Piper LeVine, A Gypsy's Truth

  Chapter Three

  “Are you sure that’s a dog?” Nina asked. “He looks like the big bad wolf from Little Red Riding Hood.” She tossed her long dark-brown curls over her shoulder and checked her nails.

  “Of course he is. A wolf wouldn’t be this tame,” I said this to assure myself as much as Nina.

  “I guess.” We both watched him not eat the dog food. “What are you going to call him?”

  He was so big. “I don’t know. Super dog?”

  “That’s terrible.” Nina wrinkled her slightly upturned nose. “He needs a name with bite.”

  She was right. “I’ll have to think about it.” She checked her phone and put it back in her pocket. “So, how are things with Daniel?” Nina jumped at the chance to gush about her current boyfriend who was too old for her and not the least bit concerned about Nina’s reputation.

  Nina got a call from said boyfriend, and I watched her prance happily away accepting her promise to call me later. I decided that My Giant and I needed a walk. We ended up on the mountainside. I had been so caught up in my own thoughts I had not been paying attention. The new dog had been leading the way, and it took a sharp tug on his leash to get him to slow.

  “Great. I don’t even know where I am.” He was still pulling me forward. “Hey, stop.” My heart was pounding, and I was covered in sweat.

  What is wrong with me? Some person had trespassed onto my property the night before, and I decide to go wandering off by myself?

  The dog did not stop, and I got the distinct feeling he wouldn’t until he wanted to. A huge part of me wanted to run away, to keep going until I was no longer Piper LeVine. There was no distance I could run to where that would magically happen.

  I dug my heels into the dirt, and the dog stopped at last. I sat down to catch my breath, and the big black dog turned back toward me. His thick heavy fur was warm as I ran my hands over him.

  I needed to talk to someone about what I’d heard. Although Nina was not the ideal person to turn to when problem solving, I realized she was my only option. I didn’t want to talk about it with Rick, and I couldn’t with Grandma Sidney. It was unlike me to break a promise, but this was too big for me to carry all by myself.

  Knowing I would regret it, I pulled out my cell phone and dialed Nina up anyway. She answered, and before she could tell me she was too busy making out with Daniel, I dove right in, “Nina, I have something I need to talk about and I need you to just listen, okay? Please swear to me that you won’t tell anyone about it because it’s seriously the deepest, darkest secret I will ever tell you, and I’ll kill you if you blab it to anyone.”

  “Okay, I promise. Now spill, I’m all curious.”

  I took a deep breath and dove right in. It might not reflect very well on me that I didn’t hold anything back. I didn’t even pause long enough for her to agree or disagree. It all just came pouring out of me, and I didn’t stop until it was all out, and I was crying.

  Sitting there on that rock I cried, holding the phone to my ear with the dog’s head on my knee. She was silent, not saying a word, and I’d assumed she hadn’t known what to say until I looked at my phone and realized I’d lost the call.

  My phone had no signal. I laughed through my tears at my ridiculous situation. The last time she’d spoken was to tell me to spill my secret. She most likely didn't hear a word.

  The dog raised his head up when I was done wiping my tears and backed away from me. I thought I had scared him with my exhausted tearful laughter and was about to call him back, but then he started moving strangely. I stopped so I could try to understand what he was doing.

  His body jerked and made a really loud popping noise, and another followed by lots of popping and then the fur shed off of his body. He arched onto his back feet and shook away the fur coat. Human skin was beneath it all, and his face was becoming human. The tail was gone. I was frozen just staring and not believing.

  Those amazing eyes I’d been admiring in the wolf were blinking and watching me from the face of a young man, a very well built, muscular, serious looking, youthful man. I smiled and shook my head. “I must be dreaming,” I said and pinched myself.

  It hurt and I told myself when I looked up, I would see My Giant and realize that I was just stressed and seeing things. I looked up and there was still the young man standing there only he was starting to move toward me.

  Panic slapped the wind right out of me, and I took off running down the mountain.

  “Piper, stop.”

  Holy crap! It was talking?

  He caught up with me. I screamed and tripped when he matched my pace. “Calm down, I’m not going to hurt you.”

  “Stay away from me.” I tried to pick myself back up. He reached down and grabbed my wrists and pulled me to my feet. He was completely naked. I screamed again.

  “I saved you last night, remember that?”

  “You’ll be hunted for this.” He was still wearing the leash and collar I had put on him.

  “You need my protection and as it turns out, I need a place to hide.”

  “Help, someone help me!”

  I found a man dog that is going to kill me!

  He grabbed my shoulder, and I freaked out. I punched, clawed and kicked until he let go, and I took off running again.

  “Piper, you have to help me.” He matched my pace again.

  “Get away from me, you freak!”

  “Piper, you are not Katrine’s daughter.” I skid in the dirt trying to stop, and he reached out and caught me before I fell. “You’re the daughter of the woman your father had an affair with.” I started struggling again, this time it was all out of anger.

  “Prove it,” I gritted out, and he released me.

  “I don’t have to. It only takes a rumor to humiliate a family or ruin a career.” I don’t know that I have ever really hated anyone, until that moment. “All I ask is that you allow me to stay with you as your, you know, dog.”

  Was he serious with this?

  “Asking? Try blackmailing.”

  “I’ll protect your property from trespassers, as you call them.” He was so naked, and I had never seen a man completely naked. It was insane that I could be furious and so embarrassed at him and for him at once. I held up my hand to block my view of his lower half.

  “Forget it.” I started edging away and could see the way he was watching me that he knew I was going to try for another run.

  He stayed with me. “I wonder if Sidney would-”

  “Shut up.” I whirled toward him.

  How dare he threaten my grandma?

  “I don’t want to hurt you.”

  I prepared myself to run again. “Is that a threat?”

  “No. It’s a fact. I need sanctuary.” I threw the hoodie I had tied around my waist at him. He tied it with the back of the jacket covering his front.

  “Why tell me what you are at all?”

  “This is my true form. I’m a human. I can’t stay in my wolf form forever. After certain lengths of time I become human. I couldn’t sneak away when you’ve got me tied to you. Well, I could but then you would be left vulnerable, wouldn’t you?”

  I raised my chin and met his gaze. “You are stupid if you think I’m incapable of protecting myself.” He did not say anything so I turned in the direction I hoped was home. “Who are you hiding from anyway, mad scientists?” His smile at my insult only made my face burn hotter and my knuckles whiter.

  “No one you need to know about.”

  “Yes, I do. I won’t put my grandma at risk.”

  “You and she are both safer with me here. Have you completely blocked out the events of last night?” He looked directly into my eyes when he spoke. Which was unnerving since he was standing over six feet tall, and I’m on the shorter end of the stick for girls.

  His hair was black like his fur. Even with the jacket he was still so completely naked. All six plus feet of him strolling along side me.

  How am I going to hide
him when my entire life is overrun by people watching me? I thought, pretending I didn’t notice he was solid muscle.

  “What am I supposed to do with you?”

  “I’m to be your pet, remember?”

  Fine. He’d get himself found out anyway. What kind of idiot would hide with me? I have no privacy whatsoever. Why did he come to my aid last night?

  “You could have eliminated the threat last night. Why didn’t you?” I squinted at him. “Because you had to gather enough info to blackmail me?”

  He only gave a slight shake of his head, and I had to look up to see him do it. Last night he had come to my rescue. He was there to play the sweet, loving teddy bear too. He had waited and played upon my weakness until he got what he needed. He used me, and I hated him for it.

  He then changed into a wolf. I yanked his collar and the attached leash off. “The next time you feel like streaking, go by yourself.” He followed me into the field where I had been kicked earlier today. I realized he was the reason the horse had been afraid in the first place. I stomped across the shorter grass and wished I had a silver bullet to kill the mutt with myself. He had totally set me up, and I was stuck.

  “Hey, Blondie, you better scoot, Rick is waiting on you,” Johnny announced when he saw us coming. “Got a name for that dog yet?” Johnny eyed him with a weary expression.

  “His name is Deception.” I pushed the front door open and stepped inside. “Sorry. Give me just a minute,” I said and paused when I saw the serious expression on their faces. “Everything okay?”

  “Just fine.” Rick’s easy smile replaced the serious line his lips had been. “I’ll wait right here so you can get ready.” Grandma Sidney gave me a reassuring nod.

  “Don’t dally, Piper.”