Immortal Dawn

LEA

My old, shitty laptop groaned in agony as I opened my twentieth tab in the browser.

It was heating up like the pavement on a hot summer day, but so was I…

I’d been doing research all afternoon and was getting closer to finding answers.

What kind of research, you ask?

My fingers clacked away at the keyboard as the letters appeared in the search bar.

Okay, I was going slightly crazy.

But I couldn’t shake the feeling that something weird was going on in my sleepy Seattle suburb.

I’d watched enough X-Files over the years to know that I was neither fully Mulder nor Scully.

My suspension of disbelief lay somewhere in the middle.

And when a strange man moaned about “turning” in his sleep and tore up my couch, followed by a wolf attack nearby…

I needed to get to the bottom of it.

But just how deep was I willing to go?

I scrolled down and found an interesting article about a wolf legend that dated back to the early nineteenth century.

It was quite the tale: a white wolf, embodied by the spirit of a Native person, roamed the lands, cursed to be stuck in the realm of the undying for all his days.

One night, on a full moon, the wolf met a wandering patron of the dark arts in the area now known as Seattle.

Sensing his connection to immortality, the sorcerer decided that he’d steal the white wolf’s power and grant himself eternal life.

As the two powerful beings struggled, the wolf bit down into the sorcerer’s shoulder.

The sorcerer got his immortality…just not in the way he’d expected.

He shifted into a monstrous new creature.

Half man, half beast.

Cursed to live a life between this world and the Immortal world.

A werewolf.

A shiver ran down my spine.

This was obviously just an old folk tale, but something about it made me deeply uneasy.

Could werewolves actually exist?

That’s ludicrous…right?

Sure, there was a lot that I didn’t understand about the world, and inexplicable things happened every day, but…

I slammed my laptop shut.

No, I was just being paranoid. There was no such thing as werewolves.

If they existed right underneath our noses, then someone would have to know about them.

My phone started buzzing against the desk.

Shit, I’d gotten so caught up in my research that I’d lost track of time.

I jumped up and ran for the door—but stopped in front of the full-length mirror.

I looked like someone who’d been researching werewolves all day.

And it wasn’t a good look.

I thought about the possibility of Liam or Grace showing up tonight, and it made my heart leap into my throat.

I was already late…

Might as well put on something cute.

***

I’d decided on a black crop top and some shredded daisy dukes that showed off my ass, despite the fact that it was way too late into fall for showing that kind of skin.

I had tied my hair up in a tight ponytail and put on some purple eyeshadow and magenta lipstick.

As I walked into Connect, Hector immediately clocked my effort.

“Damn…now I see why you’re so late,” he teased. “Who are you trying to snag with those bootie shorts?”

“No one,” I replied, joining him behind the bar. “Can’t a girl dress for herself?”

He wrinkled his nose at me like he could smell my bullshit from a mile away. Suddenly his eyes twinkled.

“OH! Is it for that guy from last night? Liaaaaammm?” he asked, intentionally grating on my nerves.

Sure, he’d crossed my mind, but even if there was only a 0.1 percent chance that he howled at the moon, I needed to steer clear.

There was someone else who I was hoping would stop by tonight.

***

Hector had definitely exaggerated about the bar being “slammed.”

I was bored to tears, especially since I’d told Hector he could leave early and go on a date.

Knowing him, that date would go from “hello” to “anal” in about thirty seconds.

I sighed, laying my head against the bar. I’d barely slept last night, and it was starting to catch up to me.

“Something troubling you?” a silky voice asked.

I jolted, lifting my head to see Grace standing right in front of me. My heart pounded in my chest as the glass that I’d been cleaning slipped from my hands.

With one swift motion Grace reached over and caught it before it hit the floor. Her shockingly fast reflexes made my jaw drop.

Then again, everything about this woman was jaw dropping.

She looked just as gorgeous as before—a bright red jumper that matched her lips and a crystal-chained body harness around her chest and neck.

Damn.

And I thought I was dressing up.

“Lea, right?” she asked as she sat down, returning the unbroken glass to the bar.

“Yeah, and you’re Grace,” I replied, my throat growing dry.

“Good memory,” she said, smiling.

I started making her a Bloody Mary before she even asked.

“Very good memory,” she said, impressed.

I remembered every single tiny detail about Grace, but I wasn’t going to tell her that.

“So, what’s bothering you, Lea?” she asked. “Is it a man that has you so flustered?”

I swallowed hard as I passed her the drink. “Um…no, nothing like that.”

“Good,” she responded with a knowing smirk. “Because men are all animals.”

On that, we could agree.

I glanced at the scratches on my arm and thought of Liam’s animalistic tendencies.

I really hoped I was being paranoid about him, but I still couldn’t push it out of my mind.

Suddenly, Grace was touching my arm, and I felt a surge of electricity coursing through my veins again.

Our eyes locked, and my breath hitched.

“I…I shouldn’t be here,” Grace said, holding my gaze.

“Why not?” I asked breathlessly, trying to slow my rapidly beating heart.

I leaned forward, craning my neck toward Grace. I didn’t even know why I was doing it…I just wanted to be closer to her.

“I’m not like you,” she replied, her hand snaking up my shoulder until it lightly grasped the nape of my neck.

“What are you like?” I asked, chills running up and down my spine.

We were two magnets, drawing closer and closer together…

“I don’t think you could handle it,” she whispered softly.

Her hand tightened around my neck. I was paralyzed with anticipation.

The door suddenly burst open, and a trio of guys stumbled in, laughing and jeering at each other.

Grace instantly pulled away and stood up.

“This was a bad idea,” she muttered under her breath.

“Wait…” I said quietly, still reeling from the sensations that were enthralling my body.

But Grace was gone in a flash.

And I was left wanting more.

***

As I lay in bed, there was only one thing on my mind: Grace.

The thought of her was so all-consuming that I couldn’t fall asleep.

Just the slightest touch from her sent my head spinning in every direction.

I knew she must’ve felt it too, or else why would she have come back to see me?

But why did she keep leaving every time we seemed to get closer?

I squirmed underneath my sheets in frustration.

Just who are you, Grace?

Why am I so mesmerized by you?

My hand instinctively slipped between my thighs, and I took a deep breath.

I reached into my panties as my legs parted.

She’s so beautiful, so mystifying.

I thought about her red lips pouting as my fingers rubbed the sensitive area between my legs.

I placed my other hand around my neck and imagined Grace squeezing it as she had in the bar.

Before I knew it, I’d plunged my fingers deep inside myself, eliciting a sharp moan.

“Grace…” I said aloud, writhing wildly against my bed.

The thought of her perfect silhouette in that jumpsuit and her penetrating gaze with those honey-colored eyes turned me on even more.

I rubbed vigorously, imagining Grace’s electric touch.

My back arched and my body shuddered as a wave of euphoria pulsed through me, bringing me to orgasm.

I moaned loudly, wishing she was there.

But she wasn’t.

She was just a beautiful stranger.

And I was held captive in her thrall.

***

As I ran past the towering pine trees in the shaded forest, my mind was racing to keep up.

Last night, I’d seen Grace again.

And my attraction to her was getting harder and harder to deny, especially considering my little self-pleasuring moment.

I just wanted to stop thinking about her. It was becoming an obsession.

So, as soon as I’d woken up this morning, I’d thrown on some workout clothes and put my headphones in.

I needed to distract myself. Focus on literally anything else.

As I began to break a sweat, I slowed down and took out my earbuds. I’d been running so long I didn’t even know where I was.

I walked deeper into the woods, looking for a map to give me some directions.

I finally spotted a weathered signpost.

My heart began to race. I knew this place.

This was the location of the wolf attack…where that woman had gone missing.

I immediately started jogging back the way I’d come. This was the last place I wanted to be alone right now.

SNAP!

A twig broke somewhere in the dense forest, and I froze.

Was I being followed? I was succumbing to paranoia again, but this time it might actually have been justified.

I started to run, but my foot caught on a root, and I went tumbling into the dirt.

I shakily pulled myself up to my hands and knees, and that’s when I heard it…

A heavy, ragged breath behind me. It was so close that I could feel its warmth.

Slowly, I turned around. I was paralyzed with fear when I saw it…

A ravenous wolf, hovering over me, drool dripping from its unclenched jaw.

And I was about to become its next victim.