Read To Catch a Wolf for Free Online
Authors: Susan Krinard
him.
"Ulysses, this is Morgan Holt. Morgan Holt, this is Ulysses Marcus Aurelius Wakefield.”
The dwarf executed a surprisingly graceful bow. "I am at your service, sir.”
Caitlin shook her head. "Your Southern courtesy is wasted on this one, Professor.”
"Indeed. And you, of course, have not in any way provoked him, Firefly.”
Caitlin snorted. She glanced at the dark woman. "This is Tamar, the snake charmer.
And Florizel"—she indicated the pale man with a nod—"is our chief Joey. That's 'clown'
in towny talk.”
Florizel regarded Morgan with mournful wariness. "This is your Wolf-Man?" he said.
"This is our final hope, our savior?”
"Florizel, you talk too much," Caitlin said.
"I do not believe that this is the time for familial squabbles," Ulysses said. He looked up
at Morgan with the same fearlessness as Caitlin's, but his came from a deeper, quieter
place. He was as removed from passion as Morgan sought to be.
To Catch a Wolf – 19th Century Werewolf 04
Page 35 of 410
"It is unfortunate that we were unable to consult your wishes, Mr. Holt," he said, "but you
were insensible at the time. Caitlin is prone to strong feelings—premonitions, if you
will—that move her to rash action. She often fails to apply logic when it would be most
useful. She sees your particular talent as a possible solution to our quandary—which
you may have observed.”
"She wants me to work for you," Morgan said. "To be one of your
freaks.”
"To be one of us," Ulysses corrected. "You were alone and on the verge of death when
you arrived. Have you somewhere else to go?”
"I prefer to be alone." Even as he spoke, Morgan did not understand why he had
admitted that much to a stranger. He lifted his lip. "I am alone.”
"It is a rare man who truly prefers solitude," Ulysses said. "As for Caitlin's hopes—many
of the troupers have no home other than this. It is their family. Harry took in the first
outcast ten years ago, and he has never turned away anyone in need. But our troupe
has faced one misfortune after another in recent months—theft of our capital, the illness
of our horses, and grave mishaps of weather. We have insufficient resources to feed
ourselves and nothing saved for winter quarters. We are now in a precarious position
that may require us to disband if we wish to survive. You, with your unique gift, appear
to have arrived at a most propitious moment.”
Morgan thought of his adopted pack, all dead, and what it had been like to be part of a
greater whole. Yet he had always been separate, even then. Always.
"I can't save you," he said. "Let me go.”
Ulysses studied Morgan for a long stretch of silence. "You are what they call a hard
man, Morgan Holt, one who has lived apart from civilization for some time. You are
accustomed to caring for yourself. You are exceptionally skilled in survival. You do not
To Catch a Wolf – 19th Century Werewolf 04
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care for the entanglements of emotion, and that is why you resent any debt placed upon
you. Yet you still suffer the pull of obligation. Why?”
Morgan felt as if he were being taken apart piece by piece like the inner workings of a
clock. "You are smart, little man," he said softly. "But you don't know everything.”
"I believe you are a man of honor, Mr. Holt, though the world may not recognize that
quality." His broad brow creased. "You have faced some great trial that has tested your
faith in mankind and driven you into the wilderness. But now you find yourself among
those who might begin to understand.”
Words. Accurate words, razor sharp, that wove themselves into a wire made for a single
purpose. The noose was tightening inch by inch. Morgan backed away, prepared to toss
the blanket and run. Caitlin held out her hand as if to stay him again, and for once she
appeared as vulnerable as any other girl of her age.
Morgan took another step and struck a warm, firm surface. Hands caught at him
"Ulysses, this is Morgan Holt. Morgan Holt, this is Ulysses Marcus Aurelius Wakefield.”
The dwarf executed a surprisingly graceful bow. "I am at your service, sir.”
Caitlin shook her head. "Your Southern courtesy is wasted on this one, Professor.”
"Indeed. And you, of course, have not in any way provoked him, Firefly.”
Caitlin snorted. She glanced at the dark woman. "This is Tamar, the snake charmer.
And Florizel"—she indicated the pale man with a nod—"is our chief Joey. That's 'clown'
in towny talk.”
Florizel regarded Morgan with mournful wariness. "This is your Wolf-Man?" he said.
"This is our final hope, our savior?”
"Florizel, you talk too much," Caitlin said.
"I do not believe that this is the time for familial squabbles," Ulysses said. He looked up
at Morgan with the same fearlessness as Caitlin's, but his came from a deeper, quieter
place. He was as removed from passion as Morgan sought to be.
To Catch a Wolf – 19th Century Werewolf 04
Page 35 of 410
"It is unfortunate that we were unable to consult your wishes, Mr. Holt," he said, "but you
were insensible at the time. Caitlin is prone to strong feelings—premonitions, if you
will—that move her to rash action. She often fails to apply logic when it would be most
useful. She sees your particular talent as a possible solution to our quandary—which
you may have observed.”
"She wants me to work for you," Morgan said. "To be one of your
freaks.”
"To be one of us," Ulysses corrected. "You were alone and on the verge of death when
you arrived. Have you somewhere else to go?”
"I prefer to be alone." Even as he spoke, Morgan did not understand why he had
admitted that much to a stranger. He lifted his lip. "I am alone.”
"It is a rare man who truly prefers solitude," Ulysses said. "As for Caitlin's hopes—many
of the troupers have no home other than this. It is their family. Harry took in the first
outcast ten years ago, and he has never turned away anyone in need. But our troupe
has faced one misfortune after another in recent months—theft of our capital, the illness
of our horses, and grave mishaps of weather. We have insufficient resources to feed
ourselves and nothing saved for winter quarters. We are now in a precarious position
that may require us to disband if we wish to survive. You, with your unique gift, appear
to have arrived at a most propitious moment.”
Morgan thought of his adopted pack, all dead, and what it had been like to be part of a
greater whole. Yet he had always been separate, even then. Always.
"I can't save you," he said. "Let me go.”
Ulysses studied Morgan for a long stretch of silence. "You are what they call a hard
man, Morgan Holt, one who has lived apart from civilization for some time. You are
accustomed to caring for yourself. You are exceptionally skilled in survival. You do not
To Catch a Wolf – 19th Century Werewolf 04
Page 36 of 410
care for the entanglements of emotion, and that is why you resent any debt placed upon
you. Yet you still suffer the pull of obligation. Why?”
Morgan felt as if he were being taken apart piece by piece like the inner workings of a
clock. "You are smart, little man," he said softly. "But you don't know everything.”
"I believe you are a man of honor, Mr. Holt, though the world may not recognize that
quality." His broad brow creased. "You have faced some great trial that has tested your
faith in mankind and driven you into the wilderness. But now you find yourself among
those who might begin to understand.”
Words. Accurate words, razor sharp, that wove themselves into a wire made for a single
purpose. The noose was tightening inch by inch. Morgan backed away, prepared to toss
the blanket and run. Caitlin held out her hand as if to stay him again, and for once she
appeared as vulnerable as any other girl of her age.
Morgan took another step and struck a warm, firm surface. Hands caught at him
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