Fox Mate (Madison Wolves) (26 page)

Angel was last. "And finally we come to my maid of honor, who is luckier than she realizes." I took my trophy, for which she sat quietly, but then I started using the trimmer at the back of her neck, actually cutting some of her hair. She gritted her teeth, and I stepped away.

"All done," I said.

"Huh?" said Angel.

"Oh that was articulate!" I turned to Francesca. "Don't they take any public speaking classes?"

"They are optional."

"What do I have to do to make them required?"

Everyone laughed.

"Oh open your eyes, anyone whose are still closed." I turned to Chloe and nodded to Lara. She pulled her hand from Chloe's mouth, and she immediately began giggling. Lara helped her off her lap then got up and pulled me into her arms.

All the women were looking at me, smiling, but they were still a little confused, too.

"You should have shaved us," Gia told me. "That would have been the tradition."

"I believe I honored the important parts of this tradition," I said. "Have I not?"

"Yes," Angel said. "You definitely honored the important parts."

"If I were able to do a nice job, I would have done proper cuts. But I didn't want any of you showing up at my wedding with hatchet jobs for haircuts. Thank you for allowing me my fun and a tiny bit of revenge. I feel better." I grinned.

They stood up and I accepted their hugs.

"However," I said in a booming voice.

I looked around, making sure what I was about to say was true. "Everyone in this room is a friend," I said. I looked directly at Gia when I said the last word. She smiled, although it was uncertain. "I have been told repeatedly that all of you like me, that all of you want me to be a member of this pack, that all of you consider me a friend as well." I looked around again. "If anyone feels what I just said does not apply to her, please leave the room."

No one left.

"I have forgiven you this time. And I have forgiven similar, although perhaps less dramatic incidents in the past. But this had damned well be the last time I find out about a pack, wolf, or family custom too late to be given a proper chance to understand and absorb it!"

I glared around the room. No one else spoke. I'm sure they could tell I wasn't done speaking my mind.

"If there are any tiny little, almost inconsequential customs about tonight, or tomorrow, or the next week, I had damned well better find out about them within the next ten minutes. If there are any birthday or holiday or special occasion events I should know about, I had damned well better find out."

I pointed at Lara. "We have already seen
that she is willing to avoid telling me things she should tell me. No one in this room should assume she's going to tell me something. As my friends, and hers, you need to fill in."

I glared around again, specifically catching the eyes of Elisabeth, Lara and Angel, but not truly leaving anyone out of my glare.

"Do! I! Make! Myself! Clear?"

There was silence for a moment, then Lara said softly. "Yes,
Little Fox. Crystal clear."

"Not just her!" I said. "Every single one of you. Or tell me we're not friends."

Scarlett, Ava, Abigail and Sophia were clustered together. Scarlett turned to me and said, "We understand. The four of us-"

"And me!" said Angel.

"The five of us will see to it. Michaela, we're sorry."

"I already forgave you, Scarlett," I said softly. "But thank you for helping make sure I'll understand in the future."

I looked around. "That doesn't get the rest of you off the hook, but if you want to go through the five of them," then I looked at Elisabeth. "Or Elisabeth, that's fine. Do not leave me ignorant."

I got a chorus of "yes, Michaela" from the room.

I smiled as broadly as I could. "All right. Angel! I believe there's a video to show."

"I might know which one you mean," she said. "It will take me a minute."

"Elisabeth!"

"Yes, Michaela?"

"Do you have photographic evidence of your escapades in the wee hours of this morning."

"Um-"

"Do you?"

"Yes, but-"

"Lara is sporting new artwork. I want it displayed on a computer screen. Now."

She laughed. "That I can do."

"If mine gets displayed," Lara said. "So does Michaela's."

I laughed. "Hell, why wait?" I slid my jeans down off my hips far enough to show the new tattoo, turning slowly around so people could see. I looked over my shoulder to catch their reactions. I'm not sure if they were more amused at the contents of the tattoo or the fact I was showing it so boldly.

"Don't act all shocked," I said. "It's not like you don't all see me naked a dozen times a pack play night, anyway."

"Yeah," said Gia. "But you don't usually pose except as a fox."

I pulled my jeans back up and grinned at her. Angel had scampered off, but she returned and set up a laptop and was prepared to do a video.

"Angel, wait, don't show it yet," I said. "I want everyone to see Lara's new artwork."

"I'm working on it," Elisabeth said.

"Oh for heaven's sake," Lara said. She stepped next to me, dropped her own jeans down one cheek, and let them all see the fox tattoo taking up most of her cheek. They snickered at that.

"I wear this proudly," Lara said. "June, thank you for this."

June nodded. I gathered she'd been the artist.

I turned to Gia. "You! Computer guru." She stepped forward. "I want the ability to show photos or videos on a large computer screen in here. You will set it up."

Gia pointed to the TV. "How about if I show them on that screen?"

"You can do that?"

"I can do it right now."

"I know how," Angel said. Gia turned on the TV and used the remote to change a setting.

"Angel, play it."

She did, from the start. The person videoing me had zoomed in and out. I remained silent throughout the viewing, and everyone watched while the wolves repeatedly spun me. And then the last part came, and at just the right moment, I yelled, "Freeze it!"

Everyone stared at the screen as my vomit froze in mid-air about to spray all the wolves clustered around me with a particularly healthy amount inches from the camera.

"Angel," I said. "I want the important fifteen seconds of this video on loop. Make sure it catches all of your expressions."

"Yes, Michaela," she said, laughing.

"All right. Can we please have a party? I'm getting married tomorrow, to the woman of my dreams, and if I don't walk down the aisle remembering I had a good time tonight, I am going to be very disappointed."

"Hey!" said Elisabeth. "That's Lara's job later!"

"No way," I said. "She's not touching me tonight!"

* * * *

Throughout the remainder of the evening, I was quietly told I'd been gracious about the haircuts, and I received praise from several people for having honored the tradition. I accepted their thanks as cheerfully as I could muster.

Eventually I left, asking them to please keep it down. I went to my bedroom, changed into pajamas, and then crossed the hallway to an open guest room. I crawled under the covers and willed my body to rest.

I don't know when I fell asleep or when the last person left.

I think Lara checked on me once, and maybe I chased her out. When I woke next, I was alone.

Screaming.

The dreams had returned. New dreams.

I couldn't stop screaming. I didn't know where I was, but I remembered wolves, and danger. I screamed.

It took Lara seconds to reach me. Even when she pulled me into her arms, I screamed for another half minute before finally I collapsed into sobs.

"Oh honey," she said. "Oh
Little Fox. It was just a dream."

I clutched at her, burying my face into her, and sobbed.

There was pounding up the stairs, and then Lara's door flew wide open, I could hear it, then there was a wolf standing in the doorway, and I began to whimper, the whimper turning into a new set of screams as I tried to pull away from Lara to hide from the wolf.

"Honey," she said. "It's Karen. It's Karen. You know Karen. She's your friend. She's here because she's worried about you."

"Wolf," I gasped. "Oh god, a wolf."

"Oh honey," Lara said, trying to sooth me. "Karen, she had a nightmare, she's fine. Maybe Elisabeth should sleep downstairs tonight."

And then there were more wolves, standing in the doorway. I began screaming again, thrashing to get away from Lara. She clutched me to her.

"Michaela! It's Ava and Sophia, they're your friends."

"They hurt me!"

"Oh honey, no!" She clutched at me. "Girls, go back to your rooms. It will be okay. Karen, close the door, get Elisabeth, have her sleep downstairs."

Once the door was closed, I pulled away from Lara and ran over to lock it, then fled to the corner, hiding behind the bed.

"Oh honey," she said. "I'm so sorry."

She crawled across the bed, then climbed down next to me, and I clutched at her, shaking.

It took a long time for me to calm down, my sobs settling into choking hiccups, and then I fell asleep right there on the floor.

Lara must have picked me up and carried me to our bed. That's where I was the next time I woke up.

Screaming again.

This time I remembered the dream, but it felt real. I was helpless, and I couldn't see, and all I could hear was music, and people were carrying me away from Lara, away from safety, and I struggled. I struggled so hard, but they took me away.

I screamed. "No!" I screamed and bega
n thrashing, trying to get free. There were strong arms holding me, pinning me, and I tried to pull away but they were so strong.

I heard Lara's voice, vaguely heard her voice, but the arms were holding me, and I couldn't get away, I couldn't go to her, she couldn't protect me anymore.

She couldn't protect me anymore.

I wasn't safe.

I struggled, and I remembered the knives under my pillow. I reached underneath and I found one, and I stabbed the arms holding me.

I heard Lara cry out, but the arms released me, and I flew away from the bed, stabbing out wildly at anyone near me.

The bedroom door opened, and there was a wolf there, a large, large wolf between me and escape. Before she could react, I lunged for her, but she was fast, and she caught my wrist, my dagger only inches from her belly.

"Michaela!" I heard. "It's just me!"

I couldn't stab her, she was so much stronger than I was, but I reached with my left hand and took the dagger, raising it above my head.

A wolf behind me grabbed my wrist in the air. And then a large, strong wolf arm wrapped around my chest, pulling me against a large, strong wolf body.

"Michaela," I heard in my ear. "Little Fox. I've got you, you're safe, honey. You're safe. That's Elisabeth. You know Elisabeth."

And I knew that voice, but still I struggled.

"Elisabeth," the voice said, the tone different. "Turn a light on. Let her see you."

And then it was light in the room, but the light wasn't my friend. The wolves could see me better. I whimpered and struggled, but still the strong wolves held me.

I kicked out at the first one, connecting, but she barely flinched.

"Michaela!" I heard the voice again. "Michaela! Look! It's Elisabeth!"

And I knew the voice. It was Lara. I kicked again, but Lara said to me, "I'm here, honey, it's okay."

I stilled, looking down. I knew the arm wrapped around me, except the arm was bleeding from a gash. And I looked up, and I knew Elisabeth. She still clutched my right wrist.

"You hurt her," I said quietly. "You hurt her! She's bleeding!"

"No, honey," Lara said. "You stabbed me."

"No!" I looked up though, and I saw the evidence in my hand, my dagger, the tip red, red with Lara's blood.

I dropped it, immediately dropped it.

"Oh god," I said. "Oh god. Lara! It's silver."

"I know," she said. "It hurts like a son of a bitch. Are you calm now? Will you let Elisabeth hold you while I clean it out?"

I slumped, nodded, and Elisabeth gathered me into her arms. Lara released me, moving into the bathroom, and I heard her hissing as she began to rinse and disinfect the wound.

"Elisabeth? I hurt her." I started to sob.

"Shhh," she said. "She'll be fine. Shhh."

"Is Michaela all right?" I heard. Elisabeth turned, we both turned, and behind Elisabeth were two more wolves.

I screamed, and Elisabeth struggled to hold me. "Lara!" she yelled. And then two wolves were holding me, two strong wolves, and two more were in front of me, two wolves who wanted to hurt me.

"Michaela!" Lara said. "
Little Fox! Calm down!"

I whimpered and struggled, and then Elisabeth said, "Girls, slumber party at Scarlett's. Go now."

"Is she okay?"

"Go now!" Lara said, and the two wolves fled. But still I struggled against the two holding me.

But they spoke soothingly to me, and promised me I was safe. But I had heard that before, and I wasn't safe.

They turned me around, roughly, and one of them held me while the other crouched in front of me. I struggled, but the one in front of me looked at me with such love and concern. Suddenly I stopped
fighting them. "Lara?"

"Oh honey," she said, and she pulled me into her arms. I began to sob.

"This is bad," Elisabeth said quietly.

"Yes," Lara said.

And I sobbed.

It took them a long, long time to calm me down. I remembered I had stabbed Lara, but she showed me her arm, and there was a bright red scar, already mostly healed. "You won't be able to tell by morning," she said. "I'll shift, and it will be all gone."

"It was silver."

"I got it out," she said. "It wasn't in long enough to poison me."

I looked over at Elisabeth. "You have to take my knives away, Elisabeth."

"Yes," she said.

"Michaela," Lara said. "Would a run feel good?"

I thought about it. I had a moment of sanity, but I knew panic was on the edge. "If I run, you won't find me. You know I can hide, you won't find me."

"I'll always find you," she said.

"Even if I'm trying to kill the wolf tracking me?" I asked her.

She held me in her arms, rocking me soothingly. Elisabeth went around the room, collecting my daggers. I had two under the pillow, although one I had dropped on the floor. I looked where it landed, and there was a bloodstain there.

"I ruined the carpet," I said.

"It will clean," Lara replied.

There were two more knives
in the nightstand.

"I know you have more," Elisabeth said.

"Top dresser," I said. "Four more in the closet. Do you need the ones downstairs?"

"Probably."

"Book case, bottom shelf below where a wolf would look. Another in the hem of the drapes. Um. Two in the bathroom."

"Oh my god, you're like a gun nut, but with knives!"

"Six in my main classroom and four more in my office in the school. A dozen in various places in my car."

"Holy shit!" Elisabeth said. She went around, collecting my knives.

"Super soaker behind the dresser," I said. "Careful, it's loaded with silver. There's another in the closet and a small one inside the toilet tank. The other bathroom up here has one, too."

Elisabeth pulled her
phone from her pocket, dialed, and spoke. "Alpha's house, upstairs, wait in the hall, if you hear screaming, go back downstairs. If the screaming is about wolves, go back outside."

I heard the door downstairs open.

"Lara!"

"Shhh," she said.

"It's Rory," Elisabeth said. "You know Rory."

"How do you know it's Rory! It might be Angel come to hurt me!"

"Oh honey," Lara said, pulling me tightly to her. She rocked me. I listened to wolf steps on the stairs and began to tremble.

"Rory," Elisabeth said. "Stop there and say hello to Michaela."

"Michaela?" he said. "Is everything all right?" It was Rory's voice.

"Rory?" I said.

"It's me, little sister."

"I'm your big sister!" I said. I calmed down, marginally. "He can come in," I said quietly.

"Rory," Elisabeth said. "Come to Lara's room, but move slowly."

"What's going on?" he asked, but I heard him stepping closer.

"Just nightmares," Elisabeth said.

"Some nightmares," he said under his breath.

"I don't do things in halves," I said, then curled back into Lara. "Hold me tighter, Lara."

And she did, and then even tighter until it almost hurt.

There was a noise at the door, and I turned that way, but I knew it was Rory. He was standing there, looking around warily, looking for danger.

"Don't let Angel have me, Rory!" I yelled. "Don't let her take me!"

"Shhh," said Lara. "You're safe."

I slumped, burying my face in Lara's neck for a moment. "Give Rory my silver," I said.

"Careful," Elisabeth said. "They're all silver, even the squirt guns, and I have more to gather."

"Hide them
where I won't find them, Rory," I said. "Not in the house. Somewhere I can't hear you hide them. Don't lose them though! Remember where you put them!"

"I won't forget, Michaela," he said.

I heard him start to leave, but I stopped him. "Rory, don't drink the water in the squirt guns."

"Right. Drinking silver. Bad."

I listened as he left, and I listened as Elisabeth went from room to room, collecting the rest of the weapons I had upstairs.

"I'm going to take you to the sofa," Lara said. She picked me up, and I clung to her, my eyes shut, and then together we sat on the sofa.

Without Lara noticing, I slipped my fingers behind the cushions of the sofa, and I found the handle of one of my knives.

"Are there more up here?" Elisabeth asked.

"No," I said, as I began to slowly pull the knife out from where it was hidden.

There was a clatter, and suddenly Elisabeth's hands were on my wrist, and she held me rock still. I struggled, but she held me with all her strength.

"Look at me!" she said. "Michaela! Look at me!"

I opened my eyes, and my friend, the woman I called
"sister", was staring at me, and her face was filled with fear.

"Elisabeth?"

"Michaela," she said calmly. "Tell me about all the knives."

I stared at her. "Oh god! What's wrong with me? Pull my hand out slowly, Elisabeth."

She did, and there was a dagger in it, my fingers clenched around the handle.

"Let me have it," she said kindly. "Let me have it, Michaela." Her hand was over mine now, and slowly I relaxed. She slipped the dagger from my grasp.

"Get up," Elisabeth said. "Hold her, Lara. I don't care what happens, do not let her go."

"I'll shift if I panic again," I said. "You'll drop me, Lara." I started to sob again. "You have to tie me."

"No, Little Fox," Lara said. "Shift if you must. I won't let you go." Then she stood up with me, and Elisabeth began searching the sofa.

"Stop! They're mine!"

"Shhh," Lara said. "We'll give them all back. Honey, I won't let anything happen to you."

Elisabeth found the
other two I had hidden behind the cushions. She didn't find the two taped to the bottom of the sofa or the one in each of the cushions.

When had I put them there? I didn't remember.

I buried my face in Lara's neck. "There are more," I said. "There are more. Think like a fox, Elisabeth."

She found the two taped to the bottom.

"Cushions," I told her. "You'll cut yourself. Let me."

"No," she said.

"I'm calm right now," I said. "I know where they are. Put me down, Lara, but you two guard the two doors."

Lara put me on my feet, and the two moved to the two exits. I unzipped the cushions, then carefully reached in and found the daggers,
one at a time. I dropped them onto the growing pile.