Rejected Wolf by Rae Foxx

15

Not one ofus addressed the elephant in the room. We watched from the dingy motel window as the vamps that attacked us picked themselves up, those who had survived, gathered their dead and fled almost as fast as they swarmed on us. We all showered and changed, me into a pre-picked outfit by Reggie, of course. It was a velvety pair of pajamas that seemed more for Christmas morning than anything else. Not that I was complaining. Truth be told, with everything happening around us, I needed some comfort.

Reggie stared out the window while Henry jotted things down in his thin leather journal. He scribbled in such a furry it was as though he was being paid by the word. Titus, on the other hand, paced. He mumbled things to himself in his grumpy way. He had no shirt on so I leaned back against the headboard and enjoyed the view.

But even that glorious view got a little fucking boring after a while.

“Are we going to talk about what the fuck is going on or what?” I asked in the calmest voice I could muster. “After all, we’ve just been attacked… again. And, you know, I saw a fucking vampire fly. Is this just normal everyday life for you all? Getting attacked every time you walk into a new town? ‘Cause from my perspective it’s getting pretty fucking old pretty fucking quick.”

Henry stopped his scribbling and everything went quiet. “Actually, it has only started to happen since we picked you up. I thought maybe it was your pack, that they had sent someone to finish you off, but none of them scented of shifter, not in the slightest. They were thirsty, thirstier than I’ve ever seen a vampire in my life. When we hunt someone it doesn’t make us blood frenzied. These fuckers were out of their mind fixated on feeding from you.”

I swallowed against the boulder in my throat, one of fear and one of being prey.

“Okay,” I said, sitting up straight. “Well, it’s not like I sent them a fucking greeting card asking them to make their fangs at home in my carotid artery. Unless there’s a sign on my forehead that no one has told me about… what other theories do we have? Maybe we should talk about how Reggie can fucking fly now? He looked like Peter Pan, all happy slaying vampires while he conjured up happy thoughts. I fucking looked around for that fairy chick at one point.”

Titus snorted but turned around so I didn't see what I assumed was a grin on his face.

“I’ve never done that before. It is all a blur in my head. It wasn’t like I thought about flying and it happened. The sensation just took over and I knew I could do it. I don’t know what cha… oh… fuck.”

“What?” Titus barked out, stopping in his tracks. Henry had put aside his journal and looked perplexed, the lines distinct and deep along his forehead.

Reggie turned on the bed and took my hands in his. “What can you tell us about your parents, Lizzie? Are they alive? Can we talk to them?”

His words came out in a rushed flurry. I cleared my throat and took my hands from his. I didn’t know why the pain of losing them still stung, I mean, I didn’t even know them. “They are dead. They were killed shortly after I was born.”

Titus sat on the corner of the bed. “Okay, but what history does your pack have on them? What’s their lineage? I knew she smelled funny.”

“Hey!” I said, flinging the nearest pillow at his smug smile. “I don’t stink. Asshole.”

“I didn’t say you stink, Liz, I said you smelled funny. Like a shifter, of course, but not. Guys?” He looked around the room. Reggie and Henry both gave him curt nods affirming his notion about my funk.

“Whatever. No, I know nothing about them. Why? Can someone please make some fucking sense around here?”

Reggie patted my thigh. “I healed very quickly, even for a vampire. I can now fly and move three times as fast as usual. And there are rabid vampires all after you.”

I kicked at the cream-colored lifeless comforter on the bed. “Please begin to make some fucking sense.”

Henry stood and cocked his head sideways while tapping that long, bony finger on his pronounced chin. “There is something special in your blood, Poppy. Something very special indeed. There is no one in your pack who would know even the smallest detail about your parents? Anything would help at this point.”

Titus stood while Henry was speaking. “It’s my turn next. I’m feeding from her next. Her blood might turn me into the fucking Hulk.”

Rolling my eyes, I leaned back. “Too late. You’re already there.”

“In fact, I’m hungry right now,” he barked back, staring at me while his green eyes grew darker and more intent by the second.

Reggie was up before the gasp left my mouth. His hands braced against Titus’ chest while Henry stood near in case he needed to help. “No you won’t. None of us feed from her until we find out what the fuck is going on”

“That’s easy to say when you’ve already fed from her. Feeling really big there, huh, Reggie?”

Gods, these three were a mess.

“No, Titus. He’s right. We have no way of knowing. Maybe Reggie was a fluke and her blood will kill the rest of us. We have to find out more.”

“There is one person,” I interjected, reaching for anything to stop them from fighting though the thought of Titus feeding me seemed like more of a fantasy than a nightmare. “An older woman named Ruth at my pack. She raised me. She was forbidden to talk about my parents by the Alpha but I’m sure she knows something. They were good friends with her when they were alive.”

“We leave tomorrow. We are going to find out the information. After that, it’s my turn, little wolf. I hope you’re strong enough to handle me.”

Gods, I hoped that too.