Luke snapped his head back to me. “You want more proof than what I’ve shown you?” he asked me.
“If you want me to believe you, then yes,” I shot back.
He stood and hefted me up with him. “Alistair, hold her for a moment, will you?” Alistair raised an eyebrow, but came over to firmly hold my arms. Luke stepped back five yards and narrowed his eyes. “I will show you proof, but don’t blame anyone but yourself for your fear.”
I didn’t know what to expect, but his body changing wasn’t one of them. His muscles swelled and bulged out of his white nightshirt and pants. Fur sprouted all over his body, and his hands and feet lengthened to long, dangerous claws. His face stretched out into a long snout and his ears became pointed and fuzzy. He bent over on all fours as though it was a natural position, and when he lifted his head a great howl escaped from his mouth full of razor-sharp teeth.
Luke turned his orange eyes on me and stomped toward where I stood. I pushed back against Alistair, but the manservant held me tight against his chest so I couldn’t escape. Luke stopped a foot from me and his nostrils flared as he looked me over. I shut my eyes and turned my head away. All I could imagine was being fed to this creature, this monster. He leaned forward and his nose brushed against my hair. I shuddered and whimpered, and he pulled away. I didn’t hear anything for a long while, so I dared to open my eyes. Luke stood in front of me human once more and completely naked. I blushed, gave myself a moment to admire his nice package and muscles, and slammed shut my eyes.
“Now do you believe me?” he asked me. I furiously nodded my head. “Good. Take her to her room. She can stay in there until we leave.”
8
I didn’t fight to free myself. What would have been the point when I had to go up against something like that? All those times I escaped were lucky breaks, surprise attacks against a man. Now I understood who, or rather what, I was dealing with and frankly it scared the shit out of me. Alistair led me to my room and locked me inside. I stumbled over to the bed, but my legs didn’t make it and I collapsed to the floor. My thoughts buzzed with the incredible, terrifying miracle that I’d just seen. It all seemed so fantastic, so impossible, so-
“-screwed. . .” I muttered. That was the general gist of my situation, and I shuffled over to the bed and fell face-first on top of it. I was captured by a monster, probably two when including Alistair, and they were going to take me to someplace far away where nobody would ever find me. “How did I ever get into this mess?” I grumbled.
The day passed through my depression and crying, and I occasionally checked the time on the watch. Five o’clock rolled around and there was a knock on my door, followed soon by it opening. Alistair stood with a suitcase in each hand and a surprisingly apprehensive expression on his face. “I have your clothes for the trip if you would like to inspect them.”
I wiped the most recent tears from my eyes and sat up. “What does that matter? You’ll just make me wear them anyway.”
“I wish to know if I matched your style. I only had the clothes you’re wearing to guide me.”
I turned away from him, and burned holes into the floor with my glare. “I don’t care.”
I heard him drop the suitcase and walk over to me. His feet came into my vision and I cringed away from him. He knelt down in front of me so his eyes stared into mine. They actually held pity. “This isn’t easy for you, Miss Becky, but things will improve.”
I scoffed and fought back tears. “How?”
“In time your freedom will be returned to you, I swear it on my service to the family.”
A bitter smile slipped onto my lips. “Is that a swear you won’t break?” I asked him.
He firmly nodded. “Indeed, it is.”
I sighed and nodded. “Fine, I’ll see them.” Truth be told I was a little curious to see what he’d bought for me to wear, and a little eager to get out of the dirty ones I was wearing. Alistair picked up the suitcases, and led me over to the table. He dropped one beside the table and hefted the other onto the top. He clicked open the latch and opened the lid while I stood by, though far enough not to brush against him. Knowing he was a werewolf made me feel a creepy vibe come off him. He stepped back and let me have free rein, and I stepped forward and rummaged through the contents. Jeans, check. Shirts, check. Socks, check. Even a new pair of nice shoes. “Not bad, not bad. Really high-end stuff,” I complimented him. Alistair actually smiled and bowed his head. I finished rummaging and realized there were two important pieces of clothing missing, so I glanced down at the other suitcase.
Alistair noticed where my attention turned, and coughed. “Yes, miss. Your more personal things are inside. If you will excuse me I have other-”
“Hold it right there, mister.” I wasn’t going to let him get away until I’d inspected everything, so I switched the luggage and opened the second one. Inside was a collection of underwear and bras I could only classify as extra-large Victoria’s secret. I pulled out a scanty piece of fabric that loosely resembled underwear, and looked through it at Alistair. “Mind explaining this?”
“It was at Master Luke’s insistence,” he defended himself.
“Uh-huh, likely story,” I replied. It was actually the most likely story, so I dropped the fabric back into the suitcase and watched it flutter down atop the pile. “I suppose this stuff will work.” I couldn’t hide the pleasure in my voice at his gifts of clothes.
“Master Luke will be pleased, but I’m afraid we must hurry. We mustn’t miss the train,” Alistair reminded me.
“Yeah, that would be a real bummer. . .” I mumbled.
“She has time to change,” a voice spoke up. We glanced over to the door and saw Luke in the doorway. He had on the same casual attire I’d first seen him in, the shirt and pants, and he strode over to the table. I recalled his transformation earlier that day, and put the table between us. Luke glanced over the clothes and nodded approvingly. “Some very good choices, Alistair.”
Alistair bowed his head. “Thank you, sir.”
Luke turned his eyes on me, and I shuddered against the heat hidden in their depths. Some anger still resided in them, too. “Where what’s most comfortable. The train runs smoothly, but the trip is a long one.” He turned on his heels and left the room.
Alistair turned and bowed at me. “Please hurry with your dressing,” he repeated. He left and locked the room behind him. I didn’t have any other choice but to dress, and choice a pair of jeans with a simple t-shirt. I’d just finished when there was a rap on the door. “Are you done, miss?” Alistair called through the entrance.
“Yeah,” I glumly replied.
Alistair opened the door and showed himself wearing a coat with one draped over his arm. “If you would put this on we can leave.” It was a beautiful, thick, blue-colored coat with fur trimmings on the large hood and cuffs. He held it open and I hesitantly slipped into the sleeves. It was snug and warm, and I wanted to bury myself in it. Alistair picked up my loose clothes, carefully put them in their suitcases and closed the clasps. “If you would follow me.”
He walked out of the room and I followed. Fleeting thoughts of escape were quashed when Luke exited his room with a suitcase in hand. He stepped up to my side and Alistair guided us down the twisting staircase and into the main hallway. I hadn’t gotten a good look at it the last time I was down here, and I had to admire the decor. The walls were painted white and the floors were made of a light-colored wood. The main lower passage was in the shape of a lowercase ‘t’ and the intersection was at the staircase. Behind us was the rear of the house where stood the large lawn that lay outside my bedroom windows. In front lay the front door and the small entrance hall. To the left and right was another hall, and I knew to the left lay Luke’s book-filled study.
Alistair led us through the front doors and to a black sedan with heavily tinted windows parked in the gravel driveway. He dropped the suitcases in the trunk and opened the rear door. I hesitated, but Luke put his hand on my lower back and guided me forward. I turned and glared at him, but he only nodded at the door. I sighed and slid into the leather seat. While Luke handed his suitcase to Alistair I tested the door to my left, but it was locked. The pair slipped into the car, Luke beside me and Alistair at the wheel.
We pulled out of the circular drive and traveled down a dirt road. I turned away from Luke and glanced out the window. There was nothing but dark shapes of trees as far as I could see. “The view is much better during the day,” Luke informed me. I ignored his words, but I couldn’t ignore his hand when it settled on my shoulder. I flinched at the touch, but he turned me so I faced him. “You’re afraid of me,” he stated rather than asked.
“It’s kind of hard not to be,” I replied.
“Because I’m a monster?” he guessed. I shrank back from him and nodded. “The monster may be more than skin-deep, but it doesn’t consume me like it does for some normal men.”
“But you’re not normal,” I argued.