Werewolf in Alaska

Chapter 4

Baseball bat raised and heart pounding, Rachel walked slowly through the dining area toward the kitchen. The soft rumble of the pocket door had roused her, but she’d had to lie there for a moment before she’d identified the sound.

She’d tried to dismiss it as distant thunder. But the sound had come from inside the house, not outside. Taking her baseball bat, which she kept leaning against the back wall of her closet, she’d left her bedroom. Sure enough, the pocket door was closed. And she hadn’t closed it.

Mr. Wolf, she assumed, was still under her bed, and he should probably stay there. Hurling himself at an intruder might cause his wounds to start bleeding again. Yet she was surprised he hadn’t challenged whoever had closed that door.

If he’d been willing to risk his life to save her from a charging bear, why would he allow a stranger in the house? Maybe he didn’t think people presented the same kind of threat as a grizzly. She begged to differ.

As she approached, light flickered under the door. It was an odd sort of sparkly light, as if someone had installed a disco ball in her kitchen. As she tried to make sense of that, a chill slid up her spine.

She had excellent locks on her windows and doors, locks she’d secured after the bear incident. Whoever, or whatever, was in that kitchen had managed to get past those locks without making any noise or arousing the attention of the ferocious wolf under her bed. That was completely illogical, unless . . . Her brain stalled.

She didn’t exactly believe in sparkly vampires or ghosts who could walk through walls, but she didn’t exactly not believe in them, either. She’d thought discovering that such a thing was real after all would be exciting. A cool experience.

Not. She was rigid with terror. Her ears buzzed and her chest hurt from holding her breath too long. Her grip on the bat grew slippery.

“Look, whoever you are.” Her voice quavered, and she cleared her throat and tried for a more commanding tone. “I won’t hurt you if you’ll just leave the way you came.” Yeah, right. A baseball bat would be as useless against a vampire or a ghost as a cardboard tube had been against a grizzly.

Something dark, a snout of some kind, maybe belonging to a demon, poked through a small opening in the door. She needed to get the upper hand. Without pausing to consider, Rachel whacked it hard with the baseball bat.

The demon, or whatever it was, yelped. A scrabbling noise like nails scraping on linoleum came from behind the door. The nails made sense, but the yelp? What kind of demon sounded like a dog?

No matter. She’d scared it. “There’s more where that came from!” Feeling braver, she wondered if she could order it to leave. In the movies, otherworldly things seemed to respond better if people talked like Shakespeare. Or Monty Python.

She took a deep breath. “Return from whence thou cometh, foul spirit, or I shall smite thee again!”

The demon whined in response. Exactly like a dog. Or . . .

“Wolf? Is that you?”

Another whine.

It could be a demonic trick, but if not, she’d just smacked an injured wolf on the nose with a baseball bat. She couldn’t imagine why he’d be in her kitchen, but ouch.

Stepping forward cautiously, she slid her fingers along the edge of the door and began to push. “It had better be you, wolf.” She gripped the bat in her other hand, just in case a demon shot through the opening and she had to defend herself.

When she saw the wolf standing on the other side of the door, her breath came out in a whoosh. “Holy shit! You scared the life out of me!”

The wolf gazed up at her in silent reproach.

“I’m really sorry I hit you on the nose. I thought you were some creature from another dimension. But what lights were flickering in here?”

The wolf looked away and sighed heavily.

“Yeah, I know. You have no idea. You can’t control lights. I’m sure there’s a logical explanation, but damned if I know what it could be.”

The wolf brought his gaze back to hers.

“Maybe the northern lights were shining through the kitchen window. I suppose it could happen, although usually you can’t see them because of the tree.” Finally she shrugged. “That was probably it. My imagination ran away with me again. But I’d like to know why you came in here and closed the door after yourself.”

Once again the wolf looked away.

“None of my business, huh? All right, I can accept that. I’ve heard that wild animals like to retreat to a cave when they’re hurt, and I can’t imagine you were comfy under my bed. Maybe I should put the quilt in here instead of in a corner of my bedroom.”

To her surprise, the wolf started forward, as if ready to leave the kitchen if she’d only move out of his way.

She stepped aside, and the wolf walked unsteadily toward her bedroom. “Look, don’t go under the bed again, okay? I won’t mess with you if you want to be left alone.”

Then something else occurred to her, which would have given the wolf more reason to go into the kitchen. “I’m such an idiot. I’ll bet you’re thirsty. You probably went in the kitchen looking for water. Maybe that’s where they kept your water dish wherever you lived before.”

As she thought about that, she wondered if the kitchen had been the wolf’s sanctuary when he lived with people. Lots of kitchens had pocket doors. He might have taught himself to close it to signal his need for solitude.

If so, she’d screwed that up for him. She hoped he wouldn’t go back under the bed, but at the very least she’d get him some water. Poor thing, he must be parched after his ordeal.

Hurrying into the kitchen, she chose a ceramic brownie pan and ran water into it. Then she carried it into her bedroom.

The wolf stood poised, as if ready to crawl under the bed again if she approached him.

“It’s only water. I’ll put it in the bathroom. I’d rather you didn’t drip water on the hardwood floor.” Turning, she walked into the bathroom and found a spot in the corner. When she came out, the wolf hadn’t moved.

“I would love to get a look at your wounds. Will you let me do that?”

He backed up.

“Okay, okay.” She held out both hands, palms forward. “I said I wouldn’t mess with you, and I won’t. Ever since I got out the scissors and the razor, you’ve acted different. I wonder if your former owners hurt you with a pair of scissors. Maybe they tried to trim your fur and nicked you. Is that what happened?”

The wolf, of course, said nothing.

Rachel blew out a breath. “I have to stop asking you questions as if I expect you to answer. I wish you could talk, though, because you’re a fascinating puzzle.” She looked into the wolf’s solemn eyes. “You’re not going to move until I get back into bed, are you?”

She could almost hear the answer just by looking at him. “Right. I’ll get into bed so you can have a drink of water.” Climbing in, she pulled the sheet over her and lay back on the pillows. “There, I’m settled. Get your drink.”

The wolf’s nails clicked slowly across the wooden floor as he walked into the bathroom. The sound of lapping told her he was drinking. Good. He needed to stay hydrated. She should have thought of it earlier, but she’d been so intent on his wounds, and then he’d hidden under the bed.

After drinking the water, he came back into the bedroom. She lay very still and hoped he would choose the quilt instead of squeezing under her bed. Or maybe he’d go back into the kitchen and close himself in again.

Following the sound of his toenails on the floor and mentally calculating where he was going, she relaxed when he walked over to the corner of her room and flopped down on the bed she’d made for him there. She’d rest easier knowing he had a comfortable place to sleep for what remained of the night. The luminous hands of the clock on her bedside table told her it was two in the morning.

Lying in the semidarkness, she longed for the eye mask that was tucked in her bedside table drawer. But she dared not get it out. The wolf might think she had secret plans to ambush him in his sleep.

On the contrary, she didn’t plan to disturb him until dawn. But in the morning, he’d need to go out to relieve himself. Once he was outside, nothing would prevent him from leaving. But he was still too sick, even if he didn’t realize that.

She couldn’t imagine tying him up to a deck support, though. A rope would never hold him. She’d need a chain and a large eyebolt, and even then, what sort of collar, if she even had one, would keep a wolf his size from getting loose? He’d hurt himself all over again lunging against any restraint she used.

Yet somehow she had to keep him here at least another day. That would require a creative maneuver on her part. She thought of the large cut of round steak she’d bought at the general store today. Maybe the wolf could be bribed.

• • •

The water helped, but Jake was starving. Shifts always made him hungry, but he’d never had to engineer a midshift reversal before, and he’d discovered that revved up his appetite even more. To make matters worse, he’d achieved only some of the healing he’d been angling for.

He was far from healed, but he planned to blow this taco stand first thing in the morning. She’d have to let him out for obvious reasons, and once she did, he was gone.

The evening had been a fascinating experience, but he’d come way too close to accidentally revealing himself. He wasn’t about to take that chance again, which meant he had to get out of this cabin so he could heal properly. A plane ticket to San Francisco sat in a desk drawer in his cabin, and he would be on that plane, come hell or high water.

He couldn’t allow himself to be distracted by Rachel, even if he was currently stretched out on a quilt that smelled like her and made him want to stay. And he couldn’t let himself think about how she’d looked standing in the kitchen doorway wearing a nearly transparent tank top and running shorts, both in apple green.

And holding a baseball bat. His nose ached from that whack she’d given him. Unless he could shift soon, he was liable to end up with a bruise. But he could explain a bruise a lot easier than he could explain shaved fur.

He couldn’t blame Rachel for hitting him, either. She’d sensed something major was happening in her kitchen and she’d been right to react that way. If she’d had the tiniest inkling what those flickering lights actually meant, she would have hit him even harder.

He hated deceiving her, hated it worse than he’d expected to. She’d been so earnest and sweet about his injuries and his need for privacy. She’d jumped to all the wrong conclusions, but she was trying so hard to take care of him, even as he plotted his escape.

A woman like Rachel didn’t deserve to be jerked around like this, but he had no choice. That bothered him. It bothered him even more than the gnawing hunger that kept him awake until the sky grew lighter, signaling another Alaskan summer day.

Rachel woke early, sat up in bed, and immediately looked over at the corner where he lay. “Good morning, wolf. I hope you slept well.”

Not a wink. But he’d taken comfort in knowing that she had slept. He’d listened to her soft breathing and been content. The bears hadn’t come back, but he’d been ready to fight them off if necessary.

She looked adorable all tousled from sleep, her tank top slightly askew. He regretted that this would be the one and only time he’d see her waking up in her bed, because soon he’d be headed through the woods toward home.

Combing her hair back from her face, she swung her long legs out of bed and stood. “I’m sure you need a bathroom break.”

This was it. She’d open the back door, and he’d be out of her life. He’d never be this close to her again, and that was best . . . for him, for her, for the future security of Weres. If leaving her made him sad, he’d just have to let it go.

“When you come back in I’ll have a wonderful treat for you.”

Surely she didn’t expect him to waltz back into the cabin like a trained dog. He wondered what that imaginative brain of hers had come up with.

“I’ll go get it.”

Watching her walk around barefoot in that skimpy outfit was enough of a treat for him. It helped him forget the pain in his side and the empty feeling in his gut. Rising slowly to his feet, he followed her out of the bedroom.

She went into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. His stomach clenched. Good thing she didn’t know how hungry he was. When she pulled out a package of meat, he resisted the urge to rip it from her hands. A real wolf would have.

“You can have this after you take care of business.” She pulled the cellophane off a heavenly-smelling slab of beef, opened a cupboard, and took down a platter.

One quick lunge and he’d have that meat. But then what? Could he imagine himself carrying it to some other part of the cabin and eating it off the floor? No, he could not. He was Were. He had his standards.

“Time to let you out the back door.” Opening a kitchen drawer, she took something out and tucked it in the waistband of her shorts.

She’d done it so quickly he hadn’t been able to see what it was. But it was too small to be of any consequence to him, so he forgot about it.

Then she hoisted the platter, walked through the living room, and unlocked the door to the deck. “I’ll leave the storm door and the screen open, and when you’re finished, you can come back and get your steak.”

Oh, she was clever, all right. She’d obviously figured out that he planned to run off the minute she opened that door. She was also smart enough to realize that tying him up was not a solution.

She’d hit upon the one thing he would find nearly impossible to resist. He couldn’t remember ever being this hungry with no immediate way to fix the problem. He longed for that meat.

Standing with one hand on the doorknob and one hand holding the platter at shoulder height like a waitress in a restaurant, she glanced down at him. He licked his chops, unable to help himself. The smell of that steak drove him crazy.

After she opened the door, he could knock her down, take the meat, and be off. But thinking such a thing filled him with shame. She’d been nothing but kind to him. If he shoved her to the floor, she could hit her head or twist an ankle, maybe even break a bone.

He, of course, wouldn’t be around to find out what had happened to her. By talking with Ted, he’d find out eventually what sort of damage he’d caused, but what if he knocked her unconscious and the bears came back?

The knob clicked softly as she turned it. “I know you don’t understand what I’m saying, but if only you did, I’d want you to think about the wisdom of resting here for another day. I’d want you to think about eating this steak and then lying on the quilt in my bedroom while you regain your strength. If you run away, you’ll have to fend for yourself, and you’re not well yet. It could be risky for you.”

She had a point. He’d have to make it around the lake and into his cabin before he could shift again. Shifting outdoors in broad daylight was asking for trouble. So he’d have to go home as he was, slowed by his injuries.

A black wolf moving through the woods during the day could be spotted, chased, possibly even shot by a rogue trophy hunter. When he was fit, he had a decent chance of escaping that fate, but he wasn’t at the top of his game. Then, if he even made it to his cabin, sneaking in undetected would be tricky.

And he was so hungry. He wouldn’t be able to eat until he got home, either. Lack of food was making him dizzy. That would also hamper him on the journey back.

Yet every moment he spent with her in this cabin was filled with danger, too. He was essentially trapped here, and all his Were instincts screamed that he couldn’t let that continue. He had to leave and take his chances getting home.

Maybe he could grab the meat before he left, though. He wouldn’t knock her down to get it, but two could play the game she had in mind. While she tried to coax him in, he’d try to lure her out.

“Okay, wolf. Make the right choice.” She opened the storm door and then the screen.

Freedom! He bolted out the door but stumbled on the steps and almost fell.

“Careful!”

Embarrassed, he straightened and kept going. He really was weak, damn it. He needed that steak to boost his energy level. After ducking around the corner of the cabin to find privacy for the task at hand, he returned to the steps.

Climbing them winded him, which was alarming. If he couldn’t navigate three steps without panting, what chance did he have of making it home safely? He’d always counted on stealth and speed, and he had neither.

The steak might revive him, though. He’d carry it into a secluded part of the woods, eat it, and then maybe rest a little. If he found a good enough hiding place, he’d wait until dusk to finish the trip.

Both the screen door and the storm door were still open, as promised. Rachel stood five or six feet back from the door, and she lowered the platter so he could see the meat. “Come and get your reward, wolf.”

He edged toward the door and stopped short of the threshold. Come toward me, Rachel. Tempt me with that steak.

As he’d hoped, she came closer. “You can smell it, can’t you? I see your nose twitching. Lucky I didn’t hurt your nose last night. I feel guilty about that.”

He had far more reasons to feel guilty about last night than she did. He put one paw into the room. As long as the door stayed open behind him, he could get away. She couldn’t close it from where she stood holding the platter.

Once he realized that, he grew bolder. He might not have his old speed for long, but he could manage it for a few seconds. Stepping cautiously toward the platter, he gathered himself. Grab the steak and run. That’s all he had to do. She couldn’t get to the door fast enough.

Seizing the meat in his jaws, he whirled at the same moment the screen door slammed shut. What the hell? The steak dangling from his jaws, he turned toward her in confusion. How did you do that?

“Sorry, wolf.” She held up a narrow spool of fishing line. A nearly invisible filament stretched from the cardboard spool in her hand to the handle on the screen door. “It’s for your own good.”

She’d outsmarted him. Damn it. Humiliating though that was, he couldn’t help admiring her ingenuity. Apparently he wouldn’t be escaping today.

As that truth settled over him, he waited for anger and frustration to heat his blood. Instead he felt a far more dangerous emotion. Relief.

It seemed that he wasn’t all that eager to leave after all.