Page 15 of Wolves Always Bite

"Okay, so you went all wolfman back there.Isthat it?Orcan you become like an actual wolf too?"

"Thatwas myAnubisform.Ican also shift into a wolf form, whereIlook similar to a wild wolf, but larger."

"Anubis, as in theEgyptiangod?Huh.Inmy headIalways thought of werewolves as being more connected toFenrirandNorsemythology."Iscribbled a few notes in my book.Icircled the wordEgyptand put five question marks behind it.ImeanI’dnever tried to write a werewolf novel before, but being able to interview an actual real live werewolf was too good of an opportunity to pass up.ButIwasn't keen about writing aboutEgyptianwerewolves.NotthatIhad anything againstEgypt, but aVikingwerewolf with snow clinging to his fur as he hunted through the wilderness around some remote fjord?Thatgot my synapses sparking.

"Magicisn't derived from a region.It’sfound throughout the world."

Ohgood.Mysnow-loving werewolf was safe.Irubbed my chin. "Thatmakes sense,Iguess.So, if you can go into full-fledged wolf mode, does that mean you have to wear stripper pants?"

Iglanced down at his jeans.Theylooked normal enough, but maybe he had a good tailor.

Adrianjerked his head around and gaped at me. "Saywhat now?"

"Stripperpants.Youknow, so you can rip them off easily.Itmust be shitty to destroy your clothes whenever you go into grrr mode."

Grrrmode sounded so much better than goblin mode, amIright?Andthis was a serious question.Clotheswere important.I’dgrown up wearing an endless supply of hand-me-downs, so even thoughIstill didn’t have a lot of moneyItreasured every piece of clothingIbought.IfIwas a wolf,Icouldn't imagine wrecking my wardrobe every timeIwanted to go wolf or woof, as the case may be.AndIdidn't want my werewolves to have to wear tatty clothes.Yes, they weremywerewolves now.Iwas going to write an amazing story about them.Stripperpants made sense;Adrianshouldn’t be so dismissive.

Adrian’slaughter was loud, filling the air between us.Thecarefree sound of it made me want to laugh too.Whenhis laughter faded, he wiped tears from his eyes with his thumb. "No.Nostripper pants.Ourclothes transform with us."

"What?How?”

“Magic.”

“That’sstill a shitty answer.”Ishook my pen at him as a reprimand.Ineeded more information.Alot more. “Soyou don't go walking around naked?Shiftersaren't naturally comfortable being nude around others all the time because they spend so much time being naked with friends and family?"

"Uh… no."Bythe wayAdrian’smouth was contorted,Icouldn’t tell if he was horrified by the idea or trying not to laugh again.

"Soall those books lied."Icrossed my arms.Nonaked werewolves—that was so disappointing.Iread a lot of werewolf books.Icouldn’t believe so many of them had gotten the facts wrong.Apparently, all those authors had never met an actual werewolf, either that or they lied.Actually, lying had some merit.Yes,I’dfudge things in my book a bit.Fictiondidn’thaveto follow reality exactly.Imarked that in my notebook with more question marks. "Howis a person supposed to make informed decisions about shit, when all the basic facts are so messed up?"

"Books?Whatbooks?"

Ilifted my head and jutted out my chin, ready for the derisive remarks to start, butIwouldnotapologize for whatIliked to read or write.Screwanyone who tried to make me feel otherwise. "Paranormalromance, specificallyMMstories."

Hisforehead crinkled in thought. “What’sMM?”

“Storieswith two guys, although more than two works too.”

"Isthat what you write?Fictionstories about men?"Adrianhadn't laughed at me.Thatwas good.I’dhate to have to waste this precious time with a real live werewolf by having to educate him on the wonderful things about the genre.

"Well, duh.Butit is also whatIread.Thoseare the booksI'mtalking about.Itisn't likeI’vefound any autobiographies out there about werewolves.AlthoughIbetMyLifeas aWerewolforWerewolfin theCitywould find an audience.Now, where wasI?"Ibit the inside of my cheek and considered what elseIwanted to know. "Right.So, like, how wolfish are you when you go wolf?”Iraised my hands and reinforced thego wolfwith invisible quotation marks. “Doyou still think like a guy or is it all a jumble ofrabbit, chase, howl, run?"

"Rabbit, chase, howl, run."Adrianlifted his eyebrow as he slowly repeated the words.

"Don'tmock me.Theseare serious questions."

"Ican talk.Ican think."Adrianturned on his indicator and glanced over his shoulder as he moved to pass the car in front of us.Themotorhome—with the freaking demon in it—had passed the same car a few minutes earlier as it roared up the road ahead of us. "Mostof my senses are stronger andIcan be a bit more aggressive, but yeah.I'mstill me."

Iwaited untilAdrianhad passed the car before asking my next question. "Andfull moons?Doyou lose all control when the moon is at its peak?"

"No.That'spure myth.Althoughwe do tend to go for runs more at night than during the day, so it makes sense that humans would catch sight of us under the full moon more often than other times in the month."

"Yeah,Isuppose."Itapped my pen against my lips. "Andif you bit me, wouldIchange into a werewolf too?Orare you going to tell me that werewolves don't bite?"

"Bitescan't make someone a werewolf."Adrianswallowed and his cheeks darkened a bit. "Bitesare, uh, more of a thing wolves do with their partner."

“Partner?Likebusiness partner?Sparringpartner?Idon’t understand.”

Adriancleared his throat. “Lover?”