Wolverton - Julie Steimle (fb2 epub reader .TXT) 📗

back to his work stacking wood. “Suit yourself.”

Rick noticed the wood was set in an artistic pattern, crossing in a weave similar to a Celtic knot. It seemed a pity to set it on fire. Then again, it probably made an interestingly shaped fire.

Daisy chuckled. She then steered Rick along. “Don’t worry. If you are too embarrassed to participate, I’ll meet you after at the barbecue.”

“Is the sauce good?” Rick asked, still blushing.

She nodded. “The best.”

They continued walking along, Daisy explaining the difference between each nightly hunt. “…the second night, which is tonight, is the major feast. The big celebration. Yesterday we only let out the two deer. Tonight we get to release the big one at the bonfire. A buck with horns. It is a little more dangerous, but worth the hunt.”

Rick stared into space, wondering if anyone got hurt during such hunts. He had been henpecked once by a chicken that didn’t want to be dinner, and scratched really bad by a raccoon who was his only option that night way out in the forest in Massachusetts. He could only imagine what a pair of antlers could do.

“And the wolf that leads the hunt is considered an emissary for the moon and bringer of the feast,” she said.

“Huh.” Rick walked along with, fascinated. He wondered if the Loup Garou had similar beliefs on their hunts. He had never gotten around to asking them as he was too busy running away and managing escape routes for his half-sisters to leave France. Perhaps, maybe tomorrow he’d text his half-sister Margarete and—

But then he remembered the boss, Mr. Whidbee, had taken his cell phone. There was no asking former French pack wolves the truth. Not until he got his phone back at least. He hadn’t memorized Margarete’s number.

Then Rick remembered that he had not checked back to see if his father had called back. Or Henry. It had entirely skipped his mind in his panic over the she-wolves. Mrs. Blithe must have been wondering if he was going to come back to use the phone again. That had been his sole purpose of coming to that town after all.

“…Of course the one who make the main kill is also honored,” Daisy had continued talking, hardly aware that Rick was distracted. “That one is considered the king or queen of the feast.”

“Um,” Rick looked back to where Kurt lived. “Daisy, I’ve forgotten something. I was waiting for a phone call from my father and our steward. Can we head back to the Blithe house? It should not take long.”

Shrugging, she nodded.

They strolled in that direction, hand in hand. Daisy really was a sweet girl for doing this, sticking with him so he would not get mobbed. It felt so comfortable being with her besides. So nice. Like her hand belonged in his, and all this time he had been unaware that he needed something like this. When they reached the house and went up the steps, Rick knocked on the door with a smile to Daisy.  

Little Luko opened the door. He stared up. His eyes tracked from Rick to Daisy and back again. “Ma?”

“Can I come in?” Rick asked, leaning inside the gap. “I need to know if my father has called yet.”

Luko stepped aside, staring up at Daisy then making spit faces at her before running off.

Mrs. Blithe stepped in from a back room, putting away something she was doing. He face lit up when she saw Rick, but she stiffened when she saw Daisy. Her gaze froze on their hands together next. Rick wondered why.

“I am sorry to intrude, but did my father or Henry call back at all?” Rick asked.

Nodding, Mrs. Blithe said, “Uh, yes, actually. Your friend did. He said he got a frantic call from your employer who was searching for you. He left a message an hour ago. I sent Susi to look for you, but she came back and told me you were running from the girls.” Her eyes rested on Daisy.

Daisy gazed back, smiling, not bothered.

Sighing, Rick shrugged his shoulders. “I should call him then.”

Mrs. Blithe nodded then gestured to the phone.

Rick let go of Daisy’s hand and went to the telephone on the wall. Daisy leaned against a chair at the table, waiting. He dialed.

<< Holy cow! What have you done? >> was the first thing Henry shouted at him when his family steward finally picked up the phone.

“Nothing Dad would not have done,” Rick protested, cringing. “Henry, I have a change of plans. You don’t need to come and get me—”

<< I couldn’t anyway. I don’t even know where that Wolverton is. It is not on the map. >>

Rick halted, thinking on that. He really hadn’t seen it on a map either. “Ok, well, it is west of the factory. It turns out there’s a pack here and—”

<< Pack? You don’t mean a pack of wolves, do you? >>

“Exactly that,” Rick said. “And I intend to spend the next two nights with them. I’ll be safe here until the full moon is over. Then I can return back to the factory and have it out with that stupid jerk Mr. Whidbee.”

<< He’s called the police, you know. >>

Rick groaned. “I’m not an escaped prisoner—though he locked me in that room.”

Henry chuckled weakly on the other end. << What would you like me to do? >>

Sighing, Rick said, his heart pounding, “Call my dad. Maybe fetch my phone and my shoes. Oh, and my socks.”

<< You ditched your shoes? >>

“Yes.” Rick groaned. “I wasn’t going to be using them, considering….”

<< Fine. Fine. I’ll contact your father. Just be safe. He’ll kill me if you get hurt. >> And Henry hung up.

 Rick lowered the receiver to the hook. He contemplated calling his father but then glanced at Daisy and decided to wait. It was probably bad timing for him anyway. Most likely it was still night on that end of the world. He looked to Mrs. Blithe and nodded. “Thank you so much. Uh, would it be imposing if I asked to maybe stay here tonight? I can sleep on a couch, or the floor.”

Mrs. Blithe’s expression eased and she nodded. “You are more than welcome here. I will put out pillows and a blanket for you.”

Nodding again, he smiled. “Again, thanks.”

He turned, reaching out for Daisy and heading to the door.

“Uh, will you be having dinner with us tonight?” Mrs. Blithe asked, raising her voice just slightly with a tremor. He could tell she was agitated, but he didn’t know by what.

Looking back, Rick ducked his head between his shoulders, “You should know I need to go hunt tonight. I am a wolf after all.”

Mrs. Blithe blushed, stepping back and nodding. “I understand. Does that mean you will be joining the bonfire?”

Glancing at Daisy, Rick colored a little. “Uh, I’m still undecided. I need to hunt, but uh, I’m not exactly for rituals.”

“Oh.” Daisy pouted a little. “I can’t convince you to change your mind?”

Feeling torn, Rick admitted, “A pack hunt sounds great. I’ve never done it before but…” he cringed, thinking about getting involved in a lunar worshipping cult. “But I need more time to think about it.”

Shrugging, Daisy sighed, looking like she was giving up trying to convince him.

But Mrs. Blithe watched her coolly, which was puzzling… and yet not. She was a protective human mother, and Rick could tell she was trying to protect him from the pack which she clearly feared. …Which she probably misunderstood, being an outsider.

“I’ll be all right,” Rick said to her, smiling. He tried to reassure her with a look that he was a responsible wolf who had handled more than she could imagine.

“Be careful,” Mrs. Blithe said, her gaze quite earnest. “Pack hunts, I hear, are a little dangerous. My husband says passions can run wild.”

Rick nodded, smiling. “I’ll be careful. Don’t worry about me.”

Then he and Daisy went out.

“Overprotective, isn’t she?” Daisy murmured. “I had no idea how much. Poor Kurt.”

“What are you talking about?” Rick snickered. “She’s just being a mother. My mother was not much different.” And he wondered about that. He wondered where is mother was. Was she ok?

“Did I prick a bad memory?” Daisy asked.

He looked down, meeting her periwinkle blues. He was struck by her stare in that moment. So close. He wanted to kiss her.

Overwhelmed, surprised by the sensation, Rick shook it off and drew in a breath to get back his senses. He hardly knew the girl. And, yes, she smelled great. And oh, yes, she was like comfort and beauty and all those good things rolled into one. But the only thing he knew about her was that Wilk was her brother and she wanted to be a veterinarian someday. Oh, and she liked that book My Family and Other Animals.

“You know what?” He said, gazing at her. “I don’t know that much about you. Are both your parents wolves?”

Daisy grinned, nodding. “Yep. Both sides.” They walked together, Daisy steering them to where they could talk without being interrupted. “We’ve been part of Wolverton since forever.”

He nodded. Then an idea came to him. “How about we play a game?”

She blinked with a giggling stare at him. “A game? What kind?”

Shrugging, he said, “I tell you something about me, and you tell me something about you.”

“But how do you win the game?” Daisy asked advancing on him while gazing into his eyes, nudging him.

Rick swallowed, breathless. But then he managed to say, “We both win.”

Laughing, Daisy squeezed his hand. “I like it. Do you want to go first? Or me?”

He shrugged. “I can. You ask, and I’ll tell.”

“Do you have a girlfriend?” Daisy went for the jugular of all questions.

Staring skyward, Rick said, “Unfortunately, no. Though I have plenty of girls who are friends.” He then chuckled, recalling, “I had a girlfriend once, but uh, she sort of blackmailed me into it. Luckily I was able to steer her to my old roommate, and I am now free of her.”

For a moment Daisy had a jealous expression, but it quickly wiped off. It was likely she could tell there was a girl he liked but wasn’t returning the feeling. He wasn’t quite sure he wanted to tell her about Eve. Eve required a lot of explaining.

“Was she pretty?” Daisy asked.

“Hey!” Rick leaned away from her, laughing. “Those aren’t the rules. You need to tell me about you. Do you have a boyfriend?”

She nudged him in the side. “I’ll count your turn over when you tell me about your ex.”

He frowned not really interested in talking about Selena Davenport. “What can I say? She was three years older than me. She wanted me to escort her around New York and keep this jerk named Ewan P. Steed off of her. It was more like a… I don’t know… political union. And I wasn’t happy with it at all. I mean, her voice had this irritating sound to it that…”

Daisy had started to laugh. She let go of his hand and held onto his arm. A tremor ran up through him. For a split second he wanted to grab her and lock lips.

His heart raced. His face and chest felt so warm. He could hardly think for a second. But breathing in and out, he regained control. Especially when she said, “Oh, I’ve had boyfriends. They come and go. But I have never found anyone I really felt like I belonged with ever. I mean, I don’t want to have a casual relationship. Some wolf relationships are, you know, in the heat of the moment, passionate kind. Friends with benefits. But I want something that lasts.”

“Agreed,” Rick said.

And they walked on together.

She smiled. “Ok, how about… what was your most embarrassing moment?”

Rick immediately flushed. “Oh, I have plenty of those. I don’t know if I can choose.”

“Just choose one,” she said, hanging on to his arm.

The urge to kiss her was still there, but Rick mastered himself and replied, “Uh… there was one time our school in