Appetites Page 4

  “Sure thing. Come on back whenever you’re ready.”

  We were pretty slammed in the garage the rest of the morning. Beauford may be in the middle of nowhere, but that’s just it, it’s in the middle of nowhere, and Larry and I are a class act as far as fixing cars goes. Miss Katharine wandered back about lunchtime with a few bags. I told Larry I’d take care of her and went to get his keys.

  “Hey, Katharine,” I said. I stretched out my arms and neck when I hit the patch of sun just in front of the garage doors. “I’ll get you settled. How about some lunch first?” She looked a little wary, but our eyes met and she bowed her head slightly and nodded her assent. “All right then. I’ll take you to the pub. We’re just a little kink in the road and we don’t have much, but the Bluebell’s got great breakfasts and the Star’s got the best burgers I’ve had anywhere.”

  I settled us into a booth in back and ordered a bacon cheeseburger, rare, with all the fixins, a plate of sweet potato fries, and a Coke. She started to order a salad, but I put my hand on hers and said, “Remember? Best burgers. And I know you aren’t a vegetarian.”

  She looked at my hand and then at my eyes and said to me, instead of the waitress, “Okay. Cheeseburger, medium-well, with lettuce, tomatoes, and onions and a Dr. Pepper. The waitress wrote her order down and went off toward the kitchen.

  When we were alone I said, “Look, you’re in the best place you can be. You can’t get back to Idaho today, that’s a given, so you should make the best of a bad situation. I’m not going to take you to the motel; I’m going to take you home with me.”

  She pulled her hand back. “No! I can’t go home with you. No. You don’t know...I’m not like...You don’t know me...”

  “Katharine, I know you.” I looked into her eyes. “I know who you are and I know what you are and I know we’re the same. I have a house up the mountain, away from everything, on the prettiest piece of woods you’d ever want to see. There’s nothing out there but some deer and coyotes. There’s the occasional cougar and maybe, if you’re lucky, you might see a black bear or even a moose, but there ain’t any people. So you’ll be safe.”

  Her eyes filled up. “How—how’d you know?” she whispered.

  “How’d you not know? That’s the question. Honey, I could smell you a mile away. Like calls to like.” She looked at me like I was speaking a different language. “Is this—wait a minute. Is this your first season? No, it’s not your first; you were way too intent on getting out of town. But it’s not long, is it?”

  “It’s my fourth time,” she said, tears and defiance in her eyes.

  “But surely someone must have helped you through it all. I mean, the one who turned you...” I could tell that was something worse than a sore subject.

  “No one. There was no one.”

  “I’ll take care of you. Don’t you worry about it. Let’s get out of here and go home, where we can talk.” We walked back to the garage to get the truck. I let Larry know I was taking Katherine but that I’d be back before closing to swap out his truck for my bike.

  “Hey, Van, don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” he said.

  “Larry, you old dog! It ain’t like that.” Well, it wasn’t. She was in a bad place and I’d never take advantage like that. But that didn’t mean I hadn’t thought about getting closer. I think I’d like that—if things were different. That red hair, those green eyes, and that tight butt? Oh yeah, I’d like that—if things were different.

  I think the farther up the mountain we went, the more relaxed she got. She knew I was taking her out to the back of beyond.

  The story wasn’t a good one. The creature that turned her and ran off. She never knew who the human counterpart was and she had to find out about being a wolf on her own. I can’t even imagine. If Stokeley’s brother hadn’t found me and brought me to the pack, I don’t know what I might have done. But Katharine had no one to tell her the lore or show her the ropes. All she knew was that she’d become a monster and her only thought was to get away from people.

  After she told me what she knew about her changing and I told her my story, she asked me the hard questions—the ones even I didn’t have answers to.

  “No, I’m just not the pack kind of girl. It made me feel too confined. I don’t like living by other folks’ rules, you know? I guess I’m just a lone wolf.” I barked a laugh. “But I can find out about any packs in your area. You know, get you involved with the people out your way. I think, when you’re new to shifting, a pack is good. It’s good to have folks standing behind you, teaching you, helping you, running with you. Well, you’ll see tonight. We’ll run together and you’ll see what that’s like.”

  I carried her suitcase up to the guest bedroom and told her to make herself comfortable. “I’m just going to switch Larry’s truck out. I’ll be back soon. It’ll be a few hours yet before sundown.”

  When I came back, she was sitting on the couch in a pair of really short cutoffs and a white a-shirt, feet up on the coffee table, watching the news on TV. She was all legs and arms, long and lean and so sexy. I cleared my throat and she looked at me.

  “So, here’s the thing, you probably already know this, but I don’t know what you do and don’t know yet—but it’s easier to get naked before you change, because, you know, if you don’t, your clothes will get all ripped up. I’m just sayin’.”

  She looked at me and said, “Yeah, I figured that one out last month. Sometimes I can be a little slow.”

  “And it’s a good idea to be outside before the moon rises, you know, so your house doesn’t get torn up.”

  She nodded, “Yep, makes sense.”

  “I also built an outside shower off the back deck so you don’t track in mud ‘n, you know, stuff.” I felt so nervous talking to her. She was just watching me from the couch, looking like she was taking it all in, but I was practically vibrating with nerves, not to mention starting to sweat. It didn’t make any sense. I was telling her normal, everyday stuff, well, if you’re a werewolf, but still, nothing earth shaking. I was beginning to feel like I could fall into her green eyes and take a swim, though. Maybe that had something to do with it. I cleared my throat again.

  “So, a shower, that’s a great idea. Maybe I’ll do that when I get home,” she said. “Are you okay? You look a little, um...Would you like some coffee? I made some while you were gone.”

  “Sure, great,” I said. “Just black.”

  She walked into the kitchen. “I know. I was watching you at breakfast.”

  Huh, no shit. I took the proffered coffee and sat down on the couch with her. I was afraid it’d be too weak, but it was good—nice and strong.

  We chatted a little bit and she put her hand on my thigh. “I just want to, um...” She gave me a quick peck on the lips. “I just wanted to do that before we, you know. I just wanted to, you know, to thank you for what you’re doing.”

  I reached the short distance to her neck and brought her face back to me, and my lips locked on hers. She tasted so sweet. My heart began to pound and my blood sang in my veins. It had been a long time since I’d had this kind of reaction to a girl. Since before the change. I hadn’t let myself get close to anyone since, hadn’t wanted to. But maybe it was because I just hadn’t found the right person. Or, it could be nothing. Wolves mate for life, but we aren’t above a nip and tumble with a sexy piece of fluff, either. So, maybe she was just a sexy piece of fluff.

  While she was busy kissing me back, I reached under her shirt and snaked my hand up to a breast. She wasn’t wearing a bra and her tit was just the right size for my hand. I gave it a nice, friendly squeeze before rubbing it in circles, pressing harder with each rotation. When she moaned into my mouth, I squeezed and dragged her to her feet so I could slide the shirt up over her head and throw it on the floor.

  We gazed at each other as she unbuttoned her shorts and I slipped my t-shirt off and threw it on the floor with hers. As she slid her shorts and underwear down those long legs, I quickly undid my jean
s and reached down to untie my boots so I could kick them off and finish getting my jeans off. I couldn’t stop looking at her. She was gorgeous: long legs, curvy hips and a round, killer ass, and those teacup breasts. My mouth latched onto one while I took hold of her hip and let my other hand run up and down her back, sliding over that luscious bottom.

  Her hands were busy too. On my breasts, on my back, on my ass, until her fingers snaked their way into my pussy and I jumped. I half pulled and half dragged her outside. I could feel the moon and I knew she couldn’t sense it yet. The moon on full days made me practically writhe with sexuality. It’s the hot blood. Usually I sated the desire with hunting and the very literal taste of hot blood coating my throat and running down my chest, but tonight I wanted to sate it with something else.

  The moon took her and she fell to the ground and screamed. The scream morphed into a howl as she became more wolf than human. I watched her change because I knew she didn’t have control. It wasn’t the same for me. I could wait until the last minute and change almost instantaneously. So I waited and watched and protected her.

  Once her metamorphosis was complete, she lay on her side, panting, tired, I knew, from the pain and physicality involved in the change. I caught her eye and flipped a switch in my brain and almost immediately my wolf stood before her on four legs. She started to get up but I knocked her back down with my paw and growled deep in the back of my throat. She had to know who was in charge. She didn’t know where she was and I had to keep her safe. That meant she had to be submissive to me.

  She backed away on her belly and raised her rear end, keeping her forelegs on the ground and her head down. What a beautiful creature. She was red, blond, and black brindle and still had those amazing green eyes. I remember the human world when I’m a wolf, but not in the same way I do as a human. I think the same holds true when I lose the wolf. I can remember what it felt like, but not in the same way I do as a wolf. I do, however, remember everything I did, which can sometimes be a blessing and sometimes a curse because it really is the blood I crave.

  I rolled her over onto her back and gripped her throat loosely in my teeth, not to hurt her, but to seal her submissive bargain. She closed her eyes and whined and I licked her mouth, sniffed her paws and her sex. Then, stealing a little lick, I bounded back a foot, allowing her to rise. She understood, got up and shook herself then followed me as I moved off into the woods. I trotted out slowly until I knew she’d have no trouble keeping up, and then we were both racing the moon. And the feel of the wind and the scent of the earth fed an intangible sense of freedom. But now I was hungry. Hungry for meat and bone and blood.

  I stopped and listened. I smelled fresh water and a decent-sized animal ahead, maybe fifty feet. We crept closer and sighted a single beaver in the creek ahead. Circling round behind it, I waited for my moment and pounced, going for the throat. The beaver screamed and twisted under me and managed to bite my shoulder before I could get a good grip on him. Katharine jumped into the creek to help with the kill and got smacked with the creature’s tail, but together, we managed a fairly easy kill.

  Dragging the carcass up the bank, we blooded ourselves and feasted on the meat. After drinking our fill of water a little ways up the creek, we viewed the moon through the trees. I began to howl and she joined in. Nothing feels better than a full belly and a good howl. We ran a bit more and finally settled down to sleep off the meal.

  I awoke the next morning to find myself spooning Katharine, my legs entwined with hers, her head resting on my arm, and my other arm thrown protectively over her. Waking up naked in the woods is usually a bit disconcerting. I have to say, it’s much nicer waking up naked in the woods, wrapped around a beautiful woman. I nuzzled against her neck and she awoke and stretched in my arms.

  “Good morning, sleepy head,” I said. Somehow I knew that a kiss would be a bad idea, at least until we’d had a chance to get home and cleaned up. I seldom strayed very far from my house on full moon nights, so we didn’t have far to go. Both our bodies were streaked with mud and dried blood. It’s never bothered me before, but I wasn’t sure how Katharine would react. I had no idea what she’d done her first four months as a wolf and I was afraid, based on her propensity for salads, that she’d be upset, but she seemed to take it in stride.

  We showered together and, once clean, lingered under the water a while. I kissed her and then spun her to push my chest against her back. Wrapping my arms around her I hugged her.

  “What did you think of last night?” I asked. “Was it better, worse, or the same?” I ran a hand over both breasts and down her belly.

  “I liked it. I’ve never enjoyed my wolf before.” She leaned back against me, resting her head on my shoulder. “It was easy—nice—running with you. I’ve killed before but hated every moment of it. I didn’t hate it last night.”

  My fingers played in her pubic hair as she talked.

  “I could sense your joy and, I don’t know, maybe it was catching. All I know is I had a good time last night and I never thought I’d be able to say that. So thank you.”

  My hand continued down and I split her pussy open with my finger and began to rub. She jumped back and yipped.

  “What’s the matter?” I asked.

  “Well,” she said. “I’m sore, there. Really sore, you know?”

  I knelt down in the shower and gently parted her folds. Her lips were swollen and puffy and her sex was red and a little raw looking. And then I remembered.

  “Oh, man, I’m sorry,” I said.

  “No, it’s okay,” she said. “I remember it was really nice while you were doing it.”

  I remembered spending I don’t know how long, but a long time last night, licking and nipping at her sex. It could have been hours. It was like I couldn’t get enough of her and her hot, tasty blood. And now we were both paying the price. I started to laugh. What else could I do? I turned off the water and grabbed a towel for her and one for me.

  “Well, fuck,” I said. “I guess that means no sex. I’ll try to remember not to do that again tonight.”

  “Oh, I don’t know,” she said. “I kinda liked it.”

  Kissing Whiskey

  Lauren Jade

  It was almost one in the morning when I finally pried myself away from my office and out into the frigid February air. I breathed the chill deep into my lungs, trying to replace the stale heat that I’d been sucking in for...how many hours this week? Sixty at least, and it was only Thursday. Technically Friday now. I lit a cigarette and pulled my scarf around my neck. Everything ached as I began the hike down the block and around the corner to my favorite bar. My feet hurt from walking in ridiculous shoes for sixteen hours. My stomach twisted, reminding me that all I’d allowed myself time to eat was an apple and a granola bar several hours ago. My mind raced, guilting me, reminding me of all the papers, projects, and deadlines that I had just walked away from.

  I took another drag. I wanted so many things at once, I felt like I could crawl out of my skin. Food, sleep, a hot shower. A drink would have to do for now, because more than any of those other things, I craved what I’d been spending so much time at work trying to attain—the head brand manager position at Brooklyn and Burm. I tossed my cigarette butt on the sidewalk in front of me and stomped it out with my black, pointed-toed shoe. I’d only been at the marketing firm for three years and had already worked my way up from office bitch to client acquisition, to account supervisor, to brand manager. But I knew a supervisory position was coming open, and more than any of the other needs I had, I needed that position. I wanted that power, that control, that feeling of really being someone important, rather than just another big city transplant trying to make it in the world of business.

  I turned the corner and opened the door to Kelley’s, the closest bar to my office. The warm air hit me as I closed the door behind me and I looked around to see one lone man sitting at the bar. Fuck, I thought, noticing that there wasn’t any music playing. The only sound was the somewhat
familiar-looking barkeep wiping everything down behind the counter. Until she turned to look at me.

  “You’re closing, aren’t you?”

  “Yeah, you just missed last call. We close at one, Monday through Thursday.”

  She brushed her long bangs out of her eyes and returned to cleaning. The man who’d been sitting at the bar laid some cash down and brushed past me out the door. I sighed and pulled my coat around me tighter, preparing to brave the windy night again. “Sorry to bother you, thanks anyway,” I said, trying not to let my voice sound as defeated as I felt. I turned and reached for the door.

  “Hey, hang on just a minute,” the bartender shouted at me. “Come on, sit down. I’ve got to finish cleaning up in here; you might as well keep me company.” She tossed her towel on the bar and fumbled a set of keys out of her pocket.

  “You really don’t have to put yourself out for me,” I offered only to be polite. Inside I was screaming with joy just at the thought of sitting down. She smiled and walked to the door.

  “It’s not any trouble at all, really.” She passed me to lock the front doors and after giving them a tug she turned and motioned to the bar. “Have a seat.”

  I headed to the bar and shed my wool peacoat and scarf and lay them across the retro-looking barstool beside me. “What’ll it be?” she asked, propping herself up with one arm against the tall oak counter.

  “Whiskey, please.” I replied, sliding into the seat. “Jack Daniels, if you have it.”

  She turned to get the tall brown bottle off the shelf. “Whiskey and Coke, whiskey sour, whiskey what?” she asked while she retrieved a glass.

  “Whiskey and whiskey.”

  She blinked at me a few times and then smiled. “It’s going to be that kind of Valentine’s Day, huh?” she poured the brown liquid into the glass and slid it in front of me where I grabbed it with both hands.

  “I guess it is Valentine’s Day, isn’t it?”