Just One Bite: Dances With Werewolves Book One Read online

  “Tonight will be your first transition.”

  “My what?” She didn’t want to know.

  “You get to meet your inner canine.” He smiled. “Don’t worry. I’ll talk you through it. After you get used to it, you’ll enjoy it.”

  “Great. Now I really will be a bitch.”

  “That’s the spirit.” He chuckled as he signed his credit card receipt. “We’ll go to your place to pick up some comfy clothes and then I’ll take you to a remote cabin—”

  “Oh good.” She jumped up and followed him out the door.

  “—where we’ll be able to transition without you having to deal with my relatives.”

  “Oh. I thought we were going to…” She licked her lips.

  “I know, but I think maybe we should wait.”

  “Why?” She couldn’t keep the strangled howl out of her voice. Here she was willing to do anything to screw the guy and he wasn’t interested. What the hell was wrong with him? Or what was wrong with her?

  He handed her the seatbelt and she glared at him. Maybe he preferred his women to play hard to get. She could do that.

  “I don’t want you either.” She stared resolutely out the window. Was it working? She wanted to look back to see if maybe he was reaching one hand out to stroke her back. One tanned, warm soft hand with a slightly roughened thumb pad to soothe the tense muscles on the back of her neck then caress down to…. Damn. He was watching the road.

  By the time they pulled up outside her apartment, Rosie was steaming. What sort of egotistical bastard was he? She jumped out before the car had completely stopped and found herself stumbling for her footing as she made her way up to her apartment building.

  “Just grab something loose and cozy,” he called from the car.

  Sure. She’d show him loose and cozy. Hell if she’d throw herself at the ungrateful wretch any more. She almost took the apartment door off its hinge in her eagerness to get away from him. Inside her own place, she paced the small rooms in frustration. She resisted the urge to trash the place, instead trying to focus on what to bring. Were you supposed to brush your teeth after transitioning? Shower? Ohhh, maybe have sex? Shut up! She wasn’t having sex with Lucas now even if he begged. Mmm, but he would look so great begging. Wearing nothing but a sexy leer…

  What was she doing? He was engaged!

  Rosie grabbed the largest sweat suit she owned then switched it for her lycra jogging suit. No. She picked up the bulky sweat suit again and ran out the door. No sex with the liar, she reminded herself. She threw herself into the car and slumped angrily into the seat. She couldn’t remember the last time she felt this enraged with anyone. And could she possibly be hungry again?

  As if answering, her stomach grumbled loudly.

  “I like a woman with an appetite, but I think maybe we should let the first steak settle before we get you more,” he told her with an annoying chuckle.

  “Oh, shut up.”

  Rosie watched the scenery whir by. It gradually changed from grey tall buildings to a softer, lusher green landscape. She was momentarily distracted by the inner life lurking behind the thick veil of ferns, bushes, and evergreen trees. A hawk, frozen in anticipation, scanned the ground below its perch for a fresh victim. A squirrel further down the road flitted among the branches. The forest seemed to be teeming with life she’d never noticed before. And as dusk fell there was a more vibrant feel to the woods calling to her.

  The car wound along a bumpy dirt road with branches emitting low squeals as they scraped the side of the car. A large thump and the car landed emphatically on the other side of a massive root. Lucas cut the engine.

  “What?” She looked at him with suspicion.

  “We have to walk a little way. Bring your clothes.” He started through the overgrown footpath and Rosie followed. It was getting darker, but luckily the full moon gave her enough light to see her footing. His speedy pace precluded conversation. He stopped and she plowed into him from behind. After a quick sniffing of the air, he turned to her.

  “Okay, it’s safe.” He walked into the clearing and she could see a little shack with the door broken open just behind him.

  “This is it?”

  “Yup.” He took her sweats from her and put them down on the dirty wood floor. Luckily, she hadn’t brought her expensive jogging suit.

  “So shall we try it?” He smiled reassuringly at her. “Take off all your clothes and kneel on your sweats.”

  “What?”

  “Well it won’t work with clothes on. You’d get all tangled up in the material. I’ll look away.”

  “You get naked first.”

  “All right. But no sex.”

  “Hmmph. You think?” Her mouth watered at the sight of his lean back and tight butt.

  “Strip,” he ordered. “Then kneel down like this… Good. Close your eyes and I want you to envision a wolf.”

  “But I don’t…

  “You do, too, but okay, envision a dog. Not a Chihuahua, please. How about Buddy?”

  “But that’s you?” Oh God, was Lucas really Buddy? She’d been so caught up in thinking about sex, the rest of the agenda hadn’t really hit her. Was she actually going to turn into a wolf? That was impossible.

  “Rosie.” He waved his hand in front of her face. “Look, you really have to try to focus. I want you to envision a canine. Picture it in your mind. The physicality, the structure, the smell. Now feel your thigh muscles tightening, scrunching. Your back legs are becoming… dog like. See the changes in your mind then project that vision into your bones and muscles. Feel your spine. Follow your back bone from the base of your neck, through your back, and feel it extend beyond your tailbone. Feel it stretching toward the sky. Your shoulders are hunching, your arms tightening, your hands curling in, folding. The muscles are shifting, your bones are changing…”

  A loud popping noise startled Rosie out of the hypnotic lull of his voice and a strange yelp came out of her mouth.

  “Good. Concentrate harder. Keep your eyes closed. Your head is soft, malleable. You feel your ears reaching to the sky. Your nose is pulling forward.”

  The popping noises were almost deafening.

  “Keep your eyes closed. Imagine the hairs on your legs growing thicker. Feel that same sensation on your arms, your back, your face, your entire body.”

  Rosie kept her eyes closed. And waited. When she was sure he’d stopped talking and there were no more weird noises, she cautiously opened one eye. There was a brown furry paw just under her eye. She opened her other eye. Yup. Those were definitely paws. She followed them up to her shoulders and chest, now covered in the same thick fur. She could hear cracking noises beside her but was too enthralled with her own changes to care.

  Holy crap!

  She brushed her paw against her face and could feel the texture of fur on fur. Turning her neck, she saw a beautiful fluffy tail. She twitched her backside and watched as the tail swished gracefully from side to side. It was hers! Her back paw reached up to scratch her shoulder before she’d even mentally acknowledged the itch. Well that was useful. She turned around to get a better look at herself wishing there was a mirror somewhere. Damn. She looked good. She heard a short bark beside her and looked over at Lucas.

  How had she been fooled before into thinking Lucas and Buddy were two separate beings? And he was beautiful. She smiled back at him feeling inordinately proud of her transition. Damn, she was good!

  “Okay, let’s go,” Lucas barked as he started out the doorway.

  She followed, the dry coarse wood of the floor changing to a damp, dirt and underbrush beneath her paws. It felt good though—freeing—as they trotted through the deep woods, leaping fallen trees, pausing to sniff to see who else had been by. One smell concerned her and Lucas swiftly allayed her fears. There had been a bear, but the track was old and it was long gone. It was thrilling being out in the woods late at night without having to worry. She belonged out here. As they continued running in a seemingly random fashi
on, a thought jumped into her head.

  “Hey, will you remember how to get back there?”

  “To the cabin?” Lucas looked at her in surprise. “I thought you were keeping track of directions.”

  “What?” She couldn’t tell from his expression if he was pulling her leg.

  “We’ll go a little further and see if anything looks familiar.”

  “But shouldn’t we stop and try to retrace…?”

  Lucas was off and running again. One thing for sure, she didn’t want to be alone out here, so Rosie rushed to catch him. Just when she was starting to flag, Lucas stopped.

  “How do you feel?”

  “Good. A little tired,” she admitted.

  “We’ll rest a bit then head back.”

  “So you do know the way?”

  “No. But you probably do.” He sat down and quietly licked his paw.

  Rosie copied him and was amazed to find that it felt quite good. And her fur looked better with even that little bit of grooming. She turned to try and get a good look at her tail—it really was a pretty one—when she heard Lucas laughing at her.

  “What?”

  “Nothing.” His lips curled up in a secret smile. “Okay. Lead us back.”

  “But I don’t…” She cocked her head and thought about it. “This way.”

  They were slower on their way back with Rosie leading, but she was amazed that she somehow knew which way to go. She figured if she was wrong, he’d tell her. And when she saw the little cabin she howled with glee, the sound of her voice immediately shocking her into silence.

  When they entered the cabin another fear struck her. Changing back?

  “You just think the process in reverse,” he assured her. “Same position, same envisioning. Go from your haunches to your head, then release the fur last so you aren’t cold for too long.” He stretched into the position to demonstrate.

  Rosie knelt beside him and tried thinking about her legs in human form.

  “Hey,” she asked quickly before she heard any popping sounds. “Can I envision my body better than it was?”

  “Not possible,” he answered. “Aside from the fact that you’re naturally perfect.”

  “Hah.”

  “Your own body is the one you transition into. The same one you changed out of.”

  “Darn.” Rosie hunkered down to think about her butt and thighs.

  Well even if he said it wouldn’t work, she was still going to try to envision skinny thighs. She felt everything popping and stretching as she went mentally through her body parts. She could hear Lucas beside her quietly coaching. She felt reluctant to give up her glorious tail but somehow it didn’t seem a practical asset in human form. Dissolving the fur, as Lucas described it, made for an instant cold draft in parts that weren’t used to cold drafts. She threw on her sweats as soon as she’d checked that she had all the right body parts.

  “Well what do you think?” Lucas looked at her expectantly.

  “Um, that was fun. But does it have to happen on a full moon?”

  “Yes. On full moons we have to change, other times are optional.”

  “What happens if you don’t change?”

  “I’m not sure. There are stories about relatives being locked up crazy and sort of stuck halfway, but I don’t know if they’re true. And then there was this basketball playing teen wolf…”

  “What? ... Oh, the movie. Ha-ha.”

  “So if you’d like I’ll introduce you to the clan over the next month. They can help with any questions then you can talk to some women who might know stuff I don’t.”

  “Great.” Rosie feigned enthusiasm. Damn, was this his way of passing her off to other people?

  “Well, let’s go. We still have quite a ride back to the city.”

  He almost seemed business-like as he herded her to the car. Was he embarrassed by her weird, sex crazed attack earlier? You’d think a guy would like that—unless he was totally repulsed by the woman. Or he was engaged. Shit. She’d forgotten about his fiancée entirely. Rosie looked out the window wondering if there was anything she could say to apologize without making everything worse.

  “Hey, Rosie.” His voice cut through her recriminations.

  “Yeah?”

  “You okay?”

  Rosie felt like crying at the concern in his voice. “Sure. I’m just a little overwhelmed I guess. It’s been a looong day.”

  “I know. I’ll take you home. Tomorrow you should feel back to normal for a while.”

  “For a while?”

  “Well then your body will start gearing up for the next full moon and the winter solstice. But don’t worry. The pack will help you through all this.”

  “Great.” This time she couldn’t summon up the energy to even pretend enthusiasm. His consolatory pat on her shoulder didn’t help. Finally they reached her apartment.

  “Thanks for helping me and… I guess I’ll see you around.” Rosie smiled and then quickly made her way to her apartment building before she started to cry. He was still a jerk who’d cheated on his fiancée, but after he’d helped her through tonight she now had an even bigger crush on him. And he hadn’t taken sexual advantage of her despite her pleading. Although whether that was out of honor or he just wasn’t attracted to her, it was hard to know. And now because of the damn wolf thing, she was probably going to be thrown in with him and his beautiful fiancée over and over again. Yuck.

  CHAPTER 7

  Lucas watched her fade away behind the glass doors of her apartment building. Damn. He’d been so close. Should he have taken her up on her sexual offerings? It had almost killed him to resist her, but somehow it’d seemed wrong to exploit her vulnerability. If they’d made love then transitioned maybe she wouldn’t have walked away from him so easily just now.

  But in between her lust-drive, she’d said she hated him. So how could he use her hormonal moon urges against her? Sex without love would be much what Annabelle had been pushing for. But he wanted Rosie’s heart as well as her body.

  His car purred to life and he reluctantly pulled away from her curb. There was an informal meeting at his parents’ place and he was already late. Although most of the clan’s censure would fall on Annabelle for her attempted murder and accidental biting of Rosie, he would also be held accountable for dallying with a human in the first place. His mother would be incensed, especially after all her efforts in their engagement and wedding plans. Strangely enough his father was the more romantic of the pair and might see his point of view.

  There were many cars surrounding the mansion and Lucas had to park a distance away. This didn’t bode well.

  “I didn’t mean to bump her into traffic.” Annabelle ran to him for support as soon as he entered the ballroom.

  The din that had greeted his arrival immediately quieted. The crowd looked at him with impatience. Would he back up Annabelle’s protestations of innocence?

  “Hello to you, too, Annabelle.” He wasn’t going to say anything until he knew what had already been discussed. He wasn’t prepared to lie, but if there was a way he could ease Rosie’s introduction into the clan then that would be his first priority.

  “This meeting was for one a.m.” His mother stared pointedly at the grandfather clock now gearing up for the two o’clock chime.

  “Sorry, Mother.”

  “We’ve been hearing various versions of this despicable saga, and it seems you being at the heart of it could at least have had the decency to arrive on time.”

  She was angry. What had been said?

  “Well I’m here now.” He exhaled and went for it. “Fire away.”

  “Who’s the tramp, and how could you cheat on my baby?” Annabelle’s father’s voice boomed with indignation.

  “Rosie is not a tramp.” Lucas chose his words carefully. “I began seeing her before Annabelle and I were engaged. I never cheated on Annabelle after the engagement.”

  “That’s not true!” Annabelle wailed. “You wouldn’t slee—I mean�
� You were out jogging with her on Sunday.”

  “I was not. I went to look for her after you flooded my basement.”

  “I didn’t do that. Must’ve been some vandals.”

  “Joseph has already confessed, Annabelle,” Robert interjected smoothly. “He says you… convinced him to do it.”

  “He’s a liar.” Annabelle’s lips pressed into two thin lines. “He stole Daddy’s booze, too, I caught him.” Her father looked shocked at this admission.

  “Back to the matter at hand,” Lucas’ father interrupted. “How did the human get bitten?”

  “Her name is Rosie,” Lucas reminded him. “I saw Annabelle bump Rosie into the traffic at Pike and Main.” There was a collective gasp as the crowd took in the implications. Apparently, Annabelle hadn’t mentioned where the incident had taken place. “I pushed Rosie to safety from the other side. Then Annabelle attacked me. Rosie went to pull Annabelle away from me and that’s when Annabelle bit her.”

  “It was all an accident.” Annabelle fought the rising tide of sentiment against her.

  “Not according to Larry. He says he saw you jump on the woman from behind.” Robert’s voice was cool and detached. Lucas observed him with newfound admiration just imagining the horrendous emotions he must be feeling.

  “He lies. Besides, it was just a joke.”

  “You’re very lucky Lucas saved the human, young lady.” Lucas grimaced as his father continued to refer to Rosie as “the human.” “As it is, attempted homicide is a much lesser charge. The council will convene to discuss your punishment.” He turned to Lucas. “And what is your excuse? You have endangered the pack by getting involved with a human and dishonored your family.”

  “I love her,” Lucas stated simply.

  “I told you he cheated,” Annabelle cried.

  “No I didn’t.” Lucas rubbed his face in frustration. “But it doesn’t matter anyway because she doesn’t love me. I showed her how to transition tonight—yes, Annabelle’s bite did the trick and Rosie is now a full-fledged, if confused, werewolf. What’s done is done. What matters now is giving Rosie—who is blameless in all this—the support she needs so she won’t be overwhelmed by all the changes.”