An officer was biting down at the tip of his pen as he glared at me, taking note of Damian’s looming presence as he stirred a cup of hot cocoa behind me. “Tell me one more time,” the officer clarified in a strong northern accent, “why did you let these young folks stay here when you knew the place was closed for the fall?”
“Because the woman who got killed offered me extra cash,” Damian rapped out spitefully. He took his seat next to me and offered me his mug for me to drink. “It would have been fine if we didn’t have this accident.”
“It would have been.”
“I suppose I will lose my job over this.”
“Damian, you are in some serious shit!” I raised my eyebrows at the officer’s statement, and even more so once the man beside me laughed in amusement. “You know that.”
“Nothing you haven’t dealt with before.”
The man nodded his head cunningly at Damian. “It will be harder this time, since the place wasn’t supposed to be open. Wait till the press gets a hold of this.”
“Harris,” Damian coed out mischievously. “You can make it go away.”
“Why is it always you that causes trouble?”
“I have taken up your methods and see how it still does very little for me.”
“Didn’t you tell those people to not go outside?”
“I did.”
“And?”
“They simply did not listen,” Damian lied through his teeth. “I think we might have to have some extra security force put up near the campers.”
“Or we could simply relocate you.”
Damian pouted at the man’s words. This conversation was far too interesting for me, so I took a long sip of Damian’s hot cocoa in gratitude and sat back to enjoy the show.
The officer removed his hat and let his sleek black ponytail rest over the back of his tanned brown uniform. He had an interesting look about him with his sharply defined nose, and sharp sable eyes.
“How is your wife?” Damian piped up agreeably. “She’s fine with the two of you in separate beds?”
“Very funny.”
“Oh, but you can make fun of me.”
“That young boy, Ben, wants to bring in police enforcement from the city.”
“Because you want to keep it all hush-hush.”
“And you know the exact reason why!” the man pointed out with his finger raised over Damian’s chest.
“Invite your wife over,” Damian suggested. “I miss her cooking.”
“You just want another blanket from her.”
“I like her blankets.” The man shook his head at Damian irritably, which brought a fit of laughter from the man beside me. “What do you think of Sara?”
The man looked me up and down with scrutiny, and then darted his eyes in Damian’s direction. “You found yourself a mate?”
“I did.”
The two of them exchanged curious glances, and I felt unnerved by the long silence that stretched between them. The officer, Harris, rose out of his chair and offered me his hand. “It is nice to meet you. I am sure I will be seeing you again someday.” He darted his eyes quickly to Damian. “And thank you for cooperating with us earlier.”
“It’s a cover-up,” I finally blurted out with resentment. “But you can’t hide the truth forever.”
“Oh, our people have been hiding it for a mighty long time.” He winked at me playfully before he took his leave, offering a wave to Damian as he leisurely strode out of the kitchen. “Better keep her in the house for tonight, eh!” the officer called out over his shoulder.
“Give the same message to your wife, will yeah?” Damian shot back. He wore a sinister grin once he turned his gaze to me, only letting it fade away once he saw how upset I was. “Sara?”
“It will all be a lie.”
“Sara,” he groaned, seeing how distraught I was.
“No one will believe what truly happened.”
“You were attacked by a wild animal, and the three of you are very lucky to be alive.” He watched how I slowly closed myself off from him, turning away to walk towards the glass door to open it sharply. I let my bare feet pad against the wooden floor of the patio, looking over the mountainous region that could be perceived from Damian’s backyard. “You can come back here when it’s time,” a low voice uttered from far behind me. “You will be welcome here.”
“I don’t want to come back here.”
“I don’t think you’ll have a choice,” he surmised aloud. “Believe me when I say, it’s for the best.”
Damian appeared at my side with a cozy white turtleneck. He offered me a smile as he brushed back his bushy hair, so wild in appearance you would have never known he had just taken a shower. A long arm wrapped itself around me to kiss the side of my neck, and I hated the warm fluttering feeling at the bottom of my stomach the second he touched me.
“How was the hot chocolate?” he asked me lightly.
“Sweet.”
“I thought you would like it.”
“Ben won’t drop the case,” I told him. “They won’t let this be another cover up.”
“Then I’ll leave,” he told me. “Go into hiding further up north.”
“Why?”
“Because I want to be safe,” he told me, “and I want you to be safe too. I can help you, Sara. I’ve gone through this for many years and now I have the chance to make amends.”
“How?”
“Offer you strategies to make the transition easier,” he suggested. “Help get enough raw meat for our wolf selves to find at night and feast on it. It doesn’t have to be human flesh, Sara, along as it’s meat we can keep our cravings under control.”
“I’m scared.”
“I was scared too.”
“You aren’t anymore?”
He kissed the top of my shoulder where my sturdy linen bandage was placed. Damian smelled the fabric with closed lids, but I felt he was inhaling something more than that. “Not when I have you near,” he told me with confidence before he lifted his gaze to my own. “Stay with me, Sara. You don’t have to go through this alone.”
“I know.”
“Let me help you,” he entreated, with a finger tilting my chin upwards in his direction. “Please.”
I shut my eyes at this awful feeling, knowing the path was laid out for me already.
“I’ve waited so long for you,” he told me. “Don’t let me wait another day more.”
“Who is saying that?” I questioned him. “The wolf or you?”
“Both,” he whispered, before he leaned in to kiss me. I closed my eyes the second I tasted his lips. He wrapped a strong arm around me to pull me in, and soon our tongues were pressed against each other before Damian slipped his inside my mouth. I let him have his way with me, exploring my deeper regions before he slipped it out and offered gentle kisses to my lips. His arms curled up against me and then he nuzzled his cheek against my own. “This could be your home, Sara.”
“It already is,” I assured him, which brought his face dead center to kiss my lips again. He took a step back to tug at my hand frantically, making me giggle with excitement once I sensed what was coming next. “The bed!” I shouted after he closed the back door of the patio. Damian shut the drapes behind me, sending the kitchen into darkness. “I mean it,” I warned him with a sternness to my voice.
“You might change your mind one day. Might even want to do it outside.”
“But not today.”
He tugged on my hand in a playful manner, bringing the side of his body against my own as he led me through the darkened hall. “Call in sick tomorrow,” he entreated, after we took the first step up the staircase.
“I really shouldn’t do that.”
“Today is Halloween,” He pointed out. “Who wants to go to work on a Monday morning anyways?”
“I’m supposed to catch a ride back with Ben and Taylor this evening once the investigation is complete. Besides, I have to see if he is okay again.”
“He has Taylor!” Damian pointed out. “I can take you back to the city.”
“Oh?” I questioned him as we made our way deeper into the darkness. “And how exactly will you do that?”
“Driving you, of course.”
“The moon.”
“I will take you first thing in the morning,” He assured me. “Tuesday morning to be exact.”
“Tuesday!”
The bedroom door swung open, revealing the open window with the sunlight shining through. “Wednesday?”
“No.”
“How about … next Sunday?”
“No.”
“Or a month from now?”
“You want me here all to yourself, don’t you?”
“I’m a lone wolf, Sara,” he uttered in a mischievous manner. “What else do you expect?”
“Really?” I cried out with disbelief. He removed his creamy white turtleneck and folded it neatly in his hands.
“And you will need help during your transition. It will be painful, especially the first time. I can help you through it.”
“How?”
“I’ll be a werewolf too,” he reassured me. He rubbed his hand over his scar mournfully, looking down at the jagged black marks that pierced his tanned skin. “I was bitten on my shoulder as well,” he shyly revealed to me. Damian drew a finger down a lone scar that ran down his upper right arm. “This is what the beast did to me.”
“How did you survive?”
“I wasn’t alone in that forest that night,” he hushed. “Many times, I wish I had died, but right now… staring at you… I am so happy I didn’t.” He took a step forward and rested a hand over my cheek. “I love you, Sara.” I blinked at him with something akin to happy feelings, but I couldn’t say those words to him- not yet.
“I know this is hard for you, since you lost your friend last night, but I can help you through it.”
“The grief hasn’t hit me yet. It should, but it hasn’t yet. To be honest, I think I am still in shock more than anything else.”
“I know,” he hushed out lightly. “And you will find your behaviours, the way you look at the world, change as your wound begins to heal.” His hand cupped the side of my cheek tenderly. “I can help you with that, Sara. Let me be your mentor. Your guide.” He puckered his lips meditatively. “Let me love you. Can you do that for me, just this once?” He noticed my silence and continued, “I knew you meant a lot to me the first time I set eyes on you. There was a reason I let you and your friends stay here.”
“Even when you knew of the dangers?” I questioned him with a hint of bitterness.
“Yes,” Damian admitted with a sudden shyness about him.
“And you did it anyways,” I pointed out with a tenseness to my voice.
“Yes.”
“The wolf side or …”
“Human,” he informed me, “but is it wrong that both sides of me wanted you so badly?” He laid his lips over my own soothingly, kissing me with profound passion. “Stay,” he hushed over my lips after he lifted me into the air. “Stay with me, I beg of you.” Damian dropped me into his bed and kissed me harshly on my lips as he did his best to persuade me to stay for one more night. “He won’t hurt you,” he promised. “I swear, that part of me will never hurt you.”
“I know,” I reassured him, which brought his lips over mine again.
“I’m not alone anymore,” he breathed out with ecstasy, before he rolled me over in his bed so we could cuddle. “Not alone.”
“No.”
We laid on our sides, staring deeply into each other’s eyes. Damian let his thumb stroke the firm groove of my high cheekbone in silent wonder. “I’ll have you here with me.”
“You will.”
“We could be together?” he mouthed over my lips.
I brought my fingers upwards to stroke it through his thickly tousled locks. “Yes, Damian,” I said softly. “You’re not alone anymore.” A smile travelled across his face in pure delight. “We can face it together.”