30. Wolfy Powers

30

Wolfy Powers

I wake to the sounds of cries throughout the night. Strange noises seep into the cracks of the room and beg me to open my eyes and explore the source. The brandy does its job, and although a part of me begs to rise from bed and greet the beast, my body weighs too much, and my brain can't connect with my limbs to carry me. Even my dreams are blurry—flashes of fangs, claws, and pleasure ruminate through my skull. The morning can't come soon enough.

I'm aware of someone grabbing me—picking me up from my bed and throwing me over their shoulder. "Cameron," I call, even if my eyes can't focus on the person carrying me. I've been waiting for him to come for me. I wanted him to break through his chains and take me in the dead of night. Now, here he is, carrying me away to swallow me whole.

The moment I'm put down again, my consciousness burns out. Darkness surrounds me, and I let it consume me, hopeful to wake in the arms of my beast.

***

Sunlight warms my cheek and tickles my eyelids. My head pounds like a motherfucker, but I can't help waking up. I sit, blinking slowly as I take in my surroundings. "What the fuck?" I say as I assess the mahogany furniture and the warm linens around me.

The bedroom door swings open, and there he is—holding two cups of coffee and an examining look on his face.

"How are you feeling?" Jack asks.

I don't answer at first. My brain rushes to assemble the missing pieces of how I ended up back in Jack's cabin. The steamy events with Cameron until I downed half a bottle of brandy flash through my mind. I bend over, cupping my head in my hands.

Jack rushes to me, placing the cups of coffee on the bedside table and putting an arm around me. "Are you okay?"

I push his arm away without thinking. Something about his touch chills me. I meet his eyes to catch the hurt expression on his face. "I'm fine." My head pounds from the volume of my own words, and I rub my temples. "Well, I'm hungover as fuck, but other than that, I'm fine."

"Here, drink this. It will make you feel better." He hands me the steaming cup of coffee, and I take a sip, trying to focus on the warmth flowing down my throat instead of the nausea bubbling in my stomach. After a few gulps, my head clears enough to direct a line of questions. "Jack, how did I get here?"

He grabs my hands, holding them in his. "I rescued you last night. I've been hunting you for the past four days. I'm sorry it took so long to find you."

Fear drops through me like a torpedo, remembering Jack's title isn't "rescuer" but "Werewolf Hunter." "Where's Cameron?"

"Don't worry, he can't hurt you." He rubs his thumb over the back of my hand.

"Did you hurt him?" I can't hide the panic in my voice .

Jack gives me a quizzical look. "Do you not want me to hurt him? He kidnapped you and drugged you."

"He didn't drug me." I jump to my feet. "Just answer me. Did you hurt him?"

He stands, slowly stepping toward me and studying my face. "Did he use mind control on you? I know werewolves are capable of that. I swear if one of those disgusting animals got in your head, I'll rip out their innards."

I want to question why he failed to mention Cameron was a werewolf earlier or reprimand him for speaking so ill of werewolves, which I happen to be. Still, the only thing I can focus on right now is knowing whether Cameron's safe.

Jack was wrong about werewolves. Cameron is not evil. He chained himself to a pillar to protect me and used every ounce of his will to stop me from doing something I might regret in the morning. Even with the bright light of my hangover shining over my memories, I don't regret what I did last night. I was under some sort of Blood Moon spell, but I'd do everything all over again with a clear head. There's something between Cameron and me—something I can't explain.

I don't back down. "Jack, just tell me."

"No." His rough tone startles me. "He was chained to a pillar, knocked out. I broke into the room and found you. I didn't have time to kill him. I had to make sure you were okay. But the other hunters will be there soon to try to finish the job. Him kidnapping you goes against everything in our alliance. The police protect the Human Liaison as long as humans in the area are safe."

I grab his arm. "Jack, you have to tell them to stop. You can't hurt him."

He shakes me off—repulsed, studying me before grabbing my arms. "Red, snap out of it. Werewolves are evil, disgusting creatures. He tried to kill you."

"No!" I pull my arms back. "How can you say that? My father was a werewolf."

"He was part werewolf, and I'm sorry Red, but your mother would be alive today if it weren't for him. Werewolves have evil in their blood."

I'm stunned, silent for a moment. I examine his features—his broad chest, his cut jawline, and the magnetic green in his eyes. A few days ago, simply being in his presence weakened my knees. He was my childhood crush—my best friend, and with just a few words, his novelty melts away. Maybe my otherworldly connection with Cameron is related to it, but I know that's not true. He just said my father had evil in his veins, which means he must think I'm evil, too.

I straighten my shoulders and stare him down. "I'm a werewolf, Jack. "

He clicks his tongue and turns away from me. "Don't talk about yourself like that. Just because your father was less than doesn't mean you inherited those traits."

I can't believe the words coming out of his mouth. I try to replay our past conversations. Did he talk this way about my father before? Surely, even with what little I knew about werewolves, I would be repulsed by how he speaks.

I step closer to him, anger overtaking every emotion. "Well, guess what, Jack? That makes me less than, too, because I inherited those traits. I have powers all heightened by the Blood Moon." I point a finger into his chest and cock my head. "I guess I was right about you thinking less of me in high school. You just wanted to fuck me because I lost a few pounds. No matter what, I'll always be disgusting to you, but I promise you, you look a hell of a lot more hideous from where I'm standing." Maybe coming into my powers gives me some sort of wolfy dominance thing. I don't recognize this harsh self, but I don't hate it. Without letting myself waver or regret my words, I turn toward Jack's bedroom door to storm out and do whatever I can to rescue Cameron.

Jack grabs my hand, pulling me back to him. I capture his expression, not letting the rage leave my face; his is soft and defeated. Maybe I spoke too soon, and it's not what it seems. Maybe Jack cares for me and spoke rashly after days of worry riddled his senses. I soften, stepping close to him to hear what he has to say.

He relaxes his grip around my wrist and trails his fingers up my arm. "I'm sorry, Red. Werewolves killed my mom, and I'll never get over it. You're not disgusting to me."

My shoulders relax a bit, and I glance down at the floor. I sympathize with him. I know what it's like to want to avenge your parents. He may have his hatred misguided, but he's probably just acting on what he's been told his whole life.

"Sure, you have one disgusting trait, but I can ignore that. You're still mostly human. We can use your powers to make the hunters more powerful. We can eradicate the werewolves completely. We can even get rid of Cameron. The Human Liaison is always the most powerful and protected, but with your help, we could end their reign for good."

I snap away from him, shock turning into a boiling anger. "Do you hear yourself? What is wrong with you?" I didn't speak too harshly before. I thought I'd known Jack, but I guess I never did. Having a dead mother doesn't excuse genocide.

The softness from his face disappears. In its place lies a cold and unnerving mask. I dart to the other side of his room. He speaks harshly, "I'd think about this before you do anything rash. It could be deadly if you don't agree to help the hunters."

I force out a laugh. "You think you could defeat the werewolves just because you have weapons? They have supernatural strength. I have supernatural strength."

Now, he gives an ugly laugh. Suddenly, all his beauty disappears. He steps closer to me. "You seem very confident in your abilities. I'm sure you don't even understand yet. Hunters are stronger than you think. I mean, look at all those werewolves we killed and left in the clearing."

"You…" I struggle to get the words from my throat. "You killed all those people? You said werewolves were the murderers."

"I didn't want to reveal everything to you yet. You just found out your father was part werewolf. You needed some time to realize how evil they were before I told you more. We had already made it look like animal attacks so the police would think it was their fault. Maybe then they would stop protecting the Human Liaison, but it didn't work. They were just more scared to take any action."

There it is—the truth to the story that brought me here. Days ago, I would have thought the answer to the mystery would bring me closure—this was all I needed to go home. But now, this truth might bring me to my end. Surely, Jack won't let me go home with this knowledge—not that it would be possible to return to my normal life anyway. Cameron's face pops into my brain.

I clear my throat. "We're too powerful for you to kill all of us, even with my help."

He's getting closer to me, pushing me into a corner. "I wish you'd stop lumping yourself in with those bastards. You're different. But no, except Cameron, most werewolves are no match for our years of training. The Human Liaison is always the strongest. Maybe after today, we'll get him, but I doubt it. Sure, we could defeat him with all our manpower and silver chains, but there's an agreement to leave him alone as long as the rest of the humans are safe. That agreement is now broken, not that we cared to keep it intact. He was just the last one on our kill list. They are the only werewolf that discloses their identity publicly to state officials. They keep the peace between humans and Weres. Once one of us finds the identity of a Were, we kill them, but it's not so simple with the Human Liaison. But with you… he obviously seems fond of you and with your powers…"

"Stop! I'm not going to help you! I love him!" I don't know why I say it. Surely, I don't believe it. I just met the guy and hated him literally yesterday, but the words popped out of my mouth without control. My emotions are too all over the place right now. Maybe that's why I'm not speaking rationally. Sure, it's obvious I feel strongly for him, but love? Love is crazy.

He looms over me as my back hits the wall—outstretching his arms on either side of my head. "Love him? We fucked a few days ago." He shakes his head. I don't recognize his face. "I bet you fucked him too, didn't you?" He turns his head away from me as if my smell repulses him. "God, did you move to New York and become a slut?" His eyes turn back to mine, blazing with rage.

My mind turns to survival mode. Right now, I need to stop defending Cameron and the werewolves. I need to get the hell out of here because I'm cornered by the real beast in the woods.

His eyes study mine, darting back and forth as if he's trying to find the best words to slice me. "I'd rather you'd help with your own free will, but if you refuse, we have ways to erase your memories. Just like we did with Granny." He runs a finger down my cheek, and my stomach flips. "It's not pretty and may take years, but we'll get your mind how we want it. We can use you for our cause." He stops—his face morphing as if an idea popped into his head. "With your powers and my influence, we could bring a new generation of Hunters." He has an evil smile. "God, I might just keep Cameron alive long enough so he can witness you carrying my child."

Okay, it's time to freak out. Jack is long past jaded lover and has reached explosive manic levels. Normally, my fight or flight would kick in, and I would choose the latter, but something different boils through me. Red covers my vision, and before I even have a second to think, I grab Jack's throat.

His eyes bulge, and he reaches for my wrist. He claws at my hands, but I don't let up, watching as the panic and shock rises to his eyes. My mind races with what to do next. I hope I can cut his airway off long enough that he passes out. He's an evil man, and I hate him right now, but I don't want to kill him. With all my thoughts, I must release a small amount of pressure.

Jack brings up his knee, hitting me in the stomach. Even with my powers ignited, the surprise attack knocks the air from my body and releases my hold on my strength. I double over.

Jack is too quick, and before I have time to attack again, he hits my chin and knocks my head against the back of the wall. I'm slumped on the ground, my vision tunneling to darkness. So much for wolfy powers.