Toy Wolf

Chapter 3: blue skies

"Wolf? Hey, hey, don't be dead."

Stefa woke me with a shake, peering into my face. I blinked at her and gave a smile. She had a cut above her eye, and her shirt was torn. I sat up; the nap had helped the nausea.

"Don't scare me like that," she scolded. "And you're home early." She paused. "Your collar is off."

"They..." I cleared my throat and tried again. "They want me to fight tomorrow."

Stefa laughed, and sat down next to me. "Fantastic! I mean, not about the fighting, but that you got the collar off."

She jumped up just as suddenly and brought the tray over to me. I must have slept through its arrival. "That would explain the meal you have waiting for you. Damn, I have a thousand questions, but I'll let you eat first."

The tray contained the normal protein shake, but also a roast beef sandwich. I offered Stefa a half and she shook her head.

"Eating is disgusting, no thanks."

"My name is Conor," I told her between bites. "I come from Montana."

"How long have you been a wolf?" she inquired.

I laughed, though the sound was rough and horrible in my throat. "I was born a wolf. I became human nearly four years ago. I was bitten by a werewolf."

Stefa's eyebrows rose and she shook her head.

"That explains a lot," she mused. "The doctors complain about your DNA, your body: no one can figure you out. But you're less human than I."

I didn't have the self-control to pace myself and finished the sandwich in another couple of bites. The shake was already lukewarm, so I set it on the ground; I could eat that later.

"Will they put the collar back on?" she asked.

"Probably tomorrow," I said. "After the fight."

She sighed. "I was hoping that we would get more time, no such luck."

"What happened to you?" I asked, gesturing at the cut above her eye.

Stefa dabbed at it with one finger and shrugged. "A fight. I can't avoid all of them."

"With doctors or vampires?"

"Vampires. If I stay too passive, I get more attention, which is worse than just beating everyone. Everyone's so anxious out there about Dr. Bryce that I don't want anyone to remember my name for a while."

She frowned at me. "You speak very good English for being a wolf."

"I had a family that took me in," I explained. "I had broke into their chicken coop as a wolf and had morphed into a human by the time they found me." Tears pricked my eyes and I blinked, looking down at my thin arms. I missed Mel and Ralph and Susie Lynn.

Stefa leaned against my shoulder and sighed. "Don't talk about family; it's too hard," she advised. "Tell me about Montana."

"Largest blue sky you've ever seen," I replied, my voice growing stronger. "As a wolf, I never noticed such things, but I love the sky and stars now. The forest was across the highway, but it was always bustling with life and I could run forever there. The farm smelled like diesel and cows. The forest smelled like water and pine."

"What was it like, being a wolf?"

"Less colorful," I replied. "I wouldn't have seen the purple in your hair."

Stefa snorted. "What's left of it."

"I would probably be overwhelmed by the smells here," I continued. "It's hard to compare though, I wouldn't have thought like this before. It was simpler."

With a bit of reluctance, I picked up my abandoned protein shake, wanting to finish it before they came for our tray.

"So we should talk about fighting a vampire," she said, rising from her position and standing in front of me. "I don't want you to die, after all."

"Thanks," I answered.

"Vampires are fast," she began. "Here they have defanged us, but that would be a vampire's second weapon of choice. The first is our voice." She smiled. "We have some...persuasive abilities."

"What do you mean?"

"Conor, give that shake to me," she said in a sweet tone.

I felt an urge to obey. It felt a little like how Keith ordered me around, but I wasn't fully compelled. I stopped my arm from reaching out and then shook my head.

Stefa grinned, giving me an approving nod. "It's easier to resist if you're expecting it," she told me. "Tomorrow, if they're any good will try to off-balance you and then persuade you to stop fighting. You're a werewolf, so you're strong, right?"

I shook my head.

She sighed. "Honestly, do you come with any perks?"

"I can shift into a wolf?"

"I would call that a downside," Stefa scoffed. "Especially if you don't want to partially shift in front of everyone, which I think is your best skill set."

"They put a collar on me so I can't do a full shift, what would they do if they knew any more?" I questioned. "Absolutely not. Without the collar I'll be fine."

Stefa was smiling at me in a weird way, like she was going to bite me. I downed the rest of the shake, and wiped the edge of the glass like usual. I was full, a weird feeling after so long.

"What?"

"I'm glad we got to talk," she said. "You're funny. The others and I talk about you, what you could possibly be like. I would have never guessed you were an actual wolf. You're so...gentlemanly."

"Thank you?"

She walked to the door, looking out into the hallway before coming back to sit next to me.

"I think we'll have all of the guards raining down on us if I show you any fighting. Surely they won't pair you with someone who could actually hurt you. You seem so fragile, Conor dear."

I rolled my eyes, having heard this conversation before under very different circumstances.

"I'll be fine," I promised.