The Reluctant (4 page)

“You’re a drug dealer?” I asked
shakily. I wanted to feel angry. I knew it at my core, but for some
reason, my brain didn’t respond.

He waved away my words. “No, no, no.
Nothing like that, baby. There are certain things about my body
that you should know.”

Like so many other things about Will,
I felt oddly relieved that I wasn’t correct in my assumptions.
“I’ve seen your body—all of it,” I said boldly.

He nodded. “Yes, and your calmed state
is a reaction to it.”

“That doesn’t make any sense. The sex
was good, but it’s been days.”

“Do you know about
pheromones?”

I reached hazily back into my basic
education. Remember, I was only nineteen at this point, not the
strongest student as indicated by my reluctance to enter college
right after high school, but neither was I stupid.

“Aren’t they chemicals or something?
Like when girls’ periods sync up when spending a lot of time
together?”

“Right,” he said instantly to make me
feel smart. He flattered me like that, and I definitely had no
problem letting him.

“That’s what’s doing it.”

I pushed my plate away, digesting what
he had just told me along with my few bites of spaghetti. “And I
thought only bees had sex pheromones. Wait, you’re doping
me?”

“Yes. Pretty much, my presence makes
you drunk.”

A giggle burst forth from my lips and
I fought to stifle it. “Well, no more Friday nights at the bar for
me. I’ve got my boy and my beer right here.”

He laughed quietly. “I’m not a
boy.”

I gave a wan smile. “I’m sorry. You’re
a man, but still, other men don’t make me feel this
way.”

And yes, he was a man. His physical
attributes confirmed this, and he appeared beautifully
proportioned. Twenty-four with a Master’s degree in business, he
was more man than anyone else I knew.

“
That’s not exactly what I
meant.”

I leaned over playfully to nip his ear
and stared meaningfully at his crotch. “Well, I know you’re not
possessed of any female anatomy, so you’ll have to explain yourself
thoroughly.”

Will sighed, a sound of great burden
that made me want to enfold him in my arms. “I’m scared to tell
you.”

I reached for him, but he flinched and
drew back. “You can tell me,” I coaxed, my hand still hanging in
the air. His whole body went rigid.

“No, I have to go,” he said as if
grinding his teeth.

He vanished from the kitchen quickly
without a further word, even before I could ask him to stay. What
was he scared of? I heard the back door slam behind him. I wasn’t
quite sure how to react. Flabbergasted is a word that I don’t get
to use too often, so we’ll call it that.

I stared hard at my abandoned
spaghetti. I realized that I could have been free if the
inclination took me. I had no desire to run back to the life of
living with a mother and father who were annoyingly attentive, and
no ambition to enroll in college or get a job. Dallying with this
stranger seemed like a good option at this juncture in my life. All
I wanted was to wait for Will to return with or without his
pheromones intact.

And I may not have wanted to escape at
that moment, but I did want to see the outside. We had spent a few
moments in his vast backyard the first night I spent here, but the
wind had picked up and drove us inside to warmth. I decided that
the front would provide more scenery even though I had discovered
that Will lived in the middle of nowhere. California offered
privacy for those who could afford it, and even though Will would
not divulge how he kept his bills paid, I could tell he possessed
the financial means to live his solitary life. Some of the stories
he shared would have passing references to people. Unfortunately, I
had met none of his friends or family; being unable to put a name
to a face made me forget most of the names.

The cool breeze caressed me and I took
a long, deep breath. The vigorous autumn air filled my lungs and
reminded me why I loved to be outdoors. And suddenly, a veil lifted
from my body and mind. The malaise that had afflicted me for these
last few days just dissipated. My skin felt cold. I realized that I
had been in the same clothes for some days now, and had stupidly
stayed with a man who openly professed an obsession for me and may
be mentally disturbed. Oh good God, he had raped me! Why was I
still here?

I looked around. Nothing but trees
surrounded the house. A lazy path wound its way through the wood.
That was my ticket out of here. I could run, but not barefoot. The
path held pebbles that would shred my skin on contact. I had not
thought to look for my shoes these past few days. Now, with Will
disappeared, I had a purpose. I entered the house intent on finding
my damn shoes and leaving. No one would stop me, not even the
muscled man who had practically fled my presence.

I took two steps into the house and
froze. A black dog stood a few feet away, watching me with a
horrifying intensity through glistening blue eyes. I don’t know why
I was instantly afraid, but something about the large canine sent a
shiver through me and made me want to flee. And the word “large” is
a bit of an understatement. His shoulders easily reached just below
my ribs and if he hurled himself at me, his full height stretched
out over me would be greater than mine, for his legs were of a
greater length than his body. I gulped, noticing that the creature
had talons as long as crayons. A strange analogy, I know, but my
mind works oddly under stress. His teeth were not bared at me—in
fact, I thought it odd that all he did was stare. Will had never
mentioned a pet, and I would have noticed this beast in the days I
was here! Had it slipped in through the backyard when Will rushed
out?

I backed away slowly. The door was
right behind me. I could run out and slam it shut. The dog could
not follow. “Good boy,” I said as soothingly as I could in my
shaking voice. “Don’t bite. I like dogs.”

The thing growled, making me stop,
petrified. He gave a sudden bark, and I was off like a shot,
thrusting the door back behind me, hoping it closed. I took great
gulps of air as I tore down the path. I wanted to sob and panic,
but that would decrease my ability to run. As it was, my feet felt
like shards of glass prodded at them each time they hit the
ground.

I veered off the rocky path. Think me
weak if you like, but my feet had always been shoed by the best
athletic gear available. They were my tender friends, and I needed
them more than ever at this point.

I dodged trees with no idea of where I
ran to. The sun began to set, and the shadows stretched out to warn
me of the danger of being in a forest far from home. As I ran, my
mind stretched back over Disney films I had been raised on: Snow
White, Sleeping Beauty, even Mulan to an extent. Before happily
ever after, there had been dragons, and witches, and Huns. Now, I
could add dogs to that list, even though I was no fair maiden lost
in the woods. Chancing a glance over my shoulder, I saw nothing
pursuing me. Hopefully the thing remained trapped in Will’s house.
Let him deal with it.

Finally I had to stop. Darkness
blanketed the landscape now. I threw my head back and filled my
lungs again and again with the crisp air. That dick! How could he
seduce me after forcing himself on me, then convince me to stay
with him? That part about pheromones had been bullshit. He was
drugging me with every meal, and not finishing my spaghetti had
obviously diluted its effect, allowing me to think
clearly.

Some good it did me now, I thought
ruefully.

Breathing out a stream of my breath
once more, I fought for calm. I had no phobia of dogs, but that
beast’s intentions had radiated maliciousness. I looked around,
grateful for the lack of its chase. The woods sighed quietly around
me, wind rustling the branches and leaves shivering against each
other. I slid down to the ground to massage my feet. The blood got
under my fingernails, making me want to gag.

And then I heard it.

The soft breathing of a predator.
Several predators. The wood held its breath for them; that’s why
nothing moved. The animals knew they would be hunted if they called
out into the night. And my dumb ass had sat down on the ground,
thinking myself safe. I bit my lip as hard as I could stand to do.
First dogs, now probably cougars or bears.

A low growl met my ears before I
sighted the animal, and then I remembered: cougars and bears don’t
hunt in packs. Wolves do.

As if they had heard my thoughts, five
wolves stepped into the moon’s light. All of them towered over my
seated body, equally as large as or larger than the monster I had
trapped in Will’s house, who I realized belatedly had been no dog.
In the sane part of my mind, I knew that words had no effect on
animals, but I couldn’t help but plead softly.

“No, please. It’s okay. See?” I said,
stretching out my hand. “I won’t hurt you. You’re good dogs,
right?”

Those words were my undoing. The one
closest snapped at me, and those jaws barely missed as I pulled
away. The rest formed a tight circle which I would not be able to
break through. I jumped up, determined to at least die on my feet.
They circled me, as dramatically as any movie that Disney would
never make. Abstractly, I remembered that Wart had escaped the wolf
in Sword in the Stone with his naivety. I would get no such
chance.

I leaned heavily against the tree and
closed my eyes, knowing that this time those teeth would not miss.
I waited for the pain.

After a few seconds, with nothing
happening and my attackers quieted, I opened one eyelid, then the
other. A sixth wolf had appeared, a large brown breed, and the
other wolves watched as he meandered towards me. Their expressions
seemed very human, very rapt, and I thought it strange that they
waited for this other animal to appear.

The creature approached me slowly,
warily almost. He matched the biggest of the others pound for
pound. Standing directly in front of me, he sat on his powerful
haunches.

And then I met those eyes, alive with
emerald fire that ignited the strangest recognition in me. I
reached out a hand towards the seemingly tamed wolf and ventured
headlong with my odd conjecture.

I gasped. “Will?”

The wolf’s tongue lolled out his mouth
and he looked around at his companions lazily, staring each one
down. One of the grays growled a challenge. The alpha wolf
meandered over and stood—stood!—on both legs. Those long limbs
supported his weight easily, and the other wolf backed down. I felt
faint at the notion that wolves could walk on their legs like men,
but I dared not pass out. If this thing were indeed Will, I needed
his protection. The other wolves still stared at me malignantly.
Without his appearance, they would have gladly torn me to
shreds.

The erect creature dropped to all four
legs and yapped twice. Four of the wolves yipped and ran, but the
last one, the big gray who had defied the alpha, gave a low snarl
before turning slowly to leave. My savior barked again and the gray
slunk into the shadows.

Satisfied the threat had dissipated,
the brown wolf turned his attention back to me. Yes, those eyes
were uncannily familiar. He fearlessly sauntered up to me and
rubbed against my legs, almost like an attention-hungry cat. After
discovering that he had no intention of biting my leg, I reached
down and petted him. Stupidity cannot be ruled out as the motivator
for this action. A shiver went through his body and he pressed
closer against my legs. He hooked gleaming teeth into my jeans and
tugged gently. I was to follow.

More afraid of the beasts in the
forest than the beast in the house or the one beside me, I followed
the pace set by my furry companion. We walked for quite awhile. I,
conscious of my feet, chose my ground carefully. The wolf did not
push me to move faster. Rather, he slowed for me. Even on four
legs, he strode longer than me. The moon waxed full tonight, so it
provided helpful rays of light. Still, I was no normal night
adventurer. Well-lit running paths had spoiled me. The darkness
brought out my clumsiness. The house was a welcome respite from
night’s embrace. On the doorstep I paused. Did I invite the wolf
into the house?

Obviously not, because as soon as I
opened the door, the green-eyed wolf bounded off into the woods.
Grateful for his assistance but not so grateful as to go bounding
off after him, I crept into the house, peeking around for the large
black creature from earlier. No sign of him, thankfully. I
resolutely locked the doors and made sure all the windows were
locked. If Will returned from his brooding soon, he probably had a
spare key somewhere. After the night’s events, I wasn’t much
concerned about it. Exhaustion claimed my attention.

I soaked my feet in hot water, knowing
that the damage could have been worse. Much worse. I crawled into
Will’s bed just to inhale the scent of him, warm and spicy.
Something about it comforted me, and I fell asleep. My dreams that
night were not pleasant.

Will

I thought I was safe from my mother’s
world. After all, her family comprised of both Lycanthrope and a
few Lycanti lived in Mexico. The great bulk of Lycanthrope and
their mates do not leave South America. Never had she mentioned
others of her kind lurked in Southern California. It seems that she
lied to me, but is it really a lie if she just chooses not to
divulge the truth?