 
# Alpha Initiation

### Alpha Blood, Book 1

## Mac Flynn
Copyright © 2019 by Mac Flynn

All rights reserved.

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### Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Continue the adventure

Other series by Mac Flynn

# 1

I had no idea my life would lead me to this captivity, or to this beast of a man. That week ended so normally, too. It was a typical Friday night where a bunch of my girlfriends and I would hang out at the club until we dragged each other home. Usually I was the designated driver because I was less likely to get a guy to buy me drinks. Most men were into the thinner girls, and there were enough of those in the bars they didn't have to stoop down to my short height to get some. We wandered into one of the popular bars, and I took my usual seat at the table while my girlfriends took the arms of men. Nothing weird, creepy, or abnormal.

Nothing until I spotted him.

It wasn't that he was creepy-looking or anything. Actually he was incredibly cute, what with his dark black hair and those dazzling, crystal-clear blue eyes. He was average height and a little older than me, maybe thirty. He wore a pair of faded jeans and a white polo shirt. There was an old air about him, like you'd expect him to hold the door open or watch him sweep off his hat for you.

None of that was really weird, not when I saw piercings and mohawks all around me. What was really weird was the way he was staring at just _me_. He wasn't looking around and just passing me over, he was staring straight at me without blinking. I glanced back to see if there was something exciting behind the table I was sitting at, but there was just the usual crowd laughing, drinking, and having fun.

I was even more surprised when he got up off his seat and went over to me. "Mind if I sit here?" he asked, and indicated the chair beside me at the small, round table.

My friend had vacated the seat a few minutes ago, and from the way she was wrapped around a guy across the room it didn't look like she was coming back any time soon. "Sure," I replied.

He got comfortable on the chair and looked at my glass that was mostly empty. "Can I buy you a drink?"

I shook my head. "No, but thanks, anyway." My girlfriends and I made it a habit not to take drinks from strange men. It was safer that way in case they wanted to spike our drink.

"That's fine. You can never be too cautious," he agreed. I blushed because he'd seen so well through my refusal, but he didn't seem to notice my embarrassment. Instead he glanced around the room. "A lot of people here. Any of them your friends?"

That was a good question. While I had come to the club with half a dozen girls, in that big of a crowd I had a hard time finding any of them. Some had slunk out of the club with their regular boy toys and others were dancing on the floor. Glancing for them made me look away from the stranger, and when I stared back at him I swore he'd moved his chair closer to me.

"So what's your name?" he asked me, ignoring the fact that I hadn't answered his earlier question.

"Oh, Becky." Last names were never given out until I approved of the guy. So far this one was just friendly. "What's yours?"

He smiled. "Luke." Apparently he didn't believe in last names, either.

"Well, Luke, I don't think I've seen you here before. You just move into the neighborhood?"

Luke shook his head. "No, I'm just a little out of my hunting grounds."

I blinked. That sounded weird. "Hunting grounds?" I repeated.

He laughed at my expression. "Yes, and I'll let you in on a secret." He leaned over toward me. I would have leaned back, but then I couldn't have heard what he was saying because he spoke so low. "I'm actually a millionaire looking for a prospective mate."

I smiled, thinking he was playing with me, though I had to admit this was a new pickup line. "That's a strange way of putting it. If you're a millionaire don't you have women falling over each other trying to get at you?" I teased.

He leaned back and gave me some breather room. "Yes, but they don't suit me. I want one that's real and feisty, and has the right scent. Those types of women would walk naked through Grand Central Station if it would mean marrying me."

I wasn't sure I believed his story about being rich, but I decided to humor him. I put on a mockingly serious face and looked around the room. "I don't know if you're going to find any real women here, either. There's a lot of makeup on them, and I think most of the breasts are on mortgage."

Luke barked out a laugh. "Now that's what I'm talking about. A natural wit and humor about you."

Stranger or no stranger, I blushed at the compliment. "I think maybe you're just easy to make laugh," I teased.

He shrugged his shoulders, but looked me over with that careful stare of his. "Maybe, but that wasn't too bad of a joke. Your boyfriend must be madly in love with you."

I smiled and shook my head. "If I had one he might be, but I don't." I took a sip of my drink and wrinkled my nose. There was a funny flavor to it. "Besides, I don't really have that good of luck with men. They always seem to want a one-night stand and be off to the next girl."

"Sounds like they don't stick around to get to know you," he pointed out.

"More like they go for the stick women first, and me never."

Luke leaned forward, and his voice dropped low and deep. I detected a faint tinge of sultry need in his tone. "Maybe if you and I got together for a bite to eat then we could get to the night part."

"I don't know, we only just met and-" I jumped when I felt something prick my hip. I glanced down and saw his hand disappear into his pocket. "What did you just-" I swooned and clutched at my head. I felt very dizzy; the room around me spun.

Luke gently took a hold of my shoulders to steady me. Suddenly his smile didn't look so friendly. "Are you all right?" he asked me. "You look ill."

"I-I think I need to go." One of my friends just stepped outside. If I could catch her I could have her drive me home.

I slipped off the stool, but standing only made things worse. Luke caught me before I dropped to the ground. "Whoa there, I don't think you need to be going anywhere," he scolded me. I waved my hand at him to brush him off, but he only tightened his grip around my arms. "Let's get you some fresh air."

He half dragged me through the crowds and to a side door that led to an alley. If he meant really fresh air this wasn't it because a dumpster stood nearby and had all the smells for creating life out of rotten meat and empty beer bottles. Luke set me up against the wall opposite the door, but I still didn't feel any better. To the contrary, I felt a lot worse. My vision was blurred and I had trouble staying awake. The only two things that stood out was the mostly-full moon in the sky and Luke's face hovering over me.

His voice was soft and sounded as though it came from far away. "The drug won't take much longer to travel through your system. Then you'll sleep," he told me.

That scared the hell out of me enough to give me one last push of adrenaline and energy. I tried to push past him and run toward the opening to the alley. He grabbed my shoulders and pulled me back against the wall. The bricks dug into my back, but my body was growing numb. My vision was leaving me, too, and all I could see now were distorted lights and shadows. His face loomed up from the shadows and his bright eyes stared at me with that hungry look. I blacked out.

# 2

The next thing I knew I woke up with one hell of a hangover. My head throbbed and my body was stiff. I popped open my eyes and took in an eye full of a bright light hanging over me. With a groan I rolled over and grabbed at the covers to my bed. My fingers clasped a pillow, then another. I flailed around and only found the edges of countless pillows. That's when I realized this wasn't my bed, and I remembered that guy standing over me with that look on his face.

I shot up on my arms and looked wildly around myself. I was in a large, square room with tall, white walls. I lay on a mountain of soft pillows, and the wood floor of the room was covered with soft, expensive oriental rugs. In front of me was a large bed against the wall, placed between two tall, narrow windows that were boarded up and blacked out with paint. To my right was a small table with two chairs, and to my left was a wooden door.

Confused and terrified, I ran for the door. I saw there was a slot at the bottom where food could be delivered, but I jumped at the knob. I tried to turn it, but the door was locked. In my panic I wouldn't give up that easily, and so I pounded my fists against the door. "Help! Help!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. "Somebody please help me!"

I paused when I heard a noise on the other side. They were footsteps. My eyes caught movement at the knob, and since the door swung inside I stepped back to avoid being hit when it opened. I was so happy to see a short, older man of fifty with silver, slicked-back hair, a stranger, standing there and not that man that kidnapped me that I practically lunged at them and wrapped my arms around their shoulders.

"Thank god!" I sobbed out. Clinging as I was to the stranger, I could see over him and into the hall. The floor and walls were much the same as the room, and the place made itself out to be a normal, albeit large and fancy, home. However, my mind wasn't thinking about that at the moment so much as about the man that stood at the end near a winding staircase that led downstairs. It was the same man from the bar, Luke. "Please save me from him!" I pleaded with the stranger.

The older man gently extracted my hands from his clothes with a strength I wouldn't have given him credit to own, and he didn't let go of my hands. The stranger held me close beside him, and that's when I realized he wasn't going to help me. He was holding me still while Luke walked closer and closer toward us. I thrashed and pulled trying to break his hold and dash down the hall, but nothing worked.

Luke came up to us and smiled down at me. "Good morning," he greeted.

I glared at him. "Fuck off," was my dainty reply.

Luke only chuckled, which was probably better for me. I couldn't have defended myself if he got mad and struck me. "Such a feisty personality, don't you think so, Alistair?"

"Very feisty, sir," replied the man who held me.

"I'll take this young woman, and could you make breakfast for two?"

"Certainly, sir," Alistair agreed.

Luke reached out for one of my hands while Alistair released his hold. In their trade-off I pulled my arms against me, eluding Luke's hand, and shoved my shoulder first into Alistair and then Luke. The force of my push and their surprise meant I was able to knock them into opposing walls and dash down the hall. Their pounding feet chased me to the winding, circular stairs where I took the steps three at a time as it wound its way downstairs. At the bottom I slipped on a rug and toppled to the ground, knocking my shoulder hard on the wood floor. Pain shot through my arm and I cried out.

The two men were on me at once, but they didn't haul me to my feet. Instead Alistair held me still while Luke tore open my shirt and looked over my shoulder. "Nothing broken, but it's bruised. This will take a day or two to heal."

"Perhaps the girl is too feisty, sir?" Alistair commented.

Luke shook his head. "Nonsense, she's perfect, but not quite ready for freedom outside the room." He pulled me to my feet while I clutched at my pained arm. I was shaken and scared, and tears ran down my face. I shuddered when Luke brushed his hand against my cheek to wipe away the tears. "None of that now. You're safe with us, and we won't hurt you." I turned my head away and tightly shut my eyes. I wanted to wake up and have this nightmare end. "Can you walk?" he asked me. I still didn't reply, I couldn't. My voice was choked up with sobs that wanted to escape and show the world my fear.

My eyes shot open when I felt myself lifted into Luke's strong arms and carried up the stairs. I instinctively clutched onto him to keep from falling, and he chuckled. I scowled at him and would have broken free if he didn't have such a tight grip on me. Luke pressed me tight against his body, and through his thin shirt I could feel his muscles ripple with each step. He was a powerful man, one I probably couldn't escape from without the aid of surprise.

Luke carried me back to the white room where he shut the door behind us and laid me on the bed. The moment I hit the covers I pulled away from him and swung my legs over the bed. I tried to make a dash for the door, but he was fast, very fast. He was around the bed before I reached the foot of it, and I stumbled backward away from him. "I'm afraid I can't let you out for a few days, not until I can trust you."

I narrowed my eyes. "Then I'm never going to be let out."

He smirked. "I very much doubt that, but right now wouldn't you rather rest on the bed? That shoulder bruise must hurt."

It hurt like hell, but I didn't care. "I'd much rather be home, so just let me go," I ordered him.

Luke shook his head. "I'm afraid that's just not possible. You see, I've chosen you to be my mate, and once chosen there's no going back."

The finality in his voice scared and infuriated me. "I don't care what bullshit you say! Just let me out of here!" I rammed into him, but this time he was prepared. He caught my upper arms and pushed me onto the bed.

I glanced up and shrank from the wild look in his expression. His eyes were bright and wide, and his lips were curled back in a grin that showed off some long, sharp teeth. When he spoke his voice was more growl than human, and the feral noises in his words made me shudder. Admittedly, it wasn't from fear so much as from a small thrill of desire in me. Everything about him told me he wanted me, and a little wildness deep down in me told me I wanted him. "You shouldn't fight me. It only makes my Beast want you more."

"B-beast?" I shuddered.

Luke slipped onto the bed and I scuttled back to the head. He followed me and placed his hands on either side of my body while he leaned forward so our faces were only a foot apart. "It's what controls me, and chose you as my mate." He glanced up and down my body. I felt stripped naked by his thorough, unblinking eyes, and covered myself with my arms. "I must admit it chose very well." At that moment there was a knock on the door and Luke pulled back. I realized I hadn't been breathing and swallowed a big gulp of air. "Come in," Luke called out.

Alistair came in with a large tray in his hands. He set it down on the small table beyond the mound of pillows and turned to us. "Would you be needing anything else, sir?"

"Just some privacy," Luke replied. The color drained from my face at the subtle context in those words.

Alistair frowned, but gave a bow at the waist. "Very well, sir." He left the room, and I heard the distinct sound of the door being locked behind him.

Luke slid off the bed and wandered over to the table. On the tray I noticed all kinds of fruits, juices, and cereals, and my stomach betrayed me by growling. Luke picked up an apple and grinned. "You must be quite hungry. Take what you want, there's plenty for both of us."

I turned my face away, but the gnawing in my stomach wouldn't leave. "Not until you let me go," I insisted.

Luke tossed the apple at me and it fell at my feet. "At least eat enough for you to escape. You're going to need all your strength and wits to get away from us."

"I almost did," I shot back.

"I must admit you gave us a merry chase, but that wouldn't have lasted long. Alistair and I are proficient hunters, and even if we had lost sight of you we wouldn't have lost your scent." I wrinkled my face. He made himself out to be some sort of an animal. "What an interesting expression on your face. Do I really disgust you that much?" he asked me.

"I don't care, just let me go!" I repeated.

"I'm afraid I can't let that happen, but why don't you have a taste of that apple? I can guarantee you'll like it." I was so mad and afraid that I grabbed the apple and chucked it at him. He effortlessly caught it in one of his hands and grinned. "Nice throwing arm, and a good aim. Yes, I can see how you would make a good mate."

"Stop calling me that!" I shrieked at him.

He shook his head. "I think not, at least not until you start behaving." He paused and rubbed his chin. "Perhaps that would be a suitable punishment. For as long as you disobey me you won't have a name, but you'll still be my possession."

"I'd rather not have a name than be your possession!"

Luke tossed the apple onto the tray. "You'll change your mind. Until then keep your strength up and fight me all you want." He strode to the door, unlocked it with a key from his pocket, and left me alone in my white dungeon.

# 3

I pressed my back up against the wall behind the bed and hugged my legs to myself. Tears rolled down my cheeks and all I could think about were those plain walls around me, trapping me in this horrible place with this insane man and his servant. Only yesterday I'd been a happy college student with my biggest worry being if I was going to miss my friends' calls and if that stupid geology teacher was going to give us homework. Now here I sat in this strange room threatened by these men and with no chance at escape.

Still, there were lingering hopes for escape even in the confines of that white room. I glanced up and looked over the boarded windows. They looked secure, but where there was a will there was a way. I slipped off the bed and hurried over to the window on the left to try to pry the boards off; no luck. They were nailed on with thick nails that resembled railroad spikes, and the other window was the same. I'd need something heavy or sharp to break the wood, or at least to pry the boards loose with leverage.

I looked around the room and spotted the food tray. My stomach growled, reminding me that fear, my earlier mad dash, and trying to pull off the boards had given me an even greater appetite than before. I slunk up to the table and inspected the food. It all looked perfectly normal to me. The apple he'd tossed to me lay beside the other fruit, and I grabbed that and sat down for a breather. I intended to eat only as much as I needed and nothing more, but when I bit into the apple and chewed on the piece I was overcome with this strange, overpowering urge to eat more. My body flushed with a desire to savor everything on the tray, to have all those textures roll across my tongue and slide down my throat.

It wasn't the flavor of the apple that made me grab another apple. It was more like an added spice brushed over the food that created a sensual, overpowering need to consume it all. I dug in like an animal and devoured fruit, juice and cereal. My hands clawed off fruit skins and I drank down the juice, and I relished every moment as my body heated up with each bite and drink. My clothes were splattered with food, but I didn't care. There was only that burning inside me that demanded I feed the fire. I finished off the last of the food and drink, and found myself craving more. My tense, flushed body ached for another bite, another drink, and I whimpered when I found I couldn't satisfy my need.

It was at that moment the door to the room opened and Luke stepped inside. His eyes fell on the empty tray in front of me, and then to me, covered as I was in the remains of my breakfast. He smirked, and shut and locked the door behind himself. "It seems you enjoyed your breakfast," he teased.

My anger was rekindled by his smirk, but only partially. The need inside of me dampened the flame of ire. "You put something in it, didn't you?" I accused him.

He walked over to me and picked up the apple core. Even that was partially chewed. "Only a little wolf's bane. It adds a unique flavor for our kind that is similar to an aphrodisiac." I didn't understand what it was or what kind about which he was talking, but I understood the second part about the aphrodisiac. That explained the sensual need inside of me clawing to get out. He tossed the core back onto the tray and turned to me with those bright eyes. "It seems to have affected you quite well. How are you feeling?"

"Hot," I hoarsely whispered to him. I couldn't help myself when my hand reached up and brushed the naked skin of my long shirt collar. My flesh was hot and wet from sweat, and I shuddered at the feel of my own fingers caressing my skin.

Through the lens of my sensual emotions I saw his grin take on a more feral appearance as his teeth shone out beneath his lips. His eyes brightened as they had before, and I swear they changed color from blue to yellow. "You look very flushed. Let me help you to your bed." I was languid and submissive as he picked me up in his arms and carried me to the bed. He set me on the soft covers, and my hands grasped them when a wave of heat swept over me. I shuddered, and he sat down at my side. His hand came up and brushed aside wet strands of my hair, soaked as they were in my hot sweat. His touch lit a fire that I couldn't quench with food; I wanted something more. "You look ravishing," he whispered to me.

I gasped for breath. His voice was deep and sultry, and there was a tremor in the tone that told me how badly he wanted me. I wanted the same, and I purred and moaned at every touch of his hands against me. His right hand slid down my soaked shirt and over my heaving breasts. He paused over the pert peaks and teased me with promises, but his hand kept going down over my stomach to the waistband of my jeans. They felt tight, too tight, and I strained to break free of them. It was his pleasure to pop open my pants button and draw down the zipper, but it was all so tantalizingly slow.

I whimpered, trying to tell him that I wanted faster, that I wanted _him_. He chuckled and buried his face into my neck, nuzzling me while his hand toyed with my underwear. I cursed it for being there and for keeping his fingers from touching my naked skin. He toyed with the waistband of those before his hand slipped inside. I wanted _him_ inside me, but his fingers danced soothingly over my skin and rustled into my thick bristle of hair. He navigated the jungle and brushed across my folds, and I jumped when he ghosted over the sensitive spot between my legs.

His breath against my throat was harsh and raspy. He strained against his urge to ravish me like we both wanted. "Do you like that?" he growled.

"Y-yes," I stuttered out. I couldn't lie to him. I wasn't thinking enough to say anything but the truth.

"Do you want more?"

"Y-yes."

"How badly do you want it?"

"Badly."

"Good." Luke pulled his hand away, and I cried out in agony and disappointment. He sat up and smirked down at me. "Remember how badly you want it. Next time I might oblige you." I whimpered and squirmed, but he stood and stepped over to the door. His eyes smoldered with need, but his mind was too strong to overcome the sensual demands of carnal desire. "Good morning." He gave his farewell and left me lying there covered in sweat and with my thighs soaked with my own need.

I grasped the covers and kicked my legs, throwing a tantrum like some child punished for disobeying their parent. This child wanted, no, _needed_ her desire quenched. I craved his fingers against me, touching me and pleasuring me like no other man. Unbidden my hand reached down and dipped beneath my underwear. I gasped when my fingers brushed against my sensual nerves, sending a shiver up my body.

It wasn't like his, though, and that frustrated me. I wanted that same pleasure of a man touching me and toying with me, but I had to settle for this. My finger dipped between my wet, hot folds and rubbed the bundle of delight between my thighs. I groaned and squirmed above the covers, and my hips rocked in rhythm with the beat of an erotic dance. Little shots of delicious pleasure pulsed out from between my thighs and swelled over me, penetrating my mind with thoughts of _him_ on top of me.

I imagined his strong muscles pressing down against my bare breasts, and our groans filling the air as we thrust against each other. His arms would be wrapped around me, holding me to him as he penetrated me again and again. Our sweat-covered bodies would writhe and squirm together trying to become one as we reached the height of carnal lust. His grunts and groans would echo in my ears, and when my body couldn't take any more I would scream out his name for the world to hear.

"Oh god," I moaned out loud. My finger brushed harder and faster against me. My other hand massaged the bed covers and my back arched to push my pert buds into the air. All I could think about was him; inside of me, pressing against me. My carnal thoughts were unfulfilled with his absence, and that drove me to the brink of insanity. I needed him, desired him, and he had left me.

I was in a frenzy to free myself and find some solace in my solitude. My free hand wrenched at the buttons of my shirt, tearing them away and opening my breasts to the stifling air. They were swollen and pushing up against my bra. With a flick of my fingers the strap was undone and they were freed. With a wild toss the shirt and bra flew across the room while my finger worked its magic between my thighs. The thrills of pleasure ran through me, but it still wasn't enough. I needed one last push to make up for his being gone. My free hand grasped one of my breasts and massaged the pulsing, swollen mound of flesh. It was slick and round, and I milked myself for sensual fulfillment.

"Oh god, please. Please." I moaned. So close, oh so close. The heat was unbearable, the tension strong. I could feel myself creeping closer to the edge of bliss. Almost there. I tossed back my head and cried to the heavens my satisfaction. "Oh god, yes. Yes! Yes!" My world burst into a million lights with a million tingles of pleasure. I shook and shivered, and squirmed atop the covers.

For all its buildup the moment was gone in a flash. The pleasure faded and I slumped down atop the covers, my body covered in sweat and myself. I gasped for breath and my body tingled with delight, but there was still something wrong. I'd reached satisfaction, but that wasn't enough. I needed _him_ to reach the full height of my sexual potential. He needed to be the one to take me to heavenly bliss. I whimpered and brushed a hand through my hair.

That's when I froze. What the hell was I doing? This man was my jailer, my kidnapper, my enemy. I shouldn't have wanted him that way. I should have starved to death rather than follow this path of almost unbearable aphrodisiac-induced sexual arousal. I would have smacked myself if I'd had the energy, but all I could do was lay there and let the effects of the poisoned food wear off. I berated myself a thousand times over, and promised myself a million times to let myself starve. He wouldn't want to have sex with a skeleton woman, not if he'd chosen my plump body.

A sudden thought struck me. What if I did displease him? What would he do to me then? Would I be tossed out on a pile of corpses made up of the other girls who'd displeased him? My heart thumped fast and I found the energy to sit up. There wasn't any evidence of other people in the room, but psychopaths were clever, and this guy was definitely a psychopath. I needed to escape, but I needed to bide my time and make him think I was following his orders when I was really planning to undermine him.

# 4

I had another look around my cage and noticed a door on the wall behind the small table. I scuttled over to it, and was relieved and overjoyed to find it was unlocked. The door opened, but my hopes were dashed. Inside was a simple bathroom made in the same bland style as the larger room. Still, I wouldn't let a little disappointment slow me down. If there was anything college had taught me, there was always a way out with some excuse or escape route.

I stepped inside and inspected the walls for a window. There was a small one opposite the door, but that was bricked up. I'd have better luck with the boarded up windows, so I went back into the large room and took another look at those ones. The railroad spikes stared back at me, mocking me with their strength, but there were ways to get past them. They weren't screwed in, at least not as far as I could tell, so maybe I could pry them loose bit by bit.

My fingers danced over the rough edges of the boards looking for a handhold, but they were nailed too close together. I'd need something thin and tough to wedge between them if I was going to pry the boards loose. I glanced over my shoulder and my eyes fell on the tray that man Alistair had brought in. That looked sturdy enough, and it was the only thing in sight to help me. I dashed over, quietly removed the remains of food and dishes, and ran back to the window. The tray was made of some sort of sturdy metal, and thin enough I could slip it between a few of the wider gaps between the boards.

When it was securely wedged at the height of my chest, I put my hands on the tray and pressed down with all my weight and strength. The tray creaked and the wood groaned, and little by little, inch by inch freedom appeared behind the board. In a few minutes, and after a few breaks, I managed to loosen the board enough that I could pry my fingers into the hole and yank on the wood. In an hour my hard work was rewarded when the board and its stubborn nails came off in my hands. Victory was accompanied by a loud wrenching noise when the wood pulled from the wall, and I froze with the board tightly gripped in my hands. I listened for sounds of footsteps and voices, but nothing came to my ears.

I softly set aside the board and glanced at the hole. There was only a glass window, and beyond that was the world. Unfortunately, it wasn't any world I knew. The forest of city buildings was replaced by a forest of tall trees, and the streets were now an expansive lawn that stopped at the edge of those trees forty feet beyond the house in which I was trapped. I didn't see any road or driveway, so I guessed my room was at at the back of the house. That would make escape easier.

There was a drop of thirteen feet from my window to the ground, but I noticed a thick layer of vine peeked out around the edge of the left-hand panes. I could climb down those and run away, but then I ran into another problem. Which direction was I supposed to go? The sun was out and I knew which ways were east and west, but I didn't know if any of those ways would lead me back home. There was also the problem with the sun being there in the first place. I'd be spotted a lot faster during a day escape than at night, so with a heavy heart I put back the board. When night came I could make my escape, and until then I'd use their bathroom to clean myself up and act like the perfect prisoner.

Being a perfect prisoner was easier than I thought. Nobody came to check on me except when Alistair arrived with a new tray and took away the old one. I'd tossed the older tray against the wall, and when he picked it up he noticed the bent edges on one side where I'd shoved it between the boards. When he glanced questioningly at me, I scowled back. "I tossed it against a wall," I told him. That was the truth so he wouldn't suspect I was lying.

He raised an eyebrow and those old, crafty eyes drilled into me like two steady snipers zeroing in on their target. "I see," he drawled. "Would you care for anything else, miss?"

"Yeah, I want to get out of here," I quipped.

Alistair shook his head. "I'm afraid that's quite beyond my abilities. The master appreciates your company, and would like you to stay."

What he'd said about being powerless made me angry, and my hands clenched at my side. "But I don't appreciate his company, and it is in your 'abilities' to get me out of here. You've got a key to the door and know your way around here, so don't give me that bullshit about being some loyal servant. You're just as guilty as he is with keeping me here."

Alistair bowed his head. "If that's how you feel about it, miss, but I'm afraid I still can't let you out. I will return in the evening with dinner."

He left, and I was more determined than ever to escape that very night. I didn't trust the food, but I drank some water from the tap in the bathroom and planned my escape. I set aside a dark blanket from the bed as a makeshift cloak, and found an emergency flashlight in the bathroom to light my way. That evening Alistair came as promised, but I was startled and disappointed when Luke came with him. I wanted to make my escape into the darkness as soon as possible, and I hated myself when, at the mere sight of Luke, my body jumped at attention. Heat pooled between my legs and I shifted uneasily atop the bed covers. I couldn't forget how hot and needed he'd made me feel, but the remembrance of his rejection helped me control some of my womanly urges to copulate.

My lead captor noticed the untouched plate that Alistair carted out of the room and stepped up to the table beside the new tray. "You haven't eaten since breakfast," he commented.

"I'm going on a diet," I snapped back from where I sat on the bed.

"I prefer my mate to have meat on her bones."

"And I prefer not to be your mate."

He smirked, and I didn't know if I wanted to smack or kiss that beautiful face. "I'm afraid Destiny has other plans for you, and so do I."

"I don't care what either of you have planned, I want out of this place. You don't have any right to keep me here."

"Right? Other than the legal one put down by humans, I have every right to keep you here," he insisted.

His statement made me seriously wonder if he was all there. "I'm pretty sure you're not excluded from the human population. Might have something to do with you being human, unless you're an alien in disguise," I protested.

Luke chuckled and sauntered to the end of the bed. I scooted back away from him, especially when his dark eyes gazed at me with his hot, intense look. "Not an alien, but not human, either. I'll show you soon what I am, but for now let's just say I have a unique bloodline."

"Whatever the hell you think you are, I don't care. I just want out of here," I persisted.

Luke sighed and shook his head. "I'm afraid that just can't be done. Any separation of more than a day and I can't ensure your virginity around me."

I blushed and stammered out my reply. "H-how do you know I'm a virgin? Maybe I've been with plenty of guys."

He slid around the end of the bed post and up to the side of the bed. "Because I can smell it all over you. Your uncontrolled arousal in my presence, the way you begged me for my touch, and the way your heart beats faster the closer I come to you."

"I-I don't know what you're talking about," I lamely protested.

"Your need permeates this room with its delicious scent. It nearly drives me mad with lust." He crept closer to me and I squished myself up against the wall behind the bed. His voice dropped to a sultry whisper that lit my body aflame with desire. "And there you sit innocent as a sheep with the wolf creeping up on you from the inside and out. I crave to show you what I'm capable of, what we're both capable of." He was two feet away and reached his hand out toward me. I shrank back and turned my head away to avoid his touch. I didn't trust myself not to give in and yield to his lustful demands that my own body wanted so badly. His fingers paused a few inches from my face, and with a pained expression he pulled back. He nearly gasped for breath from the exertion of self-control. "But not yet. Soon, but not yet." He stood and looked down at me with an eager gleam in his eyes. "But when that time comes we'll both enjoy it."

I shuddered. Not at how he said those words, but because I believed them. There was such a desire inside me, and such an erotic lust in him, that a voluntary sexual relationship with him was inevitable. That is, unless he let me go or I escaped. I opted to give this terrifying man one last chance to redeem himself. "Or you could just let me go. You could blindfold me and put me back at the club where we met, and I won't tell anyone about you or this place."

Luke sighed and shook his head. "I'm afraid that just isn't possible. We've gone too far to go back, and you'll know soon enough why that is. Until then, rest easy." He left and locked the door behind him.

I didn't waste a minute of precious time. The night was only so many hours, and I needed all of them to hide me. I hurried over to the door and put my ear against it. All was quiet, so I snuck to the window and pried the board loose. That single freed board made a hole large enough for me to scrunch through, but first I had to deal with the glass. I gathered up a pillow and stuck my hand into the casing so the stuffing was in front of my hand. I peeked out to make sure the coast was clear before I smashed my covered hand into the glass. The pillow muffled the sound of shattering glass and protected my fist from the shards. The pieces fell and hit the soft grass beneath my window.

I tossed aside the pillowcase, grabbed my makeshift cloak of bed blankets and crawled headfirst out of the window. I jiggled the vines with my hands and found them thick and sturdy, so I pulled myself up a few feet so my legs could slide out. My hands shook so badly I thought I would fall, but somehow I scurried down the vines without slipping and dropped to the ground. The vines traveled past one of the lower floor windows, and there was a light on in the room. I peeked my head in and saw it was a study lined with bookshelves and a large desk near the window. There was a chair behind the desk with the back turned to the glass, but I could see Alistair in front of the desk staring at someone in the seat.

"Are you certain this girl is the one? Many others have made mistakes," Alistair questioned.

"I'm absolutely certain, but I get the feeling you don't approve of her," replied the person in the chair, and I recognized the voice as belonging to Luke.

Alistair frowned. "She is very unknown to our world, sir, and ignorance is a threat to us."

"Ah, now we get down to something else. What really makes you worry so much, old friend?" Luke asked him.

"Your influence over the others is very precarious right now. If this would go wrong they could see you as unfit of your title and position."

"I'm sure things won't go so badly, but once I completely change her I'll be sure to stabilize my position."

"Even if that means skirmishes with the competing lords?" Alistair asked him.

"Even if that means war," Luke firmly replied. "We can't let them win, no matter what."

I'd heard enough to realize how insane were the pair of them, and stepped away from the edge of the window. I slunk across the lawn, careful to keep out of the lights from the windows, and reached the edge of the trees in a minute. I turned back and got my first, and hopefully last, full look of the house. It was a two-story colonial house made of bricks with white edging on the roof and several old chimneys. It was a nice place if it hadn't been such a terrifying prison for me. I turned away from it and slunk into the trees with the dark blanket of night wrapped tightly around me.

# 5

I picked up on a trail that ran through the trees and followed that for several miles, aided by the light of the almost-full moon. After an hour's panicked walk I reached a wide, swiftly-flowing creek where the path split in two. Water usually meant civilization somewhere along it, so I could follow upstream or downstream to hopefully find sane people. By the time I reached that branch in the path I was covered in sweat and exhausted. I promised myself that come freedom, I was going to lose a few pounds. The path branched off to the left and right, both following the bank. Neither gave any sign of civilization, so that meant all possibilities were on the table. Either one led to safety, both led to safety, or none of them led to safety. That made for odds I couldn't calculate but didn't like.

The situation got a lot worse when I heard a deep, loud howl fill the air. I stiffened and the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. Either that had been a really big dog, or there were wolves in these woods. The worst part about the howl was that it sounded like it was only a few miles away, which was much closer than I wanted. It did help me decide on the left path because that led farther away from the howl.

I rushed along the trail, dodging low branches and jumping over roots while I hoped for this trail to be the right direction. My heart beat faster when I heard that howl again, and this time it was closer. Another howl followed it, but this one was in a different pitch. That meant there were two different wolves in the woods, a small pack. I rushed headlong down the path in a wild abandonment to panic. Bushes and low trees brushed and scratched me as I tore along the narrowing trail. My shoes skidded on the wet creek rocks, and more than once I nearly lost my balance and fell into those dark, cold waters.

Just when I thought there wouldn't be any room for me to run, the path ahead opened to a meadow. In that meadow stood a shack with an electric pole outside and a light shining through the dirty windows. I dashed up to the door and banged on the entrance. "Please help me! Please!"

I heard a shuffling of footsteps and the door opened wide enough for an eyeball to peek through at me. "What's wanted?" came the old, gruff voice of a man.

"Please help me! I just escaped from a house a few miles back and I think there are wolves chasing me!" I gasped out.

"What house were ya at?" he asked me.

"I don't know, some brick house where two men live. They kidnapped me and I need to get to the police."

The old man shut the door, unlatched a few locks and opened it wide. The shack was a single-room with a simple bed in one corner and a table with two chairs in the middle. Above the table was the single source of light, a dusty old lamp with a dim bulb. I also had my first view of the old man. He was about five foot with a scraggly gray beard and a few strands of hair on the top of his head. His clothes were ragged and simple, but clean. He impatiently swept his hand over the room. "Get in. We ain't got all night."

"Oh thank you!" I shouted while I rushed into the room. He shut the door and locked the door with three bolts. "Do you have a phone I can use to call the police?"

He shook his head and shuffled over to one of the two chairs. "Nope. Don't like those things," he told me as he sat down.

I had an uneasy feeling in my stomach. He was unusually calm after my story, and I didn't like that he'd locked the door. "Then do you have a car we can use to get to town?"

"Yep, but I think ya need to just relax fer a bit. Ya look real tired." He nodded at the seat opposite him. "Get yerself comfortable. Won't be more than a few minutes."

My heart leapt against the front of my rib cage. "A few minutes until what?"

"Until the master be coming. I'm sure him and that worthless manservant of his are searching for ya right now."

My eyes widened and I backed up against the wall beside the door. "Master?"

"Aye. That'd be Master Luke," he replied.

I'd picked the wrong hut to hide in. I threw myself at the door and had one of the bolts open before one of his wizened old hands reached out behind me and grabbed one of my arms. He wrenched me back and I fell into the other chair. "Let me go! Please let me go!" I begged him.

He frowned and shook his head. "Can't do that, miss. Yer a pretty thing, but the master said to not let ya leave if I was to ever find ya escaping."

"I'll do anything, just don't let them-" My frantic pleadings were interrupted by the howling of the wolves, and the sounds came from just outside the door. The old man turned to the entrance and unlocked the remaining bolts. He meant to open the door with those wolves on his doorstep. "Don't!" I screamed at him. I shot off the my seat and grabbed his shoulders to pull him back, but beneath that weathered exterior was a solid frame. My efforts proved futile.

The old man swung open the door to reveal Luke, and behind him stood Alistair. Luke had a dark expression on his face, and Alistair was as stoic as ever. "Do you have the girl?" Luke asked the old man.

"Aye, sir, but I don't like this one bit. She might've been found by the others," the old man replied.

"But she wasn't," Alistair spoke up.

The old man glared at the manservant. "No thanks to the likes of ya," he shot back. I had a feeling the two men didn't get along, but their disagreements were the least of my worries. Luke blocked the door, so there was only the window to my left that could serve as my escape.

"Enough, you two," Luke scolded the men. He nodded at me, and addressed the old man. "How long as she been here, Zeke?"

"Only a few minutes, sir." Old Zeke chuckled. "She said she heard some wolves out there."

I edged toward the window while one of my hands grasped the back of the wooden chair. Luke turned to me with a grin on his lips. "You were fortunate to find Zeke's home." My eyes flitted over to the window and Luke held out his hand to me. "Come now. It's time to return to the house."

I scowled at him. "No way."

I tossed the chair at the window and the glass shattered on impact. It was a bad break with bits of sharp glass along the edges, but I dove for the opening. Luke was too fast. He latched onto my waist and pulled me back, but not before my hands were cut on the edges. I thrashed and kicked in his grasp. "Let me go! I won't go back!" I screamed at him.

"Alistair!" Luke called out to his manservant. I saw Alistair pull out a small bag from inside his coat, and from that he removed a needle. Luke pinned my arms to my sides and pressed my feet against the floor so I couldn't kick him. Alistair grabbed one of my arms and inserted the needle. The clear liquid flowed into my body and I felt a fog cloud my mind. My limbs went limp and Luke swept me into his arms. "Sorry to do this to you again, Rebecca, but you gave us no choice." The last I remember was his face, and then everything went black.

* * *

I don't know how long I was out, but long enough that when I woke up I was back in that hideous white room and the board was back on the window. The boards all had extra nails in them, and there were large, long boards that ran from the top to the bottom of the window across the other boards. I lay on the bed, and my wounded hands were carefully bandaged. They were stiff and sore, and reminded me I'd failed in my attempt to flee. A wave of depression swept over me, and I grabbed one of the pillows to muffle my crying.

"Are you really that unhappy?" a voice asked me. My head shot up and I rolled over to find Luke standing behind me and close to the bed.

"Why shouldn't I be?" I shot back. "Did you think kidnapping me would make me like you?"

"I thought perhaps a little time to know me would tell you I meant you no harm."

"No harm? _No harm_?" I sat up and tossed the pillow at him. He let it hit his chest and drop harmlessly to the ground. "Do you think the only way you can hurt somebody is physically? I'm stuck in this place with you and that creepy other guy, and somehow that's supposed to be alright?"

"His name is Alistair," Luke corrected me.

"I don't care if his name is Crap, or if you were a billionaire. I just want to go home!"

Luke smirked. "I have to admit I'm not worth that much, and Crap isn't Alistair's name. He might not appreciate that nickname, either."

"Crap!" I yelled back. "Crap! Crap! Crap! Crap! Crap! Crap! Crap!"

There was a knock on the door after my tirade. "Is everything all right, sir?" Crap called from the other side.

"Crap!" I yelled.

"Quite all right, Alistair. Miss Rebecca was merely clearing her throat," Luke replied.

"Crap crap crap!" My voice nearly drowned out theirs.

"There was a phone call for you earlier, sir. It was from Miss Stevens."

I opened my mouth for another round, but Luke sprung forward and slapped his hand over my lips. Luke sighed. "What did she want?"

"To inform you that the meeting has been pushed ahead a week, and will start in four days."

Luke's eyes widened and he moved over to the door so fast I could barely follow his blur. He flung open the door and caught Alistair standing in the hall. "Four days?" he repeated.

Alistair had a grim expression on his face, and he nodded. "Yes, sir. She said it was by the request of Lance and Simpling."

"Damn it!" Luke swore under his breath. He ran his hand through his hair and scowled. "Change our tickets and add one for Rebecca, and ready us to leave in a day."

"But the full moon is in two days," Alistair pointed out.

Luke shook his head. "It can't be helped. We'll have to make do with one of the inns."

"We will arrive at Burnbaum's on that day," Alistair informed him.

A wry smile slipped onto Luke's face. "I suppose there are worse places. At least his rooms are clean and have thick walls."

"I'll make the arrangements immediately." Alistair bowed and hurried off, and Luke shut the door.

He turned to me and swept his hand over the windows. "It seems the extra precautions are all for naught. We need to hurry to an important meeting, and you're coming along."

I narrowed my eyes. "You'll have to keep me drugged the whole way," I threatened him. I hoped that would mean I could stay at the house to try for another escape.

"If that's what has to be done," he nonchalantly replied.

"You'll get a lot of stares carrying around an unconscious woman," I pointed out.

He shook his head and smiled. "Not to our destination. It's common to see initiates drugged to control them." I cringed. This sounded like a trip on a slave route. He noticed my distress and sighed. "I promised you before that no harm would come to you, and I still keep to my word as an honorable werewolf."

There was something not quite right about that oath. "A what?" I asked him.

"A werewolf," he repeated, as though there was nothing unusual in that word.

I slowly slid away from him. "A werewolf?" I repeated.

He smirked. "I think we've established that."

"Yeah, but not your sanity level, if it's high enough to be measured," I shot back.

He tilted his head and looked at me with admiration. "Even in this strange a situation you can still make jokes. Admirable," he complimented

"Who said it was a joke?" I meant every word of it, and I also meant to get out of this crazy man's clutches.

"You don't believe me?" he wondered.

My back pressed up against the wall behind the bed. "I believe you need to be in a straitjacket, and I'd need one, too, if I believed that bullshit."

"I'm afraid it's quite true. I'm a werewolf, just as you will be in a few days."

The color drained from my face. That didn't sound good. "What in the hell are you talking about?"

Luke nodded at the empty table where there was usually a tray of food. "The wolf's bane you consumed your first night here confirmed that you have the talent to become a werewolf, provided I'm in your presence come the next full moon."

My heart danced a sped-up version of the mariachi inside my chest. The next full moon was in two days. "And if I disappoint you by not changing into some hairy beast?" I asked him.

He chuckled, and my blood ran cold and my heart ran off. "You won't." He stood up and smiled down at me. "But I suppose since you don't believe me you don't have anything to worry about from the next full moon. Unless, of course, you're completely wrong and I'm the sane one here."

The twisted logic in there made my head hurt, and I glared at him. "Not likely."

He shrugged and walked over to the door. "A little caution is wise, but don't let your fear of me blind you to what I've told you. Goodnight." He shut the door behind him, and left me with my doubts. Doubts are really indecisive companions.

I growled and tossed another pillow at the end posts of the bed, but that made me freeze. That growl I'd just made was really good, and really real. I glanced down at my hands and arms. They looked as hairless and as chubby as ever. I felt my ears and my hair. Still the same there, too. I frowned and scrunched down between the remaining pillows at the head of the bed. "I'm not turning into a werewolf, I'm not turning into a werewolf," I chanted. The mental trick didn't wipe away any of the doubt, but that and the remaining effects of the shot did lull me to sleep.

# 6

I was awoken by the sound of dishes clinking against each other. I groaned and sat up to see Alistair at the table with a tray of food and drinks in front of him. He noticed my being awake and bowed his head to me. "Good morning," he greeted me. Judging by his stern face the greeting didn't go any deeper than his words.

I whipped my head over to the heavy planks on the windows. They didn't let in so much as a sliver of sunlight. "I can't tell," I quipped.

"I can assure you the sun is still shining," he replied.

I folded my arms across my chest and glared at him. "I'm really supposed to believe you on anything?"

"No, you're supposed to eat some food."

"What? So you can fatten me up so Luke, if that's his real name, can eat me whenever he gets wolfish?"

Alistair glanced over my thick frame and the corners of his mouth twitched. "I don't believe that needs tending to." I admit I walked into that one. "As for the master being hungry when he's, as you put it, _wolfish_ , he prefers venison over humans."

This guy was as batty as his master. "And let me guess, you're a werewolf, too?"

"Yes, though of a lesser family. I was also instructed to change your bandages. If you would follow me into the bathroom, we can proceed."

I glanced down at my hands. They were stiff, but no longer sore. Still, for any future escape I needed to be healthy. "Fine." I followed him in there and sat on the end of the tub while he took out the gauze and disinfectant from the cabinet. He measured out the length of the bandages like a seasoned war veteran. "You done this a lot?" I asked him.

"Quite often," he replied. He turned to me and unwrapped the bandages from both my hands. Some nasty, deep cuts were revealed to me, and I worried about infection.

"Shouldn't I go to a hospital or something?" I suggested.

The corners of Alistair's mouth twitched and he shook his head. "That won't be necessary. The wounds are deep, but not infected." He turned me so my hands were held over the tub, and then I swear he applied the disinfectant in gallon quantities with an added misery of tamping the wounds down with a dry towel.

With each pat down I cringed and flinched. "Mind being a little more lenient in the torture?" I asked him.

"The torture is necessary," he calmly insisted. Alistair finished the cleaning and wrapped a new set of bandages over the wounds.

We returned to the main room. I ignored the food and plopped myself down on the bed. Alistair set out a plate and utensils, and pulled out the chair. "If you will be seated we can commence breakfast." I stared suspiciously at the food. "I assure you it isn't tainted with wolf's bane," Alistair told me.

"And if I refuse to eat it?" I challenged him.

Now Alistair really did smirk. "Then I've been instructed to tie you to the chair and force-feed you until the meal is finished, or you throw up."

I scowled and grumbled, but he had such conviction and glee in his voice and face that I didn't doubt he'd do it. There was one advantage I held, or rather packed around with me, so I folded my arms across my chest and remained seated. "Make me."

"Make you?" he repeated.

"Yes, make me." He had a thin frame that didn't look like it could lift a child much less a full grown woman who weighted-well, who weighted a lot. Also, if I was going to remain a prisoner here then I was going to make myself the best pain in the ass in the history of prisoners.

He dropped the back of the chair and rolled up his sleeves to show off his scrawny, pale arms. "If you insist." He marched over to the bed and I made myself as limp as the consistency of jello so he'd have to drag me to the table. There was no way he could pick me up and heft me over to the chair. However, I might have been a tad of with my guestimate of his strength, especially when he lifted me off the bed as though I was nothing more than a twenty pound bag of flour. I yelped and tried to push off his chest and out of his arms, but he held me in a vice-like grip. Alistair swung me down into the chair and produced a rough hemp rope out of thin air. He had every intention of tying me to the chair and force-feeding me. I had every intention of avoiding that terrible fate.

"Wait!" I cried out. He paused with several loops of the rope wrapped around me and the back of the chair. "I'll behave."

"You swear it?" he asked me.

"On all the donuts I've eaten in my life, I swear it." Alistair raised an eyebrow. "Believe me, that's a lot of swearing."

"I don't doubt that, but haven't you something more important than food on which to swear?"

"I was trying to keep consistent with the theme here, but I'll swear on my life if you want that."

"That will do." He unwrapped me and pushed my chair up to the table. Then he just stood there watching me.

I scowled at him. "Don't you have someone else to torture?"

"I'm afraid you're my only available victim," he replied. I didn't know which was more annoying, what he said or the calm, smooth voice in which he said it.

"So you're just going to stand there and watch me eat it all?" I asked him.

"Precisely."

"I can't eat if somebody's watching me."

"You must try."

"Or else you make me eat?"

"Or else you break your word," he reminded me. I groaned, picked up my fork and shoveled some food onto it. I lifted the food to my mouth and my eyes inadvertently wandered up to Alistair. He stood perfectly still at my side with his eyes staring unblinkingly down at me.

I dropped the fork on my plate and nodded at the other chair. "Sit down."

"Beg your pardon?"

"At least sit down so you don't make me a complete nervous wreck." He obliged by sitting down and staring at me from across the table. Not a great change, but definitely an improvement. I decided the room needed some noise. "So how long you been working for this Luke guy, if that's his real name?" I wondered as I picked up my fork and raised it to my mouth.

"It is, and I have been with the family for some seventy years."

The fork stopped mid-mouth as I stared at the senile old man. "Seventy years?" I repeated.

"Yes, miss, give or take five years."

"Funny, you don't look a day over a hundred. Must have started your employment with them pretty early." I took a bite of the fork.

"Not very early, and I am well over a century old."

I choked out my bite of food and dropped the fork back on the plate. "Can't either of you two stay sane for more than five minutes?"

"I'm perfectly right in the head, if that's what you're implying," Alistair calmly answered.

"That's exactly what I'm implying, and anybody who says they're over a hundred years old when they look like you either has a great plastic surgeon or is lying their ass off."

"I am neither lying, nor have I had plastic surgery."

"Then how do you explain it? Your werewolf powers?"

"Precisely."

I slapped my forehead and growled. I froze when he growled back, and I whipped my head up in time to see his face change from a sneer to his stoic expression. "Did you. . .did you just growl at me?"

"Merely instinct. A male will naturally try to subdue the female." I leaned back in my chair and stared at the man with a touch of fear in my eyes. "You needn't worry, miss. Now that I am aware of how far along you have progressed I will make sure to keep myself contained."

"Progressed?" I repeated.

"Toward the change, Miss Rebecca."

"Becky."

"Beg your pardon?" he wondered.

I rolled my eyes. "You guys keep calling me Rebecca, but I prefer Becky."

"Ah."

"And this change is about me becoming a. . .a-"

"-werewolf," he finished for me.

"Yeah, that."

"Yes. The more interaction you have with other werewolves the stronger your Beast grows inside of you."

The conversation took a turn too weird for me. I glanced down at the plate, then back up at him. "If I finish this plate will you leave?"

"Yes." I proceeded to shovel the food down my throat as fast as I could, and in record time he was packing up breakfast and leaving the room. He paused at the door and turned back to where I sat in my chair, gorged and grateful to see him leaving. "Master Luke asked me to tell you that we will be leaving for the train station at six o'clock."

"Ah don't haf a clock," I garbled through my stuffed mouth.

"He thought not, and wanted you to have this." He stepped back over to the table and pulled out a solid gold watch locket which he presented to me. "It is an heirloom of the Laughton family. He thought it would perhaps gain some of your trust if he entrusted you with it."

I looked from the locket up to Alistair's face and swallowed the food in my mouth. "Really?" I asked him.

"Yes, miss."

I hesitantly reached out and took the locket. After a brief struggle I opened the clasp and found a white clock face with hands that slowly ticked the time. There was a jewel at each of the hours cut into the shape of the numbers, and they glistened in the light. My voice reflected my awe. "It's beautiful."

Alistair bowed at the waist. "I shall inform Master Luke of your pleasure with his gift when he awakens."

I looked down at the time, saw it was nearly ten and raised an eyebrow. "That bum isn't awake yet?" I quipped.

Alistair coughed into his free hand to hide his choking laugh. "I'm afraid not, Miss Becky. He generally keeps late hours and sleeps until noon."

"Well, tell him I like it and, well, thanks," I grumbled.

"Very well. Oh, and if you don't mind my asking, what size of clothes do you wear?" I whipped my head up and glared at him.

"Why?" I slowly drawled.

"Merely to acquire some clothes for yourself for the trip."

I turned away and hunched over. "Maybe that info's a little private."

Alistair stepped into my line of sight and looked me up and down. "Then I will be forced to guess, and I guarantee the outcome will not be to your liking." I gritted my teeth and told him the sizes he wanted to know. "Good morning to you, then, Miss Becky," he replied, and left me alone with my present and my thoughts.

# 7

I took another look at the inside of the watch and the face opposite the clock. Something caught my eye, and I could barely make out a faded name etched ever so slightly into the metal. "Ezekiel Laughton," I read aloud. I furrowed my brow. "Laughton." I snapped my fingers as I recalled that was the name Alistair had given to Luke's family. "Wonder who this Ezekiel guy was. . ."

I stood up and turned to face the boarded up windows. That reminded me that I was still a prisoner in that room, and that I needed to find a way out before they dragged me to that mentioned train station. I stuffed the watch in my pocket and checked the windows. Definitely wasn't going to get through those without a crowbar. I whirled around and glanced at the door. That had potential because it _didn't_ have boards on it. I went up and knocked on the wood. It sounded very solid, so breaking through wasn't an option. The hinges and the knob were my best options, the latter of which was well-oiled and made of thick bands of metal.

I turned to the knob, my last, best hope for victory. That turned out to be relatively unbarred, and unlocked. My mouth fell open when the knob turned in my hands and the door opened, wiping away all my careful efforts at escape in a single swing of mockery. I didn't have time to yell at myself for not trying the door sooner, though, because I didn't know where Alistair was. I snuck out into the hall, closed the door behind myself and crept down the passage.

I was halfway to the stairs when I heard the soft clank of shoes on the metal steps. Somebody was coming, so I whipped my head left and right to find a hiding place. I noticed a door on my right was slightly ajar, and jumped into the dark room. The shadow of Alistair walked up the hall and paused at the room I'd entered. I slipped behind the door and held my breath as he stepped inside and flicked on the light. Fortunately, the door hid me from sight, and I peeked around to see what he was doing.

There was a bed on the opposite wall between two windows with heavy curtains. On the bed lay the ruffled, sleeping form of Luke with his hair messed up and his limbs strewn about the tangled covers. Alistair set a breakfast tray on a nightstand beside the bed, stepped over to one of the windows and drew the curtains, casting the room in bright, natural sunlight. It really was a nice day outside, and I hoped I could get out of the house to enjoy it.

The sunlight hit Luke full-force, and he groaned and tucked his head beneath a large pillow. I would have laughed if I hadn't been trying to escape from his company. He looked like a little boy who didn't want to get up. "Sir, it's time to get up," Alistair spoke up.

"No," came the muffled reply. I changed my mind. He _was_ a little boy who didn't want to get up.

"Perhaps next time you will allow me to protect the estate grounds," Alistair scolded.

Luke sighed and peeked his head out from beneath the pillow. "I hardly had a choice in the matter, Alistair. With that girl here I can barely keep my hands off of her, much less fight the urge to protect her every waking moment."

"And awakening you is precisely why I've come. It's past ten, sir, and you asked me to wake you at nine."

Luke groaned. "Call me at eleven."

"I have your breakfast already prepared."

Luke sighed. "All right, you win, Alistair." Luke tossed off the pillow, and it flew over to hit the door and nearly me. "Have you heard anything from Stacy?"

"Nothing yet, sir, but she generally sleeps as late as you," Alistair replied as he set the breakfast tray on Luke's lap.

Luke glared at his manservant. "I'm currently infatuated by a young female. What's her excuse?"

"She finds herself infatuated with you," Alistair countered.

Luke sighed and shook his head as he glanced down at the tray. "I'm afraid I'm not the one for her, nor she for me. Rebecca's presence will tell her as much."

"Becky," Alistair spoke up.

Luke frowned. "What?"

"She wishes to be called Becky, sir," Alistair explained to him.

The young master smiled. "She told you that? It sounds like you two made some progress."

"She knows her mind, sir."

"Good. She won't be swayed by anyone else while we're at Sanctuary. Are the bags packed?"

"Nearly, sir. I'll finish that right now." Alistair returned to the door and I froze when his hand fell on the knob. He paused and turned back to Luke. "If I might say, sir, I'm not sure of your choice for a mate."

The young master looked up from his tray and smiled. "I don't have any more say in the matter than you do, Alistair, but your complaint is duly noted." Alistair bowed his head, and pulled the door shut behind him. I heard Alistair lock the knob, and Luke turned his eyes on me. I cringed against the wall and prepared for an outburst, but Luke's smile only widened to a grin. "Good morning," he greeted me.

"Um, good morning?" I squeaked out.

Luke whipped out his napkin and dug into his meal. "You don't have to be afraid. I could smell you the moment you entered the room." I frowned and sniffed my arm. He chuckled. "The scent is very faint, too faint for your senses to pick up just yet."

"Because you're a werewolf?" I guessed with a little bit of sarcasm in my voice.

"Exactly." He gestured to a chair beside a table much like in my own room. "Would you like to take a seat?" I shook my head, and he nodded at the end of the bed. "Perhaps something more comfortable."

"I don't think that's more comfortable," I countered.

He shrugged and continued his eating. "Then you can keep standing there looking like a sheep in a wolf's den without a hope of escape."

"Maybe I'm not done escaping," I shot back.

Luke's eyes glanced up from his food. "Oh? I'm afraid leaving by the hall is impossible. Alistair knew you were there as well as I did, and locked the door to keep you from running out that way."

I looked from the chair he offered to the opened window, both of which were on the right side of the bed. "Then I guess I'll just take a seat." I dashed over to the chair, picked it up and heaved it at the window. The glass shattered and the chair sailed out onto the side lawn. Luke's face twisted into fury and he flung aside his tray to fly out of bed. The dishes cracked and scattered along the floor in a terrible roar of shattered china. I chased after the chair and propelled myself through the broken window, which wasn't that bright of an idea when I recalled we were on the second floor. My feet met with air and my hands flailed about for something to grab.

They caught hold of something, namely Luke's hand. He jerked me back toward the house and I slammed against the brick wall, jarring everything loose from my bones to my teeth. Then I was hauled back up through the window and thrown onto the floor. When I looked up Luke stood over me with his lips turned back in a hideous glare. "Do _not_ try that again," he ordered me.

I scowled right back. "Or what? You'll kidnap me? Throw me back in that room? You might as well just kill me now because I'm not going to stop trying to get away from you!"

Luke grabbed my arm, pulled me to my feet and shoved my face into his. His blazing blue eyes showered me with all the love and attention of a crazed bull intent on gouging a matador. His voice was low, dangerous, and sexy. Er, I meant serious. He was deadly serious about his threat. "You will not leave here, nor will I harm you."

"Then you're not going to beat me. I'll get out of here and-" Any further conversation was interrupted when he captured my lips in his. His arms wrapped around me and pulled me against his strong, thinly covered chest. I put my hands on his shirt, but didn't have the willpower to push away from him. He broke the kiss to give us both air, and I could feel the hot blush on my cheeks.

He smirked at the misty look in my eyes. "You were saying?" he whispered.

I tried to shake loose the mist from my head but ended up with only a headache. "What? What was I saying?"

"About leaving."

"I was? Wait, I was!" I tried to pull away, but he held me tight. "Let go of me!"

"Admit that you liked that," he playfully demanded.

"No, now let go!"

"Not until you tell me the truth."

"I admit it, I was the one who stole all the gum in fifth grade science class. Satisfied?"

Luke blinked in bewilderment. "Why?"

I shrugged in his arms. "Why else? To make the biggest bubble in the world. And I would've gotten away with it, too, if it hadn't been for that pesky teacher's pet." Luke was dazed by my admission of truth, and I managed to slip down out of his arms and step away from him. I folded my arms across my chest and stuck my tongue out at him. "I knew you couldn't handle the truth."

Luke grinned, and the look was decidedly lecherous. "No, but I can handle you." He jumped at me so quickly I could barely follow the movement, much less evade his attack. Luke flipped me around and wrapped his arms around me, effectively pinning my own arms to my sides and my back against his chest.

I squirmed and pulled, but he had an iron grip. "Let go! Lemme go!" I protested. I stiffened when he leaned down close to my ear, and his breath made my skin tingle.

"Don't you like being captured?" he teased. His hands in front of me splayed out and rubbed tantalizing circles against my stomach just below my breasts. "Don't you like this submissive feeling?"

"Don't you ever get tired of hearing yourself talk?" I shot back, but my voice had a quiver to it that I couldn't hide.

"Not when it's about you," he whispered. His sharp teeth nipped at my ear and I shuddered. "I can smell your arousal. You like this as much as I like doing it to you."

"M-maybe if you weren't holding me I'd like it better," I stuttered.

Luke chuckled. "I know your tricks, little she-wolf, and won't let you go."

"Then know this one." I stamped my shoe on top of his bare foot and crushed his toes beneath my soles. He yelped and loosened his grip, and I dove for the window again. This time I was prepared for the fall and caught a vine just outside the glass. My bandaged hands screamed in protest at my weight, but I ignored them. I shimmied down it just as Luke leaned out the window and tried to catch me. He missed, but just barely, and I hurried down the vine as fast as my panicked hands could take me. I hit the ground with my feet already in running mode and covered a dozen yards toward the woods before I looked over my shoulder.

Luke stood on the edge of the window, and like a suicide jumper he flung himself down the dozen or so feet to the ground. Like an oncoming train wreck I couldn't look away, and I had the expectation of seeing him break both his legs, but he neatly landed on his feet and pushed off after me. I gasped and sprinted toward the trees, but his speed was incredible. I'd hardly gone more than two yards before he barreled into me. We rolled onto the ground and I ended up on the loser's end, otherwise known as the bottom, with him on top of me. Luke pinned my arms to the ground at the wrists and sat on top of my gut. He thrust his face into me and growled. I cringed back from that feral, dangerous look in his eyes.

"Don't ever do that again," he ordered.

"Why are you doing this to me?" I asked him. "Why don't you just let me go? I won't tell anyone!" He snarled, and that cowed my pleading.

"You don't understand at all. How can you be so dense?"

I didn't like being called stupid at the best of times, and this certainly wasn't the best of times. I thrust my face into his in a challenge to his own actions. "Why don't you just tell me what the hell is going on? Werewolf this, people that, can't let me go and don't want to keep me. The only thing I've learned is you and your butler guy are nuts with a capital squirrel."

"Master Luke, you're hardly dressed for an outing in the woods," a voice called from the house. We both looked in that direction and saw Alistair standing at the back corner of the house.

Luke snapped his head back to me. "You want more proof than what I've shown you?" he asked me.

"If you want me to believe you, then yes," I shot back.

He stood and hefted me up with him. "Alistair, hold her for a moment, will you?" Alistair raised an eyebrow, but came over to firmly hold my arms. Luke stepped back five yards and narrowed his eyes. "I will show you proof, but don't blame anyone but yourself for your fear."

I didn't know what to expect, but his body changing wasn't one of them. His muscles swelled and bulged out of his white nightshirt and pants. Fur sprouted all over his body, and his hands and feet lengthened to long, dangerous claws. His face stretched out into a long snout and his ears became pointed and fuzzy. He bent over on all fours as though it was a natural position, and when he lifted his head a great howl escaped from his mouth full of razor-sharp teeth.

Luke turned his orange eyes on me and stomped toward where I stood. I pushed back against Alistair, but the manservant held me tight against his chest so I couldn't escape. Luke stopped a foot from me and his nostrils flared as he looked me over. I shut my eyes and turned my head away. All I could imagine was being fed to this creature, this monster. He leaned forward and his nose brushed against my hair. I shuddered and whimpered, and he pulled away. I didn't hear anything for a long while, so I dared to open my eyes. Luke stood in front of me human once more and completely naked. I blushed, gave myself a moment to admire his nice package and muscles, and slammed shut my eyes.

"Now do you believe me?" he asked me. I furiously nodded my head. "Good. Take her to her room. She can stay in there until we leave."

# 8

I didn't fight to free myself. What would have been the point when I had to go up against something like that? All those times I escaped were lucky breaks, surprise attacks against a man. Now I understood who, or rather what, I was dealing with and frankly it scared the shit out of me. Alistair led me to my room and locked me inside. I stumbled over to the bed, but my legs didn't make it and I collapsed to the floor. My thoughts buzzed with the incredible, terrifying miracle that I'd just seen. It all seemed so fantastic, so impossible, so-

"-screwed. . ." I muttered. That was the general gist of my situation, and I shuffled over to the bed and fell face-first on top of it. I was captured by a monster, probably two when including Alistair, and they were going to take me to someplace far away where nobody would ever find me. "How did I ever get into this mess?" I grumbled.

The day passed through my depression and crying, and I occasionally checked the time on the watch. Five o'clock rolled around and there was a knock on my door, followed soon by it opening. Alistair stood with a suitcase in each hand and a surprisingly apprehensive expression on his face. "I have your clothes for the trip if you would like to inspect them."

I wiped the most recent tears from my eyes and sat up. "What does that matter? You'll just make me wear them anyway."

"I wish to know if I matched your style. I only had the clothes you're wearing to guide me."

I turned away from him, and burned holes into the floor with my glare. "I don't care."

I heard him drop the suitcase and walk over to me. His feet came into my vision and I cringed away from him. He knelt down in front of me so his eyes stared into mine. They actually held pity. "This isn't easy for you, Miss Becky, but things will improve."

I scoffed and fought back tears. "How?"

"In time your freedom will be returned to you, I swear it on my service to the family."

A bitter smile slipped onto my lips. "Is that a swear you won't break?" I asked him.

He firmly nodded. "Indeed, it is."

I sighed and nodded. "Fine, I'll see them." Truth be told I was a little curious to see what he'd bought for me to wear, and a little eager to get out of the dirty ones I was wearing. Alistair picked up the suitcases, and led me over to the table. He dropped one beside the table and hefted the other onto the top. He clicked open the latch and opened the lid while I stood by, though far enough not to brush against him. Knowing he was a werewolf made me feel a creepy vibe come off him. He stepped back and let me have free rein, and I stepped forward and rummaged through the contents. Jeans, check. Shirts, check. Socks, check. Even a new pair of nice shoes. "Not bad, not bad. Really high-end stuff," I complimented him. Alistair actually smiled and bowed his head. I finished rummaging and realized there were two important pieces of clothing missing, so I glanced down at the other suitcase.

Alistair noticed where my attention turned, and coughed. "Yes, miss. Your more personal things are inside. If you will excuse me I have other-"

"Hold it right there, mister." I wasn't going to let him get away until I'd inspected everything, so I switched the luggage and opened the second one. Inside was a collection of underwear and bras I could only classify as extra-large Victoria's secret. I pulled out a scanty piece of fabric that loosely resembled underwear, and looked through it at Alistair. "Mind explaining this?"

"It was at Master Luke's insistence," he defended himself.

"Uh-huh, likely story," I replied. It was actually the most likely story, so I dropped the fabric back into the suitcase and watched it flutter down atop the pile. "I suppose this stuff will work." I couldn't hide the pleasure in my voice at his gifts of clothes.

"Master Luke will be pleased, but I'm afraid we must hurry. We mustn't miss the train," Alistair reminded me.

"Yeah, that would be a real bummer. . ." I mumbled.

"She has time to change," a voice spoke up. We glanced over to the door and saw Luke in the doorway. He had on the same casual attire I'd first seen him in, the shirt and pants, and he strode over to the table. I recalled his transformation earlier that day, and put the table between us. Luke glanced over the clothes and nodded approvingly. "Some very good choices, Alistair."

Alistair bowed his head. "Thank you, sir."

Luke turned his eyes on me, and I shuddered against the heat hidden in their depths. Some anger still resided in them, too. "Wear what's most comfortable. The train runs smoothly, but the trip is a long one." He turned on his heels and left the room.

Alistair turned and bowed at me. "Please hurry with your dressing," he repeated. He left and locked the room behind him. I didn't have any other choice but to dress, and chose a pair of jeans with a simple t-shirt. I'd just finished when there was a rap on the door. "Are you done, miss?" Alistair called through the entrance.

"Yeah," I glumly replied.

Alistair opened the door and showed himself wearing a coat with one draped over his arm. "If you would put this on we can leave." It was a beautiful, thick, blue-colored coat with fur trimmings on the large hood and cuffs. He held it open and I hesitantly slipped into the sleeves. It was snug and warm, and I wanted to bury myself in it. Alistair picked up my loose clothes, carefully put them in their suitcases and closed the clasps. "If you would follow me."

He walked out of the room and I followed. Fleeting thoughts of escape were quashed when Luke exited his room with a suitcase in hand. He stepped up to my side and Alistair guided us down the twisting staircase and into the main hallway. I hadn't gotten a good look at it the last time I was down here, and I had to admire the decor. The walls were painted white and the floors were made of a light-colored wood. The main lower passage was in the shape of a lowercase 't' and the intersection was at the staircase. Behind us was the rear of the house where stood the large lawn that lay outside my bedroom windows. In front lay the front door and the small entrance hall. To the left and right was another hall, and I knew to the left lay Luke's book-filled study.

Alistair led us through the front doors and to a black sedan with heavily tinted windows parked in the gravel driveway. He dropped the suitcases in the trunk and opened the rear door. I hesitated, but Luke put his hand on my lower back and guided me forward. I turned and glared at him, but he only nodded at the door. I sighed and slid into the leather seat. While Luke handed his suitcase to Alistair I tested the door to my left, but it was locked. The pair slipped into the car, Luke beside me and Alistair at the wheel.

We pulled out of the circular drive and traveled down a dirt road. I turned away from Luke and glanced out the window. There was nothing but dark shapes of trees as far as I could see. "The view is much better during the day," Luke informed me. I ignored his words, but I couldn't ignore his hand when it settled on my shoulder. I flinched at the touch, but he turned me so I faced him. "You're afraid of me," he stated rather than asked.

"It's kind of hard not to be," I replied.

"Because I'm a monster?" he guessed. I shrank back from him and nodded. "The monster may be more than skin-deep, but it doesn't consume me like it does for some normal men."

"But you're not normal," I argued.

"Neither are you," he countered.

I scoffed and gestured down at myself. "This looks pretty normal to me," I countered.

"I already proved that outward appearances can change, but I was speaking of your character," he explained to me.

I shrugged. "I don't really go for that feel-good, inner beauty stuff."

He smirked. "I thought not, but I still hold to what I said. You're not normal. You wouldn't be here if you were."

"Then I wish I was normal. . ." I muttered.

Luke frowned, and his eyes traveled down to my bandages hands. They were stained green from my vine-climbing earlier that day. "How are your wounds?"

"Wounded," I quipped.

Luke ignored my snarky comment and took one of my hands in his. He carefully unwrapped the bandages and inspected the cuts, but I faced away from him. "They're healing well. Did you want to see?" I frowned and cast a glance to my right at my hand. My mouth fell open when I saw that the deep cuts were now very shallow. There would be scars, but they would be a third the size I expected them to be. Luke chuckled. "You're surprised, but you shouldn't be. Your change has already started." I scowled and yanked my hand from his. That is, I tried to. He held my fingers firmly in his hand and pulled me against him. His hot body warmed me in ways I hated to admit. "Only one more night and you'll be mine."

I shuddered and turned away. "I'll never be yours," I boldly argued.

He chuckled, and I felt the vibrations run along his firm chest. "A day is a long time to change your mind, and the nights are even longer."

# 9

Our heated conversation was interrupted by Alistair. "We're nearly to the station, sir," he informed us.

I broke from Luke's seductive spell and glanced out the windows. The scenery changed from forest to small country town. Old clapboard houses popped up on either side of the road with their backs nestled against the thick woods and small gardens in their front yards. The road widened and sidewalks sprang up in front of two-story shops with quaint window displays. I felt like I was in a different world than the one I'd known, one that was about eighty years in the past. Nothing was familiar except the stars above us, and the stars and I weren't acquainted enough to be useful to one another.

Most of the shops were closed, but there were a few restaurants open and people mingled on the sidewalk. People. I would be saved if I could get to them. They'd get up a pitchfork and torch-wielding mob and drive these monsters from the area, and most especially from me. I tried to pull away from Luke, but he firmly held me against him. "I know what you're thinking, pet, but these people won't help you. Their livelihood thrives on the train, so without our kind they wouldn't survive."

I saw what he meant when we reached the train station situated at the end of the main road. I expected a simple platform with one set of tracks, but instead there was a long, low building that comprised the waiting room. Inside through the wide, tall window panes I could see diners feasting at a small restaurant or warming themselves on the opposite side beside a huge rock fireplace. The platform was covered by a roof to shield from the rain, and long, elegant metal benches sat on the platform against the wall of the waiting building. There were two sets of tracks, one that ran past the station and a side track that veered off to a small, simple platform on the other side. The place exuded opulence and comfort, and I noticed there were several stacks of fresh, roughly hewn logs waiting to be placed on the coming trains.

This was very different from the concrete jungle of the city. "Where are we?" I asked Luke.

"My domain," he replied.

"Who died and made you king?" I quipped.

He smirked. "My predecessor died, and I was made the leader of the werewolves in this area. This town is called Townsend, and is peopled by humans who know of us, but who won't reveal our secret."

Great, everybody was against my escaping. "So you lord over them like you do me?" I mused.

Luke's smirk slipped off his face and he shook his head. "No. They obey me because they believe I'm a fit leader."

"Sounds like a whole village of idiots. . ." I mumbled.

"Those idiots will be under your care once you've changed," he shot back.

I blinked in bewilderment. "Come again?"

Luke's lips pursed together and he glanced away. "We'll speak of this later." I scowled, but he was unmoved by my glare of death.

Alistair parked the car in a garage park not far from the station, and we got out. Luke held onto my arm so I couldn't bolt and led us onto the platform. A clock sat on the wall above the double doors that led into the waiting room, and the time read fifteen minutes until six. Far off I heard the whistle of a train, and two dozen people moved from the waiting room out onto the platform. Many of the people caught Luke's eye and bowed their heads at him in respect. I wanted to gag.

Some of the people were dressed in the same elegance as Luke, but others wore shabbier clothes with patches and worn colors. There was a family close beside us with a mother, father, and a little girl of about five. She had long golden hair whipped into a braid, and wore a simple white dress. The little girl caught my eyes and smiled at me, and I managed a smile back.

With such a crowd around us and the train fast approaching, I chanced one final rescue. I pulled hard against Luke's unwavering hold and frantically looked about at the other platform occupants. "Somebody help me! This guy's kidnapped me and-"

Luke wrapped a hand around my mouth and stifled my words. He smiled at the shocked crowd. "She's a new one," he explained to them. I was horrified when many of them smiled, nodded, and looked away. They weren't going to help me. Luke pulled me hard against him and leaned down to whisper into my ear. "You're only embarrassing yourself," he scolded me. He nodded at the crowd. "These people are all werewolves and won't help you to escape. They don't want to risk their lives by having a new werewolf escaping," he explained to me. Luke removed his hand from my mouth but kept me pressed against him.

For my part I felt numb. Everything I tried had failed, and miserably. There was nothing to do but except accept whatever terrible fate these monsters had in store for me. The train, the vehicle to my destiny, slipped into the station. It was an old steam engine with twelve cars. Luke guided us into the front cars. We had the entire car to ourselves as the usual cramped space was opened to create a large sitting room with narrow bedrooms and a bathroom off to one side.

Luke set me down on the short couch that sat opposite the doors to the bathroom and bedrooms. The windows looking outside were just to my right, but I didn't glance out them. I sat limply on the cushion, too depressed to care as the two men made themselves comfortable in our temporary home. The train whistle blew a last warning for late passengers, and in a few minutes the engine jerked forward and carried me away to some unknown place, and at a few minutes before six. I wrapped my arms around myself and shivered.

"Cold?" Luke asked me. I glared at him and turned away. My entire being was filled with hatred for him, and what he'd done and was doing to me. Luke went into one of the narrow bedrooms and returned with a thick wool blanket. He wrapped it around my shoulders and stood over me. "Better?" I refused to reply, and he sighed and knelt down in front of me. His eyes tried to catch mine, but I refused to look at him. "This won't last forever. I promise you you'll see your friends and home again, but there are a few more important things to deal with first." I didn't answer him, but at his promise hope sprang up inside me.

Our fuzzy, feel-good conversation was interrupted when the door swung open and the little girl from the platform rushed in. She swung around, shut it behind her, and giggled. Her breath was ragged as though she'd been running, and her cheeks were a rosy red color. She didn't appear to notice us until Alistair spoke up. "Can we help you?" Alistair asked her.

The girl jumped and swiveled around. Her eyes widened when she noticed all of us staring at her. The girl glanced around the room and her eyes stopped on me. She raced past Alistair and sprang into my lap, toppling Luke back with her wild limbs. I instinctively grabbed onto her to keep her from falling, and she wrapped her arms around my sides. She tilted her head up and gave me a big, wide smile. "Hi!" she yelled. Her voice reminded me of the ringing of far off church bells that signified a joyous occasion.

"Hi," I laughingly replied. Her good humor was contagious.

"I've never seen you on the train before. Are you new?" she asked me.

"I-um-" I stuttered.

"Very new. She's not quite a werewolf yet," Luke answered for me as he righted himself to a seated position on the floor. "She needs one more night."

The little girl's face lit up with joy. "And then we can run in the woods together around the Sanctuary?" she pleaded.

"Uh, I don't know about that," I hesitantly replied. This girl was adorable, but she tossed out the werewolf topic more easily than Luke.

She tugged on my shirt. "But it'll be so much fun! I've been there before and the woods are really pretty!" Our little fun was interrupted by a knock on the door. Alistair opened it and the girl's mother stood in the hallway.

"Abby, there you are!" her mother scolded her. She hurried into our compartment and swept her child into her arms. "I'm so sorry for this, my lord, but she's a very curious creature."

Luke stood, smiled and nodded. "No trouble at all."

"Can I stay here until we reach the Sanctuary?" Abby pleaded with her mother.

"Certainly not, Abby! You've troubled these nice people and me long enough!"

"Wait a second," Luke interrupted. He gestured around the room. "We'd be glad to have her with us for a night, and there's plenty of room for her to run in here."

The mother bit her lip and her eyes glanced over our faces. "I wouldn't want her to bother you, and she's such a handful-"

"I can be good," Abby protested.

"Hush, naughty girl. You've troubled the lord enough," her mother scolded.

"Are you from my district, ma'am?" Luke spoke up.

The woman blushed and gave a lopsided curtsy with Abby still in her arms. "Yes, my lord. The name's Stewart."

Luke raised an eyebrow. "From Huntington?" he guessed.

Mrs. Stewart smiled and nodded. "Yes, sir. My husband is an expert tracker."

"That's quite a distance, so I'm sure you'd be happy to have us babysit Abby for you." Mrs. Stewart did look haggled with dark patches under her eyes and her clothes wrinkled.

Abby crossed her arms over her chest and scowled at him. "I'm not a baby!" she protested.

"If she wouldn't be too much trouble," Mrs. Stewart hesitantly agreed.

"None at all," Luke persisted.

Mrs. Stewart set Abby on the ground and the little girl jumped back into my arms. "If she does get to be a handful you can bring her back. We're in the last car," the mother told us.

"I'm sure that won't be necessary, but thank you," he replied. Mrs. Stewart cast one more reluctant glance over her little girl and left Abby in our care.

Luke smiled and turned to Alistair. "It seems we have a guest for this short journey."

Alistair bowed at the waist. "I will make another bed in my room," he replied.

"No, I want to sleep with her!" Abby protested as she latched onto me.

I smiled. "But you don't even know my name," I teased.

Abby scrunched up her face. "I don't?" she wondered.

I laughed and hugged her close to me. "You have to ask someone their name to learn it."

"Oh!" Abby squirmed from my arms, and stood prim and proper in front of me. She even curtsied. "My name is Abby Stewart. What's yours?"

I noticed Luke watch me intensely. He didn't know my last name. "Becky," I replied.

"Becky," Abby repeated. She nodded her approval and climbed into my lap. "I like it!"

That was the beginning of a very long night entertaining her and in turn being entertained by her. She was a curious handful, getting into our luggage and wanting to wear my clothes. I was the one stuck with most of the babysitting and the men stayed out of the way, but I couldn't help but notice that Luke watched me with a careful eye. After one particularly long stare I turned and glared at him. "What?"

Luke smiled and shrugged. "You seem happy," he commented.

I sniffed. "Well, Abby's a good distraction, aren't you, Abby?" I turned back to her and found she'd popped open a makeup kit Alistair had bought for me. "No, Abby, not the lipstick!"

I was forever grateful when Abby's battery ran low around midnight, and I put her to bed on the bottom bunk in the room assigned to Luke and me. Or rather, assigned to me after I grabbed Luke's luggage and tossed it into Alistair's room. There were two bunks in each room so he still had a bed.

"What are you doing?" Luke protested.

I slipped into the room and closed the door most of the way so I peeked out of a crack. "Girls only, no boys allowed in that room," I replied before I slammed it shut. I turned around and found Abby's tired eyes staring at me.

"He likes you a lot," she commented.

I sat down on the edge of the bed and sighed. "He has a really funny way of showing it. Flowers would've worked better than kidnapping me."

"Maybe he didn't want to lose you," Abby suggested.

I shrugged and pulled the covers up to her chin. "You'll understand better when you grow up."

"I guess," she murmured. She snuggled beneath the covers, but grasped my sleeve. "Can you sleep with me? Mama sleeps with me on these trips because we hit a bump once so hard I fell out."

I laughed and nodded. "All right, but just this once."

I slipped into my new pajamas and squished into the space between Abby and the wall. Soon we were both sleeping soundly as the train sped through the thick woods and a few small towns on its way to the strange place called Sanctuary.

# 10

Unfortunately, we didn't sleep all night. We were awoken by a violent toss of the train as it was forced from the tracks. Abby and I screamed and latched onto each other as we tumbled with the train. Luggage spilled everywhere and the mirror toppled off the wall. We heard other screams and shouts, and a terrible noise of metal against wood and other metal. My back slammed against the wall as the entire car fell onto its side. It felt like forever, but the whole episode didn't last more than thirty seconds. Then everywhere was dark, and I heard a voice among the silence.

"Becky! Becky!" Luke called to me.

"We're in here!" I shouted to him. I glanced down at the shaking form in my arms. "Abby, you okay?" I whispered to my charge.

"I-I think so," she whispered.

I heard somebody move in the living room, and soon the door flung open. In the dim light of night I saw Luke in the doorway. "Stay still, I'll get to you," he shouted to us. He crawled along the luggage and leaned over bottom of the bunk to our little nook inside the bottom bed. "Give me your hand, Becky."

I shook my head and shakily stood to my feet. "Get Abby first," I insisted. We passed her over, and then Luke helped me over the bottom of the bed.

Luke led us out into the living room where the cushions and broken glass were strewn everywhere. The ceiling of the car was now the wall, and beneath our feet were the broken exterior windows and hard gravel from the railroad tracks. Above our heads were the door and hallway. The door swung on its hinges, and through the new skylight we could hear shouts and cries of fear.

Alistair's face appeared beyond the broken glass above us. "It's not good, sir," he told Luke.

"What happened?" Luke asked him.

"I can't be sure yet as to the cause, but all the cars have derailed. The engine is on fire and the last few cars broke free and slid down the slope into the trees and rocks.

My eyes widened and I tightened my grasp on Abby. I jerked my head over to Luke. "The last car!" I reminded him.

Abigail's eyes widened. "Mama!" she screamed. She tried to free herself from my grasp, but I held tightly to her.

"Not yet, Abby! Let the men get at your mom and dad!" I told her.

"No! I want my Mama and Papa!" she screamed.

Her wails were interrupted when the car beneath our feet slid a yard. Abby and I screamed, and I fell onto the sharp ground with Abby on top of me. Luke grabbed the wall and grimaced. "The car won't hold for much longer, sir," Alistair told us.

"So we noticed," Luke replied. He helped Abby and me up. "We'll get out of here and find your parents, Abby," he told the frightened, crying girl. She nodded and calmed just a little.

Now we had another problem. The new ceiling was a good fifteen feet above us. "How are we going to get out of here?" I asked Luke.

"Alistair, take Abby," Luke instructed his servant.

Alistair easily dropped through a broken window and the open door. He took Abby in his arms, hunkered down, and jumped upward. His vertical easily cleared the distance, and the pair disappeared over the side of the overturned car. My mouth was still open when I was swept into Luke's arms. "Hold on," he instructed.

I yelped when we flew into the air. We whipped past the walls and out into the open air. Luke landed us close beside where Alistair and Abby stood. He set me down carefully so my feet didn't go through a window, and I got my first glimpse of the area and the wreckage. The area was a rugged wilderness of trees and a sloped hillside that ascended to the left of the train and dropped down on the right side. Ahead of us was the remains of the engine, and flames shot high into the dark night sky. Beyond that was the ruins of the tracks. The thick metal bands were a tangled mess of warped steel, and I wondered how an engine could have caused such devastation.

Behind us lay the other cars, and in the distance I could see that the final three cars were fifty yards down the slope. The cars had left a mess of broken trees and small, scattered boulders. The compartments themselves were a tangled mass of thick and warped sheets of metal. Some passengers stood on the slope above the wreck while the train's crew and other riders were down among the ruins of the final three cars.

I didn't know how anyone could have survived that mess, but they were pulling people out of the rubble. Most of them even looked unscathed with not even a scratch across their cheeks. Abby grasped my hand and her little eyes searched the faces of the survivors. Her face lit up when Mr. and Mrs. Stewart were helped from the remains of their car, and she tugged hard on my arm as she jumped up and down. "Mama and Papa are all right!" she cried out in joy.

"Of course they are," Luke calmly replied.

For my part I was shocked. I thought I'd been holding the hand of an orphan. "How did they make it?" I wondered.

"There are benefits to being a monster," Luke calmly replied. He glanced around us. "We should get off the car," he reminded us.

I nodded and lifted Abby into my arms. The ascending slope meant the drop to the ground wasn't too far, so I hopped down and followed Alistair over to the group of forward-car survivors. Unlike my wonderful assortment of minor cuts and bruises they were just in shock. The other survivors were helped up the hill, and Abby broke from me and raced over to her shaken but healthy parents. "Mama! Papa!"

"Abby!" her mother cried out. They raced into each others' arms and there were smiles all around.

I glanced up at Luke and noticed he, too, wore a smile. "You like happy endings, too?" I teased him.

Luke shook himself from his good humor and straightened his filthy pajama top. "A good deed is it's own reward, but celebrations should be for another time and place."

"You mean because we need to get out of here?" I guessed.

He looked to the engine and where Alistair spoke with the engineer. "Because I don't think this had anything to do with a good deed." Luke took a step toward them, but we were detained for a moment longer by the arrival of Abby and her parents.

"Becky, look! Mama and Papa are all right!" Abby yelled at me.

"Of course we are, Abby. A little train wreck wouldn't kill us," Mrs. Stewart scolded. I'd hate to see a big train wreck.

Mr. Stewart stepped forward and eagerly shook both Luke and my hands. "Thank you so much for keeping her safe in your car. I don't think Abby would have got through the wreck as well as us."

"Probably not, and we were grateful to have her company," Luke politely replied.

"If there's anything we can do for you just name it," Mr. Stewart insisted.

"I'll keep that in mind," Luke promised. "But if you'll excuse us." He turned away and to the engine, and I waved goodbye to Abby and followed him.

"I'll see you at Sanctuary!" Abby called over my shoulder.

I followed Luke over to his servant and the scraggly old engineer. "What happened?" Luke asked them.

The engineer's face was covered in cuts and he had a dour expression. His clothes were torn from the shrapnel of the tracks, but he was otherwise healthy. "Ah don't know, me lord. We was going on as smooth as can be and I heard a small explosion. Then the whole track burst out from under us and the engine tipped over." He glanced over to the flaming engine and growled. The noise was distinctly wolfish. "If Ah ever get a hold of the rascal who done this-"

"Then you don't think it was an accident?" Luke interrupted.

The old man scoffed. "No accident ever started with a bang like Ah heard."

Luke and Alistair glanced at each other, and I didn't like the looks on their faces. They knew something they didn't want to say aloud. Luke turned back to the engineer. "Has another train been called?"

"Aye. It should get here in an hour," he replied.

"Good. I'll tell the other passengers." Luke turned to Alistair and jerked his head toward the rails in front of the engine. Alistair nodded and went to inspect them. Then Luke glanced to me, and looked over my cuts and bruises. "You're the worse for wear," he teased.

"That's what I get for hanging around with a psychopath. Hurt," I quipped. He reached up and brushed his hand against a nice bruise on my forehead. I winced and batted his hand away. "Stop helping the injuries. Believe me, they don't need it," I scolded him.

"With some rest and food those should heal in a few hours. Why don't we go sit with everyone else?" he suggested.

"About time you said something sensible," I replied. My words were mean, but I was grateful for the offer to sit down. My legs still felt like vibrating rubber and my muscles ached from the jostling and strain of the shock.

Luke guided me over to the upper hill where sat everyone else and set me down on a nice, comfortable boulder. He knelt down and perused my person. "No broken bones? No severe internal bleeding?" he asked me.

I snorted. "Isn't it a little late to be asking that?"

"Better late than never."

"I'd say now would be _too late_ to be asking some of those things."

"You can't blame me for fussing over you-"

"I can blame you for a lot of things, and none of them good," I pointed out. "Besides, you don't need to fuss over me like an old hen. I feel fine, just tired."

He smiled. "A Maker does tend to become an old hen around their progeny."

"A what?"

"A Maker. One who makes another of their kind, in this case a werewolf."

I cringed. "You just had to remind me about that terrifying fact, didn't you?"

"Is it so terrifying when you see how it helps people?" He swept his hand over the other passengers. They were unharmed, and some were already laughing about their ordeal. "This would've been much worse if they weren't werewolves."

I sighed and wrapped my arms around myself. "I still won't trust you," I stubbornly replied.

He smiled and patted me on the knee. "You'll learn, but could you do something for me?"

My eyes narrowed. "What's that?" I asked him.

"Stay."

"Come again?"

"Stay here. It's my duty to make sure everyone else is all right so I can't be watching you all the time," he explained to me.

I frowned, but hunkered down on my rock. "I guess, but don't expect this old dog to learn a new trick every day."

He chuckled. "A fitting analogy, but thank you."

Luke stood and went over to the pockets of people along the hillside. He updated them on the coming train and made sure there were no serious injuries. A few of the train crew managed to salvage food from the wreck and that was passed around to everyone. I got a plate of biscuits speckled with gravel, but after the scare I was famished and ate them without complaint.

Time crept by for the passengers, but the crew and Luke took the risk of rummaging through the wreck to retrieve belongings. Alistair finished his perusal of the replaced tracks, courtesy of a spare load off the train itself, and helped with the game of hide-and-seek. Luke rejoined me at my rock, and dumped an armful of luggage and himself on the ground beside me. He looked as tired as I felt, and I had some pity on him. "You eat anything?" I asked him. He shook his head and ran a hand through his messy hair. I held out what remained of my meal. "Here. No sense having you survive the wreck just to starve to death."

Luke smiled and took a gravel-seasoned biscuit. He'd just bitten down on the crunchy goodness when a cry went up from one of the people beside us, and we glanced to where they pointed. A new train chugged up to us from the direction of our destination, and it stopped a few dozen yards down the track. A half dozen people with leather bags and stretchers in hand jumped out. They paused at the engineer, spoke to him for a few moments, and one remained to patch up the engineer while the others hurried over to us. From the stethoscopes around a few of their necks I guessed they were doctors and nurses. "Is anyone seriously injured?" the lead man asked us.

Luke handed back the biscuit and stood. Many of the other passengers gathered around us. "Nothing serious. Most of us are just shaken."

"So there weren't any humans aboard?" the head medic wondered.

Luke shook his head. "None, thankfully, or you would have work."

The medic and his team visibly relaxed, and a few of them even smiled. "That's a relief." He turned to the engine. The fire was out, but the machine was totaled. "What exactly happened?"

"We're not sure, but we'd like to get away from here as soon as possible," Luke replied.

"Oh, of course. This train can take you all the way to Wolverton," the man told us.

A cheer went up from the crowd, and we carried ourselves and our luggage over to the new train. The train crew hopped out and helped us inside to soft, comfortable seats and warm food. There were two rows of two seats with an aisle between them, and Luke guided me to the center of the car. He took the seat beside me and gave me the window view, and Alistair took a position in front of us. Abby waved wildly to me from the front of the car until her mother made her sit down. I didn't realize how exhausted I was until I shut my eyes for a quick rest that stretched out into most of the day.

# 11

The jostle of the train woke me up, and I glanced outside to see we had left the woods and entered a bustling town. The buildings here were taller and more packed together, and many of them were built in a more modern, blocky fashion. One in particular stood above the rest for its ten floors and extreme gaudiness. The builders had tried to imitate the old-fashioned clapboard look, but with fake materials that made the whole thing look tacky.

Behind the buildings, silhouetted against the sky, were some of the tallest mountains I'd ever seen. They towered above the valley in which was settled the small town, and they cast their long shadows over the buildings. Their peaks were capped with white snow and the sides were heavily forested, with only a hint here and there of civilization in the form of selective logging. The trees crept up behind the buildings that stood on the extreme edges of the town and stood there as though waiting for everything to come to ruin so that they would take over the land once more.

The sun and my watch told me it was late afternoon, and I glanced over to find Luke staring at me. "Sleep well?" he teased.

I stretched my back and winced when it went off like a string of fireworks. "Sort of," I admitted. I frowned when I felt a strange unsettling sensation shift inside of me.

"An aching feeling?" he asked me.

I shrugged. "A train wreck does that to you. Well, if you're still human," I replied.

"We have overnight reservations at the inn in the next town, but I'm afraid you won't get much sleep tonight," Luke told me.

"Yeah, I don't sleep well after taking a nap," I agreed.

He shook his head. "Not that. There's a full moon tonight, and your change will take place."

I frowned. "Maybe it'll just have to wait until the next full moon. Surviving a track wreck takes a lot out of a girl."

"I'm afraid it can't wait, but you'll learn soon enough about that," he secretively replied.

I opened my mouth to give him a good yelling, but our train slipped into the new city's train station. The station was built in the same style as the previous one, but much larger. There were two platforms on either side of a pair of tracks that led off behind us and in front of us. A large crowd met us at our platform, and we passengers were helped off the train and into a bus just off the platform.

I was prepared to go out into the welcoming crowd, but Luke pulled one of his arms over me and stopped me from standing. "Not yet." He stood and leaned over me, and his eyes searched the crowd.

Alistair did the same, and after a moment he pointed at a man who stood off from the crowd of welcomers. "There, sir."

"What's wrong?" I asked him. Everyone else was already off the train, and I wanted to stretch my legs.

"Just a precaution," he assured me. I wasn't comforted.

"Precaution for what? Is this train going to derail in the station?" I quipped. The look he cast me froze my blood. His expression told me that, at least to him, the scenario wasn't entirely impossible. I nodded out the windows to the bus beside the platform. The other passengers were being loaded into it. "Why can't we just go with them?"

"I would rather we take a separate car," he insisted.

I frowned. "You're not telling me something. What is it?"

"I'll tell you when we reach the inn. For now you have to trust me," Luke replied.

I scoffed. "Trust you? You're my kidnapper, remember? The guy who held me prisoner in a white room and-"

"-and I know what I'm doing. Everyone else trusts me as a good man. You should, too," he insisted. I wanted to argue with him on both the 'good' and 'man' parts, but he yanked on my arm and pulled me to my feet. "Alistair, you first."

"Yes, sir." The servant strode out of the car with us close behind him. Alistair led us to the stranger at the edge of the platform.

Luke stopped us a yard from him. "Are you from Mr. Burnbaum's inn?" he asked the stranger.

"Yes, sir. Mr. Burnbaum thought you might want a private means of getting to the inn," the man replied. The man reached into his coat, and I felt Luke stiffen by my side. The stranger only pulled out a slip of paper and held it out. "My credentials, sir."

Alistair took it and read over the contents. "He speaks the truth," Alistair confirmed.

"Very well, let's get going," Luke replied.

The stranger led us off the side of the platform by means of a short flight of wooden steps and over to a black car. He opened the door for us, and Luke herded me to into the backseat. Alistair took the front passenger seat while the stranger donned a driver's black cap and got into the driver's seat. We shot out of the station in record time, but I managed a glance back. A man in a dark coat and wide-brimmed hat stood at the end of the platform and watched us leave. "Don't stare too long," Luke advised me.

I turned to him with a raised eyebrow. "You knew he was there?" I asked him.

Luke nodded. "He was one of the reasons we couldn't leave on the bus."

"One of the reasons?"

"There were more than just him."

"Uh, mind telling me why my life just went from a horror movie to a James Bond flick?" I wondered.

"Would it be enough for me to say I've made some enemies over my long years?" he asked me.

"I'd like an answer with a few more specifics."

Luke sighed and pursed his lips together. "I suppose you have a right to know what I'm dragging you into."

"It would help me know whether I need to panic or not."

"My enemies are rival werewolf clans-"

"Naturally," I quipped.

"-and they'd like to reverse our roles with humans."

"I'm guessing this isn't like job swapping?"

"Werewolves hide in the shadows or live in small communities of trusted humans, as you saw at Townsend and here at Wolverton," Luke explained to me. "Some of the leaders would rather we exist in the open and have the humans live in fear and subordination to us."

"So they want to do to humans what you've done to me?" I shot back. Luke gave me such a glare that I cringed. "Sorry."

His voice was low and held a tremor of anger. "If you want to meet a true monster than look in the faces of my enemies. They have no mercy for humans, and not much more for werewolves who disagree with them."

"We're here, sir," Alistair spoke up.

Luke turned away from me, but I still felt the oppressive weight of his words on me. He'd been angry with me before, but not like that. My comparing him to his enemies had hit a personal nerve, and I wondered if maybe I hadn't gone too far in accusing him of being a monster. He _had_ helped all those people at the wreck site.

The car stopped, and I turned my attention to my surroundings. We were parked in a circular drive in front of a two-story building made from hewn logs. The cracked and weathered wood exuded a great age. On the left side of the building was an old coach house that had been transformed into an enclosed garage. A pair of thick wood doors at the front of the main building were open and led to a large lobby with a decor that hearkened back a few centuries to when women wore billowing dresses and men sported hats and long, pulled-back hair. Tapestries hung down and covered the wooden walls and old lamps hung between them. Their glass casings once held candles, but now were filled with fluorescent bulbs.

A short, hefty man with a wild black beard stood beneath a wooden frame that covered the entrance. He wore a pair of black dress pants with a white blouse, none of which matched the wild appearance of his hair that stuck out in odd angles from beneath a beaver hat. We got out of the car, and he smiled and hurried forward to us. His stomach bounced up and down like a bowl of jello. "Good evening, my good friends," he greeted us in a thick Russian accent. He clasped Luke's hands in his own while Alistair gathered our luggage.

"Good evening, Burnbaum. How goes the business?" Luke replied with his own grin.

"Very good, very good, but I hear of trouble for you. Everything is all right now?" he wondered. His voice told me he didn't think the trouble was over.

"I'm afraid not, but I'd rather talk about this inside," Luke insisted.

"Of course. I have your rooms prepared for you." He led the three of us inside while the driver drove the car to the garage.

To our right stood a large room with a few dozen square wooden tables scattered about the floor. Guests sat at the table dining on a wide assortment of dead things, and I wasn't meaning vegetables. I recognized the usual fowl and hoofed animals, and noticed several pieces of meat that weren't familiar. To our left was the large front desk and a hallway that led back to the employee-only section of the inn, including to the garage. In front of us was a wide wooden flight of stairs that led upstairs to the rooms. That was the largest set of stairs I'd ever seen. The banisters alone were hewn from five-inch wide trees, and the steps themselves were carved out of a dozen four-foot thick logs. To the right and behind the stairs were a pair of doors that were shut tight, but I heard music drift out from between their cracks. Overall the place was beautiful, and a nightmare for an environmentalist.

Burnbaum led us to the front desk, slid a large ledger toward Luke, and picked up an old-fashioned quill pen. "If you would sign in we can talk."

Luke raised an eyebrow. "Why not before?" he asked him.

"It is by orders of the Council. They want to know everyone who comes to stay," Burnbaum replied. His eyes showed a bit of mischief in them and he wagged his bushy eyebrows. "Sign here with name that pleases you. I mean, if it pleases you to sign name," he corrected himself.

Luke grinned, took the pen, and wrote down a few names in the ledger. I glanced over his shoulder and saw he wrote _Mr. and Mrs. Smith_. He dropped the pen on the desk and turned to the busy dining hall. "Where's a quiet spot to speak?" he asked our host.

"It is this way, in your room," he told us.

# 12

Burnbaum led us upstairs and straight down the long hall that reached to the end of the deep building. Halfway down was a hall that ran perpendicular to the main hall and spanned the width of the inn. There were dozens of rooms, and each of them had thick wooden doors. I had no doubt they all had very thick walls, too. We were led left along the perpendicular hall to the very end. A window sat at the end of the hall and looked out onto the wooden-shingled roof of the old carriage house.

Burnbaum opened a door on the right, stepped aside, and gestured for us to enter. Luke led the way with Alistair close behind him, but I hung back. "You will like it, I promise you," Burnbaum spoke up.

"It's not that," I replied. I glanced down at the other rooms. "Don't I have my own room?"

Burnbaum chuckled, and it was mesmerizing watching his belly bounce up and down. "My Lord takes only one, and all others are full."

My face drooped and I sighed. "Just my luck. . ." I grumbled.

Luke stepped out of the room and glanced between us. "Is there a problem?" he wondered.

"No problem. The lady here just asks about rooms," Burnbaum replied. "How you like yours?"

Luke smiled. "Perfect as always, but now we need to talk about business." He turned to me and nodded toward the room. "Wouldn't you like to see the room?"

"Our room?" I guessed.

"The bed is large enough for three, but yes, our room," he told me.

I sighed and stalked past him. The room was in the same elegant barbarism as the rest of the inn, complete with a four-post bed made of small logs and thick boards. To the right Alistair was busy putting away our clothes in a wooden dresser, and beyond him lay a door to what I assumed was the bathroom. I checked it. Yep, definitely a bathroom, and done up in the modern plastic style rather than the wood decor.

Burnbaum was the last inside, and he closed the door behind himself. Luke's face lost what little humor it had and he turned to our host with an impatient air. "What can you tell us about the train wreck?"

Burnbaum pursed his lips together and shook his head. "Very little. Lance and Christian passed through two days ago, and some of their men stayed here. I do not know when they left, but I heard they went along the tracks toward Townsend on their own train and come back the next day."

"And no one knows how far they went?" Luke asked him.

"No one but each other, and they won't tell," Burnbaum replied. "Do you suspect they blow up the train?"

"Not the train, but the tracks were set with explosives. I don't know if they meant to kill anyone, or if it was just a warning," Luke mused.

"Just a warning?" I exclaimed. "The train could have all fallen over and we would've all died!"

Burnbaum chuckled. "It would take more than metal to kill us unless it is silver."

"Unfortunately, there was more than just explosives in that bomb," Luke revealed. He turned to his manservant. "Repeat to me what you found, Alistair."

"At least some parts of the explosive device was silver. I inspected the engine and found fragments of silver nitrate wedged into the machine. Fortunately, the impact was minimal and the engine took most of the damage," Alistair told us.

Burnbaum scowled. "I do not like this one bit. There are disagreements, I know, but this is no good. They will kill innocents."

Luke smirked. "I'd like to think I'm an innocent, but I see what you mean. Lance or some of his compatriots desperately wanted to keep us from the Council meeting."

I raised my hand. "Could I get in on this conversation? Who exactly are these Lance and Christian guys?" I'd heard the name before when that lady had called and warned Luke about the moved meeting.

"The monsters I told you about," Luke replied.

"Oh, those guys. I take it I don't want to get to know them?" I guessed.

Luke shook his head. "No, but that can't be avoided. They're the leaders of two other werewolf regions, and will be there for the vote."

"What vote?"

"For High Lord, or First Alpha, the grand leader of all the regions. It's the highest executive position in our loosely bound government."

I gagged. "Bureaucracy? Couldn't I have stumbled into a world without a messy government?"

Luke and Burnbaum chuckled, and the larger man stepped forward. "Our government is good. It has worked for several thousand of years."

I raised an eyebrow. "Thousands of years? I don't think any country's been around that long."

"Ours is a country without borders," Luke assured me. "But as I was going to say, Lance and Christian possibly planned our detour to keep us from the vote for leadership. Only those region leaders present at the election can be elected. This is so a werewolf leader in rebellion can't be voted into the office by sympathetic factions."

I sighed and plopped myself down on the bed. My head suddenly hurt and I squirmed on the sheets. "Great. I've been kidnapped by a politician."

"It's an inherited position, but yes," Luke agreed.

I rubbed my aching head and fanned myself. "Is it getting hot in here?" I asked the others. Luke raised an eyebrow and glanced at the others. Burnbaum smiled, bowed his head to us, and hurried out. Alistair pursed his lips, but bowed and also left. I was alone with Luke and outside the sun set behind the mountains around the town. "Did I say something wrong?" I wondered.

"On the contrary, you said something perfectly fine," Luke consoled me. He strode over to the door and turned the old-fashioned key in the lock, and then removed the key. He set that on a nearby table and turned to me with a wide grin and glistening eyes. His voice, too, had changed. There was a deep growl to it. "As I told you this is the night when you become a full werewolf, providing I'm with you."

I scuttled back to the head of the bed and waved my hand at him. "Then get out because I don't want to be a were-anything," I protested.

Luke smoothly stepped over to the end of the bed and grasped one of the bottom posts. I noticed his hands were longer and thinner than I remembered, and his nails were sharpened to points. "I'm afraid there's no going back," he growled.

The need in his voice was unmistakable, and it awakened within me my own lust. My breath quickened and my heart beat faster in my chest. I felt a wave of heat wash over me as I thought of his long arms around me, seducing me to his whims and fulfilling my own carnal desires. My deceitful thoughts kept me from noticing Luke as he slipped away from the post and set himself on the bed. He crawled on all fours over me so his hands were on either side of my legs, and one clawed hand reached out and grasped my thigh. His touch burned like fire, a roaring flame of sensual need that overwhelmed my senses.

Luke growled and I whimpered. Outside the last rays of the sun disappeared and with it my desire to fight him. His hand traced up my thigh to my waist and leg long, deep cuts in my jeans that revealed my uncut, quivering skin. I slipped down so I lay atop the luscious pillows and my breasts heaved with my impatience. Luke slid up and lay himself atop me, where he buried his face into my neck. His sharp teeth nipped and suckled at my tender skin. I gasped and clutched at his shirt. The cloth was aggravating me, keeping me from him, so I pulled and tore at it. My strength surprised me when the shirt ripped in two, but my eagerness to touch him dulled my confusion.

I ran my hands all over his smooth back as his hand slid up the outside of my leg and slipped beneath my shirt. His warm fingers danced across my quivering skin and I jumped when he touched my bra. He growled and cut away the strap with his nails. I moaned when he touched me, softly at first but soon with more insistence. I squirmed beneath his gentle, firm handling and rubbed my legs against him. I was hot and wet between my legs and my body demanded friction.

Luke grunted and raised himself so he loomed over me. His breath was ragged and his eyes had a wild flare to them. He clenched his teeth and shuddered. "I-I can't control the Beast for much longer," he warned me.

In response I grabbed my shirt and pulled open the buttons to reveal my heaving, swollen breasts. "Please don't," I whispered.

Luke's eyes widened and all semblance of man was swept away. He growled and swept down to experience me with his mouth and hands. Our clothes were torn and tossed aside in a rage of frustration and incessant, demanding need. We clawed and rubbed against each other, and he took me with a swiftness and feral lust I'd never known. I howled when he penetrated me, and he thrust hard and fast into my hot, wet center.

I reveled in the feel of him trapping me against the bed and making me his in a furious, lust-filled lovemaking. My hands dug into his back, pressing him close to me as our wet bodies slid against each other. I panted for breath as the heat and tension built inside me. The full moon rose outside the windows and shone down on us. I was filled with a strange sensation as my muscles tightened and my hands lengthened. Beneath my fingers Luke's back strained and stretched as his body transformed. Fur sprouted over us as our lovemaking reached a feverish pitch. Our faces elongated and our mouths filled with sharp teeth.

I squirmed and clawed at my lover, my mate, and he snarled and pinned me fast to the bed. Our sensual experience turned into an animalistic orgy as we sought release from our human bodies and our indescribable sexual thirst. I felt my stomach tighten as my orgasm washed over me, and I leaned back my head and let out a great howl. Luke soon joined me and together our cries echoed through the night. They would do that countless more times as we rutted our way until morning, and then collapsed into each others' arms.

# 13

I woke up groggy, covered in dry sweat, and aching in parts of my body I didn't know existed. There was a limp body atop me and the sheets were twisted around my ankles. My cheeks blushed when I realized the limp form was Luke, and we were both very much naked. Memories from the night before flashed through my mind and it looked like a commercial for aphrodisiacs and shavers. I lifted one of my hands and was relieved to see it wasn't a paw. I was back to my human self.

Luke's face was tucked into the covers beside my head, but I was pretty sure he was asleep. I tried to squirm my way from beneath him, but I froze when his muffled voice drifted through the sheets. "Getting up so soon?" he muttered.

I rolled my eyes. "It's probably almost noon," I pointed out.

"Probably, but after a night like that I thought you'd want to sleep until evening," came his muffled reply.

"That would be you, lazy bones, now let me up." I pulled at his shoulders and managed to slide my way out of his sphere of influence. I gathered up a sheet and wrapped it around myself as he sat up and turned to me.

He had a mischievous smirk on his face, and he didn't bother to hide his nakedness from me. "Surely you're not shy with me. Not after last night," he teased.

" _Especially_ after last night. I don't want to give you any more ideas," I countered.

"Any idea is worth a try," he replied. He stood and held out his arms to me. Did I mention he was naked? "But come back to bed. We have an hour or two until the train leaves and-" there came a knock on the door. I was saved.

I bolted for the dresser while Luke scowled at the door. There was another persistent knock while I scrambled to put on clothes. "They sound pretty impatient," I remarked.

We found out how impatient when the door burst open and a large werewolf jumped into the room. It whipped its head over the room and snarled at each of us, but particularly Luke. My fully-dressed self yelped and stumbled back only to fall on my sheets on the floor. The beast sprang for the weak link, which meant me, but Luke followed the intruder's spring with his own quick sprint across the room. The werewolf was nearly on top of me when Luke slammed his shoulder into the beast and knocked it against the wall.

A deaf man could have felt the vibrations from that collision and it alerted the whole inn to the trouble. The werewolf stood on all fours and shook itself, and Luke moved to shield me from the intruder. There was a commotion in the hallway and our new friend decided it didn't want to stick around for the welcoming party. The werewolf turned tail and raced out of the room. It took a hard right and dove out the window. Luke chased after it and I chased after him with one of my sheets clutched in my hand.

We reached the window in time to see the werewolf race across the carriage house and over the rear side that faced the woods. The only proof it was ever there was the broken window, bits of fur, and some blood. Other guests, Alistair, and Burnbaum hurried up behind us. I turned to Luke and gestured to where our intruder had gone. "That is why you shouldn't sleep in so late. You'll end up on the wrong side of the coffin lid."

Luke's serious face didn't crack a smile, but I noticed something that had a crack. He was still naked, so I used the sheet to hide his indecency. Alistair and Burnbaum lay at the head of the worried brigade. "What happened?" Burnbaum asked us.

Luke turned to him and plastered a fake sheepish smile on his face. "Just an accident. I tried to open this window to get some fresh air and it broke."

Alistair raised an eyebrow, and Burnbaum glanced suspiciously between Luke and the window. "This window outside your room?" he wondered.

"Yes. The hallway felt stuffy," Luke replied. I rolled my eyes at that lame excuse, and Luke noticed and stuffed me into our bedroom. "If you wouldn't mind coming in here, Alistair, I need dressed. Mr. Burnbaum, you may want to send your cleanup crew to manage your grounds," he suggested. Luke hurried inside after me with Alistair close behind. Alistair righted the door and knocked it shut.

Luke strode to the center of the room and paced the floor at the foot of the bed. His sheet billowed behind him like a strange bathrobe. I plopped myself down on the end of the bed and watched him work away at the wood floor with his feet. "What was with that cleanup crew business?" I asked him.

"Our friend Burnbaum has his own private policing force. It's a precaution against unruly guests," Luke explained to me. "He'll send them to track down our furry friend."

"Isn't this something the were-police should take care of, or is this a human town?" I wondered.

He stopped his pacing and smirked at me. "This has always been a bi-species town. As for the police, I have more faith in Burnbaum's guards than any uniformed officer. If anyone can find the intruder it will be them."

"So why do you really think that wolf tried to make sushi out of us?" I wondered.

"For the same reason the train was derailed," he answered.

"That they love you so much here that they want you to be buried in the local cemetery?" I quipped.

"It does appear to be a smothering love, doesn't it?" he mused in answer to my playfulness.

"Would you care for breakfast or lunch, sir?" Alistair spoke up.

"Clothes first, and then lunch," Luke replied.

Luke dressed, Alistair packed our luggage, and Burnbaum himself brought us our food. He was his normal jolly self until the door was secured behind him, and then his face blackened. "The cursed traitors mean to drive business from me!" he exclaimed as Alistair set the table in the room.

Luke stood close by the bed and raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"My guests do not want to stay here with such noise! They flee to Simpling's monster. That tall, new building near the station." That was the gaudy building I'd seen from the train car as we pulled in.

"Why that one in particular?" Luke asked him.

"They smell war and trouble, and think he is good force to stop. They support him through his business-"

"-and Simpling earns his ill-gotten gold from scaring them himself," Luke finished.

"Yes. It is maddening. Can you not do anything about this?"

Luke pursed his lips together and glanced over at me. "I can't make any guarantees, but I'll pull what strings I can with some acquaintances at the meeting. With other matters dealt with I won't be distracted at the meeting and taken unawares a second time."

"Third time," I corrected him.

"The train hardly counts," he protested.

"Yes, it does."

"No, it doesn't."

Alistair coughed and gestured to the table. "Lunch is served," he announced.

"Shouldn't we test the food to make sure it isn't poisoned?" I suggested.

Burnbaum chuckled. "I beat you to it and watched the food cooked myself. It is okay and delicious."

"Speaking of danger, have you had your guards trail the intruder?" Luke wondered.

"Yes, but the trail was very hard to follow. Many scents in town with all the people going to meeting," Burnbaum replied. A dark shadow fell across Burnbaum's usually happy face. "They follow his scent to the police station and-" The conversation was interrupted by a knock on the door that caused it to collapse into the room.

A tall man in a policeman's blue uniform stood in the doorway. He wore a white cowboy hat and dark sunglasses, and walked into the room with a confident, insolent gait. "Good afternoon, folks," he greeted us.

Burnbaum stepped between us and the cowboy stranger. The inn owner glared at the man. "What are you doing here?" he gruffly asked the man.

The stranger smirked and took off his glasses to show off a pair of golden eyes. I figured that made him a werewolf, and when his furry scent hit my nostrils that confirmed my suspicions. "Don't be like that, Burnbaum. I just heard about a bit of trouble some of your guests had here and wanted to see if there was anything I can do to help."

"No, now you leave," Burnbaum demanded.

The man didn't listen, but instead strode about the room and stopped at our table. "Nice setup you got here. Mind if I join you?"

"Actually, we'd prefer-" Luke began, but the man took the fourth chair and invited himself to our meal.

The man rocked his chair back and forth, and picked at the soles his heavy black boots. "Mind telling me what happened to that window?" He nodded his head to the broken window through the open door.

"I broke it," Luke repeated his lie.

"Ya broke it?" the man repeated. Luke didn't deign to reply a second time, and the stranger raised an eyebrow and looked Luke over. "You're that one lord, aren't ya?"

"One of many," Luke quipped at the vague question.

"I meant that one from the country, Lord Laughton," the man rephrased.

"I am he, but I don't believe I know who you are," Luke countered.

The man lifted his chin and smirked. "The name's Sheriff Steve Brier." He leaned over the table toward me and his grin took on a more lecherous tint. I nearly lost what food I'd eaten. "And who might you be, pretty lady?" Luke stood up, but the sheriff was as fast as him. Brier pulled a pistol from his belt and pointed it at Luke's chest. "Don't go making stupid mistakes, boy. This gun's got silver bullets in it and I ain't afraid to dispense justice with 'em," the sheriff warned.

"You do not understand. This woman is his mate, and no wolf should make love talk with another man's mate," Burnbaum gruffly told him.

The sheriff shrugged, but stood. "Doesn't seem like I'm wanted or needed around here, so I'll just be going. Good day to you all." He tipped his hat and left us. Alistair secured the door behind the man, and Luke whipped his head over to our host.

"Who was that guy?" he asked Burnbaum.

"I am told he was elected sheriff last fall. I do not believe the election was fair," Burnbaum told us. "Other sheriff much better, but this one is friend of Lance and of man who attacked you."

"And you were saying what about our attacker entering the police station?" Luke wondered.

Burnbaum frowned. "The trail led to police station, but the sheriff and his men would not let my men inside. They come back and tell me, and sheriff must have followed them."

Luke's eyebrows knit together and I jumped when he pounded the table. "Damn it, but he's been busy!" he exclaimed.

"Busy doing what?" I asked him.

"Gathering power around himself," Luke explained to me. "He positions his allies in important positions like a chess match, and when he strikes it may be check-mate for us."

"Da, we have let him do what he wants. Now we will stop him and I am sure with such friends as we have here we can do that," Burnbaum encouraged.

Luke's lips pursed together, but he sat back down. "Perhaps, but we'll need a miracle to keep alive, much less wrestle control from Lance."

"I must go to my business. I will meet you later, and enjoy your meal," Burnbaum insisted.

With that assurance we got comfortable and gobbled down the food. Burnbaum left to attend to his guests, and Luke insisted Alistair join us for the meal. "We don't have much time until the train," he pointed out. I rolled my eyes when I recalled how he'd wanted to return to bed with the excuse that we had plenty of time to have more fun.

"Is that the only way to get up to this meeting place?" I asked him. I didn't want a repeat performance of the 1812 Overture's cannon part.

"Other than walking, and the hike is quite grueling, even for a werewolf," he replied. I frowned and toyed with my food. Luke noticed. "Something wrong?" he wondered. My eyes dodged over to Alistair, and Luke took the hint. "Alistair, would you mind getting the car to take us to the station?"

"Not at all, sir," Alistair answered. He rose and left us alone.

Luke leaned over the table toward where I sat opposite him. "What's wrong?" he asked me.

I tensed and avoided eye contact by staring at my interesting lap. "After last night I'm-well, I'm a werewolf, aren't I?"

He nodded. "Yes, with all the benefits and drawbacks."

"And those are what exactly?"

"An increased sense of smell-"

"So I have a powerful sniffer?"

"Exactly, along with other heightened senses and physical abilities such speed, hearing, and strength."

"And fur," I added.

Luke smiled. "Yes, a lot more fur, but you won't need to shave more often."

"So can I transform any time I want?" I asked him.

"No. That requires practice and focus, and you need a lot of both," he commented.

I scowled at him. "I had a lot of focus trying to escape you," I pointed out.

"And now?" he wondered. I opened my mouth to give him a biting declaration of my intent to repeat the Great Escape, but a thought struck me hard in the head. I had no idea who, or even what, I was any more. A few days ago I'd just been an office girl with a lot of party-going friends. Now I was this werewolf guy's mate in a world I didn't understand, but now belonged to. Luke saw the dilemma in my eyes and sighed. "Your eyes show your regrets," he mused.

I grimaced. "And there's no way to change back?"

"No way."

I sighed and slumped in my chair. "Oh goody."

Luke raised an eyebrow. "It's not all bad, but if you won't take my word for it then remember what Abby told you."

"I don't think she was forced into this," I argued.

"No, she was born with the condition, but without lycanthropy her parents would have died in that wreck," he pointed out.

I glanced up and blinked. "Lycan-what?"

"Lycanthropy. It's the folk and medical term for being a werewolf," he explained to me.

"Sounds like a horrible disease."

"It's not so bad. Plenty of fur to keep you warm in the winter," he teased.

I cracked a smile. "The fleas must be murder."

He winced and scratched his arm. "Sometimes there is that problem, especially if you keep in the wolf form for too long."

"Like the whole night?"

"Like a few months," he replied.

My mouth dropped open. "So werewolves can transform anytime they want for however long they want?"

"Precisely, but delve too deep into the Beast and you lose your humanity."

"The what?"

"The Beast is the wolf instinct inside of us. It lets us transform, and helps us choose a mate."

My eyes narrowed and I frowned at him. "I don't like your Beast."

He laughed. "I thought you'd say something like that."

I glanced down at myself. "So are these changes supposed to be immediate or is there a waiting period before I can jump into the deep-end of the werewolf pool? Because right now I don't exactly feel like She-Hulk."

"Your body's already accepted the chances, but the abilities don't immediately manifest themselves."

"So no instant butt-kicking?"

"No."

"Damn. That would have come in handy when that guy attacked us." Luke and I jumped up when there was a knock on our jammed door. He gestured for me to get behind him and his eyes trained on the entrance.

"Who is it?" he called out.

"Burnbaum, your lordship," came the jolly voice.

Luke relaxed and smiled. "Come in."

Burnbaum slipped inside, but kept the broken door open. "Alistair asked for car and I delivered. It is large enough for all of us."

"All of us?" I repeated.

"Aye. I go and cast my vote for leader," he replied.

"Who are the rumors saying will win?" Luke wondered.

Burnbaum shrugged. "It is hard to say. People are more worried about tensions than voting."

"They should be worried about both," Luke commented as he slipped on his coat.

# 14

Luke helped me on with my coat, and Alistair came to fetch our bags. Our little group of four walked down the halls and outside to a long, black limo. My eyes widened and my mouth split open in a smile when I realized that was our ride. "I could get used to this," I spoke up.

Burnbaum and Luke chuckled, and we were all stowed in the luxurious leather seats for the short ride to the station. When we reached the platform the area was even more crowded than the day before. People leaned over the edge of the platform and any slight jostling caused a ripple effect through the dense crowd. We waited in the car, but Luke and Burnbaum weren't idle. They scanned the crowd for danger, and glanced at the tracks in the direction of our destination looking for the train.

Out of boredom I followed suit and noticed a man behind the station. He wore a wide-brimmed hat and dark gloves, and beneath the cuffs I glimpsed a white bandage. I tapped Luke on the shoulder and pointed at the guy. "Isn't that the same guy we saw yesterday?" I asked him.

Luke looked to where I pointed, and his eyes narrowed. "Yes, it is."

Burnbaum glanced at the stranger and frowned. "Do not touch him, Luke. That is a counting man for Lance. He came to the inn when Lance come through."

"Counting man?" I repeated.

"An accountant," Luke told me. "The Connor clan has a large enterprise, but I'm surprised he'd use his number lackey to give us that unfriendly warning," he mused.

"They are desperate?" Burnbaum suggested.

"Maybe it's because nobody would suspect a bean-counter of being an assassin," I spoke up. The three men glanced at me, and I shrugged. "I wouldn't."

"You may have something there, but he's got a lot of confidence to be out in the streets without protection," Luke pointed out. His eyes scanned the crowd, and we all noticed the sheriff walk out of the crowd and over to the accountant. "That would answer my question. He has friends in higher places."

"Da. The sheriff hid his friend and now he protects him to Sanctuary," Burnbaum guessed.

Luke frowned. "I'll have to offer them a change of plans." Before any of us could stop him, he opened the door and stepped out. Alistair, Burnbaum and I followed him and he reached the pair by the station. "Good morning, sheriff," Luke pleasantly greeted the man.

The sheriff turned and, recognizing Luke, scowled. "What are you wanting, boy?"

"Won't you introduce me to your friend here? He looks familiar, but I don't believe we've been formally introduced," Luke requested.

The stranger smirked and bowed his head. "A pleasure to be formally acquainted with you, Lord Laughton. My name is Brad Alston, lead assistant to Lord Connor." He held out his hand, but Luke crossed his arms across his chest.

"The pleasure is all yours," Luke replied. "But I think we have some unfinished business between us."

Alston raised an eyebrow. "I'm not sure I know what you're talking about, my lord."

Luke grabbed Alston's arm and tore down the sleeve to reveal the bandages. Alston tried to tear his arm away, but Luke's grip was so tight that the I swore I heard the man's bones groan beneath the pressure. "This is what I'm talking about."

Sheriff Brier pulled his gun and pressed the barrel against Luke's temple. "You just let go of him right now, boy," Sheriff Brier growled. Luke coolly released Alston and the man cradled his arm.

"Remember that pain," Luke warned him. "The next time I promise I won't return your arm."

The sheriff narrowed his eyes and kept the gun against Luke's head. "Are you threatening my friend here?"

Luke smiled and brushed away the barrel as though it was a toy. "Not at all, sheriff. I was just giving a friendly warning." I got a chill from it.

"One more time and I'll have a bullet with yer name on it," the sheriff threatened.

The tension in the air was thick enough to cut with a knife, and me without the utensil. We were saved from a worse situation by the sound of a whistle in the distance. Everyone glanced up the tracks and saw the train head toward the station. Alston stretched out his arm and smirked at us. "I believe that's my train," he spoke up. He turned to the sheriff. "If you would escort me to the train."

"My pleasure," Sheriff Brier agreed. He sneered at us, and the pair of them walked over to the platform. The train stopped at the station and the crowd herded themselves into the cars.

Luke scowled at their retreating back and he looked to want to follow them, but Burnbaum set his hand on Luke's shoulder. "Do not look for trouble," he advised Luke.

"Mr. Burnbaum is correct, sir," Alistair chimed in. "If you create a scene you will be inviting the sheriff to attack us."

Luke sighed and nodded. "Unfortunately, you're both right. That show with Alston out in the open might have been a trap to invite just that trouble." The train whistle blew and by then the platform was nearly empty.

"Let us go to my car. It is at the head," Burnbaum invited us.

I glanced over to the train and watched our target climbed aboard a private car and the curtains were drawn. "Isn't there something we can do?" I insisted.

"Not while the sheriff vouches for his integrity," Luke explained to me. He hustled me to a car toward the lead engine and we all climbed aboard one of the front cars. This, too, was a private suite, at least judging by Burnbaum's name embossed on the pillows and he referring to it as his own.

"So he's just going to get away?" I persisted.

"For now, but he won't have much chance at attacking us at Sanctuary. The Protectors are a more reliable bunch than the sheriff here," Luke replied.

"What's this Sanctuary place about, anyway?" I asked them.

Luke turned to Alistair. "You're more familiar with the history than I am. You want to tell her it?" he offered.

Alistair bowed his head and cleared his throat. "The founding of Sanctuary occurred about three centuries before as a place for werewolves to keep their existence a secret, and to keep safe from the human persecution that came with exposure. It was chosen specifically for its inaccessibility and the bounty of its natural resources which provided the werewolves with all the necessities they needed to survive. Eventually they risked exposure and allowed a train rail to be built so they could export those abundant resources. The town of Wolverton, from which we are about to depart, sprang up along the last bit of hospitable track and filled with werewolves and those humans who were vetted for tolerance. Sanctuary, as the oldest structure built by werewolves, has held the seat of government during its entire existence, though there have been recent calls to move it for greater convenience. The main disagreement is in which region to move the seat, as all have vied for approval."

"So who's region is this in?" I wondered.

"It's its own territory to keep the seat of government in a politically and culturally neutral position," Alistair replied. "A lord is jointly elected by the people in Sanctuary and Wolverton to represent them in government affairs. The current lord's name is John Farber."

My head spun with all these names, positions and places. "How many lords are there?"

"Seven in all, counting the one here, and from one of them is elected a High Lord who officiates over governmental affairs and manages the bureaucracy," Luke explained to me.

"Too much of that now, this bureaucracy. Bad for business," Burnbaum quipped.

Luke smiled. "There's a lot of it, but I don't know about too much."

"Much more," our former host insisted. "I pay taxes to feed their mouths and they do nothing."

Luke leaned in toward me and lowered his voice to a whisper. "Burnbaum is very vocal about his political leanings."

"I hear you and still stand by what I say," Burnbaum insisted.

"So is this Sanctuary place very pretty?" I asked them to change the subject. If anything, I was tired of this Political Science lesson and was afraid there'd be a test at the end.

Luke wrapped an arm around me and grinned. "I don't think you'll regret coming here," he assured me. I had my doubts.

# 15

Within a few minutes the final whistle of the train blew and it chugged down the tracks. Resigning myself to an existence as a werewolf, I let myself enjoy the view more than the other times I'd been in a train car. We slipped past the town and entered a thick forest of trees with massive trunks that were as wide as my arms if I stretched them out on either side of me. There were no roads, but I did notice a lot of footpaths that crossed the tracks. They looked like animal trails, but knowing Wolverton and Sanctuary were full of werewolves saying they were animal was not quite accurate.

"How far is Sanctuary?" I asked Luke.

"Twenty miles up a steep incline and set on a mountain outcropping," he replied.

"Sounds friendly."

"It's very good at keeping out unfriendly and unwanted visitors."

"This train's already carrying a few," I pointed out.

"For us, but I don't doubt Lance is eagerly awaiting Alston," he countered.

I returned my gaze to the window and watched the view slip by. The degree of angle of the tracks gradually increased until I sat flat against the back of the cushioned seat. To say I was worried would be an understatement. One stick of butter on the track and we would be doomed. "Is it always like this?" I wondered.

"Unfortunately, yes. There's been plans to increase the slope to make this part of the trek less gravity-defying, but it's stuck in committee," Luke told me.

"I guess the committee doesn't have to ride this train, otherwise it'd pass unanimously," I quipped.

"We'll plateau soon and then you'll get your first view of the station and Sanctuary," he assured me. His prediction came true, and a few minutes later gravity pulled my feet down instead of my chest.

I spotted something ahead and leaned my face against the window for my first glimpse of the Sanctuary station. It was a small wooden platform hewn from the local trees and stretched to a length of fifty yards to accommodate the long train. There was a wide roof with wooden shingles that covered the platform from tip to rear.

I glanced up from the small station, and my eyes traveled along a stone path with thick wood railings on either side and wildflowers beyond those. The seat of government stood at the top and was a large villa hewn from the stone and trees that surrounded it. The building stretched for a mile along the mountainside with a depth of forty yards, and was five stories tall. Such a massive building created a small colony unto itself with two wings on either side of the large entrance doors. A large deck on the ground floor jutted out into the air and probably gave magnificent views of the valley below, and large windows were placed everywhere along the front to take in the scenery. There were also balconies outside the rooms that faced the declining side of the mountain. The roof was slanted down at the same level as the mountain, and the back of the roof matched perfectly with the level of the dirt and rocks so snow would cleanly slip off the ground and onto the roof. There were dozens of sturdy skylights to allow light into the halls that didn't have exterior-facing walls.

Around the building were many forest trails both planned and random, and they led into the woods for miles and miles. Some connected to the tracks lower down and others disappeared up the slope to the very peaks of the wild and rugged mountains. I hoped I wouldn't need a map to find my room.

We pulled into the station and disembarked. The station was a madhouse as people, or should I say werewolves in human clothing, walked down the path to greet old friends and family. Through all the chaos I noticed a strange man in a bright red silk robe with wolf imprints all over the cloth. I tapped Luke on the shoulder and pointed at the strange guy. "Who's that?" I asked him.

"That's John Farber, the lord of Sanctuary," he explained to me.

"Why's he dressed in a moo moo?" I wondered.

Luke snorted but quickly put back on his stoic expression. "That's the traditional robe of the lord of Sanctuary. As the current lord he's the only one with the right to wear it."

"And the responsibility not to," I quipped.

Farber worked through the first throngs of newcomers and spotted us. He hurried over and grasped Luke's hand in a warm, wild handshake. "I'm glad you could make it, Luke! I heard about the troubles on the western train, and was horrified when I learned you were aboard."

"Just a minor mishap. No one was seriously injured," he assured Farber.

"Excellent! Excellent! I hope to have many a lively discussion with you on politics!" He glanced over to me, and I slapped on a fake, wide, child-scaring smile. "And who have we here?"

"Lord Farber, this is my mate, Rebecca," Luke introduced me. I wasn't sure how I felt about the title, but I was stuck with it.

He grabbed my hand and gave me a shaking that rattled my soul. "A pleasure to meet you, and what a lucky woman you are!" Farber told me.

My eyes flitted over to Luke, and my voice came out flat. "Yeah, lucky."

Farber didn't notice my tone, and released me from the horrible shaking and grasped Burnbaum's hand. "And a welcome to my usual guest. How is business?"

"It is well, I thank you," Burnbaum briskly replied.

"Well, I must be off to greet the others. Enjoy your stay!" Like a crazed squirrel looking for his nut stashes, Farber slipped away to harass the other newcomers.

"Is he on something?" I asked them.

Luke shrugged. "That's a good question, but let's get inside."

"I will be seeing you two later," Burnbaum spoke up. His eyes were on a group of men and women talking along the side of the path. They all had green armbands around their arms. Farther up the trail was another group with dark red armbands. "I see old friends I wish to speak with. Goodbye, friends," Burnbaum gave his farewell. He strode off to join the group, and I nodded toward them.

"What's with the armbands?" I inquired.

"Those show the party affiliation. Green for Lone Wolf, and a dark red for the Alpha party," Luke told me.

"Why those colors?"

"Green signifies the forests and resources that unite and make each region distinct," he explained to me. "The red signifies the willingness for the Alpha members to sacrifice their blood for one another."

"Should I be writing all this info down?"

"I hope you won't be too involved in the party politics."

"I hope you're right."

Our conversation was interrupted when Luke looked up the path and I followed his gaze. Burnbaum passed dangerously close to the group of reds, and one of them leaned toward him and spat onto his shirt. In a matter of seconds the innkeeper transformed from docile to deranged. He snarled and leapt at the insulter, who growled and lunged at him. They collided and were at each other in a flurry of teeth and claws. Yes, claws. In their ferocity the men became half transformed into werewolves where their upper bodies and feet were shredded by the appearance of their wolf claws, muscles, fur, and fangs.

The battle wasn't single-combatant combat for very long. Both sides dove into the fray so there was a mess of green, red, and brown fur with lots of torn clothing. The scuffle caught the attention of everyone at the station and at the entrance to Sanctuary, and crowds cheered or booed on their opponents and allies. The fray was an exciting match of fangs and sharp claws where each werewolf tried to break their opponent. My hackles raised in anticipation at the thought of joining the group and-

-suddenly I was a dozen yards up the trail from where I last remembered and Luke had his arms wrapped around me. I blinked and whipped my head back and forth. "Um, how did I get here?" I asked him.

"Instinct," he replied. "You smelled the bloodshed and tried to join the battle."

The color drained from my face. "And if I had joined?"

"You might've had your throat torn out," he told me. I cringed and relaxed my body, but he kept a tight hold around me.

Luke didn't have to worry. A group of four men ran out of the doors to Sanctuary and bounded down the stone steps with all the agility of their wolf heritage. They wore simple black uniforms and hats similar to police, and at their hips were pistols. The men tore into the fray with well-aimed blows at everyone who challenged them. The tide shifted in their favor and they had just about won the day when Sheriff Brier strode past us with his gun in his hand. He stopped a dozen yards from the scuffle and shot his weapon in the air. Dozens of people screamed and many ducked. "All right, Ah think we've seen enough here," he drawled.

The shot stopped what remained of the brawl and the combatants transformed back into their human selves. Thankfully no one had so many tears in their clothing that they were indecent to the few children in the audience, but their bodies were covered in deep gashes and bites. One of the uniformed men, a gentleman about Luke's height, strode out of the crowd and over to the sheriff.

Sheriff Brier looked down at the other man with a grin. "Well, hello there, little brother. Still playing cops and robbers?" he greeted the man.

The smaller man turned his lips up in understandable disgust. I wouldn't want to be the sheriff's brother, either. He held out his hand to Brier. "You know no other weapons are allowed to be fired but ours, so I'll have to ask for your weapon," he requested from Sheriff Brier.

"Who's the smaller guy?" I whispered to Luke.

"I'm not familiar with his name, but he's wearing the uniform of Sanctuary's chief of police," Luke softly replied.

Alistair snuck up behind us with the luggage. "His name is Adam Brier, lead Protector of Sanctuary," he informed us.

"Ah don't see how I can give up my gun with such dangerous men around me," Sheriff Brier spoke up.

Protector Brier frowned. "Those are the rules, and no one is above the rules," he insisted.

Sheriff Brier looked like he wanted to argue the point, but with so many witnesses it wouldn't have been good politics to refuse. He sneered and dropped the gun into his younger brother's open hand. "You'd better take care of it," I heard him growl to the Protector.

"Better than you," was the cool reply as Protector Brier pocketed the gun into an empty holster at his side. He looked around at the gaping crowds. "All right, folks, let's move inside. Gentlemen of the brawl, I give you all a warning. One more time and you'll be thrown into the dungeon."

I raised an eyebrow. "Do they really have a dungeon here?" I asked Luke.

"The basement has a few cells leftover from more primitive times, and those are used to hold the rowdy werewolves," he explained to me.

The crowd took Brier's advice and dispersed, some to the trails and others up the steps. Luke, with Alistair loaded down with our luggage, guided us up the path and into the villa. The lobby was a multi-floor, open rafter affair with six wide doorways on either side that led off into the wings. Stairs lined the walls between the openings and led up to balconies on each of the five floors above us. The doorways led to a large maze of narrow passages and halls that ran parallel to the mountainside. In the rear wall of the lobby stood two wooden doors ten feet tall and five feet thick. They were engraved with scenes of forests and humans transforming into werewolves. To our right set in the wall before the first hallway was a large, dungeon-like door with a thick metal circlet for a handle. I guessed that was the dungeon entrance.

Luke took one of the right-hand corridors, up four flights of stairs, and led us into a block of residential rooms. The narrow passages were a wooden-walled conundrum of twists and turns as each section was added on to over the countless years. All the halls had floors carved from the stone of the mountain that was constantly beneath their feet, and the doors to the countless rooms had tall, stout doors that rivaled those at Burnbaum's inn. There were torches on the walls, but I noticed they weren't real. They were fake with bulbs and red coloring to look real. "How'd they get electricity up here?" I wondered.

"It's powered by a waterfall farther up the mountain. I'll show it to you once we're settled," Luke offered.

At that moment I was glad to see some familiar faces in the form of Abby and her parents. Abby saw me, too, and raced over to us. She grabbed my hand, and jumped up and down. "Becky! Becky! Wasn't the train ride so much fun?"

"Yeah, it was something else." Something like terrifying. "Are you guys staying around this part of the building?" I wondered.

Her parents come up behind her and bowed their heads at Luke, who returned the favor. "The werewolves from the same district are grouped together to better discuss their vote," Mrs. Stewart explained to me. She smiled at Luke. "Of course, we'll vote for you, my lord."

"And I'll be glad for your support," he replied.

"If you'll excuse us, we need to get to our rooms," Mr. Stewart spoke up. They led Abby away, who turned and waved at me.

I waved back and leaned toward Luke, where I lowered my voice to a whisper. "Are all werewolf children that energetic?"

"She's quite energetic for any child," he told me.

"Ah, good. I was afraid I'd have to leash up all my children to keep them under control."

Luke chuckled and guided us a little further until we reached one of the larger doors. Alistair opened the entrance and led us into a large bedroom with windows overlooking the large deck thirty feet below us. The room also had its own balcony with a small table and two chairs. I glanced up to see the wooden rafters above us that held up the slanted roof. "Fancy," I complimented.

"It's the lord suite for my region," Luke explained. "The bathroom's to the right, and Alistair's room is connected to this one through that door beside the bathroom door. And speaking of Alistair, I have a few errands for you." The servant stepped up to his master for the commands.

I peeked my head inside the bathroom and was glad to see the toilet seat wasn't made of wood. I didn't want to get splinters every time nature called. I wandered back into the main room and noticed Alistair was gone. "Where'd Alistair go?" I asked Luke.

"I'm going to keep him very busy with a few errands while we're here."

"Lucky him. Speaking of servanty-type people, what was Mrs. Stewart talking about with that vote stuff?" I wondered.

"That's the reason why we're here. This is the vote for High Lord, and only those present at Sanctuary can cast a ballot," he answered.

I fell back onto the covers and sighed. "This werewolf society is seriously complicated," I commented.

"Yes, it's had a lot of time to change while other parts have remained the same," he agreed.

"Like you being a lord?" I wondered. "You said that was inherited."

"In a way it is inherited from my Maker," he replied.

I glanced up at the open rafters and the comforting scent of old pine. "How come Alistair knows so much about this place?" I asked Luke.

"He helped build it."

I frowned. "But didn't he say it was built three hundred years ago?"

"Yes."

"So he's that old?"

"Yes."

I sat up and looked at him with a suspicious glance. "Wait, how old are you again?"

He smiled. "Old enough to be your great-great-great-grandfather." I shuddered at the thought of making out with my ancient relative, and he laughed. "I promise you I won't look my age until I'm as old as Alistair."

"And that means I won't look my age, either?" I guessed.

"Exactly. The aging process practically stops when you're changed. Some werewolves have been known to live a thousand years or more."

"Provided they aren't caught by pitchfork-wielding villagers," I added.

"Yes," he agreed.

"So what do we do now?" I wondered.

"If you'd like I could show you around," he suggested.

"Do you have a map for me in case we get separated?" I teased.

Luke chuckled. "So long as you don't wander off too far I'll be able to find you."

"That super sniffer?"

"Yes, the super sniffer."

"All right, I'll go. This room's got a nice view but my legs need a stretch."

# 16

I slipped off the bed and Luke led me out into the maze of halls. A person's claustrophobia was given relief by the numerous skylights and a few large rooms, namely the dining hall and the lobby. The dining hall was a clean, exposed-rafter area with long wooden tables and benches lined up along the stone floor. On the rear wall away from the large windows and balconies was an array of foodstuffs the likes of which I'd never seen, and all to the tastes of carnivores. Lots of meat, deep-fried foods, and a salad bar for the more particular guests.

"I have an account if you ever need to buy food," he assured me.

Visiting the cafeteria wasn't completely uneventful. We walked by the cash register and I accidentally knocked my shoulder into someone coming out with their food. "I'm sorry!" I quickly apologized. My head whipped around and I was met with a very cold stare from a stern-faced man about middle aged with gray-speckled brown hair and tanned skin. He sneered at me and went on his way. I slid up to Luke's side and lowered my voice to a whisper. "Are werewolves cannibalistic?" I asked Luke.

"Not generally, why?"

"Because that guy looked like he wanted to bite my head off."

"That's Tom Baker, the commoner lord of the rural district," Luke explained to me.

"Friendly fellow," I quipped.

"He doesn't like leaving his district, especially for bureaucratic matters like these regional dispute meetings and the vote," he told me.

"A week must be an eternity to him," I mused.

"I imagine it is, but let's move on. I have a few special places to show you."

Luke led me away from heaven and into the depths of the large villa. We passed through residential areas for the other regions and walked along the deck to see the entire valley spread out below us. Wolverton was just a speck in the distance. I followed Luke down off the deck via stairs along the right side of Sanctuary and twenty yards into the woods. Then he took a sharp left up the incline of the mountainside where, nestled in the trees, we found a set of wide, sturdy wooden steps. These drifted away and above the villa so when you were halfway up and looked to your left you could see the roof below you.

We climbed the stairs, and I heard and smelled the water before I saw it. The steps flattened and I found myself on a stone platform that overlooked a deep, beautiful watering hole. The twenty-foot deep bowl was circular with flowers and mosses along the rocky edge. In front of me flowed a sparkling waterfall that fell from a point a hundred feet above the platform. It cascaded down over a few outcroppings of rocks and splashed into the pool of its own making. The pool drained itself into a small creek on the right side, and on the left was a small, camouflaged dam through which more of the water escaped the pool.

The water ran through the turbines and created electricity. Then the water was released out the front and slipped down the mountainside toward the villa. "What do you think?" Luke asked me.

"Wow," was all I could reply.

"The extra water goes down to Sanctuary and provides fresh drinking water," he explained to me. He pointed at the creek on our right. "That was diverted a long time ago to keep the spring flood from washing away Sanctuary's foundation. The original drainage point was where the stairs are now."

"This must have taken a while to tame," I mused.

"Yes, but only because they wanted to keep the beauty of the pond intact. Very few of the stones were moved, and lower down the creek rejoins its original bed."

"So can anyone swim in the pool?" I wondered.

Luke chuckled. "Everyone in Sanctuary would rather you didn't," he quipped.

My shoulders slumped over. "Damn."

Luke smiled and grasped my hand. My cheeks reddened, but he didn't seem to care. "I have one more place to show you." He pulled me back to the villa and to the lobby where we stood before the pair of large doors at the rear of the room. "Inside here is where the fate of all werewolves is decided by those who elected them," he told me.

"So you're going to show me a government meeting room?" I blandly wondered.

He smiled. "You'll see." He pushed open one of the doors just wide enough for us to slip inside. I expected to find a dark room with a light switch to flick on the long fluorescent lights, but that couldn't have been farther from the truth. Natural light spilled down from the domed ceiling above us and washed over a primitive Greek amphitheater. The walls on either side of us curved around the top of a gradual incline that led fifty feet down to a large stage. Countless rows of curved benches sat on either side of a flight of steps that led to the stage, with two more sets of stairs on either end of the room.

I glanced back at the doors and then back at the stage. This was like a tardis, a hell of a lot bigger on the inside than it looked on the outside. "How many people can this fit?" I asked Luke.

"If they're crammed in we can fit a thousand," Luke replied.

"Wow."

"Isn't it? Did you want to sit down?" He led me a few benches down and we sat beneath the full light of the sun.

"So why'd they make something this fancy for a meeting room?" I wondered.

"The werewolves then were learned men who greatly admired the Grecian culture," he explained to me. "They wanted to mimic both their style of government and their buildings."

"So that's how they got all this voting stuff?" I guessed, and he nodded.

"Exactly."

"There you are," came a feminine voice We turned at the words and saw a beautiful woman walk down the steps toward us. She was a tall, stunning blond with long hair, a friendly smile, and an impeccable wardrobe. "I thought you'd been derailed again," she teased.

Luke stood and I followed suit, though I slunk behind him. "A pleasure to see you again, Stacy."

She brushed aside his formalities with a wave of her hand. "You know I don't like those stuffy kind of greetings. Just say you missed me terribly and we'll do with that."

"It has been a while," Luke admitted.

For the first time the woman noticed me peeking out from behind Luke. Her smile softened and she stepped to the side to garner a better view of me. "And who do we have here?" she wondered.

Luke, traitor that he was, pulled me in front of him. "Stacy Stevens, this is my mate, Rebecca," he introduced us.

Unfortunately, I hadn't forgotten how this Stacy had aspired to be Luke's love interest, so I nervously smiled at her. She smiled, but I detected a hint of disappointment in her lips. "So the rumors are true, you've found someone." She paused, tilted her head to one side, raised an eyebrow and cast a side glance at Luke. "A lovely face, but I don't remember ever seeing her before. Where did you find her, Luke?"

Luke sheepishly grinned. "Truth be told I-"

"Kidnapped me," I finished for him.

Stacy crossed her arms and gave Luke a severe look. "You stole away a human to be your mate? Luke Laughton, I thought you were made of better stuff than some of these barbarians."

Luke cringed and shrugged. I had to laugh at him cowering before a woman. "It was unavoidable," he defended himself.

I snorted. "Yeah, like you sticking me with that needle and dragging me off into the nineteenth century was unavoidable," I quipped.

Stacy's brows crashed down and she pulled me from Luke's arms. "And no doubt she's traumatized by the experience of being dropped into all this trouble."

Luke stiffened and placed a finger to his lips. He shook his head and his eyes roamed the room. "Not here," he whispered to her.

"Then where?" she asked him.

"Follow me."

Stacy kept me beside her as Luke led us out of the meeting hall, through the front doors and turned off the station path onto one of the woodland paths. He didn't venture to speak, but Stacy took on the silence and won. "When did Luke and you meet?" she asked me.

"An eternity ago, but I think it was less than a week ago for everyone else," I replied.

"That's hardly time to get your bearings around his home," she wondered.

"He kept me locked up in a white room."

Stacy frowned and shot a glare at Luke's back. "Did he really?" she mused.

Luke glanced over his shoulder at us. "She kept escaping," was his defensive reply.

Stacy snorted. "And good for her. Who would want to be stuck with a wild animal who kidnapped her?" I was really starting to like this woman.

Luke, however, wasn't very happy and quickened his pace. When we were a good half mile from the villa he turned to us with a serious expression. "Has there been any more news?"

Stacy, too, dropped her humor and shook her head. "None at all since my father learned about the meeting date change, but I can tell you he was very confused to learn of it. I don't believe it's happened in times of peace."

"No, but I think war is what Lance intends, or at the very least he'll go that far to achieve his ambitions," Luke replied. "Do you know if this will skew the vote?"

"His party was alerted well before any of the other lords and they're sure to vote in favor of him," she pointed out.

"Party?" I spoke up. I felt like the third wheel on a two-wheel bicycle.

"The opposing party to Burnbaum's decentralized Lone Wolf Party. They fear the encroachment of humans into what has traditionally been our territories and want to band together to keep them out," Luke reminded me.

"Oh, right. That mess. So we've got the Lone Wolf Party and the what again?" I wondered.

"Lance calls his the Alpha Party," Stacy spoke up with a roll of her eyes. "He always likes to give his projects a dramatic flare."

I glanced at Luke. "And we're stuck where?"

"In the middle," he replied.

I groaned and slumped my shoulders. "Oh goody."

Stacy smiled and set a hand on my shoulder. "You'll get the hang of things. It may take a few centuries, but things will make sense," she assured me.

"Thanks, makes me feel a lot better," I grumbled. For the first time all I wished was to be back in that simple white room at Luke's home with nothing more than being kidnapped to worry about.

Stacy glanced at her watch and sighed. "And speaking of things that take a few centuries, my watch is telling me it's almost time for the first region meeting."

Luke raised an eyebrow. "So soon? Are all the lords here?" he asked her.

She nodded. "They were all alerted early enough to arrive accept you and Baker, and he had less distance to travel."

"Why was Baker another exception?"

"There's a feud between Baker and Simpling. You know their territories abut one another, and all the major rivers go through Simpling's area before they reach the farmlands in Baker's region. Baker's accusing Simpling of reckless management of the mines and of dumping waste into the rivers."

"I see. So they thought to get back at Baker by forgetting to tell him about the change?" he guessed.

"Precisely."

"What is this meeting about?"

Stacy grinned. "The environmental impacts of each region on the others. They put that at the head hoping Baker wouldn't arrive in time to voice his complaints."

"I'm glad he made it, but can we consider him an ally?" Luke wondered.

She shrugged. "I haven't asked him, but I'm sure Burnbaum will. We'd better hurry, too, if we want to get there in time for the start of it." She looked to me. "Luke is practically required to attend, but would you care to come?" she asked me.

"Is it a boring meeting with a lot of political talking?"

"Yes."

"Then no."

"Then it would be best to get you back to the room," Luke suggested.

I didn't like the idea of being cooped up in a room with such neat woods and views to explore. "Isn't this place supposed to be safe?" I reminded him.

"The safest place in the world, but that doesn't guarantee safety when our enemies are trying to kill us," he pointed out.

"And how long am I going to be stuck in the room?"

"The meeting should last no longer than four hours," he assured me. He turned us around and took a few steps back toward the villa with Stacy close behind him, but I wasn't going with that.

My mouth dropped open. I snapped my teeth shut, dug my heels into the ground and crossed my arms over my chest. The other two stopped a few yards ahead of me and glanced over their shoulders. "Hell no am I going to be stuck in a room for that long." I'd been stuck in one room and train car after another, and now with a beautiful forest so close at hand they wanted to stuff me in another place with four walls.

"Then you'd rather come with us?" he asked me.

"I'd rather be roaming these woods." I looked up at the canopy overhead and the shimmering sun shining through the branches. I felt a stirring inside of me that I couldn't explain, but it didn't want to be cooped up inside.

Luke slipped on a small smile and walked back to me. He set his hands on my shoulders and gave me a gentle shake. "I promise I'll take you for a walk when I return from this meeting." The innocent smile turned to a roguish grin. "We'll make it a night walk beneath the moon," he promised me.

I saw the hint of some sexual romping and rolled my eyes. "Fine, but don't take too long at that meeting."

# 17

Luke took too long, or at least longer than I wanted to wait. Stacy and he dropped me off at our room, and I was left with nothing to do but nap and watch the hands of an elegant grandfather clock tick around its face. I was thinking of breaking the boredom with another nap when I heard a knock on the door.

I crawled off the bed and looked through the peephole of the door. Nobody was there, but I saw a shadow lower down. I knelt in front of the keyhole and peeked through. An eye looked back and me, and I heard a familiar giggle. "Abby?" I guessed.

"Hi, Becky!" came Abby's familiar voice from the other side of the door.

"What are you doing here?" I asked her.

"You promised to play with me, remember?"

I smiled. "I remember you promising to play with me."

"But do you still want to play with me?" she persisted.

I sighed and slid down to the floor. "I don't think I can. Luke's grounded me to my room until he gets back."

"Oh. . ." came the disappointed reply. I could almost see her drooping face. "But aren't you a grownup?" she wondered.

I laughed. "That's what people keep telling me," I replied.

"Then how come you're grounded?" A child's logic is the most sensible and devious characteristic of man, and Abby was no exception.

I furrowed my brow and thought over her statement. "Why am I trapped in here?" I wondered. To keep yourself safe, my inner thoughts scolded. As safe as a bird trapped in a cage, and this birdy was doing a jail-break. I stood and flung open the door, and was met with Abby's smiling face.

"Where do you want to go first?" she asked me.

"Any way you can lead me to the cafeteria? I'm starving," I pleaded.

She giggled and nodded her head. "Of course!" Then she frowned. "But Mama didn't give me any money."

I smiled. "That's okay. Luke told me I could use his account."

Abby beamed. "Then just follow me!" She pulled me along to the cafeteria where we tried our best to drain Luke's account. We wandered out onto the deck with our plates piled high and our stomachs grumbling for satisfaction. Tables were set outside the doors to the dining hall, and we commandeered one for our use. The food was as delicious as it looked, and we were just finishing up when a shadow fell across me.

I glanced up and found myself staring at a man about Luke's age with dark hair and blue eyes. He wore a white shirt with dress pants, and his smile had a smooth, oily look to it that I didn't trust. Even with that strange, uncomfortable smile there was something about him that made my body jump to attention. Maybe it was the way he stood erect and confident, or maybe it was the heated look in his own blue eyes.

"Hello there. I don't believe I've seen such a lovely face as yours at the meeting before," he greeted.

"Probably because you haven't," I quipped.

The stranger smiled and shrugged. "I suppose I deserved that for not introducing myself." He held out his hand for me to shake it. "I'm Lance Connor, Lord Connor and leader of the Connor region. And who do I have the pleasure of meeting?"

My mind was a swirling mass of panic and confusion. Here in the flesh was one of the names I'd been taught to fear, and he was strangely handsome. I supposed he kept his evil skin hidden beneath his clothes like all the werewolves around here, and shook his hand. "The pleasure's all yours, but it's Rebecca." Last names were still never given out until I approved of the guy, and I knew for sure that I didn't approve of this guy.

"A very good, old name. I'm sure you're interested in why I approached you, other than because of your wonderful beauty."

"I'd like to know if I need a restraining order against you," I replied.

He chuckled. "I saw you arrive and noticed you were in the same train car as Lord Laughton. Do you two happen to be intimately acquainted?"

"You could say that-" and a lot of other things related to intimacy. "Why?"

"Any friend of Luke's is a friend of mine," Lance explained to me. He leaned in and sniffed the air around me. His lips curled up into a grin. "And I smell you're a little more than a friend to Luke. May I congratulate you on the betrothal?"

The colored drained from my face. "Betrothal?" Luke hadn't even taken me out on a date.

"That's the usual results when a werewolf changes a human," he replied. His dark blue eyes swept over me, and I shuddered at the strange heat in their depths. "Though there are exceptions to every rule."

I leaned away and nervously chuckled. "Yeah, rules are funny that way. Speaking of rules, isn't there one where you're supposed to be at a meeting right now?"

He shrugged. "While I'm proud to represent my region the mundane aspects of the government are, well, mundane, so I've sent a representative in my place. On that subject, I hope to see you join my little organization," he commented.

I raised an eyebrow. "What organization?"

He chuckled. "Truth be told-" which I suspected didn't happen often with him, "-it's actually one of the minor social parties. I may not have the stomach for boring meetings, but I do like to unite people under a common cause."

"And what's that cause?" I asked him.

"To protect each other through mutual cooperation," he grandly replied. "The human world is growing closer and closer to finding out our existence and we need to be ready when the wolf is out of the bag, so to speak."

"I don't think the human world is that dangerous," I defended my former reality. I looked him up and down. " Sure there's a bunch of jerks in it, but that's not exclusive to the human world," I pointedly added.

Lance took my meaning and smirked. "That may be, but we werewolves still need to watch out for one another before our paltry numbers reach zero," he insisted.

I glanced around at the busy deck and the crowds that wandered in and out of the cafeteria doors. "There doesn't seem to be that few of us," I argued.

He shook his head. "The voting meeting is a little deceptive for evaluating our population. There's always a good showing, for werewolves see it as our civic duty to attend."

"Even when it started earlier than it should have?" I wondered.

Lance chuckled. "I'm sure the few days change won't effect the outcome of the vote," he assured me. I had every confidence it would ensure the outcome he wanted.

Our wonderfully uncomfortable conversation was thankfully interrupted by a tug on my arm. I glanced over the table and found myself staring into Abby's cutely impatient face. "I'm bored. Let's go for a walk," she pleaded.

I smiled at her. "I think that would be a great idea." I looked back to Lance. "If you'll excuse us, Mr. Connor-"

"Please call me Lance," he insisted. There were other things I wanted to call him, but not within hearing of Abby.

"-but we need to go have some fun." Abby pulled me along the deck toward a flight of stairs that led down to the woods.

"Until later," he called over our shoulders. I'd make sure later was a really long time.

We hurried down the stairs and I managed a look over my shoulder. Lance stood at the top of the stairs with a creepy grin on his face. "That guy sure was creepy," I murmured to myself. I glanced down at my young guide. "What did you think of him?"

Abby wrinkled her nose. "I don't like him, he smells funny."

I raised an eyebrow. "Smells funny how?"

She innocently looked up at me. "Didn't you smell his scent?" I shook my head.

"Nope. He was doing enough creepiness with his mouth. Can you tell me what it smelled like?"

Abby scrunched up her face and pursed her cute lips together. "Well, it kind of smelled like blood, but really old."

I stuck out my tongue. "That's nasty. Doesn't that bother everyone around him?"

"He tries to hide it with other scents, but I can smell it. Papa taught me how to track scents," she beamed.

"I'm very glad you're on my side, Abby," I smiled in returned.

"So am I, but let's go. I want to show you my favorite trail."

"Just as long as it isn't too long," I told her.

It was too long, or at least a few miles farther than I wanted to walk. Abby frolicked the entire way, gathering flowers and smelling the trail like a wild, but adorable, animal. I had to admit the trail was beautiful with its wide, well-cared for dirt path and the views of the valley below us. The path followed the steepest part of the hillside so no trees obscured the lower view, but not so close I was afraid we'd fall off the edge. A few miles from the villa we came to a collection of large boulders several stories tall with small nooks and large cave openings. They were smooth-sided granite monstrosities arranged in a prehistoric rock slide motif thirty yards wide along the path and at least that deep into the mountainside.

"This is my favorite place!" Abby told me. She broke from my hand and hopped into the mess of rocks. The little girl terrified me by climbing all over them while I watched from the ground and winced every time she slipped or disappeared into one of the crevices. Werewolf abilities or no werewolf abilities, if she broke her neck her parents would kill me.

"Abby, get down off there!" I demanded. All I got was an echoing giggle and the girl peeked her head out from the top of the mess of rocks. "You've scared me enough, now get out of there."

"Come and catch me, Becky!" She disappeared into the rocks again, and didn't come back out.

"Abby?" I called out. I stumbled toward where I'd last seen her. The area was eerily quiet, and I whipped my head up when a bunch of pebbles slid over the top of the rocks. My inner voice was telling me it told me it hadn't been a good idea to leave my room, and I told it to shut up. "Abby, come on out. This isn't funny," I called to my little friend.

"Boo!" Abby jumped out at me, and I jumped out of my skin. I shrieked and knocked my back into one of the boulders. Abby giggled until I shot forward and grasped her hand in mine.

"Don't scare me like that!" I scolded her.

She shrank away and her lower lip trembled. "I-I didn't mean to, Becky. I just thought we'd have some fun."

I sighed and glanced around at the rock jungle gym. If by fun she meant breaking my neck there was plenty to be had here. "This isn't exactly my idea of fun," I told her.

"But there's a whole bunch of neat caves in there!" she protested. "They go all the way back forever and ever, and you'll never guess what I found in one of the caves!" She grasped my hand and tugged me toward a wide opening that led into a dark, spooky-looking cavern. "Come on, I'll show you!"

I dug my heels into the ground and stopped her strong pull. She had a long of strength in that little werewolf frame. "Forever and ever is a long time. I don't know about you, but I'd get hungry before I finished exploring all those caves, and wouldn't you miss your mom and dad?" I reminded her.

"But I really did find something neat in there," she persisted.

"And we really should be getting back," I insisted.

Abby's face drooped and she sighed. "I guess, but can we come back here tomorrow and I can show you what I found?" she pleaded with me.

"Sure." If I lived to see tomorrow because if Luke found out I was gone I'd be dead meat.

"Yay!" Abby yipped.

"Come on, let's head back to the trail." I securely took her hand and led her away from the rock fun house and back on the trail. I decided we needed to turn around, especially when I glanced down the trail and couldn't even see the villa. I worried we'd wandered out of the boundaries of the werewolf territory, if there was an end to their territory. "Uh, Abby, I think we need to go back before I get in trouble." Luke's meeting had been going on for nearly four hours.

"It shouldn't take too long to get back if we transform," Abby casually replied.

"Um, transform?" I squeaked.

"Yeah, you know, turn into a wolf."

"Um, there's a bit of a problem with that. I don't know how to transform."

She tilted her head and blinked at me. "You don't? I thought everyone knew how to change."

"I'm kind of new to this whole werewolf thing and haven't really figured that part out. Or any part, really."

"Oh. Then I guess we'd better get back before Mama and Papa worry about me."

I frowned. "Worry? Don't they know you were going to take me for a walk?"

She sheepishly smiled and shook her head. "I kind of snuck out."

I sighed and took her hand to lead her back. "Well, I guess that makes two of us. Come on, before they send out a search party for us."

# 18

We'd gone about a mile when Abby stopped and lifted her nose in the air.

"There's someone coming," she told me. I didn't need a super sniffer to be told that because I heard the pounding of paws on the path ahead of us. A few seconds later I spotted a werewolf racing along the trail straight toward us. I picked Abby up intending to run away, but she only laughed at my fright. "It's Luke!" she told me.

The werewolf skidded to a stop in front of us and those familiar orange eyes glared at me. If it was Luke, he wasn't happy. I sheepishly grinned at him. "Um, hi." The wolf growled and moved around behind us. He gave me a hard nudge in the butt and I stumbled down the path. I set Abby down, swung around, and crossed my arms over my chest. "Do you mind? I'm not an animal you can herd around." He bared his fangs and snarled, and I cringed and held up my hands. "Moo?"

Luke flipped me around with his snout and marched us back to the villa in time for the setting sun to shine its last rays behind the western mountain peaks. Abby's parents and Stacy met us at the edge of the villa park, and they were as happy as Luke. The worried parents raced up, and knelt down and hugged their child, then got down to the punishment part of the reunion. "Abigail Stewart, you are grounded for the rest of the trip!" Mrs. Stewart scolded her.

"But Mama!" Abby whined.

"No buts, young lady! Thank goodness Lord Laughton found your scent and his friend here found us with the news." She gestured to Stacy, who smiled and bowed her head.

"I'm just glad this adventure has a happy ending," Stacy replied.

Mr. Stewart turned to the werewolf. "We can't thank you enough for your help for helping us with our daughter a second time, Lord Laughton." The wolf shook its head, but Mr. Stewart persisted. "If you ever need our help we will always be at your service."

Mrs. Stewart straightened and tugged on Abby's hand. "Come on, Abby. You're going to your room without supper." The happy but angry parents strode off with Abby, and that meant my turn for punishment. I nervously glanced at the wolf.

"So, um, how did the meeting go?" I asked him. The werewolf growled and nodded toward the villa. I sighed and trudged to my room with the werewolf chaperon close behind.

The halls were crowded with other werewolves who pointed and laughed at my predicament. I knew he meant to publicly humiliate me in front of the others, and it worked. It also made me mad. By the time we reached our room I was furious and stomped inside. Luke followed and shut the door behind us. I spun on my heels and faced my oppressor.

Luke lost the fur and revealed his naked self. He also revealed a scowl while he wrapped himself in a bathrobe. "What do you think you were doing out there?"

"Taking a walk. People do that with a lot of trails around," I replied.

"This isn't a joking matter, Becky. Our enemies won't hesitate to catch you alone and kill you," he insisted.

"So now I'm finally Becky and not a slave?" I wondered.

Luke walked up to me and softly grasped my upper arms. His eyes caught mine in an intense gaze. I blushed and turned away, unable to meet his serious look. "You were never a slave, and I apologize for treating you so horribly then, but I couldn't let you leave. My Beast wouldn't allow it, and truth be told I kind of liked your lively company. Alistair is a good manservant, but his companionship is rather stodgy."

I glanced back at him and raised an eyebrow. "Just liked my company?" I scolded.

He looked down at my body and wagged his eyebrows. "Among other things," he added.

"I guess I'll accept that, but I still haven't forgiven you for kidnapping me and I expect you to let me go back home and tell everyone I'm fine," I insisted.

"I can live with that, and I promise I'll let you see your friends again," he promised.

"Good. Now what?" I asked him.

"After that little adventure there'll be very little what and where for you," he replied. "You're going to stay by my side at all times."

I cringed. "Even during the meetings?"

"Even during the meetings," he repeated.

"That's cruel and unusual punishment."

"Then it's very suitable for the scare you gave me."

"Can't I suffer through the dining hall food and stay inside the villa?" I pleaded with him.

Luke shook his head. "Not until you prove I can trust you to stay where it's safe."

I folded my arms across my chest and leaned on one hip. "Stay where it's safe, huh? I'll have you know I already ran into Lance on the deck."

Luke stiffened and scowled. "What did he say to you?"

I shrugged. "Just asked me how I was related to you and I asked him how come he wasn't at the meeting. He said he got a representative to go for him."

"Yes, our old friend from the inn," Luke told me. "I imagine he sent that man to mock my efforts to have him arrested in Wolverton. Did Lance say anything that caught your attention?"

I scrunched up my face and recalled one strange item from our conversation. "He did say something that I'd like to know about. What's this about something being different about my smell?" I asked him.

Luke nodded. "Your scent's changed to be closer to mine and alert others that you belong to me. Why?"

I crossed my arms over my chest and gave him my best suspicious look. "Because that Lance guy sniffed me and said something about a betrothal. Care to tell me what that's all about?"

Luke coughed to hide his guilty expression. "I meant to inform you sooner, but our adventures have kept me from proposing."

"Proposing what?"

"To you."

I blinked. "Come again?"

He got down on one knee in front of me and took one of my hands in his own. "As my mate you are considered my wife in werewolf society, so I'd like to be considered the same in human society."

"Did you just-did you just ask me to marry you?" I asked him. He nodded, and my face shifted between flattered and uncertain. "Is this something I have to decide right now? I mean, a lot's happened to me lately and I don't think I can think clearly right now."

Luke sighed and stood with a small, sad puppy-dog smile on his lips. "I suppose I should have expected that. After all, you haven't forgiven me for tearing you from your old life and into this strange one."

"And speaking of that, how far did you tear me from my life?" I gestured around at the rough walls and rafters. "I've seen a lot of old-fashioned towns along this trip and no sign of a freeway or Starbucks." And here I thought there was one every square mile on earth.

"I took you across several hundred miles and a state-line to reach my home," he admitted.

My face twisted into disbelief. "How in the world did you even find me that far from where you live? _Why_ in the world did you go looking that far when you had Stacy right here begging you to have her pups?"

"Our noses are very powerful and very selective, especially when it comes to choosing a mate. I merely followed mine to your city and rummaged through the scents until I found yours."

My face drooped. "So you stalked me that far?"

"Yes, but don't you think you're worth it?" he teased.

"I'm worth at least a thousand stalking miles," I replied.

He pulled me gently against him and wrapped his arms around me. I blushed at the heat of his body against mine, especially when the heat pooled between my legs. "You're worth much more than that to me." Then he let go and stepped away. The sudden loss of his hard chest caught me off balance and I fell face-forward onto the rock floor. "And that's why you're staying by my side all day tomorrow," he added.

I growled and whipped my head up to glare at him. He somehow survived my evil eye. "You sure you shouldn't be checked out for a split-personality disorder?" I wondered.

"Every werewolf has a split personality disorder with their Beast," he pointed out.

"I think you've got an extra one in that head of yours."

"My head is quite sound."

"That's a matter of opinion."

"You had ample opportunity to examine my head last night."

"Not through all that fur and furious sex," I countered.

"Care for another examination?"

"Am I still stuck to your side like a Siamese twin tomorrow?"

"Yes."

"Then no."

The argument could have gone on the rest of the day, but there was a knock on the door. "Who is it?" Luke called out.

"It's me, sir," Alistair's voice drifted through the closed entrance. I'd forgotten about the manservant, and realized then that he hadn't been part of the search party.

"Enter," Luke replied. Alistair stepped inside and closed the door behind him. "What have you found out?" Luke asked him.

Alistair grimly shook his head. "I'm afraid it's not good, sir. Lance and Simpling have convinced Farber to join their cause and Mullen is leaning toward them." I raised an eyebrow. Apparently Alistair had been playing Secret Agent Man around the villa.

Luke frowned and paced the room. "Damn it," he softly swore. "I hoped to at least have Mullen on our side. What about the others?"

"Baker refuses to join sides, and Stevens doesn't believe there are sides to join," Alistair finished.

Luke ground his teeth together. "That old fool is willfully blinded to what's going on."

"He hopes the differences can be settled amicably," Alistair added.

Luke paused in his pacing, sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "That's understandable. I was the same only a month ago. How's the turnout for the vote?"

"A majority of Alpha members are present, but there are several trains coming from the Lone regions," the manservant replied.

"At the very least we have some time on our hands before the vote at the end of the week. Any idea who's going to put their names in for the High Lord position?"

"All of the lords are expected to put their names in, and the favorite is currently Lance."

"Um, boys?" I spoke up. The two men glanced over to me. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Politics," Luke told me.

I rolled my eyes. "I got that, but what's this about putting names in and turnout?"

"I'll explain in a second," Luke promised. He looked to Alistair. "Anything else to report?"

"Nothing yet, sir, but I will keep my eyes and ears open," Alistair swore.

"Good. Especially watch the accountant assassin. They may try something during the voting," Luke advised.

"Very well, sir." Alistair left on his new assignment, and Luke turned his full attention on me.

He gestured to the bed. "This may take a while."

# 19

My face fell and I plopped myself down on the bed while Luke stood in front of me. "I believe I told you before that this meeting's to decide the High Lord of the werewolves."

"Yeah."

"The decision is based off of a vote by all werewolves present here," he continued. "On the second to last day the lords offer their names for nomination, and the last full day is the voting where we elect our new leader."

"How does that work? Wouldn't everybody from the regions vote for their own leader and make it a tie?" I pointed out.

"They often do, but sometimes the leaders don't satisfy their people, or another candidate is better favored to unite all the regions," he explained to me. "There's also not an equal population in the regions. The boundaries were set based on the geography."

I furrowed my brow. "So let me get this whole voting thing straight, starting with the lord people. You guys are elected to leader of a region, and anybody can be the leader but it's usually from an important family, right?"

"That's right. Baker himself is a commoner by birth."

"And that vote happens how often?"

"Every three years."

"And then every so often this meeting takes place-"

"Once every five years," he told me.

"-and people come from all of the regions to vote on a new High Llama."

"High Lord," he corrected me.

"And the High Lordiness can only be one of the six-"

"Seven."

"-lords who run the regions, right?"

"Yes."

"So with Lance and Simpling kind of running things they're going to make sure the vote goes their way?" I guessed.

"Unfortunately, yes, especially with Farber on their side and Mullen leaning in favor of them," Luke added.

"Who's Mullen?"

"Another lord of the region that specializes in research and development," he told me.

"So how important is this High Lord position?"

"The High Lord has a large purse from taxes collected from not only his region, but all the others. That's used to manage the basic administration duties such as region dispute mediators and such, but he can also decide where the money is funneled."

"So it's a racket?"

"If the High Lord is dishonest then it can be," he admitted.

"This ever happen before?"

"A few times in our past, but never has the effort been so organized and the danger so high for all of us," he told me. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I hate to admit it, but Lance has a point about the humans. They're encroaching on our lands and eventually there might come a point where we'll have to decide to leave our lands or reveal ourselves."

I groaned and fell back on the bed. "Just my luck to be stuck in this much trouble," I grumbled.

Luke sat down beside me and there was a sad smile on his face. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry."

"Did you want change for that ten cents?" I quipped.

He chuckled. "Is my apology worth that little?"

"Yep."

He reached up with one of his hands and traced his fingers along the inside of my lower thigh. "I could apologize in other ways," he suggested.

My body said yes with a flare of heat, but I wasn't willing to give in, at least not immediately. I shifted higher on the bed away from his teasing hand. "Aren't we supposed to be worrying about political intrigue and assassination attempts?" I reminded him.

Luke grinned and crawled onto the bed. Seeing him on all fours raised my body temperature another ten degrees and I was having trouble breathing. There was a clawing inside of me like an animal trying to get out and let him take me right then and there. I squashed it down, but only for the moment. "We're safe so long as we stay in here," he assured me.

"B-but I still haven't forgiven you for kidnapping me," I insisted.

He climbed over me and set his hands on either side of my arms. I lay down, and he leaned down and brushed his nose against mine. "Then let me make it up to you in whatever way I can," he slyly replied.

"I-I think it's a little early for bed, don't you?" The sun had set, but in the mountains that happened early. It was barely past five. Apparently he didn't think it was too early because he nipped at my neck. I softly gasped and he chuckled.

"It's been a long day without play. Why not have a little fun?" he wondered.

I pressed my hands against his firm chest and felt the muscles slowly expand and transform. The Beast inside him was taking control, and that excited me. "W-we have to get control of ourselves. Someone might hear us," I pointed out.

"Not through these walls," he replied. His voice was hoarse and had a growl to it.

I strained for breath as he licked and nuzzled my neck. His sensual touches made my self-control slip. My hands grabbed at his shirt and tore it open to reveal the little sprouts of werewolf fur over his body. He took my eagerness as a sign of consent, which it was, and he leaned back and grabbed my shirt. He tore it in two and revealed my heaving breasts behind my strained bra. I sensed the Beast rise within me, taking over my mind and body. My hands lengthened and curved into claws. I felt my breasts swell and push out the top of my bra to where they hardly covered any of my bare flesh.

Sweat sprang up over my body and I squirmed against the sheets. Above me Luke's eyes changed from blue to orange, and each breath came out as a growl of need and desire. My own lust overcame all other senses and emotions, and I whimpered and mindlessly pulled at the top of my jeans. Luke grabbed the button and zip, and tore them off, revealing my white, soaked underwear.

I needed him so badly, and he tortured me by hovering over me and gazing at my luscious body. I arched my back to tempt him, and he whipped his head down and licked and suckled at the flesh of my breasts above my bra. I cried out for joy and my clawed hands wrapped around his head. The world around us disappeared in a frenzy of lustful desire, an aching need that needed to be satiated. Limbs twined around limbs, torn clothes were tossed aside. We wrapped our naked bodies around one another in a union of flesh and mind. Our hips thrust and our mouths groaned together as the world became nothing more than the pleasure we experienced as one.

I writhed and squirmed against his hard, penetrating thrusts, and he grunted and pushed harder. The tension tightened higher and louder. I couldn't take the aching need between my legs. My hands clawed and dug into his back. He thrust again and again, always harder, faster and stronger than the last. I gasped for air as my cries reached a fevered pitch. The wave of carnal satisfaction washed over me in a wonderment of frenzied delight. He pushed harder into me, stiffened, and then collapsed atop me. We were finished, but we were both satisfied.

"You're an animal," I gasped between breaths of air.

"Thank you," came the muffled reply from the face in the sheets. He raised himself onto his arm and grinned down into my face. "You're not so bad yourself."

I rolled my eyes and felt my body return to its normal human shape. "And you're a heavy animal, so get off." I shoved him off me and he bounced onto the bed beside me. I sat up and glanced around the room. Our clothes lay in tatters from the end of the bed to the door. My bra hung on the door knob. "Maybe we should think about carefully taking off our clothes next time you decide to go all teenager-with-raging-hormones on me," I suggested.

"Maybe you should go without clothes while in our bedroom," he countered.

"I'd catch my death of cold from the drafts."

"There are no drafts."

"Well, I'd catch my death of cold from humiliation."

"I guarantee you I'll be the only one to glimpse you naked."

"That doesn't comfort me, and I really don't think it'd keep your Beast in check."

"Who said anything about keeping my Beast, or yours, in check?" he mused.

"I've heard enough." I slipped off the bed and rummaged through our luggage until I found a spare set of clothes. I kept talking as I dressed. "You go absolutely nuts when that sun sets. Is it going to be like this every night?"

"Would you rather we squabble like an old married couple?"

"Isn't that what we're doing right now?"

"Touche, but do I not please you?" To prove his point he stood and showed off all his parts.

I blushed and turned away. "M-maybe," I stuttered.

Luke came up behind me and wrapped me in his arms with his naked chest firmly against my back. He leaned down and nuzzled the side of my neck. "I haven't heard you complain during the exercise," he teased.

"B-because you're very persuasive," I replied.

"I'm glad to hear that," he whispered.

My change of clothes was fast becoming a nuisance to both of us until there was a knock on the door. Luke growled behind me. "Who is it?" he called out.

"It's me. Can I come in?" Stacy's voice answered.

Luke sighed and released me. "Give me a moment." He wrapped himself in his bathrobe and opened the door for her.

Stacy swept into the room and glanced down at Luke's wardrobe with a mischievous smile. "Did I interrupt some plans?" she wondered.

"Yes, so I expect the interruption to be worth it," he replied.

She crossed her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow. "It is most definitely 'worth it.' The voting block of lords Lance controls are going to rush the vote and request the nominations tomorrow, a full week ahead of schedule,"she informed us.

Luke's mouth dropped open and for a moment he was struck dumb. "Are you serious?" he asked her.

Stacy rolled her eyes. "I'm not joking," she countered.

He was still disbelieving. "But what excuse could they possibly use to change the rules, and what real purpose are they doing it for?" Luke asked her.

"The real reason for the rush is a train from Baker's region is coming on the final vote day. It was meant to be a surprise vote organized by the farmers in Baker's district, but when the secret is told to so many train riders it's bound to leak out," she replied.

"Which way were they going to swing?"

"To Baker. He has an eager interest in being High Lord, but not much chance with his lineage."

I frowned. "Why not? What's wrong with his lineage?"

Stacy smiled. "I'm with you. I don't personally believe anything's wrong with it, but there are others who are more traditional in their ways and would rather have an old family at the lead."

"But what excuse are they using to change the voting date and cut off a week's worth of government meetings?" Luke persisted.

"They're keeping that hush-hush, but my sources say they're going to announce their reason and intentions first thing tomorrow," she replied.

Luke frowned and paced the room with the end of his bathrobe billowing out behind him. "Damn it. They've had this planned for a long time," he muttered.

"A very long time. Lance has been ambitious since he was created," Stacy agreed.

Luke cringed. "Yes, I'm afraid he has, and we're the only ones capable of stopping his ambitions." There was another knock on the door. I wondered if maybe we needed a revolving door. "Yes?" Luke called out.

"It's us, sir, Mr. Burnbaum and myself," Alistair's voice floated through the closed entrance.

"Come in," Luke replied.

The pair of men strode into the room, and Burnbaum's face was livid. "We have been robbed!" he exclaimed.

Luke raised an eyebrow. "Robbed of what?"

"The armbands of many of the Lone Wolf party members have been stolen," Alistair explained to us.

"When did this happen?" Luke asked them.

"It happened this day when we were at the meeting," Burnbaum replied. "Someone come in and take only our armbands, nothing else."

"Have you alerted the Protectors about this?" Luke suggested.

Burnbaum nodded. "Yes, they know but they can do nothing. There is no smell in any of our rooms so no trail to follow."

"Or even any proof that they were indeed stolen," Alistair added. "The Protector promised to do what he could, but the thieves were very good at entering the rooms without breaking the locks and leaving behind any trace they were ever there."

"We need expert tracker from your district, but so few are here for you," Burnbaum spoke up.

"If they ever heard about the date change than they were delayed by the derailed train," Luke explained to them. "As much as this is strange news, we have more important matters to deal with." He turned to Alistair. "Have you heard any news suggesting Lance and Simpling will shorten the voting date to a few days' time?"

Alistair pursed his lips together and shook his head. "I'm sorry, sir, but I'm afraid I know nothing at all of this information."

"He wouldn't have this info," Stacy spoke up.

"Why not?" Luke wondered.

Stacy coyly smiled. "Let's just say Alistair doesn't have the right assets to satisfy my sources."

"I see, then in this case you have a handicap against you, Alistair," Luke pointed out. "We'll use Stacy's sources for Lance's new trick, but you can still help Burnbaum, Alistair. Get Stewart working on those scents. He'll be able to track down the thieves," Luke instructed him.

Alistair bowed his head, but there was a hint of disappointment in his tone. "Very well, sir." The pair hurried off to get Stewart's assistance.

"You really think the stolen armbands aren't important?" Stacy mused.

Luke glanced inquiringly at her. "Do you?"

She shrugged. "With Lance around I stop believing in coincidences."

"Well, he can't do anything with them if the Protector knows they've been stolen," Luke pointed out.

"I wouldn't put it past him to make a very bold move with them, but we'll know pretty soon what's up his sleeves." She glanced between Lance's robe and my creased appearance with the luggage clothes. "But I think I've distracted you two long enough. Enjoy the rest of your evening," she teased, and slipped out.

I shuffled over to the bed where I plopped down on the mussed covers. "I think I've had enough excitement to last a werewolf lifetime," I quipped. Luke stood stiffly by the door with his mouth set in a firm line that drained the blood from his lips. "You okay?" I asked him.

He started from his thoughts and shook his head. "I-I'm sorry, I sometimes distract myself-"

"-when you're thinking about Lance?" I finished for him.

"Yes."

I sighed, scooted over and patted the empty spot beside me. "Why don't you tell me a little about the history between you two? Sounds like you go back a long ways."

Luke shook his head. "Very long, but that's a story for another time," he insisted. "For now the present is a troublesome enough story that's being played out in his favor."

"We'll just have to try our best and stop him where we can," I encouraged him. I patted the seat again. "Now at least come over here and sit down. You're about to pace a hole in the floor and I don't think the neighbors would appreciate your foot going through their ceiling."

Luke chuckled and walked over to sit beside me. "What would I do without you here to cheer me up?" he wondered.

"Probably would've kidnapped another beautiful, talented young woman to be a mate."

"But they wouldn't have been you," he persisted.

I put on a playfully thoughtful face and tapped my chin. "You're right, they wouldn't have been as beautiful or talented."

"Or modest," he teased.

"Yes, I have tons of that."

"And sex appeal."

"Practically exuding it," I agreed.

"And-" My stomach growled, and the sound echoed through the room.

"-and hunger," I finished.

He chuckled. "We'll have to fix that, and then get some sleep. Tomorrow will no doubt be interesting."

"Courtesy of Lance," I replied.

# 20

The next day started out great. I had a handsome, rich guy wrapped around me and the bright sun drifted through the thin curtains against the balcony doors. Everything went downhill at the knock on the door. "Sir? Breakfast is ready and the meeting will begin in an hour," Alistair called through the door.

We got up, or rather I slunk out of bed, breakfasted, dressed, and Luke herded me to the amphitheater. The empty benches were now filled to capacity and people lined the walls on either side of the room. The place was so crowded that one push would have caused a domino effect of screaming and shoving straight down to the empty stage. Luke led me to some unoccupied seats near the stage and on the right column of benches meant for the lord of his district. I looked around and spotted some familiar faces.

Burnbaum sat on the same column, but behind us, and I noticed Abby's parents in the far back with her stuck firmly between them. Close beside us sat Baker in all his brooding glory. I looked to the other side of the aisle and noticed Lance and his assassin assistant on the bench equal to ours with Farber and two other men behind him. I guessed those were the other lords he convinced to join his voting block, Simpling and Mullen.

Both sides of the aisle were a rowdy group of chatting and jostling werewolves, and there was more than one glare cast across the aisle at the opposing group. Many wore the colored armbands of one party or the other, but there was an equal number who didn't show allegiance to either group by having bare arms. The tension in the room was so high I breathed animosity and exhaled my own tension. "Was the tension this bad yesterday?" I asked Luke.

He shook his head. "No, but the armbands were found stolen last night," he reminded me.

I noticed Stacy come down the stairs and she took a seat on the other side of Luke close to the aisle. She leaned past him and smiled at me. "Having fun yet?" she teased me.

"Tons," I mumbled.

I then turned my attention to the stage. A large oak desk stood in the center with three chairs behind it and a gavel on the top. At the appropriate, god-awful hour of eight, a man stepped onto the stage and cleared his throat. "Attention, everyone!" he called out over the crowds. The audience hushed and turned their attention to him. "The meeting will now begin. The High Lord Stevens will now reside over us."

I wrinkled my nose. That last name sounded familiar. "Isn't Stevens Stacy's last name?" I asked Luke.

He nodded. "Her father is the current High Lord."

The man himself stepped out in a silk robe as ridiculously fancy as Farber's dress that suited his short, white hair and stern face. He stepped up onto the stage with two attendants behind him carrying the train of his robe. The three strode over to the chairs where Stevens sat down first and the other two fanned the robe out behind him before they took their seats on either side of him.

Stevens took up the gavel and pounded it against the desk. He didn't need to, the room was deathly quiet already. "The proceedings will now begin with a reading of the rules and regulations," he announced.

My mouth dropped open in horror as the crier came out on stage and proceeded to read from a large handbook. There was no talking out of turn, no yelling, no running, spitting, swearing, coughing, sneezing, laughing, breathing, and generally anything else that would have kept this meeting interesting to anyone with a functioning heart and brain. I slumped down in my chair and suppressed a groan. "Is it always this boring?" I whispered to Luke.

"Yes," he quietly replied.

"Can't disagreements be solved with a fight to the death?" I suggested.

He smiled. "That's happened before, but it's now discouraged."

"Janitors get tired of cleaning up the mess?" I guessed. He shook his head and put his fingers to his lips, silencing both me and my fun.

After a half hour of tediousness the man slammed the book shut, waking up about half the audience from an uncomfortable nap. They sat up and Stevens pounded his gavel against the desk, again when there was silence. "Before we begin has anyone any changes to the program?" We weren't surprised when Lance stood.

"I have news, High Lord," Lance announced.

Stevens raised an eyebrow. "Yes, Lord Connor?"

"I would like to change the date of the vote to the next day." The gasp from the crowd created a vacuum with enough suction to clean the floor.

Stevens' frown was so deep you could have driven a semi truck through the creases. "How can you suggest such a thing? It has always been done this way, and it's bad enough to have the meeting so many days ahead of schedule," he insisted.

"But I have evidence to suggest we have terrorists in our midst." Lance's eyes flickered over to our side of the room. "And I believe they intend to bomb Sanctuary." Many faces in the crowd paled and whisperings sprang up as suspicions and fears resounded through the hall. Several stood to rush to their rooms and leave Sanctuary immediately.

Stevens pounded the gavel so hard against the desk that splinters flew out and the head flew off. It clattered across the floor between the sides and slid to a stop against the bottom step. "That is enough!" He glared at Lance. "What proof do you have of these wild allegations?"

"A large shipment of explosives was stolen from Simpling's territory. I happen to know they were transported here on one of yesterday's trains." His eyes fell on Burnbaum and he scowled. "I can't positively prove who took them, but I hope to have hard evidence within the next few days." He turned back to Stevens. "So that is why I request the change, and move to have the nomination of the lords done this day, and the vote tomorrow."

Baker shot up from his seat. "I protest this! Many of my people haven't arrived!"

"I agree this is a highly unusual change, but why aren't your people here already?" Stevens asked Baker.

"They're busy in their fields and can only come here for one day," Baker explained to the room.

Stevens ruffled at the reply. "Nothing is more important than the vote. They had a duty to attend the entire session, not come here for a single day to cast a vote for High Lord. I can't see my way to agreeing to your objection."

"They must make their living!" Baker protested.

"They have time enough to do that for nearly a full five years between votes," Stevens argued.

"But this shortens the time without giving them ample warning," he insisted. There was a murmur from the crowd in agreement. Baker turned to the audience. "We have already had the meeting rushed to these days, and now we shorten those days? Will there be any voting next session?"

"Here, here!" Burnbaum shouted. That riled up both sides of the aisle as they argued for or against the change.

Stevens smashed the handle of his gavel against the desk and the remains broke apart in his clawed hands. "That is enough! We will have a vote from the lords who represent you, and be done with the discussion!"

Simpling arose from his seat. "I second the motion to vote on the change, if only for the safety of those present."

Another man beside Simpling who I guessed was Mullen also stood. "I third the motion."

Luke jumped from his seat. "I second Baker's motion to delay the vote until the traditional week is complete." Baker didn't smile, but he bowed his head at Luke, who returned the compliment.

"I abstain from this vote," Stevens refused. He glanced over to Farber. "What way will you vote, Farber?"

Farber stood with a smile and relished the attention on himself. "This is most perplexing, your High Lord. It gives one pause to think-"

"Just give me your answer," Stevens snapped.

Farber pouted, but nodded at Lance. "I will agree with Lance, and fourth the motion."

A great commotion arose from the crowd, and even those on the red side weren't too thrilled with this change of a time-honored schedule. Stevens, now with a little more hair on his hands and face, pounded a claw against the desk. "Enough! There will be no speaking out of turn while I preside over this meeting!" his voice boomed over the crowd. He pointedly glanced at Luke and Baker. "This is all very preposterous, but I do not wish to have a heated disagreement among the lords and plead with the two dissenters to agree with their fellow representatives."

"That's something we can't do, High Lord," Luke refused.

Stevens scowled. "You are being very difficult, but very well," he replied. The High Lord turned to Lance, and there was a growl of disapproval in his tone. "You have your majority of the lords who represent our people, but I will have it recorded that this has never been done in our three hundred years of elections and I heartily disapprove of the change."

"Duly noted, High Lord, but I care more for the safety of my people than for the traditions of politics," Lance boldly replied. He received a resounding round of applause from his side and plenty of boos from the other side of the aisle.

Stevens' face turned an unhealthy shade of purple, but he kept his temper in check. He stood, glanced over the lords, and nodded at the person to his left who retrieve an old notebook from the desk. It looked to be covered in blackened hide. "Those who wish to be nominated stand and be recognized by the Recorder."

All six of the competing lords stepped out into the aisle. For a moment Lance and Luke stood side by side, and I was struck by the similar glint in their blue eyes. Lance smirked at Luke, who returned the look with pursed lips and narrowed eyes. The pair led the others up the center stairs onto the stage, where each of them gave their name to the Recorder. Stevens was a sight with his pursed lips and red, angry face.

I slid over to Stacy. "Is your dad usually this angry?" I whispered to her.

She shrugged. "Only when he doesn't get his way," she replied.

Stevens stood and grabbed the book which he raised high so the crowd could see it. "All the lords have given their names for nomination. You have twenty-four hours to decide your vote and they will be gathered by the ballot gatherers tomorrow at this time." Stevens slammed the book against the Recorder's chest and marched up the center aisle. His robe carriers hurried about him and the audience erupted in disbelief and gossip. Lance and his lackey lords followed them out of the room.

Stacy leaned toward us. "I have to go talk with a few sources about these terrorists and I'll meet you back in your room," she told us.

"Be careful," Luke warned her.

She smiled and winked at him. "I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself." With that she hurried off to her investigations.

Rumors flew faster than rockets as speculation arose about the terrorists. Many neutral individuals hurried from the room, fearful of both sides of the aisle. Baker stormed out while Burnbaum pushed through the crowd to us. With the room in an uproar no one could overhear our conversation. Hell, I could barely hear our conversation. "This is not good. We have no time to plan this vote," he told us.

A man with a red armband grinned at us from across the aisle. It was the same one who'd spat on Burnbaum the day before. "Don't have time to rig the votes, eh?" he jeered.

Burnbaum glared at him, but Luke put a calming hand on his friend's arm. "We have bigger problems to deal with than him," he reminded the innkeeper.

Burnbaum clenched his teeth, turned his back on the man, and nodded. "Da. Do you believe this rumor of terrorists?" he asked Luke.

Luke frowned. "Only if Lance makes them."

Unfortunately for us, our jeering opponent didn't take well to being ignored. He pushed his way to us and sneered at our worried faces. "Don't be so sad. Maybe you still have time to blow the place up," he encouraged.

That was the insult that broke Burnbaum's patience. The innkeeper swung around and smashed his fist into the man's face. I heard bone shatter beneath the collision, and the man reeled back with his face covered in blood and broken teeth. He was caught by his friends, who promptly dropped him and dove at Burnbaum. The innkeeper performed the same plastic surgery on them, and with the help of some of his friends pushed them back across the aisle. That prompted the entire left column to jump into the fray, and Burnbaum's party followed suit. It was a hail of punches, bites, clawing and screaming, and before I knew what I was doing I'd joined the fray with my own long claws extended for maximum damage.

Luke pulled me from the fight with me covered in blood, but very little of it was mine. A commotion sounded from the doors at the top of the stairs and Protector Brier with his men stormed the room. They bashed and smashed their way through the crowds, pushing aside those who still had a handle on their sanity and slamming the door shut on the wild, half-transformed and half-crazed werewolves by knocking them cold. That quieted the place down and Brier stood on stage in front of the bloody and battered crowd.

"All right, everyone, I warned you. Now follow me to the cells," he ordered. There was a shout of protests from some of the more self-important individuals. Brier held up his hands and shook his head. "I don't care if you were the High Lord in a past life. You're all coming with me." His eyes pointedly fell on Luke, which meant neither of us would receive mercy from him, so we went with the jail-bird flow.

# 21

Everyone in the room, conscious and unconscious, was rounded up and marched double-file out of the room. Luke and I were no exception. We were marched out into the lobby and one of the Protectors opened the large, dungeon-like door to the right of the entrance. The door opened to a narrow, winding stone staircase with stone walls on either side. We prisoners, who numbered three dozen, were led single-file down the steps. This staircase had real torches that sprinkled ash down on us and cast shadows on the rough, unfinished walls. Luke kept close behind me and caught me when I tripped on the uneven steps.

The winding stairs led to a long, damp, narrow room that stretched out for fifty yards. Along the right wall were a dozen ten-by-ten foot cells with gray-colored bars on all sides. I'd never seen a dungeon cell, and now I got a great view of the inside. The men and women were separated to keep a bad situation from getting worse, and we girls were shoved into the first cell closest to the stairs. Luke was put in a cell several blocks down, but I could feel his eyes on me.

I sighed, but nearly jumped out of my skin when I heard a terrible scream. My head whipped over to one of the far cells where a scuffle erupted. The men jostled and shoved each other, and they screamed every time a bare patch of skin collided with the bars. Smoke arose from their burnt flesh and filled the air with the ghastly smell of Kentucky Fried Werewolf. I glanced at my own bars, and realized the gray color was more than just a good shine. The bars were forged from solid silver. I and the rest of the women took a few healthy steps back from them while Brier's men rushed down to stop the fighting werewolves from scorching each other alive.

The blood all over me also created a rather cold and uncomfortable situation for me. A distinct draft drifted from the bottom of the stairs and passed over the dried blood all over my clothes, skin, hair, and somehow even under my armpits. Brier paced before the cells and one look from his stern gaze was enough to quiet the rowdy bunch. "I won't keep you in here for long, but long enough to cool your heals. If I find you in another mess you'll be down here for the rest of the week."

The fool who'd started the brawl stepped up to the front of the bars with that stupid sneer on his face. "We don't have a week. The voting's tomorrow," he told the officer.

Brier stopped in front of the cell with a calm, disinterested expression on his face. "I'll keep you for a month and the voting be damned."

The fool's mouth dropped open. "You can't do that! We have rights!"

Brier's arm whipped out and grabbed the man's shirt collar. The Protector pulled the loud-mouthed man against the bars where his lips slammed into the silver metal. The man screamed and flailed his arms and those, too, knocked into the bars. He stiffened with his arms straight out behind him with small puffs of smoke coming out from his burn injuries. "Your rights end when you break the rules here," Brier growled. Now I saw the family resemblance with the sheriff, but at least this Brier wasn't harassing good people. "You make trouble again and I'll see to it that you don't leave this cell for that month. Got it?"

"Got it," the man whimpered through his burnt lips. Brier let him go and the man stumbled back into the crowd behind him.

Brier looked around at the silent prisoners. "Anyone else want to argue with me?"

"I'll give it a try," a smooth voice spoke up. All eyes turned to the dungeon entrance where Stacy leaned against the wall on the bottom step. She had a smile on her impeccable lips, and pushed off the wall to walk up to the Protector. "Mind letting some of these prisoners go, Chief Protector?" she cooed.

Brier was unmoved by her powers of persuasion. "No."

Stacy frowned and crossed her arms over her chest. She dropped the cute act and exchanged it for the businesswoman character. "What'll it take to break a few of them out?" she asked him.

"A miracle."

"I prefer a more reliable method."

"That's the only one you got because none of them are leaving until they've had a chance to cool down."

"And that will be how long?"

He glanced over all of our tense faces. "A few hours." He nodded at the idiot. "For him it'll be twenty-four hours." The man growled, but didn't give any sass this time.

"What if the High Lord demanded it?" Stacy suggested.

That got Brier's attention. "Has he demanded someone's release?" he asked her.

Stacy shrugged. "Perhaps he has." She looked over the crowds of prisoners eager for escape and settled on Luke and me. "Perhaps he wants those two freed," she told him, pointing at us.

Brier looked over at us, and then back at Stacy. "Why them?"

"He demands to give his blessing for their union," she replied.

Brier gave her a penetrating look and Stacy returned it with one of her own. He scowled, but signaled to his men to free us. They pulled us from the cells and shoved us over to where Stacy stood close by the stairs. "This is done only once. Even the High Lord can't bend the law to suit his needs too many times," Brier told her.

"I'll be sure to remember that, Protector," she cooed.

We followed her upstairs and I was glad to breathe the clean air of the lobby. Luke glanced at her with a raised eyebrow. "Did your father really want us freed?" Luke asked her.

Stacy coyly smiled. "No, but his name has gotten me out of a few scrapes I figured it'd work for you two."

"It may cost you if the Chief Protector finds you've lied to him," Luke warned her.

She shook her head. "It was worth it. Something's happened."

Luke raised an eyebrow. "What something?"

"I'll show you."

Stacy led us through the maze of passages to the room beside ours that was occupied by Alistair. I noticed something on the floor and gasped. There was a small trail of blood on the stones, and the drippings led through the doorway of Alistair's room. Luke's eyes widened and his nostrils flared at the smell of the fresh blood. There was a grim expression on her face as she nodded and opened the door. Luke rushed inside and found Alistair on his bed. The man wasn't moving. We hurried over to the bedside and were both relieved when we noticed he was breathing, though his gasps were ragged. His clothes were torn to ribbons and there were claw marks all over his body.

"Alistair?" he called to his manservant. Alistair didn't acknowledge his name. Luke turned to Stacy. "What happened?"

"I found him out in the woods below the station crawling back to Sanctuary after an interview with an informant," she explained to us. "He was barely conscious and half transformed. I barely recognized him."

"He didn't say who did this to him?"

She shook her head. "He couldn't speak, and he collapsed before I carried him in here."

"Does anyone else know about this?" Luke asked her.

"No one. I cleaned up what I could of his blood, but I heard the commotion downstairs and went to investigate. I thought there might have been an attack on the whole building," she explained to him.

Luke leaned down and sniffed Alistair, and he scowled. "Was he like this when you found him?"

"She already said yes," I spoke up.

"That's not what he's meaning," Stacy told me. "There's no scent on Alistair other than his own. If he was attacked by anyone else there should be some scent." She gently took one of Alistair's hands and lifted it up to show off his dirty fingernails. "There's even blood underneath his nails, and yet I can't smell anything from it."

"So is this a big deal?" I asked them.

"Very big," Luke replied. "The werewolf society is held together without the use of a large policing force because we have the ability to smell one another."

"So if someone commits a crime they just need to follow the trail?" I guessed.

"Exactly. Without the ability to track, and with no modern policing methods at our disposal, the crime in the werewolf world would explode," he finished.

"That's not good."

"No, it's not, and that's what raises the stakes here," Luke added.

"What really raises the stakes is that vote tomorrow," Stacy argued. "Lance is a shoe-in to win unless we can buy some votes or convince everyone he's the last werewolf they want for the job."

Luke grimly sighed. "And we can't leave Alistair alone for a moment. If our enemies can't be smelled and they learn he's alive then they may try another attempt on his life."

"If we want to avoid them finding out he's alive then I'm going to need help cleaning up his scent leading to his room," Stacy pointed out as she rubbed her hands together. "It isn't easy cleaning these stones of his blood droplets."

"I can help," I offered.

"And I will stay here and watch him," Luke replied.

"Good, let's get mopping, Becky," Stacy encouraged.

We armed ourselves with the necessary cleaning supplies and a couple buckets of water. There was one chemical I didn't recognize that was packaged in a green bottle with a wolf silhouette as the emblem. Stacy caught me staring at it before we left on our mission. "It's a special cleaner used to eliminate tough odors, specially made in one of the werewolf regions," she explained to me. "It's the only thing that will remove the scent so a werewolf can't be smelled by hunting dogs or other werewolves."

"Wouldn't something like this make werewolves invisible to each other?" I pointed out.

She tossed me a pair of thick rubber gloves. "No, because for us it's dangerous to the touch, so we have to wear these gloves to scrub with it."

We snuck out into the hallway and the area was quiet because so many of the rowdy guests were still incarcerated in the dungeon. Stacy retraced her steps and I followed along with both of us thoroughly and quickly scrubbing the floor. She'd taken one of the less-used hall and stairwells, and since we were alone I decided to ask her a few questions.

"So, um, how long have you known Luke?" I wondered.

She smiled, but didn't look up. "A few centuries. He was made fifty years before me."

"Wow. That's a long time to know somebody," I commented. " After that long you two must be really good friends."

Stacy paused and glanced up from her scrubbing. "This is about my liking Luke, isn't it?" she guessed.

I hung my head and gave a nod. "Yeah," I mumbled.

"Are you afraid I'm competition?" she mused with a chuckle in her tone.

"You are kind of prettier than I am," I pointed out.

Stacy shook her head and sighed. "I'll admit I wish we were competition, but I'm afraid looks or how long you've known someone don't decide if you'll be their mate."

"So what does?" I asked her.

"The scent."

I blinked. "The scent?"

She laughed and returned to her scrubbing. "You really are green. Hasn't that ninny taught you anything?"

"He's taught me he can be an ass," I replied.

"Unfortunately, he can be, but you can't completely blame him for choosing you. It was the scent that brought you together, a sort of subconscious tingling in the back of our minds that tells us we've found the person we were meant to be with," she explained to me.

"Like finding a soul mate?" I guessed.

"Sort of, but on a more primitive level. We are descended from wolves, after all," she told me.

"We are?"

Stacy sighed and shook her head. "Remind me to knock some sense into that man when we get back. You should know much more than this."

I grinned. "With pleasure."

# 22

We finished with the interior scrubbing without being seen, but there was a problem with outside. We couldn't scrub the pine needle and dirt-strewn path up to the villa. All we could do was kick more dirt over it and cover most of the scent. I glanced at Stacy. "What now?" I asked her.

She shook her head. "Now we hope that whoever attacked him will decide he isn't worth a second beating." We returned to the room to find Luke had cleaned Alistair's wounds and wrapped him in bandages. "How long will he need to mend?" Stacy wondered.

"A day or two. The cuts are deep," Luke replied.

"Is that it?" I gasped. I thought for sure we'd be playing wrap-the-mummy with him for a month.

Stacy frowned, stalked over to where Luke sat in a chair beside Alistair's bed, and knocked him on the head. Luke cringed and whipped his head around to glare at her. "What's that for?" he asked her.

She gestured to me. "You haven't taught her a damn thing about werewolves, have you?"

"I taught her the basics of our society." Luke received another rap on the head for that. "Why is that bad?" he growled.

"Because that's an overwhelming-"

"-and boring," I added.

"-subject to start a new werewolf on," she argued. "The basics of our abilities, strengths, weaknesses, and history would have been a better start. Have you even told her about yourself and your family?"

"I'm afraid our enemies haven't given us time to sit down together for a long chat," he shot back.

Stacy grabbed a chair and shoved it beside Luke. Then she stomped over to me, grabbed my shoulders and guided me into the set chair. "The voting doesn't start until eight tomorrow morning, and right now it's only nine in the morning. I'll try to find who attacked Alistair, but because we couldn't clean the blood outside the villa you two will have to stay here and sit watch over Alistair." Luke opened his mouth to object, but one evil eye from her and his voice choked. I dreamed of having that sort of power over him. "Not a word of argument. Tell her what she needs to know. I'll check on you three later tonight to see how things are going."

Before either of us could argue Stacy strode out of the room and shut the door behind herself. I glanced to Luke at my side and snickered when I saw the dumbfounded, steam-rolled look on his face. "She really knows how to get what she wants," I commented.

Luke frowned and ran a hand through his hair. "Yes. She's had centuries of practice."

I took a page from the Book of Stacy and took charge of the conversation. "So what do you need to tell me?"

He sighed and leaned back in his chair. "What do you know?"

I shrugged. "We're werewolves, and we have a really complicated government."

Luke cringed. "This may take all day."

"We've got time."

"Quite a bit, and to be honest I'm not sure where to start."

I furrowed my brow and glanced down at my hands in my lap. I lifted a hand and stared at the finely sharpened nails. Being a werewolf had its perks, and I had an idea. "Why don't you teach me how to change?" I suggested.

"In this small space? That wouldn't be a good idea," he advised.

"You have any better idea, teacher? Besides, if I don't know how to transform and defend myself I'm probably going to end up worse off than Alistair," I argued.

Luke sighed, but nodded his head. "All right. Stand up." He guided me over to the center of the room and we faced each other with three feet between us. Luke held up his hand and showed off his smooth, long fingers. "We'll start with the arm. It's the least damaging to clothing and the most effective tool against enemies."

I smirked. "I don't know. A good kick in the crotch with a clawed foot is pretty effective, too."

Luke managed a smile. "True, but what if the attacker is female?"

"Then it's still pretty effective. We girls are sensitive down there, too, ya know."

His eyes twinkled with mischief. "I have some personal experience with down there, but we'll focus on transforming without sexual arousal."

"Yeah, I don't really expect our enemies to get me horny."

"I would hope not."

"So how do I change my hand, teacher?"

"Through concentration." His fingers and nails lengthened, and hair sprouted from his palm. "It's a matter of focusing on the Beast inside of you and changing the part of the body that you need. Changing the whole body is much easier because there is no specific area to train your thoughts, but you may not be able to control the instinct of the Beast so we'll stick with the hand."

"All right, so I just imagine my hand all furry and clawed?" I guessed.

He shook his head. "Not entirely. That helps, but you also have to imagine using the claw. Slashing it through the air is a good image to focus on along with gutting an enemy and-"

"-and that's kind of sick," I gagged.

Luke grinned. "Well, I suppose you don't have much personal experience with such imagery, so we'll stick with slashing the air rather than an enemy."

"The air molecules will be my enemy."

He chuckled. "And they won't stand a chance, but don't forget to focus on the physical aspect." He held up his half-transformed limb, more paw than hand now, and turned it around and around. "See the texture of the hair and the sharp fingernails? How the light shines on each thread and muscle?"

"This reminds me of a beauty care commercial."

"Focus, Becky," he scolded.

"All right, all right." I sighed, raised my arm like Luke's, and my eyes zeroed in on my hand. It was a nice, normal hand. Well-manicured since my werewolf change and very smooth. Now I needed to make it all soft, fuzzy, and vicious. I squinted my eyes and imagined the nice, soft fur waving in the breeze and the claws slicing through to cut in half a dangerous leaf blowing in the wind. My mind inevitably wandered to how soft the fur would feel against my cheeks, and how I'd giggle and-

-and something was not quite right. I felt something poof out of my cheeks and all over the rest of my face. I reached up and my fingers sank into a carpet of fluffy fur. I'd imagined my cheeks against fur, and fur had sprouted from my cheeks. Luke barked out a laugh that echoed around the room. I scowled at him through my furry face. "That's not funny," I growled.

"But you're not seeing it from my view," he protested.

"You won't be seeing anything through two black eyes if you don't tell me how to reverse this," I threatened.

"Not without a picture," he insisted. He stepped over to the door adjoining our room, but I jumped and blocked his path.

"Oh hell no. You are so not doing anything but telling me how to undo it," I persisted.

Luke wiped the tears from his eyes and shrugged. "Very well. Imagine yourself as though you were looking into a mirror."

"All I'm seeing right now is a carpet looking back at me," I grumbled.

"Your human self," he emphasized. I sighed and closed my eyes. My image floated through my mind. Nice, normal, human me smiling back and probably laughing at my stupid furry face. I felt the fur shrink back into my skin and in a moment the itchiness was gone.

"Am I back to normal?" I asked him.

"All done," Luke assured me. I opened my eyes and reached up to feel nothing but smooth skin. He chuckled. "When we have children I'll be sure to relate to them this story."

"Do and they'll suddenly be in a one-parent household," I warned him.

He smiled and stepped back to the center of the room. "Should we try the hand again?" he offered.

"All right, but this better work," I mumbled.

"The problem wasn't the transformation, but your thoughts," he pointed out. "You need to focus on that single part of the body and not on any other part."

I sighed and nodded. "I'll try." I raised my hand and glared at the fingers. Stupid fingers not getting hairy. All I wanted was for them to look nice and long and pointy. Then I could hack and slash through forests, and slice tomatoes without needing a knife. To my surprise and glee my fingers stretched and short stalks of hair slipped out from my skin. My face lit up and I had to contain myself from bouncing up and down. "It's working! It's working!" I cried out.

Luke smiled and put his hands on my shoulders. "Easy there, Becky. You're not done yet. Let's try to get the hand finished, and then back to its human counterpart."

I nodded and glared at my hand, willing it to change. The fingers lengthened and the nails became as hard as-well, nails. The fur grew taller and shimmered in the light. I pushed through with the transformation until I felt like I hit a brick wall. Everything just stopped. "I can't do anything else," I told Luke.

"Does it feel like you've hit a wall?" he asked me.

"Yeah, a brick one."

"Then you've reached the end of your transformation."

"So I do what now? Rewind?"

"Try out the hand," he invited me.

"How?"

Luke looked around the room and his eyes fell on a bowl of fruit. He grabbed an apple, turned to me, and held it up in front of him. "Try to catch this." He tossed it to me and I swiped it from the air. I didn't know my own strength because the hard fruit squished in my hand and apple juice ran down my arm.

"Ugh. You could have warned me about that," I growled at him.

"Practice is the best teacher," he argued.

"So I should fire you?"

"Do you want to learn this on your own?"

"No. . ."

"Then I recommend I stay on as your teacher." I cleaned myself up and he grabbed another apple. "Try to slice this one as it flies toward you," he suggested. There was the windup, the toss, and in the blink of an eye my claws swung down on the apple. The fruit was cut to ribbons and I was again covered in its juicy, sticky guts when it flew into my shirt.

"I'm starting to see a pattern with me and fruit. Maybe we should try something else before I attract flies," I quipped.

"All right, let's try reversing the process. Return your arm to its human form," he instructed me.

"So do everything, but in the reverse?"

"Exactly, and imagining your human hand instead of your wolf paw."

"I'll try." I closed my eyes and focused on my old hand. Nice, smooth skin that didn't look like it needed a shave. Manicured nails that couldn't cut fruit into snack-size. Fingers that were kind of short and stubby and-

-not appearing. I didn't feel any of that changing magic happening, so I opened my eyes and saw my still-transformed paw. "Um, something's wrong," I told Luke.

He raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong?"

"It's not changing back."

"You're not trying hard enough."

"I tried as hard as I did to change it into a claw."

"Try again."

I nodded, closed my eyes, rinsed and repeated. I got the same results, but was now a little more panicked. My hand was still as furry, clawed, and definitely not human. "How do I get it off, Luke? It's not coming off!" I yelled in my panicked voice.

"Becky, you don't get it off. It's your hand," he reminded me. "Also, stay calm. This happens occasionally to those learning to transform."

"Why didn't you tell me that sooner?"

"You didn't ask."

"Don't make me use this clawed hand on you."

"I would rather you didn't."

"And I would rather you tell me how to get it back to the hand type I can safely scratch myself with, but right now neither of us are getting what we want."

"In this situation you only have two choices. Either fully transform or wait until your hand naturally changes back," he told me.

"But I don't know how to fully transform," I reminded him.

"And I would rather you not do it inside Sanctuary. Fully transforming is also dangerous in that you could become stuck in the full werewolf form, or go even farther."

"Even farther?" I repeated.

"To a complete wolf. It's the risk every werewolf takes when they transform. In that stage the Beast completely takes over and you may never regain your human consciousness."

"I'm starting to see this whole transforming thing as a curse."

"It's a responsibility," he corrected me.

"Responsibility is a curse of adulthood," I replied.

Luke sighed and stepped up to put his hands on my shoulders. "We'll wait for you to transform back. I'll be very surprised if it hasn't happened in twenty-four hours."

I cringed. "That long?"

"That long."

"Fine, I'll wait, but don't expect me to be happy about it."

# 23

That was a long twenty-four hours. I was stuck with a clawed hand, Alistair was unconscious on the bed wrapped like a mummy, and our enemies were out there plotting and planning. Stacy arrived after dinner, or rather with dinner. I was starved for something more than just the survivors of my chopped fruit exercise, and she provided us with meats, but not with any good news. She deposited the food on the table, plopped herself down in a chair and her eyes glanced at my clawed hand. "It looks like I wasn't the only ones with problems this afternoon," she mused.

"A temporary problem, but what did you learn out there?" Luke asked her.

Her face grew grim and she shook her head. "I went as far as his scent trail led me and I couldn't sniff out a single smell other than his own."

Luke forsook the food and stood close by the table. I didn't wait for an invitation before digging in. Transforming was hard work. "Were there any tracks to follow?" he asked her.

She shook her head. "No, the ground was swept clean of all tracks, even those left by the walkers along the path. Whoever Alistair ran into are very good at covering their activities."

Luke frowned and strode over to the balcony door. He glanced through the glass out onto the moonlit deck and mountain below us. The sun had set a few hours before, and all was quiet in anticipation for the voting tomorrow morning. "If we only knew what they were planning," he mumbled.

"If we knew that we'd be able to go to my father while he still retained the position of High Lord," she pointed out. "As it is, we don't have proof that anything suspicious has happened except for what Lance spoke about and Alistair here."

I paused and frowned in mid-eating. "What did Lance talk about again? Something about stolen gunpowder?"

"Explosives, to be exact. Of the plastic variety," Luke corrected me.

A horrible thought drifted into my mind, and I suddenly lost my appetite. "And he said somebody would try to blow this place up?" I squeaked.

Luke turned to me with a raised eyebrow. "Yes, why?"

I nodded at Alistair. "What if he found out who took it?" I suggested.

Luke and Stacy froze, and then they whipped their heads to each other. The looks of horror on their expressions told me I'd hit on an idea. One I wish I hadn't. "Then Lance wasn't lying?" Stacy gasped.

"Perhaps not as far as we assumed he had been," Luke corrected her.

I raised my hand. "Can I be excused from this vote tomorrow? I think I hear my bed calling me back at Luke's house."

"This is no laughing matter," Luke sharply scolded me. "We are dealing with-" -a knock on the door.

We all glanced at one another, and all of us shrugged in reply. Apparently none of us had ordered a pizza. "Who is it?" Luke called out.

"A message for an Alistair," came the reply. It was a man's voice, and sounded old and feeble.

"Written or verbal?" Luke asked him.

"Written."

"Slide it under the door."

"I'm afraid it's too large, sir. It's in an envelope. Can't I hand it to you?" the voice pleaded. Luke growled under his breath and strode to the door. He opened it a crack, but the person on the other side was pushy. The delivery man shoved it open with his shoulder and knocked Luke back onto the floor. The stranger hurriedly stepped into the room, closed the door softly behind himself and pointed the barrel of a muzzled gun at the four of us. He was a wrinkle-faced old man with speckled hands and wore drab clothes two sizes to big for him. Luke raised himself onto his arms, but froze when the barrel turned on him. "The first to move dies," the man warned. His voice had dropped forty years from the tone, and I recognized it from the train station in Wolverton.

"Alston!" I gasped.

The man grinned and bowed his head. "I thank you for remembering me, but another word and I will shoot you. I promise these bullets will hurt, they're made from pure silver." We all stiffened, and I tried not to breathe too deeply. Alston strode through us and over to Alistair. He sneered down at the unconscious man. "A bullet would have been more effective than a beating," he mumbled.

Luke whipped his head around and growled at Alston. "So you're the one who injured him."

Alston tilted his nose up. "I wouldn't have dirtied my hands with such an impractical method of ridding ones' self of an annoyance, especially not when there are more than enough mindless volunteers to do the deed for us."

I noticed Luke's hand wrap around something on the floor. "Us? You mean Lance?" Luke asked him.

Alston chuckled. "This is really too much talking." He aimed the gun at Alistair's head.

"How do you intend to get away with this?" Luke asked him. "There's three witnesses here and your scent-" Luke paused and his nostrils flared.

Alston grinned from ear to ear. "Neat, isn't it? No scent, so you can accuse me all you want but there won't be any proof."

Luke scowled and threw something small and sticky at him, one of my leftover fruit slices, and it lodged itself up the barrel of his gun. Alston jerked back in surprise, and Luke took the chance to jump up and lunge toward the assassin. They collided and knocked into the wall beside Alistair's bed. The gun dropped to the floor and was kicked away by their dancing feet as each of them sought to strangle the other one.

Stacy jumped at the gun while I jumped into the fray. My transformed arm itched to slice and dice Alston, but all I did was knock into Luke's elbow and fall head-first onto Alistair's bed. I rolled over and felt Luke's body shoved down onto me. Alston stood ready to slice Luke's stomach open with his long fingernails when a bullet passed between them and struck the wall.

All eyes whipped over to Stacy, who stood calm and scowling with the gun clenched between her hands. Her narrowed eyes glared at Alston. "Another step and-" She didn't get to finish her threat because Alston grabbed a pillow and chucked it at her. She whacked it aside, but our uninvited guest turned and let himself out through the balcony door windows. The glass burst around him and rained down on a few drunk people on the deck. They screamed when he slammed down among them half-transformed and rushed off across the wood boards to the edge of the deck. Luke scrambled to his feet and hurried after him onto the balcony. Stacy and I joined him at the balcony railing and we were in time to watch the assassin jump over the deck railing and escape down the slope toward the station platform.

Luke meant to follow, but before he could hop over the balcony railing Stacy grabbed one arm and I grabbed the other. "Don't you dare!" we scolded in unison.

"Can't you smell the room? He has no scent, and without a scent to follow he'll have the advantage and kill you for sure!" Stacy told him.

"What she said!" was my intelligent addition to the debate.

Luke growled, but stepped back from the railing. There was a commotion out in the hall stemming from our guest's sudden and noisy exit. "Stacy, Becky, move Alistair to our room. We don't want to answer any more questions than we have to," he ordered us. We carefully raised the injured man and hauled him to the bed in Luke and my chamber. It was none too soon because when we closed the adjoining door there was a knock on the entrance to Alistair's door.

"Who is it?" Luke called out.

"The Protectors. Is everything all right in there?" Protector Brier's voice replied.

"Everything is fine, just some trouble with the window glass," Luke lied.

"We'd like to be the judge of that, now open up," Brier commanded. He had all the tact of a rhino on the warpath. We couldn't do anything but obey, so Luke let them in. Brier and two other Protectors stepped inside and looked around. All three of their pairs of nostrils worked overtime, and the chief's eyes fell on the ruffled bed and the broken window,. "Who occupied this room?" he asked Luke.

"My manservant, Alistair, but as he isn't feeling well we moved him into my room when the commotion began. The walls there are thicker."

"What's wrong with him?"

"Nothing serious, just a touch of something." That was partially true. He'd been touched by a lot of claws and fists.

"Who was in here a moment ago?" Brier questioned us.

Luke shrugged. "As you can smell there has been no one else in the room but us," he pointed out.

"Witnesses below this room paint a different picture. They say someone shot off your balcony and landed among them, then ran into the woods," Brier told us.

"Witnesses are unreliable, but our noses don't lie. Was there any scent found below the window?" Luke countered.

Brier's eyes narrowed. "No."

"Then I can't see how this was nothing more than an accident with the glass."

"How did it happen?" Brier wondered.

Luke strode over to me and raised my pawed hand. "Transformation practice that didn't go quite as planned." He was a master at inserting half truths into lies.

Brier didn't look satisfied with that reply, but he couldn't argue with his sniffer and didn't have any proof to prove our story wrong. The Protector strode up to Luke and they faced off. "Another time and you may slip up with your pretty lies."

Luke smirked. "I'll be sure to keep them straight," he promised.

Brier growled and stomped off with his men in tow. He paused in the doorway and glanced over his shoulder. "One last thing. Was the High Lord pleased to see you'd been freed?" he wondered.

"Very pleased, but he asks that you not mention it around him. He doesn't want anyone to know he favored us," Luke replied. Brier gave us one last glare before he left the room. Luke happily shut it behind him and slumped his back against the entrance. "Quite a lovely fellow," he quipped.

"And dangerous. He didn't get to be Chief Protector by being careless and stupid," Stacy commented.

"How did he get the job?" I asked them.

"Appointed by a vote of the residents of Sanctuary, and that office is less a matter of popularity and more a matter of results," she replied.

"We have a greater danger to worry about from Lance and his men," Luke argued. He pushed off the door and paced the room. "Alston meant to finish the job tonight, and I don't think it's a coincidence this is the night before the election."

"So what do you think they're up to? Rigging the thing?" Stacy wondered.

He shook his head. "I can't be sure, but we'll have to watch the ballot takers in all the region hallways."

Stacy and I dropped our mouths open. "Isn't that a crap load of places?" I pointed out.

"I agree with Becky. That's a lot of hallways to monitor, and all at the same time," Stacy added.

"We'll have Burnbaum and his men help us. You can go speak with them and set that up. They will patrol all the regions but Lance's, and we'll take that one. That way there should be the less likelihood of a brawl," Luke explained to us with the orders directed at Stacy.

Stacy folded her arms and shook her head. "That still sounds risky, and what are we going to do about Alistair? He may not wake up for another few days."

"I can watch him," I offered. They both glanced at me, and I shrugged. "I wouldn't know what I'd be looking for with this voting stuff, anyway."

Luke vehemently shook his head. "You aren't able to protect yourself, much less Alistair."

I scowled at him and opened my mouth to reply, but a heavy hand fell on me. It was Stacy. "But she has a point," she chimed in. She nodded at the broken glass. "And we might not have to worry about another visit from him. Lance isn't known for his leniency toward failure."

Luke frowned, but sighed. "Very well, but you are to remain in this room and watch over Alistair. Period."

# 24

Early the next morning we all arose, or rather I shuffled off the bed and swayed from side to side dreaming of coffee and donuts. The other two were alert and ready for action. I was ready to collapse back into the soft, comfy sheets. Alistair and I were stuck in Luke and my bedroom, and I was drilled with instructions by Luke. "We won't be gone more than three hours. Do not answer the door except to those you're familiar with and trust," he told me.

"What if it's another pizza delivery?" I teased. He didn't find it funny.

"Do not answer the door-"

"-except if I know them," I finished. "I know, I know. I promise I'll be careful."

"Hurry up your scolding or we'll be late for the start," Stacy reminded him. "I also told Burnbaum we'd meet him in the lobby before the ballot takers spread out into the wings."

"Very well." He sighed, turned to me, and put his hands on my shoulders. His eyes bore into mine and the gravity of the situation upped to 6G. "Whatever happens, be safe," he pleaded with me.

I smiled and grasped his hands in mine. "I'll be fine. You're the one who's going to be in the most danger. Don't let those Lance thugs beat you up like Alistair, okay?"

He grinned and nodded. "I'll try," he promised.

"All right, love birds, time to break it up," Stacy called to us.

Luke slipped from my hands and the pair hurried out of the room. I securely shut and locked the door behind them, and turned to my patient. Alistair lay unmoving on the bed as he'd done all night long. I walked over, sat in a chair by his side, and sighed. This was going to be a long day.

Or actually it wasn't. I dozed off a few minutes after Luke and Stacy left and didn't wake up until ten, two hours into the voting period. I heard a rustling noise, cracked open my eyes, and screamed. Alistair was sitting up in the bed with his face pointed straight ahead and his eyes unblinking. I expected him to start muttering something about brains, but at my scream he whipped his head to me and blinked. "What happened?" he asked me.

I clutched at my heart and gasped for air. "Y-you were beat up by someone-"

"It was Lance's man, Alston," Alistair told me.

"-and Stacy found you and brought you here," I finished.

"How long have I been unconscious?"

"About a day." There was a commotion out in the hall as a discussion changed into a brawl. "And you're just in time to vote."

Alistair's eyes widened. "The vote day!" He moved to stand, but I put my hands on his shoulders to keep him from rising.

"Oh no you don't. You're in no condition to-" He grabbed the chest bandages in one hand and tore them off to reveal perfectly healthy skin. "Or maybe you are."

"I must warn Luke right away about the danger. Alston may try again-" he insisted.

"He did last night. Alston ended up leaving through the balcony window in your room," I told him. "Besides, I don't know where Luke went. He and Stacy were going to check out the voting with Burnbaum to make sure everything was legal."

Alistair frowned, and brushed off my hands. "That is exactly why I must find him. I will follow his scent."

"Then I'll go with you," I offered.

He stood and shook his head. "The voting will have made the halls an invitation to kidnap you, and I can not allow that to happen," he argued.

I rolled my eyes. "I know, I know, because I'm so important to Luke."

"That is not the entire reason."

I paused and blinked. "Huh?"

Alistair's face held an expression of sincerity and regret. "I must apologize for my cold attitude toward you. I admit I was jealous of Luke's attentions toward you, and disgusted by your ignorance toward our culture. I have been too long without the company of humans to have seen my own prejudice toward them."

I looked him over with a careful eye. "How hard did they knock you on the head?" I asked him.

He smiled. "Hard enough to make me see the error of my ways."

I sighed and shook my head. "It's all right. Not like you didn't protect me when you protected Luke," I pointed out.

Alistair whipped his face over to the door. "And I must continue to protect him, and ensure that you remain safe here."

"Then stop blabbing and get to finding Luke. I'll be all right here," I assured him.

"Very well." He dressed himself in a clean shirt and rushed out of the room.

I was left sitting on my chair with my patient run off and the halls outside the room a noisy mess of talking and yelling. Things got even more complicated with a knock on the door. Considering last night's fun I crept over and peeked through the keyhole. I could make out two pairs of legs on the other side. "Yes?" I called out.

"Is Mr. Alistair here?" came Mr. Stewart's voice. I opened the door to reveal the distraught man himself with his equally frantic wife. Abby wasn't with them, and for very good reason. "Abby's missing and she's covered her trail so that we need help finding her," he pleaded. I cringed. She'd put to bad use the skills her own father taught her.

"But I don't know where he is," I told them. I waved my hand at the controlled chaos on either side of them. "He's in that mess somewhere."

"Then we'll go find him. Would you please try to look for her yourself?" Stewart begged me.

I furrowed my brow and glanced over my shoulder to the empty room. With my patient gone I was useless here. I turned back to them and nodded. "All right, I'll go see if she's around the dining hall.

Mrs. Stewart smiled and clasped my hand. "Thank you so much." The pair rushed off to follow Mr. Stewart's nose to Luke.

I put on my coat, stuffed my pawed hand into the deepest pocket, and hurried out into the busy halls. The people in the same district scurried from one hall to the other in deep discussions of political pros and cons while the ballot takers with boxes in hand were at the beck and call of anyone with a finished ballot. After three hundred years you would have thought they'd have this down to an art that didn't imitate the famous Scream portrait.

I was jostled and shoved into doorways, down halls, and almost down the stairs before I reached the ground floor. A nearby exit onto the deck provided me with relief from the noisy yelling and running, and I breathed a breath of fresh air. Then I glanced around and realized I stood near the entrance doors to the dining hall. I stepped up to the windows and glanced inside. There wasn't a sign of Abby anywhere, and my amateur sniffer didn't pick up anything but food.

I sighed and leaned back against the wall. This was like looking for a needle in a haystack. My head snapped up when I recalled a particular memory. Maybe it wasn't in a haystack, but in a rock pile! Abby said she loved the rocks, and I promised to return with her to them yesterday. Maybe she was waiting for me so she could show me what small pebble or neat plant she found!

I bit my lip and looked between the dining hall doors and the steps. Two choices presented themselves to me. I could roam the halls for all eternity searching for Luke and her parents, or I could make a quick trip out to the rocks and be back because anyone knew I was gone. It'd probably be safe heading that way. After all, our enemies always made trouble or gone toward the station platform. Besides, what trouble could there be around a few rocks?

I ran to the rocks with all the speed my limited werewolf abilities gave me, and made it there in record time and without any air left in my lungs. I leaned against one of the rocks and looked around. "Abby!" I wheezed. "Abby!"

"Becky!" came the excited reply. Abby peeked her head out of the crack she'd earlier wanted me to enter. "Come see what I found! There's even more stuff here!"

"Abby, I don't think that's-" Her head slipped back inside and I groaned. I had no other choice but to follow her whims and catch her unawares. I slipped into the crack, or rather squirmed, wiggled, and sucked in my gut to get between the immovable boulders. The space beyond the crack was pitch black but for the light behind me, but my eyes adjusted more than I expected. Must have been my wolfing showing. I spotted Abby standing beside an opening that led deeper into the cave system. "Abby, get back here this-" And she was gone, slipped into the opening with a smile and a giggle. Damn, but she was cute when she was evil.

I sighed, rolled my eyes, and adjusted my headlights to go deeper into the depths of this granite whale. I dove into the cave only to trip over something laying on the ground. My momentum caused me to stumble farther into what turned out to be a large room. I fell to the dirt ground and coughed as a cloud sprang up. A small pair of feet stepped up beside me, and I glanced up to see Abby kneeling beside me with a concerned look on her face.

"Are you all right?" Abby asked me.

"Yeah, just dandy." I sat up and looked around. My weak eyes could make out six short, wide wooden boxes that leaned against the walls. One of them was open behind Abby, and she had a blocky item in her hand. "What's that?" I wondered.

She giggled and held it out to me. "It's putty!" I took it and looked it over. It was a brick of gray putty with a box strapped to the top. A few wires came out of the box and stuck into the putty. There was also a short piece of string that led to the metal mechanism and could be lit with a lighter. I'd seen enough action movies to realize I didn't want to be in a room with boxes of these things. I yelped, grabbed Abby and pulled her to the entrance. "Hey! What are you doing!" she protested.

"That's not putty, it's plastic explosives!" I told her. She stopped struggling and we reached the opening only to hear the sounds of voices coming toward us. My eyes widened, and I pulled Abby against the wall to the side of the entrance.

"What time does this need to be done?" a rough male voice asked someone. It sounded like the thug who'd provoked Burnbaum the day before.

"One o'clock," came the brisk reply. I recognized that voice as being that of Alston.

"So an hour after voting closes?" the first man replied.

"Yes, and no earlier. We don't want to doubt the integrity of the election, just frame the Lone Wolf party for the explosions," Alston told him. At that comment my heart skipped a minute's worth of beating. "How much of the explosives have you placed?"

"Nearly done, but it's been slow going. Those tunnels aren't so easy getting through because they haven't been used in so long."

Alston scoffed. "Perhaps if you hadn't been occupied in the cells yesterday the job would be finished," he scolded the man.

"How was I to know that Protector wasn't like the other Brier?" the man argued. "Besides, if you were doing your job of protecting us we wouldn't have been in that cell-"

"Quiet." I heard a nose sniff the air and hugged Abby against myself. The poor girl shook like a leaf. "Someone's been in here." The other man sniffed the air.

"Yeah, and recently." Their footsteps followed my trail to the entrance, and the first man from the conversation stuck his head inside the room. It was the man from the brawl, and his eyes scanned the dark room. His gaze fell on us and his eyes widened in surprise. "You-" I gripped the block of plastic explosive in my clawed hand and brought it down atop his head. The putty cushioned the blow, but it was enough to knock him off balance. He fell to the ground in a cloud of obscuring dust, and I dragged Abby out of there.

Unfortunately, Alston stood in our path, and I didn't like the grin on his face when he recognized me. "Well, good morning to you," he greeted. I picked up Abby and tried to dodge around him, but he stepped in my way. Behind me I heard the man stumble out of the room. We were trapped.

# 25

I hugged Abby to me as the girl clung to my neck. Tears ran down her cheeks and her upper lip was covered in snot. I thought about reasoning with these guys, pleading with them to let her go and keep me. That's when I remembered that was really stupid because bad guys never let anyone go. Alston looked me over with that wide, creepy grin of his. "What a pleasant surprise to find such a lovely woman here with us." He glanced behind me to the man. "Don't you think so, Fuller?"

"Yeah, real tasty," the man behind us replied. I shuddered at the feral tone in his voice.

"Unfortunately, they've come calling at a very bad time," Alston scolded us.

"Then I guess we'll leave and come back another time," I quipped.

Alston chuckled. I didn't hear any humor in it. "I'm afraid that's not quite what's going to happen. You see, your trail leads here to our storage depot, so your mate and his friends will no doubt come looking here for you. We'll have to make sure they don't find you, or any part of our plans." He looked to Fuller. "Get the rest of those boxes to the caves and set everything up. Lance wants to press the button at exactly one."

"Sure thing." Fuller stalked past us, gave me a lecherous sneer, and walked behind Alston into a hall that led deeper into the boulder system.

"Now what shall we do about you two, hmm?" Alston mused.

"Let us go?" I suggested.

"That suggestion is becoming very annoying, especially as it will never happen," he replied. He looked around and spotted another entrance. His eyes lit up with a cold, eager expression, one that spelled doom as clear as alphabet soup. "We'll have to put you two where you can never be found." He pulled out a package that contained thick wads of a taffy-like substance, and stepped over to us. He held out two large sticks toward us. "Both of you must eat these."

"Hell no," I refused.

Alston pulled out a gun and pointed the barrel at Abby, who cried out and buried her face into my neck. "This gun also has silver bullets. Another refusal and I won't need to worry about one of my captives."

I hesitantly grabbed them, but popped one in my mouth while I kept Abby's in my hand. I didn't want to be the one to give a child poison. The taffy substance had the flavor of grass and quickly dissolved in my mouth. Abby watched me with terrified eyes until her face twisted into puzzlement. "Your scent's gone," she whispered.

"Yes, quite a useful little invention of ours," Alston spoke up. He glared at Abby. "Now eat yours or you get the bullet." Abby swallowed hers and we were both left without our scents. Alston gestured with his gun toward the entrance he'd spotted earlier. "Now follow that tunnel."

I knew he meant to lead us some place in the middle of this rock maze and shoot us, but there wasn't anything else I could do but obey. With Abby in my arms I stepped through the arch and into a long, curving tunnel with darkness that my eyes could barely penetrate. The walls were wet and molding, and the dust at our feet was replaced with mud, hard-packed dirt, and crumbling of rocks from the jagged ceiling above us. There were tunnels on either side of the long walk that delved for miles into the hillside in all directions, and the winding hall seemed to go on forever and ever. We wound our way through right tunnels and left ones until I was dizzy and tired. I wondered if anyone at Sanctuary knew these tunnels existed. If they did then we might have a chance at escape, or at least being properly buried.

To make this wonderful experience even more fun, Abby raised her head and started picking at her snot. That caused her to squirm in my arms. "Abby, hold still," I pleaded. She shook her head and grabbed a glob of the stuff which she then lobbed at a nearby wall. Abby was able to repeat this every twenty feet or so for a fifty yards before Alston noticed.

"Stop that!" he ordered. Abby hunkered down in my arms and glared at him, but she stopped. We went another dozen yards before Alston stopped us. "Turn to your right," he commanded.

I stepped to my right and into a side room. The place was so dark that I tripped over the entrance way, and both Abby and I fell to the ground. Abby scurried to the side of the opening and when Alston hurried in after us she let out a ringing howl that echoed around the cavernous room. The sound was so high-pitched that it pained my ears, and Alston, too, cried out and clapped his hands against his ears. Before the howl faded away Abby tackled the man's legs and he tumbled over. His gun was knocked from his hand by the rocky ground, and I scrambled for it as he tore Abby off him. Alston tossed her aside and faced me only to find that I had the barrel of his own gun aimed at his head.

"A-another step and I'll shoot," I warned him. Abby hurried to my side and latched onto my leg.

Alston remained where he stood, but grinned and shook his head. "No you won't. You haven't the courage to shoot." He took a step toward me, and I took one backward with Abby following the strange parade. "See? You won't-" I fired, but my aim was a tad off. Instead of hitting him in the chest the bullet flew into the ceiling. Crumblings of rock fell atop his head as he glared at me. "You stupid bit-" He didn't get to finish his insult before a large rock fell onto him and he crumpled to the ground like an empty bag of potato chips.

Abby and I looked at his unconscious form for a long, confused moment, and then I yanked her around him and out into the hall. I took us to the left and down the hall a dozen yards until we came to an intersection. "Abby, any way you can put your sniffing skills to the test?" I asked her.

"Yep, we'll follow my nose," she replied.

"Huh?"

"My snot. I threw it against the wall because my dad said that was a good scent to follow."

I remembered the fingernails under Alistair's skin, and how it hadn't had a scent. "But we don't have a scent anymore," I argued.

"I cried before he gave us that nasty stuff," she reminded me.

"Oh, right."

"Come on, Becky. I'll lead the way!" Abby cried out in glee. She pulled me through the maze of passages and retraced our steps by snot scent alone.

In half the time we reached the opening into the first chamber, but we had one last problem. We heard the sound of voices in the cavern and even my sniffer sensed there were about half a dozen people out there. Abby sniffed the air and her face lit up in a smile before she bolted from me and out into the cavern. "Papa! Mama!"

I followed her out in time to see Abby race into her parents' outstretched arms. Off to the side I saw Alistair, Stacy, Burnbaum and Luke relieved at the happy reunion. Maybe that's a bit of a stretch. The first three were happy, but Luke was definitely not relieved. He snapped his head over to me and marched over. I cringed when he wrapped his arms around me and stood before me in all his terrifying fury. "Um, hi," I squeaked out.

Luke swooped down and captured my lips in a mind-numbing hold. I melted in his arms as that dingy cavern with all its terrifying memories disappeared. Unfortunately, the audience was harder to ignore, especially when Alistair cleared his throat. "As glad as I am to see Miss Becky and Miss Abby are all right, we don't have time for long reunions," Alistair spoke up.

We parted and I was able to breathe. Stacy stepped forward and grasped my hands. "Don't you ever do that again, you foolish little girl. Going out into the woods was the worst idea you could think of," she scolded me.

I sheepishly grinned. "But I found Abby," I pointed out.

"And Becky saved me from the bad man!" Abby spoke up in my favor.

"Bad man?" Luke asked her.

Abby nodded her head. "Yes, he took us down that way and was going to shoot us," she told them.

At that moment the crowd stiffened and all eyes but mine whipped over to the entrance to the tunnel. I heard a scrape of shoes on the ground inside the entrance and the men rushed after the noise. In a moment there was a scuffle down the tunnel, and the men dragged back a very unhappy Alston. He growled and thrashed in their grasp, but they held him tight. Alistair especially had a tight grip on his former assailant. They slammed him against the wall close to the storage room. Alistair and Mr. Stewart kept their hands on him and Luke stepped in front of him.

"What were you planning for these two?" Luke asked the man. Alston sneered at us, but didn't reply.

"He didn't want us to tell anyone about them going to blow up Sanctuary and blame the Lone Wolf party," I spoke up.

There was a collective gasp and gaping from our allies. Luke growled and grabbed Alston by the collar. "Is this true?" Alston kept his mouth shut, and Luke shook him hard. "Well?"

My eyes widened. "What time is it?" I asked around the group.

A half dozen eyes glanced at their watches. "A quarter past twelve," Mrs. Stewart replied.

My heart skipped a beat. "The explosives are supposed to go off at one!"

Alston took advantage of the shock to free himself of Alistair and Stewart's holds. He pushed them aside and lunged at Luke. Alistair recovered quickly and grabbed Alston's ripped coat. It was ripped because Alston was transforming into a werewolf, and chaos erupted in the cavern. Mrs. Stewart pulled Abby away, and Stacy pushed me to the side. Alston turned on Alistair and their clawed hands collided as Alistair himself transformed.

The pair duked it out in a death-match of fangs and fur. They sliced and cut at each other, and their opponent ducked and dodged to the best of their ability. Mr. Stewart and Luke tried to get in on the terrifying fun, but the two combatants rolled about the floor and slammed against the walls with such fury that I could barely follow who was in what torn clothing. Fur and blood flew off them until Alston jumped at Alistair's throat, and Alistair swung a clawed hand that caught the other man on the side of the head. I heard a horrible snap and Alston collapsed to the ground. Nobody needed to be told he was dead, but it was confirmed when Alston transformed back into his human self. Alston's eyes were open, but lifeless, and he wasn't breathing.

Alistair stumbled back against a wall and Luke hurried over to him. The manservant also transformed to human and showed off all the deep claw marks and gashes left by Alston. Only by the abilities of the werewolf was Alistair still alive, much less standing. "I'm sorry, sir," Alistair wheezed to Luke. "I couldn't think of any other way to stop him."

Luke shook his head. "You did your best and protected us," he pointed out.

Stacy stepped forward and tapped on her watch. "Besides, he was only buying them more time. There's only forty minutes until one."

Luke's eyes widened and he whipped his head over to me. "How were they taking the explosives to Sanctuary?"

I pointed at the hall down which Fuller had traveled. "I think through there. They said they were having trouble getting through some old tunnels because they hadn't been used in a while."

Luke nodded and turned to Alistair. "Old friend, we're going to need your expertise with this place," he pleaded. That reminded me that Alistair had been one of the werewolves to help build Sanctuary.

Alistair grimaced, but pushed himself off the wall. "I will recall what I can."

"These caves smell endless. How will we track them without a scent?" Stacy questioned.

"There are many tunnels outside the villa, but they come together at one point beneath Sanctuary," Alistair told her.

"And that's where?" she wondered.

"In the dungeon beneath the stairs. If they intend to bomb any of the west wing they must travel through the dungeon to another series of tunnels on the other side."

"Then we'll meet them there and stop them," Luke replied. He looked to Burnbaum. "When we reach Sanctuary gather as many of your men as you can in a space of ten minutes. We'll hold them off until then."

"What if there is too many?" Burnbaum asked him.

"That doesn't matter. We'll stop them long enough to let you get your men," Luke insisted. "Now let's hurry. There isn't much time."

# 26

Abby and I were picked up, and our wolf pack rushed to Sanctuary. We reached it in five minutes, which left roughly thirty minutes to spare. Mrs. Stewart and Abby were left a safe distance from the villa, and I nearly was, too. Luke stopped me and herded me toward them. "You must stay here," he insisted.

"And do what? Wring my hands while I wait for you to get back? Hell no," I replied.

"How do you intend to help?" he countered. He grabbed my transformed hand and showed it to me. "You can't even transform."

"But I can still fight, and you need everyone you can get," I pointed out.

He shook his head. "I won't see you killed by Lance's men."

I crossed my arms over my chest and frowned. "Leave me here and I'll follow you, anyway. Besides, we're wasting time," I reminded him.

His lips pursed together. "You're right. Forgive me."

"Forgive you for-" I began before I saw a flash of his hand swing toward my face. That asshole actually decked me and knocked me out.

The next thing I knew I was on the ground in Mrs. Stewart's arms with Abby standing over me. I sat up and looked around. Everyone else was gone. "How long have I been out?" I asked her.

"Ten minutes," she replied.

I scrambled to my feet, but Mrs. Stewart held me back from running. "Lord Laughton told me to keep you here," she explained to me.

I didn't care about that, I didn't care about anything. All I knew was that jerk mate of mine left me here while he went off to get himself killed. If he was going to die doing heroic stuff than I was going to be at his side doing the same. I whipped my head around and growled at her. She was startled by my long, sharp fangs, and I tore myself from her grasp and raced down the forest trail to the villa.

The deck was full of people wining and dining after a long voting sessions. The Protectors were close at hand to keep heated political discussions to just that, discussions, and I spotted Protector Brier among the throngs of people. I wormed my way through the crowds, grabbed his arm, and before he could argue I'd tugged him along the deck toward the lobby. He turned the tables when he wrapped his arm around my waist and swung me to the right to slam me against the wall.

"What do you think you're doing?" he growled into my ear. The people on the deck were startled and gave us plenty of room.

"I don't have much time to explain, but there are a bunch of bombs beneath this place that are going to go off in fifteen minutes," I whispered to him.

He frowned, but lessened his hold. "Where?" he asked me.

"In the dungeon. Luke and the others should be-" Brier yanked me along into the lobby and took a right to the dungeon door. It was closed, but we could hear faint sounds of a brawl downstairs. Behind us came the sound of more feet and Burnbaum emerged from the west wing with his men at his back. Burnbaum shot forward, flung open the door and hurried downstairs with his wolf pack right behind him. I raced after them with Brier only a step behind me.

We reached the base of the steps and found the dungeon in complete chaos. There were two dozen full-transformed werewolves fighting one another and trying to keep out of reach of the silver bars. I couldn't physically tell who was who, but my nose told me all but five of the werewolves didn't have any scents. Those were assigned the bad-guy tag, and the others were my friends. My friends weren't doing all that great against such terrible odds as they bounced off the walls, and dove and ducked under their opponents trying to bide time for the cavalry. Burnbaum rushed into the fray already half transformed and his dozen men followed him, evening the odds a little better.

I was tempted by my wolf instincts to join the party, but I noticed one of the party-goers was leaving early. A lone wolf shot out from the battle and raced into a hole in the wall to my left. Brier shot off after the stray wolf and I jumped into the secret doorway. My eyes widened when I beheld two dozen of the wooden boxes, and all filled to the brim with plastic explosives. Some of the putty bricks were attached to the wall with their wires protruding and ready for activation. Those wires gave me an idea, so I leapt into the secret tunnel and used my clawed hand to tear them apart. I did that with every piece of explosive I could find and followed the tunnel to a wide cavern with several connecting tunnels.

There I found Brier in heated combat with the other werewolf, who judging by the torn and familiar clothing on him was my old friend Fuller. The walls and even ceiling of this chamber were filled with the explosives, and I guessed we were under the wing occupied by Luke and Baker's people. I ground my teeth at the thought of these assholes hurting Luke's people, and felt my other hand change into a claw. I rushed every piece of explosives and tore the mechanical box to shreds. I used the putty stuck to the walls as stepping stones to the higher explosives and had a great view of the fight below me.

Brier and Fuller fought like animals, each tearing and biting at one another. The officer wanted to take his opponent alive, but Fuller was fighting for keeps. Fuller went for the jugular, but Brier knocked aside his opponent's clawed hand and slammed his shoulder into Fuller's chest. Fuller knocked back into a wall and slumped down, beaten but still awake. Brier stood over him and bared his teeth. "What the hell's going on?" he growled in a guttural voice.

Fuller smirked and his hands latched onto a few plastic explosives that sat around him. "You won't live to find out." Fuller shoved one of the plastic explosives into Brier's face, who stumbled back in fear of an explosion. Fuller raced over to a box of lighters, caught one up in his clawed hand and lit the manual fuse. The mad werewolf stood on his hind legs with the explosive grasped in his hand. "You'll go down with your precious dungeon, Brier," Fuller sneered.

I sure as hell wasn't going down with anyone's dungeon, so I dropped down and grabbed the explosive from his hand. He cried out in fury, but I was already halfway down the tunnel that led toward the woods. The fuse fizzled and smoldered closer to the explosive mechanism as I raced as fast as my legs could take me. I had some help from my werewolf self as my body transformed and I stuck the explosive in my mouth to sprint along the uneven, rock-strewn ground on all fours.

I wasn't any good at judging distances, but by the faint smells of woods I figured I was beneath the forest and chucked the explosive as far ahead of me as I could throw. It hit a nearby wall and I spun around only to slip on my own clawed feet. I hit the hard ground with a yelp and heard the faint hiss behind me as it counted down my doom. My life flashed before me eyes like one long commercial for What Not to Wear.

My number wasn't called in heaven, though, as a werewolf sprinted out of the darkness in front of me and picked me up with one arm. They loped down the safe path just as the explosive went off behind us. The single plastic brick wasn't powerful, but the tunnel wasn't strong. The explosion destroyed the integrity of the tunnel and behind us the ceiling collapsed. We made it to the chamber just before the path at our rear fell in on itself. My hero jumped into the center of the chamber and cloud of dust blew over us from the fallen tunnel.

I coughed and looked up into a pair of unfamiliar eyes. My hero wasn't Luke, who I expected, but a slightly smaller werewolf with a familiar scowl to his expression. I sniffed his scent and thought I detected farm dirt stuck on it. "Baker?" I guessed in my guttural voice.

"Get up and follow me," he growled back. Yep, it was Baker.

He sprinted down the tunnel toward the dungeon, but I paused and looked for the former combatants. All that remained of Brier and Fuller were tufts of fur and splotches of blood. I raced after Baker and shot into the dungeon where I saw a welcomed sight. The whole gang of non-scented people sat on the ground fully human with their backs together and surrounded by Burnbaum's men, most of whom were still transformed into werewolves. Upstairs I heard countless feet running and people yelling in fright. The explosion hadn't gone unnoticed by the residents of Sanctuary.

Luke stood close by in the tattered remains of his clothes with Stacy by his side, and when he spotted me his eyes widened in horror. He hurried over and knelt down in front of me. "What are you doing here?" he harshly scolded me.

"Nice to see you, too," I growled in my wolf voice.

He managed a small, worried smile as he looked over my scuffed, furry form. "Are you all right?" he asked me.

I nodded. "A little itchy, but okay," I growled.

Luke smiled, but our happy reunion was interrupted by Brier. The man was human again and stood in the torn remains of his clothing with extra wounds from the brawl with Fuller, who I saw in the group of captives. "Mind telling me the full story now?" Brier requested of me.

"I'd like to know, also," Baker spoke up.

Luke turned to him with a raised brow. "I'm curious to know how you got down here," he wondered.

"I saw this she-wolf drag Brier to the foyer and followed her down here," Baker explained to us. "I noticed the hole in the wall and investigated it."

"He defused the explosives she missed and went for her while I carried my prey back to the dungeon," Brier finished for him. "Now tell us what happened," he ordered.

"These men intended to blow up specific sections of Sanctuary and blame it on the Lone Wolf group," Luke spoke up. He walked over to a pile of empty explosive boxes and pulled out the missing green armbands. "You remember these were stolen from the Lone Wolf members, and they were going to use the scent to implicate Burnbaum and the others in the explosion while their part in the plot would remain undetected by our senses."

Burnbaum himself appeared from the far side of the dungeon where I noticed another secret doorway. I was relieved to see Mr. Stewart at his side. "They set explosives in their own section to throw off suspicion from them," he informed us.

Brier scowled, strode over to the captives, knelt in front of Fuller and roughly grabbed the man's chin. He jerked Fuller's head up so they looked into each other's eyes. "Is this true?" Fuller spat in the man's face and Brier knocked him upside the head.

Fuller turned back to him with a stream of blood trickling down the side of his face, but there was that sneer of defiance on his lips. "Yer not going to make us talk," he refused.

"I just did, but you didn't say anything that would help you get out of this mess," Brier shot back. He turned to his officers. "We'll take them to the High Lord and get them to talk," he told them.

At that moment I heard a strange noise on the stairs to my right. Luke also heard it, and we both turned our heads in time to see a small metallic ball bounce into the dungeon. Luke's eyes widened and he dove on top of me. "Duck!" he yelled to everyone else, but it was too late. The metallic ball sprang open and blinded the onlookers with a flash of light. Those unaffected, including us, were hit with a blast of a white smoke with an overwhelming scent. The smoke filled the room at the same time its smell invaded my nose and paralyzed my body. "Garlic!" Luke cried out. There were cries of fear and shouts from captives and heroes alike, but nobody could see, and those who could see couldn't move.

I struggled to move but my body wouldn't obey. Luke was more prepared and had part of his clothes wrapped around his lower face. I heard footsteps step lightly along the stone floor, and felt Luke stand when they came near. There was a brief scuffle before Luke fell by my side. In the dim air I could see he was alive, but unconscious. Then the footsteps moved past us further down the dungeon corridor. I heard faint sounds like a dart gun and there were cries of fear, then nothing. The footsteps retreated, and the smoke cleared enough to reveal that our captives all had a bullet fired into their heads, and nobody needed to ask if it was silver because they were all dead. Victory was snatched from us and replaced with a deadly defeat.

# 27

Everyone staggered to their feet and I crawled over to Luke's side. There was an egg-bruise growing on his forehead where he'd been struck. I nudged him with my snout and he stirred a moment before his eyes fluttered open. They widened and he jumped up to survey the horrible scene as everyone else arose to the same picture. "Damn it!" he swore.

"This isn't good," Stacy muttered as she held her head in one hand. I felt her pain. The smell of the strong garlic left a lasting impression in the sinus cavities and head.

"What happened here? Who did this?" Burnbaum exclaimed as he whipped his head around. Nobody replied because nobody knew the answer, or rather not the specific answer.

"We don't know who tossed that bomb, but we know who told him to do it," Luke spoke up.

"Lance," Stacy stated rather than asked.

"That's a tough accusation," Brier spoke up.

Luke turned to him with a scowl. "It's more than an accusation, it's the truth," he insisted.

Brier nodded at the dead men. "How are you going to prove a lord like Lance is connected to this plot without their confessions?" he countered.

"We have the stolen armbands and their lack of scent," Luke pointed out.

I sniffed the air and wrinkled my nose. "What's that smell?"

"Death," Brier replied. "Their smell is returning with their deaths."

Luke frowned and strode over to the bodies. He sniffed and pulled back with a look of disgust on his face. "Whatever unholy thing they used to mask their scent must die with them."

"Along with your evidence," Brier reiterated.

"Maybe, but I'll see if I can convince my father," Stacy spoke up. She crossed her arms and smirked. "He hasn't failed me yet."

"First we tend to our allies," Luke insisted. He was right. Some of Burnbaum's werewolves looked in pretty bad shape, I was still stuck in my wolf form, and the whole dungeon still smelled like a pizza parlor. "We should get them all upstairs out of this smell."

Stacy nodded at the bodies. "What do we do about them?" she asked us.

"I'll fetch my men to protect them and make sure all the explosives are destroyed," Brier offered. He hurried up the dungeon steps to bring his men.

"My men will manage each other," Burnbaum assured us. The less wounded hauled the more gravely injured up the dungeon steps. I had my doubts whether I could fit up those things, and so did Luke. That, and with my erratic change my clothes were in worse shape than anyone else's.

He glanced between the stairs and me. "This may be easier if you change down here. Are you able to?" he wondered.

I shrugged with my furry shoulders. "I don't know. I haven't tried yet and I don't think I'd be dressed for the occasion," I quipped. Luke glanced around and snatched a blanket from inside one of the cells. It was dirty, disgusting, and the only option I had. He wrapped the blanket around my shoulders and stepped back.

"Now focus on your human form-"

"-as though I'm looking in a mirror. I know, I know." I shut my eyes and brought up my mirror image. Even with the horrid garlic smell distracting me, transforming my entire body was a lot easier than the hand as the general areas shifted back to my human self. I quickly wrapped the filthy blanket around my nakedness and sheepishly smiled at everyone. "Next time we face up against terrorists I'll remember to wear some more loose-fitting clothing."

Luke chuckled. "Let's hope that doesn't happen for a long while, but what the hell do you think you're doing here? I told you to stay with Mrs. Stewart," he scolded.

I scowled at him. "And I said I wasn't going to stay there. If you were going to get yourself blown up then I was going to blow to smithereens with you." I whipped my head around to the group.

"And speaking of my family, I need to go to them and tell them I'm safe," Mr. Stewart spoke up.

Luke turned to him and nodded his assent. Stewart dashed up the stairs and dodged Brier coming down with his men. Many of them grimaced at the heavy scent of garlic and death that hung in the air like an old curtain in a disused house. Brier gestured to the secret openings to the left of the stairs and down past the dungeon cells. "The explosives are in there, and see what you can find on these bodies," he ordered them.

They spread out and Brier turned to us. "It's a madhouse up there, but we should get you out of here before the garlic weakens you further," he advised us.

Luke nodded, lifted me into his arms, and carried me up the stairs with Stacy behind and Brier in front of us. He strode to the foyer and found people running to and fro with luggage in their hands and children crying beside them. The explosion that rocked the underground tunnels had made Sanctuary a mess of panicked and frightened werewolves. The tunnel collapse left a gaping trench just to the right of the massive building, and some of the trees crashed down on the roof and the once-beautiful forest path. Nobody knew what had caused the earthquake, but Lance's rumor of terrorists spread like wildfire on their lips and many of the guests shot out the front doors for the train station.

Burnbaum returned from the east wing and joined us in watching the madness. "It is like this in all Sanctuary," he told us as Luke set me down on the floor. I slunk behind him to avoid the many eyes on my plain wardrobe.

Protector Brier frowned and put two fingers in his lips. He blew, and the whistle that came forth was loud and piercing. It pierced the panic in the foyer and everyone stopped in their tracks. "Calm down. There's nothing to worry about," he barked over the silence.

Sheriff Brier with Lance at his side pushed through the crowd and stood before us in front of the dungeon doors. "What the hell's going on here? Where's all the commotion coming from?" Sheriff Brier demanded to know.

"You'll know with the rest of them, but right now I want everyone to get back to their rooms. There's no danger here," the younger Brier insisted.

Lance stepped forward with a concerned expression on his face, though I noticed his eyes flickered over to me. I shuddered at the heated look in those blue eyes and pulled the blanket closer to me. "What's happened, Protector?" Lance asked Protector Brier.

Brier scowled at him. Much as he knew we couldn't positively prove Lance did the deed, that didn't mean Brier didn't believe it. "You'll know as soon as I can speak with the High Lord, now I need you to get to your rooms, all of you." The panicked citizen werewolves, cowed by Brier's imperious demand, shuffled back into the halls. Brier turned to a few officers who followed us up the stairs. "Get some order in the halls and keep watch on that door," he ordered them, pointing at the dungeon. "I don't want any more trouble than we already got." They nodded in assent and scattered to the many corners of Sanctuary to regain order.

Only Sheriff Brier and Lance disobeyed the order. "As a lord I demand to know what's happened. What caused the explosion and what's down there?" Lance questioned us.

"If you want to know you're going to have to follow us," Protector Brier replied. Brier's plans changed when Stevens strode out of one of the western halls with a fretful Farber at his side.

Stevens looked us over, particularly my fashionable wardrobe. I scowled at him and he quickly looked to his lead Protector. "What is the meaning of this noise, and where have you been?" Stevens growled at Brier.

Brier bowed his head. "There's been a conspiracy here, sir, that we must discuss in private."

Stevens pursed his lips together, but nodded and gestured for us to follow him. He led us back down the hall from which he'd come and I saw that the front part of the west wing was filled with the administrative offices of the High Lord. We were guided to a wooden door engraved with wolves and Stevens invited us into the large office behind that door. There were filing cabinets to the left and a large wooden desk in the center rear of the room. Stevens seated himself behind the desk in the uncomfortable-looking wooden chair with thick arms and a high back.

Lance and Farber stood away from our little group with Brier between us. I was beside Luke with Stacy, Alistair, and Burnbaum at our backs. Stevens cleared his throat and stared at all of us with a severe expression. "Now tell me everything that's happened, and leave out no details."

Luke stepped forward as our representative. "We discovered a plot to destroy parts of Sanctuary with explosives planted in the underground tunnels that run beneath the structure, and the Lone Wolf Party would be framed for the terrorism," he informed Stevens. "We only just stopped the group from carrying out their terrible intention in the dungeons, and the explosion you heard was from their last desperate attempt to kill hundreds of us."

The man's eyes widened and he leaned back in his chair. His soft, trembling voice emphasized his shock. "You're quite sure about this?"

"Positive," Luke firmly replied.

Stevens shook of his shock and his face tightened into a severe expression. "You mentioned who you don't believe intended to do this horrible act, but who do you suspect?"

Luke turned his eyes on Lance, who looked back at him with a quizzically curious expression. "I believe it was orchestrated by the Alpha Party at the bidding of its leader, Lance Connor," he accused.

Lance feigned outrage, and Stevens' mouth dropped open. "You can't be serious!" Stevens blubbered.

"I'm deadly serious," Luke insisted.

"An interesting theory, but what proof do you have?" Lance asked him.

"We have the bodies of your confederates in the dungeon. They'll at least merit an investigation into your involvement," Luke told him.

The corners of Lance's mouth twitched up into a smirk. "Really? We should go see these-" Lance's suggestion was interrupted by the arrival of one of the Protectors. The man was out of breath and looked wildly around the room until he spotted his chief.

Brier whipped around and glared at his lieutenant. "What is it?" he asked the man.

"They're gone! Everything's gone!" the officer exclaimed.

"What's gone?" Luke spoke up.

The man turned to him with his wild look. "The bodies and the explosives! I don't know how, but they're gone!"

"I left explicit orders for the door to be guarded," Brier reminded his officer.

The man shook his head. "I'm sorry, sir, but the garlic was too overwhelming so we retreated up the stairs. A few minutes later we heard noise inside the dungeon and went down to inspect the bodies only to find they were gone, and so are the explosives."

Luke turned to Alistair. "Go see," he commanded him." Alistair bowed and strode out the door. The officer glanced at Alistair and then to Brier, who scowled and nodded to where Alistair left.

"Follow him," Brier ordered him. The man nervously bowed his head and hurried to catch up to Alistair.

Lance silently watched the exchange. After Alistair left he crossed his arms over his chest and frowned at our group. "It seems your proof has walked away, leaving you with only baseless accusations and slander," he quipped.

Luke growled and strode toward him, but Brier stepped between the pair. "None of that. It'll just make things worse for you," Brier advised.

"This is absolutely outrageous," Stevens spoke up. His hard, annoyed eyes roamed over we who stood on the other side of the desk. "I'm fed these wild accusations of terrorism by one of our own lords only to find it's some sort of a joke. Is this what's become of our political discourse?" he angrily wondered.

"I swear it's the truth," Luke insisted as he gestured to Lance. "Connor has done nothing but manipulate the voting for his own benefit, and planned this act of terrorism for to destroy the opposition."

"I find that accusation entirely baseless!" Farber countered. "Lord Connor has done nothing of the sort, and if what you say about the terrorists is true than he had every right to fear for everyone's safety and move the date of the vote!"

"I must agree with Lord Laughton," Baker spoke up. He glared at Farber, who cringed and hid behind Lance. "Lord Connor has changed the dates to further his own ambition, and members of his own party were part of the terrorist group."

"And I suppose you were part of the group who stopped the terrorists?" Stevens sneered. My mouth dropped open in shock. Stevens was mocking us risking our lives to save everyone.

"Dad!" Stacy yelled at her father. She strode to the forefront and slammed her hands down on his desk. "These people just saved everyone, and you're treating them like they're hardly better than criminals!"

He stood and scowled at his child. "You think you can change my opinions by my affections for you, but in this serious matter I won't be swayed by my affections for anyone. What evidence can you show me other than your own word?" he snapped at us. I noticed Lance kept a blank face, but his eyes had a triumphant gleam in them.

Stacy showed off her torn clothes and gestured to the rest of us. "You think we hurt ourselves?" she quipped. At that moment Alistair returned with Brier's lieutenant, and we turned to them.

"Well?" Luke asked his manservant.

"It's as this man said. The explosives are gone and so are the bodies," Alistair replied.

I blinked in bewilderment. "How did that many explosives just disappear?" I wondered aloud.

"Perhaps they walked off," Stevens sneered.

"Sir, I myself was a witness to their stopping the terrorists and to the deposit of explosives. Besides that, nothing else could have made that earthquake that rocked Sanctuary," Brier spoke up.

Stevens turned to the lead Protector. "And what have you to say about these accusations?"

"That you should listen to these people. They saved us all from this conspiracy, and their word should carry more weight than you're giving them," Brier insisted.

Lance stepped up to the side of the desk and raised his hand. "If I might have a word in this intimate discussion of my honor." Stevens frowned, but nodded, so Lance continued. "If so many people question my honor then I will rescind my name from the nomination for the position of High Lord and demand an inquiry be made into this terrorist matter. I will make all information I have available to the investigator," he offered.

"And ensure the outcome's still in your favor," Luke quipped.

"ENOUGH!" Stevens shouted. He glared at all of us. "I have heard accusations and haven't been presented with a single shred of evidence. While I take you at your word, Protector Brier, and believe there was some trouble in the dungeon that explains the explosion, I won't accept a verdict of guilty on anyone until a written confession or piece of cloth is presented to me."

"But this is too important to ignore!" Stacy protested.

"It could mean the outcome of the election," Luke spoke up.

"The outcome has already been decided. The votes were turned in and counted while you were off getting yourselves hurt," Stevens replied.

Luke stiffened. "And?" he asked the man.

"With Lance's withdrawal Simpling has won the High Lord seat, so all your fussing and conspiracy-mongering was for nothing," Stevens told us. Luke and Stacy glanced at each other, and their expressions were enough to tell me that they believed their worries were justified. Lance had one of his allies in the highest seat of government. "Now get out of my office before I have you arrested! I have more important matters to attend to like getting all these people safely off the mountain!" Stevens ordered us. He plopped himself down in the chair and held his head in one hand in a sign of tired exasperation.

"Dad, please-" Stacy began, but he pounded his free fist against the desk.

"That's enough! I will not hear anymore until a proper investigation is initiated!"

"By yourself, or by your successor?" Luke asked him.

"Naturally by my successor who will take over the reins of government this day, as you well know," Stevens reminded him.

Stacy scowled at her father and brushed past us out of the room. Baker followed closely behind, and Burnbaum put a heavy hand on Luke's trembling shoulders. "We must leave," he whispered to Luke.

"Come, sir. We must pack," Alistair reminded him.

Luke growled, brushed off Burnbaum's hand, and stomped out of the room. I aimed to follow, but my eyes were caught on the bright blue ones belonging to Lance. He smirked and bowed his head to me. "Until we meet again, Rebecca, and I hope to find you in such attire" he gave his farewell. I shuddered, clutched the blanket to me, and hurried out with Alistair and Burnbaum bringing up a protective rear. I had a feeling our next meeting would be all too soon.

# 28

I caught up to Luke in the deserted foyer where he stood with Stacy. The dungeon door was sealed, but unguarded. All the evidence had vanished so there was no need for a Protector at the entrance. Baker was gone, too, probably to his room to pack and leave this terrible place. Stacy paced the floor with her hands clenched at her sides. "That idiot! What the hell does he think he's doing giving the seat over to Simpling without starting the investigation?" she exclaimed.

I snorted. "I don't think thinking's involved," I muttered.

"Whatever his decision we're going to have to deal with it," Luke philosophically told us.

"I do not like this. It means big trouble," Burnbaum spoke up.

Luke nodded. "Yes, but we don't have much of a choice. Stevens doesn't have the courage to be the High Lord who starts an investigation into a rival lord without absolute proof." He turned to Alistair and gestured to the dungeon door. "You're sure every piece of evidence is gone from down there?"

"Yes, sir. I don't know how they hid the explosives so quickly, but the bodies and the boxes of armbands are certainly gone," Alistair replied.

"Don't talk here," a voice spoke up. We turned to see Protector Brier stride toward us. He nodded his head toward the foyer entrance doors. "Follow me." He walked outside, and after a moment's hesitation we followed him. He led us down the path toward the train station, but before we reached the platform he took a sharp right toward the west and guided us down a barely visible trail into the woods. Brier didn't stop and turn to us until we were completely enveloped in the trunks and canopy of the forest. My tender human feet complained about the rough path, but I didn't think everyone would wait for me to change to finish this conversation. "My brother is very good at planting eyes and ears in buildings so not even your rooms are safe," he told us.

"Isn't it dangerous to your position to be seen with us? Farber and Simpling are going to be your bosses soon, and they're not too crazy about us," Stacy asked him.

"It is, but my position demands I care more about those I protect than keeping my job," he replied.

"What did you want us out here for?" Luke interrupted them.

Brier turned to Luke with a grim expression. "I know you speak the truth, but Stevens refuses to listen to reason. He's intent on keeping the peace even if it means destroying the rule of law."

Stacy sighed, and the noise was full of annoyance. "We've already established my dad's a pain in the ass, but how's that going to help us now?"

"For what it's worth you have my eyes and ears here, and the help of my men," Brier promised. From Stacy's face she wasn't impressed, but Luke bowed his head.

"And we're grateful for the help. Right now we need evidence to convict Lance of the attempted crime."

Brier shook his head. "I'm afraid I can't help you there. My men scoured the dungeon with your own-" here he nodded at Alistair, "-and found nothing as to the whereabouts of the dead men nor the explosives. It's like they simply vanished."

"Nothing simply vanishes, so I want you to keep looking even after we leave," Luke insisted.

I couldn't take my silence anymore, and stepped forward so I stood in the center of our little group. "So that's it? We're going to leave and let them win?" I asked them.

"For now, but the trouble's only just started," Luke admitted.

Stacy nodded. "Yes, and with the highest office in their power the next move is theirs."

"So we just wait until they what? Kill us or a bunch of other people?" I mused.

"They may try that, but they will make other moves to consolidate and increase their power. Those are what we have to check," Luke replied.

"So watch your backs, ladies and gentlemen. It's going to be a bumpy coming months," Stacy quipped.

My face fell and my shoulders slumped. "We are so doomed. . ." I mumbled.

Luke smiled and wrapped me in a hug. I was almost comforted by the feel of his strong body against me. "I promise I won't let anything happen to you."

I snorted. "But Lance and his goons haven't made that promise," I argued.

Stacy set a hand on my shoulder and smiled at me. "Luke won't be the only one looking out for you, and we'll be looking out for each other. If Lance so much as sneezes we'll be there to wipe his nose off," she assured me.

Burnbaum laughed and wrapped us all in a bone-crushing hug. "I will do my part to wreck plans of our enemies," he spoke up.

"That's good, but you're helping the enemy by crushing us," Stacy gasped.

"Oh, I am sorry." Burnbaum released us and I peeled myself off of Luke. Alistair chuckled in the background.

"Well, now that the hugging session is over, what now?" I asked them.

"With the voting over we go home," Luke replied. He glanced over to Burnbaum and Stacy. "We'll be counting on you two to tell us any news from your regions, and we'll do likewise."

"I will do my best," Burnbaum agreed.

"And I'll try to convince my father that he's a stubborn ass, but I don't think I'll make much progress," Stacy replied.

Luke smiled. "That's all we can ask." He turned to Brier. "And you'll be our eyes and ears here. Keep us up to date on the investigation into this attack-"

"-if there is one," I spoke up.

"If there is one," Luke agreed.

Brier bowed his head. "I'll be glad to help."

I clapped my hands together and glanced around at the dire faces. "So now that we've agreed to get ourselves collectively killed can we go home now?" My plea got a laugh out of Stacy and a chuckle out of Burnbaum.

Luke smiled and nodded his head. "Yes, and this time I won't lock you in your room."

"Not even if I'm naughty?" I teased him.

Luke raised an eyebrow. "In that case I might change my mind."

Brier's face flushed and he coughed into his hand. "Well, I must be getting back to my men."

"And I'm sure Burnbaum and I have some planning to do with our allies before they leave Sanctuary," Stacy spoke up with a knowing glint in her eye.

Burnbaum smiled and bowed. "I will send word when my train car is ready," he told us. The three of them walked away, though Stacy paused and grabbed Alistair's stiff arm. He intended to stay with us, but she didn't need her wolf senses to know we wanted to be alone and dragged him along with them up to Sanctuary's entrance.

I waited for them to be out of hearing and stepped up to Luke so I could run my hand in circles across his chest. "There never seems to be a dull moment around you," I mused.

Luke's teasing face fell and he pursed his lips. "And I can't apologize enough for bringing you into this world when all this chaos-" I put my finger to his lips and shook my head.

"It's not your fault, or at least according to Stacy it's not your fault. Your Beast wanted me, and that's that. Besides, who wants a boring life as an office worker when I could have werewolves chasing me and people threatening me with guns?" I teased.

Luke frowned and glanced around us. "Speaking of those, this may not be the safest place to continue our sweet talking."

"Becky!" a familiar voice yelled.

I rolled my eyes and looked up the path to see Abby and her parents hurrying toward us after their energetic charge. The parents had their bags in their hands. "Or the most private," I added.

Abby ran up and grabbed my hand. "Papa said you helped get the bad guys!" She looked at me and reminded me that I was still clothed in only a dirty blanket. "Did you lose your clothes?" she wondered.

I smiled and knelt down in front of her. "Just a little accident when I was helping beat the bad guys so they won't be bothering you any time soon." Or at least that's what I hoped.

Mr. and Mrs. Stewart reached us and bowed their heads to Luke. "We heard the results of the vote, and we're sorry you didn't get the High Lordship," Mr. Stewart apologized.

Luke shook his head. "I have a feeling the outcome would have been less desirable without your help."

"Yes, Lance himself may have won," Mrs. Stewart agreed.

"We're heading back to our town, but if you ever need us here's our address and number," Mr. Stewart offered as he handed Luke a slip of paper.

"I'll be sure to do that," Luke promised.

"Come, Abby, we need to go," her mother called her.

"Will I see you soon?" Abby asked me.

I smiled and squeezed her hands. "As soon as I can."

Abby smile and allowed her parents to lead her away. I stood and sighed. "There's a lot of mischief in that small frame, but I'm going to miss her."

Luke came up to stand beside me and set a comforting hand on my shoulder. "I'm sure we'll see her again. We can only hope it'll be under better circumstances."

I set my hand atop his, leaned against his strong body, and smiled up at him. "So what do we do now?"

"We go back home, and plan and wait."

"Doesn't sound like a very fun time," I teased.

Luke smiled, and the expression was full of pleasurable promises. "I'll make sure to keep you occupied."
**A note from Mac**

> Thanks for downloading my book! Your support means a lot to me, and I'm grateful to have the opportunity to entertain you with my stories.
> 
> If you'd like to continue reading the series, or wonder what else I might have up my writer's sleeve, feel free to check out my website, or contact me at mac@macflynn.com.

Want to get an email when the next book is released?

**Sign up here for the Mac Flynn Newsletter, the online newsletter with a bite!**

# Continue the adventure

Now that you've finished the book, feel free to check out my website for the rest of the exciting series. Here's also a little sneak-peek at the next book:

* * *

**Alpha Conspiracy:**

> My heart pounded furiously in my chest and my breathing came out in sharp, short rasps. I writhed and squirmed, trying to free myself from this torture. Above me was a world of dazzling stars, beautiful forests, and wet, stinking fur. Yeah, that last part really stank, and it was all Luke's fault. He was my Creator, my mate, and right then he was a thorn in my side. We weren't haven't the wild and rowdy sex I desperately wanted at that moment. Actually, I wanted to be doing practically anything else than what we were doing at that moment.
> 
> Luke and I were out on his property along the creek practicing my tracking skills, speed, and werewolf transformation, and how to control all that raw power that rippled beneath my lovely, modest exterior. But enough about me, back to the heinous torture Luke was afflicting on me that led to my getting soaked.
> 
> "I'm not going to do it," I refused.
> 
> "You have to. All wolves do," Luke insisted.
> 
> I turned away from him and crossed my arms. "Well, maybe I've decided to go vegan."
> 
> "As I've told you twenty times before, you can't go vegan. The Beast won't let you," he reminded me. The Beast was the wolf within us, a lustful, blood-thirsty creature who craved violence and the hunt. Kind of like a tax collector with fangs.
> 
> "Maybe my Beast is nicer than yours," I argued.
> 
> Luke snorted, but kept his serious expression. "You have to hunt rabbits, Becky. The deer in this area might be too large for you to take without getting yourself hurt."
> 
> I glared at him. "Do you know what you're asking me to do?" I wondered.
> 
> He sighed and rolled his eyes. "No, what am I asking you to do?"
> 
> "You're asking me to kill Thumper."
> 
> "I'm asking you to satiate your Beast's desire to hunt and eat-"
> 
> "-a harmless bunny," I finished.
> 
> "Have you ever been bitten by a rabbit?" he asked me.
> 
> "No, why?"
> 
> "They're not harmless, and they have some very large claws," he told me. "These are dangerous creatures. You may not even make it out alive after capturing your first one."
> 
> I rolled my eyes. "You're just trying to make me think they're vicious monster rabbits so I'll hunt one, but there's no way-" Luke stepped up to me and wrapped his arms around me. He leaned in and I shivered when I felt his warm breath against my neck.
> 
> "If you catch one we can go back to the house. Don't you hear our bed calling?" he whispered.
> 
> "W-why can't we go back now?" I suggested.
> 
> Luke chuckled and leaned down to plant a soft kiss against the quivering flesh of my neck. His voice was low and sultry. "Because you haven't caught a rabbit yet," he teased.
> 
> "T-this is cheating," I protested.
> 
> "But don't you smell the delicious scent of rabbit? Doesn't it make your mouth water?" he cooed. At his bidding my nostrils flared and my nose picked up on the fresh trail of an innocent bunny. My heart rate picked up as my sniffer tracked the smell to a mess of bushes along the creek bed. Meanwhile, Luke blazed a trail of hot kisses down my neck while his hands slid in teasing circles around my hips. I squirmed and bit my lip, trying desperately not to whimper and failing to keep my body temperature below a feverish level.
> 
> "Y-you know you're evil, don't you?" I asked him.
> 
> There was that creepy, evil chuckle of his. "Yep, and you know you want to get that-" Before he finished the said rabbit darted out from the bushes.
> 
> Me in my feral, lustful mindset couldn't fight the urge to chase after the running prey. I pulled myself from Luke's arms and raced after the spry, zig-zagging bunny. He sent me on a merry chase over the uneven, root-littered creek path and perilously close to the creek itself. One slip and I'd be done for, swallowed up by the moss-covered rocks and frigid water. My right foot decided to do that slipping, and in one fell swoop my dreams and nightmares of a rabbit stew went up with the first splash of water as I crashed into the creek.
> 
> I sputtered and swallowed about half the annual runoff of the local mountains before I pulled my head out of the water and heard a booming laugh from the bank. I whipped my head in that direction and glared at my laughing mate. He was doubled over from his cackling and was making no attempt at dragging me out of the cold water. Adding insult to injury, in my eagerness to capture the rabbit my arms, legs, and face were partially transformed, leaving me with the disgustingly wet fur of which I'd earlier mentioned.
> 
> I tried to stand, but slipped on the wet rocks beneath me and crashed back into the cold water. "I'd hate to interrupt your fun," I called out to Luke, "but could you help me out of here before I become a pup-sicle?"
> 
> Luke choked out a few more laughs and gathered himself. "Sure thing." He carefully stepped onto some rocks close to me and held out his hand to me. There was a smirk on his face and a mischievous look in his eyes. "But might I say, you look stunning as a drowned rat."
> 
> I sweetly smiled at him and grabbed his hand. "And you'll look all wet." I yanked hard toward me, and in his precarious footing he slipped and tumbled into the drink. Unfortunately, his crash wasn't beside me, but on top of me. I got dunked again, and our arms and legs flailed in the water, each trying to free ourselves from the grasp of the frigid creek.
> 
> After a few wild moments Luke managed to find his footing and dragged us both from the creek. We were soaked and I with my arms crossed stood shivering on the bank. "T-that'll t-teach y-you to l-laugh at m-me," I stuttered.
> 
> Luke bared the cold much better as he stood there letting his clothes drip on the path. We could have made a new creek with how much water dripped off us. "I think that's enough practice tonight," he announced.
> 
> "Or for the next year," I grumbled. I shuffled down the path toward the house, but yelped when I was swept up into a pair of strong, wet arms.
> 
> Luke grinned down at me with that evil twinkle in his eyes. "The faster we get back the faster we can get out of these clothes," he told me.
> 
> "And the faster we can get into some dry ones," I finished.
> 
> He grinned. "Who said anything about getting back into clothes?"
> 
> I smiled and leaned my head against his chest while he shot off down the trail toward home. It was nice having my own private handler, especially in the bedroom. "Be careful not to run into a tree, Jeeves," I teased.
> 
> Luke chuckled. "I'll try, but I have been meaning to get a crew in here to clean up some of these overgrown trees," he returned.
> 
> I rolled my eyes and snuggled his shirt. "I'm sure you'll do fine."

# Other series by Mac Flynn

**Contemporary Romance**

Being Me

Billionaire Seeking Bride

The Family Business

Loving Places

PALE Series

Trapped In Temptation

**Demon Romance**

Ensnare: The Librarian's Lover

Ensnare: The Passenger's Pleasure

Incubus Among Us

Lovers of Legend

Office Duties

Sensual Sweets

Unnatural Lover

**Dragon Romance**

Blood Dragon

Dragon Bound

Dragon Dusk

Fated Touch

Maiden to the Dragon

**Ghost Romance**

Phantom Touch

**Vampire Romance**

Blood Thief

Blood Treasure

Vampire Dead-tective

Vampire Soul

**Urban Fantasy**

Death Touched

Oracle of Spirits

**Werewolf Romance**

Alpha Blood

Alpha Mated

Beast Billionaire

By My Light

Desired By the Wolf

Falling For A Wolf

Garden of the Wolf

Highland Moon

In the Loup

Luna Proxy

Marked By the Wolf

The Moon and the Stars

Moon Chosen

Moon Lovers

Scent of Scotland: Lord of Moray

Shadow of the Moon

Sweet & Sour

Wolf Lake
