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My mind shifted to the concern regarding the onslaught of the disease. Given the news was out about the murders, I could only imagine what fear would occur within the pack. What in the hell could Montenegro have to do with this? I knew the CEO, Christopher Montenegro. I’d gone to high school with both him and his brother. The guy was a son of a bitch even in his brilliance. Like father, like son.
However, the bastard was dangerous and wouldn’t appreciate a feisty female looking into his life or business in any manner. Something didn’t add up. Now she was asking about wolves? Another series of red flags had risen.
I knew I had to be careful how I answered. “I’m not following you.”
Vanessa eased onto the couch, tugging her feet under her. While she also had a beer in her hand, she didn’t seem interested in it in the least, merely fiddling with the label. “The Wolfen. I’ve read about them.”
“Them?” Where in the hell was this going?
“You know, dark creatures of the night capable of ripping a human into tiny pieces? That kind of wolf.” She took a long pull on her beer, her eyes never leaving mine. “Creatures so powerful, they are feared above all others. Predators whose hunger knows no bounds. The Wolfen. I understand a huge number of them live in Denver.” Her words seemed to linger in the air, creating a wave of heat surrounding my body.
“Whoa. Where did you hear that?” I managed.
She took a deep breath before answering. “When I was a child, I was drawn to a book, one that told the story of the Wolfen. Although I was merely ten years old, the words stayed with me, haunting me. I grew fascinated by the idea of them, wolves capable of living life as a human without detection. I read everything I could get my hands on, watching every television show. I just knew they were real.”
I was shocked. If she had also read the very words Blackhawk had recited to the children of the pack eons before, then one of the ancient books was missing.
“What else did you read?” I couldn’t believe I was asking. My throat was suddenly dry, a true level of concern building.
“The legend has it that the Wolfen were brought to life by an ancient disease that almost wiped out humanity and that eventually that same plague will return one day with a vengeance, creating an even more powerful breed. Humans will no longer be superior.” She half laughed. “I know, foolish, right?”
“As children, we all long for a different world than the one we’re living in.” Jesus fucking Christ.
She inched closer to the edge of the couch, leaning over until I could feel her breath dancing across my skin. I was immediately aroused, my cock pressing hard against my jeans. The light shimmer covering her face indicated she felt the electricity surging between us, pulling us into a vacuum of need.
“But wolves are vile creatures, capable of killing indiscriminately. They are to be feared and hunted. At least according to the modern fables and movies.”
I could tell she was goading me. I inched forward until our lips were almost touching. “Do you fear creatures of the night, Vanessa? Are you petrified that you’re going to succumb to their dark and dangerous desires?”
“Should I fear them, Stone? What if the fables are all wrong, that wolves deserve to have the same chance at life? If they’re already here, shouldn’t we all find a way to live together in peace?”
“You think wolves saved you in that garage?” Fairytales and monsters. I knew Vanessa well enough to believe she was fishing for information.
“The truth is I don’t know any longer. My rational mind says I was in distress, but in my gut, I know otherwise. Here’s what I do know. I was dazed but I heard a horrific fight, not one involving men but beasts of some kind. I witnessed eyes that weren’t human, and I wasn’t imagining since I saw your golden eyes in the middle of the hallway. Now, I was certain you’d have two fresh wounds, but that’s not the case. Unless you’re a wolf. My guess is that if you are, wolves have an uncanny ability to heal faster. Isn’t that one of their many special attributes?” She seemed pleased with herself, even smug.
“Where are you going with this, Vanessa? Have you been reading about the near cult-like group from a few years ago?” I was floored she’d kept this from me.
“Cult?” Her eyes opened wide.
I allowed myself to laugh once again, attempting to ward off the seriousness of her questions. Meanwhile, my hackles were raised, my thoughts drifting to what I could remember about her family, which wasn’t much. She’d told me she’d used to live in Denver when she was a small child, but her words had been said in passing, a mere confirmation that we had oh-so much in common.
I found myself shaking. There were no such things as coincidences in life. At this point, while I’d temper the information, I wasn’t going to lie. While the group also believed in other demons, eventually she’d be able to find at least a few mentions of them somewhere on the internet.
“I don’t honestly know much about them. My father used to laugh and tell me about the craziness that he’d read in the papers when I was still at Duke. Some group who was convinced there was a faction of werewolves living outside of Denver, hunting humans at night.”
“Were any of their claims ever substantiated?” she asked. While she was attempted to appear relaxed and casual, the strain her body was going through was easy to see.
“I have no idea. The last I heard about them, they’d disbanded, likely because they couldn’t get a larger audience. Why are you so curious?”
She peeled at the bottle, scraping off a portion of the label. “Something I found in my mother’s things a long time ago. The single word. Wolfen.”
I waited for her to continue, but she pressed her lips together, suddenly acting as if she could no longer look me in the eye.
“What aren’t you telling me?” I finally pressed.
“I think I’m just tired. I’ve been having nightmares lately.”
“Of wolves?”
