Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Monkey Wrench ❯ Looking for a Heartbeat ( Chapter 16 )

Thursday, January 13, 2005

7:15 p.m. EST

Seaford, DE

The Thompson House

 

“What are you doing here?”

 

Lisa sneered at the condescending werewolf with enough contempt to make a lesser man cower in shame. Unfortunately she was dealing with the single most egocentric male specimen on the face of the planet; he merely reacted as if she were commenting on the weather. Smug bastard, standing there with one eyebrow cocked in smarmy inquiry--

 

“I was just about to ask you the same question.”

 

Oh that was rich. Like he had more of a right to be here than her! Excuse me but longtime family friend here! Deciding that Theryn's mother needed her attention much more than this haughty, overly gelled, Were-Ass, Lisa waved a perfectly manicured hand in dismissal and marched passed Dom determinedly, heels clicking purposefully on the cement patio as she walked toward the back door.

 

Just as she was about to turn the knob, she felt her elbow being grabbed from behind and was spun around swiftly. Her back was pushed against the metal door hard, the hanging brass knocker digging painfully into the back of her head. Flinging her eyes up in indignation, Lisa came face to face with an incensed Dom Marsetti, breathing and snorting like a charging bull. Her only response was to tilt her glossy red lips into a superior smirk as she noticed that they were the exact same height.

 

That was apparently the wrong thing to do as the lupinara's eyes narrowed angrily. His hands began to move from their strenuous hold around her waist. He unwaveringly stared straight into her eyes, as he slowly brought his right hand down her hip, then outer thigh, savoring the feel of the soft cashmere on his skin. Lisa's smirk died a quick death as she saw a corona of light around his black irises flare to life; they were miniature suns at full eclipse. Her balance was suddenly uprooted and she clung to his shoulder when he hoisted her right leg up by the knee. With a quick flick of his wrist, he knocked last season's Anne Klein sling backs off her foot and on to the cold, mulch covered ground below.

 

It wasn't long before he did the same with her left shoe and Lisa found herself suddenly shorter, staring up at Dom and his blazing onyx eyes. He'd pinned her against the door with the heavy knit silk sleeve of his left forearm perched just above her head, and his right hand hovering dangerously close to her exposed throat, practically twitching with the desire to squeeze. His forehead was hovering very close, now three inches above her and the grabby bastard was smiling.

 

Things had gone from amusing to downright scary in about ten seconds, and she had to remind herself once again that she was not dealing with a human. Weres behaved so differently, they lacked a sense of decorum, it was like they were lurking just above the surface of their animalistic roots. All Lisa knew was right now, Dom looked like a triumphant madman and she really didn't like the looks of that feral leer on his face.

 

“Ah, this is much better,” the werewolf gloatingly purred, “I prefer to be looking down on you, if you don't mind?”

 

Lisa's mind raced to provide an appropriately witty comeback but all she could think about was how very close he was. Granted, she'd be the first to admit that she found him incredibly attractive and under different circumstances would have no qualms about exploring the explosive chemistry between them, however, this was back when he went by the name Dr. Anthony Selso and before he had tried to fuck with her mind. If this asshole thought she was still interested, he was in for a rude awakening.

 

“Listen, Dom, I know you're hard up for female companionship and all, but really, don't you think this is a little desperate, even for you?” she replied snidely, still trying to avoid the flexing grip of his right hand at her throat.

 

She knew he didn't appreciate that comment when a low, grumbling growl was the only discernable answer to her comment. Score one for the shoeless human female, Dickwad!

 

However, Lisa had no more than a few seconds to bask in her verbal victory when the door was suddenly whisked open behind her and she fell onto the hard, linoleum floor in a heap, with Dom landing none too gracefully on top of her.

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“Dom, what's the meaning of this?” Gage asked him sternly.

 

Dom cursed violently inside his mind, what the hell was he thinking pulling a dominance display on Lisa right now?! And of all times, when Theryn was missing and believed kidnapped by Nikolai and her parents were staring at him wide eyed from their position behind the refrigerator? He just couldn't help himself, she was right there, rendered helpless under his control, but she still defied him like a wonderfully fearless bitch, if Gage just hadn't opened the damn door…

 

He was brought out of his musings when Mrs. Thompson shuffled over to the two of them sprawled on her kitchen floor and helped Lisa to her feet. Obviously she was choosing to ignore their unceremonious entry in favor of greeting her new guest.

 

“Thank you so much for coming,” the short brunette hugged Lisa tightly, “I'm so glad you could make it. You know Theryn better than anybody, maybe with your help we'll—where are your shoes Lisa?”

 

Dom looked down at the floor, dreading her sure to be embarrassing answer--

 

“Oh I took them off before I came in. You know me, always wearing my heels too high and I was so tired of them hurting my feet I just kicked `em off on the step outside,” Lisa answered.

 

Dom's head sprang up and he stared at the barefoot girl in question. Lisa responded by putting an arm around Theryn's Mom's shoulders and escorting her and the rest of the Thompsons into the dining room, but not before turning her head around and shooting a cheeky smile and wink in his direction.

 

Shaking his head in dumbfounded amusement, he was brought back to reality when Gage cleared his throat loudly and Katie began to make kissing noises behind his back.

 

“I'd really appreciate it if you could keep the dominance displays to a minimum around the humans,” Gage admonished.

 

Then Katie interjected, “Especially when said displays involve a certain human female, right love?” she snickered loudly.

 

“Fine, let's get back to business then, shall we?” Dom replied forcefully, doing his absolute best to ignore the infuriatingly bossy redhead.

 

“Yeah, that sounds like a great idea. What have you heard from Lee?” Gage asked.

 

“Nothing Earth shattering, just that they've pinpointed the northeastern woods as the place of departure--”

 

Katie added, “Which corroborates with the Thompsons' story of Theryn taking the dog for a walk by the pond.”

 

Dom cut a look at the Alpha's mate that clearly stated the interruption was unnecessary but received a glare from the Irishwoman in return.

 

“Anyway,” he continued smartly, “Wayne, Scott and Nathan are following some werelynx tracks. I'm guessing they're the tracks left by the two lynx who drugged Frederick so he wouldn't follow them.”

 

“You're probably right, we'll have to concentrate on that trail,” Gage remarked.

 

“I told Lee to contact me by 7:30, I should hear from him any moment. Alistair is with him, so between the two of them we should have a decent trail--”

 

“Don't count on it. The werelynx didn't work alone; they had the support of Nikolai or Darastus, possibly both, so we can't rule out the possibility of magic being involved,” Gage asserted.

 

“By Christ's holy name, we can't afford to deal with bloody magicians right now,” Katie answered angrily, “If they've concealed her with some sort of cloaking spell--”

 

“Actually that won't be a problem once Rowan gets back,” Gage added, trying to mollify his wife.

 

“Why's that?” Katie asked innocently.

 

Dom shot Gage a look, wondering if the Alpha had really just said that in front of his mate. Now Katie would chastise him relentlessly for not telling her about Rowan's permanent scent imprint of Theryn and how could he be so stupid as to forget to tell her, and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

 

Gage had the decency to look perplexed then answered matter of fact, “Because he has a permanent scent imprint on her.”

 

Thankfully Dom was spared from witnessing Katie's inevitable temper tantrum when his cell phone rang. He managed to nod in Gage's general direction as the tall blonde stood there placidly, receiving a scathing reprimand, the fifth one today no doubt.

 

“Marsetti,” Dom growled into the phone.

 

“Dom, Alistair's got a lead on the werelynx trail. I don't know how he did it, but we better follow while the trail's still hot.”

 

“Good. Go ahead and follow him with Wayne, leave Scott and Nathan behind to meet us in the woods.”

 

“Gotcha. I'll call you when we have something.”

 

“Call me even if you don't, I want an update in fifteen minutes, got that?”

 

“Sure thing, I'm heading out now.”

 

Dom flipped the phone down and walked over to the couple.

 

“So sorry to interrupt you in the middle of verbally abusing your mate, but we've got a lead. Alistair's found the werelynx trail; I sent Lee and Wayne to follow him. Scott and Nathan are waiting for us, so we'd better get moving.”

 

Katie opened her mouth as if to protest or berate him for his insolence but a swift warning glare from Gage managed to shut her up real quick. Dom continued to wonder why the Alpha put up with her constant and annoying nagging as he dialed the necessary contacts at the Hunt.

 

Gage nodded in his direction once and walked into the dining room to inform the Thompsons. Doc came into the kitchen to tell him he would stay with Frederick until he had fully recovered. For some reason, Doc wasn't ready to move him to the Hunt just yet.

 

Five minutes later Gage walked into the kitchen with the entire human clan in tow, plus Seth, all decked out in hiking gear and enough winter weather accessories to climb Mount Everest. What? There is no way in hell.

 

“Gage, you can't be serious, they--”

 

Dom didn't get a chance to finish his sentence because the Alpha was suddenly right there, in his face and nearly vibrating with fury.

 

“Not another word Dom,” Gage whispered the warning quietly through clenched teeth, “I just spent the last five minutes explaining our pathetic rescue plan to a family torn apart by their daughter's abduction and you know what I kept thinking? That it was our fault. Our. Damned. Fault. We promised to protect her, we promised she'd be safe, and now I have to watch as her parents walk through the dark, cold, woods with nothing but cautious hope and flashlights as we try to follow a trail that will most likely lead to nothing or gods forbid, something. They trust us to find her Dom, and I will not turn around and tell them to stay here and wait. We're taking them on this trail tonight and if you have a problem with that then you don't have to come along.”

 

And with that, Gage opened the back door and led a motley crew of three dumbstruck Thompsons, one angry McKinley woman and a subdued Alpha's mate out onto the lawn.

 

Dom merely stood for a moment in shock before he followed behind them at a short distance and was reminded yet again why Gage was the Alpha and he was not.

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8:00 p.m. EST

Milford, DE

Nikolai's House

 

Nikolai stood by her bed, unable to pull his eyes away from the sleeping girl lying on the cheap hospital gurney a meter away from him. Theryn looked like she was in a coma, completely unaware of the vital part her life force would play in his survival. The magical mist Darastus had cast on her would serve as the anesthetic for the fusion spell. The vampire had explained there might be complications if she were left awake, not to mention the distraction her own objections to the procedure would cause.

 

The double fanged lupinara was anxious for the spell to be completed. He had been fretful and restless since Eric had called to confirm their capture of the Thompson girl, especially since she had slipped through his fingers once before. Luckily, her wolf in shining fur was trapped in the Gaea dimension, all thanks to Darastus' chronospheric manipulations. Nikolai had to smile at the vampire's shrewdness; the ancient blood sucker had even entered into a pact with the leader of the Angels to get rid of the overly protective Beta Guard.

 

It was now even more obvious to him that Darastus wouldn't renege on the caveat he had asked of Nikolai as his price for performing the fusion spell. The Russian was wary, but more than willing to give up what the vampire wanted in order to stay alive. It wasn't in his nature to get attached to such a thing anyway.

 

Darastus had carefully explained to him how the fusion spell would work. They had already prepared Theryn for the spell by having Meghan douse her with the fey catalyst potion three days ago, where it kick started her fey blood and counteracted any prescription drugs that would interfere with the fusion process. The basic principle behind the spell was that it would take Theryn's heartbeat and link it with his own, so that he would have a healthy human baseline to counteract his own special brand of erratic lupinara insanity. The important part, the part where Nikolai would still be able to transform to his wolf form, came from Theryn's now fully developed fey blood and it was this that made her special and all the more precious to him.

 

The creaking sound of the basement door's hinge turning alerted Nikolai that it was time to begin, as Eugene, Calvin and James shuffled down the stairs to observe. As mages, they had never seen such a complicated and powerful spell performed before and begged Darastus for the opportunity to watch. He had agreed whole heartedly, no doubt basking in the hero worshipping glow of the mages' adoration and awe. Nikolai silently thought the procedure was best served without the vampire scholar's penchant for theatrics, but he held his tongue from expressing such concerns out loud.

 

“Where should we stand Darastus, we don't want to interfere in your casting by being too close?” Calvin asked politely.

 

Darastus turned around to face them, “Where you are should be fine, I just ask that you stay quiet and no matter what happens, remain calm.”

 

Nikolai was not placated by that last comment in the least. He knew he was in for a painful experience, after all, one doesn't have one's heart magically fused to another's without a little sting for their effort now do they? Nevertheless, he had elected to stay conscious for the length of the casting, he trusted his instincts and they told him not to be left cataleptic at the mercy of the ancient vampire.

 

Darastus walked over to Theryn and unbound the ties at her wrists and ankles. Then he took up a series of brown leather straps hanging from the metal bars and buckled her arms and legs to the gurney. She looked like a tranquilized patient at a psychiatric hospital; all that was missing was the strait jacket.

 

Seeing the quizzical look Nikolai directed his way, Darastus replied, “Even though she's unconscious, her body will still try to reject the fusion spell. Her heart will want to protect itself, and will force a violent physical reaction as a defensive measure. I've only strapped her to the gurney so she doesn't hurt herself.”

 

He nodded his understanding. No doubt this would be quite a shock to her fragile human heart, taking on the burden of two life forces, one of which being a nearly insane double fanged lupinara. Nikolai prayed her druid blood would hold up as well as Darastus anticipated, if not…

 

“All right Nikolai, ready when you are.”

 

He hooked his feet and hands through the metal bars of his bed, twisting them like a cage around his body. He knew the pain would be enough to make him lash out as well.

 

“I am ready,” he answered stiffly.

 

Poised over Theryn's body with a sharply glinting scalpel descending through the air, Darastus replied, “Let's begin.”

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8:10 p.m. EST

Seaford, DE

 

Lisa stood up shakily from her kneeling position on the frozen ground, having just violently regurgitated her dinner for roughly the second time in five minutes. She'd never had a weak stomach before but it wasn't everyday one got to stumble across the obliterated remains of a couple of skinned werelynx either.

 

The story the Uig Alpha was telling them all was that most likely; whoever was behind Theryn's kidnapping didn't want the werelynx trail to serve as a breadcrumb tracking device to where they were hiding her. Consequently, something had made the two former Weres spontaneously combust, or explode, or be eviscerated into a puddle of skin, blood, organs and bone, before they could make it back to their home base and thus give away the location. Pretty gruesome way to go and Lisa knew one thing for sure; this latest development wasn't quelling any of their concerns for Theryn's safety. In fact, it had just made them skyrocket all the way up to 11.

 

The redheaded chick, whom Lisa had found out was Gage the Alpha's mate, had led Theryn's parents back toward the house before they had found the mangled bodies. Lisa had refused to go with them, citing the fact that she was damn well going to be privy to whatever clandestine talks the Uig Pack were planning, mostly because she didn't trust Seth to remember anything important. Plus, much as she hated to say it, he was one of them now and Lisa was looking out for the Thompsons. Who knew how much influence these werewolves now had over Seth? She had to stay to be sure.

 

Walking over to the semi-circle of huddling werewolves was admittedly, slightly intimidating, but nothing she wasn't willing to risk for the sake of information. So elbows flying, she jousted her way between Seth and some brown haired dude she thought was named Nathan, pointedly ignoring Dom's hardened stare, and listened intently to what was being said.

 

“This is definitely the work of a powerful mage. I'm not sure they even teach this kind of stuff anymore--”

 

“Of course they don't, the Coven outlawed these types of spells ages ago, even before the Unveiling--”

 

“So we're dealing with a mage who knows some old school curses, that eliminates, oh I don't know, freakin' everybody--”

 

“No way Scott! All they needed to do was get their hands on some black market grimoires or ancient spell books, it's not like that's impossible--”

 

“Quiet,” Gage commanded in a soft voice.

 

Lisa had to stamp down the small smile that crossed her face as every one of the lupinaras stood at attention and became silent as a rock.

 

“I think it's obvious who did this. The spell is very old and hasn't been taught in several hundred years, so that eliminates every human and fey Spell Caster. What lives on indefinitely that would have the knowledge of such an evil curse?” Gage asked in a lecturing manner.

 

“Demons?” the short one named Scott replied.

 

Gage cut him a look that Lisa wasn't quite sure she understood but it wasn't complimentary. Did that guy just say `demons'?

 

“No idiot, vampires,” Dom answered confidently, “More specifically a vampire mage like Darastus.”

 

“Bingo,” Gage replied, “Darastus was behind this spell.”

 

“Oh, I remember hearing about that guy,” Lisa remarked casually, “Theryn said those vampires that tried to kidnap her were sent by him, but then Rowan killed them all before she heard any more about him. Where is Rowan by the way? Shouldn't he be here?”

 

All the other werewolves except for Dom and Gage looked surprised.

 

“Alistair, please see the Investigative Unit back to the Hunt. I believe Doc is still monitoring Frederick at the Thompson's house, so you may return there when you're done. Seth, please take Lisa back with you, do you remember the way?”

 

Seth nodded but Lisa had no problem voicing her objections. The big bodyguard was already leading the other werewolves back through the woods.

 

“No, I'm not going anywhere. What aren't you telling us?” Lisa demanded puzzled as to why everybody was suddenly sent away.

 

Gage flicked his blue eyes down to his watch and tersely asked Dom for his cell phone. Lisa watched as he walked away, further into the woods, wondering what on Earth could make the Alpha so tense.

 

“You should have gone back with Katie,” Dom stated quietly.

 

“I figured somebody had to stay behind and make sure you guys were handling things right. How am I to know you're looking out for Theryn's best interests? Especially with Rowan not around, where the hell is he anyway?”

 

“He was sent out on a mission this afternoon, but he was supposed to be back by tonight. I'm not sure what's delaying him,” Dom wondered aloud.

 

Lisa didn't like the sound of that. Usually Rowan was a step in front of her best friend, he rarely left her side. She was hard pressed to believe the intimidating guard would just leave Theryn to be protected by others if he could help it and she said as much to Dom.

 

Dom looked at her askance, then replied, “For Theryn's sake, I hope he gets here soon.”

 

Lisa didn't have time to respond to that less than encouraging remark when Gage returned to the clearing, his face a mask of stoic reticence.

 

“Who'd you call?” Dom asked.

 

“I just got off the phone with Alden at the IDPC; I asked him why Rowan wasn't back yet.”

 

The IDPC? Lisa wondered if it was some sort of secret organization that Rowan did `missions' for, or if they were an organization who tracked down missing Snibs?

 

“Yeah, so what'd he say?” Dom asked.

 

“That there must be some kind of problem with the portal opening. It's been preprogrammed with double runes to open up eight Earth hours after their landing in the Gaea dimension.”

 

“So what's the problem?” Dom asked more forcefully, “Gaea's chronosphere is frozen, Rowan could spend forty years there and still show up here like nothing happened.”

 

Whoa, what's all this portal and dimension talk? And where was this frozen Gaea place? Damn it, Snibs knew about all sorts of crazy shit, so perhaps a little discussion about extra-terrestrials was in order.

 

“Alden doesn't understand why they're not back yet, although technically the portal isn't scheduled to open up in Gaea until 9:00 a.m. Greenwich Mean Time.”

 

“That's what, 1:00 a.m. here? Doesn't matter anyway, Rowan should have still been here by now. What's the hold up?”

 

“I don't know and neither does Alden,” Gage responded, “ but I think its time I have a talk with Seraphiel.”

 

“Who's Seraphiel?” Lisa asked.

 

Gage and Dom just stared at each other, looked at her, and then back at each other.

 

“Do we tell her?” Dom asked, like she wasn't standing right there.

 

Gage began to head back in the direction of the house, “I'm reluctant to involve her in any more of this. She'll be in greater danger--”

 

Dom strode up to his side quickly, “I'll see to her safety.”

 

The Alpha let out a deep sigh, “Like you did the last time?” and only walked faster in response. Lisa could have sworn she heard him mutter, “Gods be damned, not another one…” under his breath.

 

Dom took twice as many steps to match Gage's longer legs, and bellowed crossly “Hey what's that supposed to mean?”

 

Forgotten, Lisa could only stumble after them in the darkness, flashlight making sweeping arcs in the suddenly ominous woods, her question left unanswered.

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Friday, January 14, 2005

12:00 p.m. EST

Milford, DE

Nikolai's House

 

Nikolai was concerned. She should have been awake by now, her breathing was faint, almost non-existent. If it wasn't for the answering pulse of her heartbeat in his chest…

 

He couldn't believe it was done. He was finally free of the double fanged curse; he had beaten the diversionary lies of the Caeleph and found the true cure of his ancient ancestors. And it was all thanks to this last pure druid bloodline, the unremarkable Thompson girl lying on the bed in front of him. She had proven strong enough to survive the fusion spell and before Darastus had retired at sunrise he had advised him to watch her. She would be confused and disoriented upon waking and in pain from the incision on her chest. They had no intention of telling her about the fusion spell, or the link between their life forces. Some things were better left unsaid.

 

Nikolai had asked his mage friends to prepare rooms for her upstairs. Her safety was his responsibility now, for she was the most fragile kind of insurance policy. This druid's life was now intertwined with his, and he still believed it was a small price to pay from being pulled back from the brink of madness. He still appeared physically weak; it would take months for him to heal his own scar and return to normal. Such was the price of fusing with the girl, she would slow his healing level considerably, but one or two wolf transformations should take care of things rather quickly.

 

Looking at her slightly parted pink lips, Nikolai remembered the price he now had to pay for his freedom. Darastus was quite adamant about a specific type of recompense for services rendered and at the time Nikolai had believed it a strange but feasible request. He was so desperate to evade his fate he would have willingly sold his soul to the demon Mephistopheles if the ancient devil had offered a cure. Yet, what Darastus wanted was so oddly laughable, something he'd been prepared to give freely at the time, but was now having second thoughts.

 

He wasn't sure he could allow himself to give it up, once he had it in his possession. Surely, he had convinced himself he wouldn't care for such things; however, he was now dubious. Nikolai was a territorial creature by nature, like all predatory Weres, and the thought of handing over such a prize to Darastus made his newly charged blood boil.

 

No need to worry about it now, Nikolai decided, taking one last lingering look at his slumbering savior. He would bide his time and when the opportunity presented itself, he would take care of any debt he owed the vampire. He knew one thing for sure; Darastus wasn't getting what he wanted, not from him anyway.

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3:15 p.m. EST

Milford, DE

Nikolai's House

 

Oh God, I'm so tired. Why did it hurt to breathe, what was wrong with me? I tried to roll over on my right side but was stopped cold by a searing pain and some kind of tightly bound straps on my arms. I really didn't want to open my eyes and see what had happened. The last thing I remember is sitting inside that gloomy cage in Nikolai's basement and trying to fight off that sleepy haze…

 

I lifted my eyelids slowly open, the lashes sticking together in a futile protest. It was still dark, but then again there were no windows down here. How long had I been asleep? I had no idea if I was alone or not. I didn't hear anything, the room was quiet, but I felt a weird pressure on my chest. I tried to move my arms and legs but they were strapped to the bed's metal frame. I was completely immobile.

 

Before I had the chance to panic at my vulnerability, the clash of the cage door rang out in front of me. It was still maddeningly dark, so I couldn't see my visitor. I relied solely on my remaining senses and heard the soft sound of footsteps approaching my bed. My heart felt as if it would burst it was beating so hard.

 

There were warm hands unbuckling the straps on my legs, slowly and deliberately. I wriggled my feet and ankles as soon as they were free wanting out of this bed so bad I could taste it. The same hands moved to my wrists and I couldn't take it anymore, I had to know who was touching me.

 

“Who are you? What's happened to me?” I asked, although it sounded croaky and whispered, a far cry from the demanding order I had intended.

 

“Do not try to speak,” Nikolai answered his voice low and dare I say, reverent?

 

“Why does my chest hurt?” I wondered aloud, ignoring his previous statement.

 

“It's a side effect of the spell. It will heal eventually, you shouldn't move too much in the meantime,” Nikolai responded.

 

Spell? What kind of spell? I didn't like any of this hocus pocus crap and it scared the shit out of me that some wackjob vampire had been pulling a “double double toil and trouble” on me while I was asleep.

 

“What did you do to me?” I accused angrily, again sounding pathetically feeble and soft.

 

Nikolai was rubbing lightly at the strap marks on my arms, his fingertips making circular motions on the skin. I tried to move them away from his touch but my entire upper body was engulfed in pain, despite the feeling of thick heavy bandages swaddling my chest.

 

“I told you, don't move. You'll only bring yourself pain,” Nikolai admonished.

 

My mouth tightened to a thin line and I fought to control the rage building inside of me. I had brought none of this pain upon myself. Less than a week ago I'd been minding my own business, happily boring and routine, when one late night phone call from my brother changed all that. It had all started because of the bastard standing over me, when he decided Seth would make a tasty treat and passed his horrible lupinara curse onto him. It was then that the pain began.

 

I wanted to scream but I knew the sound emanating from my throat would sound broken and frail. I could do nothing as this crazy Russian werewolf lightly caressed my aching arms, as if he were afraid I'd shatter into a million pieces if he pressed too hard. Something was different; I could feel it like an extra weight in my center. They had done something to my body, what it was I couldn't be sure, but judging from the pain in my chest it was concentrated somewhere in there.

 

I came to the sudden realization that I had to make allies here, since obviously nobody was coming for me from the Uig Pack. I don't know if they just couldn't find where I was or if they finally decided to cut their losses and let the stupid human female have the independence she had so desperately demanded from the beginning. In any event, it was going to be up to me to save myself.

 

“Ni- Nikolai,” I ventured wearily, “Do you have what you need from me?”

 

The massaging motions on my arms stopped abruptly. He gripped my wrists in an oddly urgent hold, like I was going to fall off a cliff any minute. I waited breathless, hoping against hope I wasn't wrong about him.

 

“Not everything, no. There is still one more thing I must ask of you,” he answered.

 

I closed my eyes and felt some slight wetness in the outer corners. I didn't care anymore; I was so tired of pretending to be strong.

 

“What is it? I just want to go home,” I pleaded, cursing myself for how desperate I sounded.

 

“I'm sorry Theryn,” he stated gently, “your home is with me now.”

 

My eyes snapped open and it was as if I'd never bothered, the darkness surrounding the basement was still all encompassing and even more foreboding after hearing his words.

 

“Never going home?” I whispered, the words horribly stilted and broken. I was truly terrified now; he was never going to let me out of this place!

 

I felt him move his hands up to my face, cradling my now embarrassingly wet cheeks, fingers embedding lightly in my wildly unkempt hair.

 

Nikolai bent his head down to my left ear, and spoke almost conspiratorially, “I'm afraid it's just not possible. We still have to pay our debt.”