Chapter 7 Not Human

The group continued to look at Rosette solemnly, as though expecting her to say something.

"That's really weird," she started slowly. "I'll have to pay attention."

"No," Ryana interrupted. "He is a wolf. You need to run, okay. You need to get out of here before something terrible happens to you. Or has it already?"

The group took a collective step backward and eyed her.

"Nothing has happened," Rosette stated, putting her hands up. "I can't just run away," she told them. "I owe a lot in student loans and I have a contract here, I can't just disappear. Frankly, if he's planning to hurt me, I can't imagine what his motivation would have been for coming in here and meeting everyone. He's really put himself in a position where he'd be implicated if something happened to me." She continued to plead silently with her eyes, hoping the rest of this weird conversation would be quick.

"He's a wolf," Ryana repeated. "He came here today to make his presence known. He was here to mark his territory, you."

Rosette shifted closer to the door and her escape.

"Listen, I appreciate the warning, and if anything weird happens, I'll come to you all, but seriously, everything is really okay."

As she made her way back to her office, she was glad to be leaving. The craziness of today had worn her down; she needed to get home and relax. She groaned inwardly when she looked up at her tack board; tonight was that drug rep dinner she swore she'd go to a week ago. Her phone buzzing in her pocket broke her out of her reverie.

The display said KYLE; she assumed she knew which Kyle it was on the other end.

"Hey again," she said as she hit the send button. 'What exactly do you say to your stalker?" she wondered.

"I would love to have you come to dinner with me tonight, are you available?" Kyle asked.

"I have to go to a drug rep-sponsored dinner; I promised I would go a week ago. I'll have to catch up with you tomorrow," she held her breath as she finished her statement. She wondered if he would wait until tomorrow. He didn't seem to have any issues about invading her life whenever he wanted to.

"Of course, love. Enjoy your dinner, I'll see you later," he said.

Quickly gathering her things, Rosette used a brush from the back of her desk to smooth out her hair and made sure she had her lip gloss in her purse. She couldn't help but think she was doing it in case Kyle showed up after her dinner.

Past the usual junkies and loungers outside the clinic, everything looked normal enough. No dark-tinted SUVs were hovering around, and she didn't see anyone out of the ordinary.

She walked to her truck and got in, cranking the tunes up to full blast. Smiling, she thought maybe she'd call him after the dinner. It had been way too long since a guy was this interested in her.

The drug rep dinner was boring as usual. The same speech Rosette had heard a dozen times on a dozen different drugs.

She drifted off into thinking about Kyle midway through the meal. She was lost in thoughts about running her hands through his silky smooth hair. She imagined how his naked chest would feel under her fingers. She wished just once she'd taken hold of that impressive tool below his belt. She blushed at the image she conjured in her mind of Kyle; even clothed, the man was an Adonis, naked would be even better.

Clapping shifted her quickly back to reality. "Now that is a great way to lose 30 minutes," she thought to herself. Before she could make a hasty exit, she was stopped by the drug representative in charge of the whole thing. Kate was dying to know what Rosette thought of her friend Jerson. Pulling on every creative bone in her body, Rosette described a lovely romantic date she had to bail on unexpectedly.

"Well, you certainly have been popular," Kate gushed. "Jerson had so much fun on your date; he keeps asking about you. I've even had someone asking me if you'd be here tonight. He called my cell phone earlier today just desperate to know! You've got to tell me what you're doing to these men."

Politely as she could, Rosette excused herself; this was totally out of hand. No wonder he didn't push about a dinner date she concluded. He already knew where she was going to be tonight. Her first thought was, "I'm glad I brought my lip gloss!" She was annoyed with herself that this stalker's behavior made her happy, giddy almost.

She exited the building quickly and headed for the parking lot. She hadn't used the valet, so at least she could expend her irritated energy on walking to her truck. Halfway there, an explosion rocked the restaurant behind her, and she fell to the sidewalk. She barely registered the tires squealing as a van pulled up beside her, and hands dragged her inside.

A cloth was dragged over her eyes as her arms were pinned behind her. She started to scream, and a hand came over her mouth, and several sharp points were dug into the side of her face and neck.

"Quiet, bitch," was the deadly calm demand the voice made. "Condition upon delivery is up to you."

A series of growls echoed through the crowded space.

She heard the metallic click of handcuffs being closed around her wrists and then around her ankles. The sharp points over her face were dragged down her cheek as the hand was removed. It was replaced hastily with a filthy gag. She tried to turn away from the gritty, oily piece of cloth being shoved in her mouth and was rewarded with a slap in the face.

"You don't like my sock, do you?" Rosette taunted. "I wonder what else you won't like."

"Throw the purse out," a voice from the front rasped.

The journey seemed endless before Rosette's captors must have grown bored.

Initially, Rosette felt hands roughly grasping at her breasts and hips. The hands grew more insistent, and she shivered as her clothes were torn away, the knives wielded carelessly. Sharp tips pierced her skin, eliciting cries of pain.

Soon, the cold metal of the van's floor pressed against Rosette's side, exposing her to the men. She sensed a window was open, causing the chilling air to seep in.

A gasp and a growl followed as Rosette's pants were shredded.

Discovering her phone in her side pocket, not the purse, dashed Rosette's hopes of being rescued. Tears welled in her eyes behind the blindfold as she stifled her sobs, aware that any noise excited her captors. The growls resembled wolves, not men.

As the realization dawned on Rosette, she felt claws instead of hands on her skin. The once frightening sharp points now held a more terrifying presence. Despite her efforts to remain silent, the pain of a claw entering her flesh made her cry out.

Appreciative growls filled the van as one creature continued its assault, biting her breasts and tearing her flesh. Restrained, Rosette struggled against her bonds, only to be silenced by a gravelly voice.

A wet nose pressed against Rosette's backside, eliciting a yelp as it bit down, drawing blood. The following growls seemed like laughter as the creature persisted in its assault. Nipping and licking at her tender skin, the creature's actions repulsed Rosette.