A large, white creature stepped into their path and caused them both to come to a sudden stop, scrambling for purchase on the soft ground. As she looked, she saw the white stag. The black wolf snarled and put himself between her and the majestic creature, his hackles raised.
“You are not this,” the white stag said.
At least, she thought it spoke.
The black wolf snarled again and gave a mock lunge toward the stag, in warning. The stag lowered its head and waved it, brandishing its huge antlers in response.
“Wait!” Lilian called out, surprised when she found herself in human form again.
“Come with me,” the stag told her.
She shook her head. “Who are you?”
The stag lifted its head and looked beyond her.
A sudden, loud knocking woke Lilian up from her sleep. She jerked upright, her heart pounding. She slid out of the bed and pulled on her clothes. When another knock echoed through the motel room, she made her way to the door, careful to make no noise. Staying low, she made sure she didn’t block the peephole.
The doorknob jiggled and Lilian looked around for another way out.
Or in.
* * * *
Matthias wandered the streets of Hawk’s Point, too antsy to return to the pack and he didn’t want to leave Lilian alone, not after everything that’d happened.
She had a right to be angry with me.
He hadn’t intended to tell her about himself, even after she revealed her own story. He also realized there must have been more to the story about Stephan, something she held back.
Had Stephan abused her sexually as well as mentally and physically? Why wouldn’t she tell him what happened? Of course, he was still a stranger to her, in her eyes, and he couldn’t blame her for not revealing everything.
He debated heading back to the motel but knew she wouldn’t have been thrilled about his presence after she’d sent him away.
There was something about her that made him want to protect her. He didn’t exactly know what, but it had started the moment he laid eyes on her at the diner, when she had spilled the cold water and iced tea over him. Her look of horror had been priceless and made him want to kiss her.
When they had kissed, he wanted to wrap his arms around her and drag her to the ground. The wolf inside him fought his control, demanded he take Lilian as his own, mate with her, claim her as his, but the man refused, tightened the leash and chained the beast.
Even now, the wolf inside him demanded he return to her, carry her kicking and screaming to his den and bind them together. Never before had his wolf-self made its desires known like this. Before, it was either because of hunger, or self-preservation, but not for mating. Still, Matthias wasn’t a rash man, and he wouldn’t allow the beast inside to rule him. He may change into an animal, but he wasn’t, nor ever would be, an animal.
Yet, he found himself making his way back to the motel.
As he rounded the corner, he came to a stop. Outside Lilian’s door stood two men he didn’t recognize. Dressed in suits, one of them fiddled with the doorknob. Matthias growled low in his throat and pushed forward with every intention of knocking their heads together.
As he approached, one of the men turned, lifted a pistol and fired at him. A high-pitched, phewt sound was followed by the whine of a bullet as it whizzed by. Matthias dodged back behind the corner.
Enough!
Matthias took a deep breath and charged around the corner, toward the men. He went for the one with the pistol who kept firing at him. When the burn of a bullet pierced his right shoulder, Matthias jerked and gave a loud roar. His muscles stretched, bones snapped and popped as his body shifted forms. By the time he had shifted to his war form, he reached the pistol-wielding agent, and Matthias swiped at the agent with a huge paw tipped with razor sharp claws. Flesh tore and blood spilt as the man screamed and dropped the pistol. The second agent spun around to face the battle. Lilian’s door flew open and the agent went flying into the parking lot.
Matthias spun toward the third form before he realized it was Lilian, and gave a soft huffing sound. The second agent got to his feet and as he drew his weapon, she made a swiping motion with a sweep of her arm. The man’s pistol went flying out of his hand and toward her.
Matthias swung a paw at the pistol and knocked it out of the way so it clattered to the pavement. He looked at her and growled. She narrowed her eyes at him, her silver gaze slashing at him in anger, but she turned her attention to the agents, who were trying to escape. One clutched his arm to his chest and ran in a not-so-steady manner. The other just ran, leaving his partner to make his own way.
Matthias started to give chase, but she stopped him.
“No, leave them be!”
He paused and looked back at her, ears perked.
She stared at him, a surprised look on her face, as if she’d just realized what he was, what he looked like. When he took a step toward her, she jerked back, so he stopped.
“Matthias, I hope?”
He nodded his huge head and took another step toward her. Again, she jerked back and he stopped.
“This is very weird,” she said. “Can you, umm, change back, please?”
Matthias huffed and closed his eyes as he concentrated. His form changed and shifted, and he groaned as his wound burned. When he resumed his human form, he staggered. Right away, she wrapped an arm around his waist.
“You’re hurt.” He could hear the worry in her voice.
“It’ll heal soon enough,” he replied, as he tried to shrug off the pain.
“Come inside.” She looked around. “I only hope no one saw anything.”
“They won’t remember it.”
Matthias let her help him inside her motel room. He could have easily walked inside without her help, but with her worrying he was going to milk it for all its worth.
“What do you mean no one will remember?” She helped him to sit on the edge of the bed.
“If we’re seen in our war form, unless they’re special in some way, not human, they won’t remember.”
“How convenient.” She hurried to the bathroom. “Don’t move. I’ll get a towel.”
Matthias waited until Lilian left the room to smile. He hadn’t wanted her to think he was amused by her concern. Not so much the concern, but it had been her bossiness which tickled him. Her bossiness and lack of fear of him, despite knowing he turned into an eight-foot monster with teeth the size of her fingers. She also seemed to have forgotten about her aversion to the sight of blood.
