A Bite's Tale: A Furry Fable (6 page)

When I felt the little tremble that told me the wolf was near, I focused on Jack. Not the moment I’d bitten him, but the way he’d look at me those days right before the kiss. Just the image of him slowed my breathing and my shimmering limbs steadied.

I missed him. I missed our hikes, our talks and the way I’d felt when we were together.

At last, the bell rang. I bolted from the room and tore out of the school. I wasn’t taking any chances. Skidding to a stop outside the building by the curb, I scanned the area for my aunt’s Audi. I breathed deeply and fast, like I’d run miles, instead of less than a block. But I wasn’t winded. Just afraid of losing control.

“Hey.” Winnie sidled up beside me. “So did the rest of your first day get any better?”

“It could’ve been better.” Her presence calmed me instantly. If only I could put Winnie in a bottle and take her to every class. Well, I
could
put her in a container — parts of her anyway. But that would be gross.

“No, I don’t,” she hissed. Then she backpedaled. “I mean,
you
’re okay. But I don’t want to
date
one. Hey, I’ve seen what your room looks like in the mornings.”

Winnie raised a brow at her sister.

“Oh, c’mon. Could you really date a guy who gets
that
hairy? I bet they shed too, which means I could never wear black. Either that or I’d go broke buying lint removers.” Beatrice gave me an apologetic look. “Sorry.”

I didn’t think I could feel any uglier, but Beatrice managed to take me to depths I never thought possible. No normal guy would ever want me. Not when he discovered the real me.

Beatrice groaned. “Cydney, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it that way.”

I knew she didn’t. Even so, it still hurt. “What can I say?” I forced my mouth into a smile. “It’s the truth.”

“Mom just texted me back. She was almost here, but she’ll go ahead and take Gavin home. She says to call her when we’re ready for a ride from Pierre’s.” Winnie studied me a moment. “C’mon. It’ll take your mind off things.”

Maybe if I did this for them, they wouldn’t harass me about the ball. Thin hope. But it was hope nonetheless. The café would be a nice distraction, better than spending the afternoon in my basement doing homework. “Sure,” I answered.

Four blocks later, the three of us stood outside of Pierre’s. The building and everything in it sparkled like new, unlike the worn and mismatched furniture I used to sit on when my mom brought me there for hot chocolate. The iron chairs weren’t as inviting, but the place looked spotless.

“They have live music Friday nights. Girls’ night is Tuesday. We get one free coffee.” Winnie dragged me into the dimly lit café.

My wolf eyes quickly acclimated to the lack of light, but Beatrice and Winnie stumbled and clung to me for balance before their eyes adjusted.

I inhaled, taking in the scent of coffee and spices — among other things. No wonder the place was kept so dark. A lot of the occupants were supernaturals who could see perfectly, regardless of light. Just like I could. About half of them were humans. Some of those humans could be witches, but I couldn’t tell them apart.

Beatrice ordered our drinks at the counter, while Winnie and I wove through the tables to claim the only vacant one.

“Well? Any vampires?” she asked once we’d settled in our seats.

“What’s this obsession with vamps, Winnie?” My eyes swept the area. Yep. A couple vampires, but more werewolves and shifters than anything else.

“I don’t know.” She averted her eyes and tapped a fingernail on the wood surface of the table.

I narrowed my eyes. “Winnie?”

“The prince is a vampire and he’s so
hot
.” She blew out a breath. “I’m a girl and this is what normal girls do — obsess on sexy vampires. Well,
any
sexy guy, actually.”

“The prince is a vampire?” I tilted my head. “But the king is a warlock.”

“Yeah, his son was born human. A
sick
human.”

“Sick? What was wrong with him?” I asked.

“Not sure. Problem with his heart I think. The king’s advisor is a vampire and he practically raised the prince himself, so we can guess who turned him.”

“You guys get the dish on everyone.” Cringing at the idea of more blood suckers being created, I took the offered cup from Beatrice. “Thanks.”

“Unlike you, we leave the house now and then.” Winnie snorted.

Beatrice sat, holding her mug in both hands. “Point out the humans, Cyd.”

“The blond girl.” I flicked a thumb to my side, then scanned the place again. “That big guy over there and the group in the corner.”

Beatrice blew out a breath. “And the rest?”

“Bartender’s a vamp.” I grimaced and jerked a thumb toward the other side of the room. “Werewolves over there. Hey, what made you decide against ever dating werewolves? Besides the hair thing, did something happen?”

“No.” But she looked everywhere, except at me. “Okay, it’s not just the fur. I’ve been noticing that weres have bad tempers.”

“Rude much, Bea?” Winnie’s mouth dropped open.

I appreciated Winnie coming to my defense, but Beatrice spoke the truth. Werewolf hormones could get volatile. Not like I could jump all over her for voicing her thoughts, especially since I’d asked.

“You’re not that way, Cyd. But it seems like the other werewolves I know are pissy all the time.” Beatrice gave me an apologetic look.

I spied that hot werewolf boy from school coming through the front door of the café. He seemed okay as far as I could tell. Not that I’d spoken to him personally, since I’d avoided making any new friends all day. I’d listened in on conversations though. I’d already pegged Wolf Boy as pretty decent.

“Wolf Boy spotted you, Bea,” I said. If he was interested in her, which seemed likely by the way he was gawking, I didn’t want her to miss her opportunity. Maybe she’d hook up with him and want to skip the ball. That thought fueled my hope. “Bathroom, Winnie? I, uh… need to fix my lipstick. Bea, you stay here and save our table.”

“What?” Beatrice’s eyes widened. “You don’t wear lipstick,” she mumbled.

I spun and high-tailed it toward the café restrooms. “Five bucks says he approaches her in less than sixty seconds,” I threw over my shoulder to Winnie.

Wolf Boy was already sitting across from Beatrice, holding her undivided attention. I paused with my hand on the bathroom door as Beatrice’s face lit up. Her smile reminded me how I’d felt with Jack three summers ago.

I knew I’d loved him. I also knew I’d probably never feel that same way about anyone else ever again.

****

“That was nice, the way you hooked up Bea with that guy earlier.” Winnie hovered in the doorway of the basement. “Especially after what she said about werewolves.”

I shrugged and began straightening my room. “All I did was leave for the bathroom.”

“Yeah, sure.” She waved me off with a sly smile. “They hit it off and she doesn’t seem grossed out anymore by his animal side. She’s in her room right now, all angsty about what she’s going to wear to school tomorrow.”

Stressing out over a guy wasn’t on my list of favorite things to do. The other things that went with it, like dates and kissing, didn’t sound too bad. At least they were normal things. But normal was for normal people, not people like me.

“All locked up for the night, huh?” she asked.

“Just about.” I stood on the stool next to the iron bed frame to reach up and check the window — not that it mattered, since I couldn’t squeeze through the bars anyway. If I lost control later and shifted into a wolf — which was inevitable — I didn’t want anyone to hear my growls.

The window was open and I turned my head, hoping that with my super-human hearing, I could make out the sound I’d heard. There it was again — crackle of a broken twig followed by crunching leaves. Chills tingled up my spine. “Someone’s outside.”

Winnie grunted when I shoved past her and raced up the stairs.

Morphing didn’t make me uneasy anymore, like it had the first few times. Now, it was second nature and I reveled in it. At the back door, I exhaled and let my muscles go lax. A moment later, my limbs vibrated. Then I felt nothing. An instant later, I was a wolf — feral and without restraints.

I took in the cool night air through my nostrils and smelled the scent left behind by the intruder. And he wasn’t human.

Vampire.

The tangy, metallic smell of blood lingered in the air, the same scent that always clung to blood-suckers. But the unmistakable energy that supernaturals gave off wasn’t there. The vamp was long gone.

On all fours, I padded my way to the back door of my house and I spotted Aunt Mina, Gavin and my cousins on the other side of the window waiting for me. I silently thanked my mom for making sure I always had natural fibers in my clothing, so it would morph with me. Being caught in the nude sucked.

My family still watched me and I twitched at the thought of morphing right in front of them. But it seemed ridiculous to move out of their line of vision. It’s not as if they were ignorant about my
affliction
.

Right where I stood, I shifted into my human form and beyond the glass everyone flinched in unison. A sigh escaped me. I couldn’t help being a werewolf and it saddened me that not being human bothered the ones I loved.

“What was it?” my aunt asked as I let myself in through the back door.

Aunt Mina had enough to worry about as a single mom with two kids and another two thrust upon her. I forced a smile. “Nothing. Probably just a raccoon.”

“Sis, you’re like our watchdog. Sweet.” Gavin grinned.

I punched his shoulder, keeping it light, since I always turned out to be stronger than I thought. “Come lock me in, dork.”

Later that night, I lay in bed and stared at the ceiling, wondering what the vamp wanted. Did he know about me? Did this vampire refrain from killing humans or was he rogue?

Hopefully, he was just passing through and I’d never have to find out. But something told me told me there was more to it than that.

****

“I need something red and I need it now.” Beatrice burst into the basement the next morning, then cringed as she scanned the room. “I’ll never understand how you can sleep down here.”

“It’s not exactly a crack house, Bea.” I shook my head. “Besides, it’s either stay in here or you guys let me loose on the populace.” I checked her out. “Hot boots. You want a red top to match?”

She couldn’t possibly understand what it was like to injure someone you love, to lose control like that. I stared at my blue polka-dotted toes. “Next time, it could be one of you. I won’t risk it.”

She gasped almost inaudibly, as if the thought had never occurred to her. Or maybe hearing it out loud startled her.

“You sure you want to go with that much red? A black top might be better.” I turned and rummaged through my closet, then handed her a top. “This would go good with those boots.”

“Thanks.” She took the tank top from the hanger and her lips curved slightly. “You’re okay, Cydney.”

Twenty minutes later, we were loaded in the car and driving to school.

“Aunt Mina, I was wondering if maybe I should keep my door unlocked at night from now on.” I glanced at the rearview mirror to see her watching me.

“Why? I thought you were afraid of harming someone.” Her eyes shifted nervously between the road and my reflection.

“I still am. But last night got me thinking. It was just a small animal this time, but what if it hadn’t been? Locked in my room, I can’t protect you.” In my peripheral vision, my brother and Winnie stared at me. “You refuse to keep a gun in the house and—”