Howling at the Moon

"Though you can't change yet, your senses are all enhanced—"

"That explains a lot," she muttered.

"It'll make you a better tracker. You remember what he smells like don't you?"

She grabbed her ruined clothes from the back seat and sniffed them.

"I do now," she growled.

"Search the woods; see if you can find anything."

"And if I get lost?" the idea clearly made her nervous.

"I'll find you,"

They stopped at the Nature preserve and ate the steak sandwiches John had put in a picnic basket for lunch. They went to an area out of sight, where he handed her a knife and tucked a gun into her waistband.

"It's loaded with silver rounds. If you find him, don't hesitate. The pack has made its decision. He has to die."

Sadie frowned.

"Aren't hand guns illegal in Canada?"

"Don't tell anybody," he said with a wolfish grin, and then he began to strip off his clothes.

Sadie's mouth watered as every inch of muscled flesh was revealed, and with a growl, she tackled him before he could transform, the hormone storm knocking the breath from her. They made love on the ground with the sounds of the forest all around them, and it took all of her strength not to fall asleep afterward.

Catching his breath, John withdrew and rose off of her, kissing her slowly, sweetly, and then with a friendly salute, he shrank, feathers sprouting from his skin, until what stood before her was not a sated man but a common barn owl.

Rest a while before you begin your search,he told her.

Sadie rested for all of ten minutes, before she dressed, tucked the knife in her boot and the gun in her pants, and began to roam the woods. The forest air was invigorating, and she found herself moving deeper in, fascinated by scents and sounds she'd never noticed before: the chirp of crickets, the mating calls of birds, the hum of bees, and the twitter of chipmunks. The scents of pine and maple filled her senses, but she wasn't there for a sensory overload. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on the scent of Jason Void: blood, rotting human flesh, cheap cologne, and BO.

It was very faint, but a few miles in, as dusk set in, she caught a whisper of that scent.

Baring her teeth, she followed it, realizing she was lost in the forest and operating entirely on instinct.

Another mile in and she saw the flicker of a campfire and the stench of rotting flesh.

She came upon a clearing and there was Void, naked, nibbling on what looked like a human calf, complete with foot attached.

Sadie had to bite back the bile.

Jason paused, his mouth full, sniffed the air, and twitched like an itchy dog.

"Nice coat!" he said. "Hungry?"

He wasn't much to look at, Sadie thought.

He was about her age, skinny, pale, with skull trimmed hair, and pathetically endowed... though she supposed a generous heart would blame that on the cold. Had he been sane, Void would be no match for John, but what Jason lacked in strength he clearly made up for in madness.

"No thanks," she said, realizing that for the first time in two days, she wasn't.

He shook his head quickly.

"It's a shame, really. There's something absolutely delicious about human flesh; the sheer decadence of eating the forbidden after a fresh kill!"

Sadie stared at his head, frowning.

Jason twitched even further.

"What are you doing?" he asked, bending to the human leg to take another bite.

"Trying to read your mind,"

He looked up, his mouth bloody.

"Why would you be able to do that?" he asked. "Whose mind can you read?"

He rose and sniffed at her when she didn't answer.

"Parris's, right?"

"How can you tell?"

Jason grimaced in disgust.

"His scent's all over you! You know, I'm glad I didn't finish you off!"

He smiled cruelly, and moved so quickly she could only blink. Without thinking, she yanked the gun out of her pants. He was suddenly in front of her and she held the barrel of the gun pressed to his chest.

"You'll make an excellent hostage!"

He moved forward, and Sadie pressed the barrel more firmly to his chest as she found the safety and disengaged it.

"I'll be nothing to you if I pull the trigger," she said.

"You won't,"

"And why is that?"

"You're curious,"

Sadie thought for a moment, and began to lower the gun, but as he made a grab for it, her hands moved down, shooting him in the foot.

The kickback sent her reeling even as Void fell away from her. She smelled his blood and felt a rush as tears streamed down his cheeks.

"What the fuck did you do that for?!" he screamed.

Sadie pocketed the gun.

"You were going to take me as a hostage!"

"Yeah, but you didn't have to shoot me!"

She had to resist the urge to laugh.

"The pack wants you dead. John wanted me to shoot you on site, but you're right, I AM curious,"

She moved to the other side of the fire and sat.

"Now why wouldImake such a good hostage?" she asked him.

Void glared at her, his teeth gritting in pain from his wound.

"Why the hell should I tell you? You're going to kill me anyway!"

Sadie shrugged and tried for nonchalance.

"The way I think it, you can die fast... or slow. The choice is yours."

Jason laughed a wild, howling laugh.

"You know, you and Parris make a great couple. You're just as cold as he is!"

"We're not a couple,"

Jason twitched, and crawled to the leg he'd been eating. He pulled it into his lap even as his eyes narrowed on her face.

"You don't know, do you?"

"What?"

"The reason you can read his mind, and only his, is because like it or not, you're his mate!"

Sadie's mind froze, trying to wrap her head around it.

"What the hell do you mean, mate?"

Jason grinned, enjoying her discomfort.

"It's a mystery of werewolf-ness I never fully understood. Females know immediately who their intended are by the fact that they can read the mind of the male. Does Parris know you can read him? He does, doesn't he?" he said, reading her expression.

"What's that to you?"

Jason smiled.

"If he knows it, then he'll do anything to protect you. He might even let me go," as he spoke his twitches became more pronounced.

Sadie raised the gun.

"He might, but I won't," she said, her grip tightening.

Jason frowned, his mouth full.

"What the hell do you have against me? Hell if I didn't know any better, I'd think you actuallylikedme."

She did, a little, but that didn't change what he was.

"How many people have you killed?"

Jason's expression became one of pride.

"Five!" he said, puffing out his chest.

"And you tried to kill me, and in the process turned me into a fucking werewolf!"

"You say that like it's a bad thing!"

Ya think?Sadie thought irritably.

"Tell me, were you born this way or did somebody turn you?"

Jason's chest puffed out even further.

"I was born this way!" he said proudly, and then his face fell. "My parents were killed by overzealous humans."

"So you have no idea what I've been going through. The urges, the pain, the crazy appetite,"

Jason shook his head.

"Nope!"

"And I'll bet transforming for the first time is gonna hurt like a bitch. You ruined my life, Void!" she said, feeling tears in her eyes, and hating herself for it.

Jason laughed.

"I don't care! And to answer your next question: the first people I killed killed my parents. I got a taste for human flesh that night, and I've been an addict ever since," he laughed again, but this laugh was tinged with bitterness. "I hate your filthy stinking race, and I don't regret a single thing I've done to hurt you!"

Sadie raised the gun as Jason moved into a crouch.

"You've answered all my questions, then," she said, letting the anger pour through her. She raised the gun, when the hoot of an owl distracted her.

She looked up for a split second, but that was all Jason needed. With a snarl, he transformed and leapt forward, knocking the gun from her hand.

He was at her throat again, sensing the blood pumping beneath her skin. Adrenaline flowed through him at the prospect of a fresh kill. It didn't matter that she wasn't human anymore. The thrill of battle flowed through him even as a blow from her fist sent him reeling. She was much stronger now, and while she couldn't take wolf form yet, she gave good as she got.

They fought, fists and paws flying even as the owl landed and transformed into a wolf.

He recognized Parris immediately.

He should have known the son of a bitch was a chimera.

Jason howled as Sadie's fingers dug into his wounded paw, still burning from the silver.

With a snarl, he clawed and nipped at her through her ridiculous red coat and then moved behind her before she could grab the gun.

Transforming back into human form, he managed to lock an arm around her throat.

"Let me go, Parris!" he said to the snarling wolf, squeezing on her neck even as she struggled. "Or I'll snap her neck!"

It wouldn't kill her, but the woman didn't know that. Her struggles increased, so he tightened his grip on her throat. He was twitchy like the animal he became, but that was the price you paid for staying in wolf form as long as he did.

On top of him, the female's struggles ceased, and Parris slowly stepped back.

Good boy,he thought.

Then he saw what seemed to be an exchange between Parris and his female, but before he could snap her neck he felt the sting of silver blade jamming into him and the flesh below. He screamed even as the female twisted the blade, cracking his ribs.

With a howl, he fell back and stared at the knife protruding from his ribs. His blood was all over the place, and in that moment, he realized he had nothing to lose. These were probably going to be the last moments of his life and he'd better make them count!

With a scream of pain he wrenched the knife from his flesh and forced himself to his feet.

Parris was in human form now, and he had the gun.

Jason lunged for Parris' throat, knife drawn as Parris handed the gun to his mate.

He heard the gunshot even as the blade nicked Parris in the neck.

On his one good foot, Jason straightened and looked down.

In the middle of his chest was massive gaping hole.

He glared at the female's face, now numb with shock.

"You bitch!" he screamed and then—

***

Parris pulled the gun from Sadie's now still hands.

On her face was of numb shock.

She'd been crying, he realized, noting the redness around her eyes.

But she wasn't upset now.

She simply stared down at the body, her expression blank.

She was shivering, he realized, and with tender concern, he brought her closer to the campfire, sat down with her, and rubbed her arms to warm her.

"I'm fine," she said after a minute, trying to shrug him off.

Instead, he pulled her closer.

"You're not," he said stubbornly.

"And you're cold," she said, staring at his naked skin.

"I'm fine," he said, using her words.

Sadie looked around.

"It's dark, and I don't want to spend the night out here," she said getting to her feet. With shaking hands she picked up the knife and pocketed the gun. "What do we do with Void?"

"I'll send someone to pick up the body. He'll be buried in the next couple of days,"

"But you'll leave the remains of the victim for the police," she said, reading his mind. "Are you sure you're not cold?"

She started to strip off her jacket.

He was touched by the gesture, considering the state she was in.

"Leave it," he told her. "My wolf pelt is pretty warm,"

He put out the fire and transformed.

She was silent as he led her out of the woods. Even more so as he dressed and made the call to his agents.

As they drove back to his cottage, she dove into the remaining sandwiches in his picnic basket, pausing only to hand him one. She said not a word, and he wondered now if it was a mistake to let her execute Jason.

"It wasn't a mistake," she said as they pulled into his driveway. "I wanted to do it. It had to be done."

They emptied the car in silence.

In his cottage Sadie, hung up her coat, put her bag in his room and went in the kitchen.

He heard the pop of the cork, and the sound of sizzling steak.

He was going to put his weapons away when he heard a sniffle.

He was there in a heartbeat.

She stood bent over the counter, her hair shielding her face from view.

"Sadie?" he asked, hearing the first heartrending sob break free. He stepped forward, intending to put his arms around her, but her hand shot out, stopping him in his tracks.

"Get the fuck away from me!" she screamed.

John stepped back, watching her pour a glass of white wine with shaking hands and down it in a few gulps.

"I don't understand it!" she gasped. "It needed to be done. He had to die, so why do I feel like shit?!"

Tears slid down her cheeks as she spoke, and she wiped them away with her sleeve.

"Because you're not a stone cold bastard, like me," he said at last.

"And yet, you still think that I'm your mate. Why didn't you tell me?"

He was taken aback by that.

How did she know?

"Jason told me right before you got there," she said.

"I don't think it, Iknowit. Rolf knows it too. That's why the drugs won't work. That's why the love bite on your neck won't heal,"

"Why didn't you tell me?"

John shrugged.

"I didn't want you to think I was some kind of crazy kidnapper,"

"And what exactly does being mates mean?"

John took a deep breath for though she now seemed serene, he had a feeling it was the calm before the storm.

"It means we're the most compatible for children, physically and mentally. As for the rest, it's really up to us."

Even as he spoke he sensed her anger, her grief, and her self-hatred transform into something else. Her eyes darkened, and with a flick of her wrist she turned off the stove.

She stared into his eyes, trying to read as much of him as she could. In that instant, he dropped his mental barriers, laying himself bare to the woman before him.

He saw tears in her eyes, and his gut clenched.

She wiped the tears away with an impatient hand, and her pheromones filled the air.

"I can't guarantee I'll be here after tomorrow, but I will give you tonight," she said at last.

Sadie held out her hand. John stared down at it, and then came to a decision, knocked her hand away and swept her up into his arms.

She turned her face into his neck and inhaled deeply, nuzzling his throat with her lips. They were incredibly soft, and remembering her taste, he nudged her until their lips met, long, slow and deep.

They were still kissing as he set her on her feet and it was with great reluctance that he freed her lips.

He lit a candle, and then the fire, so that she was bathed in the soft light. When he rose, he saw her staring at the bed.

"When did you have the new restraints put in?"

"While we were out," he replied. He looked into her eyes, wishing for one moment that he knew her thoughts. "Do you trust me?"

Her pheromones got even stronger. Whether it was because of arousal or the impending change, he didn't know.

She tilted her head back, her dark eyes boring into his, and he had his answer.

"I do,"

It was as close as to a declaration of love as he was going to get for the moment, so with a slow hand, he undressed her. He couldn't help but marvel at the softness of her skin or how it glowed in the firelight. Though he barely touched her, every muscle was tensed, as though she were already on the brink.

"Lie down," he commanded.

He saw rebellion in her eyes, but she lay down on the bed.

With gentle fingers he raised one arm, and then the other, and secured them above her head.

"Why tie me down?" she asked him as he reached for the ankle restraints beneath the mattress.

"If all I have is tonight, then I need to know that for this night, you are truly mine. I need to know that tonight, I am your whole world, and that by the end of tonight, you'll scream my name and know who you belong to,"

"I belong to no one!" she snarled, and then gasped as he secured first one leg, and then the other, leaving her spread eagled and at his mercy.

"You're wrong," he chided softly, unbuttoning his shirt and throwing his T-shirt aside. Her eyes darkened even further, and she nervously wet her lips. "Wolves don't choose who they mate. It just happens. Like it or not, Sadie, you are mine!"

Her gut clenched at his words, and then the scent of her arousal got even stronger.

Whether she liked it or not, despite all her all her pride and defiance, she liked being at his mercy. One look between her thighs confirmed it. She was already glistening for him.

But she wouldn't come yet, not if he had anything to say about it.

He unbuckled his belt and slid his jeans off his hips. He was hard. He'd been hard since he'd scented her need on the air. Wanting to keep her off balance, he blocked his thoughts, wanting nothing to obscure what he did to her.

John slid his fingers over her lips, and hers parted on a gasp, but he didn't stop there. He slid them down, over the pulse in her throat, and down over her collarbone. As he reached the top of her breast, she arched as though she wanted him to touch her nipple, but rather than telling him what she wanted she turned her head, her teeth sinking into her lower lip.

He slid his fingers over her tensed stomach, reaching the top of her pussy, before skirting to the side and tracing the tattoo at her hip.

"This has to be the sexiest thing I've ever seen," he said softly, before sliding his fingers over clit. Sadie reared up, as though she were about to come, but he cooled her down with a swift slap to side of her ass.

"Ouch!" she shrieked, her eyes snapping open to glare it at him with a combination of outrage and frustration.

"You were about to come," he told. "As long as you're restrained and in my bed, you only come when I say so,"

"Fuck you!" she hissed, but when he slapped her again, she moaned, straining against the chains.

"I will; but in my time and in my way!"

He stared at her body, trembling in the firelight, and reached for the candle.

"Look at me," he commanded softly. Her eyes snapped open, and with his eyes on her, he tipped the candle.

Hot wax dripped onto her nipple, puckering it instantly. Her back arched on a gasp as he poured the wax onto her other nipple.

Before the wax could cool, he pressed it into her nipple with his fingers, letting her feel the burn. His teeth sank into her neck over his mark, wanting to re-stake his claim.

She moaned as she tilted her head to the side, offering herself.

John couldn't help but roar with triumph.

Wanting, craving more of her, he worked his way down, nipping at her collarbone, and kissing his way across her chest. When he got to her nipple, he peeled the wax away and licked each tip, before blowing across it, cooling her. Her nipples puckered even further as he worked his way down, kissing his way over her belly before sliding his head between her thighs.

He spread her lips open and slid his tongue insider her pussy where her taste, her scent was the strongest. For a moment he was lost in her, and then he licked upward, putting his tongue directly on her clit. She moaned and he heard the chains rattle as she fought them.

John suckled her clit, working her until her thighs tensed and she was on the brink, before pulling away and let her cool down. Then he bent and sucked her clit. Her muscles tensed as she got even wetter against his mouth. She was close again, and he slapped the side of her ass, a silent reminder that she was not to come without his say so.

She whimpered as he pulled away, kissing his way up over her stomach, pausing to suckle a breast, before parting her lips with his own. He kissed her long and slow and deep, nipping her with his teeth, before coaxing her tongue into a lazy dance with his own. He could kiss her forever, but he wanted, needed more, and with that thought, he reached into the nightstand.