckled a bit. I doubted they were “world famous,” but I told her I would try them anyway. I sipped my water as I thought of a grocery list.

A few bells rung, signaling new people entering into the diner, but I didn’t take a look to see who they were.

My food came a few minutes later, and Sue placed the hot steaming plate of biscuits and gravy down in front of me. But her eyes traveled behind me, and her smile faded away as if she had seen a ghost.

I was too afraid to turn around; I simply acted as if I didn’t notice. I played with my fork and took a chunk out of the biscuits into my mouth, but I already knew who it was, I had felt his presence last night and that was the same feeling I had today as I swallowed my food.

“Enjoy your food, honey.” Sue’s voice was dry and flat now. As she walked away from my counter, a mirror became visible on the wall behind her that showed me exactly who she was looking at.

It was
him
; the naked wolf-man from last night. He had those same grey eyes and red hair. The only difference now was he was fully clothed.

“You look even better during the day.” His husky voice vibrated through my body as I tried not to drop my fork.

“Didn’t know you wore clothes,” I shot back snidely.
Be calm, Jaime. Just breathe
, I told myself as he sat down in the bar stool next to me.

He was wearing a black t-shirt, jeans, and brown boots. He didn’t give the working man vibe like Warren, but he certainly wasn’t the city slicker pretty boy that I was used to.

“Yeah, I wear clothes from time to time.” He looked at me as I concentrated on my food. The white, creamy gravy and the fluffy biscuits became my focus as I tried not to give him eye contact.

“Nice to meet you during the day. Name is Mo, if you forgot.” He put out his hand out for me to shake.

I wasn’t sure if that was a good idea, but I couldn’t be rude. Finally lifting my head, I stuck out my hand and shook his. It was a big, strong hand that seemed to swallow mine within its grasp, and it sent a shock of electricity through my body as he squeezed.

“I’m Jaime,” I said, recovering from the handshake.

“Sorry if I scared you last night. The boys and I sometimes get carried away.” Either he was trying to flirt, or his tongue was taking a few seconds too long to sweep across his lips. He looked gentle on the outside, as if he really meant the apology. But the dangerous feeling I got from his presence told me otherwise.

He wordlessly held my gaze, staring into my eyes as if he were studying me. Those were not the eyes of an innocent man, but of a bad boy that had mastered the art of conning people like me.

“Well, I just wanted to say hi. You enjoy your breakfast.”

He winked at me and walked toward the door. Looking through the mirror, I saw Mo and a few other guys gather there. They all looked at me as if I were a perfectly cooked steak ready to be devoured. I never felt so exposed in my life; as if I were on stage in front of a million people in my birthday suit.

I breathed deeply as the door shut behind them. My heart pounded in my chest as my stomach swarmed with frantic butterflies. Mo was attracted to me—there was no question about that—and although I hadn’t meant to be, I was feeling a little attracted to him, too.

Sue appeared from around the corner. She spoke slowly, looking me in the eye to project her seriousness.

“Word of advice: be careful of the men in this town. They aren’t what they seem.”

Then she gently touched my hand and walked away. Her smile reappeared to serve other customers.

I was no longer hungry; my mind started planning an escape, but again I remembered why I was here and why I had to stay.

Turning toward the window, I saw no sign of Mo and his crew. I was no werewolf, but I could sense that I should heed Sue’s warning and stay away from him. Unfortunately, the tingling between my legs was urging me to do otherwise.

*****

I
felt like a country girl already. One day in town and I had a push cart, a straw hat, and my feet were clad in cowboy boots. To hell with my budget for the day—I needed some retail therapy to keep me sane.

My day went by quickly as I took in everything the town had to offer, and I hadn’t spotted that Mo fellow since I left The Spoon. I felt it was safe to say that he’d probably skedaddled somewhere else, which was fine with me.

Now I was walking down a small alley with a push cart filled with groceries. Once I got down the alley and around the corner, I would be back at my car.

Halfway to the street I heard a whistle behind me. The cold feeling I’d gotten earlier today rushed back to me all at once. I looked over my shoulder, and a few steps behind me, there he was again.

“You lost?” Mo asked. I wasn’t sure whether I should run or stand still. Was it safe for me to walk away from him?

They can smell fear,
I reminded myself.
Don’t be afraid... stay calm.

I took a deep breath turning around to him. He had on only a t-shirt and jeans, and the shadowy outlines of his pecks were clearly visible through the fabric. I wanted to touch him for some odd reason, as if he was hypnotizing me with those eyes. His voice was so calm and reassuring. Maybe this was a trick on the new girl.

“Nope, not lost,” I assured him. “Just going back to my car.”

He stared at me. The silence between us made me nervous.

“Yep,” I said to fill the void. “Just going home so I can get dinner started.”

“Let me show you something before you go.” It didn’t sound like a request.

He walked past me to a red metal door a few steps away. Opening it, he motioned for me to go inside, as if I had a choice. Around him, I felt like I should do as I was told.

I glanced behind me to see if there was someone who might hear my cries if, in fact, Mo was going to try to hurt me.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” he said as if reading my thoughts. ”We can leave your cart right here.” He took it from my hand and pulled it closer to the door. “This is a small town. No one is going to steal it.”

His smirk was filled with mischief. I couldn’t help but wonder if he had something planned for me behind this red door.

Be careful, Jaime. You don’t know this man
, my conscience warned me as I stepped into the building. A part of me was enjoying the uncertainty. Being with Mo felt dangerous, and I needed a little of that in my life.

As I stepped inside, I saw what looked like the back room of an art studio. A dim light hanging from the ceiling was the only illumination in the area. Paintings lined the walls and there was a table filled with paint, brushes, and empty canvases in the corner.

“This is my studio. If you want, I can do a painting of you,” Mo said from behind me.

No one had offered to paint a picture of me before. The door slamming behind Mo made my heart skip a few beats. Looking back at him, he stood with a smile watching me and my reaction to his work.

“It’s all very beautiful,” I told him as I took it all in.

The paintings were a varied lot. Some were of women naked and posing, others of animals, and even a few of houses. One painting was of a burning house, and the detail was so realistic my body temperature started to rise just looking at the flames. The pictures covered the entirety of the walls from ceiling to floor. There were so many of them.