Werewolf Queen

"His name is Derek Tillman. He has a brother and sister. They all checked out. Their records are clean. Not even a parking ticket or citation." It was Daniel the sheriff.

"Well that's good at least." Her father said.

"Jim you just let him sleep in the same bed as her?"

"You know how she got after Maria died. She didn't even look at a guy. And I watched them all night. He's gentle with her. The biggest thing he did was put his arm around her. He was a nervous wreck it seemed like."

"Jim, the boy saved her life last night." Daniel said.

"What do you mean?"

"Shaun somehow got a gun. She was walking away about to bring Nikki over. He aimed at her. I even saw his finger twitching on the trigger. I was just about to pull up and this boy appears out of nowhere. One second he's not there the next he is. He ended up shattering Shaun's wrist."

"That motherfucker pointed a gun at my daughter?" Jim said and I heard the chair scrape across the floor.

"Don't worry, he's not coming back. I made sure that he was going in for a long time."

"How long is long?"

"15 years. I've got so much stuff on him he could have gotten a life sentence."

My mind eased. The dick head was gone for a while. 15 years wasn't a long time for my kind but for humans it was. Werewolves lived a very long time. I was 24 when I was bit and have been 24 ever since. That was back in 1908. In human standards I was 129 years old. But being 24 I had to act like one. It was hard to at times. I had to be careful of my words or someone would figure it out. Some things were hard to break.

Solomon was 20 when he changed but he was closer to 110. Maribel was 29 and was 60. She was the "older" sister because she looked older. But werewolves never traveled in packs. We were solitary creatures unless we manage to find our true mate. What the three of us did was considered different. I only have run across a pack once in my life. There were five of them. They were slaughtered by The Enlightened for doing nothing but existing. I understood the need for them at times. Some rogues killed humans on a daily basis, but my "pack" was peaceful. We enjoyed a deer now and again but we never have attacked humans.

Solomon didn't really have problems in sunlight. He just didn't like being around humans. They were too frail, too easily killed and if one of us got mad enough we changed, full moon or not. Changes made out of strong emotions are always bad ones. They were blanks. It was the primal beast that came out instead of the human within.

Jade rolled over and faced towards me. "You stayed." She whispered.

"I can go." I whispered back.

She shook her head no once and scooted closer to me. "I don't know why but I feel safe with you." She said into my chest. "It's crazy but I feel like I know you."

"But what if I am a pig?" I asked with a smile going back to our previous conversation.

"Well I guess I'd have to fight off every girl that came near." She answered.

"What if I'm no good for you?"

"I think I'll make that decision myself." She said and went right back to sleep.

She closed the distance between our bodies and put her arm over my hip. I guess I went back to sleep because the next thing I know is my phone was ringing and the sun was shining through the curtains.I grabbed the phone and it was Maribel. I sighed and pressed ignore. I noticed that Jade wasn't in the bed. Nikki's acrid alcohol scent was gone along with the men.

I got up and heard the shower. A note was on the mirror by the door.

Please don't leave -J

The shower shut off and I laid back on the bed. I watched her come in the room in just a robe. She didn't even glance at me. She probably thought I was still asleep. I sat up and she startled. I could hear her heart racing. She did think I was sleeping.

"I'll be right back." She said and grabbed some clothes from her closet. I got up and went behind her as she was getting a sundress from its hanger. I wrapped my arms around her and she stiffened for just a second and then relaxed.

"I don't know why but I want to stay by your side. You tell me to stay and I'll stay. My family is going to get really mad about this." I chuckled.

"Would it make you mad if I said I didn't care?" She asked.

"No because I feel the same way." I told her.

"Good." She said and turned around. Her lips met mine and I held her tightly against me. I caressed her lip with the tip of my tongue and she opened her mouth for me. She tasted like spearmint toothpaste. She moved her hands up my shirt and she pushed me to her bed. She broke the kiss and went to the door and shut and locked it.

"What about your father?" I asked.

"He won't be back until late tonight. It's prime fishing after the rain." She said and came back to me. She pulled off my shirt and her eyes widened. I could see something devious behind them.

She pushed me back and I smiled at her. She straddled my hips but made sure to tuck the robe underneath her to make a barrier between her and me. It was clear that she didn't want sex. Women that want sex don't do that. They entice the man any way possible, not that it wasn't enticing for her to be on top of me.

I concentrated hard on not letting my excitement show, if you know what I mean. Her lips were back on mine in a rough kiss. Her hands took mine and she thought she had me pinned. The woman was strong; don't get me wrong, if I were human I may have struggled a little. I caught her by surprise and flipped us to wear I was on top. I scooted us on the bed more so our feet weren't hanging off at an awkward angle. She looked in my eyes wondering what I would do next.

Her robe had come apart at her collar bone only exposing a little skin. I kissed that little spot of skin and down between her breast through the thin silk material. I stopped at the dip of her belly button and looked up at her. Her eyes we shining and a little dazed. I went back up to her and I didn't want to hide it now. I spread her legs with my knees and pressed myself against her through the jeans. I could smell her eagerness. She was just as turned on as I was.

"Jade. I need you to listen to me." I said.

"I'm listening." She whispered.

"If this turns into something long term, I want you to know, I can't give you children. You won't get a disease from me, and I'm not going to do this if you're not ready yet. We just met yesterday."

"You're right." She said and put her palm against my chest and I sat up on my knees. I just looked at her face and nothing else. She adjusted the robe and went to the edge of the bed. "I'm sorry. I don't know why I'm being like this." She seemed embarrassed.

I put my hand on her shoulder. "Don't ever be sorry for anything you do around me." I kind of felt bad now. I had embarrassed her and maybe hurt her feelings. I sighed. I wanted to tell her my secret but it was hard to trust people. Maybe she was supposed to be my mate. Maybe I could trust her. We hadn't even completely unpacked yet. If things went bad we would leave as early as dawn.

"I want to show you something tonight and if you still feel the same way about me as you do now, I'll follow you to hell and back if you wanted me to."

"But you don't even know me." She said and looked into my eyes. Hers were an odd shade of blue yet green at the same time. There was a circle of yellow surrounding the pupil. She had heterochromia.

"I'd like to." I said. I meant it. I was really starting to think she was the mate I was meant to have. Cruel as it is, she was born over 100 years after I was. Maybe I was meant to be a werewolf so I could find her. The saying goes, "Everything happens for a reason."

"Can you show me now?" She asked.

"Unfortunately I have to deal with my family. Still on at Rumors at 3?" I asked.

She glanced at the clock. It was only after 11. "Yeah." She said.

I held her face gently in my hands and kissed her soft lips before I left.

Jade

I watched him leave and my heart actually hurt. What did he want to show me? And why didn't it bother me that he said he can't have kids. Well honestly I never wanted kids of my own. I tolerated kids but I didn't like them very much. Even as a child myself, the only other one I talked to was Nikki.

I went to the mirror and grabbed my brush. I brushed the tangles out and sighed. I was definitely acting like a preteen with a crush. My phone rang on the dresser and I picked it up. The ringtone only belonged to Nikki so I didn't have to see who it was.

"What's up?" I asked.

"He's gone." I heard her voice thick with tears.

"He pulled a gun on me last night. Even though I didn't press charges Daniel did. Nikki you could do better than that piece of shit. If he comes back and you go back to him, you're on your own. I'm tired of fighting your fight."

"I know Jade, I'm sorry." She hung up.

I closed the phone and put it down. I pulled the sash off the robe and let the silk fall to the floor. I got dressed and applied a little make up. I felt alone. Was it 3 yet? I looked at the clock. Only twenty minutes had passed since he left. Ugh.

Closer to 2 I finally went to Rumors. I had a ton of paperwork to do and the dishes I had left from last night. I came in and found the door unlocked.

"Hello?" I called out and Jessie popped her head out from the area we made the office.

"Hey!" She said. "I figured you wanted some time with your new boyfriend so I came in. I'm already almost done." She said.

"You didn't have to do that." I said.

"I know. I wanted to." She smiled.

"Now what to do?" I said to myself and turned on the TV to a music channel. I grabbed the broom and swept the already clean floor. It kept my hands busy but not my mind. After I cleaned up the microscopic dirt I decided to make a picnic for Derek and I. Men like food. He likes meat so it seems. So I threw some hamburgers on the grill to take with me.

3 finally rolled by and I heard the ding of the bell. I took my apron off and washed my hands. I went out to the front room and I smiled at his smile. Jessie poked her head out again.

"Wow." She said. "You're smiling."

"You've seen me smile before." I said to her.

"Sure I've seen you smile but it's one for the customers. This is a true smile. I've never in the 6 years I've known you truly smile." She turned to Derek. "What did you do to her?"

"I'm wondering what she did to me."

"Oh I see it now." Jessie said.

"What?" Derek and I asked at the same time.

"Soul mates. It's a rare thing to come by. Most people waste their entire lives looking for that certain one and never find it. You two have found it."

"And how do you know this?" I asked.

"What was it like when you first met?" She asked

"I was pissed off at my car and thankful that he pulled over."

"Do you usually pull over for people?" She asked Derek.

"Not usually. But something just compelled me to pull over for the woman kicking her car."

"It wasn't by accident that your car just happened to die Jade right there on the same road he was travelling on at the same time."

I looked at Derek. Was she right? Was this meant to be?

"That's my cue to leave. Monday you need to mail out all the papers Jade. It's all done."

"Okay, thanks. See you tomorrow." I said.

"Yep." She replied and left.

Derek crossed the space between us and took me into his arms.

"So is your family mad?"

"Hell yes." He said. "But they can get over it."

"So what did you want to show me?" I asked. "I'm very curious and impatient."

He sighed and looked at me.

"I made a picnic for us." I said. "And if we're going to eat it before it ruins we better leave now." I said with a smile. I went to the kitchen and grabbed the large lunch box I kept for my dad when he went fishing on Sundays.

"You're spoiling me." He said and smiled. "Know a good place we could have a picnic?"

"Yes I do in fact." I answered with my own smile.

I drove to a secluded place that was surrounded with trees and the sunlight came in the right spots to make the place gorgeous. My mother showed me the place when I was little. She said it was her own area that no one ever went to. It was about a two mile hike off the road and I really wished I didn't wear a damn dress.

Derek carried the food while I carried the blankets and tarp. Yep, a tarp. It rained last night and I really didn't feel like being on a wet ass ground.

We reached the place and he helped me set everything up. Most men would have made me do it. So glad he's not most men. Were there actually people made for each other? Like some higher being made them together but yet separated them in a sick twisted game? I believed my mom and dad were soul mates. They loved like there was no other love on the planet.

When we were finally able to sit down and eat the sun was on its decent to the horizon. It was still a couple of hours before dusk but the early June bugs played their song. We ate in silence and just sat next to each other. It was the closeness I loved the most. Mom and dad showed their love with no words at all. It was a gentle caress, a look in the eyes here and there, a smile. I wanted that growing up more than anything. But growing up in Lone Wolf with the same guys you've seen through puberty just was a turn off for me. Sure I've had friends with benefits because sex is just a human thing. It was fun and it felt good. But I never had a true boyfriend.

I leaned back on my hands and he laid his head in my lap. I ran my fingers through his chestnut hair. It was softer than it looked. His grey eyes reminded me of an afternoon thunderstorm. They had hints of blue and green in them but were predominantly grey.

His skin was a light tan but he would tan more here if he spent a lot of time outside. I noticed a scar on the side of his neck that I never noticed before. I traced it to his collar bone and he closed his eyes.

"What's your favorite color?" He asked breaking the silence.

"Red. Yours?"

"Blue." He answered.

"What do you do in your free time?" I asked.

"I don't have much free time usually but I like to read when I can." He said and opened his eyes. "You?"

"Same." I answered.

"What's your favorite food?"

"Chinese food." I told him.

"Yuck." He said. "I like Mexican."

"I do too to a point."

"What did you want to be growing up?" He asked.

"An astronaut." I answered. "Silly isn't it?"

"No." He said.

"What about you?" I asked.

"A professional wrestler."

"I see." I said with a smile.

"What?" He asked and sat up.

"Nothing."

"What's so funny?"

"I've never heard that before is all."

"Where I grew up it wasn't acting like it is here. It was real."

"Where did you grow up?" I asked.

"Jade, I want to tell you the truth about me."

"Are you a mass murderer?" I said jokingly.

"No. But I'm being serious now. I told you earlier that I was going to show you something and if you still felt the same way about me tomorrow than we can continue on in whatever it is we have."

"And if I don't feel the same way?"

"You'll never see me again. My family and I will move away and we'll vanish like we have before."

"I don't want that." I told him. "Tell me the truth though."

"I was born in 1884 in Indian Territory. My mother and father moved to Chicago when I was little and I was there until 1907. I moved to New York on my own to make it big. That never happened. I met a guy that said he would be my agent. He wasn't the sort. He looked the part. He looked rich and very well off. Well the night of my 24th birthday he took me out and got me drunk for my very first time. The next thing I remember is coming to with a great beast in front of me. At first I thought it was a bear but it was larger and looked more like a wolf. The wolf bit me and ran off. I never saw my supposed agent again. I was left a note though. I still remember the words. 'I have given you a gift and a curse.' The next moment I became that great beast and have been able to do so ever since."

"So you're a werewolf?" I asked in disbelief. Great. I managed to snag a crazy one.

"You don't believe me?" He asked.

"I was raised that werewolves were just a fairytale. Sprout a tail and then I'll believe you." I said.

"You asked for it." He said and stood up. He walked to the tree in front of us and began to take his shoes off.

"You can't be serious." I said and watched him undress. Surely this was just an attempt to get him naked and I want him all the more. But even when he took off his boxers the look in his eyes made me realize he truly believed this. I looked up and down the perfection of his body. The way his hips just slightly curved, the muscular expanse of his stomach. I blushed when I looked lower. I averted my eyes out of embarrassment.

It was when he doubled over I became alarmed.

"Don't get up." He said after he noticed me moving to go to his aid.

I watched in horror yet amazement as he turned into a wolf as large as a horse. His fur was the color of his hair. The same grey eyes shown through. I backed away at first and I saw sadness flash in his eyes. He laid down on put his massive head on his paws. Paws as large as my head.

I took a couple of deep breaths and calmed down. I finally came up with something to say. "I told you I'd only believe you if you sprouted a tail. I see no tail." My voice shook a little.

I noticed a tail wagging.

"Now I believe you." I got up and walked to him. He sat up and even on his rump he was taller than me. I put my hands up to his face and touched the soft fur. It was as soft as his hair. He lowered his head to mine and I put my forehead on his.

"As long as you're not a damn sparkling vampire I don't care what you are." I had made a reference to books turned into movies that became a popular world sensation.

I heard a coughing noise that sounded like laughter. He then laid back down and made motioned with his head to his back.

"You either want to head back, me scratch your back, or get on your back." I said.

He wrote in the dirt patch with his paw, "On."

"Why?" I asked and eyed him. He made the motion again.

I sighed and gave in. He rose up and I tried to hold on without pulling his fur. When I was able to get a good grip he took off running.

"Oh my god! Slow down!" I screamed. The mountains that had been about a mile away were now just about 100 feet away. He stopped and turned around and ran back.

He stopped by the blanket and I got off shakily. My ass hit the ground and I was thankful that it was there. I had never moved that fast in my life. The world was spinning even though I hadn't gone in circles. I put my head close to my lap and just closed my eyes and tried to breathe. I heard the pop of bones and it made me queasy.

His hand touched my shoulder. "Are you okay?" He asked.

"Give me a minute." I said. "Let me breathe." I finally leaned back up when I knew I wasn't going to throw up. He handed me a bottle of water and I sipped it slowly.

I noticed that he had gotten dressed while I was trying not to throw up. He moved behind me and leaned me against him.

"Please don't ever run that fast with me again." I said my voice still a little shaky.

"Jade you can't tell anyone about this." He said.

"About what?" I told him. "We went on a picnic, enjoyed the warm weather, and went home."

"It is getting late. We should get back before you father gets back."

"I'm 23 not 13." I said.

"I know, but I want to be on his good side."

"Will you stay with me?" I asked.

"If you want me to."

"Always." I told him.

Derek

We drove back slowly to town. Just doing the minimum speed limit. It was a dirt road so we didn't really care. Jade sat next to me with her hand on my leg. I was extremely happy that she didn't run away screaming. It was my biggest worry. I was breaking all the rules that my family had laid down and I didn't care. If they wanted to move on they could. I was going to stay here with her.