and considered my options. A monster was a monster, wasn't it? Just because I killed werewolves didn't mean I couldn't kill something else. Call it a freebie.
But I couldn't bring myself to shoot the wolf. I'm not sure why. The night's carnage didn't bother me. I'd seen a helluva lot worse, been the cause of it, too.
In all honesty, the bullets and the blood were exhilarating. Chalk up nine for the good guys. Except only eight of them were mine.
I hated to put an end to a perfect killing machine. Especially when he appeared to be on my side.
"Fine," I said. "Knock yourself out. Kill as many as you can."
The wolf did that canine head tilt again. Too bad his muzzle was red with blood. If I saw a dog like that, I'd be creeped out. As it was... I was creeped out.
Instead of waiting around until he ran off, then burning the wolves like I should have, I took my gun and headed back to the tavern more quickly than I'd come.
It was against my nature to leave one of them alive, but as I told myself over and over as I waited for the sun to rise above the trees, I could always kill him later.
Chapter 8
Someone was banging on the door and shouting my name. I glanced at my travel alarm.
Noon. I'd overslept.
I dragged myself out of bed, across the floor, glanced out the window, and flicked the lock. Jessie barreled inside.
"I woke you," she said.
"What was your first clue?"
"I don't know, your lovely naked ass?"
I glanced down. Oops. Must have stripped completely instead of leaving on my underwear as I usually did in a strange new place.
Since I didn't have a home of my own, all places were strange, and since I traveled with the wolves, most places were new. Naked sleeping didn't happen very often. About as often as I had sex. Let's see, that would be once in every millennium.
I wasn't frigid - much. I just had a little problem with intimacy, among other things. Maybe because the last time I'd had sex it had led to murder.
Another bright and cheery thought to greet the day. No wonder I hated mornings.
I headed for the coffeepot without stopping for clothes. I could care less who saw me naked. If they didn't like the view they could get the hell out of my way.
Considering my notions on sex and men, I suppose my ease with nudity was contradictory. However, if you didn't think of your body as a sexual object, what was the big deal with everyone seeing it?
"You plan on getting dressed anytime soon?" Jessie asked, staring pointedly out the window.
I smirked. At last I'd rattled her cage. "You shy?"
"I can see you're not."
Once I had been. Once I'd been a lot of things. I was none of them any longer.
I cursed as I opened and shut all the cabinets and the tiny refrigerator. "No coffee. Someone must die."
"When Mandenauer said you weren't a morning person, I figured you'd be OK after noon."
"You figured wrong."
"Why didn't you go shopping last night? Get supplies?"
I froze. Last night came back to me in a rush. I'd planned to sleep a few hours, then go back out and burn the evidence. Instead I'd slept for too long and left the dead wolves in the forest.
I was slipping.
I found my underwear tangled in the sheets, stuffed my legs into my discarded jeans, and picked up the same T-shirt I'd worn yesterday. I rarely bothered with a bra. Didn't need one. Never had.
"Ahem."
I glanced at Jessie.
"Maybe you want to put on some clean clothes?"
"What's wrong with th - " I looked down, and the words died on my tongue.
My pants sported streaks that could be rust paint but we both knew weren't. My once-white T-shirt was full of soot, dirt, and more red streaks. I was lucky no one had seen me coming out of the woods last night. They might have thought I was burying a body.
"You don't listen very well, do you?"
I shrugged and yanked off the shirt, replacing it with one from my bag. I left the jeans alone. I'd change them after we got back. They were only going to get dirtier anyway.
"How many did you kill?"
"Nine," I lied, not wanting to mention the brown wolf, which I hadn't killed. I was supposed to be training Jessie, not teaching her bad habits.