Howling at the Moon: The Complete Series (3 page)

“Thank you, but you didn’t have to pay the entire year in advance,” he said, taking the money out and counting it.

“I insist. It’s better for me to plan that way.” If the money was in my possession, I would have too many choices, too many ways out, and none of that was any good for me.

“Well, the lease is pretty straight forward. Nothing surprising, and I am responsible for all appliances.” I noticed that as Warren spoke to me, his left leg jumped up and down. He couldn’t sit still either, from the looks of it. What was he nervous about?

I chomped on my food, studying, and listening to him. Everything was pretty self-explanatory, so I felt comfortable diverting my attention to his mouth rather than the words that came out of it. My ears only perked up when he said the word “danger.”

“What? Could you repeat that?”

“Well, we’re very close to the woods, and there are dangerous things out there. So try not to be out back at night.” His face was stern when he said that.

That was fine with me.

He pointed to a few places where I needed to sign and initial. He explained a few things and mentioned some important landmarks as I finished dinner.

Warren looked at my plate and blinked. “Wow, you’re already finished. Do you want more?”

I wanted to scream, “Yes!” Instead, I smiled and shook my head.

“Everything was great, thanks. I think maybe I should get going back home.” This was the best way for me to make an escape. The longer I stayed here talking to him, the more the possibility of something happening between us grew.

“Oh no, not yet. I have some pecan pie from town for dessert, if you want a piece.” His eyes seemed to dance as he grabbed the dinner tray. He looked happy for me to be there. Maybe that was because of the rent money I just paid him. Nevertheless, saying no to pecan pie was a sin in my book.

“Okay, no problem. Who can turn down a good piece?” Oops. That came out wrong. “Of pie, I mean.” Shit... I could feel my face catching fire. I took frantic gulps of the tea to cool myself.

“Yeah, a piece is always needed. Be right back.” His eyes locked with mine for a moment before he walked off back into the kitchen.

His eyes were like caffeine to me. They gave me energy enough to run to the moon.

Being around this man wasn’t healthy for me. Somehow, my nervousness made it hard for me to stand up. I walked over to the mantle over the fireplace to keep calm myself. I studied picture after picture, seeing people who were probably Warren’s family members.

One picture seemed to stand out, a group of eight people in front of a lake. I scanned their faces. They all looked so happy and familiar, in a way.

That’s when I saw her. She was there on the right; a face that I would never forget. Memories came flooding back to me of my grandmother and how much I missed her.

But why was she in a picture in Warren’s house? The questions mounted as tears filled my eyes.

*****

I
looked at the picture, remembering the woman third from the right in the line of people smiling at the lake. My grandmother, younger, long hair, thin, but it was definitely her. I felt tears come to my eyes before I could move my lips. It was her smiling next to some people and some man that looked like Warren, but must have been his grandfather.

Almost as if on cue, Warren walked up behind me, intruding on my private moment.

“Oh, that’s my grandfather right there.” Warren pointed to the guy that looked like him—the same man that stood next to my grandmother.

“My grandmother used to bring me here when I was younger.” I pointed to her while trying to keep the tears from falling. I missed her. She had only been gone a few years, but sometimes it felt like she’d died only yesterday.

“Diane was your grandmother?” He knew her—and by her name, too. Speaking at this moment was going to make me cry. He placed the small saucer of pecan pie down on the coffee table and looked closer at the picture that I now had gripped in my hands.

“She lived here, in the house that you're in. I think for a few years, if I remember correctly.”

“What? How? When?” I wiped away tears before they could spill out onto my cheeks.

“Oh, I haven’t seen her since I was younger. Before my grandfather passed away, surely.” He took the picture from my shaking hands as I sat down on his couch.

My grandmother was closer to this town than I thought. She always talked about it, but living here in the same house that I lived in now wasn’t something I had imagined. I never knew she lived here. I thought it was just a town she was fond of.

I couldn’t help it; I cried, letting the tears flow down my face. I missed her so much, and being here with Warren gave me some sense of security that I could let my guard down. If he was the grandson of my grandmother’s friend, then I could surely trust him.

Warren sat down next to me, holding my hands as I sobbed thinking of my grandmother. My mom had been no help in grieving. I was an only child, so there was no sister or brother to confide in. Everything was on me, and right now, I was letting it out.

“Are you okay?” Warren asked, rubbing my back and handing me a tissue. I wasn’t sure how to answer that question. I missed her, and that wouldn’t go away.

But Warren rubbing my back sent a different feeling through me. Him being so close to me actually made things better. Maybe too much better. I should have cried in the leather seat instead of on the couch. At least then I wouldn’t have to feel the intense heat radiating from his body.

“Yes... I guess so. Sorry. I just didn’t expect to see her... here. I miss her so much.”

“I miss my grandfather, too. Sometimes it hurts so badly. And no one seems to understand.”

He was right. That was exactly how it felt for me. I made a mistake looking into his eyes at that moment. It was too much. I was too vulnerable thinking about my grandmother, and his admission about his grandfather made me feel like we had a connection.

“You just have to stay strong. Don’t apologize for showing emotion.” He rubbed my hand gently. His eyes seemed to sparkle and his black hair was sticking up. I rubbed it down into place. For the life of me, I wasn’t sure why I felt okay with touching him so intimately.

Warren also seemed surprised by my affection. His gaze was hypnotic, and I didn’t realize how close his face was to mine until our lips touched.

Shit... I couldn’t control myself. I let go and let him kiss me, closing my eyes and welcoming his lips on mine. I’d imagined Warren as a gentle kisser. But he pulled me into him as if he was as desperate as I was for affection.

Our tongues danced along one another’s as our hands roamed each other’s bodies. This was all happening too fast for me to stop. His strong arms squeezed me and fondled every part of me. I searched his body with my hands, feeling over his chest and his stomach. Under his shirt was a real six pack. I was feeling actual flesh that was hard as concrete.

His breathing was heavy like a hungry, panting animal as we pulled at each other’s clothes. His hands traveled down through the legs of my shorts. He didn’t take the time to unbutton them.

His fingers slid toward my panties, stealing my breath, and when his fingers touched the lips of my sex, I wanted to scream. A yelp did escape me as Warren bit my lip, the pleasure and pain combined with his finger sliding inside my pussy proving too much for me to stay quiet. His finger seemed to stir an internal fire that would only be extinguished once his cock was deep inside me. I thought back to the shower, thinking of how Warren had already made me cum once today, even if he didn’t know it.

Warren’s finger was joined by another as he pushed in and out of me and his tongue tangled with mine. My heavy breathing mixed with his, and at that moment, I wanted us to become one. I wanted him inside me, not his fingers, but the girth of him that I saw through the imprint in his jeans. I had been craving a man on top of me, and tonight, I would finally get it. To hell with my celibacy or my commandments. I made those rules before I met this man of perfection.

I grabbed at his head, pulling him toward me by the short hairs of his nape until a strange, shrill sound stopped me in my tracks. It was a howl from outside, somewhere in the backyard that felt like it was only a few feet away. I never heard sounds like that in the city, and usually I wouldn’t have cared, but Warren seemed distracted by the noise. I could feel it; the hairs clutched in my grasp stood up.

He stopped moving for a moment, and his eyes snapped open until the howling stopped. I coaxed him to keep going as I gyrated my hips against his, which seemed to work. He kept kissing me, more furious this time, and I was inching toward pulling my top off as his fingers became more frantic inside my pussy. I was his if he wanted me, but Warren was still distracted.

Another howl pierced the quiet night, and this one sounded like two wolves in unison, a mournful chorus that sent shivers down my spine.

Warren slid his fingers out of me and our tongues unlocked as he sat up from the couch. His golden eyes darkened.

The howling got closer, increasing in volume and frequency until it sounded like the animals were at the back door.

Warren glared at me, his body shaking as if he were engaged in some internal fight. His hair seemed to stand up on his head like an invisible static-filled balloon was hovering above him. Time stood still as I watched him shake and clench his fists as his chest poked out.

“What the fuck is happening?!” I scooted away from him, my heart shuddering violently in my chest.

“You're safe here. Everything is okay.” His last word was more of a growl as the sounds from outside encroached even closer.

He reached for me, but I jumped away and grabbed for my purse to leave.

“No, don’t go!” Warren snarled.

But it was too late. I was already at the door, pulling it open and running out into the night. My house wasn’t far away. If I could only get there, I would be safe behind my own locked doors.

I ran for it, my sandals flapping on the gravel as fast as my feet could carry me. Looking to my right, I saw glowing eyes in the darkness of the field. That only propelled my legs to move faster. It had to be wolves, or maybe a possum. The words of “they’re more afraid of you than you are of them” entered my brain, but maybe that wasn’t true as the eyes began moving closer.

My fear took hold of me and I tripped on the gravel, crashing to the ground. My purse flew into the darkness and even one of my shoes betrayed me and fell off. I was helpless in the middle of the country with wild animals closing in on me when Warren suddenly appeared.

“No—mine! Get back!” he gnarred. I saw what looked to be four sets of glowing eyes. As I focused, I saw that they were in fact wolves; big, ferocious, hairy creatures growling as they got closer. Warren showed no fear, and when he told them to get back, it was as if they understood.

Three of the wolves scurried away, running back towards the woods and leaving only one behind. I tried making it to my feet, searching for my other shoe when Warren stood in front of me, pulling off his shirt as if he was about to fight with the wolf. It kept walking toward us, jaws open like it was ready to attack.

“I said she’s mine! Get away!” I wasn’t sure why he was talking to this beast as if it were a human. In the time it took me to blink my eyes, the beast was gone, and a naked man stood in its place.

I jumped to my feet with my sandal in hand as I looked around for the wolf and wondered why a naked man was here. His wild locks were red like someone had combed cinnamon through his hair, and he sported a tangled beard of the same color.

“Hey, Warren. Strange seeing you here.” The cinnamon-haired man spoke calmly as if he wasn’t naked. I looked away out of fear or embarrassment for him. Although he was the one without clothes on, I felt more like things were in reverse the way he peered around Warren to look at me.

“This is my land. I told you to get away.” Warren took a menacing step forward.

“Oh, you did? Sorry, I didn’t hear you.” The man laughed and continued to peer around Warren.

“Hi, I’m Mo. Really my name is Morris. Haven’t seen you around here before.”

“Back off!” Warren growled, flexing his muscles.

“Okay, okay... I’ll be gone. See you later, fresh meat.”

I guessed that goodbye was for me as Mo ran toward the woods. I blinked and he was gone, but a few seconds later I heard howling again.

The gears in my brain started to turn as I thought about all the things I knew about wolves. Sci-fi movies and books came to mind about shape shifters and werewolves that lived as people. My eyes widened as I made the connection, but that was impossible. Stuff like that was make-believe. There was no way things like that actually existed.

Did they?

“No... No, it can’t be.” I fought to speak over the lump in my throat. “Is he a werewolf?”

Warren slowly turned to me. His eyes were glowing just like the wolves’ had been. He nodded.

“Your grandmother never told you about... how things are here?” he asked.

My grandmother? What did she have to do with this?

I felt like the ground was shaking. My legs gave way as everything turned blurry. This was too much to take in. I felt like a feather floating into darkness.

****

W
hen I opened my eyes again, the light from the moon was peeking through the window. Warren was standing in front of me. A small light on the nightstand illuminated his concerned face.

“How do you feel?” he asked, and for a moment, I wasn’t sure where I was. Then I blinked a few times and it all came back. I sat up in the bed, looking around for the wolves I’d seen outside.

“It’s okay, calm down,” he said, grabbing a glass of water and putting it to my lips. I tried to remember what had happened exactly. Couch, kissing, howling, and scary Warren, running, wolves... four wolves.... man turns to wolf...

Werewolf!

Warren nodded. Apparently, I’d said it out loud. “You're safe here. This is my land. They were just some guys screwing around. Its mating season and they sensed you.”

Mating season? What the hell was that supposed to mean? I rubbed my head. I still felt nauseous.