In the Werewolf's Den Read Online Free PDF Page B

be that much closer to her real career.
    But Carl's job was important. Besides, she couldn't prove that he was lying. She had joined the Warders to protect people, not to become an indiscriminate killer—even of the impaired.
    She loosened the leash slightly. “No impaired can keep up with a warder.” Warder school was hard. Only ten percent of the entering class graduated. Another ten percent died in process. The physical exercises and guided biofeedback were bad enough. Building the instinctual reactions to magic that could allow a warder to react more quickly than the magic-infected could think were worse. Yet, without those instincts, a warder could easily fall victim to her charge.
    "You were going to attack me,” she told him. “Don't try to explain this away."
    "Attack you?” Carl's lips turned up into a sardonic smile. “I was minding my own business when you jumped me. I pulled back. Surely you felt the wolf's teeth on your neck. You know I could have ripped your throat out."
    "Ha."
    He looked as puzzled as Danielle felt. “Didn't realize I could control myself in wolf mode. I've always heard that human thoughts and motivations are subverted when the magical infection takes over.” He scratched his head. “I wonder why I didn't kill you."
    She'd caught him in mid-transition. Academy doctrine holds that the beast-form takes over the moment transformation begins, but Danielle was experienced enough to know that doctrine can be wrong. The return of magic was only a decade old and it had affected scientists and artists more than the rest of the population, so there were still a lot people didn't know about the impaired. Especially about relatively low-risk impaired like Were .
    "What did it feel like?” she asked.
    "I hardly noticed. I was running as hard as I could, digging deep to keep up with you. You're one fast lady."
    "Academy training."
    "Well, anyway, it felt like I got a second wind. A new sense of power flowing through my muscles: a heightened awareness of the scents of the zone. But I was still myself. I knew what was going on."
    "A human wouldn't go after me with his teeth."
    Carl looked puzzled. “I guess that's so. I must have had some wolf instincts inside of me. But I was in control. I caught myself and made myself stop when those wolf-instincts were telling me to finish you."
    "Human control is not possible in Were form.” That wasn't just doctrine. It was a fundamental principle that underlay the need to create the zones, to separate the impaired from the normal whom they threatened.
    Carl shook his head. “Maybe I wasn't completely shifted then. But I was still me. And I was still in control."
    She realized she still held the silver cord tight around his neck, still held him in the mount position. And that he was still aroused.
    She wasn't going to kill him, then, so she sprang to her feet, the silver bond tight in her hand.
    "Want to loosen that around my neck?” he asked, choking.
    She gave it a twitch and the pressure eased. Then she stared into his eyes for a moment, looking for any sign of the wolf, before finally removing it entirely.
    Scorch marks burned deep into the tender flesh of his neck.
    "Wasn't that painful?"
    He worked his shoulders. “Oh, yeah."
    "So why you aren't you rolling on the ground howling?"
    He considered. “Wouldn't have done any good, I guess."
    But it was strange. Everyone knew that impaired individuals lost their ability to defer gratification. Just like everyone knew that the human side lost control. Why was Carl different? She pushed the matter from her mind. Maybe it was because he was late onset. Maybe he was just an anomaly. But if he could complete his cure, none of this would matter.
    "Want to continue our run, or head back?” Carl asked.
    "After that? We're heading back.” Danielle turned and began retracing the steps toward her new home.
* * * *
    After a few days, they settled into a routine. They would run together in the morning—at a