The Willing Read Online Free PDF

“She acknowledges herself as my property.”
    Xavier nodded. I found the eyes of the
other man upon me, and they were sad. He looked away.
    Josh’s voice interrupted any further
musings I could have on the man’s thoughts. “We will hunt this
morning.”
    “About damn time,” Xavier said loudly.
The others murmured their agreement.
    “From the stockade,” Josh
added.
    The other male’s face twisted up. “We
have no need. There is plenty of game here.”
    Josh looked at him sharply. “I want to
teach Emily our ways.”
    Xavier looked at the man and slyly
asked, “Worried about your sweetheart, Sam?”
    The man looked away again, his eyes
refusing to meet anyone’s. Xavier approached him to elbow him
jovially in the ribs.
    “I’ll try not to get him,”
Xavier said playfully. “He’s usually one of the faster runners. And
he always puts up a fight when anyone but you wants him.”
    I watched the exchange wordlessly. Josh
seemed to be watching me closely for a reaction, but as I had no
idea what they were speaking of, I could not offer any feedback for
him.
    Xavier whooped and started north, Sam
and the others trailing faithfully behind. We kept a distance,
silent but close, a few feet in between us as if there was an
invisible rope tethering me to him.
    Once more, Josh led, and I followed. I
felt like even my soul was cocooned by his protection, and
therefore incapable of having individual thoughts. I cannot recall
any attempt at curiosity during this walk; I just trod along after
this, absently ready for breakfast.
    At first, my mind could not wrap itself
around what I saw. Cages. At least ten cages appeared seemingly out
of nowhere from the woods, camouflaged by deep green and black
paint, but the eyes that peered out of them could not be masked.
They were the eyes of the hunted.
    Josh paused to let me take in the
sight. “I see no need for our kind to ever go hungry.”
    I swallowed what little spit I had in
my mouth and licked my lips.
    Xavier interrupted my thoughts. “Will
we take them with us?”
    I watched Josh’s face, knowing
instinctively that he had an answer to everything, even to a
question which seemed like nonsense. How could we move cages as we
traveled?
    Josh measured me, his eyes never
leaving my face as he answered. “No. We will be gluttons over the
next two days to garner strength for the journey.”
    Sam’s sharp intake of breath alerted me
to the imminent tragedy.
    “Wait,” I said, shaken out of my
stupor. “We’re going to eat them?” My voice raised an octave or two
in pitch as I nodded to the captives. “Them?”
    “Yes,” Josh replied calmly. “We’re
going to eat them.”
    The blood drained from Sam’s face and I
felt his pain. “We can’t,” I shrieked. “It’s wrong. It’ disgusting.
It’s…”
    “The way we live,” Josh stated. “We are
Lycanti. They are nothing.”
    “They’re people!” I argued.
    His backhand stung my pride and my
face, and I hit the ground with a heavy thud.
    “They’re cattle. We are the wolves,
Emily, and we have come to feast.”
    Layla’s wicked chuckle assailed my
dizzied senses. “And there’s no shepherd to chase away these
wolves.” I watched, one by one, as they Changed, hungry for the
feast of flesh laid before them.
    I cannot relive the bloodshed of that
morning. I can’t. I’m sorry but as I sat there on those damp
leaves, inhaling the heavy scent of nature and sickly-sweet, torn
flesh, I cannot honestly say that I separated myself from the
Lycanti beast within me. Every vow I had made to the sanctity of
humanity deserted me, and I cherished the taste of salty, hot,
decadent flesh on my tongue, never knowing that this was Josh’s
test of my self-control. He knew he owned me now. My hunger marked
me as a true Lycanti.

    Emily
    I opened the door. Luka slinked into my
apartment, his nose suddenly twitching.
    “A werewolf who likes cats?”
    I smiled. “They’re tolerable. I had one
before this life.” I