The Keeping(142)

Cassie knew her uncle loved her and spared no expense when it came to her care, but... Something wasn’t right and she was determined to figure out what it was. Her first step was supposed to be going without her medication, but so far that wasn’t working. Still, she’d managed to avoid most of this dose. Hopefully, she’d be able to figure out a way to miss the next one as well.

Cocking her head to the side, she listened carefully. Good. No one was coming. She climbed out of bed and made her way to the window. Carefully easing the curtain aside, she took a peek. What was happening at the small hut near the back of the property? Earlier in the day, a car had been there and her uncle’s lawyer had carried something inside. Then her uncle had talked to Mr. Aldrich for awhile and the man had left, leaving the bundle behind. Her curiosity was piqued and she longed to sneak out and see what was going on.

She chuckled, thinking about how her ‘spying abilities’ had served her in the past. Uncle tried to keep her sheltered from the world and his life, but she knew more than he suspected. For example, she knew about Mr. Aldrich even though Mr. Aldrich knew nothing of her. She’d spied on several of their meetings, not really understanding what was going on, but enjoying the trick she was playing on them. As of late, her spying wasn’t so much a game as a desire for knowledge. There was a mystery surrounding her very existence and she was determined to find out what it was.

*****

Melody had listened in stunned disbelief as Ryne spouted information about werewolves, the mixing of body fluids and genetic heritage. It was preposterous of course. Her father, whoever and wherever he might be, wasn’t a werewolf. Her mother and grandparents weren’t either. Nor was she turning into one. Yet, Ryne sounded so sincere and there was the weird hallucination she’d just had where he’d changed into a wolf... She’d pinched herself several times, trying to wake herself up, but of course that only worked in fiction.

The whole situation made her head spin, and she was starting to ache all over again. If he said another word on the topic, she was sure she’d scream. She leaned her head back against the wall. “Ryne, stop it. Please. I can’t take any more of this.”

Immediately he stopped the pacing around the room that he’d been doing while lecturing her. Sitting beside her, he felt her forehead. “You’re pale and getting fevered again.”

“Yeah. This infection or ’flu or whatever—”

“I already told you what it was. Your body is undergoing changes at the cellular level.” He sounded almost angry with her that she didn’t believe his tall tale.

She licked her lips, suddenly too tired to argue. “Sure. Whatever. I hurt. My head is swimming. Even my vision is blurring.”

Ryne suddenly gripped her shoulders and made her sit up straight. “Blurred vision? Any tingling?”

Melody frowned and thought about it. “A bit. My hands and feet.”

“That’s a sign that you’re about to transform. Fight it! Don’t give in. It’s too dangerous for you to shift yet. Your body isn’t ready.”

“Fight it? Fight what? And how?”

“It’s a full moon tonight. Like I was telling you, the moon has an effect on us. The younger you are, or the closer you are to your first change, the greater the pull. You have to hold off as long as possible until your body is able to handle it.”

“Easy for you to say. How do you propose I do that?” Mel bit her lip as a wave of sensation swept over her. It was strange, like someone was pouring sand all over her, bringing to awareness nerve endings she’d never realized existed.

“Concentrate on being human. Think about your body as it is in a human state; how it feels and moves. Don’t focus on the tingling, that will only quicken the transformation.”

As soon as Ryne said to not think about it, her traitorous mind began to concentrate on nothing else. The strange feelings slowly began to build inside her. Her limbs began to tremble.

“Melody!” Ryne gave her a shake. “I said don’t think about it!”

“I’m trying, but I need a distraction! When you say don’t think about, I can’t help but think about it.”

“Fine.” He made a rumbling sound and the next thing Mel knew, she was in his arms, his lips locked on hers. At first, she stiffened in surprise, but then as he slid his tongue over hers, she began to relax, kissing him in return. The sensations that had been crawling up her arms and legs faded from awareness as Ryne caressed her back.

Mmm, it felt so good to have his warm, hard body pressed close, to have his tongue stroking hers while his hand cupped her breast. She inhaled the scent of him, the taste of him, the rumbling sound in his chest... Mel popped her eyes open. Rumbling, growling... The wolf by the river... The paw prints around her cabin...!