When Emily took Angela’s invitation to spend the night at her place she didn’t expect much. She had seen and lived in worst places with her father and it didn’t surprise her that she slept on the floor of a two room shack in the middle of the woods. But Angela had taken her in and she didn’t see why she should invade her privacy by asking why she stayed in such a remote place.
Emily woke, but Angela had been out and killed her breakfast. Angela knew the ways of humans, and she tried to make her feel comfortable even if Emily slept the night on the floor. Angela walked into the room carrying a tray from the bar. She had a smile on her face showing dazzling white teeth.
“Did you sleep well last night? Here, I cooked you something.”
She handed Emily a plate with a half cooked piece of meat she didn’t know or wanted to ask what it was, but she had berries and an apple on the plate.
Taking the plate, Angela watched at Emily, and when Emily ate everything on it, Angela felt good. “Do you want to come with me to the club? Nero didn’t come back last night.”
“Does he do that often?” Emily inquired.
“Sometimes. He’s out hunting.”
“I wouldn’t let Harper go out hunting without me,” Emily said in her naïve manner. Her voice sounding like a newlywed. Wanting to be with her man every day. “I would go with him.”
“But you can’t hunt with him. He’s a werewolf silly.”
“A what?” Emily choked on the piece of half-eaten apple.
“A werewolf. Oh shit.” Angela’s hand flew to her mouth as if a bee flew in it. “Didn’t he tell you? I can’t believe he didn’t tell you.” She scratched her head and blinked her eyes.
“What was he supposed to tell me that he didn’t?” Emily said watching at Angela search for words.
“It’s not my place to say. You have to ask him,” Angela’s voice odd and impatient. She walked to the closet and pulled out her only black leather jacket, putting it over a black shirt. Her pants black, skin tight, fit her like skin.
“Do you want to come with me to open the bar, or stay here until Harper comes back?”
“I want to go with you of course. I’m afraid to stay here alone. There isn’t anything out there but trees and more trees. I’m a city girl, and I don’t believe in werewolves. But I’m keeping an open mind. And Yes, I want to go with you,” she said her eyes wide looking out at the thick forest behind Angela’s house.
Angela and Emily hopped into Emily’s Range Rover parked near Angela’s red rust colored jeep. It took ten minutes to pull up in front of the Rusty Nail.
When Angela opened the car door she raised her head and glanced around. Walking to the driver side she open the door and said to Emily. “Stay in here, I smell something strange.”
“I don’t smell anything.”
“You wouldn’t because I’m a were-panther. I can see and smell better than you. You’re a human.”
“I thought you were human too,” Emily said.
“I’ll tell you about that later,” Angela said to Emily as she stooped and strode around the side of the building. She disappeared and Emily didn’t see her. She decided to climb out against Angela’s demands.
As she came near the far side of the building, she heard a loud roar. She had to wipe her eyes to be sure of what she was seeing. It was a large panther and mountain lion rolling and biting and clawing at each other.
When the mountain lion caught sight of Emily she rushed in Emily’s direction and Emily made a mad dash for the truck. She pulled and pulled and finally it open just as the mountain lion jumped on the hood. Then the panther hopped up and grabbed the mountain lion with her large teeth and pulled her from the hood of the car.
They were pawing and biting each other and trying to scratch at each other. The panther had the advantage because of how large it was, but the mountain lion was more agile as it rolled and jumped on the panther’s back and then away from her sharp teeth and claws.
Emily watched in disbelief wondering if the cats had attacked Angela and she was lying dead behind the bar. Emily sat and screamed and then a man walked from behind the bar. He had only a pair of jeans on. His chest wide and arms muscular. He walked up to the two animals and held them by the scruff of their necks pulling them apart.
“Stop it. Stop it now,” he said to them as if they were his house pets and they had a misunderstanding, and they were fighting to see who would sleep in the master’s bed. Which wasn’t far from the truth.
When he dropped them on their feet, they changed into two females, one tall with dark hair and the other with brown hair and shorter. They were both shapely as they stood in the nude. And one of them was Angela.
“What the fuck is going on with you two?” Nero said his voice sounding harsh and irritated.
“Nero. I thought you said we were exclusive to each other. You promised me that you weren’t going to be with anyone else. Tonight is the full moon and here you are with this bitch after you said you were out hunting.”
“Go. I have to talk to Angela,” Nero said pushing the mountain lion. She stalked away. Then glanced back. But before she left she came running back and made one large swipe across Nero’s face. When Angela went after her Nero stopped her. “Let her go. I’m the one to blame. Can you forgive me?”
When Nero turned to kiss a naked Angela, he saw Emily looking at him. His eyes grew wide. “She’s not supposed to see this. She’s a human and she has to be killed.”
“You can’t do that. She’s Harper’s wife.”
“But why is she looking at me with such fright in her eyes?”
“Because Harper never told her what we are.”
“Get her out of that truck and bring her inside. You have to put some clothes on. I feel as if I could fuck you here. The way you look to me. And you fought that were-cat for me,” Nero said with a smile. He seemed pleased.
“She could have killed me,” Angela said. He put his arm around her.
“Well she didn’t.” He gave her a kiss and walked up the stairs and opened the locked door and left Angela to explain everything to Emily.
“Emily open the door,” Angela said pulling on the car handle.
“No. You’re going to hurt me.”
“I’m not going to hurt you. It was what I was trying to tell you and you didn’t want to believe me. There are werewolves and were-cats in this area.”
“You mean that Harper would bring me to a place where I could get killed and eaten by large animals which turn into people and then turn back to animals? I can’t believe he would do that.”
“I’m not going to eat you. We don’t eat people. We are half human ourselves. Now open the door and come in. It’s getting cold outside. Come in near the fire.”
“You have nothing on and you’re not cold?” Angela said.
“I’m different.”
“I’d say you are. I hope you are telling me the truth.”
“If I wanted to do you something to you, I could have done it when you were asleep.” She heard the door click and Emily opened the door and cautiously stepped out.
Walking with Angela, she stayed back a few feet and let her go first. Angela opened the door to the bar and entered. Nero had the bar ready to serve customers when they walked in. Angela scooted behind the bar and into the room at its rear. Emily sat at the bar shaking.
Nero handed her a drink. She didn’t know what was in it. All she knew was she needed it.
“Thank you,” Emily said.
“That man of yours is a good werewolf and a good human. He got me and my friends out of jail and promised us all jobs. He didn’t have to.” Emily smiled and glanced up at Nero who turned to the right to see three men walk through the door.
From what Emily saw they were just men. But Nero saw different. He saw three hungry predatory werewolves. Normally his pack would crowd the place, but since there was no more fights and pickups in the bar, which had been Nero’s agreement with Harper, they didn’t come around unless they were summoned by Nero their pack leader.
He never needed the pack more than now. And he wished Angela would stay in the back because she never knew when to act like a beta in front of werewolves. They thought the were-cats were only good to fuck. Not bring into their pack to mate with.
Only Nero had made her the Alpha female in his pack because he loved her, and she was a good fighter, and good at hunter, and she was always willing to have sex even if the moon wasn’t full.