Werewolf Queen

"It's a bad one." Dad said as he looked up at the clouds.

"This is all we'll get. It's all we ever do." I told him as he drove to our house.

Thunder boomed over head as we made it inside the door.

Derek

"So you like that girl?" Solomon asked me.

"She's cute." I answered.

"Don't fuck this up Derek, I'm tired of moving." He said and got out of my truck.

Maribel made an appearance at the screen door. She opened it for Solomon and slammed it shut after him. I had pissed her off by taking Solomon to Hobart just to get out of the house. Solomon wasn't really my brother. He only acted the part. It was easier than coming up with a lie of how we met. Maribel played the part of big sister to the both of us. None of us were actually related by blood and no one ever questioned why we didn't look alike. We had a lie for that. Different mothers. Our legal last name was Tillman but none of us started out that way. We had to hide what we were. I figured Lone Wolf was small enough that we could still get social interaction and not be ousted if we were careful enough. And I just like the irony of Lone Wolf. We were werewolves. We were constantly hunted by people who knew we existed; a secret society that called themselves The Enlightened. People that said they were sent by god to purge the earth from unholy beings. Werewolves, vampires, elves, dwarves, trolls, pretty much anything that wasn't human but had a human body.

I decided I didn't want to stay around and get yelled at so I went back to town. Rumors was already closed and I could smell Jade's scent even through the heavy rain. I wanted to follow it for some reason. She smelled like vanilla to me. It was a musky scent of perfume but actually her scent. It made my mouth water.

I drove to the small park in the middle of town and just sat there as the little hail pattered on my roof. I killed the engine and just lay across the seat listening.

It was different from Seattle. I never would have chosen Oklahoma as my home but now that we were here I realized how much open space there was. You could see what they considered mountains a couple of miles away. Miles upon miles of open land to run upon.

I heard something tap on my window and I sat up. Jade was standing there with an umbrella but still dripping wet. I unlocked the passenger side and she got in.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

I noticed her father's truck parked next to mine. "Yeah I'm great, what are you doing back out in this?"

"I forgot paperwork that I have to fill out. Damn taxes."

"Kind of late to be doing taxes isn't it?"

"I have until the 15th." She answered.

"True. I just figured you were the type of person that would get stuff done immediately."

"Everything but taxes." She smiled at me. Just a small curl of her lip. "What else have you figured out about me?"

"You're caring but you act like you don't care."

"How is that?"

"You just seem that type." I told her.

"I see. I figured you for a chauvinistic pig honestly."

"Why is that?"

"Girl on the side of the road, you offer her a ride and a tow and then offer to fix her car for free? Surely you must be trying to get into her pants. But I was wrong."

"And why do you say that?" I asked truly curious.

"You never made a move towards Nikki."

"I don't find her attractive." I answered honestly.

"But the fact is pigs usually prey on other women too. You didn't do anything to Jessie or Nikki. So I must be wrong or else I'm wrong about being wrong."

This woman amazed me for some reason. I couldn't figure out why for the life of me.

"Well I guess I better be getting home." She said and huffed. Her vanilla scent swirled around me.

"Don't like being at home?" I asked.

"I do, but it's been 5 years. I'm tired of seeing him mourn. I know he loved my mom more than anything else in this world but it's time to move one. Don't get me wrong I miss her everyday but I'm tired of being strong for him. I know it hurts him to look at me because I look just like her, but I can't leave him alone." She said.

I felt bad for her. My parents abandoned me when I was a baby. I was raised in an orphanage. But this girl knew her parents and lost one of them.

"I said too much." She said and went to open the door.

I put my hand on hers that still remained on the seat. She stopped for just a second and glanced up at me.

"I'd like to see you again." I told her. I could hear her heart thundering as soon as my hand touched hers.

"You have a cell phone?" She said.

"Yeah." I answered and pulled it from the cubby hole in the dash board. She took it from me and did something and handed it back. She got out of the truck and I watched her head to her own.

I looked down at the phone and her name and phone number was in there. I noticed a new icon on the top of the screen. It was an alarm clock. I didn't have an alarm set. I went to the app and it was set for 4 p.m. with the note "Meet Jade at Rumors."

Damn that girl could type fast. I watched her pull out and speed down the small dirt road that led back to the paved street. She smelled even better in the rain.

I finally went home after the storm petered out. Maribel and Solomon had long since gone to bed. I went to shower first before I went to my bedroom. I threw on my usual bed clothes, a t shirt and shorts. The alarm clock in the room read just after 11pm. It was still hours before I could see her again. I tried to close my eyes but sleep wouldn't come. It hardly ever did anymore but tonight was for different reasons. I closed my eyes and saw her blue eyes. Or were they green? I distinctly remembered both colors. I rolled over and sighed and stared at the wall. It was going to be a long night. Why did this certain girl affect me? I must have met hundreds of girls but I couldn't remember one ever sticking out like she did.

I heard something odd. I sat up and listened. From town I could hear yelling. Being a werewolf I could hear more than normal humans. I could hear about a mile away on a good day. I got up and opened the window. It was her voice. She was screaming at a man but it wasn't her father. I couldn't make out what they were saying but just the tone. I climbed through my window and my feet hit the ground with barely a sound.

I started running toward the town. The house I was looking for was right on the edge of town. No wonder I could hear them. I squatted in the tall grass across the street. They wouldn't be able to see me anyways. There was neither moon nor a street light there but I could see them clear as day.

"I told you Shaun if you hit her again I would kick your fucking ass!" Jade screamed.

"Jade don't!" Nikki yelled.

"Get in the fucking truck Nikki." Jade said without turning to her.

"I'd love to see you kick my ass little girl." The man said and walked forward. He was large for a human. It made me wonder what Nikki was scared for. Was she scared for the man or Jade?

"Get in the house Nikki." The man said.

"Nikki get in the truck." Jade said. Nikki turned toward the truck and I saw the shiner on her left eye. It pissed me off.

"I will drag your ass back in the house Nikki." The man called out.

"You touch her you're a dead man." Jade said quietly.

"Come at me then."

"You know me by now; I don't ever take the first hit."

"Alright then." He said and swung.

Jade ducked under the fist and she swept his legs out from underneath him. He landed hard on his back. I smiled. This was one woman I never had to worry about.

"How many times have we had to do this Shaun? I always kick your ass and you go moping to Richard."

"Yeah and the bitch always comes back." Shaun muttered.

Jade put her knee on his groin and put her face close to his. "For some unfathomable reason that I can't comprehend, Nikki loves you. If you had half a mind you would treat her like queen of the universe. Instead you choose to act like a white trash fucking asshole and I have to put you in your place every fucking week." She ground her knee in before she got up. She turned her back on him and went for her truck.

Shaun got up quicker than I thought possible for a man who just got racked. I looked toward the truck and Nikki was leaned against the window passed out. I could smell the liquor from here. I looked back at the large man walking quickly yet quietly closer to Jade. He then raised his arm up and I saw silver glint from porch light shining on it.

I ran faster than I thought possible. One second I was in the tall grass, the next he was on the ground howling in pain. His wrist had snapped and I kicked the gun away from him. Jade turned and stared in shock. She went over to the gun and pulled out the clip.

"You were going to fucking shoot me in the back?" She said.

Red and blue lights came on down the street and pulled up behind the truck. A tall skinny man stepped out not even wearing a uniform.

"Get off the ground Shaun." He said pitifully. "I'll take you to the hospital. Then you're going to Kiowa County."

"You're not taking me to jail." Shaun said sternly.

"You pulled a gun on Miss Woods here and if weren't for Mr. Tillman I think you would have shot her. You're going to jail for having a gun while you're a felon and assault. I watched you swing first. Miss Woods was defending herself."

I figured this man was Daniel. She had said Richard was fat so that couldn't be him.

"That's not true!" Shaun tried to say.

"Oh go to hell already!" Jade yelled.

"Miss Woods, please get my niece to your house. Mr. Tillman could you please help her?"

"Yes." I said.

Daniel put Shaun in the back of the patrol car and slammed the door.

"I'll have a few questions for the both of you tomorrow. Jade can I meet you at your restaurant? Have to file a report. If he weren't Richard's brother his ass would have been already run out of town."

"Yes and thanks Daniel. How did you know what happened?"

He just smiled and got into his car. My heart was pounding. Did he see me move that fast? We just moved in, I didn't want to leave already. Maybe I could say it was adrenaline. People could do extraordinary things during an adrenaline rush.

Jade

I don't know how he got there so fast but I was thankful that he got there. Would Shaun have really shot me? I don't know. He slid to the center seat so he didn't wake up Nikki by opening the door. I followed beside him and closed the door once I was in. It was cramped and my heart raced. Was it fear of having a gun drawn on me or was it because Derek sat next to me?

Unfortunately my dad's truck was a small little S-10, just enough for what he needed to do. I hated it usually because it was so small but for some reason in this moment I loved it. Derek didn't have much room and his leg had no choice but to lean against mine. It was hard to drive this way but hey, I'd had worse.

We drove in silence to the few blocks to my house. The thing about Lone Wolf is you could take ten wrong turns and still be a block from where you needed to be. It was maybe a half mile all together.

When I pulled into my driveway I reluctantly got out of the truck. I went over to the passenger side but Derek grabbed Nikki before I could. He lifted her in his arms like she weighed nothing. I went and opened my front door for him and I let him follow me to my room. He put her on my bed and I pulled off her shoes. She stirred a little and then stopped.

He followed me back out to the living room and paused at a picture. It was a family picture of my dad, my mom and I when I was around 10. For some reason his eyes had widened just a little.

"Would you like to stay for a minute or two?" I asked quietly. I could hear my dad snoring from his room.

"Sure." He said.

"Drink?" I asked.

"Water is fine." He answered quietly.

He followed me to the kitchen and I pulled out two glasses and filled them with ice and water. I handed him one.

"Does that happen very often?" He asked.

"Once a week. That's a first with the gun." I told him and sat down at the island in the middle of the kitchen. He sat down next to me. "Thank you." I said.

"For what?" He asked.

"Not letting him shoot me. I don't think he would have but while he's like that I really don't know."

"You're not going to ask why I was there?" He asked.

"It's none of my business. I know big city people like late night strolls. It's quiet during that time. All that matters is that I don't have a bullet through my skull."

He took a drink of water and sat it down. I looked up at him and he was just staring at the wall, a crease between his eyes. He was thinking hard about something.

"When you're ready I'll take you home." I told him.

I was surprised that he did show up at just the right time and seemingly from nowhere. He saved my life so I didn't ask questions. The thing was I hoped he wasn't ready any time soon.

We sat on the couch and watched the only thing that was on this late. The Weather Channel. We had another storm coming in and it was going to hit soon. I could hear the thunder in the distance. It was just a scattered thunderstorm. The line that hit earlier was already passed Oklahoma City.

"Where is your bathroom?" He asked after a while of silence.

"Oh, down the hall right next to my room. Blue door, can't miss it." I told him.

He got up and I watched his ass until he disappeared into the darkness of the hallway.

I moved closer to the center of the couch. I could feel the blush on my cheeks like sunburn. I was acting like a preteen with a crush but hey, I couldn't stand the men my age in the town so here was a new one that seemed interested in me so I was going to give it a shot.

I heard water running for a minute and then he came back out.

"You okay?" I asked.

"Yeah, just felt dirty after touching that guy."

"I know what you mean. There is just something about him that just isn't right."

To my happiness he either didn't notice I moved the few inches or he wanted sit right next to me too. We sat and watched the radar with the country music in the background. It was either that or infomercials and I hated those.

I leaned forward for the remote on the coffee table to turn the volume down after I noticed my dad stopped snoring. He walked out of his room and went to the kitchen. I heard him fill a glass full of water and then went back to his room.

"Nikki okay?" He asked.

"Yeah, she's in my room sleeping it off."

"Okay." He said and shut the door. "Oh." He said and opened the door again. "No hanky panky in the living room."

"Dad!" I said in embarrassment.

He just smiled and closed the door again.

"I am so sorry about that." I said. My face must have to beat red like it did when I was truly embarrassed. I couldn't even bear to look his way.

"It's fine."

"Wait." I just realized something. My dad usually got mad if a guy was over after ten. It was now close to one in the morning. "Never mind." I said and just shook it off. I leaned back and notice he had moved his arm over the back of the couch. His eyes stayed focused on the television. He thought he was being smooth. I just smiled internally.

"Fuck it, this is awkward." I said. "Do you like me?"

"Yes." He said.

"Okay." I said and moved closer to him. He put his arm around me and I put my head on his shoulder. "Still awkward as fuck but we're getting somewhere."

He chuckled. "I like the way you think. Most girls go through a week of the awkwardness before they make a move."

"What's the point in it?" I asked. My heart was pounding. "It's a week wasted getting to know each other."

"That is true."

Thunder boomed overhead and rattled the windows. I could hear hail hitting the roof. I got up and went to the front door.

"Aren't you supposed to stay away from windows?" He asked.

"Remember, I'm an Okie, storms don't scare us so easily. Now give us an earthquake like we had last year and we're freaking out."

"Earthquake?" He asked

"5.6" I answered. "Small compared to those on the west coast but we don't get them here. We do, but they're so tiny they can't be felt by humans."

"I think I recall that on the news." He said and came up behind me. He put his arms around me and I leaned against him. It felt right. I just met him a couple of hours ago but for some reason in his arms I felt like nothing in the world could harm me. That all my problems went away. It was comforting.

Derek

I stood there holding her. The feel of her in my arms just felt right. I've heard stories of soul mates but this was just ridiculous. I didn't want to leave her side. We watched the lightning illuminate the house across the street and I swore I saw Solomon. Another flash and he wasn't there. With her there and the rain I couldn't smell him. Maybe I was just seeing things.

She led me back to the couch and she sat in the crook of my arm. She laid her head on my shoulder once more. Her heart sped up yet again. I listened to it slowly calm down and she relaxed against me. Her breathing slowed and I realized she had fallen asleep. I leaned my head against hers and closed my eyes. Before I knew it I was woken up by the smell of coffee. My arm was asleep and I realized we were laying down on the couch. She was in front of me, my arm draped over her. I didn't want to move but my arm was in agony and she was on it. I moved gently to get up but she rolled over and scooted down a little. Her forehead against my chest. At least my arm was getting circulation. It was a large couch and we fit on it easily but it was small enough we couldn't sleep on our backs.

Jade put her arm over me and murmured in her sleep. I caught the scent of her father in the kitchen. I heard a small clink of coffee cups then his footsteps coming towards the living room. I closed my eyes and feigned sleep. I would save this awkward moment for later.

I felt him shake my arm. I opened my eyes and his brown ones looked softly into mine.

"Nikki is in my room, why don't you two go to hers. I've got a couple fishing buddies coming over; we're waiting on the rain to stop. She's a crank when she's gets woken up."

"So you're not mad?"

"If she were under 18 I would have, but she's almost 24 and she's been lonely for a long time. About time she showed interest in a guy." He said quietly.

Someone knocked on the door and I got up as carefully as I could. I picked her up and carried her to her room and put her on the bed. I took her shoes off before I took mine off and climbed beside her. There was room now. I covered us up and I watched her sleep. She looked so young like most people did sleeping. I realized when she was awake that she looked tired. No physically tired but mentally.

My eyes darted around the room. I noticed a large prescription pill bottle on the dresser. It was a 3 month supply of something. I got up and decided to be nosy. The bottle was Amitriptyline. It was an anti-depressant and also helped people sleep. I looked over at the woman and realized she was more troubled than she let on or an insomniac...maybe she suffered from migraines. The medicine was for all three. I bet only Nikki knew she was on the medicine and probably her father.

I put the bottle back down and went back beside her. Her brows creased in her sleep. She was dreaming.

"Damn car." She muttered and rolled onto her back.

She had a sailor's mouth but I appreciated it more. I hated people that censored themselves. I laid on my side next to her and put my arm over her. The side of my arm brushed across her breasts and I stopped. What am I doing? I just met the woman yesterday on the side of the road and now I didn't want to leave her side. I had felt empty for years. There were stories about finding a mate between werewolves, but she was human. She wouldn't change with the full moon.

I heard soft laughter coming from the kitchen, Mr. Woods's friends. I heard my name from someone's mouth.