“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.”
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