Howl of the Wolf

Chapter Six

Sabrina forced her eyes open, fighting the darkness that threatened to claim her. Ignoring the throbbing in the back of her skull, she turned her head toward the wolf. He was spinning madly, head tipped back as he howled his displeasure.

What was happening?

The wolf was carved from wood. It wasn’t real. But there was no denying the growl that grew louder with each passing second.

It was making her dizzy to watch him so she closed her eyes and tried to figure out what she should do. Call animal control? They’d think she was out of her mind. Call her friends? She had no idea how dangerous the creature was.

She opened her eyes and made herself look again. What she was thinking was insane. An inanimate object didn’t come to life. That was impossible.

Yet the wolf was still in the corner, moving faster and faster. Suddenly, the creature sank down on his back haunches. Muscles straining, he launched himself into the air straight at her.

She thought she might have screamed, but she couldn’t be sure. There was no time. She thrust her arms out in front of her, but there was no stopping the wolf’s momentum as he flew through the air.

At the last possible second, the wolf twisted in midair, arching his spine as he hit the sofa a few feet away from her.

“Holy shit.”

The wolf scrambled to his feet, faced the now empty corner of the room and displayed his razor sharp fangs. She couldn’t blame him for being upset. She never wanted to go through anything like that ever again.

Her head was still whirling, making her stomach slightly unsettled, but the pounding in the back of her head was down to a dull roar. She didn’t think she had a concussion. At least she hoped she didn’t.

Now that the world had stopped spinning, she was faced with the reality of a massive wolf hunkered down a few feet away from her, watching her intently through eyes as black as midnight. He was much larger than any wolf species she’d ever heard of, and she’d studied them plenty during her teenage obsession with them. He resembled a gigantic timber wolf.

“Nice wolf.” She kept her voice pitched low, not wanting to startle him in any way. His paws were huge and the claws at the end of them were nothing to fool around with. He could kill her with one swipe.

The wolf moved slowly, as though he was trying not to spook her. Muscles flexed and rippled beneath his shiny coat of fur. Sabrina held her breath, hoping, praying he wouldn’t attack.

He climbed down off the sofa and began to explore his surroundings. Maybe he was hungry. Not that she had much to feed him. She didn’t think he’d particularly enjoy vanilla yogurt or peanut butter and crackers, which were her staples. The only meat she had on hand was some two-day-old sweet and sour chicken.

His toenails clicked on the hardwood planks as he wandered into the dining area. She sucked in a breath and slowly moved her hand toward her phone. She’d call Tilly. That woman knew everyone and could call in some men to help her contain the wolf until he could be released back into the wild.

Sensing her movement, the wolf spun around and growled. Her hand fell back to her side.

And common sense came to the fore. What exactly would she tell Mathilda? Oh, the wood carousel animal I bought from Jules came to life and is standing in my living room. Her friend wouldn’t contact animal control. She’d contact the psychiatric ward of the hospital and Sabrina wouldn’t blame her a bit.

She was beginning to wonder if she was losing her mind.

The wolf really was spectacular. Fierce and wild, he made her heart ache just looking at him.

His fur was a combination of black and gray, his eyes dark and fathomless. It was as though he could see into her very soul. She lost herself in those eyes for a few seconds before reluctantly shaking herself out from under his spell. And muscular, that was an understatement. The wolf had muscles on his muscles.

He padded toward her, his big paws making no sound. She held out her hand as fear skated through her. He hadn’t hurt her so far, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t.

Surprisingly, the creature stopped a few feet away from her. He kept his gaze locked on her and his body began to shimmer in front of her. Sabrina sat up straighter. What was happening?

Digging her fingers into one of the throw pillows on the sofa, she watched in awe and fear as the wolf began to change before her. Fur was absorbed into his body to reveal smooth, tanned flesh. Claws retracted and paws became hands and feet. The wolf stood upright, his snout shortening, his jaw retracting.

Sabrina shook her head in disbelief, ignoring the slight twinge of pain at the back of her skull. A man stood before her, naked and perfectly formed—washboard abs, well-defined pecs, thighs like tree trunks. A thatch of dark hair covered his chest and arrowed downward to his groin.

Her breathing was fast and shallow and she made herself take slower breaths. Last thing she wanted to do was hyperventilate. But it wasn’t easy. Sweat popped out on her back and forehead and her heart raced along at a speed much too fast for comfort. She rubbed her chest and tried to calm herself.

She swallowed past the lump in her throat as her gaze slid over his erection. The guy was hard and thick everywhere. His cock twitched under her perusal.

He gave a low growl and she jerked her eyes up to his face, ignoring the heat creeping up her cheeks. She couldn’t believe she was ogling the guy instead of offering him the soft cotton throw lying across the back of her sofa.

His face stopped her breath. She knew that face, the hard line of his powerful jaw, his thin lips, his straight nose and broad forehead. Crap, this was the guy from her daydream.

Maybe she’d hit her head harder than she’d thought. After all, a wolf had just shifted into a man in front of her. Maybe she’d connected the man and the wolf in her subconscious because of her daydream.

Or maybe she was still deep in a meditative state and had only dreamed the wolf was real and that she’d been thrown from his back. Maybe this was nothing more than a vision, one she was supposed to learn something from. That made perfect sense and allowed her to feel as though she wasn’t totally losing it.

“Okay, I can deal with this.” She really didn’t have much choice. Last night’s debacle with whatever evil was trying to invade her life had shown her that much. Hiding her head in the sand wouldn’t help. First thing she had to do was figure out what was real and what was nothing more than imagination or a vision.

“Who are you?”

He rubbed a hand over his chest and she bit her bottom lip to keep from groaning aloud. Really, it wasn’t fair of him to bring attention to all that prime male real estate he was showing off.

Sabrina ignored the heaviness invading her breasts, the way her nipples puckered and rubbed against the cups of her bra. And she really was trying not to notice how damp her panties were growing with each passing second.

What was wrong with her? She’d never become aroused during any other vision quest she’d taken.

“Arand.” The word sounded rusty, as though he wasn’t used to speaking. At least that was consistent with the daydream she’d had in the café. Maybe her mind was simply combining all her thoughts together to help her sort through them. She could deal with that.

“What just happened?” Maybe if she got him talking, the vision would play itself out and she’d find herself back in her living room with her carved wolf sitting in the corner.

That thought made her incredibly sad and she found herself having to blink back tears.

He spread his arms out to his side. The guy was only a few inches taller than her, but he was built like the side of a mountain, wide and unyielding. “You have released me from the curse.”

Okay, that was new. She’d never dreamed that before. Knowing she’d probably regret it, she asked anyway. “What curse?”

He narrowed his gaze and strode toward her. She jumped up from her seat on the sofa and backed away from him. “Stay right there. That’s close enough.”

He frowned and she sensed his displeasure. “You’re afraid of me.”

She was kind of afraid. Any woman would be when faced with a large, naked stranger, even if it was only part of a vision. Still, she wasn’t about to admit it. “Not afraid. Cautious.”

His lips twitched, but he didn’t smile. She found herself wondering what he’d look like if he did smile. He was hotter than any underwear model or actor she’d ever laid eyes on. It was taking all her willpower not to melt into a gooey heap at his feet he was so darn sexy. Of course, he wasn’t real so it was okay to feel that way. Or at least that’s what she kept telling herself.

“You were telling me about the curse.” she reminded him. If she could figure out why her subconscious had conjured him, she could get rid of him.

She nibbled on her bottom lip. And she wanted him gone, didn’t she? Of course she did.

He raked his fingers through his shaggy mane of hair, leaving it tousled and sexy. She curled her hands into fists at her side to keep from reaching out to touch his hair to see if it was as soft as it appeared.

“I am an immortal warrior of the Lady of the Beasts.” There was both pride and affection in his voice.

Okay, that wasn’t what she expected, not at all. She’d never even heard of the Lady of the Beasts. “Go on.”

“I was one of seven, all part-men, part-beast. We lived in peace until the Greek gods came. They wanted power and took it, forcing my Lady to fight.”

She took a small step back. Anger radiated from him as he spoke, and she didn’t want that fury directed her way.

Eyes narrowing, he glared at her. “The battle raged for weeks, months, years. Who knows how long? Time is fluid during such times. There were too many of them—gods and goddesses, warriors and demons.”

She shivered when he mentioned demons and wrapped her arms around herself, feeling a sudden chill. She was afraid the story wasn’t going to have a happy ending. “What happened to the Lady?”

Anguish filled his eyes and his jaw hardened. “We fought and would have continued to fight, but Hades was getting too close.”

“Hades?” She knew who he was. “What happened then, Arand?” His name flowed easily from her lips.

“The Lady knew she couldn’t defeat them, that Hades would capture her.”

“Not kill her?” she interrupted to ask.

He shook his head. “No, a god does not kill another. That is the only rule they all abide by. It would set a bad precedent.”

“Makes sense.” If one god killed another then no one was safe. “Then what did he do to her? And what happened to you?”

He began to pace like a caged animal, striding from one end of the room to the other. Not that he had much space to maneuver, but he was using every square inch of it. The room seemed to shrink with him in it. He exuded such power and energy it filled the area.

“What happened?” He whirled around and pinned her with a glare. “She cursed us, her loyal warriors.” He stalked toward her as she continued to move away until there was nowhere left for her to go. Back against the wall, she faced him.

His breath was almost hot against her cheek as he leaned inward, blocking everything else from her field of vision. “For more than five thousand years, we sat in our animal forms, unable to move, to eat, to talk. The only thing that kept us sane was the ability to absorb the advancements of mankind. As history changed, we learned and waited.”

His anguish made her heart ache, and she reached out to him, touching the hard curve of his jaw. “I’m sure she felt she was doing the right thing.”

His glare let her know he didn’t share her opinion. She dropped her hand back by her side. He was crowding her, but she didn’t really feel afraid of him. Crazy, but true. His nudity was a bit of a problem though. His erection was bumping against her stomach. He seemed oblivious, but she certainly wasn’t.

“Hades could not take us to Hell as he took the Lady, but he could not afford to leave us unattended. For century upon century, Hades’ minions guarded us, at first in damp caves, later in castles and finally warehouses. Then several decades ago, everything changed. His demons built a carousel, placing all of us on the ride. But it was never shown publicly as Hades’ carnival toured the world, searching, forever searching.”

Sabrina was half afraid to ask, but knew she had no other choice. “Searching for what?”

He cupped her face with one large, rough hand, holding her prisoner with his black stare. This man was dangerous, and she was very glad she wasn’t his enemy. “For you.” He gently brushed the pad of his thumb against the side of her cheek. “For special women like you, ones who could release us from captivity.”

Warmth spread from her skin where he touched it and meandered through her entire body. She fought the sensual lethargy threatening to engulf her. “So only a small group of women could break the curse?”

He nodded.

She nibbled on her bottom lip. The whole carnival and carousel idea was obviously an offshoot from the wolf she’d purchased. It all made sense when she broke it down. The curse clearly was a manifestation of her fear of whatever evil seemed to be stalking her.

Sabrina was more convinced than ever that she was having some sort of vision quest designed to help her understand what was happening in her life. Many times what she was shown during her deep meditations was meant to be a metaphor, a symbol for something she needed to know or understand. She’d ask Jessica and Tilly what they thought. In fact, she’d call them as soon as she pulled herself out of this vision. But first, she needed to pay attention to what Arand was telling her.

“Yes. One by one, they found the carnival and the carousel, releasing the first of us decades ago. I am the last.”

“So what happened to them all?”

His scowl deepened and the power of his anger sucked the air from the room, making it hard to catch a breath. “Mordecai, that devious serpent, killed the woman who released him and joined Hades.”

“Killed her?” Her voice squeaked and dread filled her belly. She didn’t like this part of the story at all.

He continued on as though he hadn’t heard her at all. “Phoenix and Stavros disappeared, their women also dead.”

She was trembling now and wanted out of this vision. She’d had more than enough of this place. She put her hands over her ears. “La, la, la, la, la.”

He twined his strong fingers around her wrists and pulled her hands away from her head. “What are you doing?” There was deep concern in his voice.

“What does it look like? I’m trying to pull myself out of this vision I’m having. I’m so deep in my meditative state it’s like a dream I can’t wake up from.”

“You don’t believe me.” His words echoed with sorrow, but she could not allow herself to care.

“I believe you’re a spirit guide, part of the vision I’m having. I’m in a meditative trance, sitting on the back of the carnival wolf I bought. You’re supposed to tell me something about whatever evil is stalking me.”

He froze, every muscle in his body seeming to go on alert. He cocked his head to one side and it took her a moment to realize he was listening. Then he sniffed the air, much like a dog, or a wolf. “We are alone. There is no evil here now.”

She found she believed him, sensed he would know if there was anyone or anything else with them. “What about the other warriors?” She really didn’t want to discuss the evil presence that had been in her apartment last evening. She also knew she needed to listen to whatever Arand had to tell her if she was going to get the most out of this vision quest.

Arand studied her for a long moment before continuing. “Roric, Marco and Leander were all set free.” He sighed and shook his head. “I’m not sure, but I believe they found a way to defeat Hades and free themselves from the curse.”

Now it was her turn to frown. “I thought the curse was broken now that you’re free.” She didn’t think she had anything to do with setting him free, but she was curious about the whole curse thing. Maybe it could help her figure out what evil was stalking her and how to break free from it.

She leaned against the wall, studying Arand’s strong jaw, broad nose and dark eyes. He really was attractive in a rugged, masculine way. And he was certainly at home with his body and sexuality, not bothered at all by the lack of clothing. She wished she were half as confident.

“Hades is coming for me, for us. We have to evade him for twenty-four hours and then we will be free.”

Sabrina snapped to attention. “Whoa, back up. What do you mean Hades is coming for us, for me?” She swallowed hard, fighting of a wave of nausea. She knew something evil was stalking her, but she’d been holding out some small grain of hope that it wasn’t the devil himself.

She silently whispered a small prayer, glad she had Jessica’s beads wrapped around her wrist and Tilly’s amulet around her neck. They weren’t much protection against such a powerful force, but they made her feel better, stronger.

Arand rested his forehead against hers and wrapped his strong hands around her shoulders. “Hades wants me to join him. If I will not, he’ll try to kill me.”

“And me, what about me?” She hated the way her voice trembled.

“You, he will want to kill you and steal your soul.”

Sabrina shook her head. Enough was enough. “Okay, time for you to go. I need to pull myself out of this trance and figure things out.”

Arand frowned. “You still do not believe me?”

She tried to push him aside, but it was like trying to move a slab of granite. “You’re a vision, a part of my meditation. You’re not real.”

But if he wasn’t real, why was he so damn heavy?