The Wolfs Maine Read online

Once she made her way back down it didn't help. Clothes didn't help take my attention off of her beautiful figure. She grabbed her purse, put her hand in mine and we walked outside. I didn't realize how nasty it was outside until we walked out in it. The sky was filled with dark gray clouds. It looked like it could pour down rain at any minute.

  "No wonder he is on his way home." I looked at Ava wondering what brought on that statement.

  "What do you mean?" Ava looked up at the sky.

  “Whenever the weather is like this, Nicholas comes home early. If it's pretty outside and the sun is shining he stays at work until at least sunset but when it's nasty out and raining or dreary like this he comes home early. He never would tell me why." That didn't make any sense to me at all. You would think it would be the other way around.

  "Hum. Weird." I had no idea what else to say but I figured it would be safer to not let on that I am growing more and more suspicious of the man. Once we made it to her BMW she released my hand then put her arms around my neck.

  "I wish I could just stay here forever."

  "One day my love. One day you will be mine." I placed my lips against hers and kissed her softly until my need started to take over. Softly became passionately very quickly. Her lips parted slightly and I took full advantage, slipping my tongue in. She clearly didn't mind because she did the same. My hands traveled down her back until I realized I had to stop. I pulled away not without great difficulty. She looked down right depressed. I kissed her forehead then her lips one more time and opened her door for her. She got in, blew me a kiss, and was driving away.

  My heart was already aching. There was no way Nicholas could be a vampire could he? That's all I could think as she was driving away. If Nicholas is a vampire that would prove very dangerous for her and he would be very good at hiding it. It would also explain those vamps Ava and her friends ran into but the only question then would be why would Nicholas have vamps attack Ava and her friends? I decided to make a quick call to Michael. I found my phone and quickly pressed his name.

  "Hey John. What's up? I was just about to call you."

  "I think you were right to start with Nicholas. I'm starting to get more and more suspicious of him. He is such an ass to her and he stays out all day working unless it's raining or cloudy then he comes home early. Could a vamp really hide it that well?"

  "That's why I started with Nicholas. Something just doesn't feel right. A vamp could hide it but it would take a lot of work. I'm not sure why he would even bother and she has no idea vampires or anything really exists so why would she question it you know? I'll keep an eye out."

  "Thanks Michael. I owe you one."

  "Yes my friend. You do."

  Avalon

  As I was driving home all I could think of was John and how much I wanted to turn the car around. I so do not want to go home to Nicholas. He is the last person I want to see let alone be stuck in a house with. What am I going to do? There is no way I can tell him I want to leave. He would go ballistic on me and he would never bring it up himself. I don't even know why he is staying with me.

  I mean what is it for him? I'm just a glorified maid. We haven't even made love-if that's what I can call it-in months. Although there is no way anyone can call what Nicholas and I did "making love" because it was far from that. He basically just did it to appease me when I was restless and it always lasted a matter of minutes. There was never any kissing involved and it was always from behind. I always wondered why he couldn't look at me while we were intimate and it just seemed weird. I mean why be with someone you don't want to look at?

  All I know is it is nothing like what John and I have. What we have is truly making love. It feels right and complete like he was made for me. The chemistry is just amazing, electrifying. This is why it makes it so hard to go home to Nicholas. God forbid Nicholas find out I'm seeing John. He would surely kill him. I've never seen a man with such a temper as his. Just then I heard my cell.

  "Hi Jaci. I wondered when I would be hearing from you."

  "Ava, are you okay? I haven't heard from you all day and Nicholas just called asking if you were with me. What's going on?" Crap.

  "I'm fine. I've been with John."

  "As much as I respect a woman's need for intimacy so to speak you really should call or text somebody and let them know what's going on. Don't go hide yourself away like that."

  "I know and I'm sorry. I figured everyone would be sleeping all day after the night we had."

  "It's okay, I was just worried. So how was it with your cute boy toy?"

  "Jaci, it was wonderful. Although it seems like all I did was sleep. So Nicholas called you? What did he say?"

  "He was just asking if you were with me. He doesn't sound too happy but when does he ever?"

  "Great. Now I get to deal with that when I get home."

  "Ava, have you ever thought of just bringing up moving out? You never know he might want that as well."

  "Trust me he might want that but he will never give up control like that, speaking of which I'm pulling into the drive way now. I promise I will text you later."

  "Okay Ava. Be safe and make sure you text me after you deal with your dead beat of a husband." I hung up and was immediately nervous. I did not want to walk through those doors. I wanted to turn the car around and go back to Johns but that would make it even worse. I need to go in the house and face my demons.

  As I walked Nicholas was sitting in his chair in complete darkness and I begin to feel the panic in my veins. The panic worsened when Nicholas stands up and turns toward me.

  "Where have you been?" Easy enough question right? Not for Nicholas.

  "I was out paying bills." He took a step towards me.

  "It took you all day to pay bills?"

  "Well I paid the bills and went to the mall. I just needed out of this house." He took another step towards me which put him in front of the window so now I could see the anger in his face.

  "Why do you need out of this house Ava, excuse me I mean Avalon? You have anything you could possibly need right here in this house." I could feel my blood start to boil.

  "I don't have freedom in this house! Yes, I have every material thing I could need but I don't have freedom! You have turned this house into a glorified prison! Why do you want me to stay in this house all the time?"

  "Because that is where you belong!" I knew I should have kept my emotion in check because now he is flat out pissed off but now so am I.

  "Where I belong? I do not belong cooped up in this house 24 hours a day 7 days week! I need to be out in the world, seeing people, seeing my friends!" He took a few more steps towards me to where he was now inches away from my face.

  "Is that where you were today Avalon? With friends?" I took in a breath.

  "I told you where I was Nicholas." Nicholas lifted my chin with his hand so that I was looking him right in the eye.

  "No my dear. You have not." He dropped my chin and walked towards the bar.

  "That explains it. You’re drunk." He picked up his glass and poured himself another drink.

  "I do not need to be drunk to know when my wife is lying to me. It's written all over your damn face!" I absolutely hated when he used that word. Since we had been living together for five years now he thought he could call me his ‘wife’ but I could never stand it. Could he possibly know about John and if so how on Earth did he find out? I started toward the stairs.

  "I do not know what you are talking about Nicholas but I am going upstairs to lie down. You can continue drinking down here if you wish." As I started up the stairs I heard a huge crash. He had thrown the glass right towards me. If I had taken one more step it would have hit me right in the back of the head. Has he lost his mind?

  "You do not walk away when I'm talking to you!" I don't know what came over me but I was even madder than I was before. Now I am furious.

  "If you were just talking to me I wouldn't walk away but given that you are drunk and yelling at me I feel as though walking
away is the smartest thing I could do right now!"

  "You don't know what smart is. If you were smart you would stay your ass in this house like I have told you."

  "Nicholas, I am going upstairs." As I walked up the stairs I could hear him pacing back and forth and all I could do is wonder what he was thinking. Could he know about John? No, it's impossible. Could he know I want to leave? Is that why he is acting so strange? It’s possible.

  I was scared out of my mind but there was no way I was going to show him that. I was tired of being scared, tired of bending over backwards and walking on eggshells. I didn't know where I was getting all of this confidence but it should felt good.

  I took a quick shower, threw my t-shirt on and some jeans and laid down on the couch in our bedroom for a few minutes. I needed some time to collect my thoughts. I closed my eyes and still all I can see is Johns face. I just want to be back with him. When I'm with him I feel safe, like nothing can harm me as long as he is around. The connection with him is borderline on strange. Who feels like this so quickly? The chemistry and the passion are unlike anything I've ever felt before. It's truly amazing. I would do anything to be able to just teleport back there and Nicholas would never be able to find me because Lord knows he won't let me go willingly.

  A noise shocked me out of my thoughts, when I looked over all I could see was a bird on the window seal. It was a beautiful bird I'll give it that. It was big with so many colors, black, brown, hints of red, it was just beautiful. I opened the window and reached my hand out slowly and it jumped right on my wrist and just sat there, looking at me.

  Suddenly I heard a crash and he flew away as fast as he landed then another crash and another. It sounded like someone was breaking into the house and everything in it. I ran down the stairs almost tripping when I saw Nicholas throwing everything imaginable around the house. He knocked down the book case sending books flying, he threw the wine rack on the floor breaking bottles and spilling wine everywhere, he walked over to the fireplace and with one long sweep of his arm knocked everything on it to the floor. Oh my God he has lost his mind.

  "OH! There you are Ava! Now tell me what you don't like about this house. Is it the kitchen?" He walks over to the kitchen and throws the coffee pot and every dish onto the floor.

  "Is it the bathroom?" He then walks to the bathroom and throws everything off the counter.

  "Or my dear Ava is the reason you no longer want to be in this house involve this computer?" He strides over to my computer desk and with one kick the whole thing hits the floor.

  "Nicholas! Have you lost your mind?!" He walked over to stand in front of me.

  "Why of course not Ava. Isn't that what you let him call you?" My heart was beating out of my chest.

  "What are you talking about?"

  "Why the man you are seeing. You let him call you Ava right? You can't keep things from me Avalon. I know it all." I had no clue what to say, none at all. Do I confess or lie? I might as well confess since he seems to know or is he just playing me to get answers? What do I do?

  "What are you thinking about now? What to tell me? How to tell me you’re seeing someone else and want to leave me, that you know damn well I won't let you do? Want to tell me that is who you were with all day today when you should have been at home?" All I could do was stutter.

  "Who? What? How?" His hand was reaching up and wrapping around my throat as he got closer to me and whispered in my ear.

  "Because my dear I know it all. I can find out anything. You just ended your own life." I gasped as he threw me towards the broken wine rack that I fell right on top of. Glass punctured my hands as I hit the floor. He started towards me but I couldn't get up, all I could do was crawl my way backwards.

  My life was over. Nicholas was surely going to kill me; I could see it in his eyes. He was towering over me all 6'4 of him, he bent down and clasped my throat in his hands. As I looked into his eyes all I could see was rage. It almost looked as if his eyes were turning red. He was beginning to squeeze my throat tighter, I could feel the panic throughout my body but there was nothing I could do. He had me pinned to the ground, I couldn't move and now I couldn't breathe. As my surroundings got fuzzy all I could think of was John. What would his reaction be to my death? Will he miss me? Will he come and kill Nicholas? I can't imagine never seeing his face again.

  Then out of nowhere something comes straight through the window and right at Nicholas and knocks him off of me. I gasp for air as I am now free. Trying to regain my composure I look up but my vision is still blurry. All I see is something that looks like an animal attacking Nicholas, a big animal. It begins to remind me of the wolf I saw outside the club except before it was gentle now it was a beast trying to rip Nicholas to shreds but Nicholas wasn't having it. I've never seen him fight off anything let alone an animal like this. As my vision cleared it did look exactly like the wolf I saw that night. Same figure, same coloring, but vicious. The wolf got a few bites in before Nicholas threw it across the room and then they both stood and looked at each other.

  Something was urging me to go to the wolf and not run for my life. Why on Earth would I do that? I started to walk towards the wolf and it looked at me with those eyes and snarled like it was telling me to stay back. Nicholas looked over at me with an evil grin like he knew he had already won.

  "Yes Ava. Listen to him. Stay where you are. I'll be right over and I will pick up where I left off. Is this the creature you love dear Ava?" What was he talking about? That obviously flicked a switch for the wolf because he pounced at Nicholas, I should have been terrified but I wasn't. I was more worried for Nicholas because the wolf looked like he could not be stopped. He was there to kill Nicholas just as Nicholas was there to kill me. You could just see murder in both of their eyes. I knew it was time for me to go.

  I saw my cell across the room so I grabbed it and ran out the front door. I would call someone as soon as I got somewhere safer, somewhere a good distance away from this house. I just did not want to know the outcome of what was happening. Either the wolf was going to kill Nicholas and I would be free or Nicholas would kill the wolf and come after me. I had to get somewhere he couldn't find me. I got to my car and in the driver’s seat before I realized I had no keys. That's just great. So it was time to run even though I was barefoot I could hopefully get somewhere so I could call Jaci.

  I ran through the trees thinking and hoping I was going to right direction. By now it was pitch black outside, it was so hard to see anything. I thought I saw the road just up ahead. I could get up there and call Jaci to come pick me up. Just then I heard something behind me. I couldn't help but pray it wasn't Nicholas. I don't really know if I want it to be the wolf either but for some reason I felt safer with the wolf idea.

  Chapter Eight

  I turned slowly, scared to death to know what I was turning around to see. It was either going to be Nicholas or a wolf that just killed him. There was no way I was coming out of this unharmed. I turned but I didn't see anything. I knew I felt something or someone behind me or maybe I'm just freaking out and imagining things. I begin to turn back around when I hear something. I swing around and still nothing until I look down and I see someone lying on the ground naked and bleeding so I bend over slowly to check. It's definitely not Nicholas; this man’s hair was much darker. I move the hair away from his eyes and realize its John! John was lying in front of me completely naked, curled up in a ball with cuts and scrapes all over him; he looked like he had just been through a war.

  "John! Oh my God! John!" How was I going to help him? I couldn't carry him. I lifted my cell phone and began to dial 911 but no signal. I had to get him help and fast. Just then I heard rustling like someone running towards us. It can't be Nicholas; the man would kill us both. I had no idea what to do other than sit down in front of John and pray. Before I knew it a man was rushing towards me, it was Michael.

  "Michael! What are you doing here?" Why I asked I'll never know.

  "I sensed something was goin
g on and then I called John twice and he didn't answer. It's not like him not to answer at least the second time I call so I came to the first place I could think of." He immediately bent down to examine John, looking him over carefully. He was checking his head, his back, his arms, his chest. Once satisfied he looked over at me.

  "John will be fine Avalon. Are you okay?"

  "No. I'm not okay. I'm freaking out." I couldn't stop shaking.

  "I don't know what the hell is going on anymore! Why is John here? Why are you here? Why was there a wolf trying to kill Nicholas in my house? Not that I'm not grateful but it just doesn't make any sense." Michael was up and in front of me in the blink of an eye then he put my hands in his own.

  "Avalon, everything is going to be fine. I need you to stop freaking out just for right now. All your questions will be answered very soon but right now we need to get John somewhere safe. Nicholas could very well still be fine and could head this direction any second. Let’s get you and John to his house and then we'll begin with your questions once everyone has rested." I don't know if it was the warmth of his hands or the calmness in his eyes but I immediately calmed down and thought about John. We needed to get him somewhere safe, especially if Nicholas is still out here.

  "Okay Michael but how are we going to get him anywhere? He's hurt and not to mention naked. I tried calling for help but I don't have a signal." Michael bent down to John then began to lift him up into his strong arms. There was no way he was going to try to carry John was there? Michael picked John up like he was nothing.

  "No worries Avalon. My car is just up the way, past those trees." He nodded towards the road I was headed for.

  "But you can't carry John the entire way."

  "Yes I can, if we go now." Michael started walking and I could hear him talking to John.

  "You are one lucky bastard that I drove my car this time." I had no idea what Michael was talking about. What did he mean by ‘this time’?

  He surely wouldn't have run the whole way here. Men and their stupid inside jokes. We made it to Michael’s car; he placed John in the back very carefully and then opened the passenger side door for me. I looked back at John to make sure he was okay as Michael got in the car and started to drive away.