trailing kisses down the column of her
throat. Jac let out a low moan as the heat of his mouth stirred
emotions buried deep inside her. Her sex was slick with moisture and
ached with longing as he gently rocked his body against her. The
pleasure of his cock inside her increased the erotic sensations. It
racked her body with such passion, it was unbelievable. Then, she
was falling, falling into pitch darkness. She let out a shout, crashing
down onto the cold ground.
Jac sat up, naked and cold in a dark, wooded glade. Her heart
pounding wildly in her chest as she glanced around, terrified. Where
was he? Before she could call out, she saw a pair of glowing, wild
eyes peering through the dark foliage. A low snarl echoed around
her. Run! Scrambling to her feet, Jac began to run through the trees,
through the thick grove of bushes. The creature was hot on her trail.
She could hear its heavy panting and the snapping of twigs and the
swish of brush as it drew closer and closer.
Her legs went rubbery. She lost her footing and fell, face first, onto
the hard, cold ground. Jac rolled onto her back, just in time to see a
black, furry creature leap into the air. Air whooshed from her lungs
as the creature landed on top of her, its large, lupus-like face only
inches from hers.
Jac was scared out of her wits. A scream ripped from her throat.
She flailed her arms, attempting to fight. Get off me!
"Get off me!" Jac shouted, flinging the covers onto the floor. Her
heart was racing as she sat up, looking around. Where was she? It
took a moment to get her bearings. The room slowly came into focus.
She was in bed, in a hotel room ... alone.
There was no dark woods, no hideous wolf-creature attacking her.
It was all a dream.
"More like a nightmare," she muttered, retrieving the bedcover and
wrapping herself in the warm, comforting material. "Damn," Jac
cursed under her breath, curling up in the bed once again. Listening
to her heart return to a normal pace, the nightmare gradually
dissipated as she began to focus on the day ahead.
"Time to get busy," she sighed, tossing the cover aside and rising
from the bed. A manila folder lay beside her laptop bag. Jac flipped
it open, scanning its contents. Her editor's contact had provided
nothing more than a few transcriptions of town hall council meetings,
a genealogical family tree and a clipping from the local newspaper.
She scanned over the scrap of paper. It was a sighting of a half-
man, half-wolf spotted in town on Halloween. "A werewolf on
Halloween, huh?" Jac shook her head, slipping the news clipping back
into the assignment folder. "I still think it's all a big farce," she
grumbled, but decided to get down to business – but only after a
shower and a cup of coffee. These were the two things she needed
every morning to jumpstart her brain.
* * * *
There was no coffee pot provided in her room and no Wi-Fi
connection. Disgruntled, Jac decided to head out. Closing the motel
door behind her, she noticed the sky was still cloudy and the air crisp
and chilled. Thankfully, there hadn't been any precipitation overnight.
Dressed casually in her Nikes, blue jeans and favorite heavy sweater,
Jac headed to the hotel lobby. She adjusted the laptop bag over her
shoulder and stepped into the small office to be pleasantly greeted by
The Starlight Motel's elderly owner.
"Good morning." She returned a grin to the gentleman behind the
counter. She'd briefly met Mr. Campbell last night during her late
check-in. The motel owner winked. "You're an early bird. After
such a nerve-racking night, I'd thought you'd sleep in this morning."
"I'm on a deadline. My boss can't wait." She gave a soft sigh then
added, "So where can I find a Wi-Fi connection and a decent cup of
coffee in town?"
"Wi-Fi?" The older man had a far-away look in his eyes, then
blinked. "Oh yeah. That's one of those internet computer hook-ups.
Right, dear?"
"Uh, yes sir. I need one for my