A Howl In The Night by Lorelei Sutton (best novels for students TXT) 📖

from his skin, big ones that would have me in tears. Using my fingers, I carefully pull each one out, trying to ignore the desire pulsing through me. The vulnerability I am displaying to the over-affectionate werewolf.

Xavier shoots me a smile as I take out the last thorn, offering me a hand to help me stand. "Thanks, Mona," he says softly, as if my tiny action means a lot to him. Knowing Xavier, it probably does.

"What about the blood?" I question, looking at his red stained ankles. He shakes his head.

"Don't worry about it. It will heal soon," he assures me, his voice confident. I roll my eyes, and then look to the window. It is dark inside, so I can't see the face, but I am sure the figure is still in there, watching us both. It seemed to be a girl, but I am not sure. All I know is that the person, whatever the gender, wants me dead. The chills are unceasing, biting at me with terrible force.

Xavier turns to the forest behind us, right beyond the meadow. "It's this way," he declares, his tone certain. He whirls back to face me, his arms spread out wide. "Come here," he demands. His eyes are fierce, ordering obedience. Not knowing quite why, I oblige him. He sweeps me into his arms once more, strangely comforting me with his warmth. There is a silence as Xavier grits his teeth, and then he begins to run. Blindingly fast, his legs zoom into the vast underbrush, destination unknown to me. However, at this moment, I don't care. Xavier is the least of my troubles.

The voice still echoes in my head, stirring up fear in my heart. "He is mine."

 

***

 

I watch the scene around me, a blur of green, blue, and brown, with awe. It is so strange, the way everything changes so quickly. It is a collage of the senses, everything mashed together, unable to observe. The only thing that's constant is Xavier, and his huge arms around my form.

Feeling like a baby in a cradle, I rock in his arms, marveling at the way I seem to fit in his embrace. For once, I am thankful for my small size. His hands offer constant heat as they radiate to my skin, warmth and desire blended together. It is an ordeal to him, I can tell, to just hold me like this, for the temptation is huge. For us both.

I look to Xavier's masculine features, at the way his azure hair sparkles in the breeze. When the sun hits it just right, it resembles the rainbow, all the colors shining in each strand. It is the most magnificent hair I have ever seen in my life.

His eyes, too, are incredible. They are also the only things about him that are truly abnormal. They are so amazingly bright, it is just hard to believe that they belong to a human. And, of course, they don't.

He casts a look at my face, rough and ragged, covered by thick glasses and bangs. I feel discomfort in his measuring gaze, though it is full of unbelievable affection. I don't understand why he loves me so much, but I can't help but admire his enthusiasm.

The violent air slapping at us both stops as Xavier comes to a gentle halt. Everything around me becomes clearer, focus regaining. "What is this place?!" I say with absolute awe, practically jumping out of his arms. It is amazing, a feat of nature standing before me.

A gigantic mansion stands before me, resembling a castle really, with turrets and a moat. It is in the center of the forest, trees surrounding the clearing where the mansion lies. It is ferocious and forbidding, reminding me of a haunted mansion. A door stands at the front, unnecessarily large, closed and most likely locked. A bunch of those prickly bushes are located around the mansion walls, most likely to prevent the same thing I tried to attempt today.

"Who are you werewolves defending yourselves from?" I ask in wonder, noting the turrets that most likely house a ton of arrows, guns, and grenades.

Xavier bows his head, his voice soft. "You just don't worry about it, Mona. You don't need to get involved in this," he assures me, though my temper is only sparked by a comment like that. However, after a few seconds of huffing and puffing, I quell my ferociousness.

We start walking to the moat, the bridge across it stable and wooden. "Why do you have a bridge and not a wall?" I query. All of the castles I have seen in books are similar in that aspect.

"Because we don't need one," a mischievous voice answers for Xavier, alerting me to another man's presence.

This man is handsome also, with the same electrifying green eyes that scares yet always manages to seduce me. However, unlike Xavier, he is Chinese, with black hair and a somewhat wider face. He is also taller, tanner, and skinnier. This man is almost like a stick, yet with good muscles for a man his size. He is wearing a ripped t-shirt, with rugged jeans that fit him almost as well as Xavier's does. All in all, another devastatingly handsome man with a whole different type of appeal.

"You have to remember, we are werewolves," he speaks again, his voice teasing, "so we can do stuff like this." In one sudden movement, he takes the bridge and flips it upwards, propelling us both high in the air. All I can see is blurriness again, fury ripping through my system. How dare he flip me into the air? Xavier is by my side, looking at the smirking man dubiously. I wrap my arms around my knees, waiting for the inevitable thump.

I land in a pair of arms for the second time today, except this time they are different. Slender and altogether graceful, these hands are soft and almost like a girl's. However, they are unbelievably strong, the fact that he flipped us both into the air with a huge, wooden bridge awe-inspiring. His face, as he looks down on me, is amused and taunting, completely unlike Xavier's affection.

However, that changes when he perks up his nose. "What is that delicious aroma?" he asks, his voice alluringly smooth and sweet. Xavier walks up behind him, unharmed by the stranger's mischief.

"It's her," he says, pointing to me. I shrink when the man leans his head closer to mine. He breathes in, sighing deeply.

"I haven't had a morsel like this in ages!" he exclaims dreamily, "she smells absolutely delectable." I start to shiver as I notice that he almost regards me as food, not an actual person.

Xavier rips me away from him, wrapping his arms around my body. "She is my mate, Yi. Don't touch her," he growls.

He surveys me, whistling loudly. "Xavier, this doesn't exactly seem like your type of girl. I thought you were going to mate with someone maybe more model-like... and she is a human. Ray is going to be furious," he almost sings that last part; as if he is actually happy that Xavier is going to spike this person’s anger.

"Butt off," he snaps, "I can choose whoever I want to be my mate."

"Liar," he laughs, "you probably got mated to her because of her smell. It is amazing... I haven't experienced a smell like that in a long time. I don't blame you, Xavier." He leans in, his voice so soft that I almost can't hear it. "Even though the ugly chick's your mate, you could still eat her. I bet she would be delicious, and Ray wouldn't care," he whispers. I jump away from Xavier, punching Yi in the face. My movement is so fast that even he can't react, my fist hitting home. Yi rubs his jaw, his face of laughter. "I'm just kidding," he chokes, "mates don't eat each other, and werewolves rarely eat humans in the first place. Nice punch, by the way."

Xavier just stares at Yi, fire alight in his eyes. "Don't joke about that sort of stuff, Yi. It's scaring her," he says. I step closer to them both, my temper twice the size of Xavier's.

"Do not make assumptions," I poke him in the chest, and then I turn to Yi, "you are an idiot. Go bother someone else." I pretend to act unaffected by his remark, but in truth I am furious. I know I am ugly... but I don't like hearing a handsome werewolf say it. "Come on, Xavier, let's go," I take charge, pulling away the growling wolf.

I look back... to see Yi's devilish smile. "You just got a whole lot more attractive," he smirks, invoking redness to my cheeks. I turn back to Xavier, embarrassed.

His face is twisted with laughter now, his anger died down. "I was going to punch him for you," he says in-between chuckles, "but you beat me to it. And you were fast, too! I mean, Yi is pretty weak, but he usually has better reflexes." Weak? He smiles at me, his white teeth glistening. "Don't listen to Yi," he whispers, "you aren't ugly at all."

I laugh, though inwardly shaking. "Thank you, Xavier." He reaches to grab my hand, but I pull it away. Even though I like Xavier more than Yi, this doesn't change anything. I am still not in love with Xavier.

We enter the mansion, the doors opening as if prodded by an invisible hand. The inside is just as beautifully creepy as the exterior; with two huge flights of stairs in the back of the lobby that is parted by a colossal sculpture of a wolf. The floor is tiled, the ceiling over fifty feet above us. The whole room is very spacious, probably doubling as a ballroom. "Where do those steps lead?" I ask, clutching his arm subconsciously, "they are so big!"

"To the other rooms," he says plainly, "that is the only way to get to them."

"Wow," I gaze at the beautiful chandelier hanging from the middle of the ceiling, noticing the mural painted above me. It is of wolves in the forest, chasing a bunch of humans. But the strange thing about them is that the human's eyes are red, bright like the werewolves' green eyes but a different color. They are really scary and intimidating, sending recognition into my chest. I... have seen those eyes before.

Pain flashes through me, realization searing. I yell, but that does not dissolve the hurt. The terror.

"Mona!" a voice rips through the air to my ears. I grab the man's hand, pressing it against my heart.

"Help me," I moan, "my heart is hurting." It is throbbing, pounding against my chest.

"What's wrong?!" a beautiful voice says anxiously, one I don't recognize. I raise my hands to my ears, trying to block out the noise, but the screams don't cease. The terrible screams...

All I see is darkness now, slipping into the endless void.

 

***

 

"Mona," the same voice from before, the one that doesn't belong to Xavier or Yi, wakes me. My eyes flutter open, consciousness returned.

"What happened?" I ask, the blurry images coming into focus. Hovering right above me is an unbelievably handsome man, with bright green eyes. My eyes grow wide as I survey him. With each strand like a clear crystal, sparkling like rainbows in the light, his hair reminds me of Xavier's but without a definite color. His short buzz cut of this spectacular hair gives way to pale, perfect skin and lightly reddened lips. His eyelashes are thin and shiny black, long and enticing. His face is heart-shaped, and he almost looks like a girl.

"You lost consciousness," he informs me, his gaze disconcerting. It is slightly pleasant, but still strange. I still have not gotten used to all these pretty guys looking at me.

I sit up, my back against the headboard. I look around the room, at the splendor surrounding me. It is absolutely gorgeous, a bedroom with surprisingly modern furnishes.

"Well, thanks," I say, getting up from the bed, "I am fine now."