Feral Bonds

Chapter 30

Gretchen's phone rang as she opened the door. The wolf slunk past her, dropping the shadowy magic that made her inconspicuous to humans and heaving herself onto the couch. She pulled it out, frowned at the unknown number, then walked into her bedroom to answer it. "Hello?"

"I need to speak to Natania." She recognized Vincent's voice and walked back to the living room.

"She's very much a wolf right now."

He made an irritated noise. "So ask her to shift back."

Natania perked up her ears and glanced at her, woofing softly.

"She can't."

"What do you mean she can't?"

"I don't know. Some fucking magical cat thing bit her, and she says she can't shift now."

"She really can't go a single damn day without getting into trouble, can she?" Vincent sounded exasperated and Gretchen laughed.

"Sounds about right. I can pass on a message? She can hear you."

He sighed heavily. "No, I was just told she might need us. Did something happen? Not the fight."

Aside from being raped, no. Gretchen wasn't sure Natania would want that knowledge out there. She looked at the wolf. Natania was scowling. "Do you need him?" Gretchen asked her.

Natania shook her head vehemently.

"She says no."

"All right." He hung up without another word and Gretchen gave her phone a confused look.

"What was that about?"

Natania huffed out a breath and shook her head. Gretchen stroked her fur, she was so dang soft, and kissed the top of her head. "I'll make us some food." Natania let out a soft whine and Gretchen paused. "What's wrong?"

The wolf nudged her wounded arm with her nose and licked it once. "I already told you, it's fine." She also wasn't sure she wanted Natania to know what her blood tasted like, not when she was prone to losing control of herself, but it was too late for that now.

It probably should have frightened her more, but frankly, she didn't have all that much to lose. She had devoted her entire life to figuring out how to get revenge, and Natania could be the reason that finally became a reality. She just hoped that if the wolf was going to kill her eventually, that it was after they killed Duvall.

Gretchen pulled away from her and went to the kitchen. She had left some steaks defrosting in the fridge, though they had been away for a bit longer than she planned, so hopefully they were still good.

Unwrapping the packages, she sniffed them suspiciously. She didn't know why she did that, it wasn't like she could tell, unless they were especially bad. "Hey, wolf girl," Gretchen called. "Do these smell okay to you?"

Natania rounded the corner and nodded. "You didn't even check." The wolf raised an eyebrow at her and sniffed the air. "I'm being serious."

Natania snorted and walked over. Rearing up on her hind legs, she put her paws on the counter and pointedly sniffed them again, putting her nose right in them, without actually touching them, then rolled her head up to look at Gretchen and nodded again. "Smart ass," Gretchen muttered.

The wolf backed onto the ground again and sneezed at her. Gretchen nudged her muzzle away. "Don't sneeze on the food." Natania pressed her muzzle into Gretchen's stomach, then sneezed again. "Now you're just being gross," she complained. Natania backed up and gave her a wolf grin, before rearing up on her hind legs to lick her cheek.