Fables/Fairytales Fan Fiction / Romance Fan Fiction ❯ HOWL ❯ Revealed ( Chapter 5 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Times are beginning to change and Etruria is forced to plunge into a world she was always told didn't exist.

Originally Posted: May 27, 2008.

DISCLAIMER: This story is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author's imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright � 2008 by Annalee, whenpigsfly8992.
Any retranscription or reproduction is prohibited.

Miscellaneous: Fables/Fairytales Fan Fiction / Romance Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Horror / Fantasy / Adventure / Action | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 07.08.2008 | Pages: 25 | Words: 16.3K | Visits: 181 | Status: Completed

Revealed

"Ugh… I'll be right back." Xak muttered while I still cackled, "I've gotta wash my

mouth or something." Xak left the small family room area.

"Hm… Etruria, come with me." Zeno said, pulling me up.

Giggling, I asked, "Why?"

Zeno sighed, "We need to get you some fresh air, I think." He practically dragged me

into the backyard, which was deserted.

"We'll stay here until you calm down." He began pacing.

I started to control my breathing and asked, "Zeno, why aren't you drunk? You had

lotsa bottles, but you didn't drink them."

Zeno's head twitched up. He shrugged and replied, "I don't know… I didn't really

feel like drinking tonight I guess."

"Ooooh… Oka—" I stopped mid-sentence. I finally figured it out — what was

different about Zeno! "Zeeenooo! Are you wearing contacts? Your eyes are red." I pointed

out enthusiastically.

Zeno whirled around on the spot where he had stopped pacing. His irises were a

glowing shade of ruby. He looked down and brought his hand to his eye. "Are they? Now?

Damn it! How long have they been this way?" I heard him mutter to himself.

"It's okay. It looks cool, but I didn't think anyone else has noticed. Actually, your

eyes look more red than they did when I showed up."

Zeno smiled, "Thank you for the compliment." He took a few steps forward and ran

a finger down my cheek. I felt strange… It wasn't a bad feeling, but I felt numb. "You're

very observant…"

"Not really," I replied, slightly breathless, "it took me a while to figure it out."

"But I thought I had eaten enough here all ready…" Zeno was mumbling to himself

again, "Maybe it was enough to stop the thirst… but not the hunger itself."

"Huh?" I asked dumbly.

"Etruria," He started, pulling me around a corner of the house. Pressing me against

the wall, he took my face in his hands and kissed me. His hands ran over my every curve

seductively. He stepped away and suddenly pulled me from the wall. In an instant, he was

behind me, hands sliding around my waist and hips. "You smell so good…" Zeno

whispered. His lips, ice cold, caressed my shoulder, and ran his tongue up the length of my

neck. Then all I felt was his breath, but I could sense he was millimeters away. For several

moments he went on like this, hovering over my skin, sending goosebumps down my neck.

Suddenly, I heard his teeth click together impatiently and his hands left my waist.

I felt like I came back to my senses somewhat. I swayed as I turned to face Zeno. He

was pacing again and rubbing his temples.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck… How could I have attempted such a fucking idiotic thing?" He

cursed to himself.

"Wha-what was that all about?" I asked.

Zeno looked up at me and grabbed my wrist. "Forgive me for this, please." He

pleaded, dragging me back into the house.

If I had been in my right mind, I would be yelling — demanding — why he had

kissed me.

"Tell Xak if you must, I wouldn't blame you. I'd deserve the punishment." He said

flatly, then muttered, "In fact, I have a feeling he'll be able to tell…"

"What the hell are you talking about?" I choked out.

"RU!" Xak's voice exploded through the music and chatter. I turned my head and

saw him briskly walking closer to us. "There you are. I was only gone for a few seconds. I

came back and you were nowhere in sight."

"No need to worry, Xak." I said, irritated. I heard Zeno scoff beside me.

"Hey! Zeno…" Hostility laced Xak's voice.

"She's right," Zeno said, gliding by to wake Sadie.

Without turning toward me, Xak said, "What did he do to you?"

"I'll tell you later…" I replied. Xak gave me a sharp glance. "When we get to your

house." I added quickly.

"He didn't hurt you, did he?" Xak asked, moving a lock of my hair to the side and

examining my neck.

"No, he didn't. Stop asking stupid questions." I staggered a few steps forward and

stumbled. Instead of meeting the floor like I expected, I was in Xak's arms.

"We should go now." He said. I didn't argue. We'd been here for a few hours now

and I wanted to sleep.

"If you're going to leave, it would be wise to take her home. I'll figure out how to get

her car back to her house." Zeno said, supporting Sadie. Xak carried me to my car, and Zeno

followed, carrying Sadie.

"We're taking my car? Why? Where's your car, Xak?" I asked.

"I walked here." He replied, leaning me against my car.

"Are you serious?!" I screeched.

"Dead serious. Keys. Now." He reached his hand out, just like last time. I dug in my

pocket and dropped the keys in his palm. "Lay her down in the back." Xak ordered,

unlocking the doors manually. Zeno did just that, then waved and walked back into the

house.

"…Xak," I started.

"There's a lot we need to talk about. Let's hurry and drop her off."

We pulled up at Sadie's house and Xak carried her while I walked ahead. "Ru," he

hissed in the silence. I twirled on the spot to face him. He held up Sadie's keys and tossed

them in my direction. By means of dumb luck, I caught them and unlocked the door. It took

a couple of tried to get the key into the lock. All the while, Xak was holding back laughter.

We tucked her in bed and left some aspirin and water on her bedside table.

"You ready to go, Ru?" Xak asked, with his hand on the door handle.

"Yeah. Let's go."

We walked outside and stopped dead in our tracks. Our tension shot to dangerous

levels. In the stillness of night, Sadie's little yellow VW Bug sat in the driveway next to my

Ford Escort, as if it had never left in the first place. Realization hit and the tension rose

higher. Zeno had all ready been here, but neither of us had noticed.

"Come on, he's not here." Xak said, grabbing my hand and pulling me to my car.

"So, Ru… Ready?"

"To know everything?" I asked.

"Mhmm."

"Yeah. There's no going back now." I warned.

"I know… I just wonder if you'll remember anything in the morning."

"I will remember." I shot back with determination.

Xak unlocked his front door and swaggered in. I followed, being greeted by the navy

walls again.

Disappearing in to the kitchen with that brisk pace of his, Xak said, "So… How's

Mr. Wolf been doing?"

I froze and tried to remember if I had ever mentioned Mr. Wolf… Nobody else

knew about him except for Sadie. "How…? I don't think I've ever told…… How do you

know about Mr. Wolf?" I babbled nervously.

"Well…" Xak started. A moment later, I saw Mr. Wolf pad into the room.

"M-Mr. Wolf! What are you doing here? I thought I locked you in my room…" I

bent down and scratched his ears. "Xak? Why is Mr. Wolf here?" I asked. There was no

answer. "Xak?" I called again. Mr. Wolf's tail flopped back and forth. He had… jeans on?

Then it clicked. Everything came together in a fraction of a second. My heart nearly

stopped. With a shaky voice, I said once more, "X-Xak?" but instead of calling to the

kitchen, I directed the question to Mr. Wolf. Please let me be hallucinating… I thought.

Before my eyes, Mr. Wolf's form shifted, transforming into a human body… Into

Xak…

I must be hallucinating. The alcohol was definitely getting to me.

"You understand now, Ru?" Xak asked. He was shirtless and his jeans were ripped. It

was true… That meant he was there… He was in my house for the past week. He heard my

conversation with Sadie. He escaped from my room in order to pick me up on Wednesday,

and to come to school Thursday and Friday… and to walk all the way to the party tonight.

He was there the whole time.

I took a step back. He wasn't human.

His eyes flashed with realization. He knew what I was thinking. "Ru, no… You

wanted me to… Please don't run. Please don't fucking run, Ru!" Xak pleaded like a little kid.

"G-get away…" My voice was barely audible.

He didn't move away, but he tentatively reached his hand out to me. I slapped it

away, but my heart thudded painfully.

"Go away." I said forcefully.

"But, Ru—"

"GO AWAY!" I bellowed.

"But this is my house!" Xak shot back.

"JUST GO AWAY!" I shouted at the top of my lungs, as loud as I could possibly

get. I swung the door open and cringed as Xak began walking forward.

"Ru—" He had a slight growl in his voice.

"GO!"

He walked out of the house and I caught a brief glance of him starting to sprint.

I slammed the door. Oh, god… Thoughts flew across my mind faster than I could

keep up with. The utter pain in his eyes, how the bright turquoise darkened and his face

clouded up. "DAMMIT!" I spoke sharply to myself. My voice broke. I stumbled into the

kitchen and leaned against the island counter. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed

something white against the grayish marble color of the counter.

I took a few steps over and picked up the little white square. I flipped it over and

stared down at my own smiling face. My hair, undyed, was blown in my face and I was

laughing. The sunlight shone behind me, and my cheeks were pink. I remembered the day

this picture was taken. Sadie had snapped it with a disposable camera while we were running

around in the town's park.

I had had this hung on my small bulletin board… Xak obviously took it and brought

it here. I thought back to Xak's transformation. While I had watched it, there was a tiny part

of my mind that was fascinated by it… But my shock had overridden it.

Thunder rumbled loudly, rattling the walls. I swallowed and knew what I wanted —

who I wanted. I dashed to the front door and flung it open. The clouds were black and rain

was pouring down. Every once in a while, there were flashes of lightning. The storm had

been boiling all day and finally it hit quick and hard. Fuck, I thought, I won't be able to see

anything.

It would take forever to dig up a flashlight in this house. It was useless to try looking

for one. Screw it. I was going to look for him.

My body crashed into the rain and I ran as hard as I could. I was going to follow the

direction in which Xak ran. I just hoped that he had kept running straight. My feet pounded

and splashed across the street where there was still unclaimed land. There was very slight

tree coverage; the trees were quite a few feet apart from each other. It was the rain and

darkness that made it more difficult. The rain was freezing, but when I passed under

branches that saved me from the rain, the air was quite warm.

I kept running and came upon a path — a familiar one. It was a dirt path that I

remember walking on with Sadie the day that picture had been taken. Of course, we had

never gotten to the end of it… But now I knew where I was — where I was going. It was a

small path to the town's park.

The small playground was barely in sight through the rain. As I neared the deserted

playground, I could see the basketball court coming into view. Next to the court were the

old, wooden bleachers with blue paint that was peeling severely. I couldn't see the blue paint,

but I knew from memory. I squinted through the rain. A bright flash of lightning illuminated

the area. I saw him. Even though it was a split second, I saw Xak sitting on the bleachers. I

pounded my way toward the bleachers while the deafening thunder rolled.

"Xak!" I yelled over the thunder as it roared to an end. I ran closer and called again,

"Xak!"

His head turned to the sound of my voice.

"Xak…" I lowered my voice. I felt like I was in some cheesy story, finding out a big

secret and freaking out… Only to come crawling back.

This was the one who saved me from my nasty English teacher only two weeks ago.

The one who checked in on me after my breakdown. The one who — as a wolf — stayed

with me and cheered me up everyday. So what if he was half wolf… As strange as it

sounded… I felt like shit, though, since he trusted me enough to reveal his secret to me.

"I-I'm sorry, Xak… I didn't mean to. You know I didn't." I said over the rain. Xak

was facing me, his eyes following me as I walked in front of him. He nodded slightly. He

looked relieved, yet weary at the same time. I rested my hands on his knees and gazed up

into his face. "It was kind of sudden, you know."

"I know. You don't have to speak loudly, by the way." He said, touching his ear

absentmindedly, "They're pretty sensitive."

"Oh… Uhm… Xak?"

"What?" He asked. I climbed onto the bleachers and sat on my knees. Xak turned

and straddled the bench. "What is it?" Xak asked again.

I leaned forward and pulled Xak closer. I rose up on my knees and kissed him. His

skin was hotter than ever before, it was burning. His hands slipped down to my hips, pulling

them forward to his chest. The rain felt ice cold compared to the heat radiating from Xak.

He lightly bit my lower lip, then quickly covered my mouth again, making the kiss whole.

Xak pulled away as slow as possible. "You're going to get sick if you stay out here."

He said, wrapping his arms around my waist. He rested his head on my breasts. "Mmm…

Like soft pillows."

"Xaaak." I growled playfully.

"Okay, okay. Let's go."

We slopped into Xak's house. I felt kind of dizzy and steadied myself against the

wall.

"Just a second. I'll get some towels." He said, "Go ahead and sit down. I don't care if

the furniture gets wet."

I did as I was told. I sat on the couch and looked down at my hands. I kissed him —

took the lead and kissed him. What was I supposed to say, supposed to do, when he walked

back in? I looked up at the cream colored clock with fancy black hands and roman numerals.

It was nearly 2:30 in the morning. No way Xak was going to drive me back home

now, especially in the rain. I was nervous now — not to mention freezing. Xak walked

around the corner from the hallway. He was now wearing forest green pajama pants and was

still bare chested. His hair was still damp and lay haphazardly on his head. Carrying a big,

fluffy towel, he sat down next to me.

"Why're you shaking?" He asked softly. My whole body had been shaking and

shivering uncontrollably this whole time. My teeth were ever chattering. Xak draped the

towel over my soaking body and pulled me to him. All at once, I was warm and I stopped

shaking as he hugged me to his chest. "See? I told you you'd get sick out in the rain."

"I'm not sick!" I weakly argued.

"You need to change out of your wet clothes. You can borrow some of my clothes.

My room is at the end of the hall." He pushed me up. Irritated by being forced away from

his warmth, I shuffled down the hall like I used to when I was five. I heard him chuckle

behind me.

His bedroom was surprisingly cleaner than I expected. The only messy things were

the bed and the soaked, ripped jeans on the floor. The walls were black with a slight silvery

sheen when the light hit it right. There were closed curtains on the right wall, and the lights

were off, except for the lamp next to his bed. I took a few steps toward the dresser in the

left corner when my eyes slid completely out of focus. I felt myself falling and hitting the

cream carpet.

Warmth… Everything around me was so warm. Opening my eyes, Xak's room

flooded into view, but instead of being on the floor, I was wrapped up in the black and gray

covers on his bed. I sat up and rubbed my head, only to find that my hand had been

swallowed by my sleeve… Only, it wasn't my shirt. I was wearing Xak's over-sized, long-

sleeved, navy blue shirt and a pair of plaid boxers. My bra and underwear were lying on top

of Xak's jeans. No way… I thought.

"Xak?" I called. I heard rustling and the sound of quick footsteps. The door opened

and Xak stood there. He climbed on the bed and pressed his forehead against mine.

"Are you feeling okay? It doesn't feel like you have a fever."

My face flushed and he smiled. "W-when did I change?" I asked. Xak cleared his

throat and avoided my eyes. My eyes widened. I knew it! I thought. "Y-you! W-what? What

did you see?!" I screeched, curling up into a ball.

"Nothing! Ru! Listen!" He unlocked my arms from around my knees and forced me

to look at him. His face was bright red. "I did change you — blindly. It was nerve-wracking,

so I just closed my eyes." He bit his lip and slid his cigarette pack off the table.

I leaned into his chest, though, and he placed the pack back. The lean muscle,

covered by soft skin, was so comforting. At least he was embarrassed too. I didn't feel so

bad now. His arms wrapped around me, pulling me closer and into his lap. He ran his fingers

through my hair, sending goosebumps down my neck and arms. I breathed him in. He still

smelled of rain and I let the scent fill me until my senses were drunk off it.

"Xak…" I mumbled, becoming drowsy. I buried my face in his chest and felt his

heartbeat quicken.

"We… still have a lot to talk about when you wake up…" Xak whispered, sounding

sleepy himself.

The last thing I remembered was Xak lifting my head to kiss me and placing it back

on the pillow.

"Xak, wake up…" I cooed. There was really nothing I could do. He was lying

halfway on top of me and my arms were pinned under him. His ear was the closest thing to

my face… so I licked it. He twitched a little, so I leaned my face forward and barely bit it. I

bit harder and harder until finally… I saw a familiar flash of turquoise.

Xak rolled all the way over on top of me and held my arms over my head. He gave a

throaty growl and whispered huskily, "Don't tempt me…" The way his eyes shone — nearly

black with lust — seemed so attractive and sexy.

Our stomachs growled, though, and the turquoise of his eyes returned slightly.

"Uhm… I'll cook something…" I suggested awkwardly, Xak still holding my arms.

"What do you want to eat?"

"You…" He replied; he was now holding my arms with one hand and kissing my

neck. I should have seen that coming… I set myself up for it. My hands were suddenly free.

"Uhnnn… I'm talking about actual foooo— Xak!"

He looked up from my hips and grinned mischievously. He was leaving a hickey just

above the hem of the boxers I wore. When I didn't say anything, he continued working on it.

"Xak! Food, not me!" I finally snapped. He picked me up by the waist and swung me

over his shoulder. "Ack! Wha—?"

He carried me to the kitchen and set me carefully on the island counter. Next to me,

he unloaded eggs, bacon, and sausage from his refrigerator.

"You want some coffee?" Xak asked, taking a dose of aspirin before tossing the

container to me.

"Yeah, sounds good." I noticed that all the curtains and blinds on the windows were

closed. Good thinking, Xak. I thought.

While Xak started a pot of coffee, I fried the bacon and sausage.

"How many eggs do you want? I'm gonna scramble them.

"Five." He replied simply, pushing himself up onto the counter.

"Five?! Geez!"

"You're talking to a werewolf here."

I froze. It was strange hearing that come from Xak. A werewolf…

"A-about that… I'm a little confused. What about full moons and becoming savage

beasts?"

"Pfft… Heh… heheh…HAHAHAHAHA!" Xak laughed. It had a slight barking

sound from the back of his throat. "Amazing what stories people pass on, don't you think?

The first time anyone ever sees a werewolf and it just happens to be a full moon. It's not

completely wrong, but not completely right. You see, werewolves transform during certain

weeks of the month — depending on when they were born."

"Born?" I asked.

"Not literally born. It's what we call it when a person has their blood mixed with a

werewolf's, or when the child of a werewolf comes of age. For example, if a person receives

werewolf blood on the night of the first quarter moon, then they transform only on nights

where the first quarter moon rises. For children of werewolves, if they are born on the night

of a new moon, then when they come of age, the first time they transform will be on the

night of a new moon."

"But… what about children that get… mixed blood?" I asked, eyebrows knitted.

"Ah… Mixing blood with a human child is considered taboo amongst werewolves"

Xak explained darkly, "But just like humans, there are those who disobey the laws. They are

exiled once found out. But the mixed blood causes a mutation in the human's DNA… But

in human children, the transformations do not occur until they come of age, just like

children of werewolves."

"Were…erm… How did you become a werewolf?"

"I was born as one. My mom was human. My dad was a werewolf."

"Was?"

"Yeah… My parents… They were killed when I was a child. My mom never knew

that dad was a werewolf… But when rogue werewolves broke into their house, my dad died

while fighting them off. There were too many of them for him. My mom protected me,

but… she died from severe wounds."

"…So… You… You've been living along all this time?"

"Not exactly."

"Huh? Who else lives here?"

"No one. I live here permanently. But sometimes a couple of members from my

pack will visit for a week at a time."

"Your pack? Are you the leader?" I wondered, piling food onto our plates.

"Yes. The other members are a little younger than I am. The oldest member always

takes the position as leader."

"Ooh. Alpha male, eh?"

"Only in my pack. Geez, I'm not the oldest werewolf on Earth." Xak laughed.

"You speak so casually about all of this." I commented, pushing myself up onto the

counter beside him.

"It's been my way of life for nearly two years now. It doesn't seem like a long time,

but it feels like it. I guess I wouldn't be able to understand what it's like for you. I saw my

dad as a werewolf, and I've always known I would become one when I turned sixteen. But

you've grown up with myths about werewolves and being told they weren't real. Up until

now, you've only known my human form."

"I guess… It feels surreal. Like I don't want to believe it, but I know it's actually

happening." I explained, chewing my breakfast thoughtfully. "So what about the savage beast

thing?"

"Werewolves are relatively civilized creatures, as long as we're not provoked. We

don't go around attacking people. Excluding rogue werewolves."

"How many rogue werewolves are there, do you suppose?"

"They're fairly rare to find most of the time, driven mad by denial, unable to accept

themselves. They look in the mirror and all they see is a monster — they can't stand what

they've become. They're rare, but they're out there." He explained, looking into space with

his fork an inch from his mouth.

I swallowed the last few bites of my breakfast. I was soaking the information up like

a sponge… I couldn't stop asking questions, couldn't stop the need for answers. I glanced at

the coffeepot, which was full now and gurgling noisily.

"Coffee's done." I muttered, setting my plate next to me. Xak slid off and took two

mugs from the cabinets. I took the responsibility of cleaning the dishes.

"How do you take your coffee?" Xak asked, setting the two full mugs down.

"Oh, I'll get it." I placed the plates in the sink. Xak had set out coffee creamer, milk,

and sugar for me. Xak passed me, leisurely sipping his black coffee. My eyes couldn't help

following him as he swaggered into the living room. I nearly dropped my mug in shock.

It was the first time I saw his bare back. It was covered in scars. Two long, narrow

scars ran next to his left shoulder blade and curved sharply right, ending just short of his

spine. One large, jagged scar wrapped around from his right rib cage to — I guessed, — his

right hip. The other scars appeared relatively minor, mostly surrounding the major scars.

There was a couple of what looked like bite marks on his right shoulder.

I flashed back to last night… Zeno's icy breath on my neck…

"Heeey, Xak?" I called, stirring the last of my sugar in the coffee.

"Yeah?" He answered. I heard a click and the sound of the local news playing.

"Last night… With Zeno…" I started, sipping at my coffee. There was a long pause.

"Yeah?" He repeated anxiously, "Ru? …Come here, Ru."

I did as I was told. It was still dark in the house, even though the TV was on. I

avoided looking at the screen anyway for the sake of my head. Xak grabbed my waist and

pulled me into his lap, where I found myself sitting against him, encircled by his long legs…

All without spilling a drop of coffee.

"Tell me what Zeno did." Xak demanded softly, muting the television.

"Well… He took me outside for some air, and it seemed like he was acting normal.

But then I told him that his eyes were red… Not like the dry, irritated red, but his eye color

was red."

"What did he say?" Xak asked after a moment.

"He said something about eating the whole time… and something about thirst…

and not satisfying the hunger…" At this point, I bit the inside of my cheek, debating on

whether or not I should tell Xak more.

"What did he do after that?" Xak asked cautiously.

The automatic 'nothing' was on the tip of my tongue, but I grimaced on the inside

and answered, "He kissed me…"

Xak tensed and his knuckles turned white as he gripped his cup. He was so pissed, so

jealous, but I urged myself to tell him everything.

"And then?" He muttered, barely audible.

"He… said I smelled good…"

"What else?"

"Nothing. He stopped suddenly and dragged me back inside and that's where you

came in."

Xak was silent for a long while. I looked up at his face. He had his eyes glued to the

television screen, but it was obvious that he wasn't paying attention.

"Xak?" I asked timidly.

"Hm?" He answered distractedly.

"Zeno… he… isn't human either, is he?"

Xak was silent, but he shook his head slowly.

"What is he?"

The silence stretched on.

"Xak…" I nudged him

"What?" He mumbled.

"Xak, look at me." I commanded. His piercing eyes lowered to my face and directly

into my eyes. "What is Zeno?"

Xak closed his eyes and sighed, "Zeno's name was originally spelled with an 'X' like

mine, for the record… But he changed it to a 'Z' the day after meeting me."

"But what IS he?"

He sighed again, heavier this time, "Zeno is Xenocrates — the strange or foreign

power…" He opened his eyes and gazed at me again, "A vampire."

I rested my head in the crook of his neck. I felt slightly numb with a newfound fear.

Zeno had been that close to biting me… A vampire? But he stopped himself.

"Seriously?" I asked, nuzzling his skin for comfort.

"Yeah… That's why we hate each other. Werewolves and vampires are enemies."

Xak replied.

"But… Zeno didn't… bite me or hurt me. He can't be that bad—"

"Can't be that bad?!" Xak yelled, bewildered by my response. I cringed. Shaking while

trying to control himself, he bent his head down so his eyes were hidden. With clenched

teeth, he growled venomously, "He kissed you… He said your blood smelled good… You

don't get it, do you? Vampires," He spat the word, "I've never met one that was good.

They're vicious, untrustworthy creatures. They're vile, greedy, proud, and think of

themselves as god-like. They have the ability to alter their appearance, even. They change

into forms that appeal to their prey unless they are keeping a strict disguise. If they're

attracted to a particular scent of blood, they will stop at nothing to hunt down their prey…

If given the chance, they will drink your blood until you are an inch from death.

"I'm going to protect you from them, even from Zeno."

"No."

"What?"

"I don't want to be protected from someone — vampire or not — who has the

ability to stop himself before he can hurt me."

"I won't risk it. It's impossible for vampires to control themselves at all times. I can

guarantee that Zeno was seducing girls left and right at that party whenever he left our sight.

To put it simply, he was taking sips from as many girls as possible… In fact, he probably hit

up some guys too." He grumbled.

"Xak…" I tried to control the grin as the memory surfaced.

"Look… I've had enough experience with vampires."

"Is that what those are from?" I asked.

"What?"

I traced on of the crescent-shaped scars with my index finger, "These."

"Oh… All of these scars are still pretty fresh. A couple of weeks ago, before we met,

I had strep throat. Well, at the height of my illness, I had to help train a member of my pack,

who was undergoing the second transformation of his life. It's my responsibility as the

leader. Because I was sick, I brought along Kloe — the second oldest — just in case, so

someone could take over the training if I got too weak.

"But a group of starving vampires managed to sneak up on us when we didn't expect

it. But they knew I was weak and that Kloe was just as inexperienced with fighting them as

Airoh — the trainee — was. They made their move, but I was dehydrated and couldn't react

as quickly. I barely reached Kloe and Airoh… I defended them with all the strength I had.

"Now these scars are here… Had I been in normal health, they would have healed

nicely… but my body spent the remaining energy curing itself rather than healing my

wounds properly. They won't ever fade away… And when I met you, I was still recovering

somewhat…"

"Wow… Even then you exerted yourself to protect me… But… They look like

normal scars." I commented, stroking the scars on his other shoulder. His forehead and nose

pressed against my temple and I felt his breath roll across my skin as he chuckled.

"You mean they look like human scars? For werewolves and vampires, it is not usual

to have scars. We aren't human, even if we look like them. We can easily heal ourselves as

long as we are in good health, you see?"

"Yeah," I absentmindedly said. There was something about his story that just didn't

add up. "Xak… You were talking about transformation phases earlier… When do your

transformation happen?"

"During every last quarter moon."

"Then… Why were you transformed last Friday when it was still a full moon? And

I'm assuming that in order to train a fellow werewolf, it'd be wise to be in that form as well."

"That's the upside about being a werewolf: we can morph at will. But during our

moon phase, we're forced into the wolf form… As long as the moon is showing… That's

the loophole I guess."

"So it's like the myths right? The moonlight has magical powers or something that

causes you to transform."

"No, no, no. Magical powers are not involved. I guess… It's like the sight of our

particular moon phase kind of acts as a trigger for our brains to send out signals to

morph…"

"So you're like ticking time bombs."

"Exactly. Though, it was ironic that you saw my true form during a full moon."

"Yeah… But… Isn't your moon phase still going? Why didn't you transform last

night?"

"I did transform after we got here, remember?"

"Yeah, but you turned human — you know what I mean — again just afterwards."

"I fought the transformation all night at the party, at Sadie's, at the park… Even

while we were sleeping. It's much easier to fight it when the moon is covered completely.

But tonight and tomorrow night, I absolutely have to transform. There's no chance of being

able to fight it when the moon is showing."

I stayed silent and nuzzled his neck again. His fingers traced endless patterns on my

back as I listened to the beating of his heart. The silence stretched and my eyelids got heavier

with each passing second. I glanced briefly at the large clock on the wall. It was only 7:21 in

the morning. There was more than enough time to sleep in. I drifted easily into sleep, in

Xak's arms and the motion of his chest as he breathed deeply; he was all ready in slumber.

I found myself in waist-deep snow atop an enormously tall mountain. Alone. I was lost and scared.

How did I get myself into this situation? Why did I? My throat was parched from the lack of moisture,

despite the fact that snow continued to fall.

The air was freezing and dry, making my all ready cracking lips split painfully as I called for help.

"Xak! …Zeno! …Sadie! …Anyone! Please help me!" I choked on a sob as I screamed the last

word.

The wind grew silent and now more than ever I was scared out of my wits — not because I was

alone. Because the air and snow was still now and it — whatever it was, I was not keen on running into it

— would be able to find me easily. I knew, even as I stood there, unable to see anything but white, that it

could see me.

My heart thudded painfully as I went into a full sprint in a random direction.

Then I saw what I was looking for. No pearly gates or steps of gold, no angels inside, but right now

it felt like heaven to me. The cabin I had been looking for. The place where I would be safest appeared to be

an old, decrepit cabin on a cold, unforgiving mountain; but it was actually very strong.

I ran to it, pushing my muscles to their limit in the numbing cold. My hand yanked the doorknob

and I flew inside…

I flinched and Xak and I both jolted awake. Xak sucked in a sharp gasp and took a

few seconds to catch his breath and realize where he was. It took me much longer. My body

was at Xak's house, curled in his arms, but my mind was still on that strange mountain.