Toy Wolf

Preview: Night terrors

I woke up in a sweat, sitting up right on my bed. Grant glanced up from his book with a frown.

"Sorry," I said, wiping my forehead. "I'm fine."

"The only one you're fooling in this house is yourself," Grant remarked. "I'm awake anyway, Conor. You can talk to me."

He set his book down and perched on the end of my bed. My pack had not been happy about the sleeping arrangements, but I hadn't been sleeping well since New Mexico and I didn't want them to worry. Grant didn't actually sleep anymore, and I didn't want to wake everyone when I startled awake.

"There's nothing to talk about," I sighed. "I don't remember the dreams. Just the rage. The feeling of being totally out of control. It scares me."

"We could go hunting," Grant suggested. "It would take your mind off things."

He hopped up and opened the window. "Come on. It's a perfect fall night."

"I can't shift so soon after full moon."

Grant tsked at me and climbed out the window. I pulled my shirt off and followed him. Grant's pale skin shone in the moonlight as we crept through the farm towards the creek. There was a slight breeze; I could hear rabbits and other creatures rustling about in the woods.

"What are we hunting?" Grant inquired.

I closed my eyes, breathing in deeply. My human nose was not as accurate, but I had some idea where to start.

"Deer," I said with a grin.

Grant groaned, but followed me into the woods. He had learned how to be quick and silent faster than expected; I shouldn't have been surprised. Grant was a full vampire now, and while he wasn't fully in control of his own abilities, he wasn't human any more. The change hadn't affected his appearance as much as I had expected, but his face was more angular, more predatory. His eyes stayed their hazel color unless he hadn't eaten in a while, but he was good about sneaking out into the woods for that.

"Mel was going to grill tomorrow," Grant mused. "She's not going to be happy if we're full."

"Please, Brian and Aidan would be more than happy to eat our share," I scoffed. "And I thought we could just catch and release."

"Okay."

Before everything that had happened, I would have considered the forest to be a quiet place. But now having experienced the desolate desert, the forest was alive and roaring with activity. I appreciated it more, the ability to stalk between the tree trunks unseen, the smell of a thousand creatures and plants living around me. I didn't want to take advantage of that again.

"Have you talked to Ralph and Mel yet?" Grant asked.

"Not really," I said. "They know the gist of what happened. I don't want to worry them."

"Conor, everyone is worried about you," he countered. "You need to tell them everything."

"I let her go," I said. "Knowing she could find me and hurt them, knowing that she was going to hurt others. Knowing what she made you do."

"She didn't make me do anything," Grant interrupted. "And I've told them my part in New Mexico."

I didn't respond, noting the flurry of activity away from us. We were scaring the game. Grant put his cold hand on my arm. I stopped, realizing that Grant hadn't actually come out here to hunt. His hazel eyes glimmered unnaturally as I turned to face him.

"You are not to blame for Stefa's actions," Grant told me. "It's been a month, Conor. You cannot keep this up. Talk to Ralph and Mel and get this weight of your shoulders. Your pack loves you, but they can't help you if you don't talk to them."