Toy Wolf

Chapter 31: lose-lose

The next day, my schedule went back to normal. I met the other hunters down in the training room. Grant was sharing our made up story about the drunk cowboys.

"They were absurd," he said, rolling his eyes. "Thank god the coffee shop was decent or it would have been a totally wasted trip. Right, Conor?"

"It gave us something to do?" I offered. "Did you tell them about the men at the pizza place?"

He laughed. "No. We got kicked out of a pizza joint because two 'good ole boys' thought we were gay. I miss the East Coast. But this doesn't help you gentlemen at all, so find a partner, chop chop."

Grant seemed to be in a better mood today that before the trip as he corrected form and style of the various hunters. Stefa sauntered into the room and draped herself across my shoulders.

"How's it going?" she asked. "Learning anything fun?"

"I don't think this is about my learning," I pointed out.

"Doesn't mean you can't learn a thing or two," she answered. "There seems to be a new crop in here today. Who would have thought there were so many hunters?"

"Grant said they were well funded," I reminded her.

The newer ones eyed us with more caution. Grant and the others barely noticed we were in the room. I guessed they were used to us now; we hadn't done anything of note. I was here for Grant, and Stefa was here so I didn't get bored. If we weren't on such a time crunch I wondered if they really would have ever used us in the field, or if all of that had been a ruse. It didn't matter now.

"Get some water," Grant called and walked over to us. "You two are standing there like you want to know which hunter would taste the best. It's a little unnerving."

"Jackie," Stefa said with a wicked grin. "He's been the most sedentary and his sweat smells like sugar. I bet he would taste delicious."

Grant sighed. "You aren't supposed to answer questions like that. This is why people don't trust you."

"I'm reminding you that I'm still a vampire," she said. "Despite all my natural charm, I really still am a cold blooded killer underneath."

"Cold blooded because you're dead, ha ha," Grant said with a groan. "I'm leaving now."

"You like antagonizing Grant," I commented as the man walked away.

"I do," she admitted.

A woman walked past us, bumping rudely into my shoulder. I didn't recognize the hunter.

"Excuse you," Stefa called. "Rude."

"Excuse yourself," she scoffed. "Just because you're Grant's pets doesn't mean we have to tolerate you."

I felt Stefa tense beside me and I wasn't feeling very charitable myself. Most of the other hunters hadn't been so confrontational. Many of them had been here to see Stefa pin me to the ground, or my couple bouts with Grant. We were not any else dangerous than before.

"I am no one's pet," I told her. "We have a deal with Grant. That is all."

"If you think that selling out your own kind somehow makes you better than them, then you're wrong," she sneered. "You're just as self serving with an extra side of hypocrisy."

"I would walk away now," I said to the woman, noting with a glance at Stefa that her eyes were red. This was not a good conversation to have.

"Or what? Your fanged girlfriend is going to jump me? Then you aren't nearly as reformed as you pretend to be."

The woman stood her ground. A couple other hunters were watching us, waiting to see what we would do. I didn't like what this had turned into and I wished that Grant would talk some sense into this woman. I didn't want to know what Stefa could do to this woman.

"Stefa, go," I whispered, knowing she could hear me. "I'll take care of this."

She didn't move. The woman decided she wasn't finished.

"How the mighty have fallen," she laughed. "Weren't you the most wanted vampire in the country? Now you take orders from a scrawny werewolf? No wonder you were betrayed, you couldn't hold your authority over anything."

I felt Stefa flinch and then take one step forward. I shifted suddenly in my wolf form, anticipating correctly that Stefa was about to launch at woman. She met me instead, as I shoved the hunter out of the way.

I barked at Stefa to get her attention. I got it but barely, circling to put myself and the woman hunter. I didn't want to compromise our plan to escape, I was bleeding from somewhere; Stefa had caught me with her nails.

"Conor, move," she said in a low tone. I recognized the urge to obey and I growled, refusing to budge.

"Get out of my way," she snapped.

Still I held my ground, barking at her in hopes of breaking her fury. No such luck.

She darted forward, and I bit her leg, getting tossed to the other side of the room for my pains. My head hit the floor with a bang, making the room swim. I shook myself up and sprinted back, tumbling into Stefa before she could sink her fangs into the errant woman, limp with terror. Grant walked in at that moment as I slid against the ground. I heard a bone crack and I yelped. Stefa pounced back up and I pulled myself on to my remaining three legs, holding my left foreleg close to my body.

"Stefa!" Grant shouted. "What is happening? Stop!"

I barked again and limped over to Stefa, growling up at her until she looked down. And then I whined, falling against her calf. There was blood everywhere, I realized. Stefa had cut me deeply. She knelt down, smoothing my fur. Her eyes faded from their darker hue.

"Conor?" she whispered. "Conor, you have to shift, you've lost too much blood."

I panted and let out a whine. I didn't want to shift. Everything hurt too much. She continued to pet my head.

"I know, pretty boy, and you can shift right back, but you can't stay like this," she told me softly. "Please. You're bleeding out."

With a bark of effort, I managed to shift back into human form. I had destroyed my clothes in the shift, little bits of cotton were still floating in the air. The room was silent. I shifted back into wolf form with a whimper. She gathered me into her arms, and I closed my eyes. The injuries were gone, but the pain persisted.

"What the hell happened?" Grant demanded.

No one said a word.

"Stefa?"

Stefa lifted me up and I let her. It was a strange sensation, being carried as a wolf. My eyes were still closed.

"I'm leaving now," she said. "You can ask your hunters what happened. And be damn grateful Conor has more of a conscience than I."

We moved out of the room and up the stairs. I heard her fumble with a door and I was laid on a soft surface.

"I'll be right back," she said. 

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Weirdly, one of my favorite chapters. I think it shows that Conor still has his morals, even if they're a little grayer than before. Thanks for reading!