Unknown Touch (17 page)

Stephen shook his head from side to side and laughed in mockery. I suspected he was playing a game of cat and mouse with Daniel. He replied, "No, it wasn't
me
. Although I'm sure you sniffed out my scent in the general area."

Daniel knew this was going to be like pulling teeth, trying to get information out of Stephen. "If it wasn't you that committed these acts of violence, then who was it?"

"That is the big question of the day, isn't it? Well, I'm not at liberty to say at this time. He would rather like to keep his identity private."

"Why are you covering for him?" Daniel pushed.

"He gives me the opportunity to be my real self. To not downplay what we truly are. We may have originally been humans, Daniel, but we aren't anymore and haven't been for over three hundred years. I've become tired of pretending to act like a human. To blend in with society, as you constantly kept cramming down my throat all these long years. You were always the calm, cool and collected one. Even back when we were hunting those wretched witches that had started this whole mess. You were the one that said we needed to leave our homes in Salem. To start out fresh somewhere else. No one would know about what we truly were. As long as we kept quiet and listened to everything you said. I just couldn't take it anymore. I wanted out. To be free and not have a care in the world. And not to have to bow anymore to your every beck and call. I really don't care anymore what anyone thinks. At one time, I actually thought I had found some happiness. A light at the end of the tunnel. But I still wanted to break free from your Alpha male control and I couldn't have both that light and my freedom from you at the same time…" Stephen trailed off.

He had revealed a surprising amount of details in this little tell-all. The problem was trying to decipher what some of his rambling actually meant, especially that last bit of about a light and happiness. Thankfully, Daniel was wondering the exact same thing and proceeded to ask him about it.

"What stint of happiness are you referring to?"

"It doesn't matter anymore. That was the past and I lost my chance at that light since I couldn't handle being around you at the same time. The wild kept calling to me, as it had been for so long. I couldn't deny my werewolf side, the urges I was having," Stephen tried to explain. It sounded like a confession.

Daniel tried to direct him back to the reason he was there in the first place. The dead cow and the murdered hunter. Somehow, Stephen had become sidetracked with this story. Maybe he had intentionally sidetracked Daniel to get him off the subject of the mystery werewolf. I could sense several emotions coming from Stephen, although probably anyone could do the same simply by listening to him. The emotions that surged forth were of depression, sorrow, anger and revenge. I still could not directly enter Stephen's mind to either read it or do any mental manipulation on him. Frustrating.

Daniel tried again, "Okay, again, who is this other werewolf? I thought there was a possibility it was David, but this doesn't sound like him at all. And the scent is unfamiliar."

"Just a loner, passing through the area for a short stay. I don't want to bring any unwanted attention to him. He's been holed up here lately. On and off."

"What?!" Daniel was confused by Stephen's reply. "I think he's brought quite a bit of attention to himself if he's the one committing those crimes! And that unwanted attention could expose the existence of all the werewolves to the wrong people. We would be hunted. The government would most definitely step in at that point, too, and our lives would be ripped apart. Is that what you want?"

"I don't know what I want anymore. I don't look into the future. I only live in the present. I can survive in the wilderness and go into deep hiding if necessary," Stephen was clearly thinking only of himself.

"Why did this other wolf kill the hunter? Was that necessary?" Daniel probed.

"Look, we were out running in the woods, in our wolf shape. He had a raging hunger for some beef and I guided him over to the farm where I knew cattle were. I did not directly kill that cow. He did it, although I admit I did feast on it with him. As we were heading back here to the cabin, we were pretty high from the taste of the meat, the blood of the cow. We literally stumbled upon the hunter. Almost ran right into him as we ran carelessly through the woods. We hadn't bothered scanning the area for the presence or scent of others. The hunter was undoubtedly shocked by our appearance. He had his rifle with him and raised it to shoot at us," Stephen paused and was on the defensive, knowing he would get lectured by Daniel at any moment.

Daniel said, "So, did it occur to you guys that you could have just taken off? Run away? With your speed and strength, and your knowledge that someone is holding a gun at you, chances were very much in your favor that you would have escaped without a scratch. No harm done. Just a hunter with a story about two large wolves that he came across. The end. But no, you had to kill him."

"
I
did not kill him. The other wolf merely reacted in self-defense, his natural instincts for survival had kicked in. Without a second thought, he lunged at the hunter's throat. And it was over just like that. We immediately left the area. This was similar to the incident several months ago when I accidentally killed that farmer in self-defense as he fired his gun at me," Stephen was not realizing how he had options. Different choices that could have been made during any of these incidents.

Daniel spewed at him, "And that farmer wouldn't have taken a shot at you if you weren't there in the first place chowing down on his livestock, Stephen. Do you think you have the right to do those things? Do you want to jeopardize yourself and the rest of us? Where is this other werewolf acquaintance of yours right now?"

Stephen answered him, "His name is Cassius. And I really don't know where he is exactly. It's not my duty to keep tabs on his whereabouts and I'm sure he'd be highly ticked off if I did. He is a loner, a wanderer. He answers to no one. He is not part of any pack. He is traveling through and I happened to come across him while out on a run one day. We have a common interest in how we want to live. To survive. I admire his longevity in this world. He is very powerful and immensely aggressive. I do not want to provoke him in any way. That's it."

"Stephen,
are you that dense? He is using you for your knowledge of the area and could not care less about any bond of friendship. He has a shelter to stay in whenever he chooses and easy access to food. Your willingness to accept him as he is makes it easy for him to hide behind you to protect himself. You are defending his actions. He knows you could easily be the one people point their finger at if anything bad happens, since you've already stirred things up with the pack. Obviously, if he had his own pack, he would have the Alpha male status. And he is influencing your behaviors, your emotions. He is trying to turn you completely to the dark side, which you border so close on as it is. We want to help you if it's still possible, to work with your emotions," Daniel explained.

After Daniel said the words "we" and mentioned trying to help his emotional state, Stephen's face took on a look of comprehension. Daniel realized he shouldn't have used those words as it tipped off Stephen that something was askew. Stephen moved away from the door he had his back up against, walked past Daniel and down off the porch and scanned over his property. He used his heightened senses of sight, sound and smell. Even the sixth sense of perception was being used to check for intruders. His body tensed, ready to defend himself if needed. He felt a trap had been set for him.

"Who is out there?" Stephen swung around, glaring at Daniel.

Daniel tried his best to remain calm, and answered, "I have brought several people with me. They want to help you if you will allow it."

"Humans. I knew I could smell them. You are dealing with those humans known as The Liaison, aren't you?" Stephen's temper was rising.

"Yes, I know you're aware of them from previous trips they've made down here. All for the purpose of getting your emotions under control. We want to understand what is happening to you and offer our help," Daniel had now moved off the porch and stood a few feet from Stephen.

Mentally, I asked Zac and Tessa,
Do you still have a clear shot of Stephen?

Zac replied,
Yes.

Tessa replied,
No.
My heart sank when I heard that.

Quickly, I relayed this information psychically to Daniel,
Zac has a clear shot. Tessa doesn't.

Daniel responded,
Do not kill him. Shoot for the shoulder only if he is clearly attacking.

I mentally pushed this information into Zac and Tessa's minds. Dominic was reading my mind as this went on, so he was aware of the situation. Throughout the whole confrontation between Daniel and Stephen, I continually tried to access Stephen's mind, but no success. Dom was getting absolutely no where, either. I was picking up the emotions better than ever, but could not break through the mental barrier. I felt like I needed the physical contact with him or at least be a few feet from him. Just something about Stephen or his mind was not letting me in. He had been blocking Daniel for quite some time, and perhaps the constant withdrawal from psychic connections, and his awareness of that, interfered with my ability to gain access.

Suddenly, Stephen seemed to notice that someone was trying to read his mind. He pressed at his temples with his fingers. It was not Daniel. He looked out into the woods, in my direction. He was putting two and two together rapidly. Daniel stepped closer for fear Stephen might come after me.

"There's a female…she tried this before with your help. I saw a flash of it and thought I was imagining things. I don't appreciate someone, a stranger especially, trying to mess with my mind. Who do you think you are to try to control me? I have my freedom and I will live the way I choose to. I won't play by your rules anymore, Daniel. Leave." Stephen declared with fury rising up from deep within him.

At that moment, he transformed into a werewolf. As did Daniel. It was a sight to behold. The two were in a stand-off. Zac wasn't sure if he should shoot or not. Eli, Dom and I actually rose up from our crouched positions behind the bushes. It didn't matter anymore if Stephen saw us. He knew we were there.

The two powerful wolves circled each other, snarling and growling, back and forth. Neither taking their eyes off one another. Their lips were curled back, displaying long, sharp, deadly teeth meant to kill prey. And both were predators at this moment. Saliva dripped from their open mouths. Daniel looked so much more beastly, more lethal, during this transformation than I recalled from the first time I ever saw him turn. He seemed friendly at that time, but not now.

From what I understood, Daniel had only come here to question Stephen. He would not be the first to attack. He did not mean to be the aggressor in this duel, but had to transform to meet Stephen equally on the playing field. All at once, Stephen dove at Daniel's throat, and in that split second a shot was fired. It was Zac. He hit Stephen squarely in the right shoulder, as Daniel requested. Stephen hit the ground with a yelp of pain, and he retreated immediately, limping off, trailing blood. He knew he would not win this fight today. There were too many of us surrounding him. And he had to tend to his injury. He would completely heal from this type of wound, probably within just a mere day.

Daniel, still in wolf form, came running full speed towards us. He slowed his pace a few feet from me and padded over to a bag that was lying on the ground. He nudged at it with his muzzle and looked at me.

Mentally I asked,
Daniel, what is it you need?

Clothes,
he responded with urgency.

Of course, I should have realized that. I ran quickly to the bag, unzipped it and pulled out basic clothes for him. I folded them in a nice bundle and presented the items to Daniel. He took the bundle of clothes carefully from my outstretched hand with his mighty jaws. It was empowering for me to help him in this awkward situation. Then, he ran behind a nearby bush, transformed back into human shape, and got dressed. That act of turning from human to wolf and wolf to human was going to take some getting used to on my part. It was terrifying and yet amazing at the same time. He stepped back into view from behind the bushes.

Daniel looked at everyone and plainly stated, "We need to go right now."

In the distance, we could hear the sound of a wolf howling in distress.

Chapter 14

Storm

With great speed, almost at a run, we headed back to the location of the four-wheelers. Daniel flew through the woods with ease. He knew which direction to go and the layout of the land. Even in human shape, he had the essence of the wolf's traits projecting from him. Speed, strength, cunning, balance. He continually had to slow down his pace for us, mostly referring to Eli, Dom and myself. Our breathing was very labored. Our lungs hurt from inhaling the cold air. But, Zac and Tessa, who were in peak physical condition and carried several weapons, weren't even bothered with all this exertion. I made a mental note that I needed to work out more vigorously after this little jaunt. My immediate concern was for Eli's health, as he was about sixty years old, and it was difficult for him to keep up with the rest of us. He did make it; although, that half mile run probably seemed like an eternity to him.

We jumped on the vehicles, and kept the same seating order as when we drove out. Daniel looked at everyone with concern.

"I should have brought my brother, Isaac, with us. I had no idea there was a rogue werewolf on the loose in the area. Stephen called him Cassius. And after this incident, he will seek out Cassius for help in retaliation against us. We need to get back to the truck, load up the ATV's and get to the resort. We're vulnerable like sitting ducks out here in the woods," Daniel said with urgency.