The Wolf

The Wolf

by Kim Duran.

Vanessa focused on the portrait of a wolf she wanted. “It’s so lifelike—”

“That is not for sale.” The salesman cut her off mid-sentence. He escorted her toward a sea of paintings of flowery fields nestled beneath majestic mountains. “These are what you asked for,” the man said, stopping in front of a purple field of tulips.

“I’ll take it.” She said, handing him her black card.

“Excellent choice,” he said. With a snap of his fingers, a teenage boy came and carefully removed the painting from the wall to wrap it up.

Vanessa walked around the small shop and studied the artwork. All landscapes and all breathtaking. The only oddity was the wolf.  

She stared at it again. The golden-brown coat shimmered in the light. The streaked fur, highlighted with red and brown and grays. Such fine details. The average person might not have noticed, but as the curator of her family’s museum, it was her specialty to notice such things.

“Madam?” The clerk held up a pen, awaiting her signature.

Her eyes stayed on the wolf. She had to have this painting, no matter what the cost. “The wolf too.”

The teenager gasped at her words and the clerk in his steely blue three-piece suit barely batted an eye. “I told you Madam—”

“I’m sorry, but are you in the business of selling art?” She asked. “You either sell me that wolf, or you can keep them both.” Not that she wanted to, but she would take the chance that the man operated on commission.

He straightened to his full height of stiff-as-a-board and said, “Madam, that painting is a one-of-a-kind and is valued at half a million dollars.”

The money didn’t faze her. She had enough in her bank account to spend ten times that amount.

“I expect you to have the paperwork to go with it?” She asked. Vanessa might not live here, but she knew how to authenticate art.

“Of course, Madam.”

***

Vanessa handed off the gift of tulips to her sister, Victoria’s, eagerly awaiting hands. She smiled as she tore through the paper and revealed it to their sisters.

“Oh Ness, it’s beautiful. Wherever did you find it?”

“Navarre.” She said. “I’m glad you like it. Happy birthday.” To see her sisters' happiness was her greatest wish, and sometimes not an easy accomplishment.

Victoria jumped from her seat and embraced with the strength of an ox. “I’ll cherish it always,”

Done with the festivities for the night, Vanessa left her sisters and entered her office, as Violet trailed behind her. “Sebastian’s coming by?” The wicked gleam in her eye left nothing unsaid.

Vanessa shook her head. “He’s a fool, along with his posse. They want nothing more than to control you and your fortune.”

“Oh, he isn’t that bad…in bed.” Violet snickered.

The butler answered the sound of the bell and in stepped Sebastian and his four cohorts. One for each sister. How inconvenient.

“Vi, you can’t be serious?”

Violet shrugged. “What? I only told them we were having a party. Nothing more.”

Of course, the idiots didn’t bring gifts. The men vanished into the parlor, where Victoria, Vivian, and Veronica squealed at their arrival. Juvenile all of them. Vanessa rolled her eyes at their immaturity, and Violet went with the flow and ran off to meet them.

As the oldest of the Wright family, it was Vanessa’s job to watch over her younger sisters and protect them from the man-whore trash that just walked through the door. Not that she cared who they dated or slept with, but marrying one of these pompous playboys was certainly out of the question. Their parents wanted them to marry for love, not money. True love. If that even existed anymore.

And as for Sebastian and his cronies, Vanessa wanted them to go kick rocks. Preferably far from her and her sisters.

She glanced at the wolf painting that hung proudly on the wall over the mantel, and she couldn’t help but stare into the eyes. Yellow with a hint of orange. She wished she could jump into the painting and get away from life more and more.

“There you are.” Sebastian’s voice carried over the dense roar of the music now coming from the other room. “Always working.”

Vanessa fought the urge to roll her eyes as she faced him. Not that he wasn’t a good-looking man, he just wasn’t the man for her…or her sisters. Plus, she knew the future of Sebastian’s estate, probably better than Sebastian did. Especially since she just bought his father’s company. They were broke and bankruptcy wasn’t far off.

“Someone has to stay on top of things,” she said from behind her open laptop.

Sebastian helped himself to her bar. “You would look lovely on top.”

A low growl hummed in the air. She turned toward the window, but it was impossible to see out into the night. That’s what happened when you lived on hundreds of acres away from town. She ignored it and turned to Sebastian. Apparently, he wasn’t fazed by it,

“Is there something you need? I’m quite busy,” she motioned to the stack of paperwork on her desk.

Sebastian’s cocky smirk didn’t waver as he moved to the side of the desk and set his drink on the fine wood. His eyes dragged over her skin from head to toe, making her skin crawl. “The only thing I’m interested in is a date for the wedding.”

Vanessa laughed. “We went on one horrible date a year ago. It didn’t work then, and it certainly won’t work now.” She sat down and turned her chair to face the laptop. “Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

“Your father promised me your hand.”

“My father,” She got to her feet. “Said many things in jest to appease his friend.” Yes, he had jokingly mentioned how splendid it would be if one of his daughters married his best friend's only son, but that was before his death. “And we do not live in the dark ages where women are handed off to men like chattel.”

“I will have what was promised to me.” He hissed through clenched teeth.

A low growl made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. Sebastian seemed oblivious to the sound. She stepped forward, standing eye-to-eye with him. She was going to go hands-on with him or call the authorities. Neither was an ideal situation for people like them, but she would take her chances.

“I, nor my sisters, will ever marry you.” She said. “Now, get the hell out of my office.”

With the aggravated posture of a two-year-old, Sebastian grabbed his glass and stomped away. When the door closed, she released a heavy breath. The man has lost his mind.

***

After a week on the road, Vanessa sunk to her chair and focused on the screen in front of her. In an attempt to find out more about the artist whose paintings she bought; she searched the web.

Antonio Gentry had no picture, and barely any usable intel. His artwork became famous in the early 1900s, when the queen of Navarre purchased a painting and shared it with the post. A high-class clientele sought after him and then he vanished around 1930.

“His landscapes are truly magical,” the quote said. He never painted animals or portraits, although asked frequently by the queen to paint her dogs. He had refused. Some say he was cursed for denying the queen. Others say he died a lonely old man.

The only thing the articles agreed upon was how seldom his paintings came up for sale, and yet, Vanessa had acquired two.

“Thank heavens!” Veronica shrieked as she rushed in and grabbed her by the arm. “Victoria. has lost her mind.” She said as she tugged Vanessa up the stairs.

“What’s going on?” She asked.

Vivian answered. “Well, it seems Vic has lost her mental capacity to see things clearly.”

“She needs to see a doctor,” Violet added. “Institutionalized.”

So much for sisterly love. Vanessa shook her head and ignored Violet’s comment. Until she understood what was happening. No one was getting thrown into an institution.

“If you would see, you would understand,” Victoria said.

“See what Vic?” she asked.

Victoria motioned to the painting on the wall and pointed to the picture. “Right there.”

Vanessa moved closer to the gift she gave her sister. Near the edge of the tree line stood a lone wolf. How did she miss it before? The same wolf as in the one in her office.

“It wasn’t there before.” Victoria looked defeated. “Why won’t you guys believe me?”

“I believe you,” Vivian piped in.

“There’s more,” Violet stated without looking up from the wall she leaned against. “She claims that a meadow exists.” Her blue eyes met Vanessa’s with a harsh stare.

“It’s true. I’ll take you there,” Victoria added.

Vanessa glanced at Violet, who shook her head. They either stuck together as one unit, or their unity would crumble and fall. She couldn’t deny what Victoria was saying, sounded like their mother, with her crazy talk about magic. That same talk had eventually led to their mother’s downfall and the destruction of her father.

Was it hereditary? Either she would listen to Victoria, or call the doctor, as Violet suggested.

“Show me,” she said, taking her sister by the shoulders. “Take me there right now.

The women piled into the quad and took it deep into the forest, a thirty-minute ride on a bumpy trail.

“I’m telling you; I’ve covered every inch of this property, and there are no purple tulips. They don’t even grow naturally here.” Violet scowled from the backseat. As the resident botanist, no one doubted her expertise.

Vanessa slammed on the brakes as they crested the hill and couldn’t believe what she was seeing. A field so majestic it was like heaven.

“I told you,” Victoria exclaimed, as she climbed out. “It’s just like the painting.”

***

Over lunch, Victoria told the story about how wished for the picture to be real and then she was drawn to the edge of the property.

Vanessa retreated to her office and approached the painting with caution as she stared into a set of golden eyes. The fireplace provided a warm glow to the room in the dim light of her desk lamp. With a steady hand, she reached up and touched the rough strokes of paint left on the canvas.

To test her theory, she touched the raised edges of paint that resembled fur. Her hands rested on the back of the wolf’s spine. “Are you real?” She asked. “Are you trapped in there?” The canvas rose and fell beneath her fingertips like it was breathing.

She smiled, knowing she didn’t imagine it. “How do I release you?” And what would happen if she did? Would he look for his entrapper, or would he kill anyone who got in his way?

The door burst open to reveal a very drunk Sebastian. “You bitch.”

So much for her wolf investigation. “Go home, you're drunk.”

He abandoned his post of holding up the doorframe and stumbled into the room. “You think I don’t know what you did.”

“I don’t care. Now, get out.” She raised her voice, hopefully loud enough to attract the servant's attention, since her sisters were gone for the weekend.

“You stole my father’s company.” He staggered to the edge of the couch before leaning on it.

Vanessa emerged from behind her desk. A SIG Sauer .380 locked and loaded, and tucked into the back of her designer jeans. “I did your father a favor and gave him a fair offer. Especially after all the mortgages he had piled on.” They would be on the street right now if it wasn’t for her, but she left that out.

“We could have been so good together, Vanessa,” he said with a shake of his head. “The two oldest families, united. People would have rallied around my father. But now, you ruined everything.” He yelled the last part.

“You need to leave.”

With a quick burst of speed, he exploded and rushed her. Tackling her to the ground and straddling her body, his thick hands wrapped around her neck. “I’ll kill you for this. You and your sisters.” He hissed through a clenched jaw.

She kicked her feet and tried to wiggle away, but he was too strong and if this was how she was going to die, the last thing she wanted to focus on was the ugliness of his face.

 In the firelight's glow, her eyes found the wolf’s piercing gaze, and she remember her sister's words. Should she go for the gun, or pray the story was true? Would a wolf emerge and kill them all, or would she die at Sebastian's hands?

“I wish you were real.” She whispered into the air.

He snarled, and his grip tightened.

She glared at the wolf’s eyes and said, “I wish you were free.”

The growl that surrounded the room was so loud that Vanessa would swear the floor vibrated beneath her. One moment Sebastian was above her choking her and the next he was a furry blur.

The large gulps of air she took in hid the scream that flowed from Sebastian. Growls and snarls followed by a snapping jaw were all she heard as she sucked precious gasps.

When her eyes focused, she was staring at a giant wolf. It dropped Sebastian’s lifeless body to the floor and transformed mid-step to a full-grown, very muscular, naked man. He stalked closer. His muscles moved with the stealth of a wolf, the fluidity of an animal with the strength to match. He kneeled in front of her and took her hand into his own. A static shock prickled her skin as they touched.

“Vanessa,” The male whispered. “You're safe,” his voice deep with a heavy ancient she didn’t recognize. “I won’t hurt her.” He said, and when she blinked, she was staring into the yellow eyes of the wolf. He offered his hand to help her stand, and she took it. A tingling sensation vibrated along her skin, and she immediately understood.

Vanessa glanced at the painting, which was now missing a wolf. Her eyes went back and forth from the man to the empty canvas. “You…came out.”

He nodded in reply.

“You're naked.”

He looked down at himself and then searched the room, finding the small throw on the back of the couch, and quickly used it to cover himself.

On the floor with a groan, Sebastian moaned and then stilled.

“I didn’t kill him,” the man said.

Vanessa blinked and rubbed her face, not believing her eyes. Shit, she needed to call the authorities. “Antonio Gentry?” she asked.

The man smiled and gave a bow. “At your service. But you may call me Stone.” His smile was as radiant as his paintings. The hair on his head matched the fur of the wolf and bellowed over his shoulders.

She kneeled beside Sebastian and searched for a pulse. It was pumping strong, and she was relieved. “Let me deal with him, and then we talk.” She said firmly. With a glance around the room, she shooed Stone up the stairs, hid her gun, and called the authorities.

***

After the authorities found her butler slumped at the front door, they carted both the butler and Sebastian away. Vanessa removed the painting from the wall and went in search of Stone. Finding him curled up on her bed was a surprise. He looked peaceful. Human. The door clicked into place, and he moved.

“Apologizes,” he said as he stretched.

“It’s alright. How did you know to come to this room?” That she minded this sexy man in her bed.

“I followed your scent.”

Weird, but interesting. Needing to understand she asked, “What happened to you?” She set the frame at the foot of the bed and sat on the edge.

“I have a gift,” He pointed to his painting. “But that gift also became my curse.”

“How?”

Stone stood up and paced the room, holding that throw tight to his torso. “My landscapes came to life. But portraits had the opposite effect. One brought life, the other death, and many people died from my mistake. When the queen begged for a portrait, I could not comply with her request.”

Talk of magic could get her killed if the authorities found out.

Vanessa stared at the now vacant forest. “And this?”

“A witch.” He scratched behind his ear with an open paw like a dog.

“So, the wolf was to hide your identity?”

He stared into her eyes. “I am a were of the truest form.”

Vanessa swallowed hard. Yeah, they were all dead.

Werewolves, along with all other supernatural creatures, died out centuries ago when magic disappeared.

He laughed at her reaction and moved closer, kneeling in front of her. He took her hand in his own and said. “I am indebted to you for releasing me, Vanessa.”

The way he said her name gave her chills, but she didn’t dare move even an inch. “How can this be?” She asked. “Magic has been gone for centuries.”

He smiled but didn’t let go of her hand. “Is it?” he asked. “How do you think I was released?” His brow lifted in question. “I don’t think I’m the only one here with abilities.”

If true, she would have to turn themselves over to the authorities. They would be imprisoned, or worse, put to death. Or she could run.

“You wished me free. Only a Jinn could break the spell.” Stone said.

“The Jinn haven’t been around for thousands of years…” she stopped. Remembering her mother’s words. “Everything I wished for my girls came true.” The only thing she couldn’t wish away was death.

Holy shit. “I’m a Jinn.”