“So, there I am, trembling, tugging this damned threadbare red cloak around me, but it’s no match against the consuming cold. I inch closer to the fire and lean in, rubbing my hands together over the last flicker of flames. A blasted burst of freezing air whips under my cloak and makes my stiff nipples scream.”

“Bloody Hell, Kate, you’re putting me on,” Judith said. “No sane girl would go into Gray Wood at night, especially with nothing but a cloak.”

I slammed my tankard down, wiped froth from my lips with a grimace, and motioned for the barkeep to bring me another before turning on my stool toward Judith. “Really?” I pulled the cloak open enough to reveal my naked breasts.

At that moment a tankard was set down before me. “We have rooms for that sort of thing, Kate,” the barkeep grumbled. I told him to piss off and took a hefty pull of mead.

“Okay, it’s true, but why?”

“I had convinced myself that I was doing it because of what happened to Granny,” I said and drank some more.

“And?” Judith shrugged. “Why? Get on with it.”

“That damn apothecary, he said, ‘You’re the only one that can do it,’ and thrust a pouch of wolfsbane into my hand. ‘The gods and the stars have ordained you for this task. Follow my instructions carefully and you’ll have your revenge upon the murderer of your grandmother.’ Then the idiot pushed me out of his shop.” I shook my head with a sigh, wondering who was really the idiot.

“The truth, Judith, he chose me because the blood moon and my time of the month coincided with his fresh shipment of wolfsbane. And, because he knew the memory of Granny’s savagely abused body and what I had narrowly survived would motivate me to endure a brutal night in the forest, risking spending eternity as a werewolf’s bitch.”

Judith’s changed expression asked what she really wanted to know, but all she said was, “And?”

I went on, “The rustling leaves were unsettling, so I removed the leather pouch of wolfsbane from the cloak’s pocket, grinding it into an oily pulp that soaked my hands. Fear grew in the pit of my stomach. The cold and the wind had me so twisted up I didn’t notice the brush thrashing until a man was standing over me. I cursed myself for my foolishness.” Judith was shaking with anticipation.

“Can you say stupid?” I picked up the tankard, gulped the rest down, and let out an unladylike belch, then motioned for two more. “So once I realized he was every bit as human as me and pulled the cloak tighter around me, I let him sit beside me.”

The barkeep dropped off our drinks, and I kept on, “He was a quiet man but kept fidgeting. It made me more nervous than I had been, so I growled at him to knock it off. If anything that agitated him more. His heavy breathing made me notice some drool dripping from his chin. Then, I heard the cracking of bones and realized he was transforming. His body began to reshape, starting with his jaw. It stretched rapidly, turning into a fang-filled maw. He let out a howl of pain. I jumped up as a mutating clawed hand reached for me. It was so fast and sharp. I saw the deep slash open my forearm, and the blood, but didn’t feel any pain. I swung a fist at my assailant. It slammed into his jaw. Caught in the middle of his change, the blow staggered the werewolf. He growled and rolled to a defensive position. His clothes were torn to shreds, hanging from a body that had practically doubled in size. A thick coat of brindle fur covered his massive frame.”