"Seeing her life torn apart
the shackles fell to see her free to walk the earth
'Til the rains fall no more
'Til the night no longer finds us here alone."
Bella Morte, "Fall No More"

In the middle of the summer the forest was sticky hot. Twilight brought some relief, and the young blonde woman sat down on a fallen tree to rest. She’d spent the day taking samples of the groundwater from the bases of various trees, trying to determine if increased acidity caused visible damage to the trees and brush.

"Damn grad studies," she muttered, brushing a wisp of hair from her brow. She’d wanted to be back at the inn before it got very dark, but she was too easily sidetracked by the unfamiliar flora and fauna. And, truth be told, she wanted to see the wolf again.

She’d seen the wolf every evening for the past three days. He (she was certain it was male) appeared shortly after sunset, watching her surreptitiously from the undergrowth. He had an unusual coat-- dark brown, with a black blaze that swept between his ears and down his nose-- and his behavior seemed strange as well. Wolves were supposed to be rather shy, no matter what the legends said, but this one followed her through the woods to the edge of the forest. She wasn’t afraid of him; he seemed more curious than territorial.

Ah. There he was, hiding in the bushes as usual. Tori sat very still, willing him to come a little closer. He didn’t move. The sun had been gone for half an hour, and the forest was getting dark and creepy; not the sort of place a sensible human lingered in. She stood, waggled her fingers at the crouching animal, and aimed her flashlight onto the path.

Just a few steps, and she knew he was following. Not at such a discreet distance this time; he was only a few feet behind her. When she turned around, he was standing in the path, watching her alertly. Tori stared at him for a moment, and the wolf sat on his haunches and stared right back. She took a cautious step toward him, but he jumped up and skittered backward.

Very well, then. Though she heard his steps all the way to the edge of the woods, she didn’t turn around again.

Wedge watched the girl head into the village at the edge of the forest. He’d been intrigued the first time he saw her alone in the woods at night. He guessed then that she was a student-- they all have that air of tragedy and exhaustion about them-- and he reclaimed human form to follow her into the town and study her there.

Her name was Tori, she was American, pursuing some sort of environmental degree. She spent all day poking around in the trees, ate dinner in the restaurant below the village inn, held her beer, and turned in early. She was also quite lovely, and Wedge found himself drawn back to her the next night, and the next, and then this night. And this night she responded.

The next move was his.

Tonight.

She couldn’t move fast enough. Tori forced herself to slow down, breathe evenly, and she began to laugh at herself. How silly, rushing back to her room so she could get back to sleep and maybe have the same dream as last night.

Well, not exactly the same. I hope it goes a little further. She couldn’t suppress the guilty grin that formed as she remembered the fleeting images of the night before. A mist, sliding over the windowsill and across the floor, covering her for just an instant, then pulling back until it seemed just a tall column at the end of her bed. Slowly, as she watched through half-closed eyes, it took the shape of a slender, dark-haired man. He watched her silently with haunted eyes, then slowly reached out...

And damned if she hadn’t woken up. Tori could have sworn that she’d seen the mist receding, flowing back out the window as she sat up in the bed, her heart beating loud enough to wake the dead.

A rustle in the underbrush brought Tori out of her reverie, and she looked up to see the wolf just off to her right. He was still partially hidden by the bushes, but he stood up straight instead of crouching. The girl wondered if she ought to reach out to him again, but didn’t want to frighten him.

She stood very still, and the animal slowly left his cover and approached. Her left hand trembled a bit as she held it out to him, wondering if he’d take a bite, but he stopped a foot away and sniffed at her. He didn’t move any closer, and neither did she, but he walked beside her until she reached the edge of the woods.

He watched her sleep, wanting to touch her but afraid she would wake again. Wedge didn’t think she’d seen him the last time; she didn’t seem agitated or afraid to enter her room tonight.

The air was warm, and the girl slept on top of the bedclothes wearing only a tee shirt and sleep shorts. Her small breasts rose and fell with every breath, her pulse beat steadily in her throat. Wedge knelt beside the bed and brushed his fingertips across her hand, studying her face for signs of wakefulness. She sighed and turned over onto her stomach, her eyelids fluttering for a moment.

Wedge was mist before she opened them.

This continued for weeks-- the wolf growing more sociable every day until he would sit on the ground and let Tori scratch between his ears. She looked for him during the day, but never saw him. She enjoyed his company, silent though it was; when he looked at her with his big, sad eyes, she felt safe and... well, loved. How odd.

Every night, Wedge slipped into her room. He became more bold, caressing her face, her hair, wondering at the tender feelings he had for her. When Tori stirred at his touch, he would linger for a moment before dissolving. He didn’t frighten her, he knew that; she told the ‘wolf’ about her strange dreams. She seemed to think that they were caused by watching too many vampire movies.

Her blonde hair spread across the pillow, the strands glistening in the moonlight. Wedge slipped over the windowsill and floated above her, admiring the way her nightclothes did nothing to hide her lovely form. He wanted to be with her, wanted to please her, but he’d discovered that such a thing wasn’t possible. He’d tried once before, a century ago, and found himself humbled and humliated. It seemed that Kindred weren’t capable of making love to humans.

The only way to be together was for Wedge to Embrace her. Sergei had been reluctant, knowing that Wedge would refuse to teach her properly, but his childe’s ardent pleas finally persuaded him, and he granted permission for Tori to be Kindred. Wedge just couldn’t quite bear to bring her over yet.

She shifted a bit, the bottom of her tee shirt riding up, exposing her soft white belly. A tendril of mist brushed against her flesh, and she shivered. So, she could feel him...?

Something soft covered her, enfolded her. Tori sighed and hugged her pillow tighter, willing the dream to continue. Something was touching her, creeping under her clothing to trail fragile wisps of vapor across her breasts. The delicate caress sent a jolt through her body, and she arched into the touch.

Vapor hands stroked her stomach, more hands trailed up her legs, sliding under her shorts to pet and tease her. The girl writhed as fingers parted her sex. The fog seemed to grow warm as it swept across her hidden places like a breath, a word, a plea. Lips closed on her nipples, tongues licked across her breasts and down her body, and Tori sobbed with pleasure.

It had to be a dream, no lover was this skillful; no man could touch every inch of her skin at once, sucking and biting at her breasts, her neck, behind her knees. She felt a hint of soft, downy hair brushing against her thighs, just long enough to grab hold of, but when she reached down it was gone. The tongues never ceased their excruciating motion, teasing her, lapping at her, finally invading her as she shuddered and moaned. Her hands were pinned down, a strong lover dominating her, his lips claiming hers as his lips kissed her hair as his lips mouthed her flesh as his lips tasted her juices as his lips...

She gave a little cry and struggled against the grip on her wrists. Panic rose in her stomach as she realized that this was no dream; someone was in her room, someone was violating her. She sat up and shrieked as the mist recoiled, fleeing out the window before her eyes. Feet pounded in the hallway, the door crashed open and the inn’s owner rushed in to see Tori staring at the window with wide terrified eyes.

He startled her; Tori gave a little cry as the wolf skulked out of the bushes. Wedge stopped as she drew back, then lay down in the path before her, his head on his paws. She seemed to relax as he looked up at her with big brown eyes, but kept glancing around as though something might be following her.

Wedge’s stomach contracted in grief. The girl looked haunted and alarmed. He hadn’t meant to frighten her; he only wanted to be near her, but it seemed he’d done the wrong thing. He should have Embraced her as soon as Sergei granted permission; he’d have her already.

Tori watched him with wary eyes, then knelt beside him and stroked his head. "I’m going to miss you," she whispered.

Wedge’s ears perked up. What was this?

"All this weird shit that’s been happening; the dream, the fog, and then last night..." she looked away. "The university has another program I can join; it won’t take long for me to catch up on my work there. I just can’t stay here anymore."

Wedge whimpered and shoved his nose into her palm. I just found you; you can’t leave me. Tori patted him once more and stood.

"I gotta go."

He clamped onto the tail of her shirt and pulled. She turned, startled, and fell onto her backside. Wedge laid his head on her leg and gazed at her. He wanted to change back into human form and tell her everything, but he knew she couldn’t handle it. Not yet. If he could just get her to stay a little longer, until her memories of last night began to fade...

Tori gently pushed him away from her and stood again. "You act like you really understand this," she murmured wonderingly.

This time he grabbed her jeans. She tried to tug her leg away and he began to growl low in his throat. Her eyes widened in fear and she jerked away from him and ran.

I’ve lost everything that matters to me. I will not give you up, too.

Something grabbed her arm, and Tori screamed hysterically. A man, not tall, but terribly strong, held her tightly against his body. He tangled his hand in her hair and wrenched her head around so that her neck was exposed. She caught a glimpse of haunted brown eyes before his fangs sank into her tender flesh.

Wedge dropped to his knees, cradling her, drinking eagerly. She was the sweetest thing he’d ever tasted. She moaned slightly, and he remembered Sergei telling him that the Kiss was pleasant for mortals. He hadn’t believed it at the time, but as her hands clutched at him, he conceded that she didn’t seem to be in pain. That was good.

She was almost drained and Wedge gently lowered her to the ground, then nipped at his own wrist and held it over her open mouth, trying to remember what Sergei told him to do.

"Just a few drops, pup. Then leave her. Watch her for a while, at least until she feeds. She has to do that on her own. Then you can have her."

He waited until she began to stir, then he disappeared into the forest, watching his new childe until he could claim her. *