Trapped: By her blood (Book 1) - Complete

Chapter 1

Doc keeps me in his little hospital, concerned when I develop a fever, and I don’t wake up after he repaired the damage to my neck. I had deep puncture wounds that had bled a lot by the time I reached him. The townspeople all knew by now that I was attacked on Halloween and were all going around making their assumptions. If I was awake, I would have told them straight out that they were crazy, how stupid they sounded, and that I was just attacked by a wild animal. I mean, that’s all it could be, couldn’t it? I must have scared it off when I screamed, like a girl I might add! Who wouldn't scream if they were being chomped on like a chew toy?!

For the first time in years, the bar opened mid-day. Doc had called uncle John and told him what happened. Uncle John being a bit on the slow side, finally opened the place around twelve, giving the gossips in the town more than enough to talk about, “I always knew that boy would disappear with John’s money” “I heard he took everyone’s money and then chased them all out of the bar, without giving them last round.” None of them ever came into the bar. They only went to the coffee shop. Not even on their anniversaries. “It is not because of your good name John.” they would say. “I am a highly regarded part of society and have to keep a certain moral standard.” Noses in the air of course. Uncle John paid them no mind. He would mumble something about not wanting old hags in his bar in any case while walking off in the opposite direction.

My dreams are filled with images of a woman wearing a red cape. Her red eyes shining brightly against her pale skin as she calls to me. I call out to her, but Doc thinks it's just the fever talking. There has never been a Selena in our town since Queen Selena who died hundreds of years ago. Maybe I read a history book about her and now I was delirious. When I don’t wake up the second morning, they are no longer talking about how I stole from the bar. It finally reached the gossips that I was badly injured and had been in Doc’s hospital for the past two days.

Many of the widows wanting to marry old Doc offered to help him nurse me back to health. He accepted the help but did not give them half a chance to get their claws in him. He would very businesslike explain what to do and disappear. His little hospital had never had so many staff members, working for free and bringing all sorts of treats with them. He would very cleverly give each of them an hour to look after me and then tell them he does not want them catching what I might have. That made them leave very quickly, giving the next one a chance and keeping most of them out of his hair. When the day turned into night, he sent all of them home, saying it was not proper for a woman to be alone with a man in his house at night. A gentleman would not allow it, and he is a gentleman.

He spent the night caring for me after spending days reading up on every possible book he could find on animal attacks. Checking on my wound he could not find any sign of infection, the wound was healing at an enormously fast rate. What was causing this fever then? He cleaned my wound, going to his kitchen after to get himself a cup of coffee before he settled in for the night. It was going to be a long night for him to sit awake and care for me.

Day three and still I’ve shown no sign of waking up or of the fever breaking. The ladies are back and Doc is relieved to have the break. He leaves the hospital room for a while to rest and when he wakes to find a cup of coffee next to his bed he chases old lady Camilla out of his room. It is late afternoon and he has slept the entire day! He grabs his gown and his coffee rushing to his office. There is a specialist in animal attacks in the next town. He is a vet, but what else could he do? Doc phoned him and they agreed that he would come to the hospital the next day. When he walks into his hospital room, it has been changed into a tea parlor! He climbs into them like a wolf in a hen house. You just saw ladies run. Doc checks my fever, which was still the same, kicked a teapot making it fly across the room, on his way back to his office.

“Stupid old women!” he grumbled. The past three days had seen our little town change into a humdrum of activity. Widows were coming out from everywhere, first chasing Doc and then turning their attention to poor Uncle John when there were too many chasing Doc. The younger generation daring each other to sit in the spot where I was attacked or going on a hunt for the animal that attacked me. Young families that used to spend time in the square having a picnic or just spending time together were too scared to leave their houses. Everything was going wrong! But I didn’t know any of this. I was running after the woman with the red eyes and pale skin, calling me.

Darkness falling, the town went silent. Nobody leaving their houses after dark anymore. A full moon rising in the night sky and the light shining through the window in the hospital room, slowly finding it’s way to me. My wound completely healed today, but because Doc had slept all day, he didn’t notice. When the moonlight touched my skin I wake up suddenly, looking around me at the strange surroundings. I’m in the hospital. What am I doing here? Then I hear her silky smooth voice calling me. Doc walks into the room frightening me and I turn smashing through his window.

I don’t look back, feeling intense pain and hearing my bones crack and break. I run in the direction of the voice not thinking about how much pain I am in until that final bone snapped in place and I can’t run anymore. I hit the ground hard with a thud, sliding along the loose sand. She keeps calling, but I am so tired. I look at my hands and see paws. “What the f**k?” comes out as a growl. I try standing upright, but just kept falling on all fours, shaking my head I realized my ears are on top of my f*****g head! Ah, f**k! I had been bitten by a werewolf!

I was in a nightmare, all the crazies had infected me! One of those stupid kids has put something in my water while I wasn’t looking and now I am hallucinating! All of them will be on juice for the next month! No alcohol! I try to pinch myself so I can wake up in real life. I’ve seen people on TV do it and then they wake up. I’m not one of those people! Then I hear her calling again, her silky smooth voice calling my name. “I’m definitely dreaming. No girl with a voice like that would ever call me.” I say out loud, hearing something rustling in the bushes. Standing dead still looking around me I listen carefully. I am not going to get bitten again! A mouse appears from underneath the bushes. Gives me one look, squeaks, and runs in the opposite direction. “Oh toy!” I shout and jump after it as if I am a puppy...”Wait, what the f**k” I growl and howl

She calls again, her voice closer this time. “But I just found a toy” I moan like a puppy pulling a face. “Okay, this is no longer funny! I need to wake up from this dream. Halloween is over and this dreaming of being a puppy to some mysterious woman’s voice is not on!” I hear myself growl and howl while I follow a path through the forest. The mouse is completely forgotten. I feel the dirt underneath my paws, giving way with each step, the wind blowing through my fur giving me goosebumps. I can hear the birds up in the trees singing for their partners. I can smell the fresh smell of the grass and moss in the forest. What is happening to me? She is still calling me, but I need to go back. I can’t follow silky female voices. I need to wake up.

Turning around I run in the opposite direction, home. It should all be over as soon as I reach home, shouldn’t it? When I see myself sleeping or something? Reaching the house finally I see people in black laying reeves in front of my house. I stop in my tracks sliding on the ground again. What is going on? Uncle John? Doc? Why are they here putting flowers in front of my house? Doc has got my dog on a leash with him. The pastor clears his throat and starts the memorial. Do they think I’m dead? But...But I’m here...is this a dream? I turn and run to the lake, jumping into the icy water without even thinking. If this doesn’t wake me up nothing will. I scream on the way. Coming up to the surface I immediately regret my decision. “f**k, f**k, f**k, it’s cold! And I have a soaking wet coat! And I’m freezing! And I’m still... a wolf.” I look down at my reflection in the water when I reach the shore.

I hear her calling again, but this is too much to all take in at once. It can’t be! I shake the fluff until I am as dry as I can be and return home with my head hanging. The ceremony has ended it seems and I jump over the gate. The back door has a doggy door and I can get in that way if I am a wolf. Sticking my head in, I get stuck. I try pulling it out, but nothing, my head won’t budge. At this point I am so depressed I just flop down on the ground with my head stuck in the doggy door. “Great Thomas just great! You didn’t go to university, you became a barman, you didn’t get married, you stayed a bachelor, a virgin bachelor at that! Then you get bitten by a werewolf, turn into one yourself and lose your dog!

Now, all that you are is a werewolf bachelor barman stuck in a doggy door! Great work my man. “Oh yeah, I can’t be a bartender anymore. I might eat the customers!” I think to myself. I don’t have the energy after this day to move at all, but I’m getting hungry and being stuck is not going to solve that problem, standing back up I push against the door, my nails digging into the wooden floor of my back porch as the wood creaks around my neck. It gives way suddenly making me fly nose-first into the dustbin. I’m just not going to explain that. I tackle the fridge with my claws which is easy enough to get open and start chomping away at the leftover steak and chicken. Yummy! Why did it never taste this good before?

Hearing footsteps on the front porch, I freeze. Who could that be? This is my house. A key turns and the door opens, a flashlight shining into the house. “Best we keep checking if he comes back Doc.” The sheriff says. “I know sheriff. I don’t think he is dead like the townspeople think. Maybe there is some kind of clue here that can tell us what happened.” Doc replies.

Crap! I need to get out of here and fast. I turn and run my paws clicking on the wooden floor drawing the sheriff and Doc’s attention. They storm into the kitchen just in time to see the tip of a black fur tail. I run to the forest as fast as I can straight down the path following the voice calling. I am not dreaming and I am no longer confused about it.