The Burning Claw: Book 10, The Grey Wolves Series

Chapter 1-3

Jen smirked. “Too damned often, little wolf, too damned often.” She pushed Bethany toward the door and started to pull it closed. “Oh, and only open this door when you hear three knocks, a pause, and then three knocks again. I’ll bring you some clothes.” She glanced over Bethany’s body. “Once we get some food in you and some meat on your bones, you look like you’ll be about my size. So the clothes are going to be baggy for now.” She started to close the door and then stopped, holding up her finger. “Oh, one more thing, when you look in the mirror, don’t freak out, and whatever you do, don’t scream.”

Bethany locked the door as soon as it was closed and then turned to look in the mirror. She froze. She couldn’t have screamed if she had wanted to because there was no air in her lungs to create the sound. The last time Bethany had seen herself in a mirror had been eleven years ago when she’d been seven years old. She had expected that her body and face would have changed. She wasn’t stupid. But knowing it and seeing it right in front of her…well, that was two very, very different things.

Her hair was long, dark, and an unruly mess. Her eyes looked too big for her thin face. Her nose was okay she supposed. It was a nose; how great could it really get? Her lips were pink and full, but they seemed to stay in a state of perpetual droopiness. Bethany pulled her lips up into a smile. Creepy, she thought. Who would have thought you’d need to practice smiling?

After staring at her face and overanalyzing every inch of it, she started to remove her clothes. The first thing she noticed about her body was that it was basically a skeleton with skin on it. Attractive, she thought.

Reluctantly, she began to turn. Bethany twisted her head so that she could see her back in the mirror. For the second time since she’d looked into the mirror, she lost her breath.

Starting on her right hip, traveling down to mid-thigh, were what could only be described as intricate tattoos. She stared, trying to contort her body so that she could get a better look. With a sudden gasp, she realized that she’d seen the markings before, very recently. They looked just like the ones she’d seen on the neck of the large werewolf currently trying to break through iron bars one floor below her. How? she wondered, gaping at herself in the mirror.

The markings were dark black and appeared as though they’d been expertly drawn upon her flesh by someone very talented. Her father had a tattoo and she remembered how the ink looked on his skin. These were much the same. Bethany ran her hand down her hip and thigh over the patterned skin. It was completely smooth. She grabbed a hand towel that was hanging by the sink, doused it with water, and vigorously began rubbing her thigh. The marks were unaffected, but she did manage to redden and irritate her skin with the friction. She immediately regretted this action. But could anyone blame her for trying?

Vampires, werewolves, true mates, and now mysterious markings? She was tempted to say that life couldn’t get any weirder, but she knew that she’d probably be proven wrong. Bethany debated calling the abrupt blonde girl called Jen and asking her about the markings, but the thought of showing her naked body to anyone, male or female, almost made her retch. Deciding that there was nothing she could do about the marks for the moment, she took care of the things she could. First, she relieved herself and tried not to moan, as the pain that had been building in bladder eased. Then her eyes landed on the shower. A small smile crept onto her face. She walked over to the shower and twisted the knobs marked c and h. As Bethany held her fingers under the flowing water to gauge the temperature, her mind jumped back to a time when her mother had taught her how to do such a thing. She remembered that she had politely informed her parents that it was time for her to start showering on her own. She’d just turned seven and she didn’t want to be babied. She could run the water by herself, thank you. Their assistance was no longer necessary.

Bethany smiled at the memory. Her mom had been so patient with her. She hoped that she would be just as patient with her own child. Her heart skipped a beat. Was there even a possibility that she would have children? She’d given up on that dream somewhere many years ago, trapped in the underground darkness.

“Maybe, in the future, that is something we can talk about,” Drake’s voice spoke quietly in her mind. He sounded strained, as though it was difficult to speak.

She shivered. It felt weird having him talk to her while she was naked. “Could you give me some privacy?” she asked gently, not wanting him to feel like she was rejecting him.

“You are okay?”

She knew he really was asking, “Are you alone?”

“I’m locked in the bathroom by myself. I’ll be done as quickly as I can.” Bethany felt his presence in her mind lessen a little, like a glass being emptied. But she could still feel him there, hovering in the recesses of her mind. The feeling was both reassuring and terrifying at the same time. She climbed into the shower, feeling something that she hadn’t felt in more than eleven years—hot water flowing over her skin. Well, maybe I won’t be done quite as quickly as I thought. She let out a long peaceful sigh as years and years of grime, that had practically become a part of her skin, flowed from her body—cleansing her both physically and mentally.

Twenty minutes later Jen was beating on the door for her to hurry. Bethany was still in the shower and she didn’t want it to end. The water poured over her head, restoring a small part of her lost humanity. But then something other than Jen’s pounding pulled her from the paradise, and she sharply cranked the knob and shut off the water. A desperate plea had sounded in her mind.

“Please.”

It was one word but it was filled with such longing, such need. She felt his emotions briefly before he closed them off from her again. Chaos. That is the only word that she could think of to describe what was going on inside of him. His wolf wanted blood because someone had taken her from his presence. The man just longed for her by his side.

She dried off and wrapped the towel around her before opening the door just a c***k. Jen was standing there with one hand on her hip and the other holding a bundle of clothes.

“What part of be quick did you miss?”

Bethany frowned. “You didn’t say be quick.”

Jen huffed and pushed past her while at the same time grabbing Bethany’s arm to pull her back into the bathroom. She shut the door, turned the lock, and then handed Bethany the clothes.

The blonde turned to look at herself in the mirror and started running her fingers through her long hair.

Bethany realized after several moments that the other girl wasn’t going to be leaving any time soon. She started to protest, but already she realized that this one was used to getting her way. No doubt her protest would only be met with a smart remark, causing things to be more awkward than they already were.

So instead, Bethany laid the undergarments on the ground and then, slowly, deliberately, placed a foot in each leg hole. As carefully as she could, she bent down, holding her towel in place with one hand, and reached the other hand down to grab the panties, inching them up until they were firmly planted where they were supposed to be. Now, bolstered with the confidence of having her nether regions covered, but still holding the towel in front of her upper body, she grabbed a cute cotton skirt. It was black, long, and straight. Mimicking her actions with the underwear, but with, perhaps, a tiny bit less caution, she was able to pull the skirt up and fasten it around her waist. The fabric hugged what little curves she had. When she took a small step forward, leaning to grab the shirt, she felt the air hit her thigh. Bethany looked down and saw that there was a slit in the skirt from the bottom all the way up to…well, a nearly indecent spot at the top of her leg. It made her uncomfortable, but she didn’t want to offend Jen by complaining about the clothes she was loaning her, especially after the girl, who had no doubt noticed her subtle contortionist act to get into the skirt, had so far not made any embarrassing comments. So instead she discretely turned the skirt until the slit was closer to the back right side. She felt a little less vulnerable with her hip being the thing someone would see if the slit opened. Then, again one-handed, she slipped the long sleeved top over her head. Finally, she was able to let the towel drop to the floor. Once she was dressed Jen turned to look at her.

“Looks good. I went with a skirt because I thought it would be more comfortable even if it wasn’t a perfect fit. Pants can be utterly annoying and very uncomfortable if they don’t fit.” Jen grabbed a brush and signaled by spinning her finger that Bethany should turn around. Before she could stop herself, Bethany obeyed.

She wanted to slap herself for not speaking up. For so long she wasn’t allowed to question anything or anyone. It was going to take time for her to reprogram her brain.

Bethany met Jen’s eyes in the mirror. Jen was frowning at her. “You look like I just ripped the head from your favorite doll. Did you want to brush your own hair?”

She nodded hesitantly.

Jen stepped to the side and held out the brush to her. “If you want something, you have to speak up. You aren’t going to get in trouble. No one is going to s***k you” —she paused and her eyes filled with glee. She waggled her eyebrows up and down— “unless you want him to.”

Bethany’s head tilted as her eyebrows drew together. “What?” She didn’t understand what the older girl had said. Why would she want someone to s***k her?

Jen groaned and threw her head back. She raised her arms with her hands fisted and shook them. “Why! Why am I using good material on a chick so pure that she could be bottled without needing a filter?”

Now Bethany was even more confused. She began slowly brushing her hair as she watched the other female in the mirror. She was pacing and muttering under her breath. Once she laid the brush down, Jen stopped her pacing and looked at her.

“Food will be waiting for you back downstairs. You ready, Dasani?”

“Who’s Dasani?” Bethany asked.

Jen groaned again. “Bloody hell, it’s bottled water, and not nearly as funny since you have no clue about anything. But, that’s okay. We’ll get you educated soon enough and then you will be able to understand all my brilliant, hilarious comments. Let’s go.” She motioned for her to follow.

They didn’t run on their way back, but they walked at a brisk pace. Just as they reached the stairs that lead down to the room where Drake was currently in a cage waiting on her, Bethany stopped Jen. “How long are we going to have to stay down there?” She motioned down the stairs.

She saw the sadness in the other female’s blue eyes. “That’s up to you two, I’m afraid. We can’t let him out until Drake won’t kill the first male that breathes the air in the same room as you. And we can’t let you into the outside world because he would kill himself trying to get to you. So…” Jen shrugged, raising her eyebrows at the same time.

Bethany’s mouth opened slightly and her eyes widened. “Would he really do that?”

“You are the only person on earth that is safe with him,” Jen said. “The rest of us are prey. His wolf sees us as predators and, therefore, dangerous to his mate.

“What if he never calms down?” She didn’t know if she really wanted the answer, but her mouth acted before her brain caught up.

Jen’s eyes narrowed. “Let’s hope we don’t have to find out.”