He closed his eyes and shook his head. "You wouldn't make it very far, not when the whole town is here and would learn about you missing. You'd be hunted down and brought back within a half hour."
I glared at him. "I'm not staying in this loony-bin any longer than I have to, and if you're not going to help then stay out of my way."
I tried to rush past him to the door, but he wrapped his arms around my waist and picked me off the floor like I was a child. "Let go! Let me down!" I yelled as I pounded on his back.
"You'll thank me later," he replied as he plopped me back down on the couch and stepped back.
"I'll sue you later for kidnapping!" I snapped.
A sly smile slipped onto his lips. "Then how about we add harassment onto the list?" He leaned down and pressed a firm kiss on my lips.
It was as though time stopped. A wave of heat swept through me and filled me with a sensual lust that pooled between my legs. A madness invaded my mind that forced me to lean into the kiss, to press harder for more of his body.
He pulled away and we both panted for breath. His eyes sparkled and held a yellowish tint to their depths that only heightened my desire for him. Then he went and ruined it by talking.
"You know, that assistant job is still available if you want to apply," he teased.
I frowned and pushed him away. He stumbled back and fell onto his rear. I wiped my arm over my lips and snarled at him.
"Disgusting!" I growled.
He laughed. "I'm glad you liked it."
The door opened and Armel stepped inside. "It's time."
Orion's smile slipped from his lips. My pulse picked up speed. I felt like I was a death-row inmate and my sentence was about to be carried out.
Orion turned to me and held out his hand. "Come on."
I whacked his hand away and stood. "Don't expect for me to thank you later," I growled.
"That makes two of us," he replied.
I stalked past him to the door. Orion snatched the apple from the desk and followed.
7
The doorway led into a long, wide hallway. The floor was covered in speckled linoleum and the walls were a bland white. On either side of me were doors and transparent glass that looked into bureaucratic offices. I could still hear the angry voices, but there were fewer of them and they were quieter.
The hallway traveled for fifty feet before it intersected with another that ran perpendicular. To our left was the new hallway ran down to a lobby. I noticed a pair metal doors, and beyond them was the wintry world.
I broke from the men and made a dash for the exit. I covered a whole four feet before my arm was grabbed. My captor spun me around and I glared into Orion's strained face.
"You're only making this worse," he hissed.
"You're the one who keeps stopping me!" I snapped back.
"Hurry up. Everyone's waiting," Armel spoke up.
Orion pulled me down the opposite end of the hall. There was the same doors on either side, but at the end the hall widened twenty feet in front of a pair of open doors. The voices came from there, and I could see why they were so loud. There must've been two hundred people packed into the room and just outside. The interior of the room was a large council hall. Folding chairs sat on either side of a narrow aisle, and they were all full. The white walls and aisle were also covered by residents. At the front of the room was a curved table some twenty feet long. There were seven chairs, and each was occupied. The only person I recognized was the mayor. She sat in the center chair. The name plate in front of her read 'Mayor Darnell.' Off to one side in a small chair sat the tiny Librarian. His name plate simply read 'Librarian.'
Armel stopped our line of people five feet short of the doorway.
The mayor held a gavel in her hand and made ample use of it. "Order! Order!"
"You can't close the meeting! There's still people wanting to talk!" a middle-aged man protested. He stood in the middle of the sea of chairs and glared at the council members. A mumble arose from the crowd, and many were in agreement.
The mayor pounded her gavel and swept her eyes over the room. The noise quieted down. "There is nothing more to discuss. We have informed you of the latest developments and further discussion will lead us nowhere. There is also more pressing matters with which to deal."
"What could be more pressing than a bunch of us going berserk?" one of the women piped up.
"That's what I'm saying," argued the man who stood.
"A stranger has picked an apple from the Tree," the mayor announced.
A flurry of noise arose from the crowd. Everyone looked at their neighbor and fretted.
"But how did she find the Tree?"
"Has she escaped?"
"Should we evacuate the town?"
The mayor pounded the gavel on its small round platform. "There is nothing to fear. The Sentinel has brought her here." She beckoned to us.
Armel and Orion strode forward, and I was forced to follow in their footsteps. People of all ages, young and old, man and woman, turned and stared at us. Their eyes stopped on me and I got a mix of reactions. Most were curious, but some weren't too pleased to see me. We reached the blocked room and I saw it was a meeting room.
"Let us through," Armel commanded them.
Most of them stepped aside and I got , but a large man with arms the size of trunks blocked our way. I thought Armel was large, but this guy took the cake and ate it. He glared past Armel and at me.
"She's not welcome here. I don't recognize her scent," he growled.
Armel scowled at him. "We're here to fix that, now step aside-"
"Let's just squish her apple and get her out of here," he insisted. He looked over his shoulder at the audience. "Whadda ya say? She doesn't belong her, right?"
Some in the crowd cheered, but most watched the proceedings with silent disapproval. The burly man grinned and pushed past Armel. He reached out with his thick hands to grab at my neck, but Orion rushed past me and pulled me behind him. The burly man stopped dead in his tracks and a little bit of fear slipped into his eyes.
"I don't think you want to be doing that, Tom," Orion warned him.
Tom's eyes narrowed and he jerked his head at me. "So you're backing her, huh, Orion?"
"I'm not taking anyone's side. The Council will decide what to do with her," Orion replied. The room buzzed with voices as people agreed or, like Tom, disagreed.
I pushed past Orion and swept my eyes over the room. "Decide what to do with me? What am I, some sort of a broken traffic law?" I spoke up. The room fell into silence as people glanced at each other. "Well?"
Mayor stood and cleared her throat. "While you are not a law, you have altered one of our oldest traditions, Miss Lyal. It is a very important tradition for us, and that is why we insist on your appearing before us tonight."
I marched forward and the crowd cleared a path. Orion and Armel followed after me and were in back of me when I reached the front of the table. I slammed my palms on the table and leaned forward. the mayor raised an eyebrow.
"You think this tradition of yours gives you the right to kidnap someone?" I snapped at her.
She narrowed her eyes. "Yes."
I frowned and spun around to face the townspeople. "Is this some sort of conspiracy? I haven't done anything wrong."
"You found the Blessing Tree and plucked an apple. This apple." Orion handed her the apple and the mayor held it up for all to see. "By our laws you must take a bite and remain in this town unless given permission to leave."
I turned and glared at her. "I don't want your tree or your apple. I just want to leave."
"Let her get out of here! We don't need her!" someone shouted.
"We've got enough problems without an outsider!" cried another.
"Here, here!" another yelled.
The mayor narrowed her eyes and looked past me at the crowd. Any further suggestions died on their lips.
"The Blessing Tree has never been refused, and I would not have us start disobe
ying it now," she told them.
"We could try it," Tom spoke up. He lumbered up behind the two men who flanked me. "We don't know if it'll die or not. Maybe nothing will happen."
The mayor zeroed her eyes on him. "Would you take responsibility for the consequences?" Tom frowned. The mayor stood and swept her gaze over the room. In her hand she clasped the apple. "Would anyone care to risk the life of the Blessing Tree merely to remove this woman from our town?"
"But she's not from here. . ." came a whimpered response.
"Nor are many others," the mayor argued.
"But they came changed!" someone countered.
"And we will change her," the mayor returned. Her eyes fell on me and she held out the apple. "Take a bite."
The gleam of the apple caught my eye. Its smooth red surface invited me to taste its delicious flesh. Unbidden, my hand reached out.
"No!"
The shout came from my own lips. I drew my hand back and clasped both of them against my chest. My narrow eyes glared at the mayor as I took a step back and shook my head.
"I won't do it."
The room erupted in shouts and calls.
"Kill her!"
"Force her!"
The mayor pursed her lips and glanced over my shoulder. "Then you must be forced."
Armel came up behind me and wrapped me in a bone-crushing bear hug. He lifted my feet off the floor. I kicked and flailed, but to no avail. The mayor dug her long fingernails into the apple and pulled off a small piece. She set the rest of the apple on the table and walked around to me.
"Wait!" Orion spoke up. The noise in the room died down. You could've heard a pin drop. He moved to stand to the side of the mayor and me, and looked to the elected official. "I can get her to eat. Just give me some time to convince her at my house-"
The mayor shook his head. "Unacceptable."
"Then what about the motel? Troy can help me watch her and-"
"It will be done now," the mayor insisted.
She stepped up to me and raised the slice to my lips. I pressed them together and glared at her. She pinched my nose between two of her fingers. My lungs were deprived of air. I held on for a minute before I opened my mouth to gasp.
The mayor tossed the slice into my mouth. The piece of apple flew down my throat. I choked and helped it along with an involuntary swallow. The flavor was cool and delicious. Under any other circumstances I would've asked for the rest of the apple.
That is, until I felt a strange unease slip over my body. It felt like a muscle ache that I couldn't quite place, or the beginnings of a cold that threatened to throw me for a loop.
The mayor stepped back and nodded at Armel. He set me down and opened his arms. I stumbled forward and Orion caught me.
"I'm sorry," he whispered.
I should've shoved him away, but I was too grateful for his gentle hands. The strange sensation inside of me pulsed with a stronger beat. I winced and clutched my stomach, the source of my discomfort.
"Do you offer to be her caretaker tonight?" the mayor asked Orion.
He nodded. "I do."
Her eyes narrowed. "And you won't encourage her to leave?'
He shook his head. "That's not an option anymore."
"Very well." She turned to the quiet room. "The meeting is adjourned!"
8
The hall erupted in violent shouts. The people jumped to their feet and shook their fists, their faces contorted with anger. They crowded the aisle and pushed into us in their struggle to reach the mayor. She backed up behind the table and beat her gavel, but nobody heeded her yells.
The weight of so many people suffocated me. Orion swept me into his arms and put his shoulder in front of him. He shoved his way through the crowd and we emerged at the doors. Behind us continued the chaos of people pushing and shoving, each trying to get out or in.
Orion set me down. I tried to stand, but my legs felt like jello. The mix of confusion, fear, and the strange ache inside me disturbed my body and mind.
"Can you walk?" Orion asked me. I closed my eyes and shook my head. "Then let me carry you."
I was hardly in a condition to object. He lifted me into his arms and carried me down the sparsely populated hall. The others there headed for the door, and soon we emerged from the pair of front doors. Outside the sky was a silvery gray. A soft snow fell over the world and blanketed the citizens in a peaceful calm.
"I'll take you home with me. The motel isn't exactly cozy," he suggested.
I shivered and pressed close against his warm chest. My voice was low and hoarse. "My things."
"You can get those tomorrow. Right now I bet you don't feel too well," he commented.
The city hall was the large building with the belfry. Orion walked down the steps to the sidewalk. Cars pulled away from the curb and scattered to the four corners of the small town. Orion took a left and carried me down the sidewalk.
"I hope you don't mind a little trudge. I don't exactly live close to city hall," he warned me.
"Do I. . .have a choice?" I pointed out.
He chuckled. "Not much, but it's always nice to have an option."
I thought about that for a moment and scowled. "Put me down."
Orion stopped us around the left-hand corner and half a block down from the fire station. The only company for us was the light from the lamp posts. To our left was an alley that led behind the municipal buildings.
He frowned. "But I thought you said-"
"Just put me down."
Orion set me on my feet. I steadied myself by facing him and placing a hand on his chest. He held my shoulders to steady me and frowned down at me. "I don't think-" Smack.
The sound was my hand meeting his cheek. His head whipped to one side and a red welt appeared on his flesh. He rubbed the injury and winced.
"What was that for?" he asked me.
"For not getting me out of there," I snapped.
He frowned. "I didn't want this for you. I tried to get you out of there before the apple, but the mayor wouldn't agree to it."
"A fat lot of good that did," I growled.
Orion pursed his lips and shook his head. "Listen, we can talk about this-"
"No, we talk about this now," I demanded. "What the hell happened back there? What was so important about that apple?"
He sighed and shrugged. "If you didn't believe me about the werewolf thing then you're not going to believe this."
My eyes narrowed. "What is it?"
"You're not going to-"
"Tell me."
His shoulders sagged and he studied my face for a long moment. "Biting into an apple from the Blessing Tree, the one you saw in the woods, changes a person into a were creature."
I rolled my eyes. "Enough with this werewolf bullshit! I want the truth."
"There is no other truth."
Something in his voice made me pause. His words were calm and even, but there was a depth to them that cut me to my core. I leaned back and looked over his face.
"You're. . .you're serious, aren't you?" I asked him. He gave a nod. "I'm. . .I"m really a werewolf?"
"Yes," he replied.
I frowned and gestured down at myself. "But I don't feel-ouch." The pain in my stomach returned, and with full force. I clutched my stomach and doubled over. "What the hell is this?"
"It's the changes in your body. They start slow at first, but in an hour things are going to get really interesting," he warned me.
My eyes widened and my hands trembled. "Interesting how?"
He sighed and averted his gaze from mine. "You'll change into a werewolf. " A sly smile slipped onto his lips. "A female one, that is."
I had to suppress a snort. "At least I have that going for me, but I think you need to have your hmphph-" The end of my sentence was muffled when Orion put his hand over my mouth.
He swiveled his head from left to right. "Quiet," he hissed.
I yanked his hand off my mouth and glared at him. "Are you trying to hmphph-" the ha
nd was repeated.
"Shut up!" he hissed. His eyes fell on a nearby mouth of an alley. "We're not alone."
I followed his gaze and froze. A pair of glistening eyes stared back at us from the deep shadows of the alley. The headlights of a large truck were switched on and blinded us. The silhouette of a man stepped out of the truck and in front of the lights.
Orion pulled me behind him and blinked against the harsh light. "Who's there?"
The person stalked towards us and moved out of the light. I cringed when he was revealed to be Tom, the burly, unfriendly fellow from the town meeting. His hands were balled into fists at his sides and his lips were curled back in a snarl.
"You made a fool of me back there, Huntley," Tom growled.
Orion glared at our unwelcome companion. "I thought you did pretty well all by yourself."
A deep growl rumbled from his throat. I noticed the man's clothes tightened on his body and tufts of fur poked out from his sleeves and collar. Small stubs of hair sprang from his chin and his combed hair flowed down his back.
"You think you can just get away with doing that to me, and then getting her for yourself?" Tom roared.
Orion stepped back and I scooted back with him. His body tensed, but his voice was firm. "She's not your kind, Tom, now get back-"
Tom lunged at us. Orion pushed me aside and I landed hard on a nearby snowbank. Tom collided with Orion, and the two men tumbled onto the road. They rolled back-over-back with neither gaining the upper hand until they came to the middle of the street. Tom managed to get on top. He grabbed Orion's wrists and pinned his arms on either side of his head. Tom sat on his waist and stuck his face in Orion's face.
To say the battle between men was over wasn't quite true. Tom was now more animal than man. His clothes were ripped and torn, and fur and muscles poked out. The hands that held Orion down were more like thick claws, and his face was elongated by a blackish-brown snout.
Orion struggled to get up, but he was trapped. The sheer weight of the monstrous giant kept him pinned to the road. I scrambled to my feet, my discomfort for the moment forgotten, and looked around for something to distract the monster formerly known as Tom. I spotted a useful tool in all the white stuff around me.
In a thrice I scooped up a bunch of hard snow, with a little added rock from the road, and formed the stuff into a tight ball. I pulled back my arm and aimed.
"Hey, Ugly!" I yelled.