Clara smiled at me, but her eyes widened when she beheld Adam. "My goodness, darling, where did you ever find such a handsome man? Your boyfriend?" At the word 'handsome' a small crowd of curious women-folk, ranging in age from eighteen to twenty, crowded behind Vandersnoot. They all looked appreciatively at Adam's physique.
I elbowed Adam when he smiled at her guess to our relationship. "No, he's just a friend. Actually, he's the same guy who came with me this morning to tell you about my leg."
"He is? My goodness, what a difference a few hours and some trimming can make. And he's not your boyfriend?"
"Then I'm sure you won't mind our taking him," one of the girls spoke up.
The other girls giggled as their leader grabbed Adam's hand and dragged him into the depths of their circle. He was a head taller than any of them and looked pleadingly at me as he was pulled away to the far side of the room. I wickedly smiled and waved at him as he drowned in the women. Clara hurried after them scolding the girls. "Now don't do that, Emily. Teresa, behave yourself."
Adam had ridden me of the women, but I was also out one companion. My eyes flitted over the company for Doc, but Mark Vandersnoot sidled up to me and held out a drink. "I'm glad you could make it with your injury. I hope it's not bothering you too much," he told me.
I took the drink and smiled at him. "I can hobble around."
"Would you like me to introduce you to some of the other guests?" he wondered.
"Actually, I was wondering if Doc-um, Dr. Darby was here."
Mark grinned and gestured with one arm to the rear of the living room. "I was just introducing him to another new neighbor. Let me lead you through this jungle to him."
"Please," I pleaded.
Mark guided me through the crowds and to the rear door. It led onto a deck, and that deck had a staircase that allowed access to the yard below. We stopped at a pair of men who were talking, one of whom was Doc. The other was a handsome man of forty with crystal-clear blue eyes, blond hair, a winning smile, and clothes that were almost as lazy as mine.
Our arrival garnered their attention, and Mark smiled at them. "I have returned, gentlemen, and with a friend. I believe you two already know each other." His eyes flickered between Doc and myself.
Doc smiled. "I had the honor to clean her leg," he explained.
Vandersnoot turned his attention to the other man. "Then I need only introduce Scott to Miss Christina Monet. Miss Monet, Mr. Scott Ashton."
He smiled and bowed his head to me. "A pleasure to meet such a lovely young woman."
"Um, likewise," I replied. Doc snorted at my faux pas and I glared at him. He was unaffected by my Evil Eye.
"Mr. Ashton-"
"Scott," Scott reminded Vandersnoot.
Vandersnoot accepted the correction with a bow of his head. "Scott here is a guest of the Rodney family who lives near the foot of the mountain."
"That's being kind. I'm a stray they decided to take in. I sort of wandered into the area to admire the wildlife and they took pity on me," Scott admitted.
"Scott was just telling us about his knowledge of deer and predators when you came in," Mark told me.
"Deer are very fascinating creatures, and quite delicious," Scott added.
"And I was just warning you not to bring a gun around my cabin. The squirrels and rabbits won't mind, but I dislike the sound of it," Doc warned him.
Scott shook his head. "I don't normally hunt with a gun myself."
"You prefer the bow?" Mark guessed.
"Something like that," Scott replied.
"Regardless of what you use I'm afraid I'll have to 'warn you off' with hunting deer around this house, also," Marked told him.
"Did I hear mention of deer?" a voice spoke up, and Clara emerged from the crowds. She wrapped her arms around one of Mark's and smiled at the group. "That does remind me of something I wished to do."
Clara released her husband and clapped her hands. The crowd stopped their chattering and I glimpsed Adam stuck in the crowd of women. His eyes, rather than nervous and terrified, were narrowed and pointed in my direction. I shuddered when I noticed there was a speck of yellow in their depths.
Clara moved to stand in front of our little group and before the rest of the guests. "Now everyone get your coats on. I want to show you my deer pets."
One of the other guests close at hand laughed. "But Clara, I thought you were allergic to cats."
"Not 'dear' pets, Mandy, but deer. The kind that eat grass," Clara corrected her. "Now come along onto the deck and you can all have a good view of them. They usually come around at this time for a late dinner."
The crowd flowed toward the rear French double-doors. I noticed Adam swam upstream faster than his female admirers and would have caught me if Clara hadn't wrapped her arm around mine. "We can't let the guest of honor get lost in all these people," she scolded.
We led the pack as she guided me outside and to the end of the deck where stood a tall wood railing. It looked out on an expansive backyard that stretched thirty yards from house to tree line. At the edge of the trees stood a line of salt blocks, and around those salt blocks stood a large herd of deer. I counted thirty, and they were of various ages. There appeared to be a lot of horned bucks in the pack, and sometimes a fight broke out over a particularly good spot to lick.
The herd of humans crowded the railing and watched the herd of deer. Some of the deer raised their heads and watched us. I felt like we looked into a mirror where rather than our reflection it was into another universe where I was a fuzzy, adorable, agile deer.
"Can we throw food at them?" someone shouted from the audience.
"Oh, certainly. They just love bread," Clara replied. A hail of thrown bread rained down on the deer, but they wouldn't edge any closer to the house. "That's strange. They're usually much more friendly than this," she mused. I didn't have to wonder with the reason standing somewhere behind me in that sea of guests.
Scott, Doc, and Mr. Vandersnoot surrounded us. Scott leaned against the railing and grinned at the deer. "That's a very nice herd," he commented.
Clara beamed. "Yes, I'm quite proud of it."
Doc rubbed his chin and frowned. "There are quite a few deer here, perhaps more than the natural system can handle. A little culling may be necessary to allow the herd as a whole to survive the winter on the forage of the woods," he suggested.
Clara's hand flew to her mouth and she gasped. "I could never allow that to happen!"
"But it might need to. There's a lot of bucks in there that are fighting. Besides, deer meet is quite nutritional," Scott pointed out. He turned to me. "What do you say, Miss Monet? Are you an herbivore, carnivore, or omnivore?"
"Omnivore," I told him.
"Because you like meat?" he guessed.
"No, because I hate vegetables," I teased.
He chuckled. "Well, I fit into the carnivore segment. I could eat meat at every meal, and the rarer the better."
"Sounds like someone I know," I muttered under my breath. I jumped when a heavy hand fell on my shoulder and whipped my head to my left to find it was only Adam. I clutched my heart and glared at him. "Don't do that!" I hissed. Any further teasing died on my lips when I noticed his were pursed and his hand gripped me in a vice-like grasp.
"I need to speak with you alone," Adam whispered to me.
I didn't have much of a choice as he pulled me from the railing and through the crowds to the stairs to a private meeting in the darkness of the yard.
Chapter 6
I limped along as we hurried down the stairs and around the corner to the far side of the house near the front. At that point I got tired of the pulling and wrenched my arm free of his grasp. He turned to face me with his tense expression. His eyes didn't meet mine but rather looked over my shoulder at the deck stairs.
I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at him. "Mind telling me what's so secretive?"
"Who was that man who stood beside you?" he questioned me.
I
snorted. "You know Doc, and the other guy is Mr. Vandersnoot."
"No, the other man," he persisted.
"You mean Scott Ashton? He's a new guy in the area and he's staying with some other family that owns a house near the foot of the mountain," I informed him.
"Why is he here?" he asked me.
I shrugged. "Something about studying the wildlife. He's probably a vet like Doc, but with a healthier appetite for them." I narrowed my eyes and leaned toward Adam. "Why are you curious? Think he's going to steal me away?" I teased.
"Perhaps, but not in the way you hint at," Adam replied.
I frowned. "I give, what's going on?"
Adam turned his full attention on me and pursed his lips. "This Scott Ashton is a werewolf like myself," he revealed.
I blinked at him. "You're joking, right?"
He shook his head. "I wish I were."
"Seriously? Another werewolf?"
"Unfortunately."
"What's the likelihood of two werewolves coming to live in the same forest?"
"No doubt he was as attracted to these mountains and forests as I. However, I'm surprised to find him in the company of so many humans. We tend to keep to ourselves and avoid such contact," he mused.
I snorted. "That definitely fits you, but maybe he prefers to make the acquaintance of his meat before he devours them."
"This isn't something to laugh about. I smell blood on him," Adam told me.
I shrugged. "Everybody's got blood in them," I pointed out.
He shook his head. "Not in him, on him. He's made a fresh kill."
I felt the color drain from my face. "As in we should be counting heads at the party?" I asked him.
"No, it wasn't human, but if he feels he can get away with it he may-"
"What are you two doing out here?" a voice spoke up. I jumped against Adam's chest and he wrapped his arms around me. Scott stepped from the shadows of the house behind me. There was a smirk on his face and his eyes glowed with an unnatural light.
"Nothing. Just-um, just enjoying the stars," I told him.
He chuckled and pointed a finger upward. "You'd enjoy them more when they weren't behind clouds," he commented. I followed his finger and noticed it was an overcast night.
"I'm sure they were there a second ago," I replied.
Scott shook his head. "There's no need to deceive me. I overheard some of your conversation, and I know what you are." His last comment was directed at Adam, as were his eyes. "I haven't met one of our kind in a few decades, and it's been even longer since I was on friendly terms with one. What say we start out this relationship with a friendly romp through the night and maybe a hunt?" He held out his hand for Adam to shake. His canine teeth poked out from his upper lip. "Could be fun."
Adam's hands gripped my shoulder and he pressed my back against his chest. "I have better things to do than be a beast."
Scott's eyes flickered down to me and he raised both eyebrows. "I see. Fraternizing with the enemy?"
I scoffed. "So are you," I shot back.
Scott chuckled. "Perhaps it's not fraternizing so much as appetizing." Adam growled and the rumble vibrated down my back. Scott held up a hand and shook his head. "Don't take everything I saw and think you need to respond with violence. I'll be a good boy-for now." He turned and walked back to the deck.
I tilted my head back to gaze into Adam's face. "That could have gone better."
"Yes," Adam replied.
"So what do we do now?"
"We hope that he leaves before he causes any trouble."
My face drooped. "That's it? Your plan is to hope and pray?"
"Oh Chrissy!" Clara's sing-song voice wafted to us. Our hostess strolled around the corner and her face lit up with a mischievous smile. "My goodness, darling, can't you two wait until you get home?"
My cheeks blushed and I wrenched myself from his hold. "It wasn't what you think," I protested.
Clara strode up and wrapped one of her arms around mine. She leaned her face toward mine and gave me a wink. "I'm sure it wasn't, darling, but let's have you meet everyone else."
"Um, I'm not so sure about that. My-um, my leg is acting up." I lifted it off the ground and rubbed it. The rubbing made it hurt more. "Yep, really hurting me. I think we'd better go."
Clara waved away my suggestion. "We'll just get you a chair and everyone can line up to meet you. Wouldn't that be a good idea?"
"Wonderful," I muttered as she pulled me along toward the deck with Adam following behind.
Clara led me up the long stairs and inside to a chair against the wall of the living room beside the fire. I was warm, but not comfortable as Clara clapped her hands. "Now everyone, come meet our new neighbor. No, you stay over there, Adam. She's a big girl and can hold her own." She was addressing Adam's attempt to stand behind me. Clara ushered him toward the appetizers, dropped him off, and returned to stand where Adam had intended.
The other guests lined up in ones, twos or family groups depending on their relationship status and paraded themselves in front of me. Some of their antics were awkward because the party wasn't dry and alcohol had been imbibed with little thought to the consequences. Thus some of the other guests didn't walk up to me so much as stumble. Their greetings and welcomes were more like gweedings and come-on-over-whenever-ya-feel-like-it. I took this outing as the norm because Clara and the others didn't appear to be insulted by the drunkenness of the others. Perhaps they were jealous. I knew I was. After shaking hands with only half the people I was ready for a stiff drink.
Near the tail-end of the line was Scott with a married couple. Scott stepped up to me with a smile on his face. "I wish you the best while you're here," he told me.
"I'll try my best to stay off the menu," I quipped.
He chuckled, bowed at the waist and took my hand. I tried to pull my fingers loose, but he held them tight and kissed the top of my hand. His eyes flickered up to mine and I could the definite yellow color in them. "Good luck to you. You may need it." He dropped my hand and moved on.
The couple came up behind him and both were thankfully sober. The man took my hand and gave it a nice, firm shake. "A pleasure to meet you, Miss Monet. My name is Daniel Rodney, and this is my wife Luella."
She moved forward and shook my hand. "I'm sure you'll be happy here. There's so many wonderful neighbors, and the woods are absolutely gorgeous this time of year."
"Yes, you should get Scott to take you out on a hike. He'll take good care of you," Daniel commented.
"Yes, I'm sure he would," I replied. The double-meaning was thankfully lost on them and they moved on.
The line ended and Adam's exile ended with it. He abandoned the appetizers and the encroaching swarm of admiring girls, most of whom, I learned, were the daughters of residents. He hurried over to me and helped me from the chair. Doc also joined us. "You look like you've been strained through a cheese grater," he commented, addressing me.
"And then spun through a food processor," I added.
"Then may I have the excuse of taking you to your car so I might escape in my own?" he suggested.
I grabbed his hand and one of Adam's. "I thought you'd never ask."
I used them as cover to sneak myself out of there. We made it safely to the driveway before we were spotted, or rather, we spotted more of the guests. It was the Rodney couple with Scott, and we overheard their conversation as we walked to our car at the end of the line of vehicles.
"You can't go walking back. Not during the night," Daniel Rodney protested. His words were directed at Scott.
"And don't forget all this mud," Mrs. Rodney added.
Scott grinned and shrugged. "If I slip and fall I'll have a mud massage, but I'll be fine. I've walked this road so many times I know it better than the back of my hand."
"All right, but if you're not back by ten we're calling the police," Mrs. Rodney warned him.
"I'll be home before curfew," Scott promised. He turned to us and, rather than being surprised, he sm
iled, nodded his head and walked into the trees. The Rodney couple slipped into their car and drove off.
"A strange man," Doc commented.
Adam's eyes were on the direction Scott left and he tilted his head back to lift his nose in the air. "Yes, strange indeed," he agreed. He turned back to us. "But we should be going, too."
We reached Doc's car and he faced us. "I'd better see you in a few days, Miss Monet, or I'll start making house calls, and those cost an arm and a leg."
I smiled and pointed at my injured leg. "Do you take slightly worn limbs?"
He laughed. "I don't take anything I need to repair, but keep your weight off your leg with that stick I saw you with earlier and we won't need to see each other for professional reasons."
I shook his hand and shrugged. "I'll try." I hoped.
Chapter 7
Adam drove me home and it was with a heavy, relieved sigh that I saw the cabin in the headlights of the car. The car stopped and I limped toward my home. I was surprised to find I had company when I turned around and found Adam close behind me. "Needing to borrow a cup of sugar?" I guessed.
"I would like to stay with you, at least for tonight," he requested.
I raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
"When Ashton told the Rodney's he was headed to their home he lied. I smelled him travel into the woods just out of sight and take a right to go behind the Vandersnoot house," he revealed.
"And that means what?" I wondered.
"That means we have no idea where he is and I'd like for you to be safe," he explained.
I shrugged. "Maybe he wanted more fresh air than what he could get walking down the road."
"I'd rather not take that risk," Adam insisted.
"I don't think there's any reason for Ashton to get me other than wanting some fat to chew on. Besides, he talked about hunting deer, not our dear young neighbors or me," I countered.
"Sometimes werewolves lose sight of the difference," he countered.
I sighed and shrugged. "If he does forget it then the Rodney's will be the first to be werewolf chow, but if it'll make you feel better you can have the couch, but only if you man the fire."
He smiled. "Deal."