Wolfs choice, p.3
Wolf's Choice, page 3
I was panting, but not with effort. Joy suffused every inch of my body and it took a concerted effort not to circle back around and find Jack so I could leap up and lick his dimpled cheek.
He’d given me the fun role and called it a favor. Had he guessed what a wonder this run would become?
I made only one mistake. A rat scampered across my path and I lunged without thinking. Food. It was just the right size to swallow in one bite. A to-go meal with no pesky wrapper. The local fast-food establishments should have taken note.
What I didn’t expect was for my snack to fight back. It reared up on its hind paws and bared its rodent teeth at me. And that delayed me long enough for the closest wolf to come within literal barking range.
There were no words to go with the sound, but my muscles seized up rather than carrying me forward. I could barely twitch, definitely couldn’t walk. Running was out of the question.
Was this what it felt like to have an alpha command thrown at you as a werewolf? My already wobbly stomach turned wobblier. My gorge threatened to rise.
Well, I’d been leading my pursuers afield long enough. The wolf I was mimicking had to be long gone by now. Jack would be waiting for me back where this had all started, my sword resting on his shoulder and that irresistible dimple indenting his left cheek.
He’d also have a second memory waiting to replace the one I’d used up creating this lupine body. So I took the easy way out. I let myself topple over into the shadows to ensure the approaching wolves wouldn’t see what was happening. Then I disintegrated the tangible body I’d found so enthralling, the alpha command sloughing off me along with my mortality. Wafting back into full-on kami, I snickered in silence while my pursuers sniffed for a full quarter hour trying to figure out how I’d escaped.
Nobody ended up eating the rat.
And nobody was waiting where Jack had promised to be either. The bubbly joy that had infused my lupine body stayed with me during my return to full-on kami, but now the bubbles burst as if each one had been stuck with a pin.
Jack hadn’t been doing me a favor offering me the fun job. He’d tricked me. The supposed mission of mercy had been a distraction so he could disappear and take my sword with him.
Without a body, panic felt different. Thinner but no less imperative. Could I keep stealing memories and stay in human skin if separated from my sword indefinitely? Or would I dissipate back into what I’d been before Tru’s first husband created such desperation that she’d willingly ceded her memories to me?
For a split second, I was flung back to that half-life I’d inhabited two centuries earlier. Stuck inside a weapon that moved at the will of another. Used less and less frequently, the energy top-ups had dwindled until I’d forgotten even my own name.
Without my sword, would I recede even further now? Would I slowly but surely disintegrate until I was nothing more than a mindless shred of floating light?
Clasping my fists, I winced at the lack of feeling in my fingers. I should have found a way to cling to the form of the wolf until I was sure I had a way into another body. I should have…
Water over the dam. Now was the time to take advantage of my clear kami brain and solve this problem.
Only, my brain wasn’t as clear as it should have been. Thoughts that almost felt human drifted across my consciousness. Regret that Jack hadn’t been who I thought he was. Loss as I recalled the tantalizing scents that had wafted through my lupine nostrils before I stupidly shed a perfectly serviceable body.
Wait—scent. Surely I could use aroma to trail Jack from this spot?
Unfortunately, my current nose was just an illusion. Without a real body, I couldn’t soak up smells. All I could do was spin around in something midway between terror and fury.
Which is when I caught sight of the note.
The bright yellow flier whipped in the breeze from its lone attachment point on the side of the closest telephone pole. Its flapping motion captured my attention, and as I leaned closer I saw that the original advertisement was for one of those scammy work-from-home gigs that never quite materialized into actual money. Over top, however, someone had used a sharpie to draw big arrows pointing to my name, then had scrawled an address along one side.
The flier was wrinkled and sun-bleached but the writing appeared fresh. Fresh enough to have been left today by Jack?
My name wasn’t common knowledge and this clue was the only one that had the slightest chance of returning me to my sword’s vicinity. It was the only hope Jack hadn’t lied when he sent me away.
I told myself it was for the sword and not for Jack that I set off so quickly across the waking city. Then I made three wrong turns in quick succession. I knew these streets, so why did I end up at a playground instead of at my intended destination?
Finally, though, I found the right location. Stairs led down into what appeared to be a small basement apartment beneath a corner convenience store. Without letting myself stop to consider, I wafted directly through the closed door.
The space I found myself in was windowless and small and should have been depressing. Instead, it gave off an eclectic yet whimsical air, much like Jack did himself. Three novelty coffee mugs were lined up along a wall ledge on one side of the room. On the other side was what at first appeared to be an inspirational poster, until I read the words beneath the picture: If at first you don’t succeed, take a long nap.
The combination of mugs and poster created a vibe that appeared at once temporary and also thoroughly lived in. As if wherever Jack lodged, he tried to inject both levity and fun into the space.
Not that where I was mattered nearly as much as who and what was here with me. Relief buoyed me up as I noted the poster tube that presumably contained my sword leaning against one wall as if it had been dropped there. After that, my gaze slid over to Jack, who lounged upon the large bed pressed up against the furthest wall.
He was wearing most of the clothes he’d had on when last I saw him. Only his suit coat was missing.
No, not missing. Just not on his shoulders. Instead, the garment in question was wrapped around an otherwise naked woman as she perched on the edge of that same bed.
The stranger was nearly as beautiful as the form I’d settled on as my own after breaking ties with Tru. Similar snub nose, similar youthful vitality. The main difference was her hair color, an eye-catching ebony rather than my own luminous blond.
I didn’t care about any of that. All I cared about was the way Jack’s clothes looked wrapped around the woman. Possessive. Protective. All I cared about was the way her eyes widened at the sight of me.
I hadn’t intended to be visible but the shock of finding an otherwise naked woman hugged by Jack’s coat had shaken up my plans. And that visibility worked against me now.
“You’re Kami,” the woman accused, surging up onto bare feet while arranging her body into a fighting stance.
Chapter 6
“You killed my alpha, prepare to die?” I answered, amused despite myself by a weaponless woman thinking she could fight a disembodied kami. And the amusement centered me enough to focus on the real problem here.
This woman had recognized me, which meant she was likely a member of the local werewolf pack. Bad news since, a month ago, I’d been involved in the death of their former pack leader. Even though the previous Chief O’Connell had been an asshole, I was sure there were many who weren’t sad to see him go.
And, yes, I’d stupidly kept using the same face I had on while walking out of that alpha’s mansion after that murder. Even knowing that my features had been caught on camera. The trouble was that each new body came with new baggage so strong it affected me even in kami form. This body seemed to be blessedly baggage-free, so I’d maintained familiar features despite the risk.
I’d been careful in other ways however. I’d kept my human head down every time I’d seen a local wolf. Until now, that is.
For a split second, I considered dealing with the woman’s recognition the easy way, neutralizing her and winning myself back a body all in one go. If I stole her memory of this moment, the recency of the lost recollection was likely to make her woozy and tired. Jack could play the hero and return her to her home, I could take my sword, and we could each go our separate ways. In the end, the woman would recover...probably.
Gray eyes bored into mine almost as if Jack could hear me considering options. He unfolded himself off the bed lithe as a wolf, the sensuality of his movement gluing my eyes to him. Suddenly, I was far less willing to take my sword and leave.
Then he was introducing the two of us as easily as if the woman didn’t appear ready to strike me and I wasn’t considering something worse than fisticuffs. “Kami, meet Mariana. Mariana, this is Kami. You have a lot in common. I think you might become friends.”
“Friends?” Mariana sniffed as if I smelled bad, which was patently impossible given my lack of a body. “I don’t think so.”
“I don’t particularly like you either,” I snapped back, an oddly un-kami-like queasiness roiling through me even though I lacked a stomach to roil. I eyed Jack’s proximity to Mariana and had to force myself once again not to consider the easy way out.
Jack wouldn’t like that. He’d think badly of me, the mere notion of which made the roiling in what wasn’t a stomach worsen.
So I sweetened my tone as best I could, trying to play along with Jack’s efforts to win over Mariana. “I have no intention of hurting you though. We saved you tonight, didn’t we? How about we call it even and agree to let bygones be bygones?”
“For the third time, I didn’t need saving.” Mariana’s exasperation came through loud and clear as she addressed Jack instead of me. “I wasn’t in any danger. I mated Xander quite willingly and I chose well as you can see now that he’s leader of our pack.”
“New leaders have a lot to prove.” Jack’s response was quiet, reassuring. As if Mariana was a scared songbird about to fly out of his hand, although from my point of view she looked more like an annoyed eagle. “New alphas often take out aggressions on their mates,” Jack continued. “In which case, it’s not disloyal for the mate in question to request outside assistance.”
“For the last time,” Mariana replied, “those were overprotective guards following me—exasperating but not perilous. The hazard is standing in front of us right now.”
She turned her head as she spoke, a hair flick in my direction the only acknowledgment of my presence. So she’d decided to speak about me instead of to me? My fingers twitched, considering the bare skin of her exposed midriff and the memories I could steal as soon as I made contact…
Instantly, Jack reached out as if to draw me up against his side. Just like with the puddle, his gesture was both useless and unnecessary. I didn’t have a body. He couldn’t have physically moved me even if he’d made contact.
Still, I found myself wafting into his personal space. My not-really-body pressed up against one that was very much real and the notion of stealing from Mariana faded once and for all.
And here’s the oddity. I shouldn’t have been able to physically note Jack’s proximity as a full-on kami. So it must have been my imagination that made his heat tangible on the side that pressed up against him. It must have been wishful thinking that allowed me to smell a seductive blend of lemon and sugar rolling off him in waves.
Then his arm came down hard on my shoulder. I was holding him up in a way that might, from the outside, have looked like a gesture of affection. I was holding him up and I was naked, something soft sliding off my back as if I’d been wearing a fur coat instead of the same clothes I’d pretended to don in front of the teenager last night.
I frowned, trying to make sense of it. Then I understood.
Jack had somehow managed to give me that promised second memory without me rooting around in his brain looking for it. He’d solidified me without me even noticing the transition. And now I had a human body again while my donor appeared to have lost most of the energy out of his.
Mariana eyed us with pursed lips. Her gaze flicked down to the floor then up again as observed, “You do realize your clothing just went poof?”
My lack of wardrobe was currently far less important than the way Jack was swaying ever so slightly. I slid one arm around his waist, grabbing hard onto his shirt to keep him upright while doing my best to get Mariana out the door. “Just trying to move this date along,” I answered. “Jack and I haven’t been mated long and clothes are such an impediment...”
As I’d hoped, Mariana’s mouth twisted as she repeated one of my words. “Mated?”
And, finally, Jack rejoined the conversation although his weight on my shoulders grew at the same time as if the act of putting a few sentences together almost counteracted his ability to stay on his feet. “You were right, Mariana. You didn’t need our help. In fact, I’ll be in your debt if you forget you ever saw Kami here.” He paused, swaying so hard I had to tense my muscles further to keep him from toppling sideways. But his voice was just as smooth as ever when he continued. “So if you change your mind about coming to me for assistance, you’ll merely be evening the scales.”
“I won’t change my mind.” However, Mariana had clearly changed her mind about me being a danger. Or maybe she liked the idea of having Jack in her debt. Either way, she preceded us across the room, Jack and me walking in tandem with his steps not quite shuffling but certainly not lifting far off the painted concrete floor. There, Mariana dropped Jack’s coat without bothering to shield her nakedness. Shifting to four paws, she glared pointedly until I opened the door and let her out.
Jack was the one who closed the door behind her. Not on purpose. He merely sagged against it so hard it slammed into its frame. Fumbling he barely managed to turn the lock with eyes closed and breath heavy. Then he went so still I thought he’d lost consciousness until he managed a single word: “Bed.”
“You shouldn’t have given me that second memory.” I was furious for some reason I couldn’t quite decipher. But I wedged my entire shoulder under his armpit and managed to half-walk, half-drag him back to the location he’d requested.
He fell into the softness, fingers I hadn’t even realized were intertwined with mine pulling me halfway down onto the bed beside him. “You’re wrong about that,” he murmured, eyes still closed. The hand that wasn’t clutching mine flung up over his head and rooted around behind the stacked pillows as if searching for something. “I promised.”
His words had been slurred, but his subsequent motions weren’t. Eyes slitting open, his grip on me tightened. Then the other hand flew down with something shiny half hidden by long fingers.
Cold metal tightened around my wrist one moment before he clicked the other side of the handcuff closed around his corresponding appendage. “Sorry.” His speech was even harder to decipher now, his eyes once again hidden by long-lashed eyelids. Falling back against the mattress a second time, he started an explanation that trailed off before it was finished. “Haven’t slept in forty-eight hours. We’ll talk in the...”
No matter how hard I yanked my arm, I couldn’t work myself free.
Chapter 7
It wasn’t as if I was truly captured. All I had to do was slough off my current body and the handcuffs would become irrelevant. I could grab another memory from Jack, pick up my sword, and walk out just like I’d considered doing earlier.
But my pesky body kept forcing me to check Jack’s pulse, even though each motion made cool metal scrape across my wrist in the process. He was so still beside me, his grace gone disjointed. Meanwhile, that formerly heavy breathing had faded to the point where I could only hear the reassuring susurration if I pressed my ear close to his nostrils. The rise and fall of his chest was barely there.
“Which is his own darn fault,” I griped aloud. I’d hoped the words would sound solid, but instead they came out more like a plea for Jack to wake up.
He didn’t...and I still kept speaking aloud, this time addressing Jack directly. “If you’d asked, I would have told you that taking two memories from the same person on the same day was a terrible idea.”
Perhaps that’s why I didn’t follow my own advice and disembody. With the door locked from the inside, Jack was the only one I could steal from if I wanted to be able to reach my sword afterwards. But Jack was unconscious due to my former thievery. What would happen if I stole yet another time while he was in such a weakened state?
“Payback is what will happen.”
Despite my muttered threat, I rifled through Jack’s pockets in search of the handcuff key instead of following the obvious escape route. Because he had to have a key. Nobody locked a handcuff around his own wrist without a way to get loose again.
His pockets were much warmer than my fingers, which had turned chilled in a way I’d forgotten while in kami form. Meanwhile, my stomach twisted, complaining about emptiness. Goosebumps prickled across my exposed flesh, a stark reminder of how vulnerable I was in a human body when lacking clothes.
“I’ll take his coat,” I decided. “As long as it doesn’t smell too much like Mariana.” I let my fingers explore further, my touch guided by both necessity and curiosity. “Any cash too. It’ll be nice not to be penniless for once.”
Chill clung to my fingertips even after I worked my way through the warmth of Jack’s shirt and front pants pockets. Which left only the coat I couldn’t reach on the other side of the room and the pocket in the back of his trousers. To get to the latter, I swung myself up on top of Jack’s wide body, knees settling on either side of his angular hips…
My cheeks flushed with heat, an unfamiliar something pulsing through my veins. Jack was asleep, unaware of the sensations that danced within me. Still, the undeniable physicality of the moment rendered me acutely aware of the single layer of fabric that separated our bare skin.
