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  Paige’s eyes shot open, seeing only the darkness of her room. She was alone in her bedroom, no nymphs, no mist, no forest, just her dark bed. She wasn’t alone though, a powerful hand was wrapped around her throat, holding her at bay.

  She felt his face, radiating heat, close to hers as he let out a deep growl.

  “Where am I?” he demanded.

  She could only sob in fear as his grip tightened while he began sniffing her intently. The naked man was awake now, and he was going to make her pay for nearly killing him.

  Chapter 5

  Travis did not like the so-called woman he held in his hands. She did not resemble a proper woman at all to him. The women he was used to were sleek, strong and unafraid. This thing was plump, weak and the smell of fear was nearly choking him.

  However, he also detected another strong scent on her: arousal. This creature had been aroused before he had come into the room. Her arousal smelled wonderful to him and made his loins ache. It had been a long time since he had mated with anyone or felt the mating thrall take hold of him. Luckily she was not menstruating so he didn’t have to defile his wonderful wolf body by humping this human woman. If she had been in the clutches of her womanly body then he would have had no choice, the primitive part of his brain would have become uncontrollable.

  None of that was important right now though, he was locked in this woman’s den and he didn’t know why. Confusion and unanswered questions made Travis angry. Jacob had always warned him about his temper, told him it was unfitting for pack royalty, but it remained with the hot headed youth constantly.

  “Where am I?” he demanded half in words and half in growl. He was trying to control his wolf side, but he’d had enough mysteries for this day. He had to get out and find the wererats that killed his pack, and then he would find their vampire master and reclaim his birthright.

  “M….my….house,” the human woman squealed. He could smell the salty tears streaming down her face.

  “Why have you brought me here?” he asked.

  “Y….yo…..you ran in front of my car!” she stammered. “I…co…couldn’t l…l….leave you out there.”

  Travis growled, reaching down and feeling the bruise on his hip. If he was human it would have shattered, but wolves were made of sterner stuff.

  “Did you hit me with your vehicle?” he asked.

  “I didn’t mean to!” she wailed.

  “Why would you do that?” he demanded.

  “I didn’t mean to!” she screamed. She was turning hysterical now. “You ran out in front of me too quickly for me to stop!”

  Travis turned her words over in his head, she was telling the truth. He did not smell a lie on her, she was an honest person.

  This one intended you no harm, Travis thought. Remember Jacob’s teachings.

  Jacob had always taught that humans were not enemies; they were just weak, dumb animals. Some of them could be dangerous and cruel, but for the most part they were just scared cattle that didn’t understand the world around them. With this in mind he released her and sat back on the bed.

  “I am sorry for scaring you,” he said, the words hanging hard in his throat. He shouldn’t have to apologize to a human, but it is what Jacob would have demanded of him. “Please forgive me.”

  It was pitch black in this tiny bedroom, the human woman couldn’t see him at all but he could see her perfectly. She had light hair that reached past her shoulders framing her full face. She was not ugly, but she wasn’t what he normally found attractive. Her breasts were very large, but they did not hang low like the breasts of the older females in his pack. This one had never had to nurse a litter; she was untouched by child birth.

  “Who are you?” she asked, still staying away from him. She did not try to run or scream for help, perhaps she knew she had no chance to escape if she did.

  “My name is Travis, Travis Bowshot.”

  “Bowshot is your last name?” she asked, one of her eyebrows rising.

  “Bowshot is my surname, my pack name and the name of my home,” he said.

  The female’s eyes grew wide and her lips formed an O. “You’re from Bowshot? I didn’t know that was a town.”

  “It’s my home,” Travis said. He could smell her fear dissipating as she seemed to be warming up to him.

  “Did you grow up there?” she asked.

  “Most of my life,” Travis said.

  “Where did you live beforehand?” she asked. This one was getting very inquisitive; her fear was all but gone now. Travis found it odd she’d want to have this discussion in the dark with someone that had just made her nearly wet the bed. Perhaps she wasn’t as dumb and weak as he had thought just a minute ago.

  “With my mother, until I was twelve.”

  “Is that like a hippie commune? The only person we ever see in town from Bowshot is a large, bearded, mountain man named Jacob or something. I thought Bowshot was just the name of his cabin in the woods, I didn’t know there was a whole community.”

  “Jacob was our alpha,” he said. “I do not know what a hippie commune is.”

  “Are you guys like end of the world types? Are you preparing for the apocalypse out there?”

  Travis sniffed the air for an answer, was she serious? Were all humans this inquisitive? He was dangerously close to telling her his secret; humans weren’t supposed to know about their existence.

  “I am sorry to have bothered you, female,” he said, standing up beside the bed. “I appreciate you nursing me back to health after my injuries. It appears they were as much my fault as yours. I must be going.”

  “Wait!” she said, jumping up from the bed and fumbling through the dark for him. He stopped at the doorway, turning to see her tumble out of her bed and onto her face. Why did humans sleep so far off the ground?

  “I must be going,” he said again.

  “It’s the middle of the night though,” she said. “Stay, please. In the morning I can give you a ride to wherever you need to go.”

  “The night is the best time for me,” he said. “I will be lazy and tired by morning.”

  “What are you nocturnal?” she asked, laughing.

  “Yes,” he said bluntly.

  “Oh,” she muttered. “Still, don’t run off. You don’t even have clothes on.”

  “Neither do you,” Travis said.

  The human female quickly covered her breasts and backed away from him, towards a closet door.

  “I’d forgotten about that,” she said, embarrassment evident in her voice. Travis had never been embarrassed in his life, but he had learned this human emotion from the few books he had learned to read on at Jacob’s.

  The human slid into a long pink bathrobe that completely covered her naked form and made her look even larger. Were human males attracted to this?

  “I feel terrible about hitting you,” she said. “Plus I can go steal some clothes from my store in the morning. I don’t know how you do it in Bowshot, but you can’t walk around naked here.”

  Travis knew that, he hadn’t planned on remaining human for long though. It’d be easier for him to move in wolf form. His sight, smell and speed all increased in wolf form. The humans might think it odd to see a wolf the size of a small bear wandering around town, but he could escape them easily enough. Still, perhaps this human female could be useful. She might know where to point him to look for these wererats.

  “Very well, female,” he said. “I will return to your couch and sleep.”

  “Please call me Paige,” she said, smiling.

  “Goodnight Paige,” Travis said, turning and walking out of her room. He did not want to sleep anymore, but he had no pack to rely on. Allies would be very important in his upcoming battle, even if they were covered in useless pink, plump flesh.

  Chapter 6

  Did last night happen? Paige thought as she opened her eyes the next morning. Yes it did, it had to have happened.<
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  She slid out of bed silently and stalked down the hallway, moving as quietly as a church mouse. She stopped right before the living room, holding her breath so as not to make a sound. Just as she peeked around the corner Travis’ eyes flew open.

  “I could hear you coming a mile away,” he said. “You are very noisy.”

  She laughed and walked completely into the room, still covered in her pink bathrobe. Travis had grown modest overnight and pulled the blanket from the back of the couch over himself. His muscular chest and huge, boulder-like shoulders still sat out, teasing Paige as she stared at them.

  “I was trying to be quiet,” she said.

  “Is that a joke?” Travis asked.

  “No,” she said. She didn’t know if he was serious or just trying to be funny, had he really heard her?

  “You told me you could get me some clothes,” Travis said, sitting up. “I am growing tired of walking around naked. I understand it is frowned upon around here.”

  “Do you walk around naked in Bowshot?” she asked.

  “We don’t shackle ourselves with human clothes when at home,” Travis said, looking around.

  “What do you mean human clothes?” Paige asked. She was just now noticing orange his eyes were; she had never seen anyone with eyes like that.

  “I mean the clothes you wear every day,” Travis said, looking up to meet her gaze. The look on his face warned her not to delve any deeper.

  “Well I can get you some from the store,” she said. “I don’t think Billy is working today.”

  “Who is Billy?” Travis asked, a hint of edge in his voice.

  “He’s my brother and he owns the store I work in,” she said. “If Duncan is working today then I shouldn’t have any problems.”

  “Very well,” Travis said, standing up and letting the blanket fall to the ground.

  Holy hell, Paige thought, feeling her vagina spasm at the sight of his naked body. He was a very attractive man with the biggest penis she had ever seen.

  “Can you put something on?” she asked, turning away.

  “Of course,” Travis said, bending over and wrapping the blanket around his waist. “I don’t mean to trouble you, but I am very hungry.”

  He’s so damn polite, Paige thought. Then again that Jacob guy was always really friendly, I guess he taught him well.

  “I have some cereal,” she said.

  Travis’ nose wrinkled and his tongue stuck out. “Do you have any meat? I prefer not to poison my body.”

  Oh god, Paige thought. He’s one of those paleo people.

  Billy had recently flung himself into the middle of the paleo diet craze, eating only meat, fruits and vegetables. He had leaned out tremendously, but Paige just didn’t understand how you could go without bread.

  “I have some eggs,” she said.

  “That’s perfect,” Travis said. “Are they in the ice box? I will get them.”

  “Yeah they’re there,” she said as she watched Travis saunter over to the fridge. He pulled out the carton of eggs and licked his lips as he set it on the table.

  “Do you want a pan to scramble them in or a pot to boil them in?” Paige asked, walking into the kitchen and opening the cabinet.

  “Excuse me?” Travis asked.

  She turned, and spun back around, trying not to throw up in the sink. Travis had cracked one egg open and was letting the raw yolk drain into his mouth. She turned and caught him doing it with another egg, a look of pure enjoyment on his face.

  “I’m going to be sick,” she said.

  Travis ignored her and finished off the entire dozen before wiping his mouth. “That was great, really hit the spot. Now about those clothes....”

  “I’m getting them!” Paige said, turning and running to her bedroom.

  What the hell is this guy’s deal? she thought as she quickly pulled on a pair of sweats and a t-shirt to run down to the store in.

  It was strange, he didn’t scare her or make her nervous. She didn’t feel any ill will coming from him, but there was still something off about him. He wasn’t stupid and he wasn’t simple, he was just different.

  “I’ll be right back,” Paige said, walking back into the living room. “What are you doing?”

  “Are you going to eat this bacon?” Travis asked, pulling a raw strip out and dangling it over his mouth.

  “No it’s all you,” she said. “I don’t think I can eat for the rest of the day.”

  “Suit yourself,” Travis said, gobbling the raw piece greedily.

  Paige shuddered and walked out of her trailer. It was a cool morning and she hadn’t thought to grab a jacket. The October air cut right through her t-shirt causing goose bumps to pop up all over her skin. She ignored the feeling and jogged down the hill towards the store.

  “Son of a bitch,” Paige cursed as she jogged to the back door. Duncan’s 1989 Chevrolet Silverado was parked out front, announcing to the world he was on duty. She had hoped he would be late as usual, allowing her free run of the store.

  Paige opened the rickety back door quietly and then held it until it shut completely. It was an old wooden screen door that creaked constantly, but today somebody above smiled on her and kept the door silent.

  With all the stealth of a bull, Paige snuck out of the backroom and down the aisle to the back where they kept clothes. Duncan was at the front of the store, frying burritos and chicken strips for the lunch rush. He had his back to the rest of the store and the radio turned up. The morning crowd had moved on and things wouldn’t pick up again until lunchtime.

  She dropped to her knees in front of the clothes rack, grabbing a 34 waist pair of jeans and an XL t-shirt that said “I love a redneck woman” on it. She giggled internally at the thought of brawny Travis wearing such a ridiculous shirt.

  “What are you doing?” Duncan said.

  Paige turned to see him standing over her with one eye cocked. She had always been cool with Duncan; he was close to her age and spent most of his time stoned out of his mind. When he was sober though, he was Billy’s lapdog. She didn’t know exactly why he sucked up to Billy so much, but it was probably because nobody else in town would hire him. His pot-loving reputation was well earned in Wounded Bow.

  “Hey Duncan,” she said, managing a nervous laugh. “How was the breakfast rush?”

  “Not too bad,” Duncan said. “What are you doing with those clothes?”

  “I need them,” Paige said. It was the only thing that came to her mind.

  “Those are men’s clothes,” Duncan said. “I know you have huge boobs, but an XL seems a little big.”

  Duncan was always teasing her about the size of her boobs, but she let him get away with it. She wasn’t his type and she knew it, plus she had no desire to hook up with Wounded Bow’s High Times representative.

  “Yeah, but I need them,” she said. Her mind was a blank slate right now. She never did well under pressure and today was no different.

  “Those look a little small for Randy,” Duncan said. He had never liked Randy, but then again nobody really did.

  “They aren’t for Randy,” Paige said. “We’re through.” She had no clue why she was telling him this, the words were just coming out now with no thought behind them.

  “You’re through? I thought you went to see him for the weekend. When I saw you I figured you brought him back with you. Damn honey, what happened?”

  “I caught him in bed with someone else,” Paige said, standing up and slipping the clothes behind her back, out of sight out of mind-especially for Duncan.

  “That’s terrible,” Duncan said. “What’s wrong with that guy? Doesn’t he know he isn’t going to do any better?”

  “He seems to think he can,” Paige said. Randy wasn’t the smallest guy in the world, but he wasn’t fat either. Skinny Duncan was convinced Randy was an obese swine.

  “Well, his loss,” Duncan said, standing in
front of her with his dopey smile.

  “Is something burning?” she asked. There was smoke coming from the front of the store.

  “Awww god dammit!” Duncan hollered, running to the front of the store. “See you later Paige-turner!”

  She watched him rush to the front before spinning around and grabbing a pair of boots off the wall and running through the back of the store. They kept clothes on hand for travelers passing through, but they usually never sold any of them. Billy would surely notice the missing inventory, but she didn’t care at this point.

  When she burst through the front door Travis was sitting calmly on her couch, the TV remote in his hand.

  “This is an interesting show,” he said. “This Cesar Millan fellow has a way with dogs.”

  “I’m sure he does,” Paige said, collapsing into her armchair. She looked over at Travis who was staring at her intently. “Here’s your clothes.”

  She tossed the clothes at him before giving him a wink. He responded by standing up, letting the towel fall to the ground to reveal the monstrous snake between his legs.

  I’m never going to get used to that, she thought, turning away.

  Chapter 7

  Travis felt restricted in the jeans and t-shirt she had brought to him, he was used to running naked and free. He had rarely worn human clothes in his lifetime.

  I guess I may be wearing these quite often, he thought. The human seems oblivious to my true nature though.

  He had done his best to appear as a strange, country simpleton. Studying the human he realized she was buying the strange part, but not the stupid part. He had done his best to keep his temper in check, although he’d wanted to scream at the simple creature for daring to question an alpha wolf the couple of times she had done it this morning.

  Just be calm, he thought. She’s not a member of your pack, you can’t boss her like you could the others. She is less than you and you must pity her.