A Touch of Lunacy Ch. 02

I'd never felt so cold and hot before in all my life. My head felt like it was boiling while the rest of my body was icy. I snuggled deeper into the blanket, wincing at the tinge in my shoulder. I knew I had a fever. I needed to get to a shower and cool down. Kicking off the blankets, I scooted to the edge of the bed and swung my feet over the edge.

My feet dangled. Frowning, I glanced around. My bed wasn't this high off the ground. Where was I? It was too dark to see anything. There was a crack of light near the floor and I hoped it led to the bathroom. I'd figure things out after I cooled down. Easing myself until I felt the floor beneath my feet, I slowly got up. I had my feet under me, supporting my weight, and took a step. I hardly realized what happened as I stumbled down onto the plush carpet. Head pounding, I crawled to the door and eased it open. The bright white tiles blinded me after the sudden darkness.

Whimpering, I lowered my head, letting my hair curtain over my eyes. I sat there, trying to adjust to the brightness. Holding onto the doorjamb, I pulled myself to my feet. I reached over to the pedestal sink and used it to support my weight as I moved into the bathroom. Slowly, I made my way over to the bath tub. Sighing, I sat on the edge and started turning on the water. I was shivering badly and wanted to sink into a nice warm bath.

Scolding myself, I turned on the cold water. Watching it fill, I tried to remember where I was. I'd been driving across state. My ex had called to tell me he'd found some of my stuff in the attic and I had a two days to get it before he threw it in the trash. It was one of his power plays, as usual. Like it was my fault I caught him in our bed with my best friend, the skank? Angrily pulling the nightdress off, I started lowering myself into the water, shivering.

Five minute later, I'd stopped shaking from the cold and glanced around for some soap. There was some body wash and a washcloth. As I started lathering, I glanced at the nightdress and frowned. I didn't own a nightdress. I had some baggy pajama pants and an old t-shirt to sleep in for the past three years. And the nightdress was satin. I'd never even owned anything made of satin. Who had dressed me?

I could hear a muffled argument coming from nearby. I heard something crash and an angry voice shouting. Something banged against the wall and I could hear growling.

I eased out of the tub, and started drying off. Still damp, I pulled on the nightdress and glanced around for something else to wrap around myself. There was a robe hanging on the back of the door. Satisfied that my modesty was as protected as it could be, I peeked into the bedroom. The argument was louder out here, and I followed the sound till I found another door. Pausing, I pressed close, hoping to find out what was going on.

"She's going to die like the rest of them. We should just kill her and let the poor thing stop suffering."

"Judy, shut up. You're not getting into the room."

"Donovan, that will be up to the council. You can not stand in the council's way. Judith has argued well about your honor being void. You had sworn that you would not take another girl."

"Elder, I had not. I'd sworn I'd stop chasing after every girl that looked like Melanie. This one has dark hair and gray eyes, and athletic. Melanie was softer, and blonde with brown eyes." I frowned at how soft his voice had gotten. It was familiar. My eyes widened as I remembered the voice whispering that he was going to like me. I pushed myself away from the door, knocking over a small table. Stumbling, I fell on the floor, but scrambled to my feet and looked for some place to hide.

"Are you awake, child?" I glanced up at an elderly man entering the room. Someone tried to follow, but the man shut the door firmly. "I suppose that is a silly question, otherwise you would not have been listening at the door. What do you remember?"

"I want to go home," I said firmly. The man clicked on a floor lamp and started righting the table I'd knocked over.

"It is not so simple. You've been sleeping for more than a month. The authorities have been searching the woods and finally declared you dead, though your parents were rather against that. Your ex-husband even showed up, which angered Donovan. If it wasn't for Judith wanting to break into your room, one can only guess what Donovan would have done."

I stood still, letting it sink in. My parents thought I was dead. My ex had even shown up, though I didn't know if it was to gloat or if he felt guilty. Taking a deep breath, I looked at the elderly man. "I want to go home, now."

"You had not told Theodore the whole of the matter, when he had found you on the side of the road. What had chased you in the woods? You and I both know it."

"A lunatic, that's all." The elderly man shook his head and waited for me to continue. He wanted me to say it, but I didn't want to. If I didn't say it, it'd be less real.

Something banged against the door and I backed away. "Fine! Werewolf. A werewolf had chased me. He..." My hand went to my shoulder. "He bit me." I felt cold and numb as I said it. Then angry. "He bit me!" I started to rush out of the room, determined to find the monster and kick him in the balls again. The elderly man easily grabbed my shoulders and held me in place.

"I suppose Donovan was right to say you are a fighter. By chasing and biting you, he's claimed you as his mate. Can you tell me what you think that means?" I tried to tug away from him, but he held me still.

"I'm not anything's mate. Let me go. I'm going home right now." Something banged against the door again. I knew it was that monster and I wanted to go out there and hurt him. Part of my brain was screaming that he'd rip me to shreds, but I didn't care. I wanted to hurt him more than I wanted to be safe.

"Child, stop for a moment. What do you think it means that Donovan chased you down, bit you, and has claimed you as his mate?"

"I don't know," I said, giving up for a moment. The elderly man was stronger than he looked. What was he doing here anyway? Who was he?

"Donovan is not a lone monster. He is the pack leader. There are many in his pack. Lycanthropy is passed from father to son, but women must be bitten to become a member of the pack, to become a werewolf." He looked me in the eye, willing me to make the connection that I didn't want to make. "The women are traditionally considered the mate of those who bit them."

"Let go of me right now. I am nothing's mate."

"By rejecting him, he has to chase you down again. If he catches you, he will not bite you. He will have sex with you, no matter your say in the matter. He will be angry and he will not be gentle. If you reject him, you will have to run the whole night. If you are untouched by morning, you will be free of his claim. If he does catch you, pack law means that the others will make sure you do not escape him. Do you understand?"

Rape? These monsters endorsed rape. This elderly man had to be one of them too. I pulled away and he let me go. He stood there, trying to look as nonthreatening as possible. Maybe he wasn't a threat right now, but he was still dangerous.

I took a few steps back and felt lightheaded. I felt my forehead and frowned that I was feeling feverish again.

"Please, get out. I want to be alone. My fever is coming back up and I need a bath to cool down. Please." The elderly man nodded and I could hear him telling Donovan to let me rest; that he'd put me through enough as it was.

I walked back to the bathroom, shivering a little. With the water filling the tub, I undressed again and sank into the chilly water. I closed my eyes and willed my body to stop shaking. I was about to turn the water off, when someone did it for me.

My eyes flew open and I knew it was Donovan. It was my first good look at him. My, he was tall and imposing. Black hair hung around his shoulders and his black eyes were staring into mine. He knelt down and dipped the washcloth into the water.

"If you lean forward, I'll wash your back for you." Dear lord, his voice was all deep and rumbling. I shook my head, wrapping my arms around my chest. His eyes followed the movement, and I blushed. He poured some body wash onto the cloth and looked at me as though he would kneel there all night until I complied.

"If I do, will you get out of here immediately after?" His lips twitched, as though there was a joke I didn't get.

"After I wash your back, if you still want me to go, I will." I rolled my eyes and sat upright, leaning forward a bit. He was gentle, massaging my back as he went along. I was angry that it felt good. I stiffened, resolved to not enjoy it. I was only doing this so he'd get out. And he continued slowly and gently massaging my back and shoulders.

His hands worked their way down my back into the water, massaging my lower back. His fingers traced up my sides, and I shivered at the feather light touch. He dipped his hands into the water and poured it over my head lightly. I tilted my head back to keep the water out of my face. It felt nice, I finely admitted to myself. But I wasn't going to tell him that.

"If you have no objections, I'll wash your hair." I was going to tell him to get out when he started massaging the shampoo into my hair. It sent goosebumps down my back and I nearly moaned. I realized that he was actually supporting my weight now and I wondered when I'd even leaned back towards him.

He tilted my head back and started rinsing my hair. When he'd dip his hand into the water, his fingers would caress my side lightly. Each time, he became a little bolder. Fingers traced over my belly, against the side of my breast. His hand grazed my nipple. I wanted to tell him to stop it, but I was tired and he was the only thing holding me up.

"You're about to fall asleep, aren't you?" I blinked my eyes open and looked up at him, not even remembering the last few minutes. I nodded and gasped as he easily picked me up. He sat me on a cushioned stool and dried me off. I struggled against the idea of letting him take care of me, but I was too tired. Part of me was screaming that he'd be angrier when I rejected him and that he'd stolen my life, but some dark little spot was happy to be taken care of, the part that had been hurt ever since I'd seen my ex and best friend together.

He carried me into the bedroom and tucked me into the bed. I was drifting into sleep as I heard him take off his clothes and climb into bed. As he pulled me into his arms, I couldn't remember having felt so safe, but my brain was screaming that it was all a lie.