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Friday snippet, more werewolves of course!

Animal Attraction
copyright 2008 Charlene Teglia
St. Martin’s Press, all rights reserved, coming 2009

I’d like to say I came to my senses after half-climbing his body and locking lips until oxygen deprivation was a real threat, but it was Zach who drew back far enough to let our eyes meet.

“How do you feel?”

I took inventory. “Headache. Sore muscles. Shaky.” Also delirious with joy at the chance to wrap myself around him, but I didn’t mention that.

“Up to talking?”

I nodded and my head didn’t throb in protest, so I took that as a sign of progress.

Jack and Will had left, hopefully before I plastered myself all over Zach. But if not, oh well. Zach sat on the couch with me in his lap, running his hands over me as if reassuring himself that I was all in one piece. I hoped he needed a lot of reassurance.

“Tell me what happened.”

“I thought I heard Will coming back. I’d asked him to get me a drink. But it was one of the werepanthers from the mall parking lot. We fought. He won. I came to over his shoulder in the woods, and we fought some more. I left him on the ground and ran for it.”

I thought about mentioning the Leszi and hesitated. Would that sound crazy? No crazier than a werepanther bent on kidnapping, I decided, and plunged ahead. “Then a guy dressed like some kind of hunter who called himself the lord of the forest said I was lost and brought me back here. That’s it.”

“That’s it,” Zach echoed, his tone flat.

“Well, yes.” I couldn’t think of anything else to add. “Did you find him? Was he—” I broke off, unable to say dead out loud.

“We didn’t find him. We found the spot where he hit the ground, signs of struggle, but his footprints went on to the edge of the woods. Then we lost his trail.”

Not dead, then. I let out a breath I hadn’t known I was holding as I exhaled relief. I wasn’t a killer.