She had found it. The sixth Tear. The legend was right, she could ‘hear’ them. This one proved it.
“You okay?” Max watched her intently.
“Huh? Oh, yeah. It’s just I can’t believe how accurate that legend is.”
“Kinda scary, huh?” He offered her a hand up.
“A little.” She took it so she could climb to her feet without falling on her face. “I try so hard to pretend all of this is just some sort of dream, but that makes it too real.”
Max looked down at the Tear in his hand. He knew how she felt.
“Your sister showed me the rest of the legend.”
“Oh?” He rested his hand on the small of her back. “What did you think?”
“Fearing the truth, my life changing?” She looked up at him. “What was it talking about?”
“I guess you’ll find out once the verse comes to fruition. That’s the way it worked for me. I didn’t even believe the legend until I found the first stone.”
“Max, there’s stuff in that legend I don’t even want to think about.” She quieted for a moment. “Are you really a shapeshifter? Is everything in the legend true?”
“Yes to both of your questions. The legend has happened all around us so I do believe it. If you want to see the rest of it come true then you’re going to have to believe it too. I know it frightens you. It scares me too, but it has a happy ending.”
“Does it? I‘m not sure.”
“It predicted us being together so I have to say yes.” He stepped over a rather large root, then turned and offered a hand to help her climb over it.
“Thanks.” She fingered a piece of hair behind her ear. “Is that why everyone has accepted me here, because they all know the legend and believe I’m the woman in it?”
“Yes. In fact, I got into trouble with our ruling council because of you.”
“Me, why?” She looked up at him.
“Humans don’t have the keen sense of smell we do. My people only had to be around us for a few moments to know we were mated. And since I sort of botched that, they read me the riot act.” He took her hand in his. “They are happy I found someone strong and loving enough to put up with me, but feel I did you wrong because of how I mated with you.”
“That’s why you want to do the mating ritual again?”
“Not because of them, but it should have been something special between us and even though every time we’re intimate it is beautiful and powerful, the mating makes it even better.”
“Is that possible?”
“There is only one way to find out.” He wiggled his eyebrows at her.
***
Kat had tea waiting for them. She handed them both a cup before speaking. “We have company.”
Max’s brow furrowed. Who could be there? They stepped into the living room to find Sonora waiting for them.
“There you are.” She sat on the simple couch like she owned it. “You took off on me before we could finish our conversation last night.”
Kat whispered in Alicia’s ear before heading into the kitchen. Alicia spun on her heels and followed her.
“What?” he growled. “You were the one who ran off last night.”
She waved her hand in the air. “Never mind.”
“What do you want, Sonora?” Max sat in an overstuffed chair across from the couch.
“The Tears. What else would I have to speak to you about?” She sat back and crossed her legs. “Your new toy?”
Max sat on the edge of his chair. “You will show respect for Alicia or we will have it out right now.”
“You sure you want to confront me now? Have your little toy find out the truth?” She sat forward. “Have you told her about Francine?”
Damn! He hoped Alicia hadn’t heard that. He didn’t know what they were doing in the kitchen, but knew she’d be in his ear with ten thousand questions if she did. Francine had been a human he had fallen for when his family first moved to the states. He was young, thought he was in love and wanted to tell her the truth. The moment he hinted that he was a little different she shunned him. She didn’t want to have anything to do with him or his ‘crazy’ family. He learned his lesson and it was one of the reasons he was a little hesitant with Alicia. She was his mate and she couldn’t walk away. He didn’t think he could survive if she did.
“No. What is there to tell? I know now I only had a crush on her and she couldn’t handle the truth because the love wasn’t true. This time it is. Now, are you going to apologize?”
“Of course not.” She took a sip of her tea. “She is not one of us no matter how many times you sleep with her.”
“She is one of us no matter how many times you try to deny it.” He didn’t care who heard now. This woman had no right to insult his mate. “I’m sick of your arrogance. You think our people will follow you? You treat everyone like dirt. They deserve better.”
“They are weak.” She stood up and planted her hands on her hips. “And there are some who think you’re weak. That you’re only thinking of yourself, not the rest of our people.”
“You lie.” He stood up to face her. “Our people hate the senseless killing. Your total lack of control makes them fear the outside world.”
“Ha.” She brushed her hair out of her eyes. “You talk the big talk, Maximilian, but you don’t listen to the people. You only hear what you want to hear. Ask your sister.”
Max found himself second guessing things. Was she right and he hadn’t been listening? But would they want the world Sonora wanted? Where humans were food? “You can say what you want, but I know the hearts of these people. They don’t want to live in a world of kill or be killed.”
She growled at him. The hairs on her arms rustled.
“Not here.” Max knew the look of the change. He grabbed her arm. “You will respect my wishes.”
“I will do what I want.” She continued to shift until the sudden approach of Kat stopped her.
“Are you two at it again?” asked Kat as she entered, carrying a large wooden tray laden with cakes and sandwiches. She sat the tray on the coffee table.
Alicia came in with a smaller tray, carrying condiments. She hesitated before she stepped up to the coffee table and placed the condiments on the table then propped the tray against the side of the couch.
“Thanks, dear. Why don’t you go ahead and take the tray back into the kitchen. We shouldn’t need it.” She waited until Alicia turned around the corner and was out of earshot. “You shifted in my house? Have you no manners at all? Sonora, you are no longer my guest. Leave.”
“Fine.” She ignored Max as she turned to the door. “But remember I have been family long before he started to sniff around that female.”
“Now, Sonora.”
Alicia came back into the living room.
“I’m going.” Sonora looked at her. “Company isn’t very good anyway.”
“Hey. I haven’t even been in the room,” Alicia blurted.
Max smiled. “Sonora has no class so I’d just ignore her.”
Sonora spun on her heels and growled at Max. “You show no respect to me.”
“You show none to me. Why should I or my mate show you any?” He said it in a soft voice. Too low for Alicia to hear it.
Anger rolled off of Sonora. “How dare you!” The change came upon her so fast no one could stop her.
“Holy shit!” Alicia had seen it all. The slam of the backdoor came next.
Max needed to follow Alicia, but he had to stop Sonora first. “You are such an asshole. Why did you disobey both of us?” He scooped her up and headed to the kitchen. Opening up the cellar door, he unceremoniously dumped her into the dark cavity. “That should hold you for a while. I’ll let you out when I’m ready.”
Kat stood behind him. “You sure you want to do that? She’s going to be very angry when she gets out of there.”
“She broke every rule and you take her side?” Max shook his head. “Now I have to go and make sure Alicia’s okay. I’m sure what she just saw scared the life out of her.”
“Go do what you need to do.” Kat picked up the tray she had sat down earlier. “I’ll be here if you need me.”
Max nodded before racing out the door into the woods. Alicia was his first concern. Since he had no clue where she went, he removed his clothes to shift so he could follow her scent. He lifted his nose and sniffed. She had dashed right toward the waterfalls.
Max shifted and took off in a lope. He would cover more territory and a lot quicker this way. He heard her long before he ever saw her. She crashed her way through the underbrush, tripping over exposed roots along the way.
***
Alicia felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. Someone was close by. Slowly, she turned around fearing what she would find. A beautiful grey wolf sat on its haunches about fifty feet away. It took a few steps toward her before stopping.
“Whoever the hell you are, get away from me.”
The animal didn’t move. It just tilted its head at her. It was waiting.
“Please? I’m… I’m still trying to process all of this. I just saw a woman change from human to wolf, something that no one should be able to do.” She started to shake. “Damn it, I wanted proof, but not like that. That scared the hell out of me.”
“I would never harm you.”
The sound of Max’s voice coming out of the wolf made her fall flat on her butt. “Oh crap, it’s true.” Tears sprung into her eyes.
“Please don’t be afraid of me. I love you.” The wolf laid its nose on the ground in submission.
“Max, it was one thing when you told me you could shift. It’s entirely different when it’s in my face like this.” She wiped a tear from her cheek. It was all a bit much.
“Would you feel better if I shifted back?”
“You can do that? I mean shift at will?”
“Yeah.” He picked his head up. “Whenever I want.”
Her heart hammered in her chest. She kept her gaze down as she pulled on the blades of grass between her legs. “I don’t know how to handle this.”
“How about I duck behind the trees and change? That way you won’t have to see it happening and you can talk to me without seeing the side that you’re so afraid of.”
She thought for a few moments. “It might be a little easier to speak to your face, not your… snout.”
“Good.” He stood up on his feet and trotted to a nearby copse of trees. “Oh. Um, I, um, give me a minute.”
Alicia continued to pluck out blades of grass while she waited for Max. She could have gotten up and run while he was changing, why didn’t she? Because she loved him. As much as she had been fighting it all along, she couldn’t any longer. Now she had to see if her love was strong enough to handle this.
He seemed to be taking an awfully long time. “Max?”
No answer.
Had she imagined the whole thing? Could she be hallucinating? Maybe there was something in the tea. She felt laughter bubble up. That wasn’t how her luck went. What she had seen was real. Max was a werewolf. There, she said it.
She had expected him to shift quicker than this. How far away was he? He didn’t seem to have gone that far. And why wasn’t he answering? Did changing from wolf to human take all his concentration?
She stood up. “Max.”
“Yes.” Leaves rustled nearby. He popped out onto the path where she could see him wearing only his pants.
Oh, that wasn’t good. She found his chest distracting. “Where’s your shirt?”
“Um, at my sister’s house. When I switch from human to wolf I disrobe, remember? My clothes don’t make the transition well.” He hooked his thumbs in his pants. “I had to run back to get these.”
“Why?”
“Because I would have been naked.” Max took a step toward her. “You okay?”
“Of course not.” She stood up. “I just got the proof, I’m not sure I wanted, that the man I love is a shapeshifter and I’m not quite sure how to handle it.”
“Our love will help.” He gave her a hopeful smile.
“You sure? Because this thing you can do is very life altering.” She gestured at his body. “If we were in the states I’d be in my Jeep running away.”
“Then why haven’t you done that?”
“Because I’m at your mercy while I’m on this island.”
“I know. But you could have gone to Patrick and begged him to take you home.”
“But he’s your friend. He probably would have told me yes and then gone to find you.” She started to pace. “You were honest with me, but until I actually saw it I could still pretend it wasn’t real. Now that I’ve actually seen one of you shift I can’t pretend anymore.”
“I’m still the same man.” He found a fallen log not too close and sat.
“I know, Max. But this is all a bit much, you know? Werewolves, is that what you call yourselves?”
“That’s what most humans call us.”
“Okay.” She rubbed her forehead. “Let’s go back. Can you shape shift into anything else?”
“No.” He braced his hands on his thighs. “Freaked out?”
“I’ve already answered that question, duffus.” Alicia sat down on another log a little closer to him. “My problem is I have to find the logic in everything and this just doesn’t make sense to me. Your kind isn’t supposed to exist. So how do you?”
“Haven’t you heard most legends have some fact in them? We tried hard to keep our existence a secret, but it didn’t always work.”
“So someone spotted one of you shifting and you created this legend around it to protect yourself?” She propped one leg up on the log, trying to look comfortable.
“No.” He mimicked her pose. “Well, someone did see one of our people in wolf form, but they remained in wolf form. They never saw them change. It was a fluke really. One night the person who had seen the ‘tame wolf’ told the story to a traveling minstrel. The minstrel created a ballad for it and the legend began. The stories just multiplied after that.”
“Those stories are horror stories. People turning into wolves then killing other humans. If you had the bad luck to live you turned into a werewolf and were driven to kill.”
“That is one hundred percent fiction. First, do you turn into a mosquito when you get bitten by them? No. You just have to deal with an itchy bite. We don’t eat humans; we eat the same meat you do, just not quite as well-done.” He gave her a big toothy smile.
“And what about silver bullets?” She slipped her fingers into the loops of her sneakers and tugged.
“Hurts just as much as regular ones do.”
“And garlic?”
“Vampires.”
“Really?” She rubbed her forehead. “Too many late night B-movies.” She thought a moment more. “Holy water?”
“Vampires, too.”
“Good to know.” She brushed a few strands of hair out of her face. “Do you know how surreal this is?”