It was a beautiful animal though, hypnotic pale blue eyes and thick silvery fur.

A proverbial light went on in Maizie’s brain. “Are you Gran’s big silver wolf?”

The big animal perked its ears, head up. No wonder it was acting so bold. “I can’t believe you’re real. What’s she been doing, feeding you?”

Maizie exhaled, finally, and lowered the poker. “Poor thing. Probably miss her, huh?”

The wolf stepped closer, nose out, sniffing. She lifted her hand, the rest of her body still tight with caution. Just because Gran had gotten close enough to this thing to make it feel comfortable strolling into her house didn’t make it less wild.

“Please don’t eat me.”

Hot breath washed over her skin, as the animal took in her scent. Then it licked her.

Maizie jumped at the sensation, which gave the poor wolf a start. She laughed, the animal staring up at her, crouched, waiting for a clue to her next move.

“Sorry. Your tongue tickles.” Not that she thought it could understand, although clearly Granny believed it could.

The wolf straightened, startled fear melting into cool fire in its eyes. He stretched toward her and licked along her knuckles. Its rough tongue massaged against her skin, made her breath catch. He stepped closer. Licked again, and the sensation set loose a wave of goose bumps up her arm, spilling out all over her body.

The big animal lowered its head and a warm snort of breath touched her knee followed by the hot rasp of his tongue. He sniffed her, then licked, catching her below the knee and pressing up and over to the bottom of her thigh. God, she hoped he wasn’t hungry.

The rough pulling sensation on her flesh felt nice in a weird way. He did it again, this time his long tongue wrapped around her knee and caught the sensitive little dimple behind. Maizie gasped, her breath shuddered, not sure if she was being tasted or titillated.

Exactly what had Granny been teaching this thing?

Emboldened or hungry, the wolf stepped closer. Maizie’s fingers brushed the silky fur on his neck and head as he sniffed the hem of her dress. He raised his head, pressing his nose against her groin.

She flinched away. “Bad dog-I mean, wolf. At least buy me dinner first.”

His cool nose nudged under the hem of her dress, lifting it as his tongue lapped at her inner thigh. The feel of it was a mix of embarrassment, fear and pleasure. The first two emotions far outweighed the last.

“Right. That’s enough of that.” Maizie dropped the poker to push both hands against the wolf’s massive head, trying to hold him back and scoot away at the same time. But the wolf followed her step for step, licking when it could, until her back hit the wall. Trapped, his long tongue lapped at her inner thigh, skin tingling, muscles stiff. She closed her eyes, praying he wouldn’t take a bite.

The long teasing licks moved higher, the wolf’s big head raising her dress as he went. “Oh shit.”

This wasn’t happening. What kind of wild animal does this? With her hands fisting his ears and thick clumps of fur around them she pulled at his head, tried to raise a knee, push it into his neck. The wolf paid her efforts little mind.

His zeal for her taste intensified, his big body pressing in more and more. What was going through its mind, hunger or sex? She didn’t like either possibility.

Her heart hammered against her chest, her breaths little more than frantic pants. Her knees trembled, elbows locked, pushing against the animal’s head with every ounce of her strength. Another lick brought his tongue so high on her inner thigh, she gasped at the quick conflict of pleasure and disgust.

“No. Stop it, you stupid mutt.” She pushed at him but his tongue darted out anyway, tracing the crease of flesh between her leg and her sex. “Fuck.”

His cool nose nudged against her panties and the wolf’s whole body trembled with a sound like a low feral purr.

“No.” Maizie twisted her leg, angled the heel of her shoe and stomped.

The wolf yelped and jumped away. It held its front paw off the ground, favoring it. The pain in its eyes was almost…human. Regret knotted through Maizie’s belly. Dumb wolf didn’t know any better. “Sorry, but I’m just not that kind of girl.”

The silvery furred wolf shook his head, the twist traveling down his back and up his tail. His pool-water blue eyes swung up to her. He blinked. Barked once, loud enough to make her flinch, then turned and trotted out the open screen door.

“Hey. Wait. Let me check your paw at least.” She jogged after it and nearly fell on her face when her shoe caught on a pile of rags near the door. She looked. Shredded pants, a shirt, even a pair of shoes poking out underneath the mess.

“Why shoes?” Maizie kept moving. She’d figure it out later.

Beyond the brick patio, the vine-covered arbor and the stepping-stone path winding through Granny’s flower garden, a space of about fifteen feet separated the backyard from the acres and acres of forest. Maizie stopped at the very edge of dark woods. No sign of her nosey wolf.

She’d played in these woods most of her life, knew them like her own bedroom, though she’d never, in all her years, followed the path to its end.

The dirt trail wound and twisted for several miles through the woods, branching off at crucial sections to lead one way or another.

In one direction the narrow path led off to the local coal mines, with industrial-type buildings, and the hum of machinery and trucks rumbling day and night. Another section deep, deep into the woods branched off toward the game preserve. Beyond that another led to a crystal-clear quarry lake where teens were rumored to go skinny-dip. But the main path trailed through to a housing plan on the far side of the forest.

She hadn’t traveled that path in years. The beautiful little housing development it led to was her old neighborhood. Where she’d lived before the accident, before her world had changed.

Granny had forbidden her from wandering that deep into the forest, frightening her into obedience with tales of vicious, hungry wolves. But she hadn’t needed Granny’s warnings to obey. Nothing but painful memories were at the other end of the overgrown route. A perfect life stripped away on a rainy night by a beast.

She had no desire to trudge through those memories. Besides, it was more likely that Granny’s big silver wolf had headed back to the game preserve. There were supposed to be fences to keep the preserve animals in and humans out. If the wolf was part of the preserve, there was probably a problem with the fence. She’d check it out, maybe find the not-so-scary silver wolf and the hole he’d squeezed through to get out.

Maizie started on her way. Three steps in, and thick foliage gobbled up the last twinkles of sunlight. A cool blue-black illumination was the only sign full night had not yet fallen. She kept walking, finding her way almost on reflex. These woods were home for her, no matter how citified she’d become.

Within seconds Granny’s backyard haven disappeared from sight and the forest sank in around her. She kept walking.

Minutes passed, five, twelve, before she found the faint remnants of the old trail to the game preserve. With her first step off the main path the thrum of invisible fingers tickled up her back. Instincts trembled. She wasn’t alone. Her belly fluttered, leg muscles twitched, eager to take flight.

She kept walking, scanning the forest on either side. The high canopy of trees kept the undergrowth low. She could see for some distance although the dwindling light was making it increasingly difficult.

Between the trees, the highs and lows of small hills, the odd thicket of briers and clumps of vegetation over fallen trees, there were plenty of places to hide.

Maizie fought her instinct and came to a stop. Someone was near. She could feel it. Was it the wolf or something worse? Her pulse raced, hands fisting at her sides. She’d never been frightened of these woods before. But then she’d never wandered this far in.