In short, he looked like your typical Yellowstone tourist, not the leader of a secret pack of monsters.
"I'm Joshua," he introduced himself, holding out a hand.
At a loss over what else to do, I shook it. Part of me wanted to run screaming out the door, and the other part wanted to burst into tears. Surprisingly, this myriad of emotions left me feeling slightly numb, like I was running on auto-pilot.
"Marlee."
Joshua sat on the edge of the bed. His posture was casual, but there was nothing relaxed in his gaze. He looked me over as if I were a potentially-contagious virus. I fought not to hold my breath.
"What happened yesterday was very unfortunate," Joshua began.
"Yesterday?" I couldn't help but exclaim, glancing at the window. It was nearly dusk. I'd thought it was the same day as the attack.
"Yesterday," Joshua repeated, giving me a frown that said he wasn't used to being interrupted. "A member of our pack was…distraught over his wife's death. He and a few others began hunting you. You were lucky Daniel found them when he did, but you'd been bitten, so we couldn't drop you off at the nearest hospital. You haven't heard of our kind before, Marlee, and there's a reason. We do whatever's necessary to protect our existence."
We'll kill for it was left unsaid, but I heard that loud and clear. I nodded, striving to hold onto my numbness. Hysteria wouldn't help me, no matter how tempting it was to give in to that.
"A person has to be bitten several times to be at risk of transforming, and half the people who've been bitten still don't shift," Joshua went on briskly. "We won't know whether you'll turn into one of us until the next full moon, two weeks away."
Two weeks? It would take that long for me to find out whether or not I'd become a monster? I'd go insane wondering until then. And if it did happen…well, suicide didn't sound like a bad idea all the sudden.
"What happens if after the full moon, I'm not…ah…like the rest of you?" I couldn't bring myself to say a werewolf. I just couldn't.
Joshua gave me a thin smile. "That depends on you. Either you stay with us, as a member of the skinwalker part of our pack, or…"
He shrugged. That single gesture completed his sentence. Or we kill you.
One way or the other, I was screwed.
Chapter Three
"Hungry?"
I sat in the chair, my broken ankle finally in a cast, and glared at Daniel before replying.
"Somewhere between the death threats and the thought of turning into a four-legged monster, I lost my appetite."
Part of me wondered why I dared to be so surly. The other part figured I was as good as dead anyway, so it didn't matter.
Daniel grunted. "Suit yourself, but I'm getting something."
He stood, stretched, and then held out a hand. I just stared at it.
"What?"
"You're coming with me," he replied. "Who knows what kind of trouble you'd stir up if I left you alone?"
"And I suppose you'll just drag me along anyway if I refuse?"
A smile quirked his mouth. "You learn fast, don't you?"
I gave Daniel another withering look that didn't seem to faze him. He was extremely striking, in an outdoorsy-type of way. His hair was chin length and russet, and he had a faint weathering to his features that spoke of long days outside. Daniel only looked a couple years older than me, which would put him at about thirty, but there was an air of command about him that made him seem older. None of the lawyers at my
office had such a dominating presence, in fact.
But I wasn't about to let him know how much he intimidated me. Wasn't there a saying that showing fear in front of an animal made it more aggressive? "So, you're the group's babysitter, is that it?"
"I'm the pack's enforcer, so it's my job to make sure anyone who's a danger to us – like you – doesn't get away. And I'm very good at my job, Marlee."
At over six feet tall with muscles bulging from every limb, yeah, Daniel looked like he did a good job of enforcing. He'd scare anyone with half a brain.
"What are you going to do with me for two weeks? You can't keep me tied to your hip." I didn't even want to think about after that, or what might happen on the full moon.
He rubbed a knuckle under his chin and considered me. "With your limp, you wouldn't get far even if you did manage to slip away from me – which you wouldn't. So, let's get some dinner, then you can wash up and begin plotting ways to outsmart us dumb animals."
Daniel said that last part with a challenging look that let me know he was both aware of my aversion to what they were and of my dreams of escape. I glanced away, gritting my teeth.
"Didn't you say you were hungry?"
He held out his hand again. "Come on. Let's eat."
* * *
I had to take Daniel's arm to avoid hopping on one leg to the dining lodge. They didn't give me any crutches, which I supposed was deliberate so as to keep me at a disadvantage. It looked like I was in some sort of tiny Wild West town, of all things. A narrow strip of street ran down between the twin rows of shops, lodgings,
and…were those saloons? I half expected someone to gallop by on horseback, shooting at the moon.
"What is this place?" I asked.
Daniel grunted. "Not what you were expecting, right? Let me guess. You thought we'd live in a big den in the woods?"
From his expression, he was teasing, but I wasn't trying to make friends with my kidnapper.
"The 1800's called. They want their Tombstone replica back," I replied. Two could play at being a smart ass.
Daniel kept perfect pace with me. I was using his arm as a sort of brace. His reflexes were so fast, he counter-balanced my every step, so I almost walked at my normal speed.
"You're not far off," he said, ignoring my sarcasm. "This was an old mining town back in the nineteenth century. It was empty for decades after the silver dried up, but then some of my relatives bought it and the surrounding land. We restored many of the original buildings and cabins, plus added upgrades. Now, we rent it out seasonally as a private resort area."
That brought me to a stop. "Werewolves running a resort town?" I asked incredulously.
He shrugged. "We have to make a living, just like everyone else."
This was like being in an episode of The Twilight Zone.
We passed several people on our way down the street. I was surprised at how normal they looked. There were men and women of varying ages, plus a couple children, and everyone appeared to be minding their own business – aside from all the sideways glances I was getting.