Wolf Hunter Read Online Free Page A

pair of corpses? He’d seen a blocky two-story brick building when he’d first driven through town. He pulled his jacket on and headed for his car to make his way there. “Identify the library first” might seem like an odd rule in these high-tech days, but most of the little towns didn’t have a web presence, and Google Maps didn’t identify any road that didn’t lead a person to the town and straight out of it. For that information, Jaylen had to make nice with a local Marian. Ironic that he spent so much time in libraries now, but when his life had been normal, he’d done all he could to avoid them.
    He’d been a piss ass student and damn proud of it. Now he had the fucking Dewey Decimal System memorized. Sunny would be so proud. (Sunny’s real name was Elmer, but because of his disposition he’d been called Sunny since before Jaylen was born. It was the only name Jaylen ever knew him by.)
    The sun was high in the sky when he jogged up the cracked cement steps of the library. The main desk was right inside. Two librarians sat behind it. One older, one younger, both out-aging him by ten years. He walked up to it and addressed the older one. “Hi, I was wondering if you have a town map I could look at?”
    “Sure.” She pulled a folded map from a drawer. It was frayed white at the creases. “Looking for anything in particular?”
    Jaylen offered a good ol’ boy smile. “No, ma’am. Just passing through. My atlas doesn’t tell me anything except how to do that, and I’d like to see some sites while I’m here.”
    “Well, you’ll want to see the craft fair over at the Victorian House Museum,” the other one said. “It goes on all weekend.”
    Jaylen touched his forehead with two fingers, an imagined tip of the hat. “Yes, ma’am. Sounds perfect.” He waved with the map he’d been given toward an empty table. “Is it all right if I take this over here?”
    “That’s what the table’s for, son. You let us know if you need anything el—” She was cut off by the cascading whoosh-thump of what sounded like a shelf of books falling and a man’s startled voice from somewhere in the stacks yelling, “Ah, shoot!”
    “ Excuse me.” The younger librarian gave Jaylen a tight smile and hurried toward the noise. “Westley,” she said as she got closer, sounding like an exasperated kindergarten teacher.
    “ I’m sorry, Paula.” The apology that followed was delivered with a voice as shamed as an embarrassed child’s.
    Jaylen glanced at the older librarian and saw her trying not to laugh. “Clumsy young fool,” she whispered. Then, in a slightly louder voice, “Let us know if you need any other help.”
    “Thank you.” Map in hand, Jaylen took a seat. He sat so he could face the door and have an eye on the direction of the commotion. Eventually, Paula emerged with a towering young man trailing after her, his Neanderthal arms loaded down with books. His face was hidden by a curtain of sandy brown hair that curled every which way at the ends. He looked down as he walked, shoulders slumped. “I didn’t mean to, Paula,” he said, still sounding miserable.
    “ You never do, Westley.” She stopped at the table and Jaylen realized with some surprise that, despite ten other empty seats available, Paula intended for Westley to sit opposite him. She pulled the chair out. He sat without question, dropping the books in front of him. Jaylen’s eyes skimmed over Tall Grass Prairie Wildflowers , The Midwestern Native Garden and other titles related to local flora. “Now, please, try not to break anything.”
    Westley hung his head as Paula walked away. Jaylen couldn’t help looking, trying to see what was underneath those bangs that reached down to his chin. You’re not dosed up. Don’t go trying to get into a potential wolf’s pants. His gaze zeroed in on Westley’s moving lips, both as thick as one of Jaylen’s index fingers—not that he was comparing—he leaned closer, trying to hear what