She had heard him moving around her cabin in the darkness. Soft growls, sharp scratch of nails against the plank walls. Sniffling and huffing. Whimpering exasperatedly when morning sun forced him to leave her small hut. There were nights she was compelled to go and let him in, welcome the darkness in to her home, but she always managed to quench that urge.

It was ironical. She was the source of light for the village, yet they shunned her from their midst, feared her knowledge and skills. She made the candles they burned in their homes and at the altar of the church, yet she wasn’t welcome to any of those places because of her heritage. When she walked among them men turned their backs with disgusted sneers on their faces. Women ignored her completely. Children ran away from her as if she was tainted with leper. Yet when one of them fell ill, she was the one they sought out. When light of the day dimmed, it was her candles they lit to push the shadows to the furthest corners of their rooms.

Her father had named her Anna Marie. Villagers had long forgotten those names, and called her Rogue instead.

“Excuse me… Ma’am? Excuse me…” Marie tried to gain the attention of the woman who was selling herbs. Most of her remedies and flowers she used to her candles she collected by herself, but she had seen a bouquet of sunflowers that were hard to get around here in the back of her tent. Woman refused to acknowledge her and kept chatting with merchant that occupied the tent next to hers.
“Ma’am, excuse me!” Marie raised her voice and was rewarded with a snort before woman turned her attention back to the merchant. Marie started to turn, her head bowed, swallowing her disappointment, and bumped against something warm and solid.
“Oh, I’m so sorry! Please, accept my apologies!” She babbled almost incoherently, keeping her head bowed, not wanting to look up and see the anger and fear reflecting from the face of the man she had collided with.

Instead of angry string of curses and hard push she felt strong hands curl around her shoulders and turn her back towards the woman that sold flowers.
“Lady here would like to do some business with you, if it isn’t too much to ask…” Low, raspy voice spoke from somewhere above her head.
“I don’t do business with the likes of her, my good man. You would do wisely to let her go,” woman snapped, eyeing them from head to toe.
“Yes. That would be for the best. If you please could just let me go, sir…” Marie whispered. She could feel several pairs of eyes upon them.
“Will you do business with me?” She heard man asking. Woman nodded.
“I’ll have those sunflowers.”
“All of them?” Woman asked surprised. Rare commodity like that wasn’t cheap.
“All.” And he still hadn’t let go of Marie. Woman retrieved the bouquet and laid it on the counter. Man let go of Marie long enough to dig up the amount of gold needed to pay for the flowers and tossed the coins to the counter, picking up the bouquet and shoving it to her.
“Here.”

“This is… Thank you, but this is too much, sir…” She tried to stutter when man ushered her through the crowd, shielding her and the flowers with his large body.
“Please, let go of me. It’s not… Sir!” He had fallen to step beside her and grabbed her hand to his larger one, walking fast past curious stares people were throwing on them. She noticed they were walking out from the village, towards the path that lead to her cabin.
“Sir! Please! Would you be so kind as to let me go!” She stopped and ground her heels to the ground. Man let go of her hand and stopped, turning to look at her.

Tall and dark. Wide shoulders. Long hair pulled back to a ponytail. Long leather coat hiding his body from her view. Dark shadow of stubble accentuated his jaw. Feverish hazel eyes that seemed to pierce her whole being.
“You’re the one they call Rogue, right?” He asked. She nodded.
“I have a job for you. I can pay. In gold.”
“Consider these flowers as a payment.”

This she could handle. A customer. They walked in silence towards her cabin. He kept his hands to himself and let her lead the way.
“What do you need me to do? Are you ill?” She asked. Man chuckled softly.
“I guess you could call it illness… I need you to make me a potion. I have the ingredients with me.”
“I need more information. I can’t just toss random things to a pot and wish it’ll work,” She said.
“I’ll give instructions. My condition isn’t something I’m willing to discuss with anybody,” man grunted.
“Fine. You can go and find another healer then…” She snapped. Man actually growled and grabbed her arm, stopping her and spun her around, face to face with him.
“You’ll do as I say, witch, and I might let you live…”

Not an ordinary customer. A hunter. She swallowed uneasily, trying to mask her nervousness when she spoke.
“We have a deal, then…”

“Here.” Man placed a small wooden box on the table with a trembling hand. She took it and opened it. Inside was a small leather pouch, few cloves of garlic and a small glass vial filled with clear liquid.
“Ground the garlic, add silver from the pouch and mix it with the water in the vial.”
“You could have done that by yourself. What do you need me for?” Concoction was familiar to her. Garlic, silver dust and holy water. Hunters used it to weaken werewolves. It took away their ability to turn to their bestial form.
“Just do it,” man growled, gaze fixed to the box.

“There. Done. Happy?” She asked, handing him the vial, filled with clear, sparkling liquid. Man narrowed his eyes, shook the vial and lifted it up for inspection.
“How much do I owe you?” He asked.
“I told you already, those sunflowers cover all the costs.”
“Fine. How much for a bed for tonight?” Man asked. She snorted.
“That kind of ladies you’ll find from the village. I’m not for sale.”
“Don’t flatter yourself, witch. I need a place to sleep. Innkeeper threw me out. Said I was bad business.”
“I’ll ask two things in exchange for sleep under my roof. Your name, and a promise that I’ll be alive and well when you leave in the morning.”
“You can call me Logan. As for your wellbeing… I won’t raise my hand against you as long as you let me be, that I can promise,” man said, pocketing the vial.

“You can sleep in front of the fireplace. It should stay warm through the night. I have a spare mattress and some blankets…” She started.
“Don’t worry about it. It’s fine as it is,” Logan said.
“But I am quite hungry,” he continued.
“Are you sure you dare to ingest witch’s brews?” Marie asked, attempting to find a playful tone, but it came out rather accusingly.
“Witch or no witch, man has got to eat eventually. Ride here was long and hard, didn’t have opportunity to stop for a proper meal.”

She could feel his eyes on her, observing her every move carefully when she went upon to her task of making dinner. Nothing fancy, just a stew made out of turnips and lard with little barley thrown in to the mix. It would be filling, and keep the hunger at bay for some time.
“What was so urgent that you didn’t have the time to stop and rest?” She asked, finding his silent scrutiny unnerving.
“Heard a rumor.”
“That’s all? A rumor?”
“I arrived last night. Found out it was more than a rumor. Took care of it. I’ll be leaving in the morning.”

She stirred the stew in the pot. Turnips were already softening. Logan had opened his jacket and was leaning back on his chair at the end of the table, hard lines on his face softening a bit.
“This rumor of yours… Was it the one that has been mauling the cattle around here?” She asked.
“Yes. Tracked it down. It had been sniffing around this cabin of yours. Found a fresh trail. A wolf-man. Some poor soul… But its taken care of now.”
“Who was it?” She asked. He looked surprised.
“I know they’re not just beasts. There’s a real person under that fur and fangs. Who was it?”
“Don’t know, don’t care. It’s gone now. And it looks like I caught it before it had the time to cause any real damage.”

“This is good…” Logan was shoveling down his third helping of the stew. She ate slowly, her mind still wrapped around their earlier conversation. She felt responsible of these people. No matter if they treated her as a pariah, they were her connection to the world, and she knew most of them better than their real friends and spouses did. And now she was feeding the man that had killed one of them.
“I really would like to repay all of this for you somehow. Is there anything I can do?” He suddenly asked.
“Bunch of weeds seems somehow inadequate compensation, and I don’t like to be in debt.” She shook herself out of her thoughts and glanced around.
“Well, there’s a shed outside. There are dry logs that need to be chopped up…”
“Consider it done.”

She watched through the small window. As soon as Logan had eaten, he had shed his jacket and walked outside. He was standing in front of the shed, testing the blade of the axe, and swinging it over his shoulder. He winced a bit and rolled his neck. Shook his shoulders. She kept staring at him, oddly fascinated when he went upon his task with fierce determination, practically assaulting the logs with rusted axe. He was favoring his right side, even though she had earlier noticed him being left handed. He had taken off his black leather vest, but had kept on his white linen shirt. It was a hot day, and soon the shirt started to cling to his skin, revealing sculpted muscles, and something wrapped around his torso.

“Thirsty?” He flinched before turning and took the pint she was offering, drinking eagerly. It was just water, but he consumed it as ravenously as the stew earlier. Small dribble escaped from his lips when he lowered the pint and handed it back to her. She followed the path it took, down his jaw, along his throat, down under the collar of his shirt.
“Thank you.” He was slightly out of breath, and sat heavily to the ground, picking up the axe he had dropped.
“This needs sharpening. And you should keep this inside. Not in the shed. Rust will ruin the blade eventually if you don’t keep better care of it.”
“I don’t know how to sharpen it.”
“There’s a blacksmith in the village…”
“And he’ll be happy to come to me if he needs my aid, but I’m not welcome to his shop.”
“Right… Could you bring my coat?”

Leather was soft, but the coat was surprisingly heavy. She head soft metallic clinking when she picked it from the chair he had placed it. Tools of his trade, she realized. There were several pockets and straps sewn to the inner lining of the coat. Two heavy revolvers, several daggers and small pouches hung from those. She carried it carefully outside and gave it to him. He fumbled through pockets until he found what he was looking for. A whetstone. What was left of it at least.
“This’ll have to do…”

She sat next to him. Watched the play of muscles on his forearms as he ground the axe against the stone, peeling layer after layer of accumulated rust off from the sturdy blade. It was easy to forget what those hands had been doing last night when she had slept. It was easy to forget what was buried under the supple leather of his jacket. It was easy to forget who he was. Easy to forget whom she was. As soon as he put the stone aside and spoke it all came rushing back.

“Look… I’m sorry. I really am. But there was no option. The man he once was… He was gone. I had to do it. If it’s any consolation, I don’t like it either. I don’t take pleasure from my work. But it has to be done.”
“I don’t want to talk about it. What is done is done,” she huffed standing up. He braced his right hand against the ground and stood up carefully. Rolled his shoulders and breathed deeply. Pain flickered over his features briefly.
“You’re wounded,” she noted, pointing at the small dark red flower that had broken through the shirt and bandage underneath it.
“Nothing serious. Just a scratch…”
“Nonsense. Come inside and I’ll take a look at it. That bandage needs changing. And you have fever. It might be infected.” Healer in her took over. No matter what they were, or why he was here, she couldn’t just sit and watch his discomfort.
“But it’s nothing…”
“Stop whining. Surely a big man like you isn’t afraid of a small woman?” It worked every time, like a charm. He picked up his coat and axe, muttering some obscenity under his breath but followed her in to the cabin.

“Sit and take off your shirt,” she instructed, pointing at a chair she pulled next to the fireplace. He was already shivering lightly. Air in the cabin was cooler than on the outside in the sun.
“It really is no big deal. A branch caught me when I fell from my horse…” He still resisted feebly, but shrugged off his shirt. Makeshift bandage around his torso was soaked through with blood from where it covered his left side. She started to unwrap it carefully, noticing dark bruising all around his muscled body. Old scars criss-crossing his tanned skin. This close she could feel the heat radiating from him. Thin sheen of perspiration covered his skin. She could smell the foul stench of sickness.

“Nothing?” She whispered after the last layer of linen fell from the wound. Not one, but four deep gauges marred his side. What ever had caused it, had torn through skin and muscle, and she could see bone fragments lodged in to ugly mess of puss and blood.
“Sure would like to see that branch that tore you open…”
“No… You wouldn’t.”
“What’s this?” She asked, noticing reddened patch on his chest. It looked almost as if he had been burnt.
“Don’t know. Are you going to do something or ask questions?” Logan asked, avoiding her gaze.
“I’ll clean the wound first. This might sting a little,” she warned, picking a piece of cloth from the bowl on the table. Rosewater with lavender. He grimaced and hissed through gritted teeth when she dabbed the wound lightly. His fingers dug in to his thighs when she applied more pressure, trying to squeeze out excess muck from gouges.

“That ‘cure’ I made… It’s for you, isn’t it?” She asked while rinsing the cloth. Logan had slumped against the backrest of the chair, his chest heaving.
“What if it is… For me?” He wheezed.
“You know it isn’t a real cure? It prevents you from changing, but it doesn’t vanquish the wolf from you,” she said, dabbing the wound more gently now, cleaning the dried blood from around it. Logan was hissing and squirming under her ministrations, in turn spewing curses and in turn pleading for some higher deity to his aid.

“I know this isn’t ‘a cure’ per say, but it’s my only option...” She had cleaned the wound and bandaged it, and now Logan was sitting his back turned to the fireplace, leaning his elbows to the table, toying with the vial, staring silvery sparkles in it with glassy eyes. She had bathed his whole upper body with the mixture of rosewater and lavender, and scent of them wafted around him.
“How long ago were you wounded?” She asked, adding wood to the fireplace and draping a blanket over his bare shoulders.
“Don’t worry. I will be long gone before anything happens.”
“How do you know that I won’t alert hunters after you?” She asked, and his eyes flashed to hers briefly.
“I don’t know that. Wasn’t planning to let you know…” She backed away from him, hand fumbling the poker from the side of the fireplace.

“But I gave you my promise. I won’t hurt you as long as you let me be. You have been very decent hostess. Considering everything, I think I should get going before I overstay my welcome,” Logan said, shrugged off the blanket and reached for his shirt. It was still wet. She had washed it and draped it over the fireplace to dry off. Marie’s fingers curled around the poker when he stood up. He didn’t seem to notice, or didn’t care.
“I ask you only one thing…” He said, fumbling with the fastenings of his vest with trembling fingers.
“Give me three days to get away from here before you alert the people. Can you give me that?” Buckles on his vest refused to obey and he stopped trying and reached for his jacket instead. Moving around made the muscles on his side twitch, and suddenly he fell on his knees, gasping for air and clutching the wound, trying desperately to stay conscious.

“Three days? Even if I gave you three weeks you wouldn’t get even out from this cabin! Come on. Get up…” Marie discarded the poker she had grasped in her fear and crouched beside Logan, urging him back to his feet.
“Where are you taking me?” Logan was swaying, leaning heavily against her. He was burning up. It felt almost like holding a sack of hot coals, and there was a wet, feverish gleam in his eyes.
“I’m taking you in to bed. You’re in no condition to go anywhere.”
“I can’t stay. I have to go before… I have to go…”
“You will go to bed, take your medicine like a good little wolf and sleep it off. We’ll see about you leaving after the fever has broken.”

“Take this. Wear it all the time…” Logan cringed, handing her a large silver cross that hung from silver chain. Metal was burning his fingers, sure sign of wolf’s taint in him. He slipped the chain over Marie’s neck.
“And take this…” He gave her one of his revolvers.
“It’s loaded. Shot in the head works best, but it’s better if you aim here. You’re more likely to hit,” he said tapping his chest.
“I don’t need this. You will take ‘the cure’ now. If you start acting weird and try anything, I can just bonk you on the head with poker. Takes a while to clear from that. I think I wouldn’t even be able to pull the trigger,” Marie said, pushing the gun back to him.
“You’ll take it, and you’ll use it if I as much as scratch my ears. Is that understood?” Logan hissed, wrapping her fingers around the gun, nearly crushing her fragile bones with his grip. When she didn’t answer, he squeezed even harder and shook their clasped hands.

“Is that understood?” She couldn’t give him a verbal answer, but took the gun, slipping it to the pocket of her apron. Logan let out a relieved huff and fell to the bed.
“Oh, no, you don’t!” Marie snapped and tugged him back up.
“Take off your clothes. That shirt is soaking wet, and those trousers need to be washed up.”
“Can I have some privacy?” Logan asked when Marie showed no signs of leaving, or even turning her back.
“I doubt that you have anything I haven’t seen before. But if you’re shy…” She smiled and turned around. She could hear Logan harrumphing. Clothes rustling. Soft clink of buckles and small odd bits of metal.
“Okay. I’m ready.”

He was somewhat stuttering because of the tremors that wracked his body.
“Christ! You have a cold bed…”
“Here. Drink this.” Marie handed him the vial. He shook it to mix the silver flakes back in to the liquid, then without hesitation threw it back, swallowing it quickly.
“This is going to hurt like bitch…” He groaned, bracing himself for the inevitable burn that would spread through his system.
“Oh, God…”

She knew there was nothing she could do to alleviate his torment. He would have to ride it through on his own. She gathered clothes he had dropped to the floor.
“May God be with you…” Whisper flowed from her lips easily. She had gotten used to console her patients. She may not believe in to God whose name Logan was screaming, but her words seemed to help him a little. Instead of spewing a colorful string of curses Logan curled on his side and started praying.

She crept out and closed the door to her bedroom. She could hear his pitiful pleas and cries even through the door, but that was nothing new. She had treated pained patients before. What came a surprise to her was her will to go back there and hold him, to try to take away his pain. She shrugged off that feeling and started to boil water for to wash his clothes.

Hours passed. Sun set and moon rose. His voice had broken hours ago, and instead of praying he was trashing wildly on the bed cursing God, cursing Satan, cursing the wolf and Marie, and himself.

“Shot me… Please… Just finish me…” He was scratching the sheets. Moon looming outside of the window was pulling the wolf forth while the cure kept it shackled. There was a wild yellow gleam in his eyes, and she could see sharp tips of elongated canines when his lips parted to yet another pained gasp.
“I won’t kill you. You will get through this. Shouldn’t take long anymore…” She wiped the sweat from his face with a wet cloth.
“How the fuck would you know… Oh, Christ… It burns!”
“I have done this before. Watched over the taming,” she said, sitting on the edge of the bed. Low rumble escaped from Logan’s chest, a warning purr, but she didn’t retreat. There was no real danger, not anymore.
“Who…?”
“My father. He was bitten one night when he was on his way home from the village. He was tired, had been down there all day selling candles. He was careless. Wolf-man attacked him.”
“Where… Where is he now?” Logan gasped. He was grasping the straws already, trying to find anything to distract his mind from the ravaging pain.
“He killed himself after a year. He couldn’t… He couldn’t go through with this anymore.” Taming had to be done every month during full moon.
“Well, what is your… Expert opinion about… Me?” Logan asked, grasping the hem of her skirt and burying his face to it when yet another bolt of red, hot hurt raced through his body.
“I’m no expert. And it’s up to you if you make it or fail it.” She untangled his fingers from her skirt and stood up. His glowing gaze followed her to the door.
“I washed your clothes. I’ll make you a bath later. Just tell me when you feel you’re up to it,” she said without turning to look at him. It was already hard enough to leave him alone.

She busied herself in making candles. Task simple enough, every move efficient, coming from her spine, routine born from performing the same phases day after day, year after year. She managed to block out the surrounding world so completely that she didn’t notice when Logan few hours later emerged from the bedroom, wrapped up to a rumpled quilt, every bone and fiber in his body still shivering from abuse that his body went through during the night. He patted to the fireplace and sat on the armchair she had dragged in front of it earlier.

“Good morning, Rogue,” he spoke softly, throat still raspy and sore from screaming. Marie spun around startled, grasping the cross that still hung on her chest. She didn’t believe in to the suffering figure carved on to the cross, but she knew Logan was a believer, and wolf in him would recognize the power of the silver that the cross was made of.
“How do you feel?” She asked. Taming didn’t always work. Sometimes the concoction was lethal. Sometimes wolf kept its hold from the host.
“Like me. Tired. In serious need of a bath. I reek,” Logan said, clearing his throat and wrapping the quilt around him tighter.
“Wolf venom healed me before cure purged it out. I just need to rest for a while, but I’ll be out of your hair by nightfall.”

After he had bathed Logan had gotten dressed and walked out, finding a warm patch of sun from the soft grass that grew around her cabin, lying there to sleep. He had slept nearly whole day. In the evening they had eaten, he had collected his belongings and now he was leaving.
“Here, this is yours,” Marie said, handing him the cross. He trailed the small silver figure carved upon it; sad smile tugging the corners of his mouth when metal burned his finger.
“Keep it. As a thanks for everything you have done.”

“Go with God.” She couldn’t find appropriate words for goodbye, so she chose words she had heard believing travelers use when they parted company. Logan smiled and grasped her hand, bringing it closer to his face and bowing slightly.
“May goddess bless you,” he murmured softly, using the sacred language of Latin to act that his church had doomed to be heresy.

She stood and watched his retreating back until his figure blended completely in the shadows before returning back in to the cabin and locking the door.




Das Tier In Mir (Wolfen) -lyrics

Silva in lumine
Lunae arcana est
Domus mea
Silva in lumine
Stellarum est

Es ist das Tier in mir!
Es weckt die Gier nach dir!
Hab dich zum Fressen gern!
Kannst du mein Verlangen spürn?

Dunkle Wolken und finstere Gedanken,
die Vollmondnacht zerbricht meine Schranken.
In mir kommt die Gier auf Getier, dass ich massakrier.
Spür diese Lust auf Blut jetzt und hier.
Tief in der Nacht die funkelnden Sterne,
ein süßer Geruch zieht mich in die Ferne.
Aber Acht wenn ganz sacht in der Nacht meine Glut entfacht
und der Jäger in mir erwacht!

Silva in lumine
Lunae arcana est
Domus mea
Silva in lumine
Stellarum est

Es ist das Tier in mir!
Es weckt die Gier nach dir!
Hab dich zum Fressen gern!
Kannst du mein Verlangen spürn?

Fremde Gedanken, wilde Gelüste
Das verlangen nach dem zarten Fleisch von Brüsten
Will reißen, will beißen, zerfleischen, zerfetzen,
bei lustvoller Jagd meine Beute hetzen.
Glutrote Augen folgen deiner Spur,
die Witterung führt über weite Flur.
Ich mutier zum Tier, bin ein Geschöpf der Nacht.
Ich bin der Jäger des Mondes bis der Morgen erwacht.

Silva in lumine
Lunae arcana est
Domus mea
Silva in lumine
Stellarum est
Stellarum est
Stellarum est

Ahhh!
Ich werd zum Tier!
Ahhh!
Ich werd zum Tier!

Es ist das Tier in mir!
Es weckt die Gier nach dir!
Hab dich zum Fressen gern!
Kannst du mein Verlangen spürn?

Es ist das Tier in mir! (Background: Silva in lumine)
Es weckt die Gier nach dir!
Hab dich zum Fressen gern! (Background: Silva in lumine)
Kannst du mein Verlangen spürn?

Silva in lumine
Lunae arcana est
Domus mea
Silva in lumine
Stellarum est
Stellarum est
Stellarum est
Stellarum est

Rest of the year had gone past quickly. It was time for the traditional celebration of New Years Eve. A traveling carnival had arrived to the village bringing joy and touch of forbidden magic to people’s lives. They had pitched their tents and stages just outside of the village. People were milling around, getting their fortunes read, watching in awe when fire-eaters and acrobats performed their tricks.

Marie had debated briefly whether she should go and try to have fun or stay at home. Curiosity had won, and she was wandering amidst the crowd, slightly worried and restless, but enjoying the sights. She had even managed to find a fellow candle maker and traded few tricks of the trade with the man before vicar of the village had intervened and warned the man about what happened to those poor souls who dared to meddle with the likes of her. Man had thrown apologizing glance towards Marie, waited until the vicar left and then he had given her a recipe for rose-scented candles, shooing her off from his tent.

Sun had already set, and full moon was looming above the sky, but the area was brightly lit. If people felt any fear at being outside at this hour of night, they didn’t show it.

She was walking past row of tents, simply labeled as “The freak show”. She didn’t feel compelled to pay the required amount of copper for a glimpse of what laid waiting behind the closed door flaps. She had carried the taint of freak nearly her whole remembered lifetime. But something caught her attention. She could hear sharp clatter of heavy chains from the last tent on the row. Low, animalistic growls echoing from the inside.

“Would the little lady like to see the beast?” Man guarding the tents asked when she stopped in front of that tent.
“The beast?” She asked, already digging a copper coin from her purse.
“Caught it couple of weeks ago. Real wild creature. Took five men to capture it. But little lady need no worry, it is chained tightly. And it’s in a cage. It won’t get its filthy paws on you. Go on, have a peak,” man urged when she laid the copper to his outstretched palm and walked slowly towards the tent.

Scent of filth and grime wafted to her nose first. Disgusting mixture of unwashed body, feces and blood. Rotting meat. Tent was nearly pitch black, and for a moment she stood completely still, waiting for her eyes to adjust. She could hear surprised snort and growl. Bang and clatter when metal impacted against metal. Slowly she began to discern outlines of the cage in front of her. There was a dark, hunched figure behind thick, rusted bars. She took a tentative step closer. Figure moved, sudden blur of naked skin, heavy chains, fangs and yellow, gleaming eyes. It rammed head first against the bars that shook, but held, before slumping to the floor of the cage.
“Logan?”

Head rose and yellow eyes of the beast fixed to hers. Pitiful whine started from somewhere deep inside of him, growing to almost deafening roar. Flap of cloth slid off from the roof of the tent, letting in silvery light of the moon. Sickening sound of muscles shifting and bones breaking made her gasp. Logan was twitching and rolling on the floor, his skin peeling, falling off in sheets, revealing glossy black fur underneath. Soon Marie was face to face with the wolf-man, gargantuan beast who stood on two legs, good two feet taller than the man she remembered and bared her two rows of glistening, sharp fangs, trying to push through iron bars of the cage to reach her. Bars held, and chains kept him from reaching with his gnarled, clawed front paws. Wolf raised its head and howled out its frustration.

She stumbled out of the tent just in time to see the man tending the freak show to close the flap on the roof of it, cutting off moonlight that had pulled forth the wolf. Pained howl echoed from the inside of the tent.
“That was… It was…” She couldn’t find the right words to describe her horror and disgust.
“Told you it would be worth of your copper…” Man that was tending the tent smirked, mistaking her reaction to admiration and appreciation.

She fled from the carnival, getting as far as to the edge of the forest before nausea forced her to stop. She tried to fight back bile that had risen to the back of her throat, but it was a loosing battle. She had to lean over a fallen tree to avoid soiling her dress. Everything she had eaten that day came back up.

As she sat on the side of the path, trying to calm her racing heart, she made a decision. She would get Logan out from that tent. She would get him out and guide him back to the way of man, no matter what it would take. She had done it once already, and she wasn’t going to let those people to undo it.

She would have to wait until morning before she made her move. She wouldn’t be able to handle the wolf. Sun would drive it in to hiding, leaving Logan in control.

He lie on the floor, on top of shredded skin and shed fur, trying to reign the wolf, push it back in to the recess of his mind. It was fighting for tooth and nail for every inch, but without the moon it was weaker. Weaker than him. Then suddenly moon was back, showering him with its cold silvery light, feeding the wolf. He could only scream when it reared its head and tore through the barriers he had erected in to his mind, before tearing through his skin and bone, gaining back control over his body.

Wolf-man seemed to be quite popular attraction. At the end of the evening he wasn’t even sure which one hated staring, curious and disgusted onlookers more, the wolf, or he himself as a man. He didn’t have any control or knowledge over wolf’s actions, but there was a murky moment during the transformation during which he could clearly see and feel its feral thoughts. From those thoughts he had found out that he had something in common with the beast. They both hated the man who was in charge of the freak show.

He was already too tired to fight when last customer of the evening entered the tent. Having the wolf in forefront of his mind granted him heightened senses, and something in the customer’s scent told him that he knew her. When she stepped closer to the cage and whispered his name he renewed his efforts to tame the wolf, but again the moon returned with vengeance, releasing the wolf from its leash, and he could only cry out his anger and rage when the wolf tried to attack her. Rogue. Wolf knew her, and it wanted nothing more than to see her dead. She was the person responsible of the utter humiliation of taming the wolf earlier.

She spent long and sleepless night, preparing the cure and making everything ready. From the looks of it Logan was already half mad from hunger, and she knew this time a simple stew made out of vegetables wouldn’t be enough. She had beheaded three chickens and cleaned them up, and now they were simmering slowly under a pile of glowing coals in the fireplace with several bunches of different herbs. She knew wolf probably would have preferred them raw, maybe alive, but cooked meal would strengthen the man that was fighting against the animal. She had used generous amount of garlic, rubbed it to every possible surface in the cabin. Scent of it should make things difficult for the wolf. Silver cross she had gotten from Logan she had kept hidden, but now she had taken it and it hung on her chest.

Sun was rising, and she was walking towards the village, trying to think up a plan how to get Logan out from the chains and the cage. She would need some kind of key to open the locks. She knew she wouldn’t get the real key. That item would be well guarded. People running the freak show weren’t stupid.

Place was a mess. People scurrying around, running and shouting. Carnival was packing up. Weren’t they supposed to stay yet another day? She caught up with the candle maker. Man remembered her from the previous evening.
“Well, if it isn’t the little witch from the woods… For what do I owe the pleasure of meeting you again?” Man asked, bowing his head and smiling.
“I came to see if I could find some herbs…”
“You’re late, I’m sorry, my dear lady. As you can see, we’re leaving,” man said, lifting several baskets to the cart. Horse attached in front of the cart whinnied a bit.
“I was under the impression that you were going to stay at least to the nightfall?” Man looked at her, something akin to worry flickering over his features. Then he reached for a basket, rummaging through it. He handed her a small pouch.
“Go home, little lady. Lock your doors tonight. George got careless with the animals he’s keeping…” Man said, closing her fingers around the pouch and nodded towards another man Marie had seen last night. The man that was taking care of the freak show.

She walked to the village with numb legs and sat in front of the church, fingers still clutching the pouch. There was something small and pebbled inside. She opened the pouch, and small brown pills rolled out. She could smell the scent of garlic and wolfs bane. Logan had gotten out on his own. What was he doing now? Had he hurt somebody? Where had he gone? What was he going to do?

She shrugged out of her stupor when she saw the vicar walking towards her.
“Please, leave. We do not wish you to stay here. Not now,” man said.
“Has something happened?” Marie asked. Vicar grimaced.
“Just go away. We have enough worries already as it is,” vicar hissed with a poisonous tone and shooed her off.

She decided to return to her cabin. As unfriendly as the people were now, she knew later they would seek her out. She would have to make new batch of wolfs bane and garlic scented candles.

It was quite stupid, really, and there were times she felt like a complete fraud for taking their money and giving the false hope. Because scent alone wouldn’t keep the wolf-man from entering their homes if it decided to grab a bite out of something else than a cow. Those moments had lately become few and far apart, mostly because people’s attitude towards her.

Usually she made her candles from tallow, but these were different. She dug out sheets of beeswax she kept for special occasions. Only church was allowed to use pure beeswax, but when she mixed dried herbs in it, even the common folk could burn those candles in their homes. She stared at the light yellow sheets in front of her on the table, nausea, fear, and strange revulsion churning inside of her.
“Why should I help them?”

Question had been roiling in her mind before. She had managed to push it aside numerous times before. It was all thanks to her father. He had taught her everything he knew, and based his teachings to one simple fact. One must help wherever help was needed.
“They will need you. Even after I’m gone, people will need light and remedies. Even if the church doesn’t approve, you can make a living out of this,” her father had explained once when vicar had paid a visit to them, preaching about hell and brimstone that would undoubtedly fell upon them both, as it undoubtedly had fallen on to her mother when she had given her life by giving birth to Marie.

With a weary sigh she went upon her task, melting the sheets of beeswax in a pot before adding garlic powder and dried wolfs bane. As a sign of silent defiance she added yet another ingredient, small white flower that grew on the swamps and gave off foul stench of rotting meat when burned. She would tell them it was needed. They would suffer the stench for weeks, and somehow it made her feel a little better. Petty, but she took her revenge wherever she could.

She had hung the last of the candles to harden from the hooks on the ceiling when there was a knock on the door.
“It’s open!” She shouted, wiping her hands to her apron and forcing a welcoming smile to her face. Door opened. Smile wavered, turning to a frightened grimace, then disappearing altogether when Logan stepped in, yellow eyes glowing in the dimness of her cabin.

“What do you want?” She asked with a trembling voice. Yes, she had gone to the carnival earlier to help him out, to set him free, but that was several hours ago, and she had had time to rethink. She wasn’t stupid. Man standing at her doorstep wasn’t the man that had said his goodbyes to her few months ago.

Logan let out a low growl, baring elongated canines and narrowing his eyes, taking a deep breath, his nostrils flaring.
“Smells like shit in here… What have you been doing?” He murmured his question, taking yet another step towards her. She backed away cautiously.
“I have been doing my work. What do you want?” She asked, keeping her eyes averted from his face. The last thing she needed was those yellow eyes of the beast locked with her own.
“You saw me last night. What the hell do you think I want?” Logan spat his question with a venomous tone, inching closer. She felt the unyielding stone surface of the fireplace behind her back. Trapped.

“You came for the cure?” She asked. Logan snorted.
“I did…” He closed the gap between them, pressing against her and licked her cheek. Slow, appreciative rumble rolled from his lips.
“And make it quick… Wolf won’t be afraid of this trinket much longer,” he whispered, flicking the cross on her chest with his index finger.

She pushed him back. He took a few steadying steps before growling again. Then he seemed to get a hold of himself. He hung his head and shuffled his feet.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Just give me the cure and I’ll leave.” She hurried over to the shelf she kept her potions and mixtures, taking a small bottle from there.
“Here. But I don’t know if it’ll work when you’re that far gone…” She said, handing it to Logan. He grimaced.
“It won’t work. This is for the next full moon. If I make it that long.”

He would change only during full moon, but wolf would be constantly inside of him, whispering it’s animal desires and wishes, trying to lure him to the darkness. Few people could resist that call. Most of them succumbed underneath. Living in the forest, hiding from the sun, feeding from small animals and carcasses until full moon gave them strength to hunt their primary prey. Humans.

“Logan… Would you… Will you come and see me?” She asked, not really wanting to, but if there were anything she could do to stop him from slipping, she would do it.
“I don’t know if it’s a good idea…”
“Come. Come and see me every morning. We can sit outside and talk.” It wasn’t much, but maybe it would keep him on the right path, give him strength needed to fight the wolf’s call.
“I wasn’t planning to stick around.”
“Well, at least wait for a while. I’ll make you some more cure,” she said, now almost desperate to keep him with her. She couldn’t let him go. Not like this. Not when he so obviously needed help. Was she afraid? Definitely. Should she let him go and alert hunters after him? Definitely. That would be the wise thing to do. But would it be the right thing to do?
“I’ll come and see you tomorrow morning,” he finally caved in.
“But just to get the cure. After that I’ll leave.”

She was still trembling when her first real customer showed up. Butcher’s wife, asking some candles because evenings were really dark and she needed more light to sew some clothes to her youngest kids and her husband wanted to read and… She dug up explanation after another, and Marie was compelled to sell her just ordinary candles made out of tallow. Instead she asked what the woman really needed. She got a secretive look on her face and leaned closer to Marie.
“It’s out there again. The beast that killed the cattle. I know you have your ways of keeping it out from your home…”

She sold five candles to Elvira, who shoved them to her basket, hiding them underneath her knitting. Took the coins and chunk of meat she offered in return and steered the woman out. She didn’t like the way her eyes scanned every inch of her small home, taking in every detail, and clearly labeling them as witch’s craft. Elvira left after extracting her a promise not to tell anybody that she had been there. Few hours later her husband came, and bought another set of candles to burn in the store. She didn’t bother to warn him for the possible lack of customers. All day long people crept to her; even vicar came and bought one candle, looking ashamed and disgusted. By the nightfall she had sold all of them, but she knew there would be no use to make more. Nobody would dare to venture through the woods to find her at night.

She checked locks and latches on windows, locked the front door and sat in front of the fireplace. She hadn’t eaten. Chicken was cold, and it probably wouldn’t be wise to eat it anymore, not when it had sat on the table all day, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. She would need to eat.

She never heard it approaching. Suddenly it just stood there, remains of the broken door raining to the floor, yellow eyes blazing.
“Oh, Goddess…”

Wolf reared its head and howled out its rage and anger. She reached for the first thing that happened to be near her hand. The poker. It wasn’t much, but armed with it and the cross she started to back away from the beast. If she could lure it further in the cabin, she could probably skirt past it. She could maybe outrun it. Go to church. Anywhere to get away from it.

Wolf crouched and lowered its head. Took in the scent wafting around in her cabin. Sneezed, sending thick tendrils of drool and snot flying over the floor. Grimace it gave told her it didn’t like the scent of garlic too much. It shook its head as if to clear the offensive odor from its sinuses before it stood up again. Roll and crack of neck and shoulders, so much like she had seen the man do all those months ago. Now he wasn’t preparing to assault a pile of logs. Wolf was planning the safest route through garlic-infested cabin to her.

“Logan? Logan, I know you’re in there…” She whispered. Wolf tilted its head; long, fleshy tongue testing razor-sharp teeth jutting from its jaws. It looked almost like it was laughing at her. Laughing at her miserable attempts.
“I know you can hear me. Please. You have to fight it…” The poker dropped from her numb fingers when wolf stepped closer, growl rumbling from deep within its hairy chest.
“Logan…” She whimpered, curling her fingers around the cross on her chest, and pulled the chain of it off from around her neck. Wolf took yet another step closer, head swiveling from side to side hesitantly, scanning for garlic.
“Logan, I’m so sorry…” She whispered, stepped forward, reached for the hand holding the cross, and shoved the silver figurine straight between wolf’s gaping jaws.

She used the wolf’s momentarily confusion to her aid and ducked past it, dashing towards the open doorway. Wolf was howling in agony behind her, but she could hear the soft clink of metal falling to the floorboards. Wolf had been intelligent enough not to swallow the foreign object. She could hear scrape of claws against the floor and dared a quick peek over her shoulder, missing the large shadow that moved to the doorstep, blocking her path. She collided head first with something hot and hairy. Collision sent her backwards, on her back on the floor. Another wolf-man stood in the doorway, howling a challenge to the one that had attacked her. Newcomer had a small patch of white hair on the middle of its chest, right where Logan had had a burn mark when she had been bandaging his wounds.
“Logan?”

Wolf with the white patch didn’t pay her any attention. It stepped over her, approaching the wolf that had tried to attack her just few moments ago. She scrambled on her feet and staggered outside. She wasn’t naïve enough to believe that Logan had come to her aid. Wolf had come to get rid of her before she had the chance to help Logan vanquish it. Another wolf would be only a momentarily distraction. No matter which one of the beasts won, winner would be coming after her blood. She took the path leading to the village, hoping that the vicar would show some of that mercy he preached for and would grant her access to the church.

She was too far from the village when she heard it. Wild howl from close by. Then metallic clank and startled yelp. Something falling to the ground with heavy thud. She stopped, hesitating. Agonized whimper came from behind thick bushes framing the path. Every fiber in her being told her to run, to find safety, but curiosity got the better of her and she ventured in to the darkness to find the source of those pitiful groans.

It was Logan. He had stepped to a bear trap. Gaping maw of the trap had locked tightly around his left hind paw, tearing through muscle and bone. He was unable to get free, no matter how hard he trashed and yanked, snare held its grip. As soon as he saw Marie, he stood up, baring now bloodied teeth and let out a warning growl. She kept her distance, not giving him a chance to grab her, but sat on to a fallen tree trunk. It would be several hours before the dawn, but eventually Logan would gain control of that body, and he would need her help to get loose.

“Stop that. You’ll only hurt yourself more.” Wolf stopped trashing and sat on the ground, panting and whimpering softly, glaring at its injured paw menacingly.
“Calm down. It’ll get better, I promise,” she said. Wolf didn’t seem to listen. It leaned its snout closer to the trapped paw and gave an experimental nip to the metal of the trap, snarling and grimacing when it refused to budge.
“I would help you to get free, but somehow I think I wouldn’t like your idea of the reward. I’ll sit with you, and we’ll wait for Logan together, okay?” She said when wolf’s somewhat questioning gaze landed on her. It snorted.
“It’s not that I don’t like animals. I love them, in fact, but I have this funny problem. I’m kind of attached to life…” Wolf let out long, wavering whimper and gave its wounded ankle a lick.
“I know that hurts. I wish there was something I could do, but… Actually there is something I could do!” She jumped to her feet, startling the wolf that staggered up too, lunging away from her rather than towards her. Trap held, and it fell again.

She had seen a flicker of white on the ground, near the upturned roots of the tree she had been sitting on.
“Yes…” Small white mushrooms. Deadly poisonous, but in small amounts very efficient in relieving pain. Now she had to find a way to get the wolf to eat them. It was a big animal, it would probably be all right even if it ate one whole mushroom, but she didn’t have the slightest idea how to feed one to it. She couldn’t just walk over there and hope it didn’t much away her palm as well as the mushroom.

“Uhh… Catch!” She shouted and threw one white mushroom towards the wolf. It raised one giant paw and flicked the mushroom away, snorting and glaring at her accusingly.
“Look, I want to help. This…” She held up a mushroom.
“This will take off the pain, but only if you eat it.” She didn’t know if the beast had understood her explanation, or if it was even marginally interested about anything else that maiming and tearing her to shreds, but she approached it carefully. Wolf shied away from her, dragging the wounded paw and heavy metal snare around its ankle, leaving a trail of clotted blood to the ground. It was keeping a small noise at the back of its throat, small keening whine. Like a hurt puppy. At the last possible moment she saw something dark flicker in the glowing, yellow orbs that had replaced Logan’s hazel eyes, and she jumped back when wolf let out deafening roar and tried to take a bite out of her. Impossible looking fangs chomped thin air, and wolf howled its frustration out in to the night. Another howl answered from somewhere close by, and they both froze.
“You didn’t kill that other wolf?” She asked.

Trapped wolf was trembling, and renewed its efforts to get free. Marie felt torn. She should go. She should leave and let the two beasts settle their score. She could still make it to the village if she left right now. But what would happen to Logan?
“Will you let me help?” She asked. Wolf looked equally torn. It seemed to understand her words. It seemed to understand what would happen if the other wolf got to it when it was still trapped.
“I can help. I know how to open that trap. Can I let you go?” For a moment it seemed to think. Then another howl pierced the air. The other wolf was much closer now. Wolf growled softly, closed its eyes and extended the trapped paw in front of her.

“This is going to hurt,” she warned. Wolf whimpered, but didn’t try to stop or bite her when she took the paw on her lap and studied the snare carefully. All she would have to do was to remove the pin holding the metal maw closed, and wolf would be free.
“Promise not to hurt me?” She asked, searching the yellow eyes of the beast with her own. Gnarled front paw landed on top of her hands holding the pin. Squeezed gently.
“Goddess, bless me…” She whispered a short prayer and pulled off the pin. Trap flew open. Wolf hissed, pulling the hurt paw to its lap, laving the deep gashes with its tongue. She started to back away slowly. Wolf raised its head, eyes fixed to somewhere behind her. Suddenly it was on its feet, towering over her and growling.
“You promised…” She gasped, but her sentence was cut short. Wolf shoved her aside, and now she saw the other wolf, standing just few meters away. Wolf that had been Logan grabbed her arm and pushed her towards the path, nudging her to the direction of the village.

She managed two whole steps before the other wolf attacked, barreling in to her instead of the wolf she had already started to think as Logan. Impact threw her on the ground and knocked her out of breath. She heard Logan’s furious howl, then the other wolf was thrown away from her. Two huge beasts were grappling and tangling, snarling and clawing each other in a flurry of black hair and tangled limbs. She couldn’t make her feet obey, but she started crawling towards the path. Towards the village and safety.

She hadn’t gotten far, when she heard one last howl from behind her. Forest around her fell silent. Very silent. She rolled on her side. One wolf lay on the ground, throat and chest cavity torn open. The other wolf was kneeling next to it, tearing off huge chunks of meat from the carcass and swallowing them whole. She could see a flicker of white fur on its chest. She coughed and rolled back on her stomach, trying to get on her knees. She would have to get away from here before Logan finished his meal.

She heard a low growl from above her. Strong paw grabbed the back of her dress and she was lifted on her feet. When Logan let go of her, she fell to the ground again. Another growl. Again Logan grabbed her, this time taking a firm hold from around her waist. She hung on his side like a sack of potatoes. He was dragging the carcass of the wolf with his one paw, and the other he used to offer her support when they started walking slowly towards her cabin. Breathing was still difficult, but it was getting easier after every step she took. Soon she was able to walk on her own.

“Thank you. For not hurting me,” she whispered when they reached her cabin. Logan murmured and pushed her inside, sitting to the open doorway to continue his meal.

Had she been reasonable, she would have gathered her things and left. Gone to the village, and beg for a shelter, but she was too tired. Too beaten. She undressed slowly, wincing for the huge bruises marring her side, and crawled in to bed, falling asleep almost instantly.

She woke up to the sound of somebody moving around in the other room. Sun was streaming through the window, landing golden pattern to the quilt on top of her. She was still tired, stiff and groggy. She sat up slowly and gathered the most modest clothing she could find aside from the dress she had worn on the previous night. There was no way she could squirm to the tight bodice it had.

Rather battered looking Logan was sitting in front of the fireplace. He had cleaned up, and replaced the door with a thick blanket. She had no idea from where he had gotten it, but it kept the sunlight away. He had covered all the windows as well.

“How… How are you feeling?” He asked with a raspy voice, taking in her rumpled appearance. She had flipped on her father’s old shirt and it hung past her knees. Long woolen socks were another piece of clothing she had managed to pull on before the pain in her side had gotten too intense.
“Not bad. Could be worse…” She hissed, sitting carefully to a chair opposite Logan, trying not to aggravate her side anymore.
“You’re hurt…” Logan said, narrowing his eyes.
“You didn’t do it. And it’s just a bruise, nothing serious,” she explained hurriedly. Logan wasn’t convinced. He was kneeling in front of her, tugging the hem of the shirt.
“Let me see.”
“Logan, that hardly is proper…”
“Screw proper! You’re hurt. Get this off!”

She let the shirt fall to the floor, blushing furiously. This really wasn’t proper. Nobody had seen even her bare legs, and now here she was, standing stark naked upon a practical stranger. Logan’s warm fingers skimmed over the bruise gently.
“Who did this?” He asked.
“The wolf.” Logan flinched and stepped away from her.
“You said it wasn’t me!”
“There was another wolf. It attacked me. You killed it.”
“Another wolf? How… Who?”
“I don’t know. But the body is probably outside,” she said.
“At least what is left of it.”
“Left of it?” Logan asked puzzled.
“You ate it.”
“Well, that explains why I didn’t woke up hungry,” Logan noted dryly, covering his mouth with his palm before darting outside.

She could hear him coughing and gagging. She pulled the shirt back on and retrieved some herbs from her stash. Peppermint and chamomile. She ground them in a mortar, and added some water.
“Rinse your mouth and drink this,” she said, giving the pint she had put the mixture in to Logan. He drank greedily, thankful for the opportunity to get the foul aroma of bile off from his mouth.
“I must have stashed the body away just in case I get hungry again. It wasn’t out there,” he said with a trembling voice, handing the pint back to her. Thought of him dragging the corpse, tucking it away for later use made her slightly nauseous, but she understood the logic behind the act. It was the wolf’s way.

They sat in front of the fireplace in silence, both deeply immersed to their thoughts. Suddenly Logan stood up.
“You should move to the village. Now.”
“Who would take me in? And what good it would do to me?” Marie asked.
“What good it would do to you? Look around! This isn’t exactly the safest possible place for you to live! I’m going to leave, but I can’t guarantee that after I turn I won’t come back and hunt you down!”
“You can guarantee that. Last night you promised not to hurt me. I freed you from a bear trap, and you helped me back in here after that other wolf had attacked me. I don’t expect you to protect me, but you gave me your promise, and I expect you to honor it.”

“Leave or stay, it’s up to you, but you’re a mess. We have to get you cleaned up,” Marie said, raking her gaze over Logan. He had some clothes on, tattered scraps that revealed more than they covered. His hair and beard that had grown were matted mess of dried blood and grime, and stench of sweat, blood and decay rolled off from him in waves.
“Take that outside,” Marie said, pointing at the bath pail that stood in the corner of the kitchen. Logan did as she asked.
“Well is behind the house,” she shouted after him, gathering soap, scissors and comb with her before following him outside. Logan was already carrying a bucket filled with water, and emptied it to the pail. It would take several trips to fill it, and water was cold, but he didn’t mind. Getting rid of the filth would probably help him to enforce the man in him, maybe give him something to keep the wolf at bay.

He had rinsed off worst of the accumulated grime while standing next to the pail. Fresh, cold water from the underground well made his skin tingle, but feeling hadn’t been as unpleasant as he had expected. Now he was sitting in the pail and scrubbed himself with the soap Marie had given to him. She was sitting on the porch of the cabin.

It was hard to avert her gaze from the bathing man. Underneath grit and filth Logan had tanned skin that stretched over fit, muscled body. She had seen naked men before, wealthy and not so wealthy townsfolk who came over her for remedies, but she had never seen anybody quite as pleasant for the eye as him. She soon noticed her thoughts wandering quite different paths than usual. She was openly staring at him, not looking for wounds or signs of illness, but rather admiring, and silently wondering what his skin would feel like against her own. She forced herself to turn her back when Logan stood up, reaching for a bucket filled with clean water to rinse off the soap.

“Better?” she heard him asking, and turned to look. He had dried off and wrapped a towel around his waist.
“Much better. But I’m afraid your beard and hair won’t make it. Too tangled,” she said, trying to stop her voice from trembling. Logan smiled and scratched his jaw.
“I don’t mind. Never have liked a beard, and hair… It’ll grow back. Do your worse,” he said sitting next to her. Few moments later she handed Logan a small mirror and a razor.
“Rest you can do yourself. I’ll go and make us something to eat. I left you some of my father’s old clothes, see if they fit.”

“Rogue…”
“It’s Marie. My real name is Anna Marie, but my father always called me Marie,” she said without turning to look when Logan stepped in.
“Marie… Much better than Rogue…” He practically purred the syllables, and she closed her eyes. There had to be something seriously wrong. She couldn’t be thinking him this way. It was wrong to remember how his skin glistened in the sunlight that seeped through the shadow the tree offered when he bathed. Maybe if she saw him wearing her father’s clothes she could stop thinking those impure thoughts… She turned.

Her father hadn’t been a small man. He had nearly dwarfed the blacksmith of the village just by standing next to him, but it looked like Logan would have done the same to her father. Shirt and trousers that she remembered being actually too big for her father, sat on Logan snuggly, like a second skin. Black, soft leather accentuated his muscled frame, outlined his wide shoulders and narrow waist. Clean shaven jaw, and what was left of his thick, dark mane of hair swept back from his forehead and temples, curling almost earlike peaks on both sides of his head. She had to sit down to cover sudden weakening of her knees. Knowing look flashed in Logan’s yellow eyes. Then he shook his head and chuckled softly, clearing his throat.

“I just came to ask if you would have shoes for me as well. I will pay for all of this as soon as I get back on my feet, of course…”
“There’s a trunk at the foot end of my bed. There should be few pairs of boots, see if they fit. And don’t worry about the money. There’s nobody else who would use those clothes. Consider them as a gift,” she said, amazed of how little her voice trembled when it felt like she was shivering all over.

“I made you more cure,” she said when they sat down to eat, and pushed a small leather pouch in front of him. He could hear small clinking sound from inside of it.
“Five vials. Then I run out of silver,” she explained with almost apologizing tone. He took the pouch and tucked it under his tunic, nodding in gratitude and reached her hand with his own.
“You have already done so much for me. I’m almost ashamed to ask you even more. One more thing…”
“Just ask.”
“I’ll be leaving soon. People at the carnival… I doubt they have spoken about me to anybody, but if somebody… If hunters come looking for me, don’t lie to them. Tell them who I was. Tell them what I became. They deserve to know what they throw themselves up against. I was one of them, and I know their every trick.”
“You’re leaving?”
“I have to. Wolf did no harm to you last night, but I can feel it. It’s getting restless. It hasn’t forgotten who gave me the cure when it tried to take over me for the first time…”
“But what if we tried the cure…” She stuttered. She had an awful feeling that if she let him go now, she would never see him again.
“It won’t work now, and you know it. It would make me a one very sick wolf. Very sick, and very angry. It’s better that I leave now, while I still can. If I hurry, I might get far enough…”
“Might get? Logan… You’re the first person aside my father who has spent this much time with me. Who has spoken to me. Who cares about me. I don’t want you to go. I’d rather take my chances with the wolf than see you walk away again.”

She shoved her plate away and hung her head, cheeks burning from embarrassment. In her haste to convince him stay she had spoken maybe too much. In all fairness Logan had sought her out because of her skills in herbal remedies, nothing more. He had stayed, and sought her again when he had needed her help, but nothing really indicated that he had any kind of feelings towards her. She could hear heavy sigh. Chair scraping against the floorboards. Heavy footsteps. Logan crouched beside her and clasped her delicate hands between his large, warm palms.

“I care about you. That is true. It has been long… Too long since I last felt like this towards anybody. That is why I have to go. The wolf… It would like nothing more than to see you dead. Feel your blood running down its throat. Tear you apart. You have shown me kindness. You have extended that same kindness to the wolf, too. I don’t want to repay that by killing you.”
“But can’t you feel it’s different now? You’re different. Earlier you were very rude. I was afraid of you. But now… You’re different. And the wolf promised not to hurt me…” She tried feebly to argue. Logan let go of her hands, and caressed her cheek with his index finger.
“Don’t cry. Please. Don’t cry because of me…”
“I cry if I want to! I think I have all the right in this world to cry over a friend!”
“Oh, God… Marie, please… You have to understand!”
“But I can’t understand! I coped with this thing a year! Listened and watched when my father… He never hurt me! Never! Why should you be any different?”
“I’m not your father. I’m not your brother. I’m not your lover. Wolf won’t recognize you as it’s own. Only thing it sees when it looks at you is a threat. And even if I were something more than a friend, I would leave. Too many times whole families have been slaughtered because they trusted to the wolf blindly.”

Logan stood up, and pulled her with him, cradling her against his chest. She could feel and hear his steady heartbeat through the soft leather of the tunic. One of his hands fell to the small of her back, the other wrapped around her shoulders.
“I don’t want to leave. If things were different… I was already getting tired of hunting. If it were just me inside my head, I would love to stay. But there’s something else you haven’t even thought about. What would people say? If they knew about me, if I stayed?” His words vibrated through his chest.
“They…”
“They would hunt me down, and burn you at the stake for consorting with the devil.”
“They would have done it after my father killed himself…”
“You wouldn’t have gotten any children even if you lived with your father for hundred years. With me… Who knows, eventually… And I would pass on the curse. People are not stupid, Marie. They don’t want, and sure as hell don’t need a pack of wolves as their neighbors.”

She raised her face to look him in the eyes.
“I’d stay if I could…” He whispered, leaning closer, to brush a chaste kiss to her forehead. She brought her hands to his face, pulling him closer. She was trembling. She had never done this before. When their lips met, she closed her eyes, concentrating to the feelings that the kiss awakened in her. She had initiated it, but Logan took over the control, devouring her mouth hungrily, sharp canines nipping her lips, tongue laving, demanding an entrance.

They parted panting breathlessly. She was swaying on her feet, trying to find right words to voice her plea of him not leaving again. Logan was staring at her with half hooded eyes, his chest heaving.
“I don’t want to go. Marie… I don’t want to go…” He was backing away, towards the quilt covering the doorway.
“I don’t want to go, but I’ll hurt you if I stay…”
“Stay. I won’t let you hurt me.”

“Iron.” He looked at the pile of heavy chain at the back of the woodshed, nausea flickering over his features.
“Father… When he felt like cure wasn’t enough, we’d chain him down.”
“But are you sure about this? Sure that you’re… I don’t know what your father was like, but I know the wolf hates you. Come the night, and it won’t be me, but that beast, trashing and howling. Are you sure?”
“I’m sure. It worked for father, it should work for you too…”
“It’ll work. Cage and the chains in the carnival were iron. I wouldn’t have gotten out if the man that took care of me hadn’t been a complete idiot. He thought he could control me with a whip, like I was some kind of ordinary mutt. Wanted to impress the daughter of the owner of that carnival… I got out of the tent and moon changed me. Thank God wolf only wanted to get away from there… But that’s not what I meant,” Logan spoke silently.
“Are you sure you’re ready to start this again? Go through this with me, every full moon?”
“I wouldn’t have asked you to stay if I wasn’t sure. Just bring that chain inside, it’s too heavy for me to carry…” Marie said, turning to leave. Logan grabbed her arm and stopped her, pulling her against him.

“Why are you doing this?” He asked. She could see a hint of hazel surfacing briefly in his eyes. Wolf was already weakening.
“I told you already. I don’t want you to go. If this keeps you from leaving…” Logan’s lips pressing upon hers stopped any further explanations. Kiss was gentler than the one they shared earlier, but it left them both breathless. She could feel Logan’s heart pounding through the thin leather tunic, and she felt something else, too. Hard proof of his manhood was pressing against her stomach. She retreated from his embrace flustered, cheeks reddening.
“You don’t need to be afraid… I don’t… I won’t have you like this. Not when the wolf is so close to surface. But later… I would like to come to your bed. If you’ll have me…”

“I… I don’t know what to say…” Suddenly her mouth felt very dry. Mere thought of the man in her bed made her head spin. Fear, hesitation, curiosity… Want. Logan smiled.
“I’m sorry if I offended you with my bluntness, but having experienced and witnessed everything that I have during my life, I have learnt that life is too short to be spent skirting around bushes. I won’t force myself on you, but… Sorry for my bluntness again, but right now I can smell you. Smell your scent. I wouldn’t have asked if you hadn’t already given it some thought…” All the while he had spoken Logan had stalked closer to Marie, closing the gap between them.
“I wouldn’t like nothing more than to have you right here. Right now…” He purred, leaning closer and inhaling deeply, taking in her scent.
“Taste that pale skin of yours… Suckle those breasts… Lick off the nectar coating your thighs…”
“Oh, Goddess…”
“God won’t forgive me, but I’ll be going to Hell anyway…” Logan murmured before tearing off her shirt and kneeling in front of her, burying his face between her breasts.

Marie’s startled gasp made Logan scramble away from her, horrified look on his face. She wanted to run. She wanted to scream. She wanted to call him back.
“Oh, God… I’m so sorry! Oh, Christ!” He gathered the torn shirt from the floor and draped it over her shoulders, covering her nakedness with trembling hands, trying to avoid her gaze.
“I promised… Told you I wouldn’t… I can’t even blame the wolf. I wanted it. Me… I’m sorry…” He was stuttering, pushing her out from the shed, to the sunlight waiting outside. This time she stopped him.
“There’s nothing to apologize. I’m inexperienced in these matters, but you didn’t hurt me. I was merely surprised.”
“I better get those chains now…”

As soon as Marie had gotten clothes on her, they started fixing the door the wolf had broken on the previous night. More appropriately she started fixing the door, Logan tried to help, but found it nearly impossible to stay in the bright light of sun the open doorway let in. His eyes were itching. More close the evening came, more lower the sun set, the more its rays hurt. Finally he huffed and dropped the hammer, growling in frustration.
“I can’t do this, I’m sorry. It really hurts…” He grumbled, retreating to the shadowed kitchen, rubbing his red-rimmed eyes.
“Don’t worry, it’s almost done… There!” Marie said, banging in last nails and closed the now intact door, grinning widely.

“How do you know how to do all that stuff?” Logan asked when she set on to make dinner.
“What stuff? To cook?” Marie asked puzzled.
“No. The other stuff. Repairing that door, herbs, candles… All that stuff. Most women I have met know only women’s stuff.” Marie wasn’t sure whether to laugh or get insulted. She chose to laugh.
“I have had to learn. My mother died giving birth to me, and father killed himself when I was eleven. Father taught me about candles and herbs, rest I have figured out by myself. I’m not exactly welcome in the village,” she explained.
“That’s just stupid…” Logan muttered.
“They say I’m a witch. Beware my evil eye…” Marie chuckled. Logan snorted.
“You’re no witch. Have hunted down few of those. You don’t fall in to a same category.”
“How can you be so sure? What if I’m just very talented in hiding my real nature?” Marie asked playfully. Logan shook his head.
“Been robbing the graves lately? Maiming goats? Having impure relations with animals?” Logan asked, then hung his head, cheeks reddening slightly.
“Okay. Forget the last part from that list…” He whispered, shifting uneasily on his chair. Marie put aside knife she had used to chop up some turnips and walked to him, crouching in front of him and took his hands to her own.
“Having the wolf inside of you doesn’t make you an animal. No more than knowing what herbs to use to cure illness does make me a witch,” she said.

She prepared rest of the meal in silence. They ate in silence. It bothered her a bit, how quiet and retreated Logan had suddenly grown. He kept throwing sidelong glances to the chain waiting in the corner. Finally, when she was cleaning the dishes he spoke.
“Last chance to back out. I still have couple of hours left. Just say a word and I’ll leave.” Tone of his voice was even. Every word carefully considered and measured. It was his eyes that betrayed him. Again that short flicker of hazel covering the yellow of the wolf momentarily, horrified and nauseous.
“I won’t ask you to leave. If you wish to leave, you’ll do that. But I’m asking you to stay,” she said, turning her back to him and continued rinsing the plates and bowls, scared of his decision. Logan was pacing in front of the fireplace, seemingly torn and unsure of what to do. Suddenly he stopped and tilted his head. His gaze swept to the door and his eyes narrowed.
“Someone’s coming.”

“Who is it?” Marie asked. Logan raised his brow.
“How would I know that? I can hear there’s one person and a horse. Probably man. He’ll be knocking soon.”
“Oh, Goddess. You have to hide. Now.”
“To where?”
“My bedroom. Go. Go!” Marie hissed when sharp rap of knuckles against the wooden door echoed in the cabin.
“And take those with you,” she whispered, pointing at the iron chain in the corner. There was absolutely no valid reason to store something that ugly and rusty in her home when she had a shed for that.
“You better get rid of him fast. I can’t shackle myself alone…” Logan warned before he closed the bedroom door behind him.

“I’m coming!” Marie shouted when another knock sounded from the door. She opened the locks and pushed the door open.
“Oh…”
“Good evening, my good wife. Would it be possible to rest for a while in front of your fireplace?”
“Of course… Of course, come in, Father,” she said, curtsying and ushering the old man wearing a monk’s robe inside.
“No, no. I won’t be tolerating that kind of behavior. It’s brother Jeremiah, and I’m just a weary old man, not something to be bowed upon. I just want to warm my old bones before I continue my journey,” man smiled, patting her gently to the shoulder and sitting in front of the fireplace. His gaze swept over the small room, and Marie could see a familiar flash of curiosity.
“Would you like some refreshments, Fa… Brother Jeremiah?” She asked.
“Maybe some water. I do not wish to be a bother. I have a feeling you have more important things to do than…”
“Nonsense. I was going to have supper myself. Just some meat and bread. Maybe some herbal tea?”
“Well, if it isn’t too much trouble, I’d be delighted,” brother Jeremiah smiled.

They ate, and brother Jeremiah kept asking her about everyday happenings, and her opinions and views of the world. It felt strange. Up until now nobody except her father and Logan had talked to her like that. Like she mattered. Like there was weight and importance behind her opinions and words.
“This has been a wonderful, revitalizing breather, little forest mother, but now I have to go. They are expecting me at the parsonage. But maybe I could come back some other time? I left behind formidable herbal garden when I left the monastery, and I noticed you have quite some knowledge about herbs. Maybe we could trade some ideas?” Brother Jeremiah asked standing up.
“Yes, we could, but perhaps not tomorrow…” Marie started, when low growl coming from behind her bedroom door interrupted her.

“Dear Lord in Heaven! What was that?” Brother Jeremiah asked.
“My dog. Very big dog.”
“Sounded more like a bear to me…” Brother Jeremiah muttered.
“That is what I keep it for. To scare of the bears. But you better go now, brother Jeremiah. Forest isn’t safe place after dark.”
“Yes. You’re right. It is better leave when it’s still safe to travel. I thank you for your hospitality…” Brother Jeremiah nodded and left. Not a moment too early. As soon as Marie couldn’t hear the sound of his horse’s hooves anymore, another, much more sinister sound replaced it. Low murmur.
“Oh, no…” She was already too late. Wolf had arrived.

There was no lock on her bedroom door, but doorknob was clearly too complex for the wolf to handle. Instead of grasping the handle it simply pounded against the door, time after time, making the whole cabin tremble. Every once and a while it stopped. She could hear it snooping around. Thick claws scratching against the wooden floor, breath coming in small bursts when it took in scent from under the door, whining slightly. Door wouldn’t hold much longer anymore. She was hesitating now. If she hurried, she could probably get in to village before the wolf got out. But it hadn’t hurt her last night.

She took a step towards the door. She could hear wolf inside stopping. She could imagine it standing there, half hunched, head tilted. Listening.
“Uh… Wolf? Can you hear me?” It didn’t feel so stupid anymore to talk to it. It had been quite apparent it understood her words the night before.
“Could you not break down the door? It took ages to repair the one that the other wolf broke down last night.” Long and slow whine reverberated through the door.
“If you want to get out of there, I can let you out. I can let you out from this cabin, but you have to promise not to hurt me. Do you understand? I’ll open the doors for you, but you can’t hurt me.” Now there was a long silence.
“Do you understand?” Marie asked, and let out a surprised gasp when she got an answer she wouldn’t have expected.
“Won’t hurrrt…”
“You can speak?”
“Yesss…” With a strong lisp, but what could you expect from someone who carried around enough teeth to make even real wolves jealous?
“Open the doorrr…”

She reached for the handle and released the latch that kept the door closed, then backed away from the doorway quickly, averting her eyes from the darkness looming there. Floorboards creaked when the wolf stepped forward. She closed her eyes. She wanted to trust, but was unable to do it when the animal crept closer. She could feel the heat radiating from it. One huge paw cradled her head, clawed fingers curling to the back while palm rested over her cheek.
“Forrget the currree… Won’t hurrrt you… Don’t hurt me… Underrrsssstood?” Wolf purred, hot breath fanning her face. Marie forced her eyes open and met its glowing gaze.
“Don’t hurt people. Don’t maim cattle. Stay out of trouble. Understood?” She laid down her set of rules. Wolf tilted its head. It actually looked like it was grinning; teeth partially bared, long, fleshy tongue lolling over lower jaw.
“You amusssse me… Let me out.”

She slumped against the door and let out a breath she had been holding. She had no way of knowing what her lisping visitor was planning to do.
“At least I amuse it. Oh, Goddess… This isn’t right. It’s my responsibility…” If the wolf decided to raid the village, all those lives and the blood would be on her hands. But how could she possibly restrain and hold something that big and untamed? Surely she was allowed to be selfish and think about herself first? At least every once and a while?

“No.” There really was no justification. No way to defend her actions. After this night it would be over, one way or the other. This was the last night wolf had enough power over Logan to transform. During next full moon she would have enough cure for Logan to bathe in, she would make sure of that.

Heavy thud from the porch pulled her from her thoughts. Who was it at this hour? Another thud. Footsteps. Those were footsteps. And they were approaching the door. Suddenly the door she had repaired with Logan earlier didn’t look so sturdy anymore. What ever was out there was big enough to make the whole cabin tremble when it moved. Then she heard it. Scratching. Somebody was scratching the door.
“Open the doorrr, witchhh…”

“What do you want?” Why had the wolf returned so quickly?
“Opennn…”
“Why?”
“There’sss ssssomething you need to sssee…”

She pushed the door partially open. Wolf backed away slightly, to give her some room, and turned, pointing towards the village with one, gnarled finger.
“What is that?” Marie asked, her earlier terror towards the wolf momentarily forgotten, and stepped outside to see better.

Her cabin was in higher ground, giving her good view over the forest, all the way to the village. There was something fiery and flickering, like long strand of fire moving from the village to the forest, along the path that lead to her cabin.
“They’rrre coming… Forrr you…” Wolf lisped, thick strands of drool dribbling over its jaw. Torches. They were torches. Whole sea of them.
“Brother Jeremiah,” Marie suddenly realized.
“I’m no dog… Everrry man of God knowsss the differrrence… They’rrre coming to burrrn…”

She was running. She had grabbed what ever she had thought she could carry, some clothes to herself and Logan, as well as something to eat, and a small selection of herbs. Wolf had run alongside with her for a while, but it had abandoned her few hours ago, frustrated to the slow pace she was able to muster compared to it. As much as people were after her, they were after the wolf too, and it had none too fond memories of the treatment at their mercy.

She hadn’t even tried to reason with it. Wolf had had absolutely no reason to even warn her, let alone stay back at the cabin with her when she gathered her things. Yet it had stayed long enough to see she got out of there. It had already done more than anybody could expect from a mindless, selfish beast.

“Well, not mindless… It speaks,” she corrected herself after stopping for a breather, leaning against a tree.
“It?” She spun around startled. Wolf was crouching, leaning against a large rock beside her.
“I have a name… My kind callsss me Wolverrrine…”
“Wolverine? You do know it is a small and vicious animal?” Marie asked. Wolf nodded.
“I am nothing but sssmall and viciousss comparrred to my elderrr… A cub… Not even a prroperrr wolf. Rrreal beassst would have had yourrr hide alrrready…”
“Well, if we run in to your people, I’ll promise to tell them you saved my life only to keep my flesh fresh for longer.”
“Thank you, witchhh… Now we got to rrrun…”

This time wolf didn’t leave her behind. Instead it scooped her from the ground, throwing her over its shoulders.
“They have horsesss…” Now she could hear them. Men shouting to each other’s, horses panting and whinnying when they caught the scent of the wolf.
“I can’t keep running muchhh longerrr… Man iss fighting already… Sun isss rising…” She took a good look around them. Wolverine was right. It was still dark, but she could already see outlines of the trees more clearly than few moments ago.
“Can’t we hide?”
“No. They’re too close.”
“What if we stopped?”
“What do you mean? You ssaid you don’t want me to hurrrt them…”
“I don’t want you to hurt them. But maybe you could scare them. Even if you are just a puppy, you’re awfully big puppy…”
“Me?”

Riders were closing in. She could see their torches glowing from between the trees. They would be here soon. She checked the tinder she was clutching. She would have to light the fire just at the right moment. She didn’t want to singe Wolverine. It probably wouldn’t appreciate if she burned off its pelt.

When first riders emerged from the woods, she struck a spark. It caught eagerly to the trail of dry leaves on the ground. In few moments it reached a small pile of moss covering very interesting selection of herbs. She saw movement from the corner of her eye. Wolverine had jumped down from a tree it had climbed on. Wolf was falling rapidly, almost soundlessly towards the pile. Fire reached herbs. They exploded, throwing moss and dirt everywhere and creating a thick, foul smelling cloud of smoke. And from the middle of that cloud rose Wolverine, chest puffing, teeth bared and clawed paws raised to add even more volume to its impressive frame. It was already changing, blood flowing from snout and eyes, dribbling from gums down to ivory fangs. It let out a bloodcurdling howl, staggering only slightly, and took a threatening step towards their pursuers, a band of ten men, all armed to teeth. Flesh and pelt started to peel off, falling in sheets from its paws, and it reached those bony appendages towards men, who turned and fled in terror.

“No cure… No cure…” Wolverine was crawling on the ground, trying to stay still long enough to talk to her, but it was an impossible task, when transformation was twisting and snapping bones and muscle, forcing them to new shape.
“Remember… No cure…” Sharp teeth had already fallen off and snout was melting back in to skull.
“I can’t make that promise. It’s not my body. Only Logan can…” Marie whispered, reaching to pet now matted black fur on Wolverine’s shoulder.
“Logan?”
“The man you’re sharing that body with. Talk to him. Show him what happened.”
“Won’t listen…”
“He’ll listen. Trust me. He’s a good man.”
“He’s a hunter!” Wolverine’s eyes rolled back in to its head and it fell limp. Transformation was almost complete now.

“Stay the fuck away from my mind… I’ll give you three days in a month to do as you please, but keep it to yourself, and we have a deal…” Logan growled, climbing on his knees.
“Logan!” It was Logan. Alone. Hazel eyes peeking from under bangs that had fallen over his forehead.
“I can give it that much… Just because it helped you. But if that filthy mutt as much as breathes the wrong way at the wrong time, it’s over,” he spat, struggling to stand up and failing miserably. His legs were still too wobbly. Marie shrugged off the shawl she had thrown over her shoulders before she left the cabin, and wrapped it around the shivering man. Logan leaned against him exhausted.

“I just want to sleep. And I’m hungry…”
“Here. Put some clothes on.”
“It didn’t eat… Why?”
“Wolverine was too busy protecting me.”
“Hmph…”
“Here. I have some bread and cheese.”
“Thanks.”

“What do we do now?” Marie asked. She had been torn off from everything familiar. She was a t loss. Logan on the other hand seemed to be right at home as soon as he warmed up and got something to eat. He kept looking around, slight smile tugging the corners of his mouth.
“I have a friend. He lives not too far from here. He’s keeping some things for me. Some money. Weapons. A horse.”
“And what then?”
“We’ll hunt.”
“Hunt? Logan, what about Wolverine…”
“What about Wolverine! What about me? I’m a hunter! I hunt! Wolverine is an animal! It can do animal things during those three days I agreed to give to it!”
“Then what about me?” Marie asked with quivering voice. Logan tilted his head.
“What about you?” He asked with a softer tone.
“I’m no hunter…”
“It’s time for you to became one…”

“Logan!” Fairly young man, dressed to plain clothes opened the door of a small cabin Logan had lead them to. Both Logan and young man were smiling widely, grinning from ear to ear, hugging and patting each other’s backs. Suddenly younger man stopped.
“Who’s this?” He asked, pointing at Marie who stood little further.
“A friend. I just came to pick up my things. You still have those, right?”
“Logan!” Young man admonished him gently, took a step towards Marie and bowed lightly.
“It’s a pleasure to meet, my lady. My name is De Santos. Claude De Santos.” Marie smiled and curtsied.
“It’s a pleasure likewise, sir. You may call me Rogue.” She could hear Logan’s exasperated sigh, and when she raised her head she saw him standing behind Claude, hands crossed over his chest and rolling his eyes.
“Claude. My equipment. Now. I’m feeling impatient today…”

“… And of course he fell straight in! Took days to get rid of that stench!” Claude had been a hunter, and he had occasionally worked with Logan, and was now entertaining Marie with stories about those days.
“Can we stop mocking me, and concentrate on something more important?” Logan asked from the corner where he sat, checking his weapons and sulking.
“And what on earth could possibly be more important?” Claude asked, wiping tears of mirth from his eyes.

“We need a place to stay for a while,” Logan started. Claude nodded.
“Done. I still have that old barn. Little dusty, but it has four walls and roof that doesn’t leak.”
“Rogue will start training. When I’m away hunting, I need you to continue to train with her.”
“Done.”
“I can’t pay you.”
“Don’t insult me. I couldn’t even accept any money from you,” Claude huffed.
“And she needs her own set of weaponry. Guns, knives, swords… Everything,” Logan continued. Claude scratched his shaved chin, letting his gaze rake over Marie.
“I’ll see what I can do. But it’ll have to wait until we see what she’s capable of…”

She found herself admiring Claude with completely different way than Logan. Logan was big, almost clumsy looking compared to his lean, blond-haired friend. Logan’s hazel eyes looked like a single glimpse from them could scorch a person alive. Claude had pair of calming, friendly twinkling blue eyes. Logan carried around worn and weathered feeling, but Claude was like spring, vibrant and alive, bubbling excess energy.
“It’s so hard to imagine your friendship…” She blurted and blushed furiously. She hadn’t meant to say it out loud. Logan frowned. Even Claude got serious look on his face.
“Maybe we should go and see your lodgings now?” He said standing up.

When Claude had said barn, Marie had expected some kind of small hut, but it was quite spacious building behind his cabin. Large open space in the bottom, stairs leading to the upper level to a loft that had been arranged to a small space to live in, complete with a bed, closets, and a desk with comfortable looking chair sitting in front of it. Sunlight streamed in through a small window.
“Everything should be as you last left it. I haven’t used this ever since. I just come here every now and then to check the roof…” She heard Claude explaining when she gathered the bedclothes to a bundle.
“I’ll take these outside to air out a bit…” She said and made a hasty retreat. She had a feeling that men wanted to talk freely about something, and that her presence wasn’t wanted during that conversation.

Once outside she realized something. There was only one bed. Wide and spacious, but only one. And the loft she was supposedly sharing with Logan wasn’t much anything else than a large, open space on top of another large, open space. She couldn’t deny that she was interested in the man, but somehow it felt a bit rushed to be moving in with him, sharing the space almost as if they were man and a wife. Maybe she had misunderstood this somehow. Maybe only Logan was going to move in here. Or maybe Logan was going to stay with Claude, and the loft was meant for her? She left the bedclothes hanging to the soft breeze, and returned to the barn.

Logan was sitting on the stairs that lead to the loft. Claude was pacing on the ground in front of him nervously. Suddenly he spun around and pointed at Marie.
“Does she know?” He asked with a tight voice.
“Claude…” Logan stood up and took a step towards his friend who backed away from him.
“Does she know?”
“Yes. She knows.”
“What am I supposed to know?” Marie asked puzzled.
“Wolverine. I told Claude what he will be taking in,” Logan said, his gaze never leaving Claude’s slumped form.
“Is it true? That you speak with… With that animal?” Claude asked from her, voice trembling with nausea.
“Yes. I speak with Wolverine when it feels like talking. It doesn’t wish to harm me. It just wants to exist.”
“I can’t believe this… Logan, what has gotten in to you?” Claude groaned, grasping the taller man from the lapels of his jacket.
“Wolf got in to me. I don’t like it, it doesn’t like me, but as long as we both play by the rules, there should be no problems.”
“I do not wish to hear about this anymore. I’ll go and let you two settle in. We’ll discuss about this on supper…” Claude hissed and walked out on stiff legs, head held high.

“That went well…” Logan whispered and slumped back on the stairs, raking a hand through his thick mane of hair, rubbing the back of his head.
“But… wasn’t he supposed to be your friend?” Marie asked and sat next to him.
“More like a brother. You wouldn’t believe if I told you even half of the things we have done together…”
“I’m sure that when he has had time to think about it, he’ll understand.”
“How the hell can you be so trusting and positive? After everything what has been done to you? After how those people treated you?” Logan asked. Marie shrugged.
“It is useless to carry your troubles and worries with you all the time. Better let go of them. New ones will gather upon you sooner or later anyway.”
“That’s not very comforting thought,” Logan sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose tiredly. Events of the past night and day were finally taking their toll on him.
“Could you bring back those sheets and quilts? I need to get some sleep…”

“Uhh… Logan?”
“Yeah?” He was stripping off his clothes while Marie was making the bed.
“Where am I going to sleep?”
“Huh?”
“There’s only one bed…”
“It’s big enough for two…” Logan murmured, now completely naked and crawled under the blankets, curling to his side. He was asleep before his head touched the pillow.
“Well, I’m glad that you’re not shy…” Marie muttered, picking up clothes he had discarded on the floor and folding them neatly on top of the chair. Logan was snoring softly.
“And what am I supposed to do now?” She was tired, for that she was ready to admit, but it somehow felt wrong to sleep in the middle of the day. Especially when sleeping meant crawling between same sheets with Logan.

“He’s just tired. Surely he understands when he wakes up that this kind of arrangement isn’t proper…”
“Stop that fussing and fretting and come to sleep. We’ll start training tonight, and you need to rest…” Logan murmured without opening his eyes. His hand shot out from under the blankets and long fingers curled around her wrist.
“Logan!” Marie lost her balance and fell beside him on the bed when he tugged slightly.
“This isn’t… You can’t… We can’t…”
“I’m not going to lie to you. I want to have you as a man would have his wife. But now is not the time for that. Now it’s time to rest. Sleep.”

When she woke up the sun had already set. Logan was standing by the window, wearing clothes much alike he had worn when she had seen him for the first time, comfortable looking black trousers and a shirt with leather vest. Long leather coat draped over his shoulders.
“My clothes are too big for you. I think Claude might have something in your size,” he said without turning to look, as if he had somehow sensed she was awake.
“Assuming we’re still welcome…” He muttered, walking to the chair and slumping over it.
“If Claude throws us out, we just have to figure something else,” Marie said, spotting a small basin and a pitcher on the windowsill. Small bar of soap sat next to them.
“I’ll go and wait downstairs,” Logan promised.”

It felt heavenly to wash of grit and filth that had accumulated during the previous night. After she had washed up, she could only glare at her tattered clothes. They were filthy and smelly.
“Oh… Disgusting…”
“What’s taking you so long?” Logan asked climbing the stairs back in to the loft.
“Logan!” She tried to cover her nudity with her hands.
“Stop being such a prude. What’s the problem?”
“I can’t wear these anymore…” She said, kicking the pile of her clothes on the floor. Logan crossed the floor with couple of swift strides and dove in to a closet.
“Here. They’re too big, but better than nothing. Not that I would mind if you strolled around naked, but I don’t want to beat Claude off from your back…” He smirked, throwing her trousers, shirt and a belt.
“Thank you. Could you turn around?” Marie asked, holding the bundle of clothes in front of her.
“It’s not like I didn’t already see everything…” Logan smiled, raised his hands and backed towards the stairs.
“But okay. I’ll go. Get dressed. I’m hungry.”

She heard the barn door opening. At first she thought Logan had gone out, but then she heard Claude’s voice. He was whispering with Logan something.
“No!” Logan sounded angry.
“But she’s the same size, and…”
“Don’t even think about it. Why the hell have you even kept her things?”
“Logan, be reasonable!” They weren’t whispering anymore.
“She won’t be wearing her clothes!”
“She was my sister. I think I’m entitled to decide to whom I’ll give her clothes and other possessions…”
“Fine. Just don’t expect me to be happy about it!” Logan growled, door opened and closed.

“Rogue?” Claude called her from downstairs.
“Yes?”
“I brought you some clothes and other things I thought you might need. I leave them down here. Get dressed and come then to supper. Okay?”
“Okay…” She waited until she heard Claude leaving before going to retrieve the small trunk he had left for her to the bottom of the stairs. It was heavy, but she managed to jostle it to the loft.
“Oh…”

On top lay beautiful set of silver combs and brushes. Under them the trunk was filled to the brim with shirts, trousers, socks, shoes and vests. Silk, cotton, leather, in every imaginable shapes and colors. Some of them were clearly worn, but everything was well kept and clean. Sister? These belonged to Claude’s sister. What had happened to her? Only reason woman would part from this beautiful things would be if she were dead, that was sure.

She chose soft looking trousers made out of black suede, and long boots made out of same material. Loose fitting dark red silk shirt and black leather vest completed her outfit. She braided her long brown hair to a single braid that fell over her back. Something clinked silently when she was closing the trunk. A ring had fallen out. Simple gold band, with inscription inside. L&L. She took it with her. She was quite sure that Claude hadn’t meant to give that to her. It was clearly a wedding band. So his sister had been married.

It was only a short walk from the barn to Claude’s place. She pushed the door open, expecting to see both men already sitting at the table and bantering with each other like they had done earlier that day. Instead Claude was there alone, his back turned. He was adding some logs to the fireplace.
“Good evening. Where’s Logan?” Marie asked, stepping in and closing the door behind her.
“He went for a walk, but I’m… I’m… Dear Lord!” Claude started to stutter when he turned and saw her. He reached for a chair and sat heavily, seemingly unable to tear his eyes off from her.
“Sorry. Sorry for my rudeness… But you could be her! Same built, even same hair… Eyes are wrong and nose, but…”
“Her? Your sister?” Marie asked, choosing a chair from the table and sitting down. Claude nodded.
“She died six years ago. You could be… You’re so much alike her, you could have been twins… I can see why Logan was against this…”
“Is it alright if I wear her clothes?” Marie asked, starting to feel uncomfortable under Claude’s scrutiny. Claude shook his head and smiled.
“It is perfectly okay. I’m only happy those clothes fit to you. Now, my lady Rogue, are you hungry?”

Claude was a surprisingly good cook. Simple stew he had made from fish and vegetables and soft bread that were filled with greasy nuts and pine seeds were delicious.
“Oh, I almost forgot!” Marie suddenly exclaimed and pulled the ring from her pocket.
“I found this from the trunk. I don’t think you meant me to have it,” she said, handing the band to Claude. He took it, read the inscription.
“No. This isn’t for you…”
“Your sister… What was her name?” Marie asked.
“Laurel. She was a hunter, too. Died fulfilling her duty.”
“But she was married…” Marie scrunched her forehead in confusion. Usually women discarded everything outside home when they got married.
“Husband was a hunter, too. Very good friend of mine. They worked well together. Almost as if they shared one mind and body. Those were good days…” Claude said, longing smile spreading on his handsome face.
“But that was then. This is now,” he shrugged himself out from his memories.
“How’s the food?”
“It’s delicious. You’re an excellent cook.”
“Well, thank you! It’s good to hear that at least somebody appreciates my efforts!” Claude said turning towards the door and raising his voice. Marie turned to look.

Logan stood frozen at the doorstep, his gaze fixed upon her. Face pale, hands clutching the doorframe so hard that his knuckles had turned to white.
“Hi. Where did you go?” She asked. Logan opened his mouth to answer, but he was clearly unable to find words. His eyes narrowed and he turned his piercing gaze to Claude.
“You’re a sick bastard, De Santos. You should have burned her things…” He hissed and stumbled back out, in to the night.
“Uhh… Maybe it really would be for the best if I gave her clothes back to you… I’m sure Logan can take me to town tomorrow, and we can buy me some new ones…” Marie whispered, fiddling with the sleeve of the shirt she wore. Claude squeezed her shoulder reassuringly.
“Nonsense. He’ll get over it. And I’m sure this would have been what Laurel would have wanted…”

She returned to the barn as soon as she had eaten. She was going to change her clothes. She loved clothes Claude had given her, but they clearly upset Logan. She climbed the stairs to the loft. Logan was there, sitting on the windowsill, staring out from the window.
“Finally. We have some work to do. In case you forgot, it’s time for your first lesson,” he grunted.
“I haven’t forgotten. I just change my clothes and…”
“Don’t bother. Downstairs. Now.” He was angry. Marie had never seen him this tense.

Few minutes later it became apparent to her, that Logan was after blood. She had had her share of fights, but usually they had been petty squabbles with other women. She had never gotten against full grown, enraged man.
“Oww…” Logan had been tossing her around on the soft sand floor of the barn. Relatively soft. She was quite sure that her behind was one big bruise.
“Stop whining. You have to learn how to fall,” Logan quipped, grabbed her hand and yanked her back up.
“I can fall just fine on my own, my dear sir…” She muttered. Logan snorted.
“No, you can’t. But you’ll learn.”
“I thought you would teach me how to fence and shoot. Things that are actually useful…”
“You haven’t have a decent fight in your life. We’ll start from the basics. Ready?” Logan asked, and twisted her hand hard before she had the time to answer. Anger flared in her, and instead of falling on her knees as he had intended her to do she gathered all her strength and kneed him to his side. Logan bared his teeth and hissed. Something feral flashed under the hazel surface of his eyes, and he let go of her hand.
“Nice try…” He smirked, spun quickly around and swept her knees with one outstretched hand, falling on top of her when she fell on her back.

“You got in one good hit and stopped. You should have kept going until I was down…” Logan murmured, face just inches from Marie’s. She tried desperately to struggle away from under him. His weight was suffocating. It was hard to breathe.
“I didn’t know this was ‘beat each other senseless’ –lesson…” she wheezed.
“Now you know. Think you can do better if I let you go?” Logan chuckled.
“I promise to try…” Logan rolled easily on his feet, and finally she was able to breathe again. She just lay there for a while, enjoying the feel of cool night air filling her lungs.
“Interesting style. Are you planning to bore your opponents to death?” Logan mocked.

“No…” She pretended to be disoriented, and crawled first on her hands and knees. She had seen more than her fair share of fights during the carnival days, and there was one trick that worked almost every time a fighter decided to use it. It really was laughable. It must have been the oldest trick in the book, and yet nobody ever saw it coming. She grasped a fistful of sand and gathered her feet under her, feigning weak.
“Come on, we can do this all night, or get this over with now and…” Logan didn’t have the time to finish his sentence. Marie let out a scream, sprung to her feet and slung the sand to his face, using his momentarily confusion to barrel head first against him and throw him to the ground on his back. When she tried to follow through and finish him with a well aimed kick, Logan surprised her by rolling over his back and jumping back on his feet with one fluid motion, pulling a small but sharp looking dagger from his sleeve and pressing it to her throat.

“Not fair!”
“Life rarely is…” Logan grunted, sheathing the dagger and rubbing the sand from his eyes. She tried to slug him, but he grabbed her wrist before her fist connected with the side of his face.
“I think we’re done for tonight,” he said.
“Really? But there’s my whole front side left. No bruises there yet…”
“Shouldn’t have bruises anywhere else either. Not yet. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have taken it out on you,” Logan murmured, still holding her hand.
“Was she… She was important to you.”
“Laurel? No. Not more important than any other of my friends. Maybe if thing’s would have been different… She was Leon’s wife. Great hunters, both of them. Up until they got ambushed…” Logan reached for a lock of hair that had escaped from her braid and hung on the side of her face.
“Leon was already dead when I found them. Laurel… I cut off her head and drove a stake through her heart. Claude should have known better than to give her clothes to you. But keep them. Wear them. They suit you well.”

She followed Logan to the loft. No wonder he had reacted so badly upon seeing her in Laurel’s clothes. Woman had been his friend, and he had killed her.
“What about Claude?” She asked.
“What about him?” Logan asked, shrugging off his jacket.
“Where he was when it all happened?”
“There with me. Before she had turned, Laurel had finished Leon, but Claude couldn’t do it to her. At first we thought that we wouldn’t even have to. She looked okay. Then she tried to attack us. Claude got her pinned, but couldn’t kill his own sister…” Logan spoke with tight, clipped tone.
“This is the downside of this job. You most likely won’t die peacefully in your own bed to old age. Either something you hunt tears you to pieces, or your friends have to hunt you down. It’s… It’s a shame, you know… They were talking about quitting… Getting a real family… Kids and everything…” Logan’s voice broke down and he covered his mouth with his palm, eyes watering.

“Hss…” She wrapped her arms around him. For a brief moment Logan stood there stock still, then the dam broke. He hauled her tight against him and hid his face to the side of her neck.
“We were so young… They were too young to die like that…” He managed to gasp before great, heaving sobs robbed him from his ability to speak. He held her so tight she was afraid she would end up with broken ribs, but there was no way she could have asked him to let go now. She guided him carefully to the bed and they sat down, Logan still squeezing her like a lifeline, crying over past events, and lives he couldn’t save back then.

“Oh, hell… I thought I had gotten over it already…” Logan murmured with a thick voice, wiping his red and puffy eyes.
“Got your shirt all wet… Sorry…”
“Don’t worry. Feel any better?” Marie asked.
“No. But at least you know now. It’s not you I was mad at. It’s not your fault. I’m more angry to myself. And Claude. Did he tell you? About how much you remind of her?” Logan asked.
“He told me I could have been Laurel’s twin.”
“Maybe not a twin. But very close relative. When you sat there with Claude, eating and laughing like that… At first I thought… It felt awful. I almost called you by her name, before I realized she is as dead as she was six years ago.”
“It looks like Claude has taken it much better than you,” Marie said.
“He dealt with it with his own way. I buried myself to work. Kept everything locked inside. Not healthy attitude, but I was afraid that if I stopped I would go insane.”
“So you just kept going. Not sleeping, not eating…” Marie started.
“… No stopping, finding new things to hunt…” Logan continued.
“… Until it felt safe to stop. I know what you went through. It happened to me, too. When my father hang himself, I got lost. I spent whole year living like an ant. Working, working, until I was so tired I could sleep without dreaming,” she finished.

“Speaking of which, we should go to sleep, before you get too sore to fell asleep,” Logan said with apologizing tone.
“I don’t have nightgown. And it looks like Laurel didn’t have either…” Marie whispered blushing.
“Is it really that big issue to you? I thought you witches are used to nakedness,” Logan said, giving her a wink.
“Logan!”
“I’ll give you one of my shirts. And promise to wear trousers. Is that okay?”

She settled carefully on her side of the bed after making sure there was adequate space between them. Logan turned on his side.
“Doesn’t it hurt to lay on your back like that? You must be black and blue all over,” he asked.
“A little…” Marie admitted. In truth her whole backside felt like it was on fire, but if she turned on her side, she would either fall off from the bed, or she would have to face half naked Logan. Not one of those options sounded so great.
“Come on. Scoot over here a bit and turn around,” Logan said and pulled her closer to him, urging her to turn her back on him. She went stiff as a board.
“This should help. It’ll get little cold up here in the night. Lean on to me. I’ll keep you warm…” She found it impossible to refuse when his warmth wrapped around her like a cocoon, and her muscles practically melt until she was completely molded against his larger frame.
“Tomorrow we’ll start practicing for real.”
“You’ll teach me how to use guns and swords?” Marie asked, yawning sleepily.
“Yes. Among other things. There are some things I need your help with.”
“Huh?”
“I can’t reload my weapons, for example. Silver burns me. Just like garlic and holy water, too.”
“Oh… I didn’t even realize…”

“It’s not so bad as I expected…” She was already half asleep when Logan’s voice pulled her back awake.
“The wolf. I haven’t heard a peep from it. It’s almost as if I dreamt the whole thing…”
“It promised to stay away.”
“Yes. Didn’t expect it to keep that promise. Makes me wonder… If it can be reasoned with, what makes the rest of those animals so different? Why this one isn’t screaming for blood and trying to get me under control? It did that at first, but now…”
“Can we just go to sleep? I promise to think about it really hard tomorrow, when I’m not this sore and tired…” Marie muttered. Logan’s hands sneaked little tighter around her and he brushed a kiss on top of her head.
“Good night, Marie…” He murmured.

She woke up few moments later. It was hot. Too hot. Shirt she wore felt restricting and sticky. Blankets on top of her felt like they weighed several kilos. Logan was radiating heat like some kind of human furnace. She tried to crawl a little further from him. Logan wasn’t having any of that.
“Don’t go…”
“I have to. It’s hot as an oven in here…”
“So? Take off that shirt. It’s too thick to sleep on anyway…”
“I can’t just…”
”Yes, you can. Just do it. I won’t watch…”
“Promise?”
“Promise. Just take it off.”

She scooted up and made sure Logan kept his eyes closed. Shrugged off the shirt and scooted back under the blankets when firs whiff of cold night air reached her.
“Better?” Logan asked.
“Yes.”
“Good. Get back here then,” he said and pulled her flush against him. She gasped from surprise.

She had never felt this much of her naked skin against anybody else’s equally naked skin. It wasn’t a bad feeling, but woke her up to something.
“You took off your trousers.”
“It is hot in here.”
“You’re… It’s… Hard.”
“You’re there.”
“Should we…”
“No. We have no hurry. I do want you, but… We have time,” Logan said. But she couldn’t just leave it like that. She turned around, face to face with him. There was a question in Logan’s eyes. She answered to it by pulling his head closer and leaning in for a kiss. His lips felt firm and soft, sliding over hers slowly, his tongue coaxing her mouth open.

“What are you doing?” She gasped and broke the kiss when she felt Logan’s hand sliding between her thighs.
“Hush… You’ll see…” Logan murmured, claiming her mouth again, and nudging her thighs gently apart, caressing tender skin at the juncture of her thighs. She blushed. Soon he would… If he kept going like that, he would… His nimble fingers found her soft folds.
“Can I?” She hesitated a moment before nodding and closing her eyes. His lips left her mouth and wandered lower, under the blanket, closing around breast and nipple.

Nothing had prepared her for this. She had heard stories other women told to each other about what was happening to her now. Stories usually tinged with hate and revulsion. How their men got drunk and had their will when ever they happened to want it. How on earth somebody could not want this?

“I’ll keep you warm…” Logan muttered, pulling off the pile of quilts and blankets covering them.
“I want to see you…” She screwed her eyes shut, blushing furiously. She wasn’t completely sure if she was ready to see him like this.
“Marie, open your eyes.” She opened first one, then the other.

Logan lay next to her on his side, upper body propped half seated position with his elbow. Liquid heat in his eyes held her gaze for a moment, then curiosity won and she let her eyes roam all over his muscled body, starting from his stubbled jaw, sliding lower to his chest that was covered with thick, coarse hair. She followed the path that hair formed over his flat stomach.
“Oh…”

It looked big. Hard and throbbing. And more beautiful than anything she had seen before. Of course she knew what was expected from her. She was supposed to lie down and take it. Any way Logan saw it fit to put in her. She had a nagging suspicion it wouldn’t fit, no matter how or where Logan tried to put it.
“It’s too big!” She blurted out. Logan laughed out loud.
“I have a feeling it’ll be just the right fit once we get in to that part,” he chuckled and pulled her to his embrace. She felt embarrassed, and hid her burning cheeks against his chest.
“Don’t laugh at me…”
“I’m not. Trust me. I’m just happy. It’s so good to be with you like this…” She tilted her face upwards to see his face, and he took her lips to a searing kiss, tangling one hand to her hair and letting other to fall to the small of her back to keep her close.

She wanted something. She wasn’t sure what it was, but she knew Logan would be more than able to help her to fulfill her need. She tried to crawl even closer to him, and wrapped her legs around his thigh, feeling instantly better when she felt delicious pressure against her throbbing folds. Logan grasped her hips and rocked her against his thigh.
“Good?”
“Yes…” She was almost unable to breathe. She could feel strange wetness seeping from somewhere inside of her, slicking their skin. It only intensified feelings that raced through her. She couldn’t stop moan that escaped from her throat. Logan’s head delved lower and his lips started worrying her nipples again.
“Oh, Goddess…”
“I’m sure She appreciates…” Logan untangled her legs from around his thigh and rolled on top of her. She tried frantically to grasp him again.
“Put your legs around me…” Logan instructed before crawling little higher.

His cock was brushing against her wetness now. It felt scorching hot compared to his skin, and suddenly she couldn’t wait to learn how it would feel inside of her.
“Please… Logan…” she was almost sobbing from need. Same need reflected from Logan’s eyes. There was almost pained expression on his face when he positioned himself to her entrance.
“This is probably going to hurt a bit. I’m sorry…” He hissed before pushing slowly in.

She was stretching, opening wider to accommodate his girth. At first it felt awkward, pinched a little, almost as if she had to pee really bad, but that feeling passed soon. Instead she felt complete. Thick, fleshy column rubbing from all the right places inside of her, making her tense and melt simultaneously. Her fingers curled to Logan’s hair, and she pulled him closer, drawing his lower lip to her mouth and chewing it gently. Logan responded with a kiss, moving in and out of her with long and slow strokes.
“This feels so good…” He muttered against her lips. She was unable to form coherent words anymore. Fire was building in her abdomen, getting hotter with each passing moment, each deep plunge of his cock, until it took all her strength to stay conscious.
“Just let go… Let go…” She could hear Logan urging. He changed their position a bit, and something was happening. She was letting go, exploding from the inside, screaming and convulsing, feeling her core grasping his shaft even harder. Logan froze, and he was letting go as well, filling her with his warm seed.

At the end of the first week she was exhausted. She trained with Claude every morning, to build up necessary skills to handle weapons and different fighting techniques. Nights she spent with Logan, learning how to use skills Claude taught her and making love until she wasn’t sure which way was up and which down. She had started eating herbs that prevented her to become pregnant. Logan hadn’t said anything, just asked if they made her ill, and when she had told him no, he had discarded the topic unimportant.

They didn’t make her ill, but they made her even more tired. That was maybe the biggest reason she finally one morning snapped, and fell down crying when she couldn’t put together a revolver she was supposed to assembly from parts Claude had scattered in front of her on the table.

“This is so stupid and I’m sick and tired of it!” She wailed when Claude tried to console her, putting his arm around her shoulder little awkwardly.
“You’re doing great. Better than I imagined when I first saw you. You’re much stronger than I gave you credit for,” he said.
“Sure doesn’t feel like it… I’m one big bruise, and I have done this at least hundreds of times already and still keep getting it wrong!”
“Everybody makes mistakes. It doesn’t matter. What matters is to get it right when it counts.”

“Spare her from that bullshit, De Santos…” Logan growled walking in. Marie flinched. She had gotten used to a certain routine already. Mornings were her time with Claude. Logan usually kept away until her lessons were over and it was time for lunch.
“It’s not bullshit.”
“Yes, it is, and you know it, Claude. She has to learn it. She has to learn to know that weapon, all of her weapons so well she could put them together and use them even if she were blind, because that might one day save her life. I’m not training her to be a decent fighter. I’m training her to become a hunter.”
“Hunter? Look at her! She can barely keep her eyes open! She’s so tired that it’s a wonder she hasn’t keeled over already!”
“Have you already forgotten our training days, Claude?”
“I haven’t. But you clearly have…”
“Stop! Both of you! I’m not in the mood of listening your petty squabbling!” Marie screamed, silencing both men efficiently. For a moment they just stared at her. Then Logan grabbed her from her arm and pulled her along with him outside.

“What’s the matter with you?” He asked with a harsh tone.
“What’s the matter? Oh, nothing! Absolutely nothing! I guess it’s just normal to sleep only two hours per night and spend rest of the time learning how to kill vampires and other creatures that lurk in the night!”
“You’re tired?” Logan asked.
“That’s putting it mildly! I’m exhausted, and fed up with all of this!”
“Come here…” Logan pulled her against him, wrapping his coat around them both.
“You should have told me. I can’t… I don’t know if you’re tired or hurt if you don’t talk to me about it. I’m no mind reader.”
“Aren’t you tired?” Marie asked.
“No. Wolf in me… It gives me more energy. I feel great. I probably wouldn’t even have to sleep almost at all. I’m sorry. I should have realized it doesn’t work like that with you.”
“Is it fair to say you’re starting to like Wolverine a bit?” Marie asked smiling.
“It certainly has its perks… But hey, no more lessons today. What would you like to do?”
“Can we go to town? I would like to see other people for a change.”

Short ride to the town through the forest was uneventful, and she enjoyed every second of it. Logan had lifted her sitting in front of him on the saddle, and she could lean on him and watch the scenery. They had no hurry. Horse was walking, practically wandering at its own pace, stopping to graze from time to time.

“It’s getting warmer already…” Logan noted. At this part of the country snow in winter was a rarity, but weather was noticeable colder than in summers.
“Yes. Oh, and I should gather some herbs. Some of them are good only this time of year.”
“Now?” Logan asked.
“No, silly… But soon. Whitecloak, bloodleaves, springweed. In a month they will turn poisonous if not picked up and dried.”
“What are they good for?” Logan asked. Marie giggled.
“Interested about witchcraft? What has happened to our big bad hunter who eats little witches like me for breakfast?”
“For supper…”
“What?”
“I ate you for supper,” Logan whispered and licked her earlobe, reminding her about things he had introduced her last night. Marie blushed, giggle turning to breathy moan when Logan’s hands let go from the reigns, one ending to knead her breasts and other sliding lower between her thighs.
“Logan! What if someone sees us…”
“There are exactly two squirrels up in that tree. And what they are doing is much more indecent that this. We at least have some clothes on…” Logan murmured nibbling her throat lightly and sliding a finger inside of her shirt, trailing the curve of her breast and making her shiver and arch against him.

She could feel through their clothes how hard it was making him. At the same time she could feel now familiar moisture starting to gather between her legs, and she pulled her thighs together, trapping his hand between them, preventing him from moving his fingers.
“As good as this feels, I’m going to town. We can continue this back at home…” She whispered.
“Or we could finish what we started and go to town after…” Logan muttered, tugging the buttons of her shirt impatiently.
“I would like people to see me as a gorgeous woman with equally gorgeous man, instead of little hariot with wet patch on the crotch of her pants, thank you…” Logan frowned.
“Damn. You’re right. We better wait…”

Darkwater wasn’t the biggest possible settlement, but it was much bigger than Marie’s home village. She found it hard to contain her enthusiasm when Logan left the horse to the skilled hands of the stablemaster.
“What do we do now?” She asked, bubbling from excitement.
“What ever you want to do. I have no plans.”
“Could we… Could we go to the marketplace?” Marie asked.
“Of course,” Logan nodded, fully understanding her eagerness. Nobody knew her around here. It would be completely new experience for her. Way she was dressed spoke about wealth and money, merchants would be toppling over each other in their haste to get her as a customer instead of shooing her off like the ones at her home village.

Much later they were sitting in a tavern having ale, and Marie was sorting out her purchases. Several beautiful scarves made out of silk, bracelets and pendants made of silver and numerous pouches of all kinds of dried herbs and instructions how to use them. Her mind was in turmoil. Never had she been treated so. Merchants had been bending backwards to serve all her possible needs.

“You have good taste in jewelry…” Logan mused, reaching a finger and sliding it over one of the bracelets adorning her wrists. Small muscle on his cheek ticked a bit, and he pulled his finger away.
“Just don’t wear those in bed, okay?”
“No! Of course not! But Claude recommended…”
“I would buy you a full body armor made of silver if they made those. Claude’s right. More silver you carry on you, better you stay safe. Just don’t wear them around me, okay?” Logan whispered.
“I want to be able to touch you,” he explained when she took off the jewels and tucked them to the backpack she had bought along her other purchases.
“I understand. But isn’t it time for us to go back home?” Marie asked, noting how low sun had crept on the sky.
“Yes.”

It was already dark when they rode in to forest, both deeply immersed to their thoughts. Sudden noise from somewhere behind them, loud bang, alerted Marie that something was wrong. She heard Logan cursing silently. One hand around her waist tightened almost painfully, other grasped better hold from reigns and his powerful thighs urged the horse to speed up. Dark scenery around them flashed by, and soon she saw light blinking from between the trees. Claude’s cabin. At the front door horse hesitated, then stopped. Logan’s hand around her waist loosened its hold, and suddenly he fell from the saddle.
“Logan!”

She hopped down and kneeled next to him. He was conscious, but pale, almost ashen, and every breath he released brought bloodied froth to his lips. She turned him carefully to his side.
“Goddess…” There was a small, round hole just under his right shoulderblade. He had been shot.
“Silver… It’s silver… Burns…”

“Claude! Claude!” She pushed the cabin door open. Place was empty. Cozy fire was crackling in the fireplace, but there was no sight of the master of the house.
“Logan, you have to get up. Come on, I’ll help you…” She kneeled next to him again and helped him to sit up. He locked his arms around her shoulders. She nearly keeled over, but managed to jostle him on his feet.

“You have to dig it out… Before it heals over…” Logan was wheezing when they stumbled inside and she set him carefully to a chair next to the fireplace.
“Logan, you have been shot, you don’t just… Heal over… Like… How is that possible!” She stuttered when Logan tore off his jacket and shirt, turning his back on her. Wound had already stopped bleeding, and skin was slowly knitting over it right in front of her eyes.
“Wolf healing… There’s… Take that box…” Logan coughed, pointed at a small metal box on top of the fireplace and spat mouthful of dark red blood in to the fire.
“Quickly… I think it hit the lung… Jesus, it burns…”

She grabbed the box, opened it and nearly dropped it when she saw what was inside. Complete set of surgeons tools. Forceps, scalpels and other items she didn’t even have a name. Logan reached in and picked a pair of long forceps.
“Pull it out with these…” More blood dribbled down to his chin and he wiped it off grimacing.
“How?”
“Stuck them in to wound and dig around until you find the slug… Hurry, it’s eating me alive…”
“But won’t it hurt you…” She whispered, taking the forceps. Logan turned facing the door.
“It already hh… Hurts… Just do it…”

She braced herself and prepared to do as Logan told her to when door suddenly flew open. Claude stood at the doorstep, rifle on one hand, and three dead rabbits on the other.
“What’s going on?” He asked with confused tone when Logan grasped his jacket and pulled his guns, training their barrels to Claude.
“Back off, De Santos… Rogue! Just do it! Now!”

She was going to be sick. Every time she moved the forceps they scraped something inside of Logan. She could feel every scrape running up her arms. Logan was sweating bullets and spewing curses, but his grip from his guns didn’t falter, and both heavy revolvers stayed aimed at Claude who stood frozen on the open doorway.
“Can you move your right hand a bit? I think there’s something, a bone or…” Logan let out a pained grunt, but complied and let his right arm fall on his side. Suddenly forceps slid in deeper, and she could feel different kind of scrape. Metal against metal instead of bone. She tried to grab it, but it was hard. Slug was in deep, and sat snuggly in his flesh. He was bleeding again; forceps had torn broken vessels open again.

“Take it out already…” Logan’s voice sounded thick and wet, like he was speaking with throat filled with water.
“I’m trying… Ah, I think I got it!” She could indeed fell the slug between the forceps and started to shimmy it out carefully.
“Stay, De Santos! Don’t move a muscle!” Logan barked and muscles in his back tensed. It made her grasp from around the slug slip. But it was already closer to the surface. She could probably discard the forceps… She pulled them out from the wound and urged Logan to lean slightly forward. Light coming from the fireplace revealed that all she had to do was to poke her fingers in to the bloody mess, and slug would slide out on its own.

Logan let out a relieved moan when malformed lump of silver slid finally out from his body. He sat for a while, breathing deeply, before standing up and walking to Claude.
“Care to give me your rifle… Friend?” He purred with venomous voice. Blood was still slowly oozing from the wound, but it was closing already.
“Of course,” Claude said and handed his rifle to Logan who inspected it.
“And your ammo?” Claude dropped a small leather pouch to his palm. Logan opened it. Small iron pebbles. No silver.
“Where were you?” He asked. Claude threw the rabbits in front of him.
“Hunting. I thought we could do a stew some day. What is going on in here?” Claude asked. Logan reached his palm towards Marie who dropped the silver slug on it. He grasped Claude’s wrist and dropped the shining metal lump to his palm before it burned him.
“This is going on. Somebody shot me with it when we were returning from town.”

“You think it was me?” Claude asked voice trembling, cheeks reddening.
“You haven’t exactly been hiding your opinion about my condition…” Logan grunted releasing the younger man and returning to the fireplace, slumping to the chair.
“It’s true that I don’t like of what you have become. But that doesn’t mean I would be willing to kill you. At least not from behind. Had it been I who shot you, that hole would have been on your forehead instead of your back.”
“Right… Just for your information, I’ll be sleeping one eye open from now on… Rogue, bring my shirt and jacket.”

She retrieved Logan’s jacket and bloody shirt from the floor and followed him out. Logan stood there leaning heavily against the horse that had stood patiently waiting through their whole ordeal.
“Give them to me…” Logan hissed and slid the jacket over his shoulders when Marie handed it to him.
“You’ll ha… Have to take care of the hh-horse… I can barely stand…”

She took the horse to the small stable, taking off reigns and the saddle and brushing its gleaming black coat quickly. She checked it had water and hay before leaving.

Logan had gotten as far as in to the barn. He lay on the sand face down, coughing his lungs out.
“I hh… Heal faster from the outside… I think there’s still some bleeding…” His lips were tinged almost blue.
“But I don’t think Claude will try anything… If it even was h-him… I think I scared hhh… Him good enough…”
“Don’t talk. Can you get up?”
“Can you hhh… help out a bit…” She let him take her hand and pulled him up draping his arm over her shoulder.
“It looks like we hhave to postpone our plans…”
“What plans… Logan! How can you think about making love in that condition?”
“Easy… You’re with me…”

Up in the loft she helped Logan to get cleaned up before she propped him to half sitting position on the bed with pillows.
“You’ll drown if you lay down…” She suspected after hearing wet rattle coming from inside of him.
“Come hhhere…” Logan whispered and patted the bed next to him tiredly. She undressed quickly and slid next to him, wrapping her arms around him and placing her head on his stomach. One hand he draped over her shoulder, other was still grasping a revolver that rested on his side.
“If it isn’t Claude… Could be anybody…” He grunted and settled on top of pillows more comfortably.

First time in a week she woke up fully rested, and after the sun had risen high enough to shine through the window of the loft. Logan had already gotten dressed and left. She washed up quickly and put on some clothes before going to find him. He wasn’t in the barn. He wasn’t outside. He wasn’t in the stable. That left only one place.

“… Found some tracks from the road. Somebody had been running towards the town earlier…” Both men sat at the table, hunched over a small piece of paper. Claude was holding a pen, Logan was eating breakfast.
“Good morning,” Claude greeted her when she stepped in and closed the door.
“Have some porridge and sit down.” She cast a curious glance towards Logan.
“It wasn’t Claude. He showed me the place he shot those rabbits. There’s no way he could have gotten from there to shoot me and then back here. But he thinks he knows who it was,” Logan explained.
“A hunter that calls himself Brother Jeremiah,” Claude said.
“Him? A hunter?” Marie gasped disbelievingly.
“Looks can be deceiving…” Logan said grimacing.
“He’s usually after witches. He’s probably trying to get rid of me first so that he can have his way with you,” he continued.
“I’m not comfortable with this. Logan, you’re like a brother to me, but… I can’t go deceiving another hunter like this. I won’t tell him you’re here, but I’d be much more comfortable if you two packed your things and left. I’m sorry. I really am…” Claude spoke with pained look on his face, wringing his hands.
“It’s okay, Claude. I understand. We’ll leave as soon as I’m good enough shape to ride,” Logan promised.
“I hate to do this… What kind of a man lets down his best friend like this?” Claude whispered.
“A man without options. He’ll kill you, too, if he finds out you have been hiding us,” Logan said, reaching out and squeezing his friend’s hand reassuringly.
“At least I’m going to make sure you have everything you need before you go,” Claude said standing up.

At the end of the day they had their belongings and Claude’s gifts packed up to the back of a mule. Both Logan and Marie had their own horses.
“Keep him safe and human,” Claude whispered to Marie and handed her large silver cross.
“And you… If I hear you have started slipping, I just have to come after you and hunt you down. I wouldn’t like it, you wouldn’t like it, so keep your act together!” He spoke to Logan with harsher tone. Logan harrumphed.
“Christ. I have a feeling I won’t be seeing you guys anytime soon…” Claude sobbed and pulled larger man to his embrace. Logan answered to it with his own.
“It took only six years last time…” he spoke with hoarse voice, fresh tears making his eyes gleam wetly.
“At least let me know every once and a while that you’re still alive. Okay?” Claude asked. Logan nodded, letting him go and climbing to the saddle.
“Take good care of each other!” Claude shouted after them when they rode away.

“What are we going to do tomorrow?” Marie asked. They had been on the road for nearly three weeks. Three weeks worth of narrow escapes from Brother Jeremiah’s clutches and traps, and now they were facing a completely new dilemma.
“I have no idea. I was hoping we would have had this settled before that. Looks like I was wrong…” Logan said with a hollow voice. Next night would be the first night on a row of three of them, during which Logan would have to hand the reigns of his life over to Wolverine. Wolf had been waiting patiently, keeping its promise to stay hidden, and it really didn’t feel right to deny that short period of freedom from it.

“Maybe I could speak to it, explain all this…” Marie pondered.
“Good luck with that. It must be going insane by now already…” Logan muttered.
“It helped me last time,” Marie reminded him about the night she had been driven away from her home.
“It’s hungry and bored. I can already feel it. It’s straining so hard to stay down, poor bastard…” She could see ghostly yellow sparkles swimming in his irises, reflecting moonlight. They were walking beside their horses. Logan’s mount had been reluctant to let him in the saddle. It could most likely sense the wolf.
“If it’s in a cranky mood, let it eat the mule. Though I kind of doubt that will satisfy the hunger…” Logan muttered, glancing her from the corner of his eye.
“What do you mean?” Marie asked puzzled.
“It wants something better. Something easier to digest. We should probably stay the hell away from towns and villages for few days.” Marie shivered.
“I could have lived without that piece of information…”

“So, mister I-have-feral-wolf-in-me, where do we spend the next day?” Marie asked when sun was rising. They had taken the habit of traveling during nights and sleeping off the light hours.
“Under the nearest tree?” Logan proposed, pointing towards the thicket surrounding the path they had chosen.
“Do I have a choice?” Marie asked grimacing.
“Yes. Leave me here and go to the next village. Take a room from the inn. Actually it would probably be best if we did that…” Logan said.
“But what about brother Jeremiah? Is it safe to split up?” Marie asked.
“I have a gut feeling that he’s not too far behind us. Might even catch me tonight. That would actually solve all our problems, as long as Wolverine’s on board with that…”
“But what if he’s closer than you think and sneaks past you while you sleep?” Marie asked. She really wasn’t worried about that. She knew perfectly well that nothing could sneak past Logan or Wolverine for that matter, but she had gotten used to sleeping with him. She wasn’t sure if she would be able to sleep without his presence.
“It’s just this one day. I think you can manage,” Logan murmured, letting go of the reigns of his horse and pulling her closer to him.
“Are you sure?” Marie asked with a trembling voice. She hated feeling this vulnerable and needy, but she couldn’t help herself.
“I’m sure. What’s the worst thing that could happen? Wolverine finding out that brother Jeremiah isn’t fit for dinner?” Logan chuckled, but to her ears it didn’t sound very reassuring.
“Here. Take the money and the mule. I’ll keep my horse with me. Wealthy woman traveling alone with a mule isn’t suspicious, but add one extra horse and they will start asking questions,” Logan said, handing her the reigns of the mule and his purse.
“No. I’ll stay with you. I think it’s safer that way,” Marie decided. She could see relief written all over Logan’s features.

They took care of the horses and the mule, making sure they could graze but not wander too far, and made a bed from moss and soft twigs to sleep in.
“Are you hungry?” Marie asked, taking out some bread and cheese.
“Yes. But we don’t have the kind of food I’m craving…” More and more of the hazel in Logan’s eyes were getting replaced with yellow.
“But you have something that could ease the worst hunger…” He purred, taking the backpack from her and throwing it away.
“Logan?”
“Hush. Come here…” He pulled her against him and kissed her roughly, practically devouring her lips. She could feel his elongated canines scraping her bottom lip ever so lightly, not breaking the skin, but causing shiver run down her spine.

“Logan… Not here, not like this…” She whispered. His hands crept under her shirt, fingers clamping to her nipples.
“Right now. I want you…”
“But… Not here, Logan! What if somebody…”
“Only thing I care about right now is you. Getting in to you.”
“Logan…” Her resolve started to falter when his one hand slid under her pants, fingers delving in to already moist cleft.
“You have too many clothes on,” Logan said, yanking open laces that held her pants up, and cloth pooled around her knees. Next thing to go was her shirt. Soon she was standing completely naked, shivering as much from coldness as from anticipation.

“All mine…” Logan murmured kneeling in front of her and nuzzling her stomach, his tongue darting out and laving the underside of her breasts. Marie let out a breath she hadn’t even realized she had been holding, and let her fingers tangle to his hair, her nails scraping his scalp lightly. Approving growl rumbled from somewhere deep inside of Logan’s chest when she yanked his head backwards and leaned to kiss him.
“It still is you, right?” She asked.
“All me. I won’t share with anybody, least of all with some fucking animal…” Logan assured her, one of his hands kneading her breast while the other slid between her thighs, parting her folds and rubbing the spot she had learned gave pleasure like nothing else. Her knees buckled, and Logan let go of her breast, moving his hand to her backside to offer her support while he continued exploring her. She grasped his shoulders and spread her legs wider to grant him better access.

She was unable to speak. She could only murmur incoherently when first one, then two long fingers entered to her throbbing core. Leather of his jacket bunched under her grasping fingers, and she was sure it would tear soon, but she couldn’t let go.
“Oh, Goddess…” She nearly screamed when yet another finger slid inside of her, spreading her almost painfully wide. Pain quickly subsided when Logan leaned lower and suckled the small pearl at the juncture of her thighs. Sudden tightening in her abdomen was her only warning before fiery bolt of pleasure shot through her whole body, robbing her from her ability to breathe and stand up.

She regained some of her senses when Logan was lowering her to the ground on top of his coat he had shrugged off.
“Do you have any idea how good you taste?” He murmured, licking his fingers clean from her juices. He had done it before, even tasted her lower lips, but it made her blush every time.
“But enough of that…” He smiled, undressing quickly and lowering himself on top of her, spreading her thighs with his knees. She couldn’t help noticing he was already getting bigger in every aspect. His shoulders were wider, bulkier. His palms and fingers were almost big enough to curl completely around her smaller frame, and suddenly she understood why he had taken such long time in preparing her. Prayer to her Goddess left her lips when she felt the impossible girth of him stretching her opening.

It felt almost as if he was taking her for the first time again. She feared that her passage wouldn’t accommodate him, but he pushed in slowly, taking his time and stopping every time when she thought she wouldn’t be able to take it anymore.
“Christ… Just a little more… You’re so tight and hot…” Logan muttered with hoarse voice, his breath and lips tickling her earlobe.
“Wrap your legs around me…” She did as he asked, and was instantly rewarded when that slight change of position allowed him to slide in more easily. Base of his cock sat snuggly against sensitive nub of nerves, making her moan from the contact.
“Open your eyes…” She heard Logan whisper. Her eyelids fluttered open. His gaze captured her, and he started to move in and out of her, ever so slowly, taking care to slide against her sensitive spot.
“I love you, Marie… There’s not much that I can offer since you already have my heart… But I want you as my wife. Will you marry me?” His question was whispered with a trembling voice, barely audible. They were both so close, teetering at the edge. It took her conscious effort to answer, to make her lips obey and form coherent word.
“Yes!” That one word tilted them both over and erased everything else but their sweat-slicked bodies and pounding of their hearts.

She had fallen asleep to Logan’s embrace, her head propped against his chest, and his strong hands wrapped securely around her. She woke up alone, all wrapped up to his shirt and jacket. Sun was setting.
“Logan?” She sat up and gathered her clothes. Started putting them on.
“Logan?” She called him again. Only wind answered. Had he changed already?
“Wolverine?” Again no answer. Both horses and the mule were as they had left them before they fell asleep, munching away fresh leaves and small patches of grass. Then she heard it. Noise that had woken her up in the first place. A howl. Not far from her.

Armed with Logan’s revolver and her own sword she went to investigate, threading carefully over dry branches and leaves. She crept slowly, keeping her head down and ducking behind trees and bushes. What she found from a small clearing in the woods, not far from the path they had walked on earlier made her stomach curl.

“Howl all you like. Maybe that bitch of yours comes looking for you…” Brother Jeremiah cackled mockingly. Wolverine growled enraged, fingers curled around thick metal band adorning its throat, trying to pull it off. Iron didn’t hurt the wolf, but it took away its powers. Heavy chain was attached to the collar, and other end of that chain was locked with a padlock around thick fir. Trapped.

“Is she curious? I bet she is. Has to be. Willing to give herself to an animal like you…” Brother Jeremiah taunted Wolverine, keeping just out of its reach, taking great pleasure every time the beast tried to attack and collar yanked it backwards, and making it choke and gag.

“But if you’re not willing to call her to watch the show, I just have to make you…” Brother Jeremiah muttered going to his bag, and taking out some items. At this distance Marie couldn’t see, but judging from the sudden change in wolverine’s behavior nothing pleasant came out of that bag. It backed away from the man whimpering, trying to hide behind the tree that it was chained to.
“Now, I’m not very pleased with your behavior. Come out here and take your medicine like a good little doggy…” Brother Jeremiah smirked and lifted something to his lips. Some kind of cylinder made out of metal. A blowgun. Small dart left the cylinder, and Marie heard a startled yelp when it hit the target.

Wolverine staggered from behind the tree, dazed expression on its face, tearing the dart off and scratching its chest.
“Just a little cure. I’m sure that the man in you can appreciate it…” Brother Jeremiah snickered when the wolf toppled over letting out a pained howl.

Hunter’s cruel administrations had momentarily distracted her, but now Marie raised the revolver. She had a perfect aim right in the middle of Brother Jeremiah’s back, when man suddenly spun around, wide smile spreading on his face.
“How nice of you to join us, my dear lady Rogue!”
“Pleasure is not mine!” Marie shouted and pulled the trigger. She hit Brother Jeremy squarely on the chest, and man fell down with a hard thud.

She ran to Wolverine that was crawling on the ground, puking its guts out.
*Go away… Run…*
“Don’t worry, he can’t hurt you anymore, he’s dead now. I shot him,” Marie tried to calm down the beast that was scrambling to its feet and pushing her away.
*Not dead… Not dead! Run!* wolverine grabbed her arm and tried to push her towards the path, when she heard a scary sound from behind her back. Somebody laughing. Brother Jeremiah laughing.

“Oh, how touching… A loyal minion protecting its mistress…” Wolverine pushed her behind its back, low warning rumble echoing from in its chest. Even chained it was challenging the hunter.
“Please… All it takes is a shot of cure and you go down. Spare me from that pompous act!” Brother Jeremy huffed standing up.
“In the name of all… How is that possible? I shot you!” Marie gasped aghast.
“Trick of the trade. A trick I’m not willing to reveal for the likes of you. Be a good little witch and come to me. I might just show some mercy to your lapdog and let it out of its misery instead of dragging its torment forever if you behave and do as I tell you to do.”
*No. You’ll have to get through me first…*
“Wolverine…” Marie started when the wolf turned to look at her. Yellow in its eyes was rapidly diminishing, and to her it looked like it was getting smaller all over. Suddenly she realized what was happening. Collar around its throat was made to contain the wolf. For the man it would be big enough to slide off over his head. Wolverine was retreating.
*Be careful…* Wolf hissed to her.

“Promise you won’t harm the wolf, and I’ll come with you,” Marie shouted.
“I’ll promise I won’t harm it any more than it’s absolutely necessary to kill it, if you come to me right now!” Brother Jeremiah answered, keeping a safe distance between Wolverine and himself.
“Just… What ever you do, could you do it somewhere else? I don’t want him to see it…” Marie said, lowering her gun to the ground along her sword before inching slowly towards the hunter.
“I’ll do as you tell me to do, but don’t… You have already proven that you’re smarter than the two of us. Give him a chance to die in peace, please?” She pretended to be beaten and tired. Brother Jeremiah smiled, extending his hand.
“You have been a worthy adversary. I can surely take you a little further to meet your maker…” He said, grabbing her hand and pulling her after him.

“Do you wish to make peace with our good Lord before…” Brother Jeremiah asked, unsheathing a sharp looking knife.
“Yes… Yes. I think it would be for the best…” Marie whispered hesitantly.
“I will wait until you’re ready," brother Jeremiah promised. Marie turned her back on him and kneeled to the ground, crossing her hands and closing her eyes. She was pretty sure this was hot it was done. Her father had taken her to the church every day when she was just a little girl, but almost everything from those happier days was long forgotten from her.
“Could you pray with me, brother Jeremiah?” She asked, hoping to distract the man from possible noises Logan or Wolverine would make approaching.
“Certainly. I’m happy that you see the err of your ways and repent…” Brother Jeremiah said, not letting go of his knife, but raising his voice to a prayer.

She listened the sound of his voice, and real, genuine faith that shone through every word. She realized something. As twisted as brother Jeremiah was, he wasn’t evil. He was just misguided. And suddenly regardless of the hell he had put them through, both her and Logan, and Wolverine, she felt sudden rush of pity.
“Brother Jeremiah…” She started and turned around. Brother Jeremiah stopped talking, and his eyes went wide as saucers. His lips still moved, but not a word came out of his mouth. Wolverine was towering over him, one giant paw curled around his throat.
*Walk away, little one…* Wolf rasped. Marie turned her back and started back towards their campsite. From behind she could hear gurgling scream and sound of tearing flesh and bone.

She really wasn’t hungry anymore, but she forced herself to sit down and eat. She would keel over from hunger if she didn’t nourish her body. Darkness around her made her shiver, but she was sure Wolverine wouldn’t let anything to happen to her. Maybe it was naïve to trust so openly to it, but the wolf had had several occasions to abandon her, or kill her by itself, and it had done neither. Instead it had protected her, even when its own life was at stake.

After she had eaten she packed their camp and led horses and the mule to the path. It was time to move on. Wolverine, or Logan, which ever of those two would be at charge, would find her eventually. Right now there was absolutely no reason to linger any longer. Road was clear and safe again. Maybe they could even turn back and return to Claude’s place once Logan gained back control of his body from Wolverine.

Something flew from the thicket surrounding the path, and landed in front of her with a loud clatter, startling the mule and horses. With great effort she managed to calm them down before they ran away, and went to investigate the dark lump on the ground.

It was some sort of piece of armor. Thick metal plate, skillfully grafted. And right in the middle of it there was a lump of softer metal. Silver. The bullet she had shot Brother Jeremiah with. Plate was caked with blood and other unmentionable substances, and covered with deep gouges and scratches, as well as teeth marks. It was most likely all that was left of Brother Jeremiah, and Wolverine had brought it to her as a sign of victory. Alpha of the pack proving its superiority. She guided animals around it, nodding her reluctant approval to the dark figure that stood waiting in the bushes.

She was relieved that Wolverine understood to stay away from the horses and the mule. She wouldn’t be able to hold them if they got scared enough, and scent and sight of Wolverine would drive them out of their small minds, there was no doubt about it. They were already nervous as it was, wolf creeping along their trail.

She hadn’t gotten far when she came upon a problem. There was a small village ahead. She could see lights shining through the woods. She couldn’t very well just walk through it. Wolverine was following her trail, and she couldn’t lead it to all those unsuspecting people. It would be a sheer carnage. She had no doubts about wolf’s nature. She may be an exception it was ready and willing to make, but it would gladly slaughter rest of the world just because it could do it. She decided to stop for the rest of the night. They could pass the village together during the day, when Logan was closer to the surface than the wolf.

**You didn’t like it.** She sat up. Wolverine was standing next to her, large head bowed, almost fidgeting.
“It’s not… I’m sure he got what he deserved. Just don’t expect me to be happy about it and gloat with you,” she said. Wolverine tilted its head and crouched next to her.
**Why? He was going to kill you, too. We were smarter and stronger. Isn’t that a good reason to feel pride?**
“No.”
**No?** Wolverine looked very confused. She reached with her hand and scratched its ear.
“It’s different with humans. We get sad when one of us dies. We can be little happy, if it were a bad person that died, but mostly we’re sad,” she tried to explain. Wolverine snorted.
**That’s stupid. I’ll never understand… But he’s taken care of now. He can’t hurt us anymore…**
“Are you alright?” Marie asked, rubbing Wolverine’s ear for good measure, since the wolf seemed to enjoy it. It whined softly and lowered its head carefully to her lap and curled its massive frame around her.
**I will be…**

**You like him.**
“Logan? Yes. I like him a lot.”
**Soon you’ll have cubs.**
“It’s… We haven’t really talked about it.” It felt weird, to discuss with Wolverine like this.
**Small cubs running around… I’ll teach them to hunt.**
“Isn’t that the job for their father?” Marie asked. Wolverine reached its paw and cradled her cheek with it, eyes blazing in the moonlight.
**I’ll be as much their father as the man is. I’ll be as much your mate as the man is. If everything goes well, and he’ll have a long life, eventually we’ll merge completely.**

**You didn’t know?** Wolverine rumbled surprised. She had stood up and backed away from it.
“No. I didn’t. Was… Is this all some sort of scheme to take over Logan completely? Because if it is, I swear I will pump him full of cure before the next full moon, and before every full moon after that!” Marie hissed.
**It’s not like that. I won’t take over. He won’t take over. We… Bond. Become one. It happens very rarely. Only few survive long enough.**
“I wonder why…” Marie spat.
“And give me one good reason why I should let it happen?”
**It’s the way things should be. No half-animal, half-man, but one whole creature born from both worlds.**

She didn’t know what to think about Wolverine’s revelation. Did Logan know about it? About what was going to happen eventually? She had told Wolverine that she needed to be alone for a while. Wolf had understood her need and left, probably to finish its meal before sun rose and man would emerge once again.

Was it even possible to combine two so different beings? Logan came from light and sun, his only goal to eradicate creatures that threatened humanity. Wolverine was the darkness, a thing lurking in the shadows, keeping men and women like Logan constantly alert. Would the bonding destroy both of them? Or would it make them stronger, more stable?

She couldn’t help wondering would the bonding affect Logan’s appearance. They hadn’t known each other very long, and big part of her affection towards him came from his rugged, yet handsome and honest outer appearance. She had fallen in love with his hazel eyes and that wild tangle of dark hair. Would they be gone for good after bonding? Being replaced with yellow eyes of a beast and sharp, elongated canines?

In the end it would be Logan’s decision, but she felt like she had something to say over the matter, too. After all, she had promised to be his wife.
“How can he not know? He has spent almost his whole life hunting those things. It’s in his head, for crying out loud… He has to know! And yet he said nothing!” She suddenly realized. So when Logan staggered from the bushes, still little shaken and dazed from his transformation, she didn’t welcome him with open arms. She turned her back instead, telling him to get dressed, because they needed to talk.

“Did you know about it?” She asked, standing with her legs parted as wide as her shoulders, her hands crossed over her chest. She was angry. Angry as hell, but least she could do was to give him a chance to explain.
“Know about what?” Logan asked, squinting his eyes against the bright beams of sunlight.
“About bonding.” Confused frown settled over Logan’s features.
“Bonding?”
“I talked with Wolverine. Apparently you two will ‘bond’ completely if we allow it to happen.”
“Bullshit. I have never heard of anything like that happening,” Logan grunted.
“Wolverine said you would become one creature. That it was something that was supposed to happen.”
“And you believed it?” Logan asked.
“It may be willing to protect you, but you can’t trust a thing that comes out of its mouth! It’s a wolf! The bonding will most likely mean that eventually it’ll be strong enough to take over my body for good!”
“Why would it lie about something like that?” Marie asked.
“I don’t know. Maybe to keep us from pumping me full of cure before the full moon?” Logan grunted bitterly.
”This little experiment is over. As soon as wolf retreats I’ll start the treatment again…” He muttered.

“We should get going. We’re too close to that village. Last night brother Jeremiah kept Wolverine occupied, but I don’t think there’s enough of him left anymore… It’s already trying to suggest we should take a room from the tavern down there and spend a night…” Horses were still reluctant to let Logan close, but he gave them no option. Mule was calmer, didn’t even flinch when Logan walked to it and started loading their belongings to its back.
“It’ll be quite crowded from now on. Two more villages after this one before we reach the next longer stretch of open road. We’ll have to hurry. We’ll have to make it before the sunset. Can’t have Wolverine coming out around other people…”
“Can’t we just turn back and go to Claude’s place?” Marie asked.
“I wish it were that simple… Claude is… I can’t count on him anymore. He may not hurt us, or me by himself, but it’s his duty to alert hunters after me if I show my face around there ever again. We can’t go back there.”
“What are we going to do, then?”
“Hunt. We will hunt.”

“Stop that or I’ll swear I’ll smack some sense to that small brain of yours!” Logan growled. His horse kept bucking and whinnying, trying to throw him off from the saddle. It didn’t like a bit being straddled with potentially dangerous predator, and made its opinion very clear. Both horse and the rider were noisy and sweating profusely, and Marie couldn’t help wondering how they were going to get through village unnoticed. Logan’s yellow eyes and two sharp canines jutting from his upper jaw wouldn’t help much in the matter.
“This won’t work,” she finally stated the obvious when Logan’s horse decided to revert to desperate measures. It reached to the side and bit Logan. Hard. Hard enough to sunk its blunt teeth through cloth of his trousers and calf muscle, drawing blood. Logan grunted, more annoyed than worried and gave up, lowering himself from the saddle and handing Marie reigns of his mount. Horse threw him a nervous glance and hid behind one Marie was riding.
“We’ll have to split. I’ll go round villages by foot, you can ride through them. We’ll meet again later,” he said, inspecting already healing wound on his leg.
“Do we have enough time?” Marie asked worried. Logan glanced quickly upwards to the sky where sun was traveling slowly, but steadily.
“I don’t know. We’ll just have to find out…”

She rode slowly, leading the mule and Logan’s horse, keeping an eye on her surroundings, but her mind was few kilometers away southwards, on Logan. She had passed the first village on their route with no problems, but she had no way of knowing if Logan had pulled it through. She could only hope, and imagine him running somewhere in the woods, racing against the sun and the moon, battling the wolf’s call. She couldn’t even begun to understand the true nature of it, how it affected him, but she had seen glimpses of it. Small slipups when Logan wasn’t alert enough, and wolf shone through stronger, making him snarl and growl under his breath, and his muscles twitch. How on earth had she been so naïve to think something good could come out of its presence? Had its unique, protective streak towards her made her forgot its treacherous mindset? Forgot how hard it had been to deal with her father when he was under the influence of the full moon, beast in him in turn begging, and in turn threatening, trying to lure her to remove the chains so it could get free. Had she really been willing to give in, and let Wolverine take over Logan?
“But it sounded so good…” To have the best from both worlds.

Second village came in to her view. Small, quiet place, just five houses cooped up together. She was about to ride closer, when Logan’s voice calling her name stopped her.
“Marie…” He stumbled to the path from the woods, out of breath; sweat pouring from him in sheets. He had left his jacket and weapons with her, and simple white shirt he wore clung to his body almost like a second skin.
“What?” She asked. Logan leaned forward, placing his palms over his knees, trying to steady his breathing.
“I can’t make it. It’s already past noon… I can’t run any faster…”
“What are we going to do now?” Marie asked. Logan grimaced.
“That’s not all… As soon as Wolverine emerges, it’ll find out this will be its last chance for freedom… It’s just a guess, but it may not be very safe company for you…”
“Oh, Goddess…”
“Your Goddess won’t help you now. But there must be a blacksmith in at least one of these villages. Go and get iron chain…”

She had taken a risk, and instead of finding a blacksmith she had ridden back to the place where brother Jeremiah had had Wolverine captured. She had left Logan’s horse and the mule back, and they were waiting her with Logan, but she rather wasted few hours than took the chance that the blacksmith got curious and started asking wrong questions, like what a lady was going to do with shackles. There were only few moments left before sun would completely disappear below horizon when she finally returned to Logan who was pacing nervously back and forth.

“What took you so long?” He spat when she landed from the saddle and threw the shackles to his feet. His eyes narrowed when he realized he knew those shackles quite intimately.
“You went back there?” He hissed. Marie nodded.
“Wasn’t a pretty sight. Wolverine… It really hated brother Jeremiah…” She whispered, closing her eyes against the bout of nausea that tried to take over her once again. She heard metal clinking.
“I need your help with these…” Logan grunted. She opened her eyes. He already had slipped the collar on, and was wrapping the chain attached to it around thick fir. She had brought rest of brother Jeremiah’s equipments along as well, and from his bag Logan had found an iron manacles meant for hands and feet, and a cruel looking device that Marie could only keep guessing what it was for.
“Put these on.” Logan had chained his feet, and gave her manacles meant for his hands, extending his hands with his wrists together.
“What’s this for?” Marie asked, showing him the device she had been wondering.
“A muzzle. If it gets noisy, put it on. But watch your fingers…”

They watched the setting sun together, only sounds soft clinking of the chain and Logan’s ragged breathing.
“Marie… Just remember… I love you. Okay?” He squeaked when small trickle of blood escaped from his nose. She could hear something tearing inside of him. Wolverine was coming.

**What the hell is this?** Wolverine snarled when it found itself shackled. Marie suppressed shiver and stood tall and straight in front of it.
“You lied. There’s no such thing as bonding.” She managed to mask the trembling of her voice almost perfectly.
**Really? And this is the payback? What’s next? Some whipping, perhaps?**
“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t put a bullet in to your skull and end this for once and for all…” Marie hissed. Wolverine smirked, revealing a gleaming row of teeth.
**Wouldn’t that ruin your plans for the future… With that pathetic hunter you’re mating with…**
“Shut up.”
**You could do so much better… Just a one small nick, and come the next full moon you would know how good it feels with a real wolf…**
“Shut up.”
**Just a small bite… We could hunt together… Mate together… We could have a pack…**
“Shut up!”
**Make me,** wolf dared her, turning its gleaming eyes to the muzzle.
**I won’t bite… Too hard…**

She turned her back nauseated. To think she had actually talked with the beast, trusted to it… All she wanted to do right now was to force it out from Logan. Beat it, drown it to the cure, make it release the man she loved.
“Two nights, and it will be over…” She whispered. All she had to do was to endure two short nights of insults and threats, and Logan would be back for good.
**Immunity is not unheard of…** Wolf chuckled.
“Be silent!”
**Cure may force me to stay away for a while, but do you really think it’ll work forever? From where do you think all those wolves hunters chase come from? Cure isn’t exactly a secret…** Wolverine snickered.
“I’m not listening…” Marie huffed and walked away.
**Go! Run, little bitch! Before I get out of these chains and eat you!**

She didn’t run, and she didn’t walk very far, either. Just far enough to block out Wolverine’s taunting voice. Logan had suggested using a muzzle if it got too noisy, but she wasn’t going to stick her fingers anywhere near those jaws. She could hear horses and the mule shuffling nervously in the darkness. She walked to them. Time to eat. And start working. There had been ten small vials of cure in brother Jeremiah’s bag, but they needed more. Much more.

She wasn’t sure what had possessed her to buy and gather ingredients needed to prepare the cure, but she had everything she needed, neatly packed to the bottom of the backpack. She gathered enough dry wood to keep the fire going through the process and lit a campfire. Took out garlic, silver and holy water and went upon her task.

Rustling of dry branches woke her up. Fire had gone out hours ago and she had fallen asleep, cradling a small pouch filled with vials of cure against her chest. Sun was rising. Again something moved. More rustling.
“Logan?” She called out. Instead of man she had been waiting for a small rabbit wobbled from the bushes, and upon noticing her fled back to the thick undergrowth. At least wolverine was gone again. She doubted if the rabbit would have gotten this close if the wolf was still trashing in its chains.

Logan was sitting on the ground, free from chains and manacles, leaning his back against a tree. Bits and pieces of fur still clung to his skin and he was shivering slightly.
“Good morning,” Marie greeted him. He just kept staring to nothingness. She reached her hand, but he flinched away from her, soft warning growl rumbling from deep inside of him.
“Watch it…” She pulled her hand away confused.
“Silver. Garlic juice. Holy water,” Logan rumbled the list of ingredients.
“You have those on your skin. Scent of it… It makes me sick.” He still didn’t look at her.
“But… You’re going to take the cure later, right?” Marie asked with wavering voice.
“Later. Yeah. Now? Stay the hell away from me. Go and pack our stuff. I’ll get dressed and run past that last village. There’s a small lake ahead. Meet me there before the sunset.”
“Okay…” She turned to leave.
“Oh, shit…” She heard Logan huffing. Clink of iron when it fell from his lap when he stood up.

“Come here…” Logan’s hand landed on her shoulder and he spun her around, backing her against the tree. His lips sought hers, his strong hands cupping her face and his body grinding against hers. He was trembling.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…” She cut off his pleading voice by kissing him again, whimpering slightly, wanting to touch him, her hands hanging limply on her sides. Logan grasped her wrists and brought her hands to his hips, hissing and grimacing slightly from the contact.
“No, I don’t want to hurt you…” Marie tried to push him away. Logan snarled and grasped her wrists harder.
“It hurts, but it doesn’t matter. It riles up Wolverine. Throws it off from balance. And we can’t really do this without you touching me…” He purred, lowering his head to her throat and nipping her lightly, letting go of one of her wrists and letting his hand wander downwards, settling it to the crotch of her pants and giving her a slight squeeze.
“Oh…” Her hips bucked instinctively, trying to get more pressure from his palm.
“Take your clothes off.” She shed her pants and shirt hurriedly; feverish gleam in Logan’s eyes telling now wasn’t the time for gentleness and drawing it out slowly.

He held her against the tree and entered with one swift thrust, making her gasp from sudden intrusion.
“Wrap you legs around me…” Logan urged her, hoisting her up from behind her knees, opening her completely.
“Be careful…” She whispered, finding it hard to relax. She knew Logan wouldn’t let her fall, he wouldn’t intentionally hurt her in any way, but there was simply so much of him wrapped around her and inside of her. He practically dwarfed her smaller frame with his bulk.
“I won’t hurt you. You don’t have to be afraid,” Logan whispered, his eyes locked to hers. His hands left her legs and cupped her face.
“I won’t hurt you…” He rocked his hips slowly, barely moving inside of her, but providing delicious friction to her clit. She winced a bit when she felt the bark of the tree scraping her back. Logan turned around, bending his knees so that she rested on top of his thighs. His hands cupped her buttocks and he started grinding against her, moving in and out of her core more rapidly. She clung to his shoulders, now completely oblivious to their surrounding, her whole being narrowing around the slick cavern and his cock pounding in there. She could hear Logan gasping and cursing silently. There was something slick and wet under her palms.
“Don’t… Don’t look… Just feel…” Logan hissed when she was about to open he eyes. And she felt. Felt every move he made. Shifting of muscle. Small twitches. His hands kneading her buttocks. His lips and tongue leaving a moist trail over her breasts. Dull teeth clamping over her nipples finally released the tension that had been building inside of her, and she came, with Logan close on her heels.

“Oh, Goddess! Why didn’t you tell me anything?” She exclaimed. Skin on Logan’s shoulders had blistered, and partly peeled off. Small trickles of blood were flowing over his chest. He was smiling.
“It doesn’t matter…” He slid his hand between her thighs, fingers brushing through her wet curls, and brought them in front of her face.
“This is what matters. Us.” She could smell their combined scent. Curiosity got the better of her. She grabbed his hand and licked his fingers. One tentative lick. Logan growled, closing his eyes.
“Christ…” She braved herself and suckled his index finger. It didn’t taste bad. Just different.
“Marie… I will throw you down and fuck you again if you don’t stop that right now. And we don’t have time for fooling around. We have to get moving.”

She felt reckless and giddy. Horses and the mule seemed to understand her elevated mood, and put on their best behavior, obeying her from the slightest hint. Logan had used foul language. He had treated her roughly. Yet she hadn’t felt this loved never before. This wanted. Logan wanted her. Logan. Next night would be the last for Wolverine. Last night they would be letting it out. After that it would be only her and Logan.

Few hours before the sunset she reached the lake Logan had told her about. To her surprise Logan was already there, waiting for her.
“You sure took your time!” He grumbled, but his smile betrayed his amusement.
“I only stopped to eat once!” She huffed, landing from the saddle and tying the reigns of the animals to a fir before going over to where Logan sat on a rock, dangling his feet in the water. There were small tears in his clothes, and cloth had been tattered with blood.
“What happened?” Marie asked, taking in his slightly rumpled appearance. Logan smirked and reached to his side.
“Found some roses on my way here…” He handed her a single flower, more of a bud than an actual rose.
“Wasn’t really looking for my steps. Wanted to get here in time. Fell down a small slope and these were growing at the bottom of it. Took quite a while to pluck out all the thorns from my hide. I think there’s still few in my back, couldn’t reach there…” He shrugged off his shirt. She found the thorns easily, one lodged just under his left shoulderblade, another to the small of his back.

“Ahh… Much better…” Logan murmured lying on his back to the ground as soon as she had plucked off offending pieces of greenery. She stretched next to him, laying her head to his chest.
“Last night…” She whispered, letting her fingers play with his chest hair. She could hear Logan’s heart beating faster.
“Yeah. I’ll start taking the cure every day. Starting tomorrow morning. Who knows, maybe I’ll manage to drown that bastard…”
“Logan… It said something to me last night. About the cure…” Marie started. Logan grunted annoyed.
“You can’t trust a thing that comes out of that mouth!”
“But it kind of made perfect sense. It said that the cure isn’t permanent.”
“I know it isn’t permanent. That’s why I have to keep taking it for the rest of my life. You knew it already. What’s the problem?” Logan asked puzzled.
“Wolverine doesn’t believe it’ll work for long. It said that it would probably come immune to it after a while,” Marie whispered, clutching him tighter.
“I doubt it. And even if it happens… It’ll take quite some time. We’ll just have to figure out something else before it happens. A new cure.”

“We still have some time left. Want to go swimming?”
“I don’t know… Isn’t the water awfully cold at this time of year?” Marie asked hesitantly.
“Doesn’t feel cold,” Logan said, wiggling his feet under the rippling surface of the lake.
“I…”
“Suit yourself. I’m going in,” Logan smirked, shedding his clothes and walking deeper before diving under water.

She watched in awe when he rose back to surface and stood up, water sloshing and rippling just below his ribcage. She couldn’t understand how somebody could be so trusting and completely at ease when surrounded with that much water. She wasn’t afraid of water, but she couldn’t swim, either. There hadn’t been trips to lakes and ponds in her childhood. She seriously doubted whether anybody in her home village could actually swim.

“Come on! What are you waiting for? It’s warm!”
“I… I can’t swim…” She confessed blushing. It was stupid, really. To feel that awkward. She knew many people who couldn’t. But Logan looked so perfect, water trickling down his shoulders and chest, dark hair slicked back from his forehead, those yellow eyes finally twinkling from genuine joy instead of being clouded over from worry and guilt. She felt like she was ruining the moment from him.
“So? Come over here, I won’t let you drown. This feels great!”

“You were right.” After she had gotten over her initial fear and hesitation it felt rather nice. Surprisingly warm water lapping against the underside of her breasts, her legs wrapped up tightly around Logan’s waist while he waded slowly deeper, keeping one hand anchored firmly around her waist.
“I used to swim all the time when I was younger. There’s a small pond near Claude’s place. They used to joke about it. Told me I would grow out fins and gills if I wasn’t careful…”
“Nope. No gills in there. Just ugly beard…” Marie giggled little nervously.
“Ugly? Don’t like hairy men?” Logan asked raising his eyebrow.
“You sure could use shaving. Don’t mind hair in general, but that stubble is kind of scratchy… Oh! What was that?”
“What was what?” Logan asked grinning. She felt it again. Something brushing against her in the water. Gliding over her folds. Feather-light touch.
“We still have time…” Logan murmured bowing his head and planting a soft kiss to her lips.
“Are… Are you sure?” She squeaked grabbing his shoulders when he started to rub her clitoris with the tip of his cock.
“Uh-huh… Still an hour left before the sun sets…”

Familiar, tingly warmth was slowly spreading from the pit of her stomach, making her most secret spot soften, and slicking it. She was already gasping out of breath when Logan slid inside of her, every muscle under her palms bunching and coiling.
“Oh…” It felt different than before. Water had cooled his cock, and she could feel it more clearly than ever before. Every vein, every ridge, rubbing from all the right places. Even Logan seemed to notice the difference, tilting his head backwards and hissing from the contact.
“So hot…” He muffled their combined cry by devouring her lips to a bruising kiss.

“I hate this…” She kicked the chain and glared at it.
“Just do it. After tonight it’ll be over,” Logan said putting on the collar. Just a moment ago he had made love with her in the lake, now she was supposed to chain him like an animal that he was going to turn all too soon.
“Are you sure?” Marie asked fighting to keep back tears that threatened to fall. Logan refused to look her in the eyes.
“I’m sure. We will find a way to get rid of it.”

They ate in silence. There was not a trace of Logan’s earlier playfulness in him. Wolverine was already pushing through, making him attack their simple meal like it was something to be eviscerated. Probably much like Wolverine had done to brother Jeremiah the night before. Transformation crept over him at slower pace than before. At first she didn’t even notice it. Logan’s breathing had gotten harsher, labored, and thin sheen of perspiration covered his features, but that was expected. As was the growing clumsiness and small twitches all over his frame. Suddenly he tore his eyes from the bread he was holding and turned his gaze towards the darkening sky where moon was slowly rising.
“Blood Moon… Marie… Take the horse… Leave, now!”

Horse was coughing and foaming under her. She could hear Wolverine rustling beside them in the forest. It was toying with her, like a cat with a mouse.

“Blood Moon… Iron, silver, garlic… They won’t hold it… Run!” Logan had been struggling against the transformation, pushing the wolf down with all he got. At first Marie had frozen to the place, only able to stare when change crept on in him, making his body stretch and bones bend. When his skin started to part, thick tufts of black hair pushing through the slits realization finally hit her. Tonight Wolverine would rule.

“Come on, just a little while longer…” She kept whispering and pleading. Horse was stumbling, it was ready to keel over, and several hours separated her from the sun and safety. Several long hours of blood red glow of the moon.

Horse had flinched when she jumped to it’s back, but it seemed to understand what was going on. She had heard enraged howl from behind them, chains breaking. Wolverine was free.

Forest around her was quiet. Quiet enough that she dared to stop her horse. Animal let out a shuddering breath, head drooping and long limbs trembling. Silence. Complete, utter silence. Had they outrun the beast? Had it gotten tired and taken after an easier prey? They had passed several scared deer and rabbits; maybe Wolverine had gotten distracted…

That small shred of hope was crashed to the bud when Wolverine came flying from the thicket, crashing against the horse she was riding and sending them all to the ground. Wolf’s jaws locked around horse’s hind leg. Sickening snap, and horse was whining and flailing helplessly on the ground, bone crushed. It wouldn’t be running anymore.
“Oh, Goddess… No…” Marie whimpered, dragging herself with her bare hands through the moss and leaves covering the ground.
**Your Goddess isn’t here to help you now.** Strong paw locked around her ankle and she was being dragged backwards, towards the panting beast. She rolled on her back to face the wolf. It was clearly as exhausted as her horse had been, black fur sweaty and clinging to its skin.
“Let go!” She kept screaming and kicking until Wolverine rolled on top of her, anchoring her against the ground with its massive frame.
**Your Goddess isn’t here tonight, little witch. This night belongs to me.**
“No! Logan! Logan!” She tried to scratch wolf’s face. It let out an annoyed snort and trapped her hands above her head with one giant paw.
**I’ll let you choose. Do you wish to live?**

Question gave her more strength and she was able to squirm loose from Wolverine’s hold. She managed to take few swaying steps before she felt hard grip around her ankle again. Ground rose and she collided with it with a hard thud, scraping her hands and knees.

**Do you wish to live?** Wolverine asked again, fanged snout hovering only inches from her face, scent of death and decay oozing from its breath. One paw wrapped around her throat made breathing difficult, other clawed limb was already tearing off her trousers and shirt. Wolverine was being careful not to scratch her skin, but Marie knew it would change soon. As soon as she gave her answer. Depending on it Wolverine would either tear her open or just bite her.
“Logan, please…”
**He’s not here…** Wolverine started with arrogant voice, jaws hovering over her now exposed breasts, thick tendrils of sticky drool slicking her skin. Marie squeezed her eyes shut when she felt something hard and hot poking her thigh.
**I’m asking this for the last time. Do you wish to live?** She was about to answer when wolf suddenly froze and started gagging, letting go of her and retreating.
**I’m here… Don’t know how long… Run!** Logan’s hazel eyes peered from wolf’s face. He was backing away from her, fighting for every inch of distance he managed to put between them.
**Run little bitch, run! I’ll catch you again!** Wolverine mocked and tried to lunge forward. Logan’s hold over it held, but she had no way of telling how long their luck would last.

She grabbed a sturdy-looking branch. It was heavy, but not too heavy. She was strong enough to swing it and sweep Wolverine down on its knees. She hesitated for a moment when wolf whimpered.
**Do it.** Logan spoke, every muscle quivering from the strain. Wolverine was trying to get up. Man was fighting tooth and nail to keep it down.
”I’m sorry…” She swung the branch. It connected with Wolverine’s head, throwing it to the side, breaking the thick neck. Wolverine fell limp to the ground.

She threw away the branch and walked to the fallen beast. It was still breathing, but its neck was bent to an awkward angle.
**You may have won this time… I’ll be back…** It hissed, bitter gleam in its yellow eyes.
“No. You won’t be if I have anything to say about it…” She spat collapsing next to it on her knees, exhausted and out of breath. At the moment wolf was as harmless as a kitten, connections between its brain and body torn and broken. It would heal, but not fast enough to hurt her anymore tonight. First thing in the morning she would give Logan the cure.

First rays of sun woke her up. Wolverine was already gone. Logan had transformed while she slept, and was sitting few steps away from her, leaning against a tree trunk.
“Hi. How are you?” Marie asked little hesitantly. Logan rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck.
“You did good. Found a way to stop the beast before it killed you. Or hurt you in some other way…” He hadn’t gotten dressed yet.
“How do you feel? Are you alright?” Marie asked, scooting closer to him. Logan smiled weakly and nodded.
“Yes. I’m all right. My left hand is still numb, but otherwise everything’s okay.”

“Do you want the good news or the bad news first?” Marie asked when they were walking back to the lake.
“Bad?”
“We’re out of silver. Everything else we need for the cure is easy to find, but…”
“And the good news?”
“We have enough cure for a month.”
“Then bad news aren’t that bad. We can sell the mule and I can work for the silver.”
“Hunt?” Marie asked. Logan shook his head.
“Hunters don’t get paid for what they do.”
“Then how do you live? From where do you get money?”
“I work. There’s always somebody who needs an extra pair of hands to help around the house or fields. Craftsmen who need help. Merchants who pay for escorting them through rough regions. There are ways to get by if you’re willing to get your hands dirty.”
“Oh… I thought…”
“It wouldn’t be right to take money from hunting. Those people, they usually haven’t done a thing to deserve a vampire, wolf or some other monstrosity coming knocking on their door.”
“Then why do you do it? Why do you hunt, put your life in danger on behalf of complete strangers?” Marie asked confused.
“Because I can.”

They washed the grit and grime accumulated on them during the previous night, Logan looking more than ashamed when he finally noticed how torn Marie’s clothes were. They got dressed and ate what little they had left.

“There’s a town coming up ahead, just few hours ride. Do we have any money or silver left?” Logan asked.
“We have few copper coins. No silver,” Marie told him after checking the purse Logan had left in her care three nights ago.
“How many copper?”
“Five.”
“After we get in to town we sell the mule. It’s worth at least two silver coins. We can rent a room for a month with those, and there should be enough to keep us fed, too. I’ll start looking for work as soon as we get there.”
“I could find something, too. I can wash laundry. I’m a good cook. I can sew and…”
“What kind of a man I would be if my wife had to work?” Logan asked with a clipped tone.
“But… I thought…” Marie stammered, turning her gaze towards the ground, missing the amused smile on Logan’s face.
“At least for now you have to work. We both have to. I’m sorry about that. Still want to get married?” He asked.
“What’s wrong with wanting to work?” Marie asked, cheeks burning bright red from anger and embarrassment.
“Nothing wrong with that. Just wanted to make sure that you know what you’re agreeing to. I won’t be able to provide you small house standing on a land we own. What you see right now is what you’re getting. There’s no rich relatives, no money, no property.”
“We’ll be the perfect match, then,” Marie smiled. Logan nodded, brushed the breadcrumbs from his lap and stood up, offering his hand to her.
“And there will be no fancy wedding at the church, either. I have an inkling that getting over the threshold of such a holy place would be quite impossible for me now,” he said with apologetic tone. Marie took his hand and let him pull her up before leaning against him and wrapping her arms around him.
“I don’t care about treasures. I don’t care about Gods and Goddesses. Not as long as you’re with me. I am your wife.”

Marie was relieved to notice that the town Logan had spoken about, Ravensholm wasn’t much bigger than her home village had been. She had been quite nervous on their ride there, trying to imagine what her life would be in a crowded, messy and noisy town, but when they rode through the front gates all her anxieties vanished to thin air. Ravensholm consisted of church, Inn, Tavern, few shops of craftsmen and few two-story houses surrounding a marketplace.

“It’s not big, but I have a feeling we’ll do just fine in here. At least for a while…” Logan muttered when they tied their horses in front of the tavern.
“I like this place. It’s… Peaceful. Reminds me of home,” Marie said, smile spreading to her lips.
“Home? Do you miss it? Miss those people?” Logan asked sounding surprised. Marie shook her head.
“Not the people. The place. I… I don’t know how to explain it…” She struggled to find the right words.
“I know what you mean. But sometimes… Sometimes you can’t go back home. You just have to keep going until you find something better…” Logan spoke, squeezing her shoulder briefly.
“Go and ask from the tavern if they know anybody willing to rent a room. I’ll go and sell the mule,” He continued.

She entered to Wild Goose with some hesitation. She had been in tavern before, but never alone. Waiting to face a drunken crowd of rowdy men she let out a surprised gasp when door opened in front of her to reveal almost empty room, with only few customers sitting in front of fireplace, and tavern keeper polishing nearly spotless counter. Customers paid her a quick glance before settling back to their hushed conversation.

She crossed the floor and sat to a stool in front of the counter. Big, beer-bellied man behind it smiled at her.
“What will it be for the lady?” He asked.
“My husband and I are looking for a place to stay…” Marie started. Man’s smile faltered a bit.
“Then you’d be better off at the opposite end of the marketplace, at Traveler’s Rest.”
“Oh, no. No. We’re planning to stay in town for a while, and were hoping we could rent a room, rather than spend our money to the Inn,” Marie explained hurriedly. Man behind the counter shook his head.
“You’re out of luck, I’m afraid. Nobody around here is willing to let strangers in to their home.”
“Thanks… I guess. I better go and see my husband…” Marie slid down from the stool.
“And if you’re planning to stay anyway, I’d suggest you spend your nights at the Inn. It’s not safe out there at night…” Words were shouted after her through the closing door.

It took her a while to find Logan. He was currently negotiating with the blacksmith when Marie finally spotted him.
“… And it’s a good animal. Young, healthy…”
“I don’t care if it was shitting pure gold. One silver. Take it or leave it,” blacksmith said firmly.
“One silver and a place to stay over a month?” Marie proposed. Both men looked up from the mule they had been staring at.
“And who are you?” Blacksmith asked.
“My wife.”
“You let her run her mouth like that?” Blacksmith asked. Marie started to regret her abrupt participation to the conversation. Logan’s gaze darkened.
“Let her? She’s my wife. Not my dog. She doesn’t need my permission to speak her mind.” For a moment blacksmith stood, eyes darting back and forth between them. He seemed to become to some sort of conclusion.
“Women should be seen, not heard. But you seem like a decent folks. One silver, and a room for a month. She’s helping Catherine around the house as well, and we have a deal.” Marie opened her mouth to protest, but Logan nodded and shook hands with the blacksmith.
“We have a deal.”

“There’s something wrong around here,” she said when they walked off from the blacksmith.
“Yes. I noticed it as soon as we rode in,” Logan said.
“It’s too quiet. No merchants. People are staying in their homes. Everybody seems to be afraid of something.”
“Man running the tavern told that it isn’t safe around here at night.”
“That’s what the blacksmith said. When I asked him about it, he started to babble about robbers and muggers. What ever it really is, they are not willing to talk about it,” Logan whispered when they skirted past a herd of children playing on the street.
“It’s weird. They don’t seem to mind their children playing out here…”
“Noticed something? They’re all girls,” Logan said scrunching his forehead.
“What does that have to do with anything? Boys are probably helping their fathers at the fields.”
“They might be. I hope they are…”

Marie visited the church in under pretense of a need to pray, and managed to fill a small flask with holy water. Garlic they could acquire from the Wild Goose, or from some of the farms surrounding the town. Silver dust was a bit more complicated. Since town wasn’t big enough to support a jeweler, Logan doubted if they could find what they needed from Ravensholm.

“There’s a bigger town due north from here. Two days on horse. Tirgoviste. There’s several jewelers in there.”
“Tirgoviste? That’s a strange name…” Marie wondered. Logan nodded.
“Founder of the place came across the sea about hundred years ago. Foreigner. Named the place after his home village. Name stuck.”
“Have you been there before?” Marie asked. Again Logan nodded.
“Few times. Not a pleasant place…”
“When do we leave?” Marie asked.
“We?”
“You’re not taking me with you?”
“I think it’s better if you stayed here with John and Catherine. It’s safer that way.” Thought of spending her time alone at the mercies of the blacksmith made a shiver run down Marie’s spine.
“You’re not serious!” She exclaimed. Logan sighed.
“I am. Tirgoviste is not a nice place. You think blacksmith was disgusting?” He asked. Marie nodded.
“He wasn’t half as bad as people in Tirgoviste. They still believe in slavery. In here a woman can expect to get some sort of compensation of the work she’s putting in, but in Tirgoviste it’s whole an other issue. They would probably kidnap you and sell you to highest bidder. You’re young, healthy, good-looking…”
“I think I stay here and help Catharine.” Marie was many things but she wasn’t stupid.
“Good choice. I won’t be leaving right away. We have to find out first what’s going on in here.”

They ate at the tavern before they returned to blacksmith’s house. John was still working at his shop, but his wife, Catharine was already waiting for them.
“John told me you were coming when he came to eat. I have your room ready…” small woman, probably close to Marie’s age explained while guiding them through the house.
“It’s not big, but…” She pushed open a door, revealing small room with a narrow bed and small cabinet for clothes.
“This will do just nicely, ma’am,” Logan said smiling.
“I leave you two to settle down. When you’re ready, you can find me from the kitchen,” Catharine said and left them.

“She seemed nice,” Marie noted when they started putting away their clothes and other belongings to the cabinet.
“She has to be nice. John would probably spank her black and blue if she did something wrong…” Logan muttered and Marie gasped.
“Are you sure?” She asked. Logan frowned.
“I’m not sure about anything. Usually, when I come in to town, I can get a hang of things pretty quickly. I can blend in. Now… This whole thing’s a mess. Things are out of place. Everything seems little too normal. Little too perfect. And there are many things that make absolutely no sense at all.”

Marie started to think about their short trek through the town. Small houses built from stone. Shingled roofs. Narrow streets paved with cobblestones. Horses with carts and carriages. Cows. Chickens. Muck and filth on the ground. Few people still braving the potential danger shying away from them when they passed rather than taking an interest to the obvious strangers. Children playing… Had they actually been playing? Or had they just stood there, whispering quietly to each other?
“They all seem somehow reluctant to have us here. And yet…”
“Yet you got the feeling that they wouldn’t let you go even if you wanted to leave?” Logan asked.
“Like they were all talking about you behind your back? Staring at you?”
“What is going on in here?” Marie whispered. Logan sat on the bed, sighing heavily.
“I don’t know. I have never experienced anything like this. On the surface everything seems perfectly normal, but beneath… There’s something so wrong, so goddamned wrong that it’s pushing through no matter how hard they try to hide it.”
”And you think this is better place to stay for me, than coming with you in to Tirgoviste?” Marie asked. Logan snorted.
“Even Hell would be a better place than Tirgoviste…”

Tirgoviste. She could see the lights in the distance and urged her horse forward. She was tired, hungry and soaked through from the rain that had started pouring down from the sky hours ago with unrelenting pace, seemingly trying to drown her. She had to find him. She had to find Logan before the sunrise.

They had found out quickly enough what caused the uneasiness at Ravensholm. A small gathering of vampires, four of them. As soon as they had found them, they had gotten rid of three of them relatively easily. Fourth one had taken off and disappeared. Logan had been reluctant to leave, but Marie had assured him that she would be just fine. From the looks of it vampire had gotten scared, and wouldn’t be bothering the town for quite some time, and she had started to like their hosts. She was doing daily chores around the house with Catharine, and even John had warmed to her brave and lively way of handling things.

They hadn’t counted on the possibility of a fifth vampire. The leader of the gathering.

Tirgoviste was the exact opposite of Ravensholm. Though it was the early hours of dawn, narrow streets were buzzing with people, most of them overly drunk after having spent the entire night under the roofs of several taverns situated around the marketplace. They were noisy, obnoxious and oblivious to their surroundings, minding only their own business and getting in to fights over even smallest things. She steered her mount carefully through the crowd, not daring to step down from the saddle.

“Logan… Where the hell are you?” Marie muttered under her breath when the horse whinnied and took nervous sidesteps to avoid trampling a passed out drunkard under its hooves. Scent of feces, alcohol and sweet herbs floated thick in the air, making her stomach turn.

Finally, after what felt like hours of wandering around in the filth, she spotted a jeweler’s shop. She decided to stop and ask directions. Maybe Logan had been there. Maybe the jeweler could help finding him. Horizon was starting to pale already when she landed from the saddle and tied the reigns of her horse in front of the shop. She took a step towards the door, when a heavy hand suddenly landed on her shoulder. She gasped and spun around, her hand going to the handle of the sword that hung on her hip.
“What the hell are you doing in here?” Logan demanded with an angry voice.
“I came looking for you. I found you!” Marie managed to utter. Suddenly world spun around her wildly. Her knees were giving up. Only thing holding her upright was Logan. She managed to grab a hold from the lapels of his jacket before she would have collapsed to the dirt in the ground. Logan cursed softly and hauled her up in his arms.
“What happened?” He asked. She let her whole body relax in to his embrace and let out a relieved sob.
“There were five of them.”

“Were you bitten?” Logan asked. He had carried her to the room he had gotten from the Inn when he first arrived to Tirgoviste two days earlier.
“No… I got out of there in time. But everybody else… John, Catharine, everybody in Ravensholm… They’re dead. It came as soon as the sun had set. Started going through houses. It wasn’t even eating, just killing people, tearing them to shreds with bare hands…”
“Are you sure it didn’t bite you? Scratch you?” Logan asked, narrowing his eyes and scanning her features with suspicion.
“It… I tried to stop it… It told me to watch and wait my turn. It was going to save me for the last…” She was still hungry and dizzy, but Logan had helped her to take off her wet clothes, and she was sitting in front of a fireplace, wrapped up to a blanket Logan had gotten from the bed. Logan was kneeling in front of her, both of her hands clasped to his, his eyes locked in to hers.
“Are you absolutely sure, Marie?” He asked and now she could hear the slight tremble in his voice. See the desperation burning in his eyes.
“I’m sure… What are you doing?” She asked when Logan started peeling off the blanket covering her nude body.
“Then what is this? Scrape from a branch on your way here?” He asked, placing his fingers over two, neat and scabbed puncture wounds on her thigh, near her crotch.

“I… I thought it was just a dream… Logan?” Logan was slowly backing away from her, towards the coat he had thrown carelessly over a chair in the corner.
“How long ago?”
“Logan, what…”
“How long ago it happened?” Logan asked, his face pale, nearly ashen when he pulled a wooden stake from the pocket sewn to the hem of the jacket.
“I’m not one of them! I’m not a vampire! Logan, you have to believe me!”
“Prove it,” Logan spat, taking the sharp end of the stake to his wrist and slicing the skin open.

Her first instinct should have been worry over him. Fear and repulsion towards the blood that dribbled from the wound to the floor.
“Oh, my Goddess…”

She dug her fingers to the armrests of the chair when the scent of his blood wafted over her, making her stomach cramp painfully, reminding her of the hunger that had gnawed her for the past day. For her utter terror she realized that her mouth was watering at the sight of the bright red liquid splashing on the floorboards.

“No… No! It was just a dream! I’m not one of them! I’m not…”
“A vampire. Yes, you are. Or at least becoming one. When did that bastard bit you?” Her confused mind finally managed to wrap around his question and translate it to understandable form. How long ago was she bitten? How long until she would turn?

“I was riding away from there. I had already gotten in to the forest. Horse… It got scared of something and threw me off from its back. I think I hit my head. I might have been unconscious. I could feel hands on me, but I though I just hit my head so hard that I was hallucinating… I thought…”
“How… Long… Ago?” Logan spoke slowly, inching closer to her, clutching the stake in white-knuckled grip.
“Two days. No longer. Two days. I’m pretty sure. Everything was bit hazy at first…” Now it all started to make sense to her. Urgent need to get away from the sun. Hunger that wouldn’t just go away no matter how many handfuls of berries and nuts she ate. Thirst that refused to be quenched with water she drank from the springs she found.

Stake clattered to the floor and Logan sank on his knees.
“It bit you only once. We still have five days left. Five days left to hunt it down and kill it.”
“What happens after that?” Marie asked.
“Its death should remove the curse from you. But we’ll have to go back, find the vampire that bit you and kill it in five days. If we’re late…” He didn’t have to finish his sentence.

She was squirming nervously between the cool sheets. Logan was sitting in front of the fireplace, his body stretched lazily over the chair and the footstool in front of it.
“Have you eaten?” He suddenly asked.
“I have tried. It feels like nothing’s enough. I practically ate my way through the forest last night, but it didn’t help.”
“Ate your way through the forest?” Logan asked tilting his head.
“There are berries and nuts even this time of the year. Some roots are edible. I caught a mouse, but I had to let it go. I couldn’t have gotten a fire going, and I wasn’t going to eat it raw.” Logan snorted, amused smile spreading over his features.
“No wonder you’re still hungry. You would probably feel better if you had eaten that mouse.”
“But I couldn’t cook it…”
“Blood. You’re not a vampire yet, but your body is accommodating. You want food. Your body’s after blood already,” Logan murmured, his gaze fixed to the flickering fire in front of him.
“I don’t want…” Marie tried to argue, but the rest of her sentence was cut off when Logan let go of the wrist he had been clutching, revealing the wound that still bled sluggishly.
“You want it. As much as I want it when the wolf is closer to surface.”
“Put it away…” Marie closed her eyes. She heard Logan getting up. Soft thud of his boots when he walked closer. Scent of blood enveloped her.
“Open your eyes.”
“No. Go away.”

Something warm dribbled over her face. Scent of blood and her hunger intensified. Logan’s palm clasped her cheek.
“Open your eyes.” She did as he asked. His wounded hand was hovering over her face, blood dripping on her cheeks, eyelids and lips. She spluttered and gagged, bolting upright and wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.
“What the hell are you doing!” She shouted, part angered, partly fascinated from the taste of his blood she had gotten when few drops had landed on her tongue.
“Do you want it?” Logan asked, still offering his wrist. Marie grimaced, not knowing what to do, what to say.
“Do you want it?” Logan asked again.
“No… Yes! I want it! Happy now?” She screamed, curling her hands around her sides. She could see from the corner of her eye Logan retreating and settling again in front of the fire, reaching for a rolled up strip of cloth he had taken from his jacket pocket.
“It’s easier if you accept it. Easier to stay in control if you admit it. Longer you keep denying what you want, the worse hunger is going to get, until you won’t be able to stop yourself,” he spoke softly while cleaning the wound and bandaging it.

“What are you doing?” Marie asked alerted when he started taking off his clothes. Logan cocked his eyebrow.
“I’m coming to bed. I was up all night, and I’m tired.”
“You’re… You can’t…”
“I’m not welcome to your bed anymore?” Logan asked.
“It’s not that… What if… Something happens?” Marie whispered, every muscle in her body growing tense and taut when she felt Logan slipping behind her, plastering his body against her as close as it was possible.
“Nothing’s going to happen. I missed you. Come on; let’s get some sleep. We have time to talk in the evening before we leave…” Logan muttered, planting a soft kiss to the back of her neck, curling his hands around her.
“How can you trust me?”
“You trusted enough to me by letting me in to your life.” And with that he relaxed, his powerful chest and feet molding against her rigid body. She could hear his breath deepening. He was falling asleep rapidly. She could only envy his ability to sleep under these circumstances.

She was unable to close her eyes. Logan’s right hand rested temptingly close, curled over her ribcage, bandaged wrist tucked under her chin. Scent of blood oozed from under bandages, fueling the hunger churning in her. Small trickle of red fluid had escaped, seeped through the cloth and blossomed to almost flower-shaped patch. Her eyes kept drifting to that patch no matter how hard she tried to avoid looking at it. Finally she fell to a dreamless, restless sleep.

She woke up to the scent of porridge and freshly baked bread. Logan was sitting in front of the fireplace, rubbing his chin, deep in his thoughts. When she moaned and stretched he turned to look at her.
“Hungry?” He asked. She flashed him an angry glare, fully intending to scold him, but the look on his face made her swallow the harsh words. He was tired.
“Yes. I’m hungry,” she admitted, rising from the bed and walking towards the small table standing next to Logan. There was a tray, and on the tray laid a bowl filled with oatmeal, and few loaves of bread. There was water, too, in a small pitcher. Her stomach growled, turning over from the sight of it.
“You have to eat. Your body may think you don’t need it, but you’ll keel over if you don’t eat,” Logan explained almost apologetically.
“I know. I know I have to eat. It’s just… It feels so stupid when…”
“You’re finished and you’re still hungry,” Logan finished her sentence.

“Is this how you feel when Wolverine is rising?” Marie asked, taking a spoonful of porridge, nearly choking to it before she managed to force it down to her throat.
“Nothing’s enough. You know exactly what you want, and how you could have it. And you know it wouldn’t be enough, but you still want it. Need it.” Logan’s voice was low and hushed, vibrating through the air. She realized she could hear his heartbeat as clearly as if she had her ear pressed against his chest.
“But you can’t give up. As soon as you give up, listen and obey, there’s no turning back.” She had discarded the bowl and the spoon, mesmerized by his voice, and the way his lips seemed to dance every time he spoke. All her senses were slowly waking up, sharpening.
“You can’t give up, Marie. We’ll find that vampire, and I’ll tear him to shreds for hurting you.” She stood up, her gaze following the thin, blue lines that seemed to appear and disappear just under the surface of his skin. What on earth were those? Was he sick?
“As soon as you’re ready, we can leave. We have to hurry. If it really killed everybody in Ravensholm, it has no reason to stay in that area. We have to get there before it leaves.” Logan’s words didn’t even register anymore. Tone of his voice told her he was all right, but anxious to leave. She closed the gap between them, to get a closer look of those blue lines. She placed a finger over one before it disappeared and followed it, pad of her finger sliding over his cheek, down to his jaw, along his throat and neck. She didn’t notice how quiet Logan had gotten. How tense he was. Not before he spoke again.
“What the hell are you doing?”

As soon as she realized what those lines were she backed off from him, flustered and ashamed.
“I… I can see your veins,” she said as if it would explain her behavior. Logan grunted.
“Doesn’t mean that you should stare and paw at me like I was your next meal.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to… I was just curious,” she stuttered her apology hastily. Last thing they needed was to get angry and suspicious towards each other.
“Fine. Put some clothes on and we can get going. It’s a long ride to Ravensholm,” Logan said, standing up and going over to the window.

She picked up the clothes she had been wearing earlier and scrunched her nose. Stench of wet cloth and filth was nearly unbearable.
“I can’t wear these.”
“It’s either those, or you leave with me buck naked. It’s your choice,” Logan spoke with harsh tone, keeping his back turned. Marie sighed. He was right. They were in a hurry. She hadn’t really had the time to pick up a change when she had escaped from the Ravensholm, and they certainly didn’t have the time to go buy her new clothes now.

They rode several hours in complete silence before she finally had had enough.
“You told me earlier that you trust me. Was that just a lie?” She asked. Logan stopped his horse.
“No. It wasn’t a lie. I trust you.” She could tell it was the truth, but she sensed there was more to it.
“Then what is this?” She asked. Logan turned to look at her.
“What is what?” He barked, clearly annoyed.
“You’re acting like I was the enemy.”
“I’m a hunter! And truth to be told, wolf isn’t appreciating this much either!”
“Wolf? But… The cure… You shouldn’t be able to hear it! Cure should keep it down!”
“I can’t take it before this is over!” Logan shouted.
“Why?”
“I just can’t. Come on, we have to keep going. We have to find a place to stay over the day.”
“I thought we would be riding as long as we can and…”
“You’ll see in the morning why we are stopping…”

Rest of the night they kept a swift pace, driving their horses forward so fast that Marie started to worry if they were hurting the animals. She felt dizzy, and hungry. Few times she had to stop the horse before she fell off from the saddle. Logan didn’t stay and wait, but made her catch him instead. Her head was already spinning when first rays of sun filtered through the thick foliage, making her scream in agony.

“You’re not a vampire yet, but it’s happening faster than usually, or you were unconscious longer than you think,” Logan said, cradling her against his chest. They had stopped to a shadow of a thick oak. It would provide them shelter through the whole day.
“It hurts…” That was putting it mildly. Sun had burnt her, turning her skin red and raw. She was hurting and itching all over. She could still feel the scorching heat. Hot enough to boil her eyeballs. She couldn’t stop shivering.
“I know it hurts.” She could hear his heartbeat speeding up.
“I… I can help you.” She turned to look at him. He looked pale, and he refused to look in to her eyes. He had taken off his jacket earlier, covering both of them with it. Now he was fiddling with the sleeve of his shirt, his gaze fixed to somewhere above her head and behind her. He swallowed nervously.
“I don’t think… I think it’s safe. I have the wolf in me already,” he muttered, opening the cuffs and rolling the sleeve up, baring his wrist.

She let out a small whimper. Again he was tempting her this way. Didn’t he realize what he was doing? All that skin and flesh, practically pulsating from blood and life flowing underneath. She tried to squirm away from him. Logan’s hand around her stopped her. He took a firm hold of her chin and forced her to look him in to his eyes.
“I don’t like this. But I have a feeling this will help.” With that said he released his hold from her. He fumbled for a while under his jacket until he found what he was looking for. A small knife. He used it to slice open his wrist. Scent of blood was strong enough to nearly suffocate her. Not in a bad way. Suddenly every nerve ending in her was tingling with new kind of awareness. She could only stare at the wound, and blood that was flowing, dripping from his outstretched hand to the ground.
“Drink.”
She expected him to snatch away his hand as soon as she tried to move.
“Don’t… Don’t do this to me…” She whispered. She was tired and weak from hunger, hurting. Logan wasn’t helping.
“What the hell are you waiting for? A written invitation?”

She lunged forward and grasped his hand, bringing the wound to her lips. Quick glance towards Logan from the corner of her eye told her everything she needed to know. He really didn’t like this, but he wasn’t going to back out. He had turned his head and closed his eyes, not wanting to witness what was happening.

She licked the wound experimentally. Blood. It tasted like blood. Just blood. But something in the taste had changed. She knew from earlier experience that there should have been almost bitter, metallic tang to it, but it had vanished almost completely. She could taste salt and slight twinge of copper, and something that had to be Logan.

“Hurry up. That offer won’t last long…” She heard him whisper. She stole yet another glance from him. He was breathing erratically, clutching the knife against his chest. He was betraying his every principle. She suckled the wound carefully, letting his blood fill her mouth.

“Oh, Christ…” She heard a soft clunk when the knife hit the ground. Logan’s free hand curled around her and he hauled her against him. He was trembling, and she could feel his heart thumping wildly.
“Just get it over with, okay?” He growled, tangling his fingers to her hair and pressing her lips more firmly against his wrist. She sucked in more of his blood. His grasp from her hair tightened and his lips pulled back, revealing his teeth to a grimace. Now he kept his eyes locked to hers, strange mixture of hate, revulsion, lust and love twisting in them.

“Is this why you didn’t take the cure?” Marie asked, licking last remnants of his blood from her lips. Logan stared at her, blood loss making him feel a bit drowsy.
“Yeah… Wasn’t really expecting this would happen, but my blood would have killed you to the spot if I had the cure in me…”
“You have to take it now. The wolf…”
“Is liking a bit too much of the freedom. I’m taking the cure now. Don’t expect a refill anytime soon…”

“Oh, my Goddess… What are they, Logan?”
“Ghouls.”

They had just arrived to Ravensholm. From the distance everything had looked normal. Though it was night, there were still some people walking around, and they could see flickering light of candles and fireplaces on some windows. It wasn’t before they rode in to town when horror of what had happened was revealed. Townsfolk were well past ripe, nothing but rotten corpses, swaying back and forth. Some of them missing limbs, clothes torn, huge chunks of flesh and innards scattered all around on the ground. They paid no attention to Logan, but Marie received several suspicious looks.

“Ghouls?”
“When a vampire kills someone, that someone won’t stay dead. They become ghouls. Ghouls eat dead flesh. Vampires, zombies, even other ghouls. Eventually this sorry crowd will take care of each other, we don’t have to bother. But we can’t stay here.”
“Wouldn’t we be safe? Why not stay and lure that vampire after us? These people would probably help us to get rid of it,” she proposed. Angry frown settled over Logan’s features.
“Think again, Marie. Do you really want to stay in here?” He asked.
“Why? Wouldn’t we be…”
“I’d be perfectly safe. Dead-eaters wouldn’t raise a finger against me. But it won’t take long before your body starts to die. I’m not about to start a two-front war. One vampire is big enough opponent for me. I can’t divide my attention between it and pack of ghouls trying to make a snack out of you.”
“Oh…” Shiver run down her spine and she drew closer to Logan. At first he looked reluctant, almost backing away from her, but finally threw an arm around her shoulders.
“I won’t let them anywhere near you. We’ll find that vampire and kill it before anything happens to you. You’ll get through this, I promise.”

They stayed in Ravensholm only long enough to gather some food and pick up Marie’s clothes and other belongings she had left behind when she had fled. Then they retreated fast to the forest, trying to figure out safe place to stay during daytime. Ghouls wouldn’t mind sunlight, but to Marie it would already prove lethal.

“I don’t feel so well…” She felt absolutely horrible. Hunger that had plagued her for days had turned to a nauseating, cold feeling in the pit of her stomach. She practically swam in cold sweat. Her ears, skin and eyes were unnaturally sensitive; making everything around her hurt her. Softest breeze of the wind felt like she was being whipped. Silent chirping of crickets tore her ears, and faint light of closing full moon made her eyes water.
“You’re dying. I suppose it isn’t even meant to be pleasant experience,” Logan snorted, bitterness oozing from his words and tense posture. She didn’t speak again, not before she saw something further in the woods.
“Look!”
“That’ll do for today…” Logan grunted and they urged their horses towards a small hut.

It was old, partially collapsed, but it still provided them shelter from approaching sun. They took care of their horses, made sure they had enough to eat and went in.

Floor was bare, one intact room empty from furniture, but there were no windows, and only one door led in and out.
“This is perfect. We’ll rest for the day, and go after that vampire tonight, Logan declared and stretched on the floor on his back, hands crossed behind his neck and closed his eyes.

She didn’t know what to do. She wanted nothing more than to collapse and curl against his side, to wrap herself in the warmth and security he had radiated only few days ago. Now it felt like all he had to offer was a cold shoulder and harsh words.

Ever since he had fed her with his blood he had been distant, even cruel in his words. She had taken every insult, every barked order and remark and suffered them in silence, but now she was at the end of her rope. She was dying, and he was going to sleep over the whole ordeal like it was nothing. She wanted to scream and lash out, to make him see how unjust and mean he was, but she had no strength left. Rage had been boiling and bubbling in her for two days, and now it just bled out from her, and she fell on the floor sobbing.

“What?” She could hear Logan asking. Leather of his jacket creaking.
“What’s the matter with you?” Anger. Annoyance. He practically reeked off every negative emotion she could think of.
“What the hell is matter with you?”
“I’m dying!”
“Christ… What do you want me to do?” Logan asked. She couldn’t answer. She had no answer. His annoyed tone of voice made her hurt only worse.
“Jesus, Marie… There’s nothing I can do! No matter what I do, you will die today. If we find and kill that vampire, you will live again. But right now there’s not much I can do!”
“You… You could ho… hold me…” It was degrading. Degrading to beg something he should have done the whole time. To offer her support.

“You’re burning up.” Strange. She felt cold and numb, but Logan was tearing open her clothes.
“Take these off. You’ll feel better soon enough…” She did as he told her to; shedding of every piece of garment she had on, and stood shivering in front of him. Logan shrugged off his coat and wrapped it around her, cool leather against her skin, garlic and silver tainted lining safely outside.
“It’ll get better soon.” He kept shuffling her around until he had her secured against his chest. She was already falling to that peaceful state of half-slumber when her nose caught a familiar scent wafting in the air. Her eyelids fluttered open.
“It’s safe. I haven’t taken the cure since we left Tirgoviste. Drink.”

She could only stare at him. It was hard to comprehend things. He had opened a large vein from his wrist. Blood was pooling to the floor already.
“Drink. If you get enough, it’ll keep you alive little longer.”

Instead of turning away Logan cradled her tightly against his chest while she drank. She could hear his heart, could feel it in every pulse of blood that flowed to her mouth. Wound was closing, but she kept gnawing it with her blunt teeth, keeping blood flowing. Logan didn’t even flinch. When she tried to stop he grasped her tighter against him.
“More.” His lips started to pale from blood loss.
“Wolf will keep me alive no matter what happens. You will die if you don’t take enough. Drink.”

She stood up feeling stronger than in ages. Everything was suddenly so alive and clear. Logan lay at her feet shivering, clutching his still sluggishly bleeding wrist, trying to stem the blood flow. She wanted to run and dance, laugh and embrace the darkness waiting outside. Small giggle bubbled from her lips and she spun around wildly, discarding Logan’s jacket.

Enraged snarl made her froze.
“Fuck…” Logan swore. She turned to look at him. He was crawling towards his jacket she had thrown in to corner.
“Wolf… It’s… It’s rising…”

Wolverine was coming. Yellow glow was spreading rapidly in his eyes, engulfing hazel. Fast. Too fast.
”Cure… There’s one vial left, in the pocket…” She couldn’t move. Wouldn’t move. Blood was in her veins. It was in her head. It made everything hazy and distorted, yet giving unbelievable clarity at the same time. Wolf was coming. Let it come. She would take care of it. She would take care of it, and after she was through with it, there were very little it…

“Run!” Logan’s horrified gasp brought her out of the daydream, straight in to nightmare. Wolverine was really coming. This time there would be no distractions. No traps. No waiting beside it until Logan came back. She had used all her tricks, and Wolverine knew every trick Logan had taught her, and then some.

He finally reached his jacket and fumbled through numerous pockets, joints of his fingers already cracking and bending.
“Run! This’ll keep it down a while…” Logan whispered opening the vial he pulled out. Violent spasm made him spill contents of it all over his chest and floor.

“Christ!” It was burning, clouds of steam rose from him, but to Marie it looked like he was trying to cling harder to the shirt, pull it even closer to his skin rather than tear it off. And yellow in his eyes, it wasn’t diminishing, but it wasn’t spreading either.
“Silver… You have those bracelets you bought?” Logan asked. She nodded and went to retrieve them from her backpack. She was about to put them on when Logan’s deformed hand closed around her wrist.
“Give them…”

It was hard to believe that something so small and delicate could help. Logan took all four of the bracelets and put them on, two to each wrist. They were tight, sat snuggly against his skin, nearly cutting off blood flow to his fingers. Skin underneath was burning and blistering.
“I think it’s working…” He grunted, lips drawn in to a pained grimace.

Water had been drawn to dry floorboards from the spilled cure, but there was still left soggy mess of silver and garlic. He scooped it up and rubbed it all over his face, neck and hands, hissing when it ate away skin in contact, but it really seemed to work. Yellow shine in his eyes was a mere sparkle, blinking faintly when he finally relaxed, letting out relieved huff.

The whole time she had stood, frozen to place. Now she dared to move. She took a step towards the door.
“Where are you going?” Logan asked.
“Out…”
“Sun’s up. You’ll fry if you open that door… Sorry, honey. You’re stuck with me now…” Logan said, still crouching on the floor on his hands and knees, panting heavily.
“Sun? But how… Why… Wolverine?”
“I didn’t know. I’m sorry. I didn’t know. I thought… I’m so fucking arrogant. I thought I could have the power… Just use healing. Wolf thought that I was dying. It came to fight. If I die, Wolverine dies too. And it won’t go down quietly. I didn’t know… I’m sorry…” Suddenly he turned to look at her, eyes widening almost comically, but there was nothing to laugh about.
“Oh, God…”

His skin practically exploded open in a blur of black and white fur and silver. Powerful, long jaw pushing through, limbs bending and breaking, turning from human to animal. There was nowhere to run. Outside she would die from exposure, in here she would face the beast.
“No… Nonono… Goddess, help me now… God, help me…” Any deity would do, no matter religion or sex.

Wolf stood up slowly, then lunged past her and blocked her way to the door.
*It’s me. Silver… Hurts but Wolverine can’t control me,* creature lisped. Thick fur covering his skin was more grey than black, streaked through with white and silver strands. Silver from her bracelets she realized. Silver from bracelets and the spilled cure. It had bonded with his flesh, creating a barrier between his and Wolverine’s mind.
“Logan?” She asked with a shaky voice. Wolf nodded.
*Just me.*

He studied himself with great curiosity. Lifting gnarled paws in front of his snout, tilting his head, turning around and snorting, sounding almost amused when he spotted a short, sorry excuse of a tail attached to his behind. He was moving slowly, cautiously, staggering slightly, obviously insecure.
*It’s… Big. And clumsy,* he noted when he tried to sit down and ended up falling on his back on the floor.
“It’s big. You’re the clumsy one,” Marie said, remembering how graceful Wolverine’s every move had been out in the open. Logan seemed to be every bit of clumsy puppy that Wolverine imagined being. Suddenly he let out very puppy-like yelp and instinctively drew his left wrist towards his mouth, only to stop the move and brought it in his lap instead, rubbing it with his other paw.
*Your bracelets… They are still there, under skin. Don’t hurt as much as before but I can still feel them. Grating against bones.*

She reached hesitantly towards him. Logan flinched, but let her run her fingers through his pelt. It felt coarser than earlier. Must be the silver strands riddled among actual fur, she realized.
“It’s… Strange.” Last time she had been this close to the wolf it had tried to tear her apart. It was still hard to comprehend that it was really Logan in front of her, not Wolverine.
“What about Wolverine?” She asked. Logan shook his head.
*Still there. It’s quiet, but it’s still there. I don’t know if it’s the silver or cure, or both of them, but I can’t hear it. Just feel it. It’s confused. Scared. Weak. But not gone.*
“What happens next? Will you be able to turn back, or…”
*I don’t know.*
“Maybe it was telling the truth earlier. About the bonding of you two. Maybe this is part of it. Maybe this was supposed to happen all along…”
*I don’t know!* Logan barked.
*But I do know, that the bastard who bit you is in for a surprise of its unlife…*

Blood Logan had shed for her had kept her warm and safe for hours, but she could feel the hunger and nausea returning when sun was still high on the sky. She knew Logan had been right. There was nothing anybody could do. She would die soon. End result of their hunt for the coming night would seal her fate. Earlier she had felt surprisingly confident, sure that they would succeed, but when the cold feeling at her stomach started to creep in to her veins, spreading and weaving an icy net around her heart, she felt her confidence falter. What if they couldn’t find the vampire? Or even worse, what if they found it, fought it, and lost?

“Logan?”
*Yes?* Sleepy murmur from the corner he had curled to sleep.
“I’m scared. What if we loose?” She asked. Logan sat up.
*We won’t. That’s not an option.*
“How can you be so sure?” She asked, scooting closer, craving the warmth of his body more than fearing the possible rejection. Instead of pushing her away Logan opened his arms and urged her to lean on him. She curled against him, burying her face against the soft fur covering the crook of his neck.
*I won’t let it happen.*

She snuggled even closer against him, his warmth seeping through her skin. She could hear his heart, beating slow, steady. She could feel his pulse ticking under her cheek. He was stroking her back, careful not to scratch her with talons that protruded from his fingers.
*If we loose, I might as well give up and let Wolverine take over. There’s no way I could put you to rest.* To rest. It sounded so beautiful. Something good and safe, until she realized what he was talking about.
*I tried. Tried to make myself believe that I could do it. Tried to decide how I would do it. I can’t, Marie. I just can’t.*
”You… You have been thinking best ways to kill me?” She whispered. Suddenly she felt very cold. She started to stand up, but Logan held her in his arms. It was futile to struggle; even as a man he had had very little difficulties handling her. With Wolverine’s borrowed bulk and strength she would have gotten away easier from the paws of a bear than his actually tender embrace.

*I thought about it. Back at Claude’s place it was easier, when we were sparring. I could make myself believe that it was just a way to develop new strategies I could teach you. But now… I know I can’t do it. I couldn’t do it even if I had to. I’m sorry.*
“You’re sorry?” She couldn’t believe her ears. He was sorry that he couldn’t kill her?
*I have failed almost every promise I have made for you and to myself. I wasn’t with you when it happened. I wasn’t there to take care of you. And now I can’t even make it better.*
“Killing me would make it better? Are you insane!” She shouted, renewing her struggles, again in vain. Logan’s grip from around her held.
*I won’t hurt you. I won’t kill you. And I couldn’t kill the creature you’re going to turn if we fail. Jesus, Marie… Stop struggling and listen!* She stilled, scared of the sight of his fangs that he had momentarily revealed.
*After you turn, it won’t be you again. You will be there, locked inside. You will see, feel and hear everything, but you have no control over your body anymore. Vampire in you will fight. It’ll kill and maim. It’ll feed. It’ll mate with anything. It’ll live forever, and you will be trapped inside of it forever. And I won’t be able to kill it, because I know that you’re still somewhere inside of it. I won’t be able to set you free!*

Logan’s lisp got thicker with every frantic word he spat out, until his speech was slurred nearly beyond recognition, but she could distinguish every mangled and growled syllable crystal clear. He had planned everything from the beginning. Gone through every possibility. Even thinking through best ways to end her life in case of something went wrong.

“How… What kind of a man does that? Plans how to kill his wife?” She uttered mortified.
*A hunter. A careful hunter. Especially when his wife is a hunter, too.*
“What about you? The wolf…”
*I made plans for both of us. Good plans. But I’m too much of a coward to pull them through. That’s why loosing tonight won’t be an option to either of us.*

She had fallen exhausted sleep in his arms, his heartbeat echoing calming against her skin that was getting colder every passing moment. She woke up alone; terrified upon noticing she couldn’t hear or feel her own heart anymore. She was dead. And he was gone. Door was open, nearly torn off from rusted hinges. It was dark outside. Night had fallen while she slept and died. Night had fallen, and he had gone after the vampire, leaving her alone.

Or had he simply fled? Had he gotten enough of troubles piling upon them, taking rather the easy way out by abandoning her than fight? Suspicions settled in to her mind, making it hard to think clearly. She was alone and dead. She had no way of knowing would she rise from the dead as human, or vampire. She bolted out of the shack, fear clinging to her heels and whipping her forward. Hunger was there, too. She felt weak, and if the thought of drinking blood had disgusted her earlier, now it made her mouth water. Warmth. Life. Everything she needed.

She ran, first out of fear, simply trying to escape from everything. Soon her intentions changed. Determination settled in, making her slow her pace and take notice of her surroundings. Her steps got more careful, considered, as she started to sense the life bubbling around her. Animals. Life and blood. All she had to do was to reach out and grab it. Feed. Quench the hunger that sat in her.

*Don’t even think about it.* Barked order stilled her hand just as she was lifting a squirrel towards her mouth. Blur of white, black and silver, and squirrel was gone, running up a tree trunk, escaping for its life. She let out a scream and struck blindly, aiming high, throwing Logan off from balance and sending them both stumbling to the ground. She could feel the blood coursing through him, all that life and promise of a full belly teasing her. She fought with all she got, trying to pin him down and lodge her teeth to anywhere. Anything would do. His hands, chest, face and throat, anything to sate the hunger. Didn’t he understand how much it hurt?

“I’m so hungry...“ She whispered. He had her pinned under him, one paw securing her hands above her head, other cradling her face almost gently.
*I know you’re hungry.*
“Then let me go!” She screamed. Logan shook his head.
*We have a job to do. A vampire to hunt down. Or have you forgotten?* He asked. She could smell rot and decay in his breath.
“Where were you?” She asked.
*Ravensholm. Had a hunch.*
“Hunch?”
*Ghouls. They knew where the vampire is.*
“They talk? And they just told you where that bastard is?”
*Had to persuade them. Loosen their jaws a bit, but they talked…*
“You ate? You Goddamned…” Hairy paw landed over her mouth cutting off the rest of her sentence.
*Damned? Definitely. I ate? Yes. Why? I needed something to replace the little banquet you had earlier! Stop it!* He yanked his paw away when she tried to bite him.
“I’m hungry!”

She kneed him hard to where she knew it hurt the most. Logan let out a yelp and his grip from her hands loosened. She managed to flip them over, change their position. Logan was lying under her, squirming and struggling to get free, spewing curses and threats. It was futile attempt. She was desperate, nearly mad from hunger now. She wasted no time, struck fast and bit hard to open a vein from his throat. Logan howled in anger and managed to throw her off from him.
*Try that again and I stake you.*

She knew she should stop. Stop and try to get a hold of herself, of her feelings and what she was doing. But hunger made it impossible. She snorted bitterly at his words.
“With what? If you’re planning to use that, you should know I might just like it…” She purred, pointing at his crotch where very prominent erection jutted. She stepped closer and reached with her hand, but Logan grabbed her wrist.
*You wouldn’t like it very much. There are more pleasant ways to die…* He murmured, taking her hand and placing it over his throbbing cock. Hunger left her. Arrogance and attitude hid behind her back.

It was thick. She couldn’t bring her fingers together. Surface wasn’t warm and smooth as Logan as a man had had. It was scalding hot, and coarse, scraping her palm raw when Logan moved in her grasp, thrusting against her once.
*Still interested?* He hissed when she let go and backed away from him, rubbing her aching palm to her thigh. She shook her head.
*Good. Hungry?* He asked. Again she shook her head. Shock had replaced the earlier hunger, making her stomach constrict.
*Ready to go and stake that bastard that bit you?* He asked. This time she nodded. Logan rewarded her with a smirk that revealed his gleaming fangs.
*Good…*

*Of all the places… That little prick sure knew where to hide. I would have never expected it to stay here. Not with all those ghouls wandering around…* Logan spoke, his voice a silent whisper.
“Where are they now?” She asked, remembering the horde of rotting corpses that had surrounded them when they arrived to town just a day earlier. Logan shrugged his shoulders.
*Here and there. And I had to eat…* Now she spotted the first signs of carnage, his earlier feast. Torn bodies scattered here and there, some of them still moving, crawling towards them on what was left of their hands and knees. Logan growled and kicked away one that had gotten too close and was trying to take a bite out of her ankle.
*We better get moving. I didn’t get all of them. They went to hiding, but your scent will draw them out soon.*

*It’s in there.*
“You have got to be kidding me…” She huffed, staring at the building looming above them. The church of Ravensholm.
“I thought vampires and other undead creatures couldn’t enter to the house of your God,” she said. Logan grimaced.
*I thought so too. Looks like I was wrong…” Logan said, reached for the door handle and bolted back howling in agony, cradling his burned paw against his chest.

“That can’t be good…”
*It’s not. We have to lure it out. I’m not welcome to His house anymore,* Logan practically whined, eyeing his blistered paw menacingly, his lips trembling. She turned her gaze from him, and saw from the corner of her eye how he lost his internal battle, bathing the paw with his tongue and giving it few, careful nips with his front teeth. She let him tend his wound for a while, then turned back to face him.
“How are we going to do it? If it knows its safe in there, how we are going to draw it out?” She asked. Logan tilted his head and scratched his jaw.
*And how the hell do we kill it? I was counting on the traditional, fear of cross and garlic, stake and behead it, then shove a cross down to its throat. Somehow I have a feeling that it won’t work…*
“How it is even possible for it to stay in there?” She was wondering when doors of the church blew open and vampire walked out calmly, as if he was welcoming two old friends of his to his home, wide smile on his face, hands spread out to welcoming gesture.
*Claude!*
“Oh, my Goddess…”

It really was Claude De Santos. Flashing impressive looking fangs with every smirk he threw at her direction. She felt sick.
“Nice to see you. Looking little haggard, there, old friend…” Claude murmured, moving faster than their eyes could follow and struck Logan to the ground, pinning him down by pressing his foot over his throat.
*Nice to see you, too, De Santos…” Logan croaked, clawing the foot, trying to throw vampire off from him. Claude threw his head back and bubbling laughter rose from his chest.
“Looks like your little bitch is about to trade master. Don’t worry. I’ll take real good care of her…” He taunted Logan, throwing Marie a knowing wink.
“I’ll rather die!” She shouted. Claude snorted.
“Don’t be boring. Everybody who say that dies.”

She could hear a crunch when Claude applied pressure on Logan’s throat. Logan was still grappling and squirming, clawing foot that kept him trapped and blocked his airway. He might be the mighty predator, but he needed to breathe. Every passing moment his struggles got weaker. She tried to push Claude away from him, but vampire just laughed, sending her stumbling backwards with a casual flick of his wrist.
“Don’t be so hasty, little wench! I’ll be with you as soon as I get this mutt finished off…”

She landed on her back and hit her head. Jolt made her remember Logan’s guns they had retrieved from the shack. They were still hidden in her boots. Loaded with silver. She didn’t have the slightest idea if it would work, but she pulled guns and sat up, taking aim to Claude who was kneeling, whispering something to Logan who could only snarl weakly, last of air escaping from his lungs. She shot. Both men yelped from surprise. Claude tumbled off from Logan, and he rolled up, backing away from the vampire, wheezing and gasping for air.

Claude turned to look at her, lips drawn to an arrogant grimace.
“You really think this will make difference? Little silver? You can’t be that stupid!”
*It already made. You can’t be that stupid, Claude… Remember when we found that pair that had fallen to a well? Which one we had to finish off? Was it the wolf? Or the vampire? Refresh my memory…* Logan growled, grasping Marie and pushing her behind his back.
*Because the way I remember it, vampire didn’t stand a chance against that hairy mutt.* Again Claude laughed, bitter cold voice echoing from the buildings around them.
“That was then. This is now…” Again he struck, blur of black cloth and bone-white skin. This time Logan was ready, expecting him, and welcomed him with open arms. His hairy paws curled around Claude and his jaws locked around his throat, a perverse imitation of lover’s embrace.

“Wait! Wait! Care to trade?” Claude hissed.
“We do not trade with the likes of you!” Marie shouted. Logan shook Claude like a terrier would shake rat, low growl tearing its way out of his chest.
“I have a cure… Kill me… And you will… Be a filthy animal… For the rest of your life…”

“Logan, wait!” She screamed, but it was already too late.
*Looks like beheading works just fine for vampires, too…* Logan grunted, watching when Claude’s body and severed head disintegrated to dust at his feet.
“But…”
*I’d much rather curl at your feet as a beast than cry over your grave as a man, Marie. What ever Claude was talking about, it was already too late. Sun is rising in few hours. Had he been alive then, you… You would have been gone.*
“You could have at least asked what he was talking about before you killed him!”
*Why stall the inevitable? And at best he would have only told us lies. They do anything to stay alive. If there is a permanent cure, why haven’t I heard about it before? Heck, why haven’t you heard about it before?* Logan asked, kicking at the pile of ashes Claude had left behind. Marie could hear how uncertain he was.
“But what if there is a cure? What if he was telling the truth?” She asked. Logan shook his head.
*I don’t believe it. But if there is one, we’ll find it, sooner or later…* He murmured.
*Right now we have bigger problems at hand.* He pointed somewhere behind Marie’s back and she turned to look.
*You’ll be dead until the sun rises. We have to get out of here before they make a meal out of you,* Logan said, grabbing her hand and pulling her to the opposite direction, away from approaching ghouls.

“Do you even want to get rid of it?” She huffed when they stopped. They had been running from ghouls, she was exhausted from lack of rest and hunger. Being dead wasn’t helping the matter. Now that Claude was dead, every nice little quirk she had had as half-vampire were gone. No more superior sense or powers. She was just a dead girl with a pair of very clumsy feet and spinning head.
*Want to get rid of it? Marie!*
“I’m just saying it doesn’t look like that.”
*What does it look like, then?* Logan asked with a venomous voice.
“Like you’re liking a bit too much the way you are now.”
*You think I like this? Big and clumsy, I can’t touch you; I’m drooling for God’s sakes! And I’m not even going to start about the things I have to eat…*
“Just stop it! Stop lying! I’m not stupid! You like it when you’re bigger and meaner than the things you’re supposed to hunt, Isn’t that right?”
*It really gives an advantage in some situations… Hadn’t even thought about that…*
“Logan!”
*No time to argue now. You can chew my head off later.*

Ghouls were approaching fast. Faster than she had thought would be possible. They looked slow, stupid and clumsy, but they were very determined and hungry, some of them even gnawing their own rotten arms when they stumbled after her.

“I can’t… I… We have to stop, I don’t feel so well…”
*Stop whining and run! They’re going to make a meal out of you!* Logan growled, reaching for her hand, but it was already too late. She fell down, exhausted, unable to move. Ghouls let out a collective shriek of victory, gathering around her. She could hear Logan howling. Wet, soggy and slimy hands grasped her, stench of rot and decay nearly suffocating. She struggled feebly, and then Logan was there. Blur of fur and claws, tearing in to dead flesh.

He stood above her, shielding her from greedy corpses, pushing them back and tearing them apart limb from limb, teeth gnashing and jaws crunching bones, crushing skulls and snapping vertebras.

*Do I like it when I’m bigger and meaner than them?* He asked, his gaze following torso that tried to crawl to Marie. It was about to take a bite from her cheek when Logan’s foot landed on top of its skull.
*I do. God damn me, but I do!* He leaned on the skull with his whole weight, crushing it, grinding it to a squishy pulp right in front of her eyes.

It looked like Wolverine was gone for good. Logan was stuck in the wolf form, but he claimed he couldn’t hear or feel the actual wolf in him. Marie had no choice but to believe him. At least it made traveling safer. She had her own supernatural guardian with her. Settling down was completely another issue.

“Five, six… Ten. Thank you. Glad to do business with you, my good sir,” she said smiling after counting her wage. Man, traveling salesman nodded and entered to town through ornate gate. She stared after him longingly. She could practically feel the soft bed under her back. Taste spicy meat in her mouth. Soap and washbasin to scrub off the accumulated muck and grime, maybe few pints of beer before turning in for the night…

*He paid for you?* Silent whisper, more of a low growl came from the bushes beside her. She sighed and shrugged out of her daydream.
“He paid alright. Ten silver as we agreed,” she said.
*Good.*

They were offering their services to travelers. She would approach them, and try to strike a deal. She would keep them safe and guarded through any territory they chose. Usually they laughed. Usually they stopped laughing when she pointed towards her shadowed companion lurking hidden in some corner. Logan covered himself with a thick, billowy cloak to hide his true form, but it did nothing to cover his height and stature.
“That’s a fucking ogre!” Was the usual comment. Her usual answer was laughter, accompanied with an explanation that Logan wasn’t in fact an ogre; he was just her husband, grown to great proportions by some quirk of Mother Nature.

They had been doing it nearly a year now, and truth to be told she was getting sick and tired of it. Sick and tired of being filthy and tired all the time. Sick and tired of eating game. Sick and tired of sleeping outside on the ground, or if she got lucky, in some abandoned shed.

And she was sick and tired of the lack of love and intimacy between them. She loved him. She was quite sure that he still cared about her, maybe even loved her. But ever since he had gotten stuck in the wolf form he had adamantly refused any kind of intimacy between them. She missed it. Closeness. Lovemaking. And most of all just cuddling against him at the end of the day. Even that he denied from her with no explanation.

“I was thinking…” She started. Logan snorted and threw a branch to their campfire, sending a swarm of sparks up in the sky.
“What?” She asked.
*Stop that. You know we can’t go in to town.*
“I know that. We can’t. But I can. I could go there and get some supplies…”
*Supplies? We have food. We have clothes. We have weapons. What more do we need?* Logan asked.
“What more? Logan! For once I would like to eat something else than burned or nearly raw meat! For once I would like to wash myself with soap! For once I would like to feel myself woman instead of… Instead of… Oh, Goddess… There are things I need!” She shouted. Logan narrowed his eyes and tilted his head.
*Things you need?*
“I’m cold and wet all the time! I reek! I want to get clean and get some new clothes! I want to eat something I haven’t had the pleasure to gut and prepare by myself! I want to see people, talk with them!”
*You see people every day. You talk with people every day. I hunt and cook. And you don’t reek. Trust me, I’d notice,* Logan purred. Tone of his voice was still conversational, but the set of his jaws told her it could change very quickly. But this was something she couldn’t just drop. Not anymore. She braced herself for the inevitable.
“I’m tired of this. I want a real life. Real home. Real friends. Real man.”

Logan just sat there, staring at the flickering flames. Minutes stretched, until he rose and walked to where they had left their bags and Marie’s horse. He had discarded the cloak he wore earlier. Now he picked it up and pulled it over his head. Put on boots he had made to hide his hind paws.
“What are you doing?” Marie asked when he slung the scabbard and the sword sheathed to it over his shoulder and secured them to his backside.
*I’m leaving.*
“Wait, we have to put out the fire and…”
*I’m leaving. You can do what the hell ever it is you want to do,* Logan spat, shouldering his knapsack.
*You can keep the silver. I have no use for it anyway…* He said and walked in to the woods, leaving her alone and stunned.

“Stupid. Stupid, stubborn bastard…” She hadn’t meant to drive him away.
“Why the hell this all has to be so hard?” She had only meant to shake him up a bit, to make him realize that there were certain issues that needed to be taken care of, rather sooner than later. And what had he done?
“Run! I don’t need you anyway!” She shouted. Tears stung in her eyes, but she refused to cry. He would come to his senses eventually. He would come back and they could talk. Have a good and long conversation about how they were intending to go on.

Campfire had died out long ago. Sun was rising, and she was alone. No sign of Logan. He was gone.

She had stayed awake all night, listening and waiting for his return. Apparently he wasn’t going to come back. She stifled the sniffle and rubbed her eyes tiredly. She was unsure of what to do. She knew Logan could track her down if he decided to come back, but she had no idea of what to do next. She couldn’t just very well go and settle in to the town even if she had the money to support her. Logan wouldn’t come in there. She couldn’t stay out here alone.

It started to sink in. How much she had trusted him. How much of him she had taken for granted. How big of a difference he had made.

With Logan she had been safe most of the times. True, Logan had trusted her likewise, giving her free reign over their money and free choice of jobs they took. He had only followed her around, making sure everything went well. Now that she was alone, without his protective presence, she was an easy picking to anybody and anything.

I don’t need you anyway. Words she had shouted in anger. Now they came back taunting her. If she wanted any kind of safety and freedom in her life, she’d need him.

She made her decision when sun had crept high on the sky. She would go in to town. She would find her a place to stay. She could start making candles again. That way she could support herself, and it would give a plausible excuse for her to roam around the forest alone. She’d need herbs. She could live in town, relatively safe, and spend her days out here looking for him.

She took out the pouch where she kept all their… Her money and opened it. There was a hefty amount of silver, even more copper, and few gold coins. More than enough to secure her own house of her choosing from any town or city she liked. She pocketed the pouch and stood up, stretching her back and yawning widely.

Now that she had the chance, she felt strangely reluctant to leave these woods and return to civilization. She took her time in packing her belongings and securing them to the back of her horse. Trying to stall, to avoid the moment she had to turn her back to this campsite. Trying to buy some more time, because maybe Logan was already coming back. He would find her, but wouldn’t it be more convenient if she stayed and waited? She could sit down and eat before she got on the saddle. Maybe change her clothes. And she could leave a message for Logan, if he came back later. A note telling him where she had gone.

Except he wasn’t coming back. Nobody would read that note. She could sit here until she turned old and brittle, but he wouldn’t be coming back.

She walked to the remains of their campfire and kicked the ashes, making sure it was completely out. It had been raining often lately, but there was no telling what could happen if fire got loose in to these forests. Ground was covered with dry hay and small twigs and leaves.

“Coward. That’s what you are…” She muttered disgusted when she noted how badly her hands shook. Little over a year she had spent with Logan she had gotten so accustomed to his company, that him missing felt like she was walking around naked.
“Wasn’t this what you wanted?” She spat bitterly, grabbing the reigns of the horse and leading it to the path towards the nearby town.

As much as she longed the company of other people and comforts the town could offer, she had grown to fear them as well. Large crowds meant larger possibilities of getting caught. Few times they had had to go in with Logan, had been nightmarish. Logan had been skulking along the walls lining the streets, trying to stay out of the way of people who paid no attention to anything but themselves and their business. Cloak he wore masked him from their eyes, but were one of them stumble and brush against him, they would have immediately found out that he wasn’t exactly human.

“And why am I even thinking about it anymore?” It wasn’t like she had to worry over him anymore. He wasn’t with her. She could go in and throw herself against anybody. She was human. Inside out human. Nobody would point at her and scream. They wouldn’t be coming after her with weapons and fire. With the money she had, and good, made up past as a single child of a pastor from some small faraway village would grant her entrance and their trust, maybe even friends. She even had proof of that past, made up and gathered from different sources with Logan when they were still together. A backup plan if something went wrong and she ended up alone. Of course she hadn’t thought that she would need that plan ever. At least not because of her own stupidity and Logan’s stubbornness and pride.

She opened her eyes. Blinked few times. It was startling, almost unnerving to see blackened wood above her instead of open sky. First morning of her new life. She sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. Smooth feel of clean wooden floor met her toes. She could hear people outside, walking past her house. Some of them laughing, some of them arguing and haggling over prices at the marketplace. Children crying and laughing, running around.

She had been lucky. Salem was a small, welcoming community, filled with artisans of every possible trade. There had been an empty hut right next to blacksmith’s shop. Previous occupant, a baker, had died just few weeks ago, and his family had been more than willing to sell the hut and small plot of land it stood upon. When they had asked what she was planning to do, she had been hesitant to answer at first. Then, remembering that not everybody were as big bigots and ignorant as the people in her home village had been, she had told them that she was a candle maker. Family of the baker had gathered up quickly a small crowd of helping hands, other artisans from the district, and they had helped her to put up the shop and everything needed to start her business. They had even furnished her small apartment at the second floor of the hut.

“Good morning, neighbor!” Blacksmith bellowed from where he sat at his porch when she opened her front door.
“Good morning!” She answered to his greeting, wide smile spreading on her face. She had taken instant liking to the man. He was a giant compared to her, actually he was a giant compared to anybody around the town, but to her he looked like a gentle and caring man. All day along she had seen kids running around at his feet, several times nearly tripping him over, but not once he had raised his hand, or even his voice. He had been patient and answered to her several questions about the heath at her new home. He had replaced rusted hinges on the windows and doors free of charge.

“Settling in?” Mick asked with his deep voice. She couldn’t help noticing how much he reminded her of Logan. Wide, muscular body, black hair tied back with a leather cord. Hazel eyes that felt like they looked straight inside of you.
“Settling in. I was wondering… There are some things I need. Tallow, beeswax and wicks, you wouldn’t happen to know where I could find those?” She asked. Mick gestured towards the swirling mass of people in front of them.
“Traders are open for business already.”
“And I’m going to need a good pot for melting the wax. You wouldn’t happen to have…”
“Actually I do. And you’re welcome to go through my shop. See if there’s anything else you might need,” Mick said, pushing open the door behind him. She nodded and stepped in.

Mick’s wife was there, arranging the newest batch of goods to shelves and dusting off oldest.
“Hi, Annabel. Mick told me you might have something I need. You have some pots around here?” She asked, scanning the shelves with her gaze, admiring silently the fine craftsmanship. Annabel nodded and wiped her hands before she picked up a sturdy looking, thick bottomed iron pot, more of a cauldron from the corner.
“I can give you this with two copper. We have bigger one at the back, for one silver,” se said.
“That looks good. And I’m going to need a knife. Not too sharp or big, just something small to collect herbs…”
“Oh, hush! No knives for herbs! Here. This’ll be just perfect. One copper,” Annabel said, placing a small, sharp looking sickle in the pot.
“And you’ll be needing this, as well. Free of charge,” she said, looking at Marie pointedly and handing her a dagger.

“Salem may seem like haven, but we have our fair share of drunkards and troublemakers. Keep this at hand.”
“I…”
“And I won’t take no for an answer. Young pretty lady like you, all alone… Keep it, and use it if anybody gives you trouble,” Annabel whispered when Mick stepped in.
“Found what you need?” He asked, towering over both of her and Annabel.
“Yes. This sickle… It’s beautiful,” she said, trailing her fingers over ornate carvings of the wooden handle.
“Should be. Alaric, my eldest son made it,” Mick said, practically beaming from pride.
“I was hoping he would take after me, but it looks like he’s more in to carpentry than smithing…”

After she had spent good part of the day tending her horse and gathering supplies to her shop she was exhausted. Sun was still up and it felt somehow wrong to go to sleep this early. She made herself some tea and went outside to drink it. It was nice just to sit and observe people. Many of them already knew her, and greeted her when passing by. Some of them were complete strangers, just passing by.

She had been busy earlier. Too busy to think about things. Too busy to think about certain feral creature, and the way their lives had parted. Now, as she started to relax and unwind, everything started to trickle back. Everything from the very beginning. Logan, Wolverine, everything they had gone through together, and last but not least, hateful, insulting way she had treated him before he left. Yes, she had been tired. She had been bored. She had been dissatisfied, but it didn’t give her the right to say those things she had thrown at his face.

He hadn’t asked to become a werewolf. He hadn’t asked to get stuck on that form. And all along the way, everything Logan had done was directed to keep her safe and happy. Now that she thought of it, even his reluctance for closeness with her… He hadn’t meant to hurt her. She could see it clearly now. Feel it clearly. Coarse skin scraping against hers, drawing blood. He hadn’t wanted to hurt her. He had kept her at arms length to protect her.

“Oh, Goddess…”

“Would… You… Move… Already!” She screamed and yanked hard. Root she tried to pull up refused to budge, her grasp from it slipped and she fell on her back. For the good part of an hour she had tried to tend small patch of land behind her home. She was going to start growing herbs. Most of everything she knew she would need she could gather from the woods outside of Salem, but there were some plants she hadn’t found yet, and rather than spending all of her free time looking for them she had decided to buy seeds from the marketplace and grow them by herself. Land looked fertile, but previous owner hadn’t taken care of it, and now the whole yard was filled with small bushes with very thick and persistent roots.

She sat up from her sprawled position and wiped off the sweat beading on her forehead.
“Digging a grave?” She smirked and turned to look at her left, where Mick stood at his yard, leaning against the fence separating the two lots of land.
“Yes. Had an unpleasant customer, and now I have to stash the corpse to somewhere!”
“Here. Use these. You can return them when you don’t need them anymore,” Mick said and dropped a shovel and a pickaxe to her side of the fence.
“Thank you!” She sighed.
“But I have to warn you, it might take some time before you see your precious tools again. These roots are unbelievable hard,” she continued standing up and brushing her hands clean to her thighs. Mick nodded.
“I could come and help you up later. And I think Annabel talked about some seeds she had stashed away.”
“Oh, I couldn’t…”
“Oh, hush. What good are neighbors if you can’t expect them to come to your aid when you need them? I’ll just finish up those horse shoes I was hammering and come over there after,” Mick said smiling and disappeared to his shop.

“It’s always nice to watch somebody else working, isn’t it?” Annabel asked smiling. Marie nodded and took a sip from her tea. She had taken a small break from her garden project to eat, when Mick and Annabel had appeared to her doorstep, Annabel carrying a variety of seeds, and Mick annoyed scowl over his features. She had ushered them to the backyard. Annabel had asked her to sit down with her to go over the seeds she had brought. Mick had taken the shovel.
It soon became clear that Annabel expected Mick to finish clearing the ground for Marie’s behalf, and even if Mick made his best to mutter angrily and scowling at them, it was quite clear that he rather enjoyed working.

She felt almost guilty. The whole time Annabel spent chatting about different plants and flowers she kept staring at Mick. He had discarded heavy, protective clothing he had worn earlier. Now He had on only soft looking leather pants, and soft-soled boots made out of same material. Both Mick and Annabel were great deal older than her, they probably could have been her parents, but hard work had kept Mick in good shape. She couldn’t stop the sudden pang of jealousy towards Annabel when Mick straightened his back and stretched. Muscles rippled under tanned skin, small beads of sweat rolled down over planed surface of his body and disappeared to the waistband of his trousers.

“Dad?” She turned to look. Young man, probably same age as her stood leaning against the fence. He had called Mick dad. Must be Alaric, she realized. Spitting image of Mick. And suddenly her jealousy rose tenfold.
“Yeah?” Mick asked.
“Murdoch came with his horse,” young man said. Mick cursed and turned to look at Marie.
“Duty calls. But…” He turned towards his son.
“You. Come over here and make yourself useful.”

“This is Alaric. He’ll make a garden for you,” Mick introduced them after younger man had climbed over the fence.
“But dad…”
“No buts. And be nice to Rogue. Annabel, ready to go?” Mick asked, holding his hand out for his wife. Annabel stood up hastily.
“I’ll leave these all to you. You can use what you need and then bring back the rest,” she said, pushing the basket with seeds to Marie’s lap. Before she could even thank them they were gone, and she was alone with Alaric.
“I… I could help you with that…” She said when he took a firm hold from a root his father had tried to dislodge earlier. Alaric huffed.
“Dad would have my hide if he saw I let you help. Better just sit back and enjoy the view…”
“Okay…”

Earlier jealousy faded soon, turning to sadness. Every move Alaric made, every noise and cuss that left his mouth brought back memories of Logan. The way he had been before. Enjoy the view? Perhaps she could have appreciated it, if Alaric hadn’t reminded her of him, but soon she had to excuse herself.

Alaric stayed outside. She could hear shovel hitting rocks and roots. Noise wasn’t loud enough to cover completely another voice. It took her a while to realize what it was. She was crying. First time in weeks she had parted ways with Logan she was finally crying. She hadn’t allowed herself that relief earlier. Now it was impossible to keep tears at bay any longer.