As he'd said, Etienne waited until midnight in Aquila's old bedroom. I had no idea what he was doing in there, but as long as it didn't involve the destruction of Aquila's plants, I didn't care. I found that the less I worried about my many houseguests, the easier my life became. Of course, the vampire wasn't my average, mostly harmless puppy or obstinate nephew-guest.
But he didn't make a single sound, so I assumed nothing was being demolished or tortured. If he tried to escape, I would've noticed because I'd purposely left both the window and door squeaky to avoid such antics. The previous tenant of the room also had the tendency to roam, and with him, I'd at least wanted to know when he left and when he came back.
So far, so good. I kept my ears open while I cooked my own dinner, two big steaks gifted to me by Mrs. Davis from the butchery, and ate.
When the clock struck midnight, I was ready at the door to go hunting. Etienne, on the other hand, seemed to believe in the concept of 'fashionably late.'
Emphasis on fashionable.
When Etienne strutted down the stairs ten minutes past midnight, he'd switched into the most ridiculous hunting outfit.
Sure, I understood he couldn't wear his tight, slim fit stuff because especially those pants had looked like they'd tear at the ass the moment he tried to crouch. But this wasn't much better.
He sparkled. Not like the vampires in the young adult series that human wrote. In Etienne's case it was an active choice.
Those had to be the shiniest running pants I'd ever seen. They looked like a starry galaxy, with purple fading to black closer to his feet and an abundance of glitter sprinkled all over the fabric. His black shirt showed off his lean muscles.
To think little of the lithe guy during a hunt was a mistake people frequently made, but I wouldn't. I'd seen the speed and tirelessness of the little werewolves firsthand. Etienne seemed like he had those qualities too, but without the clumsiness of the youngsters. I had the muscle mass and size to take a prey down easily, but he had the agility to catch anything.
I wouldn't underestimate the vampire's hunting ability, but still, I snorted as Etienne grabbed a pair of even more glittery sneakers to go with the running pants.
"That's the outfit of a killer, Etienne?" I asked dryly.
Etienne smiled mock-pleasantly, teeth glinting in the hallway light. "We can't all pull off the 'lumberjack in old rags' look, can we? Or the fur pelt. And yes, I'm a huge Twilight fan."
I raised a brow. "You are?"
"You have no idea how pleasant of an image boost that was."
I raised both my eyebrows. "You live in the middle of nowhere. Why do you need an image boost?"
"Why not? It's always nice to be seen and wanted, isn't it?" Etienne said with a wink.
Yeah, right. I was pretty sure I'd just made him indirectly admit to kidnapping and seducing humans into giving him blood. People being fans of vampires and vampire series would make that job a hell of a lot easier.
"Sure," I said. "You'll get seen, alright. It's close to the full moon so all the animals will see you coming from miles away, too."
Etienne looked down at his glittery pants, then up at me. "I like it better if they see me coming, wolf. The fear enhances the taste, and I am faster and stronger than them, anyway."
Big talk, but likely true. I didn't respond aside from a derisive snort.
While Etienne tied his shoelaces, I undid mine. I stepped out of my shoes and socks, but waited with undressing until we'd walked a little further into the forest, away from prying eyes.
Most prying eyes, anyway.
I had to undress before transforming into my wolf form. If I didn't, I'd have to increase my clothing budget considerably because I'd destroy all of them. While I lost my clothes, Etienne shamelessly stared at me, letting his eyes roam.
If this was an attempt to faze me, he failed. Nudity wasn't really a thing among werewolves, and I was used to humans looking. Not that I routinely stripped in front of them, but they did look.
I knew the townsfolk whispered about me. They wondered why I still lived alone. Some were subtle with their questions, some not at all. The bolder ones openly asked me if there was someone in my life, and when I said no, asked if I was looking. I'd also been the victim of a few misguided match-making attempts.
It came with the territory. Humans were curious creatures, but I gently dodged their questions and the affections. Not because some weren't attractive—far from it. It was simply better for me to focus all my attention on protecting our secret from the town. Things had only recently started changing, shifting towards a potential full exposure to the people of Pinewood.
Maybe I'd find a human mate of my own after that. I'd have to see if they still wanted me then. Not everyone could get lucky like my nephew had with his human.
Etienne's stare wasn't one of admiration, however. He was sizing me up, possibly trying to unnerve me. But I was not his prey, nor would I ever be, and nor would the people of Pinewood be.
Meeting Etienne's gaze evenly, I took a deep breath and then willed my body to change.
It hurt. It always hurt. The closer it was to a new moon, however, the worse it was. The beast was stronger and more eager to get out around this time of the month. At least the transformation was faster, too. My bones cracked, and I felt myself growing out of my skin. Parts of me extended and others contracted. Fur grew out of my skin, and finally, I was a wolf.
The vampire arched a brow at me when I looked up at him. "I will miss your riveting conversation during the hunt like this, but I suppose you can't hunt in your human form. You do still understand me, no?"
I let out a low growl, warning the vampire to shut up. I listened carefully for any people on the nearby roads. When I determined they were empty, I started running.
I'd been right about my assessment that Etienne was fast. His light footsteps stayed right behind me, despite me running at full speed. I only stopped once we reached the valley, and we were far enough away from the humans that they'd never find us.
I looked at Etienne, then nudged my head towards the hunting grounds.
"Here?" Etienne asked. "Good. I was starting to feel a little hungry."
Etienne grinned at me and then dashed away. I immediately sprinted after him, but it was like he tried to shake me, purposely going through smaller passages between the trees that he fit through but I didn't as a wolf. Thankfully, I knew these woods well and kept up by using all the shortcuts.
There was plenty of wildlife in the woods. None of the animals would stand a chance if Etienne decided to pounce on them. He didn't, however. Etienne passed deer and rabbits, ignoring them all and letting them escape into the night. For a moment I thought he was looking for bigger prey because his hunger was that great, but then he also passed a bear—the largest creature roaming these woods.
Etienne seemed to have a plan, however. There was a purpose to his movements. He stopped now and then, looked around, and started running again. He was clearly looking for a specific prey. I would've asked, but couldn't as a wolf. I just kept running with him, growing increasingly more suspicious and confused.
Then we reached the cliffs. I knew this place well. It's where groups of wolves lived. And that was when I realized what prey he was going for.
I had joked about Etienne not being able to do anything stealthily with those obnoxious running pants, but he was expertly keeping himself out of sight.
Etienne circled the animals from the shadows and singled out the biggest wolf. The leader. He climbed up a tree so silently that even I barely heard a sound, and moved himself into position. When the wolf passed under him, he launched himself on top of the beast, quick like a diving hawk.
The wolf didn't stand a chance.
Etienne's fangs were buried deep into a vein the moment he landed, draining the animal's strength rapidly and immediately. Panicked yips filled the clearing as the other wolves scattered, startled by the attack that came from nowhere. The alpha wolf made some feeble attempts to get away, but quickly went limp as his blood was being drained.
These wolves had young pups. If one of the alpha couple was killed, it'd possibly kill all of them. I took a step forward, growling at Etienne in warning.
He looked at me, fangs still biting into the wolf's flesh. But after a few seconds, he released his hold and retreated. The wolf was still alive, and judging by the way he jumped up and fled the moment he was released, would survive the vampire's feast.
A little trail of blood dribbled down the corner of Etienne's mouth as he reached my side. He dragged his thumb up his chin to his lips with a grin and sucked the last bit of the wolf's blood into his mouth. He'd enjoyed this, and a shudder went down my spine.
"I've had my fill, wolf," Etienne said. "We can go back now."
I was all too happy to oblige.
The run back was quiet and quick, and I changed back to my human form the moment we reached the spot in the woods where I'd left my clothing.
Shifting back was about as pleasant as shifting to my wolf form, which was not at all. I was also fighting my instincts now, which told me to stay in my more powerful form around the threat. The vampire.
It was too dangerous to stay this way around the townsfolk, however. Especially in my house. I couldn't risk one of the humans finding a gigantic wolf and a stranger inside, should anyone decide to visit. Surprise visits happened in a small town like this—even in the middle of the night. I was the handyman they called when there was an emergency inside the house, after all. Like a water pipe bursting.
I had to push myself hard, but eventually I managed to shift back to my human form.
Etienne looked at me, visibly amused by my transformation struggles. "Now that you can talk again, tell me honestly: am I a better hunter than you are?"
"Nobody is a better hunter than a werewolf," I replied curtly.
Etienne tilted his head to the side. "Are you sure? You seemed awfully sentimental about that one wolf. Have you ever even killed, wolf? You buy your meat at the butcher, don't you?"
I clacked my tongue. "We take care to not kill an entire family of wolves needlessly when we need to kill. We only take what we need. A concept you're perhaps unfamiliar with, vampire."
"Kill the alphas, kill the pack," Etienne mused. "Good to know. But that wan't my intention at all. I only chose that wolf because it reminded me of you."
I narrowed my eyes. "Is that a threat, vampire?"
"Absolutely not," Etienne said, pressing a hand to his chest and faking an innocent expression. "On the contrary. It's a compliment."
I crossed my arms. "I'm very flattered," I said flatly. "As long as we're clear that you're never going to drink my blood. Nor that of another werewolf's or human's. This is also not making me any more inclined to trust you or let you close to any of the townsfolk."
Etienne sighed and rolled his eyes. "Oh, you're no fun. Yes, big protector, I know I'm not going to get any person's blood. You already said that."
We walked back to my house. Once inside, Etienne walked to the couch, almost sat down, and then seemed to remember werewolves had cooties. He went back to his chair with the handkerchief, perching there instead.
I watched the entire show, wondering just how long the vampire planned to keep the theatrics up. I could let the puppies use his handkerchief as a chew toy just to see how he'd react. I had to keep things fun for myself some way while unwillingly sharing my house with a snooty vampire.
"You're staying up then?" I asked.
"I can't go outside during the sunlight, so yes, I will be staying up," Etienne replied in a condescending tone. "Don't worry, I'm not going to bother any of your precious townsfolk. I just ate. I'll be reading." He looked around and his eyes fell on the bookcase, which was full of picture books for the puppies. "If you can even read and own some books, that is."
"Check the carton boxes beside the bookcase," I said. "But careful. The books are utterly contaminated with werewolf germs as I read them all. And do get some sleep. I'm expecting you to stay with me tomorrow morning. I'm a handyman and my work is in my shed. You will not need to go out."
"Work with my hands?" Etienne looked horrified as he held up his hands. "With these nails?"
"Your precious nails are safe. I'm not letting you touch my work—I just want you where I can see you."
That wasn't my only motive, however. If Etienne wasn't lying and liked the scent of my blood... I now had some ideas to end this bullshit about a vampire in Pinewood town tomorrow.
***
Author's note: Hi dear reader!!
Any thoughts so far about the characters, dynamic, and the set-up? Is it enjoyable or are you not really getting into it (yet)?
Was anything in the first few parts confusing?
I'm looking for feedback in early stages because if it's not hitting the mark I can still change things. I'd love to hear from you! c: