Wolf Blooded

CH 3 She-Wolf

CHAPTER THREE – SHE-WOLF

Cassi's consciousness slowly returned with all her senses. She could hear the crackling embers of a controlled fire and the light tapping of rain against a wooden roof and glass windows. She felt the softness of a mattress beneath her, felt the threads of the warm blanket thrown over her body.

Then she smelt the blood.

Startled by the metallic, cloying scent, she sat upright fast. Her heart was hammering in terror as the memory of the wolf attack crashed into her almost like a physical force. She looked around wildly for danger. She could still smell the blood and it had her alert in a way she never had been before. It forced everything around her out of focus.

Hands appeared in the haze and gripped her shoulder's. They guided her back into the mattress with soothing words Cassi couldn't yet make out. She could smell blood on them and tried to bat them away, but the person was strong.

"Easy now, easy. Try to calm down. You're going to lose control if you don't."

Cassi was confused. Lose control? It was a strange thing to say, but she didn't like the sound of it. She forced herself to breathe slower, ignoring the obvious smell wafting around her that had such a severe effect on her body. The hand lightened their hold and the person in front of Cassi began to come into focus.

She was a tall, butch woman with very short dark blonde hair and a sharp face. She had a nose ring that glinted in the firelight, and when she smiled toothily, Cassi noticed animalistic canines in her mouth.

Cassi felt like she should be afraid of this woman. Common sense told her that this was a stranger, but she didn't feel like it. Strangely enough, Cassi felt safe around this woman, almost as though she were family. Cassi wanted to be as close to her as she could, suddenly, and had to stop herself from moving right up to the woman.

'What the hell is wrong with me?' Cassi wondered. There was no denying the stranger was gorgeous in a strong, masculine way, but Cassi's need to press up against her and even inhale her scent? It wasn't normal. For a moment, Cassi wondered if she had been drugged.

The woman seemed to sense Cassi's discomfort and shifted away from her a little, sitting on the end of the bed now but still facing Cassi.

"My name is Lora," the woman explained. "And this is my cabin. It's outside of the reserve, but not far from the edge of it. It's well hidden, so no one can stumble across it."

Cassi felt her heart speed up. This woman had kidnapped her, then? "So no one will find me," she said, not forming it as a question.

Lora looked shocked. "Is... is that what you think is happening here?" A smile spread across her face and she chuckled. "Oh, sweetheart, you couldn't have misread this any worse."

Lora rose to her feet and started to pace, her arms crossed over her chest. "How do I explain this..." she mumbled to herself. Cassi took the opportunity to take in this woman. She was tall and well-muscled, but not over the top like a bodybuilder. She was tanned from the sun and Cassi spotted more studs in her left ear as the woman continued to pace.

Finally, Lora stopped and turned to Cassi. "Okay, I guess I'll just come out with it." She kneeled before Cassi and put a hand gently on her knee. Cassi almost bucked with surprise, and perhaps something else, but managed to control her body.

Lora's next words were met with a heavy silence. "I'm a werewolf, and I saved your life."

Cassi stared back at Lora, into her deep green eyes and felt herself frowning at the ridiculousness of the lie. She studied Lora, looked for signs of obvious insanity. There were none, but it couldn't possibly be true anyway. As Cassi opened her mouth to speak, Lora shook her head and raised a hand.