How to Date a Werewolf (30 page)

The one on the ground said, “I’m Tom and he’s Bob.”

Good to know.

The alley flowed into the street behind us, so I hoped they wouldn’t take off running again. That fried chicken sounded good to me too, so I couldn’t blame them if they did. My mouth watered at the mere thought of it. If he mentioned mashed potatoes and a biscuit, I’d cave. I was so ready for this horrible night to be over. Plus I had to worry about getting back into my office to retrieve my clothing in the morning. I didn’t want to be caught outside in my birthday suit when the sun came up. Talk about embarrassing. As a matter-of-fact, with all the stress, I figured a day off was definitely in order. So tomorrow I would relax and recover from this dreadful evening. That was if I could avoid Jennifer and Jack sending me away for a mental evaluation. It was terrible to feel as if I couldn’t go home, but that was exactly how I felt. Life as I knew it was over.

“Tell me who it is who sent you and get it over with. I won’t say anything to the person, I promise. You have my werewolf word on it.” I held my furry paw up to my heart. There was no special werewolf oath or anything, but I figured the gesture looked good, anyway.

“Martin Blake. It’s Martin, all right. Now leave us alone.” A low whimper escaped Tom’s throat after he realized what he’d said.

“What. It’s Martin?” I didn’t know what to say, there were no words. Martin had these thugs follow me. He was the one whom Jack had recruited to protect me. The enemy had been right under my snout the whole time. Why had he done such a thing? Was it because of Lily? Did the two somehow have it out for me? A creepy feeling fell over me. Knowing Martin had been sitting in my office pretending to be a victim right along with me was unsettling.

“It was Martin? He tried to date me, for heaven’s sake. Why would he do something so terrible?” I asked.

“Because…” I heard the deep voice from behind me.

Chapter 20

How to Date a Werewolf Rule # 20:

Never piss off a werewolf.

The voice startled me. He stood near--almost close enough to whisper in my ear. I jumped back, and my heart thumped in my chest.

“You scared the hell out of me. What is wrong with you? Have you lost your mind? Why would you have these two chase me around?” I pointed over to the two goons sitting in the corner. They stared at us, dirty and wide-eyed. I took in a couple of deep breaths, trying to calm my nerves. “Have you lost your mind? I mean, seriously, have you finally lost your last marble?”

“Rylie…I love you. I’ve loved you since I first laid eyes on you. You’re a lovely creature, and I want you for my mate. For all eternity.”

My head began to swim. I couldn’t catch my breath, and I felt as if I might lose my lunch. I couldn’t get my eyes to focus. In the distance, I heard a few howls drift through the dense night air. An eerie reminder of who we were and what took place on that particular night all around the city--around the world, for that matter.

“I need to sit down. I feel dizzy.” My appendages shook.

“Oh, let me help you.” Martin came closer. He seemed eager to shower all of his affection on me.

“No, don’t touch me. Don’t come any closer,” I warned, throwing my paws out in a stop gesture. I snarled at him.

“But, Rylie…I love you. Can’t you see my love for you?”

“I heard you the first time. Stop saying that. Why, if you love me, would you harass me like you have? You don’t harass the ones you love.” Maybe where he came from they did.

He gave me a blank stare and then said, “No harm, no foul, right?”

“Wait a minute. Who were the men in the dark suits? Did you have anything to do with them?”

Bob and Tom coughed at the same time. “Um, that’s us. In human form, of course.”

“You’re the men in black?” I said.

“No.” Bob chuckled. “We just thought it would be fun to dress like that.” Both of them snickered.

I was not amused. “Were you the one sending the bullets too?” I asked Martin.

He let a slow evil smile escape his lips. “I did. I’m sorry. I just wanted you to love me. To love me the way I love you. When I first came to see you and you fixed me up with Lily, it was you I wanted. You are mesmerizing. I only went out with Lily so I could see you again. I figured when I came to you and told you it hadn’t worked out with her, you’d want to find someone else for me. Then I could convince you I was the perfect person for you. I am the werewolf of your dreams.”

“Hardly,” I said dryly.

“Then that jerk came into your life, and let me tell you, I was pissed. I figured if I scared you, then I could be the one protecting you and you’d fall in love with me. I just needed to get that loser out of the way. Which, by the way, was easier to do than I thought. Jack and I had a little conversation and he explained how he thought you were suffering from a mental illness. So…I may have let him believe I thought you were responsible for the packages with the bullets. Let me add, he did not find the bullets amusing, not in the least. Plus I told him you broke into your own office. That I saw you do it.”

“I’ll kill you.” I lunged at him in that split second. I couldn’t help myself. I wanted blood. I could taste it, salty and metallic. Martin had harassed me and now he made me appear crazy, there would be no stopping me. My tolerance level was shot. Gone. Flown the coop. I went for his throat. I made a huge leap and straddled him right there in the alleyway, placing my paws around his bony neck. If anyone saw the display, it probably appeared like two dogs fighting to the death. Except I was the one fighting, and Martin was somewhat enjoying me being on top of him. I could tell by the disgusting smirk on his face. The pervert. The two goons scampered over and pulled me off Martin.

“Come on, Rylie. It’s not very ladylike to fight,” Bob said. They held me back, restraining me.

I yanked my arms away from them. “Oh, shut up. What the hell do you know about being ladylike? I am so pissed at you, Martin. I want you to apologize and tell everyone the truth. I’m going to tell Jack everything about my werewolf life. I’m sick of hiding things. I will make it work, somehow. I’ll get rid of the curse too.”

“The curse?” Tom and Bob said in unison.

“Oh, never mind,” I screeched.

“I’m really sorry, Rylie. I never meant for it to turn out like this. I never wanted to really hurt you. My intentions were good, honest. I just wanted to go out with you,” Martin pleaded. He stood against the brick wall, his eyes like saucers. No doubt he waited for me to pounce again.

“Why on earth would I want to date you after you did such a thing to me? You are in so much trouble, buddy. I’m going to the pack police and file a restraining order against your ass.” I stood mere inches from his bony body and poked him in the chest with my finger. “So I suggest you leave me alone. You’ll be sorry if you don’t,” I huffed.

With one swift movement, Martin aimed a gun at my chest. I froze with my hand in midair. His move was not exactly what I had expected. My problems were certainly now bigger than Lily, Jack and Jennifer. My life flashed before my eyes. Seriously. I know people say that all the time, but it did. How was I supposed to react? I couldn’t run--he’d shoot me in the back. I cast my eyes over at Tom and Bob. They stood motionless, their eyes wide.

“Martin, dude, what are you doing?”

“Shut up, dumbasses.”

I glanced at them again. They frowned at the insult.

“If I can’t have you, no one can,” Martin growled.

Oh God. My life really was like a bad horror flick. We stood--all four of us--frozen in time. No one knew what move to make next. As I was about to agree to go out with Martin to save my life, Tom leapt forward and pounced on him. Everything moved in slow motion. They fell and the gun flew from his hand. Bob rushed over and retrieved the weapon. Tom and Martin rolled on the ground.

“Stop,” Bob demanded, pointing the gun at Martin.

I guess he wasn’t as much of a coward as I’d thought. They froze. Tom fumbled up and stood in front of me, stretching his hands out. He was protecting me from Martin. I couldn’t believe it. Why would he do that? After all of the harassment, I doubted they’d turned to my side. There was no time to contemplate what their motives were, though. Martin stared. His eyes were frozen like a deer caught in a car’s headlights. His mouth quivered--I knew he was furious. Would Bob shoot him?

I didn’t have to debate that question long. Martin took off in a sprint and neither Bob nor Tom followed.

“Are you all right?” Bob asked.

“I’m fine other than being stunned. I almost died.”

“We wouldn’t let that happen.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Like we said, you’re too pretty.”

Lame reason, but I was thankful they thought so. Otherwise I’d be toast. I looked around for any sign of Martin. I was still paranoid he’d return.

“I gotta get out of here,” I said. “I’ll repay you all somehow.”

“I’m sure we can think of some way for you to show your gratitude,” Tom said, then showed a toothy grin.

Swiftly, I turned around and padded out of the alley, ignoring his creepy comment. I never turned to see if Tom and Bob followed. I felt their eyes boring a giant crater into my back, though. I owed them for saving me, although maybe they were right--we were even. I held back tears--I would not cry. My body trembled as visions of the black barrel pointed in my direction ran through my mind. He’d tried to kill me. And then he just ran off like a coward. I’d come to a decision, though. When day broke, I would tell Jack everything, and I meant all the gruesome details. I’d made up my mind, and I’d take my chances on the outcome. What did I have to lose? There would be no looking back. I was sick of living a lie. The intense heat inside me was almost unbearable--I was livid. If I’d learned one thing from the mess I’d been wrapped up in, it was I didn’t need a relationship to be happy. I had to stop living for others’ feelings and do what was right for me. But in some way, deep down, I realized I was afraid of not being wanted--not being loved. It was better to have a curse than to be rejected. What Jennifer had said about past dates was right--I’d never tried to let them work. I suppose I was the last person who should be offering dating advice--much less running a matchmaking service.

Passing by a café, I noticed the clock on the wall. It was midnight and I still had hours until daybreak. My insides were seething from my recent discovery. Would Martin come after me again? I prayed they’d lock him up and throw away the key. All that time, I thought the harassment was Lily’s handiwork when in reality Martin was the evil one responsible. He’d almost killed me. So many things had happened. I’d considered other people responsible--Lily, and the boneheads looking for Uncle Ernie. I still didn’t know why they wanted Ernie.

After all my walking around the city streets, I still hadn’t spotted a payphone. My stomach rumbled. I needed food, but with hair covering every inch of my body and no money, I didn’t see how that would be possible. The freaks truly came out on a full moon and I was one of them. Werewolves weren’t the only creatures roaming the streets. The vampires were out in full force too, looking for fresh blood.

As I made my way through another dark and narrow alley, headed closer to my office, I passed the back entrance of a small restaurant. On the back steps that led into the kitchen sat a werewolf. He wore an old baseball cap turned backward, and his black fur shone in the moonlight. I bet my fur didn’t look that healthy--stress will do that to you.

“Hey,” he said as I trudged by, “why you look so glum? Things can’t be all that bad.”

“Hi.” I felt a little leery talking to strangers after my awful ordeal.

“Looks like man troubles.” Why did everyone assume I had man troubles? Did I have a sign on my forehead? Although, he was right, my problem was man troubles--and the fact I was hungry. I stopped walking for a second to enjoy the smell wafting from the restaurant’s kitchen. I inhaled the rich aroma of steak, mixed with veggies and cheeses. Oh, I really was starving.

“Looks as if you’ve had a rough night,” he said. Wonder if it was it the matted fur that gave it away or my stinky smell?

“It has been a long night. I’m just hanging out waiting for the sun to come out so I can go home.”

“Someone doesn’t know you’re a werewolf,” he stated. Was he psychic or what?

I nodded. “Yeah, I usually lock myself in the bedroom on full moon nights. I don’t like to get involved in the crazy antics on evenings like these.”

“It’s not all bad. You just have to watch where you go. Say, are you hungry? You look hungry,” he said.

My stomach rumbled when he mentioned food. I didn’t have money, though, which really sucked. I wished I had one of those ugly fanny packs to carry around my waist.

I shook my head and said, “Yeah, but I didn’t exactly bring my purse along, no money.” I held my paws out to show him they were empty.

“I’m the chef here…well, on nights that I’m not a werewolf. Too much hair to cook tonight.” He chuckled. “They don’t make full body hairnets.”

I laughed. I’d never thought of that. “I guess not.”

“I can get the chef on duty to whip something up for you. My treat.” He gave me a lopsided smile.

“I wouldn’t feel right doing that.” I shifted my paws. I really was hungry, but my pride stood in the way.

“Why not? Can’t a guy do a good deed once in a while?” For a split second I wondered why he was being so nice to me, and then I remembered there were still a few nice werewolves in the world.

“I guess so. Please don’t go to any trouble, though. Just a little something will be fine.” He didn’t need to twist my arm much to get me to say yes. My mouth salivated thinking about it, and my pride vanished.

“I think the special of the evening was roast beef with a side of vegetables. Would that work for you?” he offered with a smile.

Anything would work for me. At any moment, my stomach would eat itself. “That would be great,” I said.

“Have a seat on the step here. I’ll tell him.” He jumped up and poked his head in the back screen door.