Hello everyone! Since it has been a while since I've put out a release, I wanted to give you all a preview of what I'm working on. Hope you enjoy!
Wolf Heart - Chapter 1
"Bradley, promise me you'll come home for dinner tomorrow," his mother said over the phone.
Bradley rubbed the bridge of his nose and suddenly wished that his Bluetooth would start malfunctioning. "Mother, are you playing matchmaker again?"
His mother sniffed. "I don't know why you insist on being so picky."
Bradley sighed as his mother started to go on and on about how he was thirty-two years old and should have settled down by now. He tuned her out and concentrated on the road. He knew his mother was just worried about him. He spent most of his time in his house on the edge of town. The only real time he interacted with anyone was when he went in the clinic and since most of his clients were the furry kind, human interaction was far and in-between.
He frowned. Maybe his mother was right. He hadn't been with anyone for months. He had decided not to fool around with girls in Lotters since he had no desire to have them showing up on his parent's doorstep. He would head up to Alexendria, but he hadn't found the time to go there.
"Even your father agrees with me," his mother said.
"What?" Bradley barked out.
If his father got involved then that would be trouble. He started to say as much when something ran past his car. Instinctively, he slammed on his break and the car skidded. Instead of wrenching the wheel, Bradley went with it, and slowly pumped the break like he should have done in the first place. Slowly, he managed to get hold of the car and pulled over. He sat there for a moment and took a deep breath.
"Shit," he said.
"Bradley? Are you okay? Did something happen?" his mother asked in a panic.
"I'm fine, Mom. Just something ran in front of the car, but I don't think I hit it."
"What? A deer?"
No, it hadn't been a deer. The flash of fur he had seen had looked like a dog.
"Mom, I'll call you back."
"Okay, just be careful getting home," his mother said.
"I will," he said and hung up.
He took a deep breath and got out of the car. He looked around the dark road. There was hardly ever any traffic on this road. He looked around to see if the animal was still around. He didn't think he hit it, but it might have gotten clipped. Searching around, he almost missed it. There was a slight movement that made him pick it out. A pile of dark fur lay in a snowdrift. Bradley rushed over.
"Please don't be dead," Bradley said, his heart beating fast.
As Bradley hurried closer to the animal, he soon realized he had been wrong. It hadn't been a dog. It was a wolf. Slowly Bradley stepped towards the wolf. A low growl poured from the animal, causing Bradley to jerk back. The wolf tried to stand up and then flopped back down with a whimper. It started growling again.
"Come on. I just want to help. I can't do that if you bite my head off," Bradley said softly. "I'm a vet."
The wolf's ears perked up and the growling stopped. That surprised Bradley. Maybe the wolf was a domestic wolf. It would be rare, but not entirely surprising. Hoping that was the case, Bradley decided to give it another try. He inched closer to the wolf. The wolf watched him with bright green eyes that caught the moonlight. It gave Bradley pause. There was something intelligent in those eyes.
Now came the dangerous part. Trying to push down nerves, Bradley leaned in, getting close enough that is the wolf decided to, he could rip Bradley's throat out.
"I'm going to move you. It's probably going to hurt, but I'll take care of you. Promise."
The wolf tensed and then nodded its head.
Bradley blinked. No way. It couldn't have just...
Bradley shook his head. He was reading too much into it. Hoping he wasn't about to get himself killed, Bradley reached down and as gently and as swiftly as he could, lifted up the wolf.
The wolf let out a sharp yelp. Bradley stiffened, but the wolf didn't attack. Carefully, he carried the wolf to his car. With a bit of finesse and luck he managed to open the back seat and get him settled inside. He shut the door.
"Well that went better than I thought it would," he said, relief dripping from his voice. Most people would have called him crazy for doing what he just did, but he never been able to abandon a hurt animal. Bradley slipped into the driver's seat. He glanced back and saw the wolf watching him through lowered eyelids.
"Just hang in there," Bradley said.
The wolf huffed and then closed his eyes.
Bradley slid into his seat. He was closer to home than the clinic and he wasn't sure what would happen if he brought in a wolf to Lotters. Wolves had a bad reputation in town from some fiasco that happened decades ago. It would just be better to take it home. Settled, Bradley drove home, glancing back at the wolf every once in a while.
Once they reached the house, Bradley took it to the garage that he had converted to a small emergency clinic for animals he found injured on the side of the road, usually dogs, cats, and a few birds. His mother often teased him that he just never was good at giving up on any animal he came across. The same couldn't be said for people.
He laid the wolf down. It didn't give much of a struggle and that worried Bradley. Its dark auburn fur was stained with blood. Quickly, Bradley checked the wolf over. It had been shot and the bullet was still lodged in its shoulder. Hunters, had to be. They shouldn't have been in that area.
Quickly, he got to work. He gave the wolf a small sedative and then pulled out an emergency kit he kept on hand. He prepped the area and then as quickly as he could, pulled out the bullet. He let out a sigh and turned to drop it in a pan. He heard a distorted growl behind him. Bradley turned and gasped, jerking back in surprise.
The wolf writhed and stretched on the examination table. Its limbs grew longer and part of its hair retracted. Suddenly it was like Bradley's vision went crazy. Two images - one a man and one a wolf - hovering against each other. Then the image of the man engulfed the wolf. The wolf was gone. In its place was a man. The man groaned and shivered.
What the hell just happened?
Bradley didn't have time to question it. The wolf...man was still bleeding. He grabbed the surgical thread and returned to his patient and stopped. The wound. It was still there, but it wasn't as deep as before. Bradley blinked and then watched as the wound very slowly began to mend itself.
"You've got to be shitting me," Bradley said, looking from the wound to the man in shock. Vaguely, he wondered if he had actually crashed his car back on the road and was lying in a snow bank unconscious and this was all a dream.
"Cold," the man said shivering.
Bradley blinked and then he quickly glanced around. Everything there was for an animal, not a grown man. "Just stay there. I-I'll be right back."
He hurried out of the room. He ran a hand through his hair. "I'm pretty sure that really just happened." He tried not to think about it, because if he did he was sure he would freak out and right now the wolf or man or whatever he was, was still a patient. He went to his bedroom and opened his drawer. He hesitated.
Would the man be up for putting on clothes? There was a loud crash. No time! Bradley reached for a sheet and hurried back to the garage.
The man was draped over the edge of the examination table. He tried to stand up, but wobbled and fell, barely catching himself. Bradley winced and rushed over to him. He wrapped the sheet around the man.
The man flinched and then looked up at him. "What did you do to me?"
"Nothing," Bradley said. "It's probably blood loss and the sedative I gave you to get the bullet out."
"I don't-" The man suddenly toppled over.
Bradley caught him.
The man tensed in his arm and started to pull away, but then stopped. The man sniffed the air and then suddenly buried his face against Bradley's chest. He took a deep breath, taking in Bradley's scent. The man relaxed in Bradley's arms.
Bradley wasn't sure what to make of that.
The man tilted his head back. His expression was sleepy and he could barely keep his eyes open, but for a brief moment those strange green eyes met Bradley's.
Bradley sucked in a breath. Something electric shot through his body making every nerve stand on edge and his breath grow tight in his chest. The feeling was so strong that for a moment everything else stopped and a desire so raw went through his body that he couldn't help pulling the man closer to him. A streak of possessiveness coursed through his body.
The man smiled and closed his eyes. His head lolled to the side as the sedative tugged him into unconsciousness.
Bradley's world twisted back into place, but he knew that it was never going to be the same. His cock was hard and straining against his pants. Which was wrong, because this man was a patient... and a man. Bradley sucked in a deep breath and then blew it out. He scooped up the man and took him to his bedroom. He could have taken him to one of the spare rooms, but Bradley told himself that his bedroom was closer and the bed made. It sounded like an excuse, but he ignored it.
Lying the man down in his bed, Bradley went and grabbed a large bowl from the kitchen and filled it with soapy water. His hands were shaking, but instead of fear, or doubt, or any of the number of emotions that would make sense in this situation, what he felt was an intense desire. He swallowed and then went to the bathroom and grabbed a washcloth, trying not to think pass the tasks he needed to do.
Returning to the bedroom, Bradley moved back to the bedside. The man was fast asleep. Carefully, Bradley pulled back the sheet. The man shifted and let out a soft sigh. So trusting. Bradley felt a stab of guilt then firmly pushed it away. He couldn't control his reaction to the man, but he could control what he did about it.
With a cool professionalism, Bradley began to wash away the dirt, blood, and sweat. He paused to check the wound, but it was nearly healed. He shook his head in amazement and finished up. Once the man was clean, he got rid of the dirty sheet and tucked him into bed.
The man sighed again. His auburn hair brushed over his cheek as he moved. He was the most beautiful person Bradley had ever seen. He couldn't help himself. Very gently, Bradley brushed his fingers over the curve of the man's jaw. His skin was warm and supple. Another rush of desire went through Bradley and he jerked his hand back.
Gathering himself, he slowly stood up and stepped out of the room. It felt like everything inside him resisted the movement, but he managed to leave, shutting the door firmly behind him. His breath was tight and his dick still hard. "What's wrong with me? I'm not even gay."
His cock begged to differ.
Running a hand through his hair, Bradley went into his study and pulled out a glass decanter of scotch. He grabbed a glass and ice and splashed the alcohol on it. He took a long drink. Questions pounded inside his skull, none of the answers he could come up with seemed real.
"This is impossible," Bradley said, his voice strained.
He needed answers, but the only one who could give them to him was the man sleeping in his bedroom. He took another drink and waited for his patient to wake up.
