Runaway Wolf

Make Out With a Midget

Sylvia

The words I spoke hang like heavy weights in the air. Trevor hasn't said anything, just stares down at the floor, and I'm starting to worry he's just going to spring to his feet and take off down the stairs like a bat out of hell. I said what I needed to, for the most part, and it feels good to have it all out of me and into the universe. Jeffery Bishop wants me dead or as proof that werewolves exist just so he can prove he isn't batshit crazy, which he is. Now Trevor knows exactly what's on the line if he decides he wants to give this a shot.

"This crazy bastard killed your entire family and now he's trying to kill you?" he asks, finally looking up at me.

"Yeah, and I figure it won't take him too much longer to figure out where I went to. It's already been six months I've been gone."

Trevor runs a hand through his hair and lets out a long breath. "Jesus Christ on a bike."

"You ready to run for the hills yet?" I ask. "I wouldn't blame you if you did. If he figures out you're a werewolf too, it'd put you and your entire family in danger."

He gives me a stern look and squashes my cheeks until my lips pucker. "Listen here, Sylvia whatever-the-rest-of-your-name-is-"

"Louise Chapman," I interrupt, my words a little funny with how squished my cheeks are.

"Sylvia Louise Chapman-that's pretty-you listen, and you listen good, I spent the past two years of my life thinking there was something seriously wrong with me. Why else would every woman I met hightail it the second they could? I was fully prepared to turn my mom's office into a mancave and fulfill all my dreams of fatherhood by being the greatest uncle ever, not that I won't be anyway. And then I met you. You're sweet and kind, but don't take my shit, which is a lot, and, my god, you're the most beautiful woman I've ever had the pleasure of laying my eyes upon, and I assure you it is a great pleasure. So, no thank you, I think I'll stay right here."

I can't help the way my eyes water. He's a real charmer, this one, and his words cause warmth to spread from my chest to the tips of my toes. No one beside Mama and Daddy has ever called me beautiful before. I'm a little conflicted about how to feel about him sticking around. I'm so happy I feel like screaming, but all the worry makes my heart feel like it's going to beat right up my throat.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. Whatever happens, we'll figure it out together alright?"

After I nod, Trevor says, "Good," and wraps his arms around my shoulders, maneuvering us so I'm laying on my side between the back of the couch and him, my head on his chest and my legs draped over his as he lounges on his back. He sighs and stares at the ceiling, the angle showing his sharp jaw and pronounced Adam's apple. If it weren't for the heavy feeling in the air that has yet to dissipate from our earlier conversation, I'd probably be a puddle by now. The man is good looking, that much I'll admit.

"Can I ask you something?" Trevor asks, running the callused pads of his fingers up and down my arm, making goosebumps rise on my skin.

"Shoot."

"How did you manage to get away from that guy, Jeffery?"

Remembering the experience feels almost like it belongs to someone else, like watching a movie. While I get my thoughts together, Trevor just waits, going between trailing his fingers up my arms and through my hair. The closeness helps ease a lot of the feelings of fear and anxiety squirming in my gut from just remembering the incident.

"I had to go in and identify my family's bodies a couple days after the accident. When I left, I didn't notice Jeffery following me home. I had just gotten to the door when he came up from behind me and tried to grab me. We struggled for a bit before I managed to get far enough away to shift. He still tried to get a hold of me, but I managed to rake my claws over his face. I got back to the car, drove it to Atlanta, and got on a plane to as far away as I could."