Her Perilous Wolf by Julie Steimle (best e book reader TXT) 📕

the bed. “I don’t know. Maybe a lot. He thinks he is bad luck.”

Clenching his teeth, Juma swore, rising. “That demon attacked you because of him. That wolf should know. He should feel the pain too.”

But she just kept rocking her head for ‘no’. Rick already had too much pain. He would blame himself if he knew. She didn’t want that.

Eventually Juma left, unable to get more out of her. But Audry’s mind drifted to the first day she had met Rick. It was Paris when she was on a homeschool group trip. Back then she had been dating a neighbor boy who liked to play with knives. Her parent were glad she was in Paris, just to get her away from him. But she recalled how paranoid Rick had looked when she saw him at the Eiffel tower, with that fresh clean skateboard in his backpack and with that French woman who had the oddly dark, nearly sapphire eyes. The notion struck Audry that the woman was probably also a werewolf, and Rick was running from other werewolves. He had said something like that, hadn’t he?

And what about the second time when they bumped into each other? At the environmental conference? He had not remembered her name, but he had remembered her smell—specifically her tiger balm. Of course, she had changed a great deal since Paris. It had been over two years. She was more grown up, more mature. She had been finishing her bachelor’s degree and heading towards her Masters at the time. When he had signed her permission form to use his family’s land, he had actually listened to her and read her proposal. The guy did not blow her off like so many others had. She also remembered him being rather frazzled, taking on a lot of responsibility in the name of his father’s company while also was dealing with severe allergies. Rumors about being involved in a cult has been circulating around the conference center while he was walking around with a Native American man as well as several bodyguards. It was odd to her now, as she had not seen that Native man since. Who was he? Why had he been there at that time? He had been nearly hip-locked with Rick, though he clearly had not been an official bodyguard.

And the more she thought about Rick, the third time they had bumped into each other at the ski lodge, the more she realized that his life was a tragedy. It was his tragedy. People were constantly harassing him—just because he was a wolf.

She now completely understood why he had fallen for Daisy. She was a beautiful woman. And now that Audry knew she was also a werewolf, of course he would find that alluring, if not instinctually so. He was lonely, besides. And Daisy had been aggressive. It must have twisted his life into knots, as it was most likely he was fighting animal instinct when among other wolves. What would that have been like? To have a dual nature like that? To smell things stronger than those around him? To hear pitches in ranges human could not detect? Of course that balm Daisy had used had also messed him up. Audry wondered if Daisy was still after him. The only thing Audry knew was Rick was not in love with that she-wolf.

“Audry.” Sefu shook her awake. It was dark. Already evening, she guessed. He made her sit up so she could sip more ghastly broth. She immediately threw it up.

They found more, trying to get her to keep it down.

“Come on Audry,” Luis whispered. He was also there. “You have to drink something.”

“It tastes awful,” she murmured.

“It’s just water,” Luis said.

She shook her head. “It’s bad water.”

They sighed and set the cup down.

Later someone else came, trying to get her to drink a tea. It wasn’t so bad, though the taste made her cough up something phlegmy.

 “Where is Juma?” Audry breathed hard, wondering if he had left out of anger.

“Do you want him? He is just outside,” Sefu said.

She shook her head. “That’s ok.”

“He wanted to take you out of here, but the doctor said to move you might kill you,” Sefu explained. “You are bruising.”

“Shht!” Luis elbowed whopped him in the side to shut him up.

Bruising? What disease did she have?

“You just need to drink and rest,” Luis said. “Then you will be fine.”

“Juma wanted me to write a letter to my family,” Audry murmured. “He thinks I’m dying.”

They exchanged looks.

“I am dying, aren’t I?” Audry said, feeling breathless.

Sefu sniffed. “I still have hope.”

“So do I,” Luis whispered.

She chuckled, but it hurt.

“Can we take a message for you?” Luis asked. “In case we are wrong.”

She nodded. She should.

“I’ll record it on my cellphone,” Luis said, already having it out. They sat next to her to get comfortable, allowing her to lie back down again. She stared up at the dark ceiling, her mind swimming with what last words she wanted her family to hear.

“We are ready when you are,” Luis said, close to her head with the phone.

Audry rocked her head in a nod. “Ok… Let me think…”

She thought for a few moments before saying, “Mom, Dad, I had no idea this was going to happen. It’s funny. I got all my shots. I did everything I was supposed to, but this is how it turned out. You kept telling me I was attracted to dangerous things and I needed to be more careful, but well, here I am. I don’t know what disease I caught. I do know that I will probably die from it. But… anyway, what I wanted to say was, I am sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you this way. I love you—”

She choked on a sob, sniffed it off and continued. “Doug, if you are listening to this, it might be a good idea to not be so obsessed with blood. I met Troy once before. He’s not a bad guy, but his friends are dangerous—and I don’t mean Randon. I can’t give you the details. But if you want to know, find Matthew Calamori and talk with him. He will tell you everything you need to know. He’s a good cop—even though he sold my car without my permission. I realize now that he was trying to protect me from some dangerous people. I was just mad because it was my precious car, even if it was a junk heap.

“And Vincent, I want to say something to you too. It’s not his fault. I went to Africa because I could not figure out my life, and I was running away from it. I see that now. It wasn’t really about him. Take care of the family for me. And tell Rick its ok he’s not a vegan. I understand now….”

She broke into tears, pressing her hands over her face. “That’s it.”

“You don’t want to say anything else?” Luis asked, sounding puzzled.

She shook her head. “That’s all I need.”

“Who is Rick?” Sefu asked. Audry could hear Luis end the recording, sounding disappointed.

“I’m not telling.” She closed her eyes.

Sefu chuckled shaking his head. “You are so stubborn.”

Luis sighed. “We promise not to harm him.”

“Do you promise not to hunt him down?” Audry said, trying to make out their silhouettes in the dark. There was firelight reflecting off their faces.

Both Sefu and Luis exchanged looks, hesitant, though eventually they nodded together. “Promise.”

She pointed to the bullet around her neck. “His name is on this.”

Luis reached for it, squinting at the shiny metal to see the writing.

“What does it say?”

“It’s too dark.”

“Get a flashlight.”

After a short scuffle through a bag, Sefu pulled one out and flicked it on. Audry was blinded for a second, and raised a hand to block it out.

“What’s it say?” Sefu asked. Luis was still holding the bullet.

“Hmm, not sure… De-a-kon.”

“That says Deacon! Fool.”

“Oh, I see.” Luis felt the bullet in his fingers. “This is silver, isn’t it?”

Audry pulled on the chain, tugging it from his fingers. “Werewolves are allergic to silver.”

Sefu drew in a breath. “And you did not know then that he was one when you dug it out?”

Audry would have laughed if it was not in so much pain. Instead, it came as a grimace and a cough. “You’re kidding me. I didn’t believe in this… any of this back then. Werewolves are movie characters, not real people. Why in the world would I have believed that the wolf I was rescuing that evening was the man who teased me about being a vegan in the day time? I just knew him as a rich jerk.”

“He is rich too?” Sefu murmured.

She groaned, then regretted it. “For the last time, I am not rich. He’s a multi-billionaire. I’m just a girl from NYU.”

They stared at her.

Both men rose, whispering together in their dialect.

“Don’t harass him,” she called after them. “I will never forgive you if you do.”

They held her in their gaze for a moment, thinking before Sefu said, “Sleep well, Audry.”

But she did not sleep right away. Someone had to help her find a lavatory, or something like it. It was embarrassing, but necessary as her bowels were in pain and full, despite having so little solid in them. But afterward, when they laid her back down again with another cup of broth—this one not so bad—she overheard them murmuring about it. She had a feeling it was the wrong color.

The witchdoctor came around, murmuring over her the same time Mercy came back. Mercy translated as best as possible, especially since their dialects were similar but not the same. “You have to drink it all and try to keep it down.”

Audry nodded, hating the taste of whatever it was they were making her swallow. But at least the nausea was not as strong. After another swallow, Audry asked her, “Is Juma angry with me?”

Mercy shrugged. “A little, maybe. It is funny. He is jealous—but I think you know that.” She then shook her head at Audry. “How did you fall in love with an Amazimu?”

Groaning, Audry shook her head. “I didn’t. Juma is mixing up African monsters with American ones.”

“But you are in love with a monster,” Mercy said.

Audry shook her head. “No. He’s not a monster. And… I’m not in love with him. I… I’m just fond of the wolf. I had no idea they were one and the same.”

Mercy’s eyes were already wide on her, but she seemed to be more shocked.

“I just recently found out the wolf I… I was using for my fundraising, the one on the tee shirts I sell to pay for school—that he was this man I’ve been bumping into for years—”

“They told me that already,” Mercy said. She chuckled, shaking her head. “I think I even have one of the shirts. You had brought a box-full to Kenya once with a group several years back. I remember you from then. I didn’t hate you then. We were in a class together that summer. I don’t think you remember me.”

Admittedly, she didn’t. Audry felt ashamed. Yet she said, “But you hate me now.”

Sighing, Mercy lowered her head. “Not anymore. But you were right. I was jealous because of Juma. He really likes you.”

“Well…” Audry murmured, feeling that head ache pound again. She laid back down again. “Once I’m dead, I won’t be in your way anymore.”

Mercy shook her head. “No. If you die, he won’t ever forget you. And he won’t forgive that wolf.”

Audry sat up, but it was too quick. She grabbed onto Mercy to keep from falling. “No. He has to leave Rick alone.”

Stroking, Audry’s forehead, Mercy tried to get her to lay back down. “Shhh. It’s ok.”

“No, it’s not!” Audry struggled, but her energy was spent. “You tell Juma I will haunt him if he ever harms Rick!”

“So you do love him,” Mercy said, easing her back down, tugging up the pillow to rest under Audry’s head.

“He’s my wolf,” Audry murmured, head throbbing. “And he’s lost so much already. He’s so