A.N.D. - Through the Looking Glass

Gypsies knew about wolves-they liked having wolves in their tribes. Wolfie senses were a definite advantage in poaching, particularly when you were poaching magic birds. And if their furry ally went a little crazy once a month, what did they care?

But there were dark rumors about what they did to wolves who weren’t willing to take orders. That lecture sure would be nice to hear; it would be a good thing to know what they thought of wolves in this world. Better to know now than when people came with ropes and knives and torches.

But huff, puff! If it was true about gypsies and lone wolves...

Virginia was still down the street and could see him. If he went in now, while she was still outside, she could rescue him if there was trouble. With a quick, nervous scratch, he dived inside.

The smells nearly drove him right back out. Between the boxes of incense, the rows of scented candles, and the herbs lying around, he could barely breathe. There was a whole section labeled “aromatherapy” with a stench that was almost physical.

But past the stinky stuff was a woman in the back of the shop, surrounded by pictures and statues of wolves. The chairs in front of her were full, but there was space on the floor. Wolf plopped down and held his sleeve over his nose. They couldn’t be planning on kidnapping everyone here!

The speaker looked like a gypsy, all full skirts and ropes of jewelry. But he’d never known a gypsy that talked like one of his self-help books. This one kept going on about “connecting with the inner child” and “healing through visualization.” He’d tried the visualization exercises in one of the books, but all he kept seeing was plates of bacon and Virginia telling him she’d marry him. And then he’d open his eyes and it wasn’t true. So visualization was out. Another book had nattered on about inner children, but that hadn’t made any sense at all. He didn’t have any children inside him. He was a reformed wolf. Hadn’t eaten a child in years.

The bell rang at the front of the shop and Virginia came in, smiling at him.

He was being surprisingly silent as they left the occult shop. After an hour of hearing wolves called teachers, guides, protectors, and powerful spirits, Virginia figured he’d be insufferably pleased with the world, but he was very silent and subdued. Of course, even she hadn’t been able to bear the smells in there; how had he been able to stand it?

While Wolf leaned against the shop front and drank in huge breaths of the barely-better New York City air, Virginia looked at the brochure they’d handed out at the end. Along with all the wolf mugs, wolf shirts, and other wolf stuff, they’d had flyers for some wolf wildlife foundation.

There wouldn’t be any extra money to send to Wolf’s Tenth Kingdom cousins for a while, but the information about wolves in general was interesting. It said that wolves liked to eat regularly... well, that was already obvious! But it also said that they usually went without food as they hunted, and then made up for the lack by gorging, eating up to one quarter their body weight at a sitting. One quarter their own weight? No wonder he was always hungry!

She stared at him appraisingly. Tall, a little bit taller than Dad even, which put him over six feet. Skinny, but definitely muscular. A private memory made her smile. Very muscular, and quite well... ahem! She was trying to calculate body weight, not be distracted by certain activities in the woods.

Just for curiosity, he could be lured onto a scale someday, but at a rough guess he was probably around two hundred pounds. Which would mean... Oh, my God! He could probably eat fifty pounds of food in a sitting! That explained a lot!

Even through her shock, that unemotional practicality kicked in. There were butchers in the city where you could order half or whole cows. She’d have to order one before the full moon. He’d had such a hard time of it at Little Lamb Village, but hopefully he’d be a little calmer if he had enough to eat and maybe something for the cramps. She had a little Midol back home. Cramps were cramps, right?

His eyes shifted as he noticed her staring at him. He flashed that devastatingly devilish smile and stood a little straighter, then ruined the whole effect by panting with his tongue hanging out. Ewww, that was so... doggy.

Come to think of it, he’d wanted more than food and painkillers when he’d wolfed out. He had very definitely wanted sex, and for once he hadn’t been willing to take “no” for an answer. Did he really turn into a wolf? Was he going to expect her to... yuck!

But he was a half-wolf, which meant that one of his parents had... oh, gross! Still, better to know the worst before he started humping her leg once a month or something.

“Tell me what wolves are like in the Nine Kingdoms.”

The tongue, fortunately, disappeared while Wolf considered the question. “You’re thinking of wolves as wild dogs, aren’t you? I can tell by your expression.”

Oops. Virginia suddenly got very interested in a shop window, but Wolf came over and put his arms around her anyway. “Where I come from, wolves are magic,” he whispered in her ear.

Yeah, right, sure they were. “No, c’mon, tell me. How did your parents...” …mate… “um, meet?”

He shrugged. “Papa always said that he went poaching and caught Mama because she was so pretty. She always laughed and said she saw him chopping wood in the forest and loved him at first sight. We do that sometimes, you know.”

Virginia smiled, thinking of the way Wolf had thrown himself at her. “Yeah, I think I’ve heard of it.”

He smiled back and took her hand as they started to walk up the street. “Mama said she changed to human and proposed on the spot.”

Changed to...? Virginia stopped and pulled Wolf around to face her. “Changed? What do you mean, changed?”

“She changed to human. I told you, wolves are magic. They’re intelligent and can speak and they can work a couple spells. Like change shape from wolf to human. Except for the tail. It stays. That’s where the saying comes from, ‘you’ll always know a wolf by his tail’.”

“Any time they want?”

“Any time they want. But they all get furry at the full moon.”

She had to know. “Do you? Will you turn into a wolf at the full moon?”

“I’m always a wolf, Virginia. But I don’t turn into something with paws, if that’s what you’re worried about. Half wolves feel the pull of the moon, but we can’t physically change.” He kicked moodily at a can rolling by a trash bin. “The full-bloods always said it was because we weren’t real wolves.”

He looked so sad and lonely that Virginia couldn’t help but put her arm around his waist and lean consolingly against him. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, sneaking a sniff or two.

“Was the boy at the gypsy camp a half-wolf too?”

He nodded into her hair. “I think so. There are probably more half-wolfs than anyone wants to admit. Each side finds them a little embarrassing.”

“Your parents didn’t think so.”

He sighed deeply. “No, they didn’t think so. But many humans did; that’s why Papa wanted us to learn trades, so people wouldn’t see us as just animals. Mama always just used her Persuasion to get people to do what she wanted, but Papa thought we should learn to get along without it.”

“Persuasion?”

“Oh, yes. That’s the other magic wolves have. The power to persuade.” He pulled back, and she saw that his eyes had turned yellow and animal-like. Virginia tried to blink but couldn’t; she felt disconnected and dizzy, like she had in her mother’s mirror room. The sounds of the traffic muted. It was unimportant. The city was unimportant. The only important things were those yellow eyes and that smooth voice. “You want to do what I tell you, don’t you, Virginia?” he whispered. “You want to make me happy.”

“Yes,” she whispered back mechanically. “Tell me what to do.”

He told her to kiss him. What a wonderful idea! Why ever had she stopped kissing him before? Virginia craned to the tips of her toes to reach his mouth. He whispered another suggestion, and she started running her hands up under his sweater. He was so warm, so solid, so sexy...

...so dead! Virginia shoved free and slapped him as hard as she could. “Don’t do that to me! Never do that to me!” Around her the world snapped back into normalcy, and Wolf was just a man again. A man with a livid handprint on one side of his face.

“Cripes! It’s not like I asked you to do something awful!” Wolf protested, rubbing his red cheek.

“It’s the principle! Don’t try to take my will!” That’s what Mother did. She took wills and twisted people. If Wolf was like that that... but he wasn’t, was he? All he asked for was a kiss and a cuddle. It wasn’t like she wouldn’t do that any time he asked, no matter what color his eyes were.

“And you resisted it. I was wondering if you could,” he replied conversationally. “It means you’re very strong. Usually only people who have Persuasion themselves can resist it.”

“Is that how you resisted the queen’s orders?”

“That and you.” He leaned forward for a long sniff. “I’d do anything for you, Virginia. From the moment I saw you, I was yours to command and yours only.”

After a romantic thing like that, it was pretty anticlimactic to just peck him on the slapped cheek and decide they’d better spend some time clothes shopping, but he’d been in the same outfit for two days now and they were going to get sweaty moving their stuff. It was time to get him something new.

Dad had been a typical guy when it came to clothes-he didn’t want to fuss over them, didn’t care if they matched, didn’t want her to “dress him like a Ken doll,” and didn’t want to shop. He’d been big on comfort and consistency, living in jeans and flannels. And when they wore out, he’d just go buy another version of the exact same thing.

So could anyone blame her for thinking that they’d just run to a store, grab Wolf a couple of chinos loose enough to hide a tail, a t-shirt, maybe a sweater or two, and be gone? But noooo...

Well, that’s what she got for thinking Wolf would be a typical anything! Virginia checked her watch for the third time and called into the dressing room, “Find an outfit you like yet?”

“Still looking!”

So many clothes! Princes didn’t have these many clothes to chose from-he knew, he’d peeked in Wendell’s closet. Wow! Clothing heaven! And this is what she called a “bargain store”? If this was the low end, what was the high end of fashion like here?

Hold together, Wolf! We can’t afford to buy everything you like. You live here now. You can come back when you have a job.

But huff, puff! He had always appreciated clothing. In a life spent on the road, you didn’t have time or room to carry extra stuff. You had it and used it and got rid of it, like those books. He’d been surprised when the others had been shocked that he got rid of his books. Did they really think he’d carry them around after he read them? Why bother?

But clothes... clothes were different. Everybody needed clothes, so it was okay to carry them around. He’d always liked nice clothes. People responded to him when he wore nice things. They didn’t call him an animal and chase him away... at least, not right away. Had to pick something that didn’t make him stand out, though, didn’t draw attention. That was how to avoid the pitchforks and torches and questions he couldn’t answer.

But he’d seen so many different outfits on the street that he wasn’t sure what “normal” clothing was here. And then there was Virginia. Had to look good for Virginia! She deserved a stylish mate.

Fabric here was very subdued. He didn’t see a single velvet anything in the men’s department, and very little silk or linen. Just this clammy “polyester” stuff and cottons. There weren’t a lot of colors, either. Just tans and blues and browns, and a little dark red. No scarlets or purples or berry blues or grass greens, and not a single bit of gold braid on anything.

It was all a little depressing. How could he show off to Virginia in these drab things? Hmmm… what about that?

Maybe it was just her worries that made it seem like he was taking forever. Virginia had to keep reminding himself that he was a big boy and knew how to dress himself. Okay, he knew how to dress himself after she’d shown him how a zipper worked. At least this was one of those cheap do-it-yourself clothing stores, so they didn’t have to worry about a salesperson barging in on him and finding out about the tail.

After a young eternity, he sidled out of the dressing room and stood before her, arms spread. “What do you think?”

Think? Take me now! He was dressed quite simply, in a pair of black straight-legged jeans and a white oxford shirt half-opened over a dark blue t-shirt. But the jeans showed off the length of his legs very nicely, the over shirt made his shoulders seem twice as broad, and the t-shirt brought out the blue in his changeable eyes.

She had to clear her throat before she could squeak, “That looks pretty good on you.” It was an understatement. He did things to denim that designers would kill to reproduce. Virginia had to look away for a second to regain her composure, and suddenly realized that Wolf had duplicated the outfit on a mannequin a few feet away, only in different colors.

It looked a hell of a lot better in the flesh.

Wolf was still in the same pose, but that rakish grin was slowly spreading across his face. “I need a belt for this,” he pointed out. “Wanna measure my waist?” He made it sound like an obscene proposal.

She wasn’t sure what was unsettling her more-his flirting, or her undeniable response. Either way, she was suddenly very uncomfortable. “Tell you what, you’re doing so well, why don’t you pick out a couple more outfits while I go get the money? I’ll be right back.”

“Okay!” He bounced back into the racks, looking back only to wink at her. The moment he focused back on the clothing, Virginia bolted for the door. Leaving him alone anywhere was probably an invitation to disaster, but she had to get out of there for a few minutes. It was dangerous to love anyone as much as she loved him. It was terrifying to want someone that badly.

It was an effort, but Wolf behaved himself at the store. He picked out just enough clothing to mix and match for a week’s wardrobe, as stylish as he could get by this world’s drab standards. It would be great to find a nice long jacket, but they didn’t appear to be “in” around here. Pity. Jackets like that were very good for hiding... things.

She’d liked his first outfit, he could tell. She’d liked it a lot, but then got all flustered. Classical repression. He could show her a very good book or two on the subject.

She was taking an awful long time to get back. He left his things at the counter and went to the door to look for her, and for the first time he noticed the store across the street. Goodness gracious me!

It was called Victoria’s Secret, but he couldn’t imagine what would possibly stay secret in those tiny little scraps of satin and lace. Ohhhh, that shade of green would look wonderful on Virginia! Or that red thing, and the black lace, oh, yes, that black lace!

The problem with having a tail is that your pants get tight from both sides.

“I already have underwear,” Virginia pointed out for the fifth time.

“Not like that!”

“That’s because I don’t need any like that. It’s not comfortable.”

“You wouldn’t have to wear it long. There’s no question of that!”

“NO!”

Whiiiinnnnneeeeeeee....

“Stop with the pleading puppy eyes. Don’t give me puppy eyes!”

“Ahhwwwoooooo?”

“Ohhhhh... All right! I’ll make you a deal. You can buy me something from Victoria’s Secret out of your first paycheck.”

Virginia had to admit, when Wolf wasn’t being an oversexed pest, that boundless energy of his was very useful. They’d packed up Dad’s and her meager possessions and moved up to the penthouse in record time. She also had to admit, it had been a lot of fun to make Mr. Murray haul the heaviest boxes.

The Murrays had a nice place. They had had a nice place, she meant. It was the only apartment in the whole place that wasn’t done in depressing mud brown, for one thing. Plus, the bed alone was about the size of her old apartment. So was the bathroom, currently occupied by a rather sweaty Wolf in search of a bath and a shave. He’d insisted on stopping at that specialty store and buying what he called a straight razor and what she thought looked like a horror movie prop.

She heard a clatter as something fell. “Wolf, do you need help? Can you figure out what everything is?”

“Virginia, I’m not naive, I’m just not from around here,” he shouted back, sounding slightly irritated. She heard the shower start up, then a startled yip. “Uh, Virginia? Can you come help me with this indoor waterfall?”

Laughing to herself, Virginia rolled off the bed and went to join him in the bathroom.

She remembered a split second too late that there had been showers in the Fourth Kingdom, and Wolf had understood them perfectly.

He might be reformed, but it was still a thrill to subdue a struggling woman. Of course, it helped that the shower was over a tub, and he’d knocked her off balance as he pulled her in. Oh, she looked particularly good when wet! But she finally broke free and slapped at him.

“Wolf, my clothes are soaking!”

“Oooo, then we better get you out of those wet things.”

“Wolf!”

“Well, you wanted a shower too.” This time when he reached for her blouse, she didn’t stop him. “And I want to spend more time with you.” The blouse hit the bathroom floor with a soggy splat, followed by her bra.

“So you thought you’d have a little good clean fun?” Virginia snapped sarcastically, but she shimmied out of the rest of her clothes.

“If you want to.” It was impossible to keep the hope out of his voice, not to mention hide the rest of his reaction.

Virginia cocked her head and blinked at him through the running water, looking him up and down. “I want...”

“Mmmmm?”

“I want a chance to just... look at you,” she finally blurted. “We went so fast in the woods, I never got a chance to just... look. Explore. Check you out.”

That sounded promising. “As soon as we get out?” he asked hopefully.

She picked up a bottle of shampoo. “Why not now?”

He had to kneel so she could lather him up, but he did it without protest. With a smirk, but without a protest. He reached for her as she bent over him, but she shook her head. “Keep your hands to yourself. It’s my turn.”

“Do I get a turn next?” Virginia felt herself flushing beyond the heat of the water, and his eyes sparkled with mischief. With a big show of obedience, he clasped his hands behind him and said, “Tell me what you want me to do.”

She washed his hair, then made him stand up while she reached for the soap and lathered up a washcloth. Oh, he was tall! And quite muscular. But not as hairy as she had once expected; except for a scattering of hair around the usual bits, the perpetual five o’clock shadow, and that dripping tail, his skin was smooth. He didn’t smell like a wet dog either, thank God.

His bicep jumped as she ran the cloth over his arm, and she started back. “Did I hurt you?”

“Not in the least.” He was grinning wickedly at her, his eyes full of all sorts of dark promises.

Only slightly reassured, Virginia ran the washcloth over his chest, and felt the muscles flexing beneath her hand. “You’re doing that on purpose!”

“I’m not touching you, it’s not my turn yet,” he replied innocently.

It was amazing how distracting a few muscles in motion could be; it made her remember with great clarity what it had been like to be held in those arms, feel the muscles in his stomach clench as he... Virginia shook some water out of her face and concentrated on what she was doing. Arms, face, chest, stomach... and the rest of it was going to be up to him. Virginia went as low as she dared, then handed the washcloth back to him.

Wolf lathered it up and handed it right back to her, his tail wagging madly. Would she take it? Yeeessss! She was looking down! She was going to-CRIPES!

It was the fastest, most thorough scrub down he’d ever had. But it was far from the gentlest. What a woman! So bold! So sassy! He’d tell her how impressed he was with her.

Just as soon as he could stop shaking.

“Turn around,” she ordered. He was glad to do it. It would give him a chance to discreetly check and make sure everything was still attached.

He was so preoccupied with dealing with the state of his front, he forgot what she’d find on his back until he heard her horrified gasp.