The Keeping

  Brushing his hand over her cheek, he noted that her skin was cool to the touch and her breathing was deep and even. No doubt exhausted from the strain, she had fallen asleep. He pressed a tender kiss on her forehead and then took a moment to lean his head back and thank the Lord that she’d managed to hold on.

  It had been touch and go, but tonight was probably the worst. By tomorrow the moon would already be waning. With Melody one day farther into her change and the lunar effects ebbing, it should be easier for her to withstand the transformation.

  Closing his eyes, he ran through all the things he still needed to do. Calling Kane, of course, was paramount. The whole pack was waiting his report. He wished he could give them a definitive answer, but the truth was he still needed to check that Melody didn’t have another copy of that report stashed away. Then he had to retrieve her laptop from the public locker where he’d stashed it. And of course, there was Aldrich. The man had been near death when he’d scooped up Melody and left. Surely no one would have arrived in time to save the bastard.

  Ryne gave a dark laugh recalling the last time he had thought a villain was dead, only to have her crawl away when they weren’t looking. Not this time. No assuming. He wanted to see a dead body before he told Kane things were one hundred percent safe.

  Wearily, he picked up a cell phone to call Kane back. He imagined the other man was ready to rip a strip off him; after all, no one dared hang up on Kane Sinclair! About to dial, he caught sight of himself in the rear-view mirror and froze. His face was streaked with mud and his hair stood up on end. And, he didn’t have any clothes on! His frantic form-shift to save Melody had caused him to miss a step. No wonder the parking attendant had given him a strange look! Giving a brief chuckle, he dialled Kane’s number and braced himself for the coming onslaught.

  *****

  Cassie wearily got off the bus, dragging her small bag of possessions behind her. She ached from the stiff uncomfortable seats and, not for the first time, thought wishfully of the luxury vehicle she’d abandoned hours ago. Arching her back, she forced herself to forget the car. There was no time for regret; more pressing matters needed to be dealt with such as—she paused and surveyed her surroundings—where she was. It was obviously a bus station in a small town, but where exactly? All she knew was that she wasn’t near her uncle’s estate where he… She couldn’t bring herself to finish the thought.

  It was the middle of the night and the town was mostly in darkness. A motel across the street had a vacancy sign, so she crossed the road and entered the dingy front office. The clerk looked at her askance, no doubt wondering what illegal substance she was taking, then continued on with his phone call. As she waited for him to finish, she looked outside, catching sight of her own reflection in the darkened window; her eyes over-dilated and her face pale, framed by long unkempt hair. Shivers swept over her body as if she needed the next hit of her drug.

  When the man finished his call, she explained what she needed and handed him a handful of bills. The clerk slid the key card over to her and she took it, giving a brief nod of thanks.

  “I don’t want no trouble, you hear? This is a clean, family motel.” As he spoke, the clerk spat a wad of tobacco juice into a can on the counter.

  Sure. A family motel. Cassie glanced around, noting the open can of beer on the man’s desk, the porno flick playing on TV, and filthy, torn linoleum floor before looking back at him. “I won’t cause any trouble.” She exited the office and wrapped her arms around herself in a futile attempt to still the shakes that wracked her body.

  “Damned druggies.” She heard the man mutter just before the door swung shut.

  As she crossed the parking lot and made her way to her room, she laughed darkly. It wasn’t an illegal substance that was responsible for her present appearance. It was the damned migraine pills. She hadn’t wanted to take them, but as the night advanced, the strangest feelings came over her; a tingling sensation in her arms and legs, a tension coiling inside her that made her shift restlessly as she drove. Fearful of being alone and sick while on the run from the terror she’d left behind, she’d finally pulled over and taken one of the pills. Unfortunately, a few miles later the pill had started to take effect and she’d been forced to abandon her car, realizing she was in no fit state to drive. Too scared to stay where she was, she’d found a bus station and taken the first available bus to… well… wherever she was now.

  At the moment, she was too tired to care. Fumbling with the key card, she opened the door and went inside. A bed dominated the room and she stumbled towards it, desperately wanting to lie down and let the pills work their magic. For over a year, she’d hated the fuzzy, floating numbness the pills invoked. Now she craved the numbness and the deep dreamless sleep that followed. It would help her forget. Dropping her small bag of possessions on the floor beside the bed, she lay down, her eyes half shut.

  The room was rundown, but appeared clean and a faint antiseptic smell lingered in the air. Shifting a bit, she managed to snag the blanket folded at the foot of the bed and wrapped it around herself.

  Slowly she relaxed, her limbs feeling heavy. She’d been fighting the need to sleep for hours, not daring to do more than rest on the bus. Fear had forced her to keep watch, constantly checking if the bus was being followed and examining each new passenger that boarded. Of course the werewolf man had never appeared, but somehow she knew he wouldn’t just forget about her. If the bus driver hadn’t finally told her it was the end of the road, she would have stayed on; constant movement made her feel somewhat safer.

  Still, she was in the middle of nowhere. If she didn’t even know where she was, then how could he? She knew there was a flaw in her logic, but at the moment she couldn’t focus enough to decide what it was. Drifting in and out of consciousness, bits and pieces of the night’s events played out in her mind, but it was as if she was detached, watching a movie where she didn’t really care about any of the characters…

  It was had been so weird seeing that man change into a wolf. There’d been a sparkling, wavering change in the air and then the man was gone and a wolf had stood in his place. It had been a massive, black creature with large white teeth. Then it snarled and leapt forward, so quickly it had been just a blur of black fur.

  Her uncle had shouted in surprise and then the sound of a gun firing had filled the air. Her mind skittered away from the image of her uncle lying dead and instead focused on the wolf. The man inside the beast was still present. She knew it. Even though gore had dripped from its jaws, the eyes had been human, intelligent.

  She was sure he would remember exactly what she looked like. The werewolf would hunt her down; never giving up until she was cornered and then…

  A whimper escaped her lips at the thought of those large teeth piercing her skin and ripping her flesh. When she’d run, she’d had a quick glimpse of Mr. Aldrich. His throat had been torn open and blood poured from the wound. His hands had gripped the wolf’s fur even as he struggled for air…

  Cassie curled into a tighter ball. The floaty feeling was leaving already. Fear poured into her; fear and a crawling sensation as if her very skin was alive and had a mind of its own. The need for… something… was filling her and she shifted restlessly on the bed. Her head was starting to spin; she could actually hear the blood thrumming through her veins.

  Thinking the first pill must have worn off and a migraine was looming, she sat up with difficulty and pulled her bag onto the bed beside her. Her fingers shook as she fumbled to find and open the medicine bottle. The cap came off and she spilled most of the tablets on the bed. Damn and double damn—she didn’t want to waste any of them; who knew when she’d be able to get the prescription renewed. Strange, how the hated medication now seemed to be her friend.

  Managing to pick one up, she swallowed it, almost gagging as she forced the pill down without water. A lamp was on the table by the bed and she reached to turn it on, but paused. Light made the symptoms worse, she’d been told. A sliver of moonl
ight was peeking in through a crack in the curtains and she used that to help her see the pills that were strewn over the bed. When all the tablets were accounted for and back in their bottle, she lay back down. Running her hands over her face, she tried to hold back the tears that suddenly filled her eyes. Her head was pounding. She wished she were home, but it was too dangerous now. Her uncle was gone; the wolf was after her… Her skin prickled again and she curled up in a ball once more, rubbing her hands over her arms in an attempt to ease the sensation.

  What had her yoga instructor told her? Think of a happy place? She furrowed her brow. Where would she rather be right now? An amusement park? A museum? Vegas? She chuckled at that random thought, but then focused on the idea. She’d seen pictures of the place before. Bright lights, large crowds; crowds she could get lost in, so no werewolf would ever find her…

  The image clarified in her mind. Gambling machines, showgirls, the hot desert, tourists… The patch of moonlight that splashed across her room became a spotlight, guiding people to their hotel, beckoning them to heed its call… A strange feeling came over her. Her whole body vibrated, it felt like her head was going to explode. She clenched her fingers around the strap of her bag, her muscles tightened and then the air seemed to shimmer…

  *****

  It was morning. Mel reclined in her seat as Ryne slowly drove the car out of the parking garage. They’d talked on and off throughout the night and she had finally accepted the truth of what he’d been telling her. She was becoming a werewolf. There’d been anger and tears; he’d apologized, even though forcing her transformation hadn’t been intentional. Eventually she’d come to a sort of numb acceptance of the fact.

  However, her whole life was changing now. She wasn’t just Melody Greene, waitress and journalism student. Now she was Melody Greene, secret werewolf. From what she could gather from Ryne’s ‘crash course in wolves,’ they were social creatures and lived in packs. There was an Alpha who kept everyone in line and made the important decisions, though pack meetings were held to discuss options. Full moons were a time to party and, if you were new to the whole werewolf thing like she was, you had no control and transformed once a month. Older wolves could fight the effects if they wished, though most didn’t.

  It gave her a headache, trying to figure out how she’d manage. She’d have to lock herself up every month so no one would discover her secret, which would really play havoc with her job and her studies. Then there was going into heat once a season. Ryne had enjoyed explaining that one to her. Even in the darkness of the underground parking garage, she was sure he could see her face turning bright red. Just the thought of being turned on for a whole week, ready to jump the first male she saw, had her cheeks heating up.

  “I know what you’re thinking.” Ryne leaned over to whisper in her ear, his tone teasing. He grabbed her hand as he steered the vehicle with the other.

  His touch was somehow comforting, so she didn’t pull away, even though his comment made her bristle. Deciding to put him in his place, she commented on his current apparel. “Actually, I was thinking how cute you look in those clothes. Short plaid golf pants are just so… you!” His expression made her laugh. “Well, you should be thankful Mr. Aldrich had a suitcase of clothes in the back and all those wet wipes. Otherwise we’d both still be filthy and you’d be naked.”

  Ryne grunted and Mel wisely kept silent for a while, watching the scenery. Eventually, Ryne spoke again.

  “What are you really thinking about?”

  “I’m just trying to figure out how I’ll manage being a werewolf in Chicago.”

  “In Chicago?” He looked surprised.

  “Well, where else would I be?”

  “Back in Stump River, with me.” Ryne stated the fact as if it were a foregone conclusion.

  “Oh, really?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Says who?”

  “Says me!”

  “And what if I don’t want to go?” She pulled her hand away and crossed her arms over her chest, turning to stare out the window. Ryne didn’t respond and she checked on him out of the corner of her eye. He was gripping the steering wheel hard enough that his knuckles were turning white and a muscle ticked in his jaw. She looked away and they drove in silence. Finally, he sighed and spoke in a low voice.

  “Why? Why don’t you want to go back? Is it too quiet? You don’t like my house? The lack of a coffee shop?”

  She shrugged and picked at the material of the seatbelt.

  “Is it me?”

  His voice sounded uncertain and when she looked his way, there was a general air of hurt about him.

  “Well… ”

  “Melody, I apologized for what I said that last day in Stump River. I didn’t mean any of it. It was all because of the Keeping. You were asking questions and I couldn’t provide any answers. If you found out, and then told someone else… ” He sighed. “Your life was at stake. Your life and the lives of my brother’s entire pack. I couldn’t take the chance… ”

  “Why didn’t you just trust me?”

  “It’s hard to explain. It’s almost bred into us. The need to hide; to not let outsiders in; to be suspicious of human motives. Our people were persecuted for millennia, almost hunted to extinction. Centuries of distrust are hard to ignore. Even when a human is your… friend… you tend to hold back.”

  “I suppose… I guess I have forgiven you, though you didn’t need to be quite so mean.”

  Ryne chuckled. “You’re stubborn, Melody. If I didn’t come down on you hard, you’d have just kept hanging around, trying to worm your damn interview out of me.”

  A guilty smile curved on her lips. He knew her so well.

  “So you’ll forgive me and come back?” Ryne sounded hopeful, but Mel wanted more.

  “Why do you want me back?”

  He shrugged. “Well… you’re a werewolf now. You need a pack to help you. Going it on your own is tricky. Most lone wolves don’t survive.”

  “So, my returning is totally for my own good.” She raised her eyebrows, questioning his reasoning.

  “Sure. You need a home. My pack needs more members. You like Bryan and Daniel. Oh, and did I tell you about the Loberos? They’re joining us, too. There’s Marco, his mate Olivia, their son—he’s just a baby—and Marco’s sister, Tessa. You’ll get along great with them and Olivia is about your age, I think.”

  “Uh-huh.” Mel stared out the window and fought to swallow past the lump in her throat. He wasn’t saying anything about caring for her, loving her. She’d been so sure last night, when she’d been almost delirious and fighting not to shift, that he’d said he loved her, but now…

  She felt him flicking glances her way; sensed his worry, but had no inclination to talk any more. Ryne was arrogant, rude, and domineering. He was also clever and witty, courageous and strong, good looking, sexy and, when she’d really needed it, he’d been gentle and tender. Damn, she hated to admit it, even to herself, but she loved the man. Still, if he wanted her to be a part of his life he’d have to do better than he had so far and clearly express his feelings. If she gave in to him now, it would set a precedent for the rest of their time together.

  Instead, she focused on herself, pondering where her werewolf genetics might have come from. It could be her father or maybe somewhere in her mother’s background. Mel had never known her grandparents so it was hard to tell. Likely it was a mystery that she’d never solve, especially since they had to keep their existence a secret. After all, she could hardly walk up to her mother and say ‘Hey, are there any werewolves in our background?’

  Of course, knowing how off-beat her mother was, the woman would probably dive into the whole concept with both feet. Thinking of all the trouble her mother might inadvertently stir up, Mel shuddered. Yep, asking her mother would definitely not be a good idea. They didn’t need another round of this whole Keeping business, after all.

  In the end it didn’t really matter where the genes came from. She was a werewolf n
ow. During the night, she’d confessed to Ryne that she’d applied to the Lycan link just as a joke and hadn’t believed it when they said they’d research her background to see if she qualified. He explained how it worked and she gave a wry laugh thinking of how she and Beth had said she’d become a card carrying Lycan. Little did she know it would come true!

  They arrived back at her apartment building and Ryne pulled into a convenient parking spot. He turned off the engine and stared straight ahead. Silence reigned.

  Mel pasted a fake smile on her face. “Well, I’m home.”

  Ryne cleared his throat and turned to look at her. “It doesn’t have to be. Your home, that is. You could live in Stump River. With me. I… I really want you to.” When she didn’t answer, he shifted closer and gently took her chin, turning her to face him. He stared intently at her, his gaze moving over her features before returning to her eyes, seeming to be searching for something. Finally, he gave a half smile and leaned closer, brushing his lips over hers. “Melody, I love you and want you to stay with me. Please say you’ll come back to Stump River.”

  Mel smiled against his lips, a feeling of relief washing over her. Yes, she thought. It hadn’t been her imagination! “Took you long enough to say it.” She murmured and then she kissed him back.

  “I told you last night.” Ryne had the faintest of pouts on his face.

  “But I wasn’t sure if you had really said it, or if it was all part of the whole transformation thing. I was having some pretty weird thoughts.”

  He wiggled his eye brows at her. “Wanna share?”

  Mel flushed. “Maybe later.” Some of her thoughts had been on the erotic side. She had a feeling that her wolf was going to be lusty creature and somehow Ryne knew it.