How to Date a Werewolf (18 page)

“Here, sit down.” He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and led me to a nearby bench. “I can’t believe we didn’t run into you during the search. I looked everywhere in this place. Twice.” He held my arm while I sat down.

“Well, you must not have looked everywhere, or you would have found me.” I smiled.

“I guess you’re right.” Jack scratched his head and looked around, as if trying to spot the location where he could have missed me. “Wait. How did you end up outside the cemetery? You just came through the entrance.” His frown returned.

Busted. Heat rushed to my cheeks. My mind raced for an answer. “I thought the tour had finished and looked for you guys out there.” I tilted my head toward the gates. Damn, I was getting good.

“Oh yeah, um, okay.” A dazed look spread over his face. “I wish we’d brought my car now, so you wouldn’t have to walk home. Maybe I should call a cab. You need to rest your ankle.” He pulled out his cellphone.

His way of letting me know our date was officially over. The curse was worse than ever, not even three dates this time. Kapoohy. Stick a pitchfork in me, I’m done. Lily was hell-bent on taking
Get a Mate
down, and the curse kept me from finding my own mate. Life really was a bitch sometimes.

“No, don’t call for a ride. I’ll be fine. I’ll put some ice on it when I get home. I can walk. No biggie.” I waved it off, brave in spite of my pain. “See, I can even put weight on it.” I eased my foot up and down.

“We’d better get going then, so you can get off it as soon as possible. Here, let me help you up.”

Oh yeah, the date was over. Jack remained a gentleman, even though I felt he continued to be unsure of me and my madness. He led me out onto the sidewalk, thanked the tour guide and we moved down the sidewalk. No doubt, the stares of the group bored a hole in my back as we moved away. Jack didn’t offer to hold my hand. I felt like a monster or a leper or something even worse.

“Rylie, I don’t know what to think. Either you’re incredibly unlucky, or you’re into things I don’t think I want to be a part of--things I can’t even understand.”

Yikes, his words hurt--they literally stung my heart. He was right, though. I couldn’t blame him. I was a freak--a big hairy freak. It not only meant he was taking me home, but I probably wouldn’t be getting a goodnight kiss, either. No more kisses ever.

“I’m not sure what to say, Jack. I realize things look bad. I suppose I’ve had a run of bad luck lately. Everyone has bad days occasionally.” I turned to watch a group of tourists pass by. I kept up with his pace, in spite of my fake ankle injury.

Jack took a deep breath, then released it with a deep sigh. “You’re right. Everyone has bad luck.”

I glanced at him, and he gave a lopsided grin.

“Let’s just hope tonight was the last of yours for a while.”

“I think I’ve met my quota for the year.” I chuckled.

He ran a hand through his hair. “You really do have a great sense of humor about your misfortune. Most people would’ve lost it after just one incident. But not you. You’re resilient, to say the least.”

“I try my best.” I sighed.

We walked in silence for the rest of the short trip home. Words failed me. Sometimes keeping quiet is the best thing you can do, and this was one of those times.

When we neared the building, I caught a glimpse of the moon, and my heart did a little dance. As much as I wasn’t looking forward to the full moon, my body let me know
it
was. That whole natural instincts thing, I guess. Come the evening of the full moon, it would be me and a big, fat juicy steak boarded up in my bedroom. After so many years dealing with my little
problem
, I’d learned the best way to get through it was to hide. Take cover from the world. Jennifer didn’t come anywhere near my bedroom on those nights. I had ordered her to stay away. I didn’t want her to see my furry condition. It would only scare her.

Jack escorted me up the steps and through the entrance. I left him to his own thoughts. If he needed to think about what had happened, then it was better to let him do it in his own way.

Once inside the foyer, he placed his hand on the small of my back and helped me onto the first step. I’d forgotten about my supposed injury. I limped a little going up the stairs. But who was I kidding? My act was as see-through as Lily’s favorite blouse. After all, Jack
was
a psychiatrist. Did I think I was fooling him?

When we reached my door, he paused and gazed into my eyes. His expression held a look of concern, as if he tried to read my thoughts. I wished he wouldn’t. It made me uncomfortable, as if I were being interrogated or analyzed. All he needed was the bright bulbs shining down on me.

“Thank you for going tonight. It was entertaining.”

He really shouldn’t have said that. I knew it was a lousy evening and it was entirely my fault. The worst part was there was no way I could have avoided the outcome. Nothing would stop the crazy werewolves from chasing me. One thing was for certain: I needed to find out who followed me and what they wanted.

“I’m really sorry for everything. For scaring you. The ghosts were supposed to scare you, not me.”

“It’s okay. Let’s just forget about it. All right?” A crease of worry remained between his brows.

I nodded in agreement. “It’s forgotten.”

Jack leaned in and kissed my cheek. It felt as if I stood on an iceberg in the middle of Antarctica, instead of a steamy night in New Orleans.

“Is your ankle all right?”

“Yeah, it’ll be fine.”

“Well, I’ll see you later then.” Jack tilted his head.

Sure, he’d see me, because he lived next door. I knew I shouldn’t get involved with a neighbor.

“Yeah... I’ll see you.” I trudged inside my apartment like a chicken with an egg broke in it. I never looked back to see if Jack watched me. I already knew the answer.

The only noise in the apartment was the ticking of the mantel clock. Jennifer’s door was closed and the lights were off. At least I wouldn’t have to tell her what a rotten lousy evening it had been.

My feet throbbed, my back ached and my eyes stung. The day seemed endless and the evening even longer. I needed rest. Tomorrow would be a dreadful day at work, especially thinking about how close I’d come to Jack being mine for one brief moment. One short-lived flash and the next he was gone. The curse had ruined it. I needed the hex gone in the worst way.

I took a shower and slipped into my nightgown. Trying to be as quiet as possible, I padded into the kitchen and poured myself a glass of milk. I grabbed a plate and piled it with several gooey chocolate chip cookies. The pain coursing through my body was the type even steak couldn’t fix. The only remedy anywhere near close enough to making things better was chocolate and lots of it. I leaned back into my favorite chair, curled my legs up beside me and peered out into the dark street, all while stuffing my face with sweets.

A fog clogged my brain as I stared out the window for the longest time in a zombie-like state. After cramming my stomach to maximum capacity, I placed the empty plate on the table beside me and glanced up in time to catch a glimpse of movement just beyond the patio area.

The yellow streetlight glow broke an eerie path through the darkness, and the luminosity cast a shadow along the edges of what appeared to be a human figure. A tingly feeling crept up my spine. Someone watched me.

I jumped to my feet, reached for the shade, pulled it down and scurried over to turn off the lamp beside the bed. I raced back to the window and pulled a sliver of shade to the side. The area loomed empty. Apparently, the figure had skedaddled. Maybe my mind played tricks on me. Just the stress fooling around with my head.

After a couple of minutes of not spotting anyone, I tossed the idea and climbed into bed. The little black bag and amulet from the priestess sat on the nightstand. I still didn’t know quite what to do with the stuff, but I positioned the amulet around my neck. I should’ve taken it on my date. Maybe things wouldn’t have turned out so badly if I had. Was I starting to believe in that voodoo stuff? Surely if a curse was real, so was voodoo.

Letting out a deep breath, I snuggled a little deeper under the covers and tried my best to slip off to la-la-land. Thoughts about my whacked-out life raced through my mind, and I worried about my future--a nonexistent future in the love department, and a career down the drain. Would no love be so terrible, though? Too bad I didn’t get along with cats--or they didn’t get along with me, rather--I would have made a great old cat lady. I’d have to find another animal to hoard.

Even if I did manage to break the curse someday--and that was a big maybe--it seemed inevitable I’d end up with another werewolf, and the sooner I realized that the better off I’d be. But none of the werewolves I’d met had been right for me, and trust me, I’d met a bunch of them through my matchmaking business. Yes, I realized the only option I had was to settle. The next halfway decent wolf that came along, I should try him out for myself instead of mating him with some other unsuspecting soul.

Growing up as a werewolf had been no picnic, let me tell you. My mother always had to hide my hairy outbreaks. Thankfully, I attended a private school just for werewolves, Loup-Garou Academy. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes my life could be fun, like the year I won the contest for best Halloween costume. The judges said my getup was the most realistic they’d ever seen. Being a werewolf was a lot of pressure for a little kid, though.

I flipped to the other side of my bed, fluffed my pillow and snuggled down again. I tried counting sheep, but that didn’t work, either. The scene of werewolves attacking me played on a loop through my head. Along with the way Jack reacted to my brief disappearance. I tossed to the other side of the bed, and more thoughts rushed through. Could Lily singlehandedly put me out of business? All because of one bad match-up? Others had had bad dates and not complained, but they weren’t Lily. She was special, and not in a good way.

Finally, the racing thoughts eased from my head. An hour passed with me twisted in my sheets. Sleep had almost taken over when a loud crash ricocheted up into my room from below.

Chapter 11

How to Date a Werewolf Rule # 11:

Don’t ask if having sex with a werewolf will make you a werewolf. It won’t.

I listened for the noise to repeat. Silence filled the room except for the faint dripping from the bathroom faucet. Seconds slipped by with no other sounds. I closed my eyes, attempted to forget the distraction and catch my forty winks. But another thud made my lids shoot open.

It could have been movement on the street below, but I didn’t think so. The bang sounded as if it had come from downstairs, smack-dab in the middle of my office. My pulse raced. I lay as motionless as possible, hoping the racket had been a car door slamming and nothing else.
Thump.
There it was again, and this time I was positive it came from my office.

A niggle of fear inched up my spine. Something had fallen over with a crash--someone was down there messing around, and I had a sneaking feeling I knew who it was.

The moon shone through the sliver in the window shade--it would be full soon. I’d have no choice but transform then. One bout as a werewolf a month was more than enough for me, and I exceeded my quota already. And tonight I decided to make an effort to avoid it, even though Lily tried her best to get me to come to blows with her. I had to conserve my energy.

At least I thought it was Lily. The two idiots chasing me around weren’t Lily, but they didn’t know where I lived. Unless of course they’d followed me home. Why couldn’t other werewolves be like me and never want to change? This whole town was full of werewolves who had nothing better to do with their spare time than sprout hair, bay at the moon and chase people. Heck, sometimes they chased cars too.

Hooligans. Couldn’t they take up hobbies--like golf or tennis? Bowling, maybe? Then, the thought hit me. Maybe it was the same goon looking for Uncle Ernie again. He had ripped my door down looking for him. Possibly he’d returned after all. He said he would. It was time for another chat with Ernie.

Jumping up, I dashed across the floor. The scraping sound of something dragged across the floor underneath my room sent my apprehension on overload. I slipped out the door and hurried down the hallway, trying my best not to wake Jennifer--if the noises downstairs hadn’t roused her already. She’d only get hurt dealing with a situation like this.

The old stairs creaked with almost every step, so I tiptoed. I flipped the wall switch to the overhead light. It didn’t work. What a time for a blown bulb. Creeping my way down to the foyer wasn’t easy--the area remained cloaked in darkness, but the banister helped guide my way.

My heart thumped loudly. I had no idea what would be waiting for me on the other side of the door. My body stiffened and I forced myself down the stairs. The main door leading to the sidewalk was ajar. My heart pounded. Who or what waited for me in the darkness?

When I reached the office door, it was open. I gasped. I couldn’t help myself. The room was still and dark. A light shone faintly from a building across the way. Half-broken blinds on the partly open back window flapped in the wind. I assumed the intruder had entered that way--I knew I’d left it shut--then exited through the door.

I scanned the darkened room, praying the boogieman wasn’t in there. Then I eased in, hoping not to bump into anyone, and flipped the switch, allowing overhead light to flood the room. It was a mess--papers strewn about the floor, more figurines broken. Chairs flipped over and cabinets turned on their sides made tears form in the corners of my eyes. A draft rustled papers on the top of my desk. I knelt to retrieve one of my collectibles, but holding the pieces made me want to cry even more. Someone had taken a nocturnal romp through my office. The lunacy was getting old, quickly. Between the notes, the stalking and the destruction, I wasn’t sure how much more I could handle.

My hands trembled. I teetered on the verge of full-fledged sobbing. Someone had invaded my space, and that really pissed me off. I stood, then backed up next to the wall. Whoever did this might still be close by, so I switched the light off again. I’d be an easy target in the bright light.