Page 7 of The Price They Paid

The room was unfamiliar, yet it smelled like home. Amber cognac and an earthy fragrance assaulted my senses in the best of ways. I stretched out and buried my face into the pillow. Mine. I wanted him … whatever he was. That scent was the same one I’d been chasing for years, and now that it was here, I wasn’t going to let it go. I rolled over, but it was a struggle. The medicine made my muscles feel heavy.

I rolled to the edge of the bed to stand. Red blurred past me as I moved to catch my balance, but I lost that battle. I hit the floor hard and growled at the blanket that was wrapped around my body. I had to find that scent. I reached for the sheet and …

I pulled my arms back to look at the red hair covering them. Big paws moved in the air as I tried to shake off the arm warmers that they’d put on me. I couldn’t get to the seam or tell where the suit ended or began. Was it Halloween already? I clawed at the sheet that kept me attached to the bed that I couldn’t seem to free myself from.

Sharp, the claws shredded the blanket easily. I moved over the floor trying to get the suit off until I rolled in front of the mirror across the room. What I saw only made me jump backwards, sending me headfirst into the bed.

A loud roar erupted from my mouth while I rubbed at the pain in my head. The door to the room swung open and Alice walked in.

“Oh dear, she’s awake!” she shouted.

Footsteps pounded up the steps, and I squinted at the huge man staring at me. Where am I?

“Justice, I’m Maddox. I just need you to shift back into your human form so that we can discuss things.”

I moved toward him and fell to the floor. This coordination …

“Oh, the gods… I don’t think she’s ever shifted before,” Alice said.

“She’s an adult female. How is it that she’s never shifted?” Maddox mumbled.

I growled at him, and he took a step back. “Okay … maybe she hasn’t.”

I sniffed the air and moved around in circles trying to find that scent. It seemed to be all around me, but the source was undefined. Where was it coming from? It was driving me crazy, and the lack of answers pissed me off. I charged for Maddox, and he and Alice backed out of the room. I stumbled over my legs until I crashed into the closed door. I hissed and then growled some more.

“Shift, Justice,” Maddox said firmly.

I chuffed. I wasn’t taking orders from him. Where was the god that smelled like a walking orgasm?

“Maybe we should let her into Seuss’ room,” Alice said.

I whined. I wanted to find that smell.

“Alec, can you bring Augusto up here?” Maddox asked.

Was he the one that smelled of deliciousness? I sat down and tried to take off the stupid suit. The more I tried, the more I realized that it wasn’t a suit. I was a wolf! I strutted in front of the mirror before climbing back onto the bed. The smell of him was strongest here, and I curled into a ball to help calm my nerves.

Wolf? No. This was a dream, and as soon as I went back to sleep it would all be over. It had to be. I wasn’t a wolf for real. I snuggled into the bed burying my head into a pillow that smelled of him. I heard mumbling outside the door before I succumbed to sleep all over again.

***

When I woke up, darkness surrounded me. I checked my body to find myself covered in a sheet but naked underneath. Skin not hair. I exhaled relaxing back into the bed. It had been a dream.

There was a knock on the door before Alice walked in and flipped on the light. She carried a tray of meats and bread. They smelled amazing, and my stomach grumbled.

Alice giggled. “Good thing there’s plenty more.”

“Thank you so much,” I said as she set the tray down next to me.

“Very welcome. Make sure that you eat very slowly. I don’t want your stomach to become upset.”

I nodded and took the bread slathering butter onto it. Salty cream exploded along my taste buds when I bit into the bread. It was so good. I moaned, loving every bit of it.

“Am I good to come in?” a voice asked from the stairwell.

“One sec!” Alice yelled.

Alice ran over to the chest of drawers and pulled out clothing. She came over to the bed and helped me put on the sweatshirt. I sniffed it and sighed in content.

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