Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Monkey Wrench ❯ Closer ( Chapter 9 )

Monday, January 10th, 2005

10:10p.m. EST

Milford, DE

Nikolai's House

 

Darastus hung up the phone sporting a small smile on his craggy pale face. His vampires were stationed outside the Wilmington nightclub and had just reported something most interesting. While relaying the confirmation report from Meghan that she had seen Theryn douse herself in the catalyst potion, his Captain interrupted, stating most urgently, that he had seen the girl, smelling of wildflowers, stealthily enter a Jeep Liberty and drive away.

 

He was intrigued, it seemed the little druid fancied herself independent and was attempting to escape from Rowan Campbell's protective clutches. Seizing upon this most fortunate of circumstances, Darastus gave the order for the vampires to follow her and attack at will, trusting his long lived Viking Captain to wait until no humans were around to serve as eyewitnesses.

 

Now he knew it was just a matter of time before he had everything he needed. He supposed he should go tell Nikolai of the impending arrival of their most treasured guest. The girl would regret her free spirit all too soon, for she was blindly jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire.

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Ten minutes earlier

10:00 p.m. EST

Wilmington, DE

Enigma Nightclub

 

Rowan watched as Theryn scurried off after her high heeled friend, into the ladies bathroom. He wondered why women felt the need to go to the toilet in pairs, although he suspected it was the perfect opportunity to discuss the merits of the men they were with for the night.

 

Sighing, he leaned against a nearby wall, knowing that if his suspicions were right, Theryn would be three hours in there listing his faults in alphabetical order. This night was shaping up to be a real winner, although he was thankful for its lack of any supernatural activity.

 

Speaking of the supernatural, Joe had spotted him from his perch at the bar and was creeping up to him in his uncanny slither. This ought to be interesting.

 

“Hello Rowan, just thought we could talk more openly now without the girls around,” Joe said with purpose.

 

Rowan got his drift, take this conversation somewhere private, but he didn't want to miss Theryn's exit from the bathroom. Damn, he really wanted to figure this guy out but Joe made it clear it had to be done somewhere else.

 

“Let's go outside, there's a deck out back,” Joe motioned with his head, “Nobody's out there, so we can talk without being disturbed.”

 

Figuring that the club was fairly safe, and he was doubtful Nikolai would attack in such a crowd anyway, Rowan followed Joe's lead to the adjacent raised wooden deck. He saw that Joe wasn't kidding about its deserted state; the Weather Channel had predicated a night time low of 15 degrees Fahrenheit. He didn't linger on the thought that he'd been watching way too much of that channel since staying at Theryn's.

 

Joe pulled up a white plastic deck chair and indicated for Rowan to take a seat. Both men seemed impervious to the cold, Joe in his short sleeved polo and Rowan in his thin cotton tee.

 

This new environment offered only an uncomfortable silence after experiencing the raucous din of the club and Rowan was not looking forward to this discussion in the least.

 

“I know what you are, and I'm sure that Theryn doesn't have a clue. What are you doing with her?” Joe demanded forcefully.

 

Rowan was surprised and that didn't happen too often. This human knew what he was? Impossible, but then again, Joe didn't seem altogether human either…in that case, there was only one possibility.

 

“I don't have to answer that, although I believe Theryn would be most interested in knowing she had dated a warlock mage,” Rowan accused with equal force.

 

Joe smirked, “So you finally figured me out, took you long enough, wolf. I was starting to think you'd been retired from the K9 unit already.”

 

His growl was completely instinctual and he couldn't have stopped it if he tried, “You know the odds of surviving a lupinara attack are not in your favor, magician. I wouldn't suggest you try my patience tonight, say what you brought me out here to say.”

 

“I already have,” Joe stated seriously, “I want to know what your intentions are with Theryn. She has no idea she's harboring a freak of nature like you out of the goodness of her heart.”

 

Rowan suddenly had to fight off the urge to laugh hysterically, “First of all, my intentions are no longer any of your business, and I believe Theryn made that quite clear earlier. Secondly, she knows what I am; it would be no surprise. Moreover, I wouldn't go throwing around the word `freak' as an insult warlock, we both know what makes you what you are and `mutation' is a very kind euphemism. Finally, I have yet to see that gods be damned girl so much as pretend she has a heart, much less any goodness that lies therein, so spare me the innocent maiden pitch.”

 

He watched as Joe's pupils began to expand past his irises and then fully engulf both of his eyes. He knew he was dealing with a fully charged warlock mage of considerable power and found himself wondering how the man had hid his identity from Theryn for so long.

 

Joe barked over the sizzling charge of the blue electricity covering his fists, “You do not need to remind me of where I stand with Theryn, I am well aware of my firmly entrenched status as an `ex-boyfriend.' However, I do not want to see her hurt and if you're planning something wolf--”

 

“Why is it you're so certain I'm planning something. Certainly you must think it odd that Theryn has managed to attract both of us, one a warlock and the other a werewolf, while she remains a human? What does she have that you wanted?” Rowan interrupted, suddenly suspicious.

 

“I know she's not purely human. My magic would sometimes react to her aura when we, um anyway, I thought she was a mage gene carrier. Although I assure you that is not the only reason I wanted to be with her.” Joe replied indignantly.

 

Rowan nodded in understanding, Joe's mistaken assumption of Theryn's genetic makeup would have definitely made her a hot commodity among the warlocks, as manipulation of magic was an inherited chromosomal mutation. X linked mutations created witches, while Y linked mutations created warlocks.

 

For as long as they have been around, witches and warlocks, (Spell Casters as a group) interbred exclusively, because the possibility of finding a carrier amongst humans was small and if they wanted to keep their population up, same race marriages were the most efficient means to this end.

 

The system worked fine, until the late 1800's. Unfortunately, after so many years of inbreeding, Spell Casters lost much of their magical strength and their race of the supernatural species was perilously close to extinction, although not many humans were aware of the situation at the time of the Unveiling.

 

Thus, Spell Casters knew their continued existence in the magical world and the very survival of their race depended on finding human carriers of the genetic mutation, not an easy prospect.

 

Apparently, Joe had mistaken Theryn's fey ancestry as sign of her being a mage gene carrier, and in Rowan's mind, Joe's continued interest in her was justifiable. That is, until he set him straight on what her aura's reactions really meant, and it had nothing to do with being a mage gene carrier and everything to do with her druid lineage.

 

Spell Casters are the most `human' of the supernatural world, with a mere mutation in their DNA allowing them to manipulate magic, although still considered a separate species. Joe however was a bit more rare and unique; he was a warlock mage, someone who had both the Y chromosome mutation and enough supernatural juice at his disposal to create something akin to “powers,” in his body's natural functions.

 

Hence, his pupils growing larger in the darkness, and the energy from his brain's electrical impulses manifesting into blue lightening in his hands. It worked like a biological cell amplifier; Joe could create a lake from his tears, a sharp spear from one of his hairs, or most amazingly, heal an injured person from the inside out, with nothing but his magic.

 

Warlock mage's were the product of a strange coupling between the mystical and science, yet manipulation of the body's “power” was the key and a fully trained warlock mage was a formidable opponent. Indeed, Rowan, for all his earlier blustering, would have to be careful.

 

He decided to skirt the truth about Theryn and him, no sense having the man worry about his intentions when he was instinctually programmed and ordered by his alpha to protect her. Rowan would just have to leave out the part about imprinting her, for he was fairly certain Joe would know what it meant, Snibs knew much about their preternatural kin, in theory at least.

 

“Don't worry about Theryn. I've been assigned to protect her. And, before you ask, no I can't tell you why, just accept the fact that no harm will come to her while she's under my watch,” Rowan answered.

 

Joe looked concerned and ready to ask more questions but Rowan made it clear he wasn't giving up any more information on that subject.

 

Getting up from their chairs, in a shaky truce for now, they stood up to head back inside. Just then, Joe turned to him with a dejected look on his face.

 

“Are you really sleeping with her?” he asked.

 

Rowan felt like an asshole, he'd been so proud of himself at the bar for making Joe sweat. He was not usually like that and believed it was time for a quick information exchange, in order to find out what had happened between Theryn and Joe.

 

“Tell ya what; I'll answer that truthfully if you'll answer my next two questions truthfully.”

 

Joe looked surprised but nodded in confirmation.

 

Rowan sighed, he really didn't want to ask this, but he had to know just in case, “Why did Theryn break up with you and why did she look like she wanted to disappear into the floor when you showed up at the bar?”

 

Eyes downcast, Joe answered, “It was our sophomore year in college and we'd been dating for five months. It was Theryn's first real relationship and she had been real clear about her expectations, being that as soon as either person wanted out, they got out, no beating around the bush or stringing the other person along. You can imagine, with this type of philosophy, what her stance on cheating was?”

 

Rowan raised his brows, yes he certainly could. Why did it not surprise him that Theryn would give herself a convenient exit strategy in a supposedly committed relationship?

 

Joe continued, “Well, one night I got really drunk at a party and cheated on her with a sorority girl and she never forgave me. Stupidest thing I ever did. I tried everything to get her back but in all honesty, I knew she thought I was scum. She's not one to forgive or forget very easily. Unfortunately, I think my cheating on her gave her a bit of an inferiority complex; Lisa tells me she doesn't think any guys ever want her now.”

 

“So that's it, you gave up a golden opportunity to perpetuate your race with a possible mage gene carrier to fuck a dime a dozen beer slut at a sorority kegger?” Rowan asked derisively.

 

Running his hands through his hair in an irritated motion, Joe responded, “Yeah, I did. Look I was nineteen years old, I didn't know my ass from a hole in the ground, I was trying to `fit in' with humans while doing my mage training and I got drunk and did something stupid, I've learned my lesson and regretted it ever since.”

 

Seeing the look in Joe's eyes as a testament to his sincerity, Rowan informed him, “If it makes you feel any better, she's not a carrier. Your magic was reacting to something else in her blood.”

 

Joe's surprise was genuine, “No it doesn't but thanks for trying. If she's not a carrier, then what the hell does she have running through her veins that would react so powerfully with my magic?”

 

“It's not for me to tell you, I just wanted you to know so you could move on, maybe find a real carrier someday.”

 

“Thanks,” Joe chuckled, “But I'm not one for Snib arranged marriages based on genetic necessity, you know what I mean?”

 

Growling lowly, Rowan responded forcefully, “You have no idea.”

 

Joe looked at him funny, then asked, “By the way, you still have to answer my question, are you sleeping with her?”

 

Rowan answered sincerely, “I am sleeping on the couch in her living room.”

 

He watched as Joe predictably narrowed his eyes, “And she's sleeping where?”

 

Exasperated, Rowan sighed, “Do you really think there's room for her on that glorified pin cushion she calls a couch? I can barely manage to take a deep breath without throwing off my precarious balance and falling on the floor, believe me; Theryn makes sure she's most comfortable in her bed.”

 

Laughing loudly and slapping a hand on the door handle, Joe turned to Rowan with a conspiratorial look as they headed back inside the club, “Now that I do believe, wolf. That I do believe.”

 

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10:10 p.m. EST

Wilmington, DE

Enigma Nightclub

 

Lisa couldn't get over Theryn's luck. She had anticipated that as soon as she left the restroom Rowan would have elbowed his way to the entrance in order to attach himself to his charge. Unbelievably, he was no where to be found.

 

Suddenly, Lisa thought maybe Rowan had sniffed out Theryn despite her reeking of a springtime meadow and was dragging her back to the apartment this very moment. Fortunately, her fears where allayed when she spotted the wayward bodyguard lumbering through the crowd toward the alcove by the ladies room.

 

For some reason, he had been following closely behind Joe, but stopped as the dark haired man continued onto to the men's room. Lisa knew she had to act fast. Searching desperately for one of Heather's single friends, she latched onto `old faithful,' the eternally man hungry Jess. Taking just a moment to sneer down at the protesting harpy's Salvation Army attire, Lisa sashayed over to Rowan with purpose.

 

“Hey there Rowan, how ya doing, if you're looking for Theryn, she said she was going to be a while longer so don't get your panties in a twist.”

 

At his intimidating growl in response, Lisa spoke quickly, practically shoving Jess into Rowan, “I haven't gotten the chance to introduce you to one of our best friends, Jess Sabatini. This is Rowan, ah, and I don't believe I know your last name?”

 

“It's Campbell,” Rowan responded coldly, “what's Theryn up to, why isn't she out here with you?”

 

While Lisa was mentally searching for viable answers to his questions, and trying to avoid telling Rowan about Theryn's “upset stomach” cover story, Jess took the bull by the horns and did all her work for her.

 

“Oh, don't worry about Theryn. She's always getting claustrophobic in big crowds like this; usually she never stays this long. Just give her some alone time in the bathroom and she'll be out eventually,” Jess informed in her grating New Jersey accent.

 

Perfect, Jess said the one thing that she knew Rowan could corroborate because Joe had mentioned Theryn's hatred of crowds earlier. Now it seemed Theryn had a few more minutes to get the hell out of Dodge before Sheriff Shaggy formed a lynch mob.

 

Another two minutes went by and Lisa could see Rowan was getting irritated. He was seconds away from bursting into that restroom, and she knew that if she didn't say something soon, it would happen. Theryn was going to be angry with her but Lisa didn't agree with what she was doing and was the type of person to believe that if a bodyguard was assigned to you by a pack of werewolves, there was a damn good reason for it.

 

Taking a deep breath, Lisa asked Jess to go get her a Long Island iced tea from the bar, knowing it would take the diminutive Italian at least five minutes to get her order in. As Jess walked away, huffing in indignation from having to leave her perch by Rowan's side, Lisa spun around and grabbed Rowan by his muscular arm.

 

“Come on, we've got to go follow Theryn to my apartment. She bailed on you earlier and I helped her do it, we better hurry.”

 

As they exited the club, Rowan dug in his heels, “We're not going anywhere, and I can still smell her inside the club.”

 

Pulling him toward Theryn's car, Lisa explained, “What you smell is the pile of clothes she wore over here, trussed up in nearby heating duct. Theryn's been gone for ten minutes, sporting new clothes and enough perfume to make an onion cry.”

 

Rowan looked murderous, and Lisa backed away from him, she quickly looked up to check on the status of the moon, still a slivered crescent.

 

She went ahead and unlocked the station wagon's doors with the keys her best friend had given her and noted the broken passenger side window. How did that happen?

 

Practically ripping the door off its hinges, Rowan thundered into the passenger's seat ready to kill.

 

“How long does it take to get to your apartment?”

 

“About half an hour, depending on traffic,” Lisa answered.

 

“Get moving. If you hurry we might be able to catch her before anything happens, shit this is the opportunity Nikolai would be waiting for. Damn it she's going to get herself killed.”

 

Throwing the car into gear, Lisa tore out of the parking lot in a spray of gravel and tire marks. Rowan looked on the verge of full transformation and there wasn't a vehicle in the world with enough cargo room for that possibility.

 

Knowing that Theryn was a speed demon as well, and had her faster Jeep to boot, Lisa used the only weapon at her disposal, shortcuts. Theryn always drove the long way to her apartment because that route stuck mostly to main roads and didn't venture too far from the highway. Decision made, Lisa turned sharply onto a nearby access road and prayed silently as the wagon fish tailed. They were going to catch her if it killed them, and it just might.

 

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10:18 p.m. EST

Wilmington, DE

Route 1: Road to Lisa's Apartment

 

I can't believe I did it! Take that bloodhound gang, I evaded Lord Scratch and Sniff and he's none the wiser. Well, maybe now he is, but Lisa should be stalling him with our patented combination of latching single harpy and a diarrhea cover story. Now, all I had to do was find Lisa's spare apartment key in that stupid fake rock by her porch and let myself in, happily minus one werewolf bodyguard.

 

My skin was feeling a bit tingly where the perfume had hit it, and since I was wearing my cousin's black fishnet shirt, the Chanel had covered a wide area of exposed skin. Maybe this is the normal reaction to nearly bathing in almost pure alcohol? Praying I wouldn't see anyone I knew in this Gothic get up, I turned the CD player on and listened to Lisa's favorite band, Coldplay.

 

Speeding down Main Street, I was not prepared to be rear ended by the Ford Excursion behind me. Oh shit, Lisa was going to KILL me, this car was her baby. As I prepared to pull over, I was surprised to find three more Ford SUV's, all a matching black, swiftly box me in on all sides.

 

It was apparent to me that this was no accident; I was being ushered to a location of their choosing. Hells Bells, this was not the time to discover I was somehow important to Nikolai's plans, for surely this could be the work of nobody else. What on Earth could he want with me?

 

I maneuvered Lisa's Jeep within the confines of my escort for about ten minutes and when it was obvious they wanted me to park in an abandoned warehouse lot, I reluctantly did so. I was puzzled by this entourage; I thought Nikolai didn't deal with other Weres, who did these goons belong to?

 

My questions were answered when an albino looking man with white hair pressed his face into my window, fangs prominently displayed. Okay, so they wanted me to know I was dealing with vampires, great, now I knew my blood was about to be sucked dry, thanks for the heads up boys.

 

Suddenly, Whitey was pulled away and replaced by a dude who looked like he'd been plucked from a Viking ship and transported to 2005 with appropriate clothing. Leif here, was as tall as Gage but much broader than the lanky alpha, with a full head of tangled copper hair longer than my own. I was very relieved when he eschewed the tooth parade in favor of merely ordering me to get out of my car.

 

My reaction was instinctual, no way was I getting out of the car, and did he think I was an idiot? It's like running upstairs when the psychopathic serial killer is shuffling after you, not a good move. Although, my sanity could be rightly questioned after I had just elaborately schemed to lose my werewolf bodyguard in favor of illustrating my independence, only to be kidnapped by a gang of vampires ten minutes later. Yep, he thought I was an idiot.

 

Seeing as it was either get out on my own, or physically be pulled out of the car, I opened my door to the stares of four vampires. Aside from Whitey, all of them looked fairly normal, and certainly weren't hissing at me in a state of threatening bravado, all in all, the vamps seemed rather civilized.

 

The vampires formed a half circle around me from the front, with the car to my back. There was no where for me to go, and I had a feeling they could out run me rather easily, no need to look foolish attempting that futile escape.

 

When I closed the door, Leif pulled out a pair of handcuffs and slapped then onto my wrists behind my back. Somehow, he got the chain twisted in my skin and felt a cut slice across my wrist. Oh shit, open wounds were bad, they were even worse in the company of vampires.

 

I saw all the assembled vamps advance, and it was only Leif's terse order to stay back that kept them from jumping me. I felt the Viking run a finger across my wrist and watched as he swiftly licked it off. He smacked his lips together, as if he couldn't quite identify the taste, and looked at his fellow vampires and said, “Darastus was right.”

 

I didn't get to see their reaction to his pronouncement because he pulled out a blindfold and wrapped it around my head. I was now blind, constricted and openly bleeding around a flock of vamps. Not good, not good, not good.

 

Leif was escorting me somewhere; I could only assume to one of the SUV's, when I heard the sound of tires screeching in the parking lot. Blinded as I was, I had no idea if this meant less help than hindrance and hoped to God it would be the Wilmington branch of the national Snib Task Force taking a look around.

 

A few seconds later, I heard more tires screeching but it was obvious that same car was heading in the opposite direction, so much for my rescue. Thinking the vamps were just greeting one of their own who showed up late for the party, I wasn't prepared for Leif's suddenly vise-like grip upon my person.

 

I quickly guessed the newcomer was not an invited guest. A deep, vicious growl reverberated throughout the lot and I knew for certain whom it was. Suddenly, everything seemed clearer, I could hear his breathing, his heartbeat, and I could feel the barely existent breeze in the night air as if it were gale force winds. I had a feeling that if I wasn't blindfolded, I could rip my contacts out and see with unaided perfect vision for the first time in memory. What the hell was going on?

 

Leif ordered his vamps to attack and the next thing I knew I was being shoved into the SUV, the “bleep” sound confirming my locked in status. I struggled to remove my blindfold on the nearest headrest and succeeded in pushing it down around my neck.

 

I looked out from the tinted windows and watched in horror as Rowan fended off the other three vampires with teeth and claws. He had changed into some sort of man-beast, still upright but with lethal looking claws, light colored fur covering his body and an elongated snout filled with sharp, gnashing teeth.

 

He was fighting off the other three vamps with unadulterated delight. There was an excited brightness to his eyes, as if he'd been waiting for this opportunity to deal out some vampire discipline for quite a while. He acted like the attacking vamps were nothing more than bothersome flies.

 

Blood was everywhere and it painted the walls of the warehouse a fire engine red. Whitey and the other two vampires were motionless on the ground, flung thirty feet away by Rowan's killing rage. Leif had held back, waiting for Rowan to tire with his cannon fodder underlings.

 

I saw him pull out a massive broadsword, the thing looked like it must have weighed a hundred pounds and the Viking was swinging it as if it was made of plastic. Damn those Snibs were really powerful beings, no wonder they thought humans were so inferior.

 

Hearing what sounded like a melon bursting, I looked up to see Rowan had transformed into his full lupinara form. Holy shit, I was sure glad he was supposed to be protecting me and not the opposite, because he was the bigger than the SUV I was sitting in.

 

His fur was pure snowy white, and his eyes were the same color as before, sun bright amethysts. I couldn't believe I could see his eyes from this far away in the dark, it was amazing! He was snarling, with hackles raised at Leif in palpable fury. Leif looked a little surprised, but shook it off and ran toward Rowan, sword raised in mid attack.

 

Astonishingly, Rowan was every bit as nimble as a normal wolf, despite his gargantuan proportions. He dodged the broadsword's swing and used his whip like tail to catch Leif in the back. Having my parents' dog knock me a few times with his tail, I knew how much that thing could hurt. However, Leif took the blow fairly easily and regained his balance in time to avoid Rowan's snapping jaws at his neck.

 

This dance of death went on for another five minutes, when Leif made a risky move, that had he been able to execute properly, would have severed Rowan's head clean off. Luckily, Leif's strategic error finally brought him close enough to Rowan that he was able to clamp his jaws shut firmly over the Viking's mid-section.

 

In a grisly display of feral ferocity, the werewolf continued to mutilate the vampire, snapping at his neck, and slicing into his belly, with razor edged claws. Rowan's fur was no longer a pristine white, but a blood-matted crimson and he looked every inch the demonic hell hound.

 

I scrambled to lift at the door's locked latch with my still cuffed hands and stumbled awkwardly onto the pavement, my senses reeling. I watched transfixed as Rowan swiftly changed back to human form, in a cloud of mysterious green energy, naked as the day he was born.

 

Running over to Lisa's Jeep and I attempted to lift the back seat's door and managed to pull out the beach blanket she kept in the back, I hurriedly (and reluctantly?) threw it over Rowan to give him some semblance of privacy. He seemed to be slowly reverting back to human reasoning so I was going to keep quiet until he said something.

 

I was still too flustered to talk anyway, ever since I jumped out of the car my brain didn't seem to want to work right. I found myself hovering over Rowan's body, wanting to tear the blanket away for some reason.

 

This was not like me, I was NOT the forward type when it came to sex and now I was inexplicably hoping for a quickie in an abandoned warehouse lot surrounded by vampire blood?

 

Maybe Lisa was right and I was going through withdrawal, she warned me I might find myself jumping in the sack with the first moderately attractive guy I found and here I am, lusting after a werewolf, AFTER I'd seen him change.

 

Rowan stood up abruptly and wrapped the blanket around his body more securely. He was looking at me like I had been looking at him moments ago and I knew that if we didn't get out of this parking lot soon I'd be dealing with asphalt burn in places I didn't even want to imagine. He took hold of my wrists by the handcuff's chain and pulled tightly, they broke off into separate bracelets. Great, now I really looked ready for the S&M club.

 

Wordlessly walking toward the Jeep's passenger side, Rowan settled down into the seat, holding onto the glove compartment with a white knuckled grip. I started the car, fighting my body's urge to pull over and ravage the werewolf in my passenger seat, and headed back toward my apartment, figuring that Rowan had sent Lisa home and out of danger after she had driven him to the lot.

 

I felt like the world's biggest ass. I had screwed up big time, put Lisa and Rowan's life in danger, and all to win some sort of pissing contest with the werewolves. Shame didn't even begin to describe how I felt. I was prepared for the scolding of my life when we got home, and the scary part was, I was looking forward to it.