8 - HOT AND COLD
1203 Words
FOOTFALLS woke Violet from her slumber.
She opened her eyes and observed the darkened room.
There was no one there aside from her. The heartbeat she could hear was coming from the bedroom next door.
Judging from the source of footsteps, it came from only a pair of feet. And it was from the back door. Every footfall was careful and precise.
It was stalking its prey.
Violet lay back on the couch and closed her eyes.
No more than two minutes, her feet straightened. It made contact with a body.
The sound of broken furniture resonated in the limited space of the cabin. It was followed by a roaring growl, but it did not deter the tall woman.
Despite the absence of light, she can clearly see the outline of the huge man approaching her. His arms were spread on his side.
Breathing heavily, he released another air-splitting growl before he changed into his wolf form.
Not wanting to create a mess, she grabbed the knife from under the pillow where she had placed her head a while ago. She threw it in the air.
Just in time for the light to spread in place, an audible thud echoed.
Violet glanced at the stunned expression of the man standing by the door. His eyes went from his guest down to the enormous wolf sprawled on the floor.
In their very eyes, the animal changed into a man. A very naked man with a knife embedded in his chest.
“W-what happened?” The still shocked Oswald asked. He remained on his feet by the door of his bedroom.
“If you have an extra pants that you could spare.” She requested it from him instead.
When Oswald returned, he had a pair of pants in his hands. Together, they gently clothe the man. They made sure that the knife on his chest was untouched.
“Who is this guy?”
“He was the person responsible for the death of your family and other rogue wolves that wanted to have a peaceful life outside the pack,” Violet responded.
She disclosed. It was the truth she hid from him from the day she helped him out of jail.
His eyes widened. When it sank in, he was about to attack the dead man on the floor, but Violet apprehended him.
“He’s dead, Oswald.”
“I am going to kill him again!” He yelled with rage.
Violet did not let him go until he calmed down. He slowly sank to the floor as he cried for his family.
“Why?” He whispered in anguish.
“He was also a rogue. He was not able to blend in with the humans.” He stared at her in confusion. “We have been tracking him. He had left a series of dead shifters in several States. This is the first time that he had victims where I was near.”
“We?”
“I knew several people that has been protecting rogues like you. I was part of it. Whenever we heard of crimes and the culprits were also shifters, we investigated and tried to solve the issues without the humans knowing of our existence.”
“You are here because of me?” She nodded. “What are we going to do now, Alpha?”
“We can do this in one of two ways.” She started. “Either we bury him or call the authority.”
In fifteen minutes, a police cruiser was parked in front of the River’s cabin. Behind it was an ambulance.
Violet and Oswald were brought to the precinct but another hour later, they were released.
They stated that the unknown man tried to rob the house and even attempted to physically assault Violet. The man’s death was considered self-defense on her part.
The knife that was found on the man’s chest was a kitchen knife. Oswald confirmed that it was his and part of the set of knives he has in the kitchen.
“I will send you home. The place has been processed already.”
It was the detective. As per usual, she was in jeans minus the jacket. Her hair was in a ponytail.
Mia and the other woman came in before the body had been removed from the living room. They took several photos in the cabin.
Tonight was the first time they had seen each other since their encounter a week ago.
The ride was silent and quick.
“Thank you, Detective,” Oswald uttered before he immediately got out of the car.
Violet knew that the man was still trying to bridge the gap in his knowledge of knowing the person who killed his family and why it happened.
She was about to follow him when the detective called out to her. When she glanced at Mia, she was already out of the car.
“Can we talk?”
“About what?”
“About what I said the other time.”
“What about it?”
“I crossed the line.”
“Indeed.” She retorted.
Violet remained on her feet as she viewed the detective. She noticed that the other woman was fidgeting.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s alright, Detective. It’s pretty late. Goodnight.” She turned her back to her again.
“Violet.”
The tall woman stopped in her tracks.
Mia’s voice was soft, unsure.
It was also the first time that the detective called her name. Often, it was Dr. Woods.
“Yes?” She still has her back on Mia.
She was startled when her arm was pulled back. She did not notice that Mia drew near. She was even more surprised when the shorter woman grabbed her shoulders and pressed their lips together.
Stunned by the turn of events, she was only able to seize the other woman’s waist as she deepened the kiss.
The being inside her howled.
Breathing heavily, their forehead touched when the kiss ended. It was rather quick but great for their first.
“Are you alright? Are you hurt?”
Violet nodded. “I’m not hurt. Are you okay?”
“Yeah. What just happened?”
Mia sighed, but her hands remained on the tall woman’s shoulders.
“I don’t know. You tell me, Detective?”
She straightened, but her eyes did not leave the shorter woman’s face. Uncertainty marred the beautiful face of the human female before she turned her head away.
“I’m sorry, Dr. Woods. I don’t know what came to me.”
Hence, Dr. Woods came back.
The tone of the detective’s voice was a little detached. The moment was gone.
Violet watched the shorter woman walk away. A smile drew on her thin lips at the memory of their lips joined.
She voiced out what was on her mind. “I like it.”
Mia’s steps halted. “What are you going to do about it?”
She chuckled. “Are you free tomorrow?”
“Eight PM. No flowers.”
The tall woman laughed. Her eyes followed the detective until she climbed in the driver’s seat.
A car horn later, the detective was lost in sight.
- Writer
