She was wearing a dandelion-yellow sundress and a large white hat. The sunlight reflected brightly off her milky-white skin. She smiled down at him, emerald eyes full of love. “Hey there, Fido. I’ve got a surprise for you.”

He looked up from the picnic blanket he was resting on. “Really? You’re horrible at surprises, Red.” 

“This is a good one. Now close your eyes.”

He did so. He heard her shuffling around in her canvas bag, the fabric of her dress dancing in the breeze.

“Ok. Open.”

He did and his jaw dropped. She was holding a baby-blue onesie with indigo lettering: “It’s a boy!” in one hand and a baby-pink onesie with scarlet lettering: “It’s a girl!” in the other.  He looked back up at Becca, his mind still reeling from the revelation that he was going to be a father. 

Her smile melted his heart. “Congratulations, Kyle. We’re going to have a…”

Her chest suddenly exploded into a massive cavity of gore. He could actually see the blood-red sky through her! As her body collapsed and the light in her eyes died, she slowly whispered, “baby.”

“BECCA,” he screamed as he jerked awake. He flailed about to try to reach her but something held him down. Panicked, he tried sitting up but there was just one problem. He couldn’t. Then he realized he had a second problem, he wasn’t in his bedroom.  As his nightmare-clouded brain finally cleared, he found a few more problems.

He was in his boxers, handcuffed to the bed by his wrists and ankles. Looking down, he saw a long thick chain wrapped around his torso that connected to loops on the cuffs. The odd thing was that there were thick strips of leather between the metal and his skin. Kinky but what’s it for? I doubt it’s to keep my skin from chafing.

I have no clue but I doubt it’s good.

You’re awake?

Ok! That’s it! His wolf clicked his teeth and stamped his paw.  I’m getting the flashcards! I only know what you know and see what you see! If you’re out cold, I’m out cold. I’m not some ghost who sees everything when you’re unconscious. I’m still trying to cope with that nightmare of ours too, you know! I could smell her blood and taste her bone fragments! He saw his wolf retch. I’m doing all I can not to puke here!

Kyle sighed. All right. Fine. Think I should shift and snap these chains? They don’t look all that thick.

His wolf paused a moment. I don’t think so. That leather’s there for a reason. I don’t think our captors would be too concerned about our comfort so I’m guessing that whatever these cuffs and chains are made out of, it’s not 100% stainless steel. I’m thinking it’s got to be something much worse for us. 

A soft grunt came from his lower left and Kyle strained his neck to look past the foot of the bed. It can’t be. He recognized the burly biker’s build but without the thick leather jacket, he didn’t realize just how muscular he truly was. His jeans and white T-shirt looked ready to rip at the seams if he moved the wrong way. He had at least shoulder-length thick black hair flowing in waves behind him with his right arm in a sling. Kyle could guess the reason why, of course. His very bright blue eyes were marred by dark purple circles, with the left almost swollen shut,  so Kyle knew he had gotten at least a few good hits in. Still, as impressive as he was, that’s not what freaked Kyle out the most. The man had two thick incisors, almost tusk-like, jutting out from an enlarged lower jaw, with every inch of exposed skin being a bright leaf-green. It’s not possible. Wolves are the only nonhumans! 

Kiera might have something to say about that, hotshot. Just saying.

Still, there’s just no way. No way I’m seeing what I’m seeing. A freakin orc? What the hell have I gotten myself into?

Good question. Just what did you get us into? Only one way to find out though. 

Kyle met the biker’s eyes, trying to ignore looking at anything else. “Hey, buddy. Mind fetching the warden or something? It’s not exactly summer in here. Do ya mind turning the A/C down or something?”

The green-skinned man grunted again, stood, and walked out the door. Kyle tested his bonds but he wasn’t going anywhere unless he shifted and he thought his wolf was right about the polished metal. Heavy boots thudded closer and an older man entered the small bedroom. He had salt and pepper hair cut into a flattop, a rugged face etched with experience, and he walked with a gait that instantly signaled he was the man in charge of wherever Kyle was. He walked to the edge of the bed and just stood staring at Kyle. He didn’t move a muscle. His brown eyes were as hard as flint and about as warm. Definitely a Wolf though. No mistaking that scent.

At least you’re not totally useless, hotshot.

Really not the time.

A few moments passed. Kyle could feel the tension thickening as the man didn’t move a muscle. His gaze locked on Kyle.  Kyle looked down at his mostly naked body. “You see something you like there, Chief, or you just wondering what you’re missing?”

The man’s bass rumble was liquid nitrogen. “You want to explain just what the hell you were doing at that depot,” he spoke with a smoky-rough twang. “More importantly,” Kyle felt the room’s temperature drop even further, “you want to explain just why the hell you decided to kidnap one of my people and tear into another like a side of beef?” Kyle didn’t know what was more intimidating: the sheer presence of this man or his tone. 

“I could ask you the same thing, Chief. Pretty sure breaking & entering, assault, and whatever else you did doesn’t put you on the side of the angels.” He tried to lower his voice to match his opponent’s frosty tone. “As for the kid, if you hurt her, I will feast on all of your livers for supper.” He pulled against his bonds once more. His voice became huskier as his wolf’s emotions joined his. “I’ve got a rather low view of kidnappers at the moment, and I won’t let some rabid, flea-bitten rogue cub hurt an innocent girl.” For a species that prided itself on being one of the top predators on earth, being called a “cub” was one of the worst insults imaginable. It meant you were weak, helpless, and barely able to walk with your eyes open. 

“Breaking out the R and C-words, you kiss your mother with that mouth?” 

Kyle’s eyes burned amber. “You do not talk about her!  Do you fucking get me?! She was worth a thousand of you jack-offs,” he roared. For a split second, Kyle thought he saw a flash of regret in the other man’s eyes but he must have imagined it. 

“You better calm down. You jostle that leather too much and you’re in full a world of hurt. Your bindings are 100% Grade-A silver. That leather falls, you’re in for one hell of a rope burn. In fact, if it wasn’t for that “kid” standing up for you, there wouldn’t be any leather, Kyle.”

“How the hell do you know my name?”

He pulled Kyle’s wallet out of his back pocket. “Found your truck about five minutes after you went to sleep.” He shook his head in disgust. “Didn’t even try to mask your trail. Freaking amateur. Don’t know who taught you Wolfcraft but they did a piss-poor job.” Kyle bit hard on his retort. Pops had done great, he was the one who didn’t listen but he’d be damned if he told the older man that. The man shoved the wallet back into his jeans pocket. “Now,” he gripped the footboard and leaned down. “What the hell were You. Doing. There?” 

“Taking a midnight stroll.”

The older man shrugged. “Fine. Have it your way.” He turned to the green-skinned man. “Bob. You know what to do.” The other man just nodded. The leader paused and turned back to Kyle. “Oh, in case you thought I was just bluffing about those chains...” He reached down and grabbed one of the cuffs and a chain with both hands and locked his gaze with Kyle’s. He held the metal for a full five seconds as his skin bubbled, tore open, bled, and even began to smoke. He didn’t even flinch. Once Kyle, wide-eyed, nodded his understanding, he released his grip.  He nodded to Bob and walked out as splatters of blood dripped to the floor.

Kyle immediately went as slack as he could. He had felt silver once, all Wolves do when they first emerge just to understand the danger of how even a simple high school class ring could cause permanent damage, and he never wanted to experience that kind of pain again. He stared at the ceiling for a few minutes but that was about as fun as watching paint dry. Finally, he glanced back at Bob.

“So, Bob, are you really an orc or just get too close to some gamma radiation?”

“...”

“Ok. Bob, can I call you Bob?”

“...”

Kyle sighed. “Look, Bob, eventually, I’m going to need to pee. You don’t expect me to do it right here on the bed, do you?”

“...”

Suddenly unsure, Kyle asked again. Bob’s only reply was his steady gaze.

Finally, Kyle waved his hands as much as he could in dismissal. “Look. I get it, okay? You’re just pissed I beat you. Fine. But come on, don’t leave me soaking in my own piss. Aren’t orcs all about honor or something?”

“That’s not it,” Bob replied in a very deep baritone. The guy could be his own subwoofer. “You almost hurt Lexi. If you had, you wouldn’t be there.” He pointed at the bed. “You’d be here.” He pointed to his stomach. “Kurt says that Wolf tastes just like chicken. I love chicken.” He leaned against the wooden plank wall and crossed his legs.

“Understood,” Kyle meekly replied. He swallowed nervously. “So, how do you think the Seahawks will do this year?”

“...”

Sighing, Kyle tried to make himself as comfortable as he could. He finally got his head in a position he could live with and closed his eyes. Would it kill them to at least give me a blanket?  

***

 

He woke up and, judging by the way the sunlight coming from the window had shifted, a couple of hours had passed. He had just had the first good dream since the attack. It involved him and Becca wearing very little. He looked down and saw he was fully at attention. He turned his head and saw a pair of extremely large pink eyes peeking out at his bedside.

“Yaah,” Kyle tried rolling over in shock to hide the tent in his boxers but his cuffs held him fast. “Sorry! Sorry kid! You shouldn’t be seeing that!” 

A light laugh issued from her. “Easy there. Don’t move around too much. You’ve got nothing that I haven’t seen before. I’m not interested, though. I’m a one-man kind of girl and I’m a taken woman.” Kyle found her very faint Irish accent quite charming.

Once the initial embarrassment passed and Kyle calmed down after a few deep breaths, he looked back at the girl. “Sorry about that.”

She shrugged. “No biggie.”

Kyle chuckled. “Not sure how I should feel about that.” He frowned back at her. “Aren’t you a little young to be sneaking in on naked men? Surprised Big Green over there even let you in.”

She laughed hard. “You haven’t gotten out much, have you? You honestly have never seen a gnome before? I’m twenty-seven and, trust me, you’re not that impressive.”

“Ouch. But seriously, you’re a gnome? I thought they wore pointed little hats, Dutch clothing, and lived in forests or guarded grandmothers’ front yards.”

She sighed. “I’m really tired of that stereotype. Just because some gnome had a brilliant idea to start making statues of his family to sell to tourists, suddenly all of us have to be either forest or lawn guardians. Don’t even get me started on those tabletop and video games! Sure, we like to tinker on things but it’s not all we do and we generally do not like having everything explode around us!”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to offend,” Kyle replied placatingly. “You’re right though. You are the first gnome I’ve ever met. Sorry for trying to kidnap you too. I thought I was rescuing you.”

She waved him off. “Don’t worry about it. Why do you think I only stunned you instead of doing something even nastier? That shock you took can go much higher. I know. I tested it on Kurt and he was out for two days and that wasn’t even max setting.”

Kyle swallowed hard. “Thanks. Uh, I guess, I also have you to thank for keeping me from looking like a piece of chewed meat too.” He lightly shook his cuffs and glanced at the straps. 

She snickered. “You’re welcome.” Then she poked his side hard. “Just what gave you the right to smack my beautiful orcy hubby around like that though? He’s damn lucky that he’s built stronger than a brick house.  You damn near crushed his skull as it is! If I wasn’t the forgiving type, we would be having a very different conversation right now!”

“Woah. Slow down. Two things we have to talk about. First, so he is an orc. That’s a relief.” He looked back at his green guard. “I thought he just fell into some toxic waste to get that lovely tinge.” Bob growled loudly while the gnome started turning blue from holding in her laughter. After a few seconds passed, Kyle smiled and looked back at her. “Second, husband?”

She nodded. “Three years last May.” She held up her left hand to show off a simple gold band on her finger. “Not the most chatty fellow, I’ll admit. One of the smartest though. When he talks, you better listen or you’ll regret it.” She punched his shoulder. “You didn’t have to tear into his shoulder like that though. Tears me up somethin’ fierce every time I have to change his bandages.”

“Sorry, but he didn’t give me much choice.”

“Only because he was there to protect me! Think about it for a second for his perspective. Some strange Wolf just appears in the building that you’re not exactly supposed to be in. Wouldn’t you think they had just sent the guard dog out after you?”

Kyle nodded. “Fair enough.” His hazel eyes narrowed. “Just what were you doing there anyway?”

She pulled over a three-legged stool and hopped up on it. As she did so, Kyle just couldn’t get over the fact that, between her saucer-sized pink eyes and periwinkle blue hair, she reminded him of a bag of cotton candy. This is just too weird. I feel like I stumbled into one of those modern fantasy novels.

Says the guy who talks to a wolf in his head.

You’ve been awfully quiet.

Not much I can do right now except listen and find out if we need to tear this place apart to get out of here or if the Paragon route will work.

Really? That’s surprising. As a wolf, I’d expect you to go full Renegade.

They might have more fun but Paragon gets you all that blue booty. 

Good point. 

Now shut up and pay attention. 

“You ok there? You kinda zoned out for a moment.”

Kyle had to come up with something fast. “Yeah. Sorry. It’s been a rough couple of weeks. Still coming to grips with everything, you know?”

The gnome frowned but she nodded. She clasped her hands in her lap and looked at him. “Tell you what. Let’s play a game. You ask a question, I’ll answer truthfully. Then I do the same and so on. Deal?”

“Sounds fair but what guarantee do I have that you would be truthful?”
“Fair but sometimes, you have to take a leap of faith, ok?”

“Ok. So, what’s your name?”

“Alexis Catherine Goretusk. My friends call me Lexi. Now, only fair to ask you what’s yours?”

“Kyle Harper. Nice to meet you, Alexis.”

“Nice to meet you too, Kyle.”

“Took your husband’s name I’m guessing. I can at least see where he’d get it from because you don’t really look like you could gore anything.” He looked over at Bob. “No offense.”

“...”

“Kinda hard to mistake isn’t it?” She nodded over to her husband. “Though Bob Geartooth does have a nice ring to it. Doesn’t it honey?”

Bob could have been a jade statue for all his reaction.

“Ok. Your turn Kyle.”

“Just where am I, Alexis?”

She patted her lower lip with a finger. “Hmm. I think I’ll let you call me Lexi, on a trial basis for now. Every time I hear you say my full name, I keep expecting my older brother to pop out under your bed. Anyway, we’re at the Howling Moon Tavern. We’re deep in the Chesterfield Forest roughly a hundred miles southeast of Seattle. Now it’s my turn. Just what were you doing at that depot?”

“Personal matter Lexi. Sorry, but it doesn’t really concern any of you guys. Plus, I’m not in the habit of divulging information to criminals. Kind of taught that the police are our friends and robbers are the bad guys by my folks you know.”

“Oh, you sweet summer boy. But I get it. Right now, we aren’t looking like the most respectable people out there considering the current circumstances. Ok. Your turn.”

Kyle nodded to the leather vests she and Bob wore over their tops. “You guys a biker club or something?”

“More of a something than what you’re probably thinking of. We’re the Dragon’s Bane. We’re more Robin Hood with Chesterfield being our Sherwood and less those guys you see on TV or the news.”

“You mean you rob from the rich and give to the poor?”

She waved her index finger at him, which was about the size of Kyle’s own pinky. “Uh-uh. That’s two questions. But since I think you’re kinda sweet, I’ll let you get away with it. We’re more the unofficial law around these parts. The actual cops are stretched pretty thin here and we help fill in the gaps. We mainly help keep the worst things - drugs, heavy weapons, the occasional neo-Nazi,, things like that - out. Then, every once in a while, someone will come to us to handle a problem that the law can’t or won’t be able to do anything about. Understand?”

Kyle nodded, then frowned. “You don’t drive a big black van with red striping, do you?”

She giggled. “Nope. But I’d kill to meet Liam Neeson or Bradley Cooper. The film reboot had some flaws but it was a good adaptation.” They both laughed then Lexi turned serious. 

“Ok. My turn. Here’s a biggie.” She paused for a breath.  “Who’s Becca?”

Kyle went pale for a moment and then recovered. “Where did you hear that name?”

“You’ve been mumbling it for the past half hour. When I walked in, you started saying it louder and that’s when he-” she nodded at his waist, “made his presence known.” She smirked as Kyle blushed hard. “I’m really hoping she’s not your sister and you weren’t going all Lannister on me,” she teased.

Kyle coughed hard. “No. Nothing like that.” Once he calmed down, he took a deep breath. “My fiancé. She’s gone now.” 

Lexi took a deep breath, her voice much softer. “I’m sorry. Did it happen recently?”

He nodded. “A few weeks ago.” Lexi’s wide eyes went even wider. “That’s what I was doing at the depot.” He met her gaze. “Becca was murdered and Amethyst, or at least their boss, is the one responsible. Want to hear the whole story?”

Lexi’s light-blue right eyebrow arched. “Are you sure?”

“Might as well. It’s not like I’m going anywhere and I need to say this out loud, just for my sake if nothing else.” He took a deep breath and started telling Lexi the whole story from the day of the wedding rehearsal to the night at the depot. Lexi didn’t interrupt. When she started to tear up, Bob knelt to her and handed her a lace handkerchief from his pocket. 

Lexi took a deep breath and blew heavily into the fine cloth. As she wiped the tears away and handed the cloth back to Bob, she turned to Kyle. “That’s pretty damn romantic Kyle. The stupidest thing I’ve ever heard if I’m honest, but romantic nonetheless.” She glanced over at her husband. “Then again, I know some green oaf would probably do the same thing if something like that happened to me.”

“I hear dragon tastes like chicken.”

Lexi’s violet-colored lips smiled sweetly at her husband. “Thanks, hun.” He simply nodded. 

She turned back to Kyle. “Well, I have to get going. If you promise to be a good little puppy, I’ll see if we can’t get you off your leash soon. I’ll see about getting you your clothes back too. I don’t mind the view but I don’t think you want to flash that around any more than you have to.”

She left Kyle’s bed and walked over to Bob. “Better eat double tonight hun. I’m feeling a mite frisky for later and you’ll need the energy.” She headed out but paused to swat Bob’s posterior. She then whistled a jaunty little tune as she went down the hall.

Kyle just looked at Bob who was slightly smirking. Kyle half expected Bob’s face to shatter from it.