Canyon Wolf Bride Read online

  “Did it wake you?” he asked, sliding the crispy bacon onto a paper towel lined plate.

  “The thunder woke me a few times, but I fell back asleep. I can see you already had a shower. I didn’t even hear you.”

  They took their seats at the breakfast table and Paige began buttering a slice of toast.

  “I tried not to wake you, though I was very tempted to surprise you. You looked absolutely delicious and I really wanted you for breakfast more than this bacon and toast.”

  Paige bit into her toast, letting the butter melt against her tongue. She gave him a seductive grin. “I wouldn’t have minded, but I was really hungry, too. It would have been a toss up.”

  He reached under the table and tickled her ribs.

  “Stop it, Sean,” she protested. She jerked her elbow down to protect her side and when she did, she smeared butter all over her cheek with the toast she still held in her hand. “Now look what you did!”

  “You look incredibly sexy all buttered up for me to eat. I guess I get to have you for breakfast after all,” he warned as he grabbed her and pulled her to him while she squirmed.

  He licked and kissed all the butter off her cheek as he made his way to her full lips, parting them slightly. She gave into him right away, loving his touch and the warmth of his mouth on hers and the smell of his aftershave. Rain pelted against the kitchen windows while she began making mental notes of her day. Their kissing grew more and more passionate, interrupting her internal thoughts. The only thing she could think of to do that made any sense to her at all was to stay in bed and make love all day. As soon as he decided to come up for air, she planned on suggesting it to him.

  Several more flashes of lightning and thunder cracks later, Sean released her, out of breath and red hot once again. She never said a word, only stood, leaving the breakfast dishes for later. Sean followed her into the bedroom, but not before Sean made her promise that she would go with him to visit Aunt Bette for dinner. Paige promised as she undid the button-fly to his jeans and held him in her hands. Sean’s anxiety over the evening to come was immediately squelched. All he could do was lose himself in her over and over again as the thunder boomed and the lightning ripped through the wide Colorado sky.

  ****

  Eight hours later they pulled into Aunt Bette’s as thunder echoed through the mountains and darkness set in. They darted inside as fast as they could, unable to dodge the huge puddles that had formed on the gravel driveway. Both of them kicked their wet boots off on the front porch before slipping inside. The screen door banged loudly, signaling to Aunt Bette that they had arrived. She had spent all afternoon basting a roast beef and the house smelled glorious. She was busy pulling out a load of rolls when they entered the kitchen. The kitchen was warm and inviting despite the dreary evening.

  “You two didn’t float away in this wonderful storm were having did you? You’d think Noah’s ark would pass by any minute.”

  They all laughed as they hugged one another and began to chat easily about the never ending rain and when the weatherman said it would stop. Aunt Bette seemed a little different to Paige, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. Both she and Sean seemed a little too happy and jovial for a rainy Sunday afternoon. They both looked like bad actors in a low budget film. After Aunt Bette had asked her for the third time if she could get her more wine and she had barely sipped her first glass, she knew something was up. Suddenly it hit her. Sean brought her here to tell her the secret. But at Aunt Bette’s? It must not be as personal as she had suspected. Suddenly she was relieved. It was probably not that big of a deal at all. Just because Sean thought it was some big, bad secret didn’t make it so. It must be a family secret. She decided it must have something to do with his dead parents. Maybe they were involved in something embarrassing or illegal. Maybe they had been famous criminals and Paige would recognize their names. It must be something from his past, involving his family that he needed to get off his chest.

  They stuffed themselves on roast beef, potatoes and gravy, creamed spinach, corn on the cob and Aunt Bette’s heavenly homemade rolls. The storm had let up for a while, but thunder could be heard far off in the distance, signaling a second storm that was scheduled to hit the mountain by midnight. All three of them retired to the living room where Sean lit a fire. The fire finally caught as small twigs began to sizzle and snap. Aunt Bette carried a tray of coffee in and flipped on both of her stained glass antique lamps. Paige told Aunt Bette that she would be shopping for a wedding dress the next day. Sean beamed when she grew more and more animated as she described her ideas for the ceremony in Havasu Canyon and the reception at the museum. She told Aunt Bette that she absolutely had to come to the wedding and Sean agreed, telling his aunt that he would pay for everything. Aunt Bette had protested vehemently, but Sean had insisted, telling her how she was not only an aunt, but more like a mother. With tears filling her eyes, she finally agreed. Sean told her that he wanted her to play his mother’s role in the ceremony and be seated in the front row. She kissed both of them on the cheeks, wetting them with her tears before finally pouring a cup of coffee for herself and taking a seat near the fire.

  The living room was cozy and warm. The antique lamps cast a light glow on the far wall, while the fire flickered and popped in the opposite corner. Aunt Bette’s guests had gone into town for the evening and were expected to return in a few hours. Sean knew the time had come, but he felt amazingly relaxed. Perhaps he was experiencing the calm before the storm or maybe he felt in control, because he had Aunt Bette on his side. Aunt Bette had agreed to initiate the conversation and Sean would actually reveal the truth to her. Aunt Bette promised to be his buffer and Sean had begged her to not let Paige leave, no matter what. They both knew she would be in shock and that her first instinct would probably be to run away.

  Sean sipped his coffee and cleared his throat as he glanced at Aunt Bette. That was her signal to begin and she nodded slightly, taking a shaky breath and another sip of coffee, buying a few seconds of precious time.

  Aunt Bette placed her coffee cup on the small lace covered coffee table and took Paige’s hand in hers. Paige knew it was coming and almost laughed out loud as nervousness danced within her. This was so weird. She marveled at how the room had grown suddenly very serious. Two seconds before they had been talking about their wedding day and Aunt Bette had been crying tears of joy, now they both were looking at her as if someone had died. Suddenly Paige wasn’t so sure if his secret was about his parents. Suddenly it seemed like it was about Sean himself or worse, her. Maybe there was something about her that Sean couldn’t live with. Paranoia gripped her. She wished Aunt Bette would just blurt it out.

  “Paige, we need to talk to you about something very important. This has been bothering Sean and he really needs to get it off of his chest,” Aunt Bette explained slowly. It took her so long to get the first sentence out that Paige wondered if she was dreaming. It seemed like she was talking in slow motion and the suspense was killing her. She suddenly felt light headed and dizzy.

  “What is it?” Paige asked, her voice sounding small and foreign to her own ears.

  Aunt Bette patted her hand before taking another deep breath.

  “Sean and I have a family secret.”

  She had been right. What a relief. Everything would be okay now. Paige leaned back in her chair, relaxing a bit.

  Aunt Bette continued, thinking that perhaps Paige would take it better than they had guessed.

  “There is a genetic defect within our family. Both Sean and I possess this gene. The gene affects the Y chromosome, but can be passed onto the X chromosome in certain circumstances.”

  Aunt Bette was a perfect example of a person falling under certain circumstances, but she would explain that later.

  “Does this gene cause a fatal disease?” Paige asked, horrified by this news.Would his life be cut short? Would they be able to have children?

  Aunt Bette cleared her throat, searching for the words that would m
ake the most sense to Paige’s mortal brain.

  “No, it doesn’t cause a disease, but it does have its set backs. Or rather, one who possesses this gene has to alter his lifestyle a bit.”

  Paige was searching both of their faces, realizing that Aunt Bette was beating around the bush. Sean was stone faced, blinking as he returned Paige’s stare and finally turning to Aunt Bette to continue. Was that it? Surely she didn’t expect him to continue from there. Aunt Bette furrowed her brow.

  “What do you mean alter his lifestyle? Like taking prescription drugs? What limitations are put on someone who carries the gene?” Paige asked, fishing for answers.

  “People who carry this gene are classified as canis lupus nubilus homo sapiens,” Aunt Bette explained.

  Paige minored in biology in college and remembered enough to realize that this was a category for a certain species. She was puzzled and suddenly very skeptical. Was this some kind of joke?

  “So, you’re telling me that some people in your family are not only homo sapiens, but also canis lupus nubilus?”

  Both Sean and Aunt Bette nodded. Paige wracked her brain for the definition of the scientific term canis lupis nubilus? She couldn’t remember the particular species. She knew canis came from the word canine, meaning dog and anything combined with the prefix of canis was usually a...wolf? She remembered the exact species. It popped into her head. It was on the list of extinct species.

  “But that species is extinct,” Paige explained as she searched their faces.

  Sean finally spoke up.

  “No, we’re very much alive and thriving.”

  This had to be a joke, Paige decided.

  “You guys almost had me,” she replied, laughing, but their faces didn’t mirror hers. Both of them looked worried.

  “It’s no joke, baby,” Sean said softly, leaning closer to her, taking her other hand.

  “Canis lupus nubilus is the extinct species known as the Great Plains Buffalo Wolf. They ranged from Canada to the northern United States and extended all the way down to northern Texas,” Paige replied, easily recalling the essay she’d written on the extinct breed.

  “The gene survived through humans and has evolved to canis lupis nubilus homo sapien, a new species,” Sean explained, seeming more and more serious to Paige. “Surely you studied Darwin in college. You know, survival of the fittest? A new and better species evolved through humans.”

  Paige laughed out loud. “So, you’re telling me that you are half extinct wolf and half man?”

  “Yes.”

  Paige turned to look at Aunt Bette.

  “I’m afraid so, dear. But, we aren’t extinct. We exist side by side with homo sapiens, such as yourself.”

  Paige’s eyes flew open. She knew they weren’t kidding. Of course they weren’t kidding, this was a dream. She decided to go with it and have fun. It was a trick she had learned in psych class to face her fears. When one was faced with a nightmare, one played the part. After all, dreams can’t hurt you.

  “So, I’m marrying a werewolf. We’ll have furry children. By the way, I’m totally aware of the fact that I’m having a nightmare, so you can’t scare me,” she replied, sticking her tongue out at both of them.

  Sean was stunned. He never expected this reaction. Paige laughed hysterically. Aunt Bette squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. She wasn’t surprised at all. She had experienced the same thing. It had taken Charles forever to convince her of her reality. She wondered how long it would take to convince Paige.

  “What do we do now?” Sean asked Aunt Bette as Paige grew more and more hysterical.

  Aunt Bette shook Paige by the shoulders and looked her in the eye.

  “Paige, stop it. Listen to me.”

  Paige finally stopped and looked at Aunt Bette, feeling dazed and confused.

  “Get a hold of yourself. Concentrate. You are not dreaming. We are telling you the truth. We both carry the wolf gene. Forget about all the scary werewolf movies you’ve seen. We’re not vicious killers. At least we don’t eat people.”

  Paige grew pale, looking at Sean as he held her hand tighter and rubbed her thigh, letting her know she was awake and alive.

  “What do you eat?”

  “Animals,” Aunt Bette replied bluntly.

  Paige look horrified and seemed even paler than before.

  “What kind of animals?”

  “Anything.” Aunt Bette looked up at the ceiling, thinking for a moment. Wondering what her last kill had been. “Um, for instance, we eat rabbits, small birds if we can catch them, mice, raccoons, deer. Anything that comes across our path on a full moon.”

  Sean caught her before she fell forward and hit the floor. Paige had passed out cold. Sean gathered her into his arms. Aunt Bette instructed him to carry her to the spare bedroom upstairs. While Aunt Bette fetched a cold wash cloth, Sean undid her blouse a bit, pulling her long hair away from her face. He kissed her eyelids and her cheeks as tears stung his eyes.

  “I’m so sorry, baby. I’m so sorry. I know it’s such a shock, but everything’s going to be okay. We’re going to be together and have children and live happily ever after. Wake up, baby.”

  Aunt Bette dampened her forehead with a wash cloth as her eyelids began to flutter open and shut. Paige saw Sean hovering over her, going in and out of focus. She heard voices and realized she must be ill.

  “Where am I?”

  Sean kissed her forehead and squeezed her hand.

  “You’re at Aunt Bette’s, darling. You fainted.”

  “I must be coming down with something. I had an awful dream. I dreamed that you and Aunt Bette told me that I would be marrying into a family of werewolves.” Paige laughed weakly as she turned to face Sean.

  “You even called yourselves canis lupus nubilus homo sapiens. You had your own species. Surely that dream comes from my days of minoring in biology.”

  Sean and Aunt Bette exchanged worried glances, not knowing what to say. Paige lay there watching the color drain from their faces.

  “It wasn’t a dream, was it?”

  Both of them shook their heads. Paige tried to sit up and grew faint again, nearly falling backwards onto the pillows.

  “Careful, honey. Take it easy. Just lie down for a bit.”

  “You can end this ridiculous joke now, Sean. What is this all about? I can’t imagine why you would do this to me.”

  Sean and Aunt Bette again exchanged glances. Aunt Bette left the room for a moment. She returned shortly.

  “Are they still gone?” Sean asked.

  “They’re still out. I don’t expect them for another hour or two,” Aunt Bette explained, speaking of the guests. They wanted to make sure that no one would witness what they were about to reveal to Paige.

  “Who?” Paige asked.

  “The couple staying here for the weekend,” Aunt Bette replied.

  She nodded to Sean and he crossed the room, opening the window as wide as it would open. He returned to the bed and held both of Paige’s hands.

  “We’re going to show you something, baby. Don’t be afraid. I promise you won’t get hurt.”

  “What are you talking about? Have you two lost your minds?” Paige asked, now very afraid, feeling as though she were living in a horror film.

  Aunt Bette moved to the center of the room and took off her knit sweater, laying it across a chair. She kicked her shoes off and sat on the floor. She closed her eyes as Sean pulled Paige to him, wrapping his arms around her, securing her tightly.

  Aunt Bette began to shake and moan. Her left leg began scratching her left ear in a most unnatural position. She looked as if she had been infested by fleas. Paige watched in horror as her leg became a hind leg. Her foot grew two feet longer and grey hair sprouted as black claws reached for the carpeted floor. All of the sudden she was on all fours, only half changed. Her pants and shirt ripped off her as muscles and hair popped through the shreds. Her soft gray head was replaced by a long muzzle with wiry hair and sharp fangs. Her e
ars grew quickly, pointing toward the ceiling as she grunted and groaned.

  Paige writhed and screamed as Sean held her steady. She finally shut her eyes tight, then reopened them again for fear she wouldn’t see Aunt Bette coming forward to claim her dessert. Fear and terror gripped her like a vice. She thought she would have a heart attack on the spot, but she didn’t. She wished she would faint or wake up or die. Aunt Bette wasn’t Aunt Bette anymore. The she-wolf sat in the center of the quaint bedroom and looked at both of them with intelligent human-like eyes. Sean held onto Paige as she fought in vain. He nodded to the wolf, knowing that Paige had now seen enough.

  The wolf leapt through the window, allowing Sean to release her. She darted from his arms and out the front door. She was too fast for Sean. How could he have let her get away? She didn’t even have a car. Sean had the truck keys in his pocket. He ran after her, but lost her in the forest. He thought of turning into the wolf so he could track her, but he decided against it. He knew she could make it to her cabin. It was only a mile away and there were dozens of houses on the mountainside that she could go to for help. He wanted to go after her in the truck, but he knew she would avoid him. He wanted to give her awhile to absorb it all and calm down. He would go after her after speaking with Aunt Bette. The rain had stopped for a while, but another storm was soon on the way. He would give her an hour. He started back toward the house as a wolf howl echoed in the forest, sending a chill down his spine for the first time ever. He felt the terror that Paige was experiencing and he hoped to God that she hadn’t heard the howl, but he knew she had.

  ****

  Paige sat alone in her room. It was three in the morning and she still wore her jeans and blouse. She had finally decided to pull her muddy socks off and toss them onto the floor. She had run all the way home, forgetting that she had taken her boots off at Aunt Bette’s. She sat Indian style in the middle of the bed with the covers pulled around her and a gun nestled in her lap. The room was dimly lit with a single night light in the far corner. It was a cheap cactus night light that she and Sean had bought at the airport on their way back, another reminder that she was awake and not dreaming. She stared at the cactus as it glowed from across the room and realized that she wasn’t sad about Sean. She felt completely numb.