Elizabeth and the Vampire's Cabin(29)

Elizabeth studied Gar and wondered how well he thrived when not in the wilderness. Aaron looked different, but he could still pass for a normal, modern-day human. Gar, on the other hand, had the classic Neanderthal look: bow legged and bow armed. His bulky body was similar to a chimp's. He moved while hunched over and his head jutted forward because of his angled posture. He also had the thick brow ridges she was accustomed to seeing on Aaron. Gar had obviously inherited more of the Neanderthal genes than Aaron had.

"I just can't believe my cabin is holding up as well as it has been. Marnie and Lyle make regular trips out to do maintenance and bring groceries. But they spend a good amount of time at Arthur's guest house. He gets bug infestations of all kinds and those pipes must be nearly ruined considering how often they clog. I'm just thanking my lucky stars the cabin isn't like that." And then Aaron abruptly changed the subject and said, "Gar, Elizabeth has decided she wants to remain a dog. Obviously, the first person I thought of who would benefit from this is yourself."

Gar inspected Elizabeth and walked around her slowly.

"She's a beautiful animal. And from what you've been saying, an even more beautiful woman. I used to have a half vampire mate during the Iron Age. What do you want for her?"

"Nothing. You can have her if you want. Would you like to try her out first? Just to see if it's going to work out."

"Sure!" said Gar. "Just keep her on a tight leash for now so she can't go too far. I'm bigger than her but having her chained is best for now."

Aaron tightened the leash so Elizabeth wouldn't be able to move very far. Her assumption was that Gar wanted a pet half vampire with the ability to take the form of a dog. She was expecting him to pet her, inspect her teeth, paws, and coat. She was totally unprepared for what actually happened. Gar morphed into a giant wolf. There were no wolves like this in the modern world. This was some kind of prehistoric beast related to gray wolves. A natural, animal instinct of intimidation began to fill her. When Gar moved close to her face to sniff her she tried to nip at him. She let out an angry growl. Gar stepped back with his tongue hanging out. He was panting and salivating over her. Then he moved back and around. He quickly went to her rear and began to sniff. Elizabeth tried to whirl on him, but her leash was too tight and Aaron gripped her body with his other hand to prevent her from moving. So she let out a loud growl.

"Gar, stop," Aaron said.

Reluctantly, Gar backed away and sat on his haunches.

"Elizabeth, I'm going to give you two options. If you want me to remove this collar so you can change back into human form and go back to the cabin with me, then bark once. If you want to stay a dog and make puppies with Gar then bark twice."

Elizabeth barked once and Aaron immediately took off the collar. Elizabeth changed back into herself and so did Gar.

"Wow," Gar let out a whistle. "She's even more beautiful than you've been saying. I think I'd like to keep her anyway, if you don't mind."

"Actually, I do mind, Gar. I'll be taking her with me. Sorry it didn't work out."

"What! You said I could have her if I want her!"

"I know, but Elizabeth doesn't agree, so there it is."

Gar looked like he was fuming inside. "She's mine!" he shouted. "You can't go back on your word!"

Aaron looked uncomfortable. Elizabeth could see he hadn't been expecting Gar's reaction to this deal gone wrong, and she wondered if they would fight. This was the first time she had ever seen Aaron nervous, and she wondered if it was because he was thinking the same thing as her: Gar was a little crazy. And apparently, Aaron hadn't known this before entering the tent. Gracefully, Aaron thanked Gar for allowing them into the tent, said goodbye, and he walked out of Gar's tent. Elizabeth felt like running out, but they walked slower than they really needed to. Elizabeth wondered if this was Aaron's way of telling Gar, You don't scare me! At a run, she guessed they could have gotten back to the cabin in about a minute. But they walked at a leisurely human pace. She breathed in deeply, enjoying the freshness of the air. The cold no longer bothered her, because she was half vampire. Instead, she felt like there was always a comfy invisible coat around her when the temperature cooled. Without having cold as a distraction it helped her to focus on her other vampiric senses. Smells, sounds, and sights all had a life of their own now, and her own body felt alive in this worldly presence. She glanced over at Aaron but his eyes were straight ahead and betrayed nothing. She wondered what he was thinking and then became disgusted with herself for actually caring about his thoughts. She knew she had lost this battle, but she hadn't lost the war. She was more determined than ever to get away from Aaron, and now that she had this new strength, she knew she could make it happen. She just needed the opportunity. She was not a praying woman, but she prayed now that whatever higher power existed would help her find the means to escape.