Changeling Moon by Dani Harper

buildings, even drove her car for a while, but still the monstrous creature followed her. It was like the lupine version of The Terminator . She could neither hide from it nor outrun it, and it was coming closer and closer. Gurgling snarls filled her ears, and she could feel its hot breath on the backs of her legs. Any second it was going to bite her, take her down like a deer and kill her. . . . She wanted to scream but no sound would come out.
    Suddenly another wolf, larger, darker, appeared on the sidewalk directly in front of her. Zoey dove off to one side to avoid it and fell onto the grass. She expected to feel her pursuer’s teeth, expected the newcomer to attack her as well. Instead, the gray wolf launched itself at the bigger wolf’s throat and a furious battle ensued. She wanted to run, wanted to get away while the animals fought, but she found herself unable to move. She was frozen, paralyzed. Helpless.
    And when the gray wolf lay in a bloodied heap on the ground, she could only wait for the victor to look in her direction, wait for its strange gray eyes to fasten on her. Wait for it to spring with bared and bloody teeth. . . .
    Her own scream awakened her. Zoey practically leapt out of her bed, turning on every light she could find, and rubbing her hands up and down her arms to stave off the chill effects of the nightmare. “Voices,” she said. “I need voices.” She bundled herself in an afghan on the couch and reached for the remote, hoping a little television would anchor her in some sort of reality.
    A few minutes later she was rolling her eyes. She should have known that television in the wee hours of morning was the wrong place to turn to for reality. After flipping through a variety of scary movies, including one about werewolves no less, she turned off the set and threw the remote onto another chair in disgust. It was going to be a long, long night. . . .
    She nearly jumped out of her skin when the phone rang beside her. At this time of night the only reason to call a small-town newspaper editor was fire . Any other disasters would wait until morning. Alert and all business, she grabbed the receiver but didn’t get a chance to say a word.
    â€œThank God you’re there! Look, I’m sorry to ask, but I really need your hands.”
    â€œConnor?”
    â€œYeah, it’s me. You’re not squeamish, are you?”
    â€œNo—hey, are you okay?”
    â€œI’m at the clinic, about to be up to my ass in puppies. I swear I’ll buy you the most exotic coffee on the planet—hell, I’ll buy you a whole coffee plantation , if you’ll just come help.”
    â€œI don’t have any experience, but I’ll come.”
    â€œYou have two hands, that’s all I need.”
    â€œI—” The phone went dead and she stared at the receiver for a long moment, then hurried to her room to get dressed. She wasn’t certain how much help she could be, but hanging out with a hot veterinarian sure beat sitting up all night afraid to go to sleep.
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    The clinic doors were open. Only the night-lights were on in the reception area, and Zoey was grateful she’d been there earlier. At least she had some idea where things were. She passed the examination rooms, the lab, the lunchroom, heading down the hallway to where bright light spilled out of a doorway. She looked inside and caught only a fleeting glimpse of Connor before he grabbed her by the shoulders and kissed her forehead loudly.
    â€œThanks for coming. I got this emergency call an hour ago.” He took her hand and led her to a stainless steel table where a large reddish-gold dog lay panting heavily. Her shaved belly was the size and color of a prize-winning pumpkin. “This is Millie. She’s got enough puppies in there for a football team but the poor gal’s not making any progress. I’m going to do a C-section but I have to have someone to watch her vitals and to