(Un)bidden (3 page)

A noise came from the other side of the double doors.  I froze.  Perhaps it was a wild critter looking for a nice place to stay just as I had.

I crossed the large area and pulled the latch of another door I had yet to explore.  Sunlight poured through the opening.  I stepped outside, gladly leaving whatever it was to roam as it might.  The latch fell into place; and a moment later, a loud thud echoed in the empty room.  My eyes widened, and I started to back away.

For a moment, there was silence.  Then, the faint sound of snuffling carried through the broken window.  Something bumped against the other side of the door.  I jumped.  What was in there?  It didn’t sound like a little critter.  It sounded big.

A howl filled the air.

Dear God.  A coyote or wolf.

I turned and ran.

Glass shattered behind me.  I didn’t glance back but pushed myself hard.  It didn’t matter.  I’d only made it halfway to the path when something struck me from behind.  It was solid and heavy and brought me to the ground.

Dry grass and dirt abraded my cheek, and my breath left me at the sudden impact.  I tried to get to my hands and knees, but something weighted me down.  A growl filled my ear, stopping my attempt.  I brought my arms up to cover my head.

The weight on me shifted as another growl, not far away, joined the first.  Two of them?  I’d been so worried about people discovering me I never thought to worry about animals.  They weren’t supposed to act like this.  I’d been sleeping under the stars undisturbed for weeks.

The sound of their snarls escalated.  Taking a risk, I lifted my head for a peek while I remained cowered on the ground.  I saw a furred leg.  I shifted a little further, and a large furry head came into view.

One of the creatures stood above me, long legs boxing me in, as another one stalked it, just ten feet away.  I lifted my head further, catching the attention of the one circling.  Its gaze met mine briefly, and I trembled.  Of all the ways I imagined my life ending when I left home, I’d never considered death by wolf attack.

I moved slightly, trying to position myself so I could spring to my feet and run if the opportunity presented itself.  My backpack bumped against the beast above me and distracted it.  The newcomer lunged forward.  The two clashed together, forelegs locked and mouths open.  One of them stepped on my lower back, its claws digging through my shirt.  As soon as the paw moved, I scrambled away.

Neither noticed me as I struggled to my knees and then my feet.  I darted toward the trees, thinking to climb one.

A high-pitched yip sounded behind me followed by silence then the sound of paws thrumming against the dirt.  Once again, I was brought down from behind.  Only this time, the thing dove for my neck.  I grunted as its teeth pierced my skin.  I thought of my mom and dad as tears stung my eyes.

The teeth released me, and a tongue swiped the bite.  It took me a moment to realize I could move.  Why had the creature stopped?  With a shaking hand, I touched my neck.  It felt tender and bruised.  There were four small holes.  My fingers came away bloody.  My hand shook.

Numbly, I lifted my head and found a wolf sitting on its haunches, watching me.  Beyond it, the defeated wolf watched me as well.  Their focus and complete stillness terrified me.

Slowly, I lifted myself off the ground into a sitting position.  Neither moved.  Blood tickled my skin as it trailed down my neck.  I ignored the sensation and warily got to my feet.  They both studied me.

“It’s okay,” I whispered in a soothing voice.  I wasn’t sure it I was talking to them or myself.  Tears continued to trickle from my eyes.  My heart raced.

“Please don’t attack me again.”  My voice caught on the last word.

The second wolf tilted its head.  The first one stood, and I choked on air as I jumped back in fear.  It stalked forward, crowding close to me.  Without a thought, I kicked out.  My foot connected solidly with its face.  Its teeth clacked together, and the second wolf started to make a chuffing noise as the first one shook its head.

I spun, intending to run.  However, I landed face first in the dirt as something hit me from behind again.  This time, desperation made me angry.  Using my elbow, I hit it in the danglies.  The wolf yipped, yowled, and struggled to stay on its feet as it backed off.  I sprang up, breathing hard.

The second wolf stood and ran toward me.  In a flash, I was on the ground again with another set of teeth piercing my skin.

“Damn it, Jack.  She’s mine.  I already Claimed her,” a male voice said.

The teeth left my skin, and I twisted in time to see the wolf beside me stand on its hind legs.  Its fur retracted into its pale skin, and its legs lengthened.  Hands replaced paws, and long ears shortened.

“She didn’t smell Claimed.”

I watched the abnormal mouth form the words yet didn’t believe what I witnessed.  I wheezed as I struggled to my feet.  Both men watched me.

The world tilted.  I stumbled and pressed a hand against my neck.  Everything seemed fuzzy.  I didn’t think it was due to blood loss, though.  It was the two very naked men standing in front of me.  Moments ago, they’d been wolves.  I was sure of it...wasn’t I?

“She still doesn’t smell Claimed,” the first one said.

“Why is she bleeding so much?” Jack asked, tilting his head at me.

I couldn’t believe he actually asked.  “Because you bit me,” I said.  “Twice.”

“Roy...I don’t think she’s one of us.”  Worry clouded Jack’s features.

One of us.  The phrase pinged around in my mind.

Roy lifted his head.  His nostrils flared as he inhaled deeply.

“But she smells so—”

“I know,” Jack said

I blinked slowly.  “This isn’t real.”

“Call an Elder,” Jack said, stepping toward me.

“Don’t touch her,” Roy snarled at Jack.

Jack stopped moving, turned toward Roy, and growled.  “She is not yours.”

“I Claimed her first.”

Jack snorted.  “There’s no first or second.  Either you Claim her or you don’t.  And you, my friend, didn’t.”

“Neither did you.”

“I know that!”

Their arguing was making my head hurt as badly as my neck.  Before I could tell them to stop, a long howl filled the air.  On the far side of the clearing, six wolves stepped through the trees.

More?  I couldn’t take more.

“If one more of you tries to bite me...”  My words came out slurred.

The lead wolf looked back at his followers then at me.  He trotted forward, gave the two men a cursory growl, and stopped in front of me.

My vision tunneled, and I caught a glimpse of the sky before nothing obliterated everything.

*    *    *    *

I woke to the sound of my own breathing and something squeezing my neck.  When I opened my eyes, darkness surrounded me.  I coughed and reached to pull away whatever was at my throat.  My fingers touched cloth, and I remembered everything.  I sat up, beginning to panic.

My world, which I’d already thought insane, was crazier than I realized.  Wolves were actually men, and they argued over who had a right to bite me.

Nearby, I heard the rasp of the lighter.  An instant later, I squinted against the radiance of the tiny flame and looked away for a moment.  I was once again in the room with the whole window.

Glancing back, I saw the glow illuminating a girl’s face.  She didn’t look scary, yet despite her open expression, my heart beat harder once I saw her.  Within the tangled mass of her brown hair, her large brown eyes reflected green light back at me.  She was one of them.

“My name’s Mary.  What’s yours?”

I stared at her, waiting for her to make some kind of move toward me.  But she didn’t.  She just studied me with open curiosity.  I studied her in return.  She didn’t look dangerous, just dirty.  And she wore one of my shirts.  I frowned, remembering how the two men had been naked after they’d changed from wolves.  How could any of this be real?

I licked my dry lips and answered her question.  “Charlene.”

A storm of growling and snarling broke out in the hall just beyond the door.  I shrank away from it.  How many were out there?

“Don’t worry.  My dad will protect us until the Elder gets here.  She is on her way.”

I stared at her as what she said penetrated my stunned mind.  Her father was out there.  Guarding the door?  And someone was coming to help.  What was an Elder?

Mary’s eyes continued to reflect at me.  It wasn’t the bright reflection of an animal.  It was rather dull, and I might have easily overlooked it if not for the flame she held so close to her face.

“What are you?” I finally asked.

She smiled, showing perfectly normal looking teeth, to my relief, lifted her thumb from the lighter, and plunged us back into the black.

“A friend, I hope.  Sleep, Charlene.  The rest can wait for tomorrow.”

The rest?  Of what?  And how did she think I could sleep with the racket still going on in the hall?  Anger laced the already intimidating growls, punctuated by thumps against the wall.  It sounded as if a pack of them were trying to fight their way to the door.  Were they really still trying to get to me?  I trembled in the dark.

“Why did they attack me?” I asked.

The noise quieted.

“They attacked you?”

“Yes.  Didn’t you see my throat?”  Perhaps she had arrived after they’d bandaged me.

“Oh.  That wasn’t an attack.  They were just trying to Claim you.”

“I don’t know what Claiming is, but it sure felt like an attack.  Why did they do it?”

“Well...”  Her tone conveyed her sudden and extreme discomfort.  “It would be better if we waited for the Elder to explain.”

In the dark, I heard her shift her position, but she didn’t say anything more.  Her silence annoyed me.

“Fine.  They’re going to try again, aren’t they.”

“Yeah.  Sorry.”

The fighting in the hall started back up.

I closed my eyes and sighed.  “I have to go to the bathroom,” I said, mostly to myself.

“I brought a bucket.  Dad doesn’t want us to leave the room.”

A very heavy something hit against the door just then, and I agreed with her father.  I didn’t want to leave the room, either.

Even though most of the noise outside remained minimal once I lay back down, fear and frustration kept me awake the rest of the night.  At some point, Mary’s breathing slowed, and I knew she slept.  The harmless sound helped ease some of my fear of her.  However, the creatures that waited outside the door were a different story.  I stayed on the floor, moved as little as possible, and thought about what might come next.

A gentle tap on my door at first light gave me the answer.

“If you want to bite me again, go away,” I said, staring at the panel.

Mary immediately sat up and glanced at the door.  A smile lit her face.

“She won’t bite you,” she said, standing.  As she moved to open the door, I saw Mary wasn’t wearing any pants, just my shirt.  I looked away.  Who were these people?

The door swung open, and an adult strode in.  She wore normal clothes.  I couldn’t have been more relieved.  Mary closed the door behind the woman, and I noted the complete silence in the hallway.

“Can you sit up, dear?” the woman asked me.

“Are they gone?” I said, sitting up.

“No.  But they will behave.” She squatted beside me.

She had very light blonde hair, so light it almost appeared white.  She smiled at me and smoothed back my hair with a gentle touch.

“Can I take a look at your neck?”

“I’d rather leave it well-protected.”  There was a good two inches of material covering my skin at the moment, and I didn’t want it taken away.

“I understand.  However, I would like to check for infection.  It wouldn’t do to have you become sick.”

The image of me even more helpless around these people had me nodding.  She carefully began to unwind the bandage.

“You were lucky Mary’s pack was near and knew where the first aid supplies were hidden.  Let’s see what they did for you.”

The end of the material stuck to my skin.  She moved closer and began to work it away with small, slow movements.  Most of the cloth was clean, but pink and red stained a few places.  When she had the mass of material on the floor next to her, she tilted her head to study what she saw.  I wished I had a mirror.

“Who Claimed you?” she asked.

“No,” I said, shaking my head the tiniest bit.  I’d stumbled into a world I didn’t understand, and she wanted to start questioning me?  “That’s not how our conversation is going to start.  First, you’ll tell me who you are, then what you are.  After that, I’ll leave.”

The woman chuckled.  “You’ll need that inner strength to deal with us.  I’m Winifred Lewis.  According to Mary, you saw one of us change yesterday.  So, I think you know what we are.  We’re having trouble figuring out what you are, though.”

My eyebrows shot up before I could stop the reaction.  My heart did a quick double tap against my ribs.