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At hearing her voice, Hataru instantly tensed. Flashes of the night before clouded his vision. He could still remember debating whether it was more fun to kill her right then, or play with her like he had the sheep. Toothpaste had long since covered up the taste of blood in his mouth, but he could still remember it as if it still wet his lips.

With a shudder, he closed his eyes and took a sip of coffee. No one knew his secret, no one suspected. That Melody was here now with cookies to boot, showed that she knew nothing. Hataru only hoped he could keep it that way.

"Thanks, but I don't like cookies," he answered after a moments pause. Soon as he said it, he knew that it might hurt her feelings, so he added,"Sugar upsets my stomach." He tried to look at her, but the sunshine was blasting in from behind her, which only made his head pound viciously, so he looked back at the dark depths of his drink instead.

"I'll be fine," he quipped the moment she offered to make him something. He winced at the coldness, but he didn't want someone to fawn over him. He didn't deserve such kindness. After a few heartbeats of silence, he sighed to try to relax the unexplainable tension between his shoulders. He felt like he was preparing to pounce on some unsuspecting prey, an analogy that he felt unsettling.

"Would you like to have a cup of coffee before you set off?" he asked finally. She wanted to be friends, that he could do. At least a little. Hataru worried that if he grew too fond of her, that he'd have to leave. He didn't want to hurt anyone he cared for.

A light breeze tickled his still damp hair, bringing with it a most tantalizing scent. He thought it was the flowers blooming in someone's garden, but that was impossible for it was too early in the season and there was no one besides Melody that grew plants so near. His nostrils flared as he tried to keep his mind focused on the coffee in his hands rather than on more carnal impulses. Like that which he already indulged in the previous night.

" I wouldn't offer if I minded your company," he replied as he motioned to the coffee pot. "Come on in." Normally he would have opened the door for her, but his nerves felt too on edge to make the effort worth it. He tried to meet her smile with one of his own, but the light made his dark eyes wince slightly, reflecting just a hint of amber.

"So you had a rough night too huh?" he asked as he ran a hand through his disheveled locks, knowing full well that she had. He remembered watching her run from the barn through the yard, his pace carefully matching hers after he gave up on the foal. The sight of her flight still made his heart pound with the thrill of the hunt.

He watched her intently as she moved with a silent grace about the kitchen. He was never really savvy when it came to cooking, but she definitely looked like she knew what she was doing, even if it was putting together a nice cup of jo.

"The air is wonderful, it's the quiet that's getting to me," he admitted after she set down opposite him. Hataru had to try really hard not to stare, knowing that it would make her feel uncomfortable. It wasn't that she was a dazzling beauty, or had some unnatural deformity that kept his attention. It was just really hard not to bring back the images of the night before when the object of them was sitting in front of him. It made him hungry, which made him disgusted with himself.

Reaching out, he snagged an apple from the bowl on the table. With a quick motion, he tore out a large bite, hoping to curb the bile that wanted to rise up. It was bad enough that he had no scruples about what he ate when he was the wolf, he'd be damned if he thought that way the rest of the time.

"I'm half tempted to buy a big stereo system and blast it out to the yard so I have something to fill the void while I work," he replied with a half smile.

Hataru couldn't help the smile at her suggestions.

"Fine, but for the record Faith Hill is not what I consider good music," he countered with a laugh. This playful banter was working better than anything he had done before to try and relax. He sat back and took another bite of his apple.

"Natural sugars like in fruit are fine. It's the refined stuff that gives me problems," he explained.

"How about eggs?" he asked after a moments contemplation. "You look like you bake a lot and you need eggs right? I'll trade you some of mine in exchange for the fresh fruit. Deal?" he proposed with an easy smile. After wiping his juice covered hand on his pant leg, he reached across the table to shake her hand. He knew it was old fashioned, but it just seemed like the thing to do.

"I don't listen to girly music," was his reply. He never kept track of the fads that his classmates fawned over. His style was all his own. "But as long as you don't have a problem with Skrillex being in the mix, I don't think we'll have a problem."

Hataru's smile faltered only slightly as their hands met. He remembered seeing her, lying in the dirt, her hand groping until it grazed his paw. The image would not as quickly dissipate, so after their hands separated he pressed it against his temple. It pounded again in warning. He wanted so much to reach across that table and tear her to pieces, if only it would erase this confusing feeling.

"I haven't had good pie since my gran was alive, nearly ten years now," he said in attempts to keep the conversation light. These urges were not his own, this he knew. But they were powerful and hard to resist during the three day full moon cycle.

Hataru's eyes darted up to watch Melody as she refilled their cups. As she moved, he couldn't help the growing pangs that wanted him to do something. But he knew if he did, that something would end up only hurting them. The pounding in his head subsided for the moment, but his ears started to ring as she came back with the coffee.

He hadn't known when, but he had stuck a knuckle between his teeth to relieve the pressure of wanting to bite something. Sometimes these urges were too much, but he had learned to adapt. Hataru may become a beast, but we wasn't going to allow himself to hurt humans if he could help it. Unfortunately, it meant that he was practically gnawing on his hand to distract himself from doing so to the girl.

It was only when he tasted the familiar tang of blood that he pulled his hand out and snapped back into focus. He was ashamed to realize he had heard nothing that the girl had said. A light blush dusted his cheeks as he looked horrified at his hand which bled a little from the ring of shallow puncture marks.

The flurry of movement was almost too much for him. Hataru was in a nervous sweat by the time she returned with first aid, his every tie to his humanity tried as he fought not to go after her. His hand slightly shook under her gentle touch, wincing when she disinfected the bite marks. It was a wonder he hadn't bitten off his tongue at that moment as he stifled the groan that wanted to break out.

"I'm fine," he lamely answered. "At least I will be." He waved off her apology. Considering he was still fighting his predatory instincts to kill her, he couldn't find fault in her trying to help him. Still slightly shaking, he grabbed her hand with his bandaged one.

Pulling her a little closer, he couldn't help the urge to bring her soft skin to his mouth. Warm breathe tickled the back of her hand as he took in her scent. It hadn't been his imagination, she really did smell like flowers. Flowers and sunshine with a dash of morning dew. Some part of him knew that two of those things were not normal scents, but he didn't care.

"I believe you said you had cookies to deliver," he said huskily. "If your deliveries take you into town, then I fear I've kept you too long." Pressing a kiss to the appendage, he quickly pulled away before his body acted of its own and tried to take a bite. Even as he sat back and downed the rest of his drink, he could still get a whiff of her on his lips. A shadow of a taste and his inner wolf growled at being teased so.

"Thanks for dropping by."