Megan crept down the stairs. She was light on foot and avoided any creaks of the old wooden stairs. She hid in the shadows as Kelvin walked passed with Dustin who stunk of sour bourbon and stale cigars. She’d heard Kelvin say they had to go to the cemetery and she needed to tell Sanders. A quick text was all she needed to send to inform him. If he could get there before Dustin and Kelvin the hunt for the shaman could be cut short, and Gabriel wouldn't be a threat against his plan.

Megan exited the rear door of the motel. She hid her cell in a flower pot and would text on her return. She had a couple of hours to feed before the sun started to rise. Drunken partygoers who were staggering home would be easy pray for her. Their blood might be tainted by alcohol, but it’d still taste sweet on her tongue.

She flexed her shoulders as she glared up toward the moon. Her muscles creaked as her bones twisted, contorted, and stretched. Fur sprouted from her split skin and her skin shredded and was covered by her thick fur. A golden glow washed over her eyes as her jaw elongated and her muzzle stood proud from her face. She leaped against the wall that surrounded the yard. Her wolf body clambered over the stone wall and she vanished into the dark toward the noise of the rubbish trucks that were being filled.

Megan stood next to a dumpster as her body changed back to her human form. Her slender body would entice any man who had the good luck (or bad luck) to feast his eyes upon her. She walked down the alley. The steel tips of her heels clattered on the concrete pavers. She peered around the corner. Two guys ambled toward her. Two for the price of one —and she stepped under the streetlight.

"You got a light?" Megan asked, now holding a cigarette to her brightly-colored lips.

The guys stopped and one pushed his hand into his pocket and pulled out a cheap plastic lighter. He held it cupped in his hand as he flicked the wheel. The lighter sparked, although the flame never appeared. Megan hinted it’d be better to try in the alleyway as the wind might be too strong. The two guys appeared happy to get Megan away from the sight of anyone. Other things flashed through their minds. Megan stepped backward out of the light. The guys followed as they looked over their shoulder to make sure they hadn’t been seen.

Megan dropped her cigarette onto the ground. She ran her tongue over her blood-red lips and flashed a sultry smile. "You two look strong," she said, pulling the zipper down on her leather jacket. The guys licked their lips as her cleavage appeared. Megan had other things planned as did the two guys who were unaware of what was going to happen.

"What you after, lady?" guy one asked.

"Whatever you can give me. I can take both of you," she cooed.

The first guy stepped forward. He pulled open Megan's jacket and lifted up her low-cut top. With her breasts bared, he fumbled at her nipples with his drunken fingers. He lowered his head and took her nipple into his mouth. Megan's head pushed up against the brick as the second guy walked up to her. She reached to him and grabbed hold of his crotch. She could feel the warmth filling his shaft. His blood pumped as his heart raced. Just how she liked them. Pumping hard to satisfy her thirst.

Her hand tugged his zipper and her hand slipped inside his pants. Guy two winced in pain as Megan tightened her grip. Her nails sunk deep into his groin. A golden glow filled her eyes and her head tilted back and snapped forward. Guy one never stood a chance.

Megan sank her teeth into his shoulder. Her head yanked to the side as his fresh bourbon-tainted blood spurted over guy two. He pulled at Megan's wrist as he tried to pull her hand from his pants. He started to scream as the first guy slumped to the ground.

His neck was bared. Megan grabbed his neck with her free hand and sank her claws deep into his thorax. His scream was smothered by pouring blood and from the fact that Megan held his vocal cords tightly wrapped around her claws. Her head lunged as she ripped into his neck. His body squirmed as his arms and hands moved in mid-air. Megan had her fill and then threw his body deep into the shadows. She fell to her knees and sank her jaw hard against guy one’s bared flesh. She drank and fed as his heart pumped wildly in his chest. Shock and adrenaline, and the fear of dying made him kick into overdrive.

This one will be turned. The other is dead meat.

Megan paused as she heard the truck reverse. Her claws clamped over guy one’s mouth and she peered toward the street with her golden-colored eyes. The truck stopped. Megan took one last drink and fled down the alley. Guy one kicked as his body started to accept the change in him. Guy two slumped against the far wall. His head hung down on his chest. He was a goner.

The street workers never noticed the one guy that was slumped against the wall as they wheeled out the dumpster to the street. They also never noticed the bright green eyes that peered from above them as guy one scampered up the drainpipe to the room. Megan watched from the top of the alley. Green eyes followed her before she vanished into the dark and headed for the motel.

Her wolf-like body clambered back over the wall and she silently approached the flower pot where she hid her cell. She backed into the shadows and started to text. The glow of her cell lit up her face. Megan's fingers hovered over the keyboard as she heard a noise. The door opened and a shadowy figure walked toward the bushes where Megan stood.

Willy wobbled back and forth as he unzipped his fly and started to pee. Megan stood in silence.

"Does a bear shit in the woods? Whoever came up with that saying?" he said to the sound of his zipper being pulled up.

He walked back to the door. Megan hit send on her phone and sneaked to the door. Her fingers grabbed it before it closed. She watched Willy walk to his apartment and she slipped inside the motel door.

The stairs never creaked as she dashed back upstairs, and Gabriel never stirred when she slipped back into bed. Megan licked her lips. The faint taste of whiskey was on her breath, and she closed her eyes and smiled.

A double whammy. What a result.

Gabriel sat in the dining room as Willy brought his fried breakfast. He sipped on his hot coffee and dipped his toast into his fried egg. The yolk oozed from the white dome that covered it and ran over his plate. He ran his toast through the hot sticky liquid and shoved it into his mouth. He had a thought; that when he was a wolf he hated living on human food all the time, but now he was human, he enjoyed it. Especially the breakfast. The most important meal of the day.

He chuckled to himself as he sipped on his coffee. Dustin walked in and looked a little worse for wear. "Rough night?" Gabriel asked.

"We polished off two bottles of the best bourbon in the house. I'd hate to see the state Willy’s in, this morning.” As he said it, a chirpy whistle came from the kitchen door as Willy appeared. “What? He drank more than me."

"Morning Dustin, nice to see you could join us," Willy said in a happy tone.

"Willy, you're a freakin’ animal, do you know that?" Dustin remarked.

"Of course I know it. I'm a bear shifter."

Dustin poured himself a large mug of black coffee and looked at Willy. "I meant drinking and puffing on those cigars."

"Years of practice, that's all." He placed fried bacon, eggs, and sausage in front of Dustin. But Dustin pushed it to Gabriel.

"I'm not sure I can face that this morning," he said. An arm came over his shoulder as Kelvin grabbed the plate and pulled it to his space. He sat and said he’d take it.

Maria followed a few minutes later. Her hair hung flat because she’d just showered. She’d slept like a log and was so happy she hadn’t taken Willy up on his advances. She followed him into the kitchen.

"You haven't mentioned the cemetery, have you?" she asked.

"Not at all. That's our secret." He smiled and winked.

"Hmm!" Maria grabbed her plate and walked back to the dining table. "Where's Megan?"

Gabriel wiped egg yolk from his chin and said Megan would be down in a while. She had another migraine starting.

Maria slid Willy's sausage into her mouth and thought how tasty it was. She swallowed and looked at Gabriel. "She has a lot of migraines, don't you think?"

Gabriel curled the side of his mouth up. "It's the light. It hurts her eyes and then she gets a headache," he replied.

Maria thought about it. The vlads had to refrain from stepping into the light. Is Megan a vlad?

"I'm starving," Megan said from the doorway, walking into the dining room." Maria watched. Willy walked in and turned on the light as the clouds darkened outside.

"This always happens. When it’s Mardi Gras time we have shitty weather, at least one of the days."

Megan walked to the window and prayed it’d darkened enough not to burn her skin. Her skin was still a little oily from the sunscreen she’d smothered up her arms and face.

"I think there's a storm coming," she said, now turning and walking to her chair.

Maria leaned to Megan and whispered. Maria sniffed Megan with her wolf sense. “You should see a doctor if you keep having migraines." Maria sat up straight without being able to smell anything on Megan, apart from a faint smell of cheap whiskey and the sunscreen. "Did you have a drink last night?"

Megan nodded as her mind flashed back to the alley. "I had a quick double before sleeping."

"What's everyone up to today if it's raining?" Megan asked in a quizzical tone.

Gabriel pushed his empty plate to the center of the table and leaned back, patting his stomach. "If you're okay, we can go and scout around and see if anyone knows where a shaman is."

Dustin peered at Kelvin. They shouldn’t be talking about it so loudly. Someone might be listening in, that was the thought that crossed both of their minds.

"I should be fine if the sun doesn't come out too strong," Megan replied.

Kelvin had a plan of going back to the strip club with Maria and Dustin. It might be time to come up with a new plan. There was now his family to consider, and one slip could affect all the plans they’d put into place so far.

"I think us three should check the locations in the pictures again. We….” he emphasized the word, “bombed out last night, so we might have better luck today."

"It sounds good. We’ll be free for tonight,” Dustin added.

Megan felt as if everyone was talking in code. It made no sense as they gave nothing away about where they were going, apart from what they were doing. At least she had the idea of the cemetery, later in the evening.

Willy walked into the dining room with his breakfast and sat at another table. "It should be a full moon tonight," he said as he tucked into his double helping of everything. "It might get a little spooky around here."

Maria leaned back in her chair. "Why would it get spooky?"

Willy explained the motel was supposed to be haunted. He mentioned he felt someone was watching him pee in the bushes last night. He didn't show any reaction in case a poltergeist or something showed itself.

"It's not haunted," Maria said. She wasn't sure of her words as her mind went back to the knock at the door she experienced when they first arrived.

"How do you explain the back door being open when I got up this morning? None of you went out, did you?" said Kelvin. Everyone shook their heads as they were all in the motel. Or most of them were. Megan acted as if she’d been in bed all night and appeared as shocked as everyone else.

"I’d love to see a ghost," she said.

"Maybe the ghost would be scared of you," Gabriel commented, laughing loudly.

"Why would a ghost be scared of me?"

"You’re scary sometimes," he replied. "Even Noelle said you were scary."

"My beloved cousin. It's been ages since I’ve seen her. Does anyone know where they are?" she asked, trying to get the location for Sanders.

Megan lowered her head and carried on eating as if the question meant nothing. Everyone else thought nothing of the question either, and there was no response.

I know, you all know where they’re hiding.

"Have you ever seen Drake?" Maria asked.

"I haven't. Noelle and Declan have kept him hidden away," Megan replied.

Maria placed her knife and fork on her plate. "I wonder why that is?"

“The good ole boys drank whiskey and some rye, tomorrow would hurt if they woke before nine."