Marked by the Wolf Box Set

  The lieutenant pushed me ahead of him and I stumbled forward toward the Exit door. This man wasn't a man, he was a monster like the rest and I had to escape him. I glanced around the hall, but there were only doorways into closed rooms. Not a good place to go with a dangerous werewolf at my back. We walked outside and into a narrow alley behind the precinct. It was quiet back there. The tall buildings blocked off much of the morning sunlight. Water sat in pools made from the potholes and cracks in the pavement. The rush from the street hardly reached my ears, but the smells of the trash reached my nose.

  The werewolf grabbed my arm and turned me to face him. "You're the girl that made it out of there, aren't you?" he growled.

  Under such circumstances I did what anyone would do if they were faced with an angry male werewolf. I kicked him in the balls. His eyes bulged out and he clutched at the family jewels as he fell to his knees on the ground. I rushed past him down the alley to the light at the end of the tunnel. The werewolf grunted, and in a few moments his feet splashed through the puddles just behind me. I stumbled and huffed my way through the alley and out into the bright light of the street. This was getting to be a thing with me running from werewolves out into the street.

  "Stop! Stop!" the policeman yelled at me. Oh, hell no.

  I hurried to the front of the precinct and rushed into the street, and to hell with a jaywalking citation. Car horns honked and people shouted various curses, most involving my parents. I hurled myself into the back of the first taxi that came my way. The driver turned in his seat and his eyes widened.

  "You again!" he cried out. It was the same guy from last night, Roger the Cabbie.

  "Step on it!" I yelled at him. I glanced toward the precinct and saw the lieutenant sniffing my way. Literally. His nose was in the air and I could see his nostrils flaring. He looked my way and snarled.

  Traffic moved forward and so did we. The cabbie went with the flow and took me away from the wolf lieutenant and his murderous intentions. I slumped in the seat and wiped sweat from my brow. The cabbie glanced at me through his rear view mirror.

  "Mind telling me what trouble you got into this time?" he wondered.

  "You wouldn't believe me even if I told you," I replied.

  "I've heard a lot of strange things drift from that back seat, so try me," he insisted.

  I sighed and sat up. "A werewolf police lieutenant just tried to kill me because I'm the only witness and survivor to a werewolf cult massacre that took place at one of the glitzy buildings up town. The one I ran out of when I found you."

  I waited for his reply. It was a long wait, but it came. "That's a new one," he commented.

  I snorted. "You're telling me. Even I don't believe it, and I'm the one living this nightmare," I quipped.

  "So you haven't told anybody about knowing this except the lieutenant and me?" he wondered.

  "Yep, and he wants to kill me," I reminded him. I leaned over the seat and looked at my cabbie. His lips were pursed and he stared straight ahead. "You think I'm crazy, don't you?" I asked him.

  He shrugged. "It's kind of a crazy story, but I believe that you believe it's true," he replied.

  I sighed and fell back onto my seat. "Well, it's true, every word of it, and I can't go to the authorities."

  "Do these cultist werewolf guys know who you are?" he inquired.

  "I don't know. I told my name to the guy who picked me up, but he just seemed to be a go-between for them. You know, somebody who picks people up and sends them off to be sacrificed," I replied.

  "Well, if they ever find you and you need a ride, just give me a call and I'll come," he promised.

  I smiled. "Where would I be without you, Roger?" I mused.

  "Probably still hailing a taxi at that precinct. It's the lunch hour and a bad time to be hitching a ride in one," he commented. He glanced at me through the mirror. "By the way, how's that wound of yours?"

  "It's fine. I woke up this morning and it was gone," I told him.

  His eyebrows raised. "Completely gone?" he wondered.

  "Well, not completely. I have a couple of scars from two teeth marks," I explained.

  "Now that's just weird," he commented.

  "Yeah, it goes with the rest of the weirdness," I agreed.

  Roger drove me to my apartment and parked on the curb. I dug through my pockets, but he shook his head. "It's on the house again, just don't jump into my cab every day," he told me.

  I smiled. "Thanks again. You're a life saver, and I mean that."

  He smiled. "No problem. See you later."

  I snorted. "Hopefully not too soon," I returned.

  Roger winked at me. "You never know."

  I walked up the steps and paused atop the stoop to turn back. Roger sat in his taxi and I noticed he was talking on a cellphone. Probably his bosses asking why he was driving so many miles without fare. I stepped inside and walked up to my apartment. My couch called to me, and I heeded its delightful voice by falling head-first into the cushions. Today had been a long day and it was only one o'clock in the afternoon.

  Little did I know the day was about to get even longer, and all because of a knock on the door.

  Chapter 5

  I raised my head and glanced over my shoulder at the door. How dare it knock when I was trying to rest! There was another knock. The door was mocking me.

  "Hello?" a pleasant male voice called through the door.

  "Go away!" I called out.

  "I'd like to speak to you about something very important, Miss Lyman," the voice replied.

  "I don't want any catalogs or vacuums," I argued. There was still a volume on the coffee table that came in the mail yesterday.

  I swore I heard a chuckle. "Not quite on that subject. It's about your visit to the precinct this morning."

  My heart stopped and my blood ran cold. The first word through my head was 'shit.' The second one was much less polite, and did nothing to calm me. I sat up and frowned at the door. "What about it?" I asked him.

  "I'm not an officer, nor am I affiliated with the lieutenant," he assured me.

  "Uh-huh, and I'm supposed to believe that how?" I wondered. I stood, tiptoed over to the door, and peered through the peephole. A man with short dark hair stood on the other side, but he was turned away from the door and wore a long, thick dark trench coat.

  "Do I pass inspection?" the man asked me without turning around.

  "How are you supposed to pass if I can't see who you are?" I returned.

  The man sighed and turned toward me. It was the same man from the party, the one who had stared at me. I gasped and stumbled back. "Will you let me in now?" he called through the door.

  "Y-you don't pass inspection," I replied.

  The door flew open with a bang and the man stepped inside. "Sorry about the door, but you must come with me," he ordered.

  I raced around the other side of the couch and glared at him. "Put that door back and get the hell out of here!" I yelled, hoping one of my neighbors would come to my rescue. No such luck. They were all at work, and the apartment manager was never around when you needed him.

  "I'm not leaving without you," he argued. He took a step toward me, and I glanced around the room for something with which to fend him off. My eyes fell on the Christmas catalog close at hand.

  I lunged for the tome and he lunged for me. He was much faster, but had to cover more ground. I grabbed the catalog and swung the Tolstoy-size paperback into his face. The pages flapped his nose and disoriented him for a split-second. I shoved him to the couch and raced past him through the open door. My feet pounded against the thin commercial carpet and down the stairs to the lobby. I pushed open the door and flew down the steps before I realized Roger was still parked at the curb.

  I jumped inside and clutched the seat between us. The heater blasted me with warm air. "Step on it, Roger!" I yelled at the cabbie. I expected us to roar out into the street narrowly missing pedestrians and cars alike. Instead we just sat there with him staring a
t the door to my apartment building. "What are you waiting for? One of those werewolf guys is after me!" I yelled at him.

  "I'm waiting for my fare," he replied.

  The door to the apartment building opened and out stepped the young man. He strode down the steps toward the taxi. For the first time Roger had failed to save me, so I would have to save myself. I slid over to the far door and grabbed at the handle, but at that moment the door locked. Only the driver could lock it. "Roger, let me out!" I cried to the cabbie.

  "I can't do that, Miss Lyman. The boss wants to take you with us," Roger told me.

  The 'boss' slid into the taxi beside me and shut the door. Roger pulled out into the street and we sped down the road. I pressed myself against the door and whipped my head between Roger and the stranger. "What the hell is going on here?" I yelled.

  "Please remain calm. We're not going to harm you," the stranger assured me. I was so assured I drew back my arm to slam my elbow into the glass. If I was going to die I'd rather do it underneath a car than in the jaws of a monster.

  The stranger grabbed me and we grappled for a whole two seconds before he folded my arms across my front and pinned them to my chest with his own. He pressed my back against his chest and I whipped my head up and glared at him.

  "Fine, eat me and get it over with!" I growled.

  He only smiled. "I have no intention of becoming a cannibal," he replied.

  "Why not, the others ate those humans, why not you?" I countered.

  "Humans and werewolves are two different species," he corrected me.

  I couldn't follow his logic, and didn't care. "Then get it over with! Eat me and share me with Roger, unless he's a human minion of yours," I snapped, sending spittle toward my former friend in the front seat.

  Roger cringed and the stranger frowned. "He is human, yes, but loyal to me and your savior twice," he argued.

  "Uh-huh, just so he could save me as a snack for you?" I quipped.

  "I believe this relationship is off on the wrong foot," the stranger commented.

  I looked up at him and narrowed my eyes. "If you're going to eat me at least start with the head so I don't suffer."

  Rather than munching on me one end or the other, the stranger opened his hands and arms. I was free from his grasp, so I shoved myself off him and against the locked door. "That was an action of good faith. Have I earned any?" he wondered.

  I frowned, but didn't attempt to break the window and make my escape. "If you're not going to eat me then what do you want me for?" I questioned him.

  "To take you home with me," he replied.

  I snorted. "Like I'm some sort of a lost puppy?" I returned.

  He chuckled. "Not exactly, but the comparison is very appropriate for what we are," he mused.

  "And what exactly are we?" I wondered.

  "We are werewolves," he informed me.

  I glanced between him and the back of Roger's head. "You said Roger was human," I reminded him.

  "I did, and he is. I was referring to you and myself," he replied.

  My eyes widened and I slowly shook my head. "Oh hell no. I am not one of those monsters," I argued.

  "I'm afraid it's true," he insisted.

  My hands balled into fists. "I am not a werewolf! There is no way-"

  "What about the scar on your shoulder? Roger tells me it's healed," the stranger commented. I paused and my hand flew to my shoulder. The scar, the wound, the teeth in my shoulder. None of my fellow terrified humans did that. A werewolf did. He sighed and leaned back in the seat. "Yes, the bite from a werewolf changes another into a werewolf. You can imagine how difficult it is for our children to play with others," he added.

  "This. . .this can't be," I murmured.

  "I'm afraid it is. You're a werewolf now, and I'm the one who bit you," he revealed.

  That put him as Enemy Number One on my short list of people to kill. I roared and lunged at him with my hands curled like claws. My anger fueled my attack and I got off a couple of scratches with my fingernails before he had me pinned as before. I squirmed and thrashed, but he held tight.

  "It was the only way to save your life!" he told me.

  "Save my life? You've ruined my life! You've made me into a monster!" I argued.

  "It's better to live as a werewolf than die by the hands of those insane people!" he insisted.

  "You're one of them! You were there!" I reminded him.

  "Only because attendance is mandatory. Participation is voluntary," he countered.

  "Like I'm going to believe you! You're the one who bit me!" I growled and pulled against his arms, but only ended up exhausting myself. I slumped in his lap and ground my teeth together.

  "Are you finished?" he wondered.

  "Let me go and we'll find out," I dared him.

  "I would rather not risk it. You seem to have an inexhaustible energy," he complimented.

  "And you're a monster," I returned.

  "Perhaps, but I intend to keep you alive. If you believe I'm a monster than you don't want to meet any more of the Foundation like the lieutenant," he warned me.

  "Foundation?" I repeated.

  "Yes, it's what we call ourselves, those of us who were gathered in that building the night we met."

  "Fancy name for a bunch of bloodthirsty monsters."

  "We aren't all like that," he argued.

  I turned away and glowered at the floor. It needed vacuuming badly. "Like I'm going to believe a bloodthirsty monster."

  "Then you've put me in quite a conundrum. I can't disprove I'm a bloodthirsty monster because you believe I am."

  "Life sucks, doesn't it?" I quipped.

  "Often, but I'll make sure you live a life long enough that there will be fewer sucky moments than good ones," he promised.

  I glanced back at him. "What do you care how I feel?"

  "Because I've chosen you as my mate, and even if you don't feel the same for me I can't stop my feelings for you," he told me.

  I tilted my head to one side. "Mate? As in husband-and-wife? Pairing for life? Until death-do-us-part? Old man and woman rocking on the porch swapping insults?"

  He smiled. "All of the above, and I am very much looking forward to the last one," he replied.

  "Maybe I'm not," I countered. "Maybe I'm not going to accept you as my mate."

  "Then I will still protect you from the Foundation," he insisted.

  "What do they want with me, anyway? I'm one of you now," I pointed out.

  "But you are not an official member, and a werewolf who isn't a member is more dangerous than a human who knows of their existence," he explained. "A human can be disbelieved and even silenced, but a werewolf can wreak havoc on the human populace and bring attention to our existence."

  "So let me get this straight. I was going to be fodder for them at the Foundation banquet and you bit me to save me because you what? Fell in love with me at first sight?" I guessed.

  "At first scent, but continue," he corrected me.

  "Uh-huh, at first scent. So I escape and they know I'm a werewolf somehow-"

  "The trail you left told them you had been attacked by one of us, but they haven't isolated the scent. There were too many of us in the room to get a definite smell," he told me.

  "And now they want me to become a member in their murderous organization or what?"

  He frowned. "Or be killed."

  I rolled my eyes. "So it's either membership in a death cult or death? Being a werewolf is worse than being in a sorority," I quipped.

  "I will help you make the transition as smooth as possible. That's why I'm taking you to your new home," he told me.

  "My new home?" I glanced out the window and saw we were in the older part of the city. The tall skyscrapers were far behind us, and all around us stood ancient homes with lawns larger than football stadiums. The lawns were surrounded by tall brick walls and accessed via iron-barred gates. Treetops could be seen over the walls, and I glimpsed the pointed roofs of Victorian mansions and
copies of medieval castles.

  Roger turned into the driveway of one of the grounds and stopped in front of a black wrought-iron gate. He pressed a button on the dash and the gate opened to allow admittance. We pulled through the gate and I glimpsed a large green lawn filled with fruit and shade trees. The gravel driveway wound its way through the lawn to a large Tudor-style mansion complete with stone and wood exterior. Vines supported by lattice covered many of the walls, and bushes surrounded the base of the home.

  Roger stopped the vehicle in front of the large double doors. The stranger gently took my hand and opened the door. We stepped out and he stood behind me with his hands on my shoulders. "Welcome to your new home," he whispered.

  I looked over the extreme signs of wealth and a goofy grin slid onto my lips. It looked like things were going to be completely awful as a werewolf.

  Chapter 6

  "What do you think of it?" the stranger asked me, referring to the house.

  "It's really nice. How long have you owned it?" I wondered. That would give me a good idea of how old was this werewolf.

  He coughed and muttered something. I frowned and leaned closer to him. "I didn't catch that," I told him.

  He spoke in a louder and clearer voice. "It is my mother's home," he revealed.

  I snorted. "Wait, you still live with your mom?" I asked him.

  He sheepishly grinned at me. "It's an inexpensive-"

  "-and embarrassing," I added.

  "-living arrangement. Besides, my mother hasn't been in good health since my father died ten years ago." His face softened and I saw hints of good memories pass through his eyes. "They were very much in love, and his death came as quite a blow to her."

  "Silver bullet?" I guessed.

  He shook his head. "No, cancer."

  I cringed. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to joke about-" He held up his hand and gave me a small smile.

  "It's all right, you didn't know and if I was in your position I would have guessed the same."

  "So werewolves can die of disease?" I asked him.

  He gave a nod. "Unfortunately, yes, along with injuries from car crashes, falling off buildings, and very old age."

  "So no immortality?"

  "Would you really want that?"

  "No, but I just wanted to know how far I could make future life plans."

  "More than triple the lifespan of a human, but disease generally takes us long before that time," he told me.

  "Oh," I replied. That was a hell of a calendar to fill.