Malevolence - Legacy Series Book Two (The Legacy Series) (4 page)

           
“I’m going to take off my clothes,”
 
Oakley announced.

           
Sam looked shocked and scared, she went to stand up.
 
“I don’t know what’s going on around here, but I’m not into that kind of thing.
 
I
know
that.”

           
“I promise you Sam, everything is okay.
 
It will really make sense in about five minutes.”
 
Chrissy tried to reassure Sam that we weren’t some kind of kinky weirdoes.

           
“This is a little more embarrassing with everyone sitting around staring at me.
 
You want Estelle to pop you some popcorn for the show?”
 
Oakley asked.
 
I’d never seen him get self conscience about shifting before.
 
“I’ll leave my boxers on.”

           
He stripped down to his boxers.
 
“You seriously have skull and crossbones on your boxers?”
 
I sniggered at him.

           
“I love these boxers.”
 
Oakley said pretending to be shy by crossing his arms across his torso covering his man parts and bending his knees inward.
 
“Here goes nothing.”
 
Oakley said and dropped down on all fours behind the pool table to let it obscure her view.
 
In less than a minute he was completely shifted and walked across the room.

           
“OHMIGOD!”
 
Sam screamed.
 
She started panting heavily hyperventilating before she all out fainted.

           
Chrissy ran over, sitting on the couch and putting Sam’s head in her lap.
 
“Abe, grab a washcloth and wet it with cold water, please.”
 
I ran into the bathroom grabbing one of what Dolly called, the guest towels, knowing she would kill me if I got anything on it. Chrissy took the towel from me, giving me a peculiar look.
 
She wiped Sam’s forehead whispering to her that she was going to be okay.
 
After a minute or so she opened her eyes; looking around and seeing Oakley the wolf on the floor next to the couch.
 
Sam scampered upright and pulled her knees to her chest.

           
Her hazel eyes wide as saucers and her finger pointing to Oakley. I noticed she was physically shaking.
 
“
Th
-That is a w-wolf” she stammered.

           
Chrissy put her arm around her shoulders trying her best to comfort her. “It is also Oakley.
 
You’re not in any danger, I promise.”
 
She pulled her in for a hug since Sam was obviously freaked out.
 
“Oakley, why don’t you shift back so we can talk to Sam?”
 

           
I grabbed his clothes tossing them in the hallway so he could shift back in privacy.

           
It took us the next hour to convince her we were werewolves and that we didn’t hurt humans.
 
I could tell that Oakley was getting tired of the conversation and wanted to move forward with the next task… telling her she is one too.

           
Chrissy had returned to her spot on the couch next to me, thinking jokes to me to see if she could make me crack.
 
Oakley sat in the chair in one of his stoic poses.
 
I did my usual fidgeting in my seat, a habit I did when I was nervous.
 
I held
Chrissy’s
hand, letting it go and putting my arm across her shoulders, back and forth until Oakley and Chrissy started screaming in my head to stop.
 
The world was a lot quieter before people started talking inside my head.

           
“So, that wound we asked you about earlier, we think you’ve been bitten by a werewolf.”
 
Chrissy said.

           
“What?
 
You think a werewolf bit me?
 
What the hell?
 
You’re kidding right?”
 
Her questions were coming out faster than we could answer so we kept shaking our head in reply.
 
“Oh hell!
 
That is why I’m here isn’t it?
 
Someone bit me and then was too chicken shit to tell me what they did and sent me on my merry way.
 
I don’t believe you, there is no way I’m a werewolf.
 
I’ve been drugged or something. ” Sam shook her head back and forth.
 
“It can’t be real, it just can’t be,” she said as she looked up at us with eyes brimmed with tears.
 
“What happens next?” she asked in defeat.

           
“Well, we need to try to heal that bite.
 
We also need to try and figure out who you really are.”
 
Oakley said to her.

           
Chrissy cleaned up the wound and packed it to absorb up some of the infection that had started.
 
She felt that in twenty-four hours we’d be able to use a regular bandage on it.
 
It was mid-afternoon before we finished up and let Sam go back to her room to rest.
 
I could see the events of today had taken its toll on her.

           
Oakley paced back and forth on the front porch.
 
I could hear the boards creak under his weight with each step.
 
Chrissy and I sat on the porch swing with a big wool blanket to keep us warm.
 
“You’re going to wear the wood thin if you keep walking back and forth.
 
Don’t ever tell me that I’m fidgety, Mr. Fidget.”
 
I pulled Chrissy closer to absorb more of her body heat.

           
“This is getting out of control.
 
I don’t know who is doing this but I’m going to find out, and when I do, I’m teaching them a lesson they won’t soon forget.”
 
Oakley said, stopping in his trek.
 
His chin lifted as he took a whiff of the air.
 
“It smells like it’s going to rain.
 
Just what I need, rain to wash away the evidence.”

           
“What are you talking about?”
 
I asked.

           
“I was hoping Sam would be able to take us to where she was bitten.
 
I wanted to try and track the biter by his scent.”
 
Oakley said as he grabbed the screen to the front door.
 
“It’s getting cold out here kids, let’s go see if Sam is up and try to figure this out before it starts raining.”

           
Sam met us in the man cave looking less pale and more alert.
 
“I’m not sure if I could get us back there,”
 
Sam said to Oakley.

           
“Well, we’re going to try.
 
First we’re going to Big Bob’s and we’ll pick up your scent and follow it.
 
Did you walk there or did you get a ride?”
 
Oakley asked.

           
“I walked.
 
You’re going to pick up my scent like a regular dog does?”
 
She asked in astonishment.
 
I could see the corners of her mouth twitching to smile.

           
“I know right?”
 
I said giving a little laugh to the irony of it all.

Chapter 4.
 
Fox

“But the fox would listen to nothing, and said, there is no mercy to be had.
 
You must die.”

The Fox and the Geese - Grimm’s Household Tales

           
We tracked her scent for three miles to a big wooded area.
 
Her scent was easy to find but we never picked up another wolf.
 

           
“All I’m able to smell is that urine stuff the hunters put on to mask their own scent.
 
If you ask me, it brings out their smell even more.
 
Disgusting” I said as we continued to track the wolf responsible.

           
Eventually we found a small tent with some soup cans but we didn’t pick up anything else.
“Look Oak, I don’t think we’re going to find anything.”
 
I shine my flashlight on the ground to get a better view.

           
Oakley raised his head looking around as though he heard something.
 
“Sam and Chrissy, here’s the keys to my truck.”
 
He tossed his keys to Chrissy.
 
“It’s getting cold out here; I can hear Sam’s teeth chattering.
 
Abe and I’ll take a look around and see what we will come up with.”
 
He turned and looked at me to get my approval.
 

           
I kissed
Chrissy’s
forehead before they headed to the truck.
 
“Something doesn’t smell right,” I said to Oakley.
 
We both walked around the perimeter of the campsite taking note of the scent, filing it away.
 
“If it were lighter out here, I’d get up in that tree and look around.”

           
“Yeah, something is off.
 
I’m picking up a supernatural vibe, how about you?”
 
Oakley stopped, dropped to the ground, and leaned all the way forward until his nose was practically in the dirt.
 
“This isn’t good Abe.”
 
He pulled a sandwich bag from his pocket and dug out a sample of the ground for analysis later.
 
Thunder rolled and lightening crashed.
 
I heard Chrissy scream.
 
“Let’s get
outta
here, I know she hates storms.”

           
As we approached the truck we could tell Chrissy was doing her best at drowning out the thunder by blasting the stereo.

 
          
“Stop!”
 
Oakley yelled.
 
“Get in the truck with the girls.
 
I heard something over there.”
 
He pointed to the tree line on the other side of the truck.
 
“If I’m not back in five minutes, take the girls home.
 
I’ll catch up with you.”
 
He thought to me.

           
“I’m not leaving you out here alone, Great Wolf or not,” I said to him.
 
“
Chrissy, we’re going to check something else out.
 
If we aren’t back in the next couple of minutes, take the truck home.
 
We’ll shift and run home.
 
Before you start questioning me, please just do it.”

           
“Okay.
 
It will be a little hard to explain to her why I’m leaving you when she doesn’t know we can think our thoughts to each other.”
 
Chrissy thought back to me.

           
“
Please don’t make this complicated, just go if we’re not back.”
 
I thought to her.
 

Oakley and I headed over to the trees, looking around for anything out of the ordinary.
 
Sitting on a tree stump staring back at us was a red fox.
 
“He’s cute.”

           
“
She
is.
 
That cute little fox is
Mili
. She usually runs with her sister
Issie
and they just so happen to be shape shifters.”
 
Oakley said as we walked closer to where the little fox sat.