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6. Graveyard
A HEAVINESS STILL pressed against my chest after Doris and Gladys left. I was lying on my bed, watching the moonlight creeping into my bedroom. The thought of my aunt, Doris, and Gladys in danger because of a new war made me sick to my stomach. Especially after I’d seen the Nazis in action. After I’d experienced what they were capable of.
A soft noise coming from the guest room jolted me. Light footsteps stole along the corridor, heading for the hallway. The front door clicked open, and the hinges, needing to be oiled, let out a squeak. I pushed aside the quilt and slid out of my bedroom in time to see a bulky dark silhouette disappearing through the front door. Roy was slipping out of the house. Through an opening between the curtains, I looked out of the window. He was climbing into his Cadet, careful to not make any noise. The clock on my nightstand read ten minutes past midnight.
Where was he going? I snatched my coat from the hook on the wall and put on my boots, not bothering to remove my nightgown. If I let out my beast, I could follow him. I drew in a breath, summoning her. My beast sprang up without effort, stretching and stirring within me. A warm rush of blood flowed to my head as my fangs and claws came out with a rush of power. My vision sharpened, and my muscles thickened. Contours and colours burst with intensity in the dim light of the moon. Dozens of sounds reached my ears, from the owls welcoming the night to the mice scurrying somewhere in the woods, and Roy’s car driving along the dirt road.
The smells of the winter night thickened the air, an onslaught of pulsating energy coming from the trees. I sprinted forward. Only a condottiero like Roy could transform into a full beast without help. Everyone else needed a partner to merge with. Thus, I didn’t grow into a fur-covered, seven-foot-tall creature that resembled a tiger or a panther. I was always myself, mostly human, only enhanced by extra strength and equipped with fangs. The surge of energy and the sharpening of the senses that came from a half transformation made me faster and stronger than my human form. Trees passed in a blur as I raced along the edge of the street.
Roy drove towards the town, the headlights of his car spreading a yellow glow on the ground. There was something liberating and empowering in letting my beast run wild under the moonlight. I couldn’t help but smile, inhaling the fresh scent of the woods. Likely, that was how the myths about werewolves had started, with a half beast enjoying a walk in the moonlight.
Energy gushed into my veins as the beast sped up, dizzy with excitement and drunk from the scents. When I was about to increase my speed, Roy stopped on the outskirts of the town, right next to the cemetery of St. Mary’s churchyard. The Victorian graves rose like spectres in the frozen mist, a petrified forest of obelisks and marble pillars. I hid behind the statue of an angel, greyed by age and weather, and clamped a hand over my mouth in case Roy heard my ragged breathing. The wind picked up again, but I was upwind, so he wouldn’t detect my scent, either.
Pulling the lapels of his long coat up, he climbed out of the car and stood beside it. His breath turned into mist in the cold air, but he didn’t move around to warm himself. I crouched, focusing on the darkness. Somewhere in the trees, an owl cried. There was a muted rustling noise, coming from the other side of the graveyard. Roy tensed as footsteps padded closer. A man appeared from behind a tomb. Moonlight lit his brown hair, straight nose, and fine features. It was Connor, Roy’s friend who worked for the secret service. If Roy was mysterious, Connor was positively enigmatic. I had no idea what he did and how his work was connected with Roy’s, but a gentleman doesn’t spy and tell.
The men exchanged a quick, practical pat on the shoulder as a greeting. No hugs, no ‘Merry Christmas,’ and no smiles.
“Did you have problems coming here?” Connor asked, searching the cemetery, hands in his pockets.
“No. Kristin had to visit her aunt for Christmas. I gave her a lift,” Roy said. Bugger it. I knew he wasn’t just being kind. “News?” His posture might look casual, but his body was taut enough to show the hidden tension.
“Yes.” Connor rubbed the back of his neck before shoving his hands in his pockets again. “I’m afraid your suspicion is well-founded. I don’t know the gravity of the situation, but it seems that the SS has a new officer, as you said.” A sad note rang in the air.
Whatever the news meant for Roy, it must have been a low blow because he swayed and put a hand on the car hood to steady himself. Even from where I was hiding, I could hear his raspy breaths and see the pallor in his cheeks.
“What am I supposed to do?” he croaked out, as if he were choking.
His pain was so palpable, a sting pierced my chest as well. Never had I heard such desperation in his voice, such a sense of loss. The same fear that had crept into his voice earlier was now shouting loudly.
Connor put a hand on his shoulder, his eyebrows drawing together. “It’s your choice. I can’t tell you what you should do. But whatever you decide, I’m ready to help you.”
The comforting words didn’t have the effect on Roy I was expecting. He didn’t sag in relief or thank him. He stepped back until Connor’s hand slid off his shoulder. “Did you report the news?” he asked, a flicker of anger in the question.
“No.” Connor gazed at the ground and shuffled his feet on the gravel. “Not yet.”
“Connor—”
“I don’t make the rules.” His head whipped up. “I can give you some time to figure out how you want to proceed, but I have to do my duty. You know that.”
The frozen air turned scorching with aggression in the span of a moment.
“How much time do I have?” Roy’s voice didn’t have the weakness of before.
“I can give you until after the holidays. Work is low anyway. After that…” Connor shrugged.
A growl rose. It was Roy’s beast coming out. He didn’t fully transform, but the dangerous flash in the depths of his amber eyes was all animal and feral. His fangs appeared from underneath his curled upper lip.
Holding up a hand, Connor shrank back. “Mate, try to understand.”
Roy’s chest rose and fell quickly, and at each move, a growl crawled out of him.
Connor flexed his fingers. “I hate having to ask you, but Kristin—”
A new growl rumbled from Roy, a deep, chilling sound that caused the hairs on the back of my neck to stand on end. Even my beast curled up in fear. The graveyard grew quiet. Only the wind shuffled the trees. The owls seemed to have disappeared.
“Be careful,” Roy said with a snarl. His muscles bulged, ripping a side of his jacket. “It’s the wrong night to provoke me, and I’m definitely the wrong man to provoke.”
Blimey. His wrath tasted like acid in the night, burning the back of my throat.
