Chapter Two
Melissa’s life had been somewhat uneventful so far. She was twenty-four years old, taking care of her brothers’ needs, and not saying “no” to any fling that would come along her way. The relationships she had never lasted longer than a few days. She was still too young to commit to a male of her kind. The males of her kind all shared this strange sense of carefreeness, resembling overgrown boys; they all had one thing in mind, and tended to lose interest after they had taken it: sex. Melissa had yet to think about the qualities of her potential mate, but she knew that she didn’t need any of the males she had been socializing with so far.
Incredibly enough, the trio’s trip to New York had a profound effect on her, one that took her by total surprise. Much to her astonishment, Melissa caught herself making a mental list of her ideal man’s attributes, on the drive back to Paxton. For the first time ever, she included the possibility of him being human. Joe Stanton’s tragic story had given her reason to believe that there were more men like him in this world. She just had to find one.
Darkness had fallen over her birthplace, as Kate’s car rolled to a halt on the driveway. The sight that greeted them put a big smile on Melissa’s face. Ray had his back leaned against the wall, watching as Julia’s wolf loped along in the yard, letting out frenetic yips. She had witnessed this quite a few times lately, but it never failed to amuse her. Plain and simple, her brother’s mate was celebrating the fact that she was alive.
“She hasn’t shifted back to human since lunch,” Ray informed, as Melissa strolled towards him. “She even went up to Warrick’s place and howled half an hour ago.”
“I wish I could do that,” Monica muttered under her breath, broadening Melissa’s smile.
“Seriously, stop doing that,” Kate spoke too fast, casting an angry, sideways glare at her friend.
“What?”
“Stop giving me the creeps!” Frustration sent Kate’s voice two octaves up, as she narrowed her eyes at her. “You like wolves, but wanting to become one? Really?”
“I’m pretty sure she just wants to feel the power,” Melissa said, glancing down at them over her shoulder.
“You don’t know that little weirdo like I do,” Kate groaned, averting her gaze from Monica. “She asked me to put the wolf in her, the night that we saved Julia’s skin. Thank God Helena told her that it would be very dangerous for her and the baby.”
“As much as I would like to hear you ranting, I’m very tired,” Monica stated in a polite tone, as she pulled her keys out of her purse. “Goodnight.”
“I’m pretty beat, too,” Kate sighed. “Goodnight, Dr. Stiff. Goodnight, kids.”
“Hey, Jules!” Melissa’s feminine voice echoed in the wilderness, as she settled her gaze on the white wolf across from her. “I could use a drink right now. What do you say?”
Yet another yip filled the air, as the beast started off towards her. Its fur shone in the moonlight, painting the small patches of gray on her chest and on her right shoulder a shade much closer to the snow on the rest of her body. Finally, Julia’s wolf leaped onto Melissa. Its large paws pushed her back, knocking her off balance. She banged her head against the concrete, as she fell hard on her back, but that was not her biggest problem. In an instant, she felt the lupine’s tongue, being swiped along her jaw.
“I’ll take that as a ‘yes’.” She said, thrusting her arms up to the wolf’s neck. “Now, get off of me. Go get dressed.”
“You two seem to be getting along pretty well,” Ray remarked, as Julia’s wolf stepped off his sister.
“She’s a peach,” Melissa murmured, rising up to her 5’8” stature. “Why has she been in wolf form that long?”
“She wanted to go out tonight. I told her I couldn’t; I have to wake up early tomorrow. She doesn’t talk much when she’s upset. She said it would be easier for her to keep her mouth shut in wolf form,” he stated, his voice deepening, as his slow steps led him closer to her.
“Oh, my God!” Melissa lifted her hands to her face in mock panic, as her brows popped up. “You guys have such problems! I feel so badly for you!”
“It’s not funny,” Ray spoke, a touch of anger in his tone.
“It’s just a minor argument,” she voiced her opinion, dropping her arms, as he leaned over her. “Talk things through with her. You guys love each other. You’ll be ok.”
“Yeah, we do,” Julia interjected, striding out of the cabin. “And yeah, we will. I was just messing with you, pretty boy.”
“What?” Ray squeaked, turning to her. “You…”
“You heard me,” she interrupted, halting in front of him, with a wicked smile on her face. “What, you think I’m too selfish to understand my man’s need to rest? I just didn’t shift, because this is entirely new to me. I feel so much stronger, and honestly? I just love it that I can run ten miles a day, and not feel tired. Don’t wait up,” she went on, planting a quick kiss on his lips.
“She’s good,” Melissa teased him, nodding in admiration, as her friend brushed by Ray. “She’s very good.”
“Have fun,” he said, smiling down at them.
“Where to, Mel?” Julia asked, as they made their way towards her white Toyota. “I’m sorry about the whole licking thing. I was just surprised. I thought you’d be too tired to go out.”
“I am,” she admitted with a sigh. “I just needed to talk to someone.”
“What about?” Julia snorted in amusement, moving around her car. “I saw you this morning. You seemed fine.”
“We ran into this guy at the cemetery. His name is Joe Stanton,” Melissa declared, reaching down to grab the passenger door handle. “His wife got killed last year. He is still mourning her.”
“That really freaked Mon out when it happened,” Julia affirmed, entering her car. “It sounds perfectly natural to me. He loved her. What is he supposed to do? Pretend it doesn’t bother him anymore?”
“Well…” Melissa croaked as she belted herself in and her friend started the engine. “His whole behavior puzzled me. I mean, there were like three hundred people around him, and he kept looking at her picture, crying, talking to it… Oh, crap.” She cocked her head in frustration. “I forgot to ask Kate about what he was saying. It sounded like a song. He said something like ‘Dust in the wind.’”
“You don’t have to ask Kate,” Julia assured her, driving off. “It’s a song; a very old, kind of melancholy song. The song is a monologue that talks about the fleetingness of life and the certainty of death. It says we’re all very fragile. About a minute before the end is the line that is my favorite quote: ‘Nothing lasts forever but the Earth and sky.’”
“It’s beautiful,” Melissa spoke in a cracking voice, her jaw stiffening as she sat back in her seat. “But, it just confirms my suspicion.”
“Girl, you were in a cemetery, what did you expect him to sing, ‘I’m So Excited’?” Julia squeaked, turning her face to the right to face her.
“No: of course not,” Melissa countered, staring into the void of night. “It’s just that I didn’t think humans could do that, you know? Display their feelings in public in that way. You should have seen him, Jules. He acted like he didn’t care who saw him grieving.”
“If I was still human, I’d be seriously pissed right now,” Julia joked, returning her attention to the road ahead. “Are you sure it’s just his behavior that intrigued you?”
“Yeah,” Melissa gave a quick nod. “Why are you asking?”
“Because you seem a little too upset over someone you’ll probably never see again,” Julia explained in her usual, teasing manner. “Face it, puppy. You’ve got the hots for ‘Mr. Big Shot Lawyer.’”
“Oh, man…” Melissa let out an exasperated huff, tilting her head back, as she banged her hand against her forehead. “Jules, I just said I admired his behavior, and you think I have a crush on him? Seriously? And ‘Big Shot lawyer’? What are you talking about?”
“I’ve been following his career, ever since Monica told me about his wife’s death,” Julia answered in a more serious tone, as her smile vanished. “Joe Stanton was not much of a lawyer prior to his wife’s death; but, today, he is one of the most prominent lawyers in New York. He’s the star of ‘Cross and Associates’, a major law firm. He’s been on the cover of ‘Forbes.’ He has also been interviewed by ‘USA Today.’ I’m sorry to break it to you honey, but a career freak like him doesn’t have much time for a personal life. Even if you did get into a relationship with him, you wouldn’t be dating him. You’d have to compete against his job. There’s also the matter of your…” she paused… “nature. What would he do, if he found about you?”
“It didn’t discourage you or your friends from dating my brothers, did it?” Melissa answered her question with a question of her own, tossing a sarcastic glance down at her.
“Not all New Yorkers are as open-minded as us, honey,” Julia said, a smile of bitterness bursting upon her lips, as she slowly put on the brakes. “You didn’t say where you wanted to go, so I took the liberty of deciding for you. ‘Red Maple’ is probably the best bar in Shandaken. Come on.”