Chapter Forty-Two: Two Wolves Become One Once More
Genovi:
Scanning the shards of glass around the room, my rage hadn't died down. Could she listen for fucking once? Pulling at my face, a short knock captured my attention. Tammy poked her head in, her rosy cotton dress floated off her body. An impatient smile twitched on her lips, the same look she gave me when we argued all the time back then rested on her lips.
"I don't mean to put too much of my influence into your marriage but you might want to talk to her or just sit next to her. Judging from her expression, she got raped while being kidnapped." She suggested cautiously, my eyes narrowing in my direction. "The road ahead will be tough but bear with her." Low growl rumbled in my throat, my hand pinning her to the wall.
"Fuck off with that shit! You know nothing of what I have gone through!" I roared thunderously in her face, her nonchalant reaction angering me further. "Another wolf violated her because I couldn't protect her. I don't understand why she didn't fight back. She could have killed him in a second." Her eyebrow twitched irritably, the glass crunching under her shoes. Oppressive tension swelled between us, our differences always bringing us to a slew of arguments.
"Still hot as Hell." She retorted sarcastically, punching me in the gut. "I won't be pushed around but you need to help her. Get over yourself! Your wife fucking needs you! Your anger is warranted but haven't you already killed the jackass who did it. I don't normally root for killing but self defense was necessary. Ripping off someone's head must be a couples activity for you." A throat clearing stopped us both, a fuming Celly tapped her foot.
"I went through hell and you two went right back to bickering." She pointed out venomously, her hands sliding into the large pocket. "I came to ask you guys for some help finding a few alphas. Let's just say he tried to trade me for drugs quite a bit. I need to find a way to negotiate with them. I am not doing that again." Stepping over the glass, this was the second stage of her denial. Thinking she could fix it all by herself, the third stage would be a nervous breakdown. Plopping into my office chair, she pulled out a heavy black laptop.
"I believe your daughter needs you, Tammy." She ordered cruelly, Tammy recoiling back. "That means go." Rolling her eyes, she flipped her off. Flipping her off right back, tension brewed between them. Stomping out, a nervous grin twitched on my lips. Opening the old computer, she chewed on her lips. Stealing a piece of computer paper, a pen rested in her extended fangs. Typing in a password, the laptop hummed to life. Arranging everything on my desk in a certain way, a fire burned in her eyes. Picking out the glass from the bottom of her foot, a blue screen flickered to life. Low growls rumbled in her throat, her eyes narrowing at a particular folder. Clicking on it, my heart sank into my stomach. Full photos of a severely bruised Celly popped up, a quiet rage simmered in my eyes. What kind of parents were they? Moving on from the file, a steady stream of curse words flooded from her lips. A list of emails spanned the whole page, the pen glided across the page. Cracking her hands, a wicked grin curled on her lips. Pulling up another page, confusion dawned on my face.
"What are you doing?" I questioned grumpily, her touch calming me down. "This can't be safe." Jumping to her feet, she sat me down. Hopping onto my lap, her fingers moved a mile a minute. Sighing softly to myself, her tenacity drove her towards her goals. All of her quirks made her special, my heart loving every moment of her presence. Green writing scrolled up the window, an address popping up. Scribbling down each address, the computer began to glitch. Only one address remained, images of her naked body popping up over it. Hitting the close button on each one, she barely wrote down the last address. Clammy sweat drenched her skin, the laptop shutting off. The train had left the station, not even the ends of the tracks stopping her.
"Great." She cursed under her breath, tracing the pen over the address. Picking up the phone, Avalanche's voice echoed on the other side. Asking if she was okay, she brushed off the questions. Not caring about my presence, one line came from her mouth.
"I am coming to visit you today." She uttered simply hanging up the phone, her eyes falling on me. "Can you drive me back to my personal Hell?" Tossing her over my shoulder, she barely protested. Grabbing her paper, something like this had to be done with help. Grabbing a pair of tall socks and sneakers on the way out, her tears soaked my back. Setting her down on the passenger seat of my vehicle, her bright false smile greeted me as I tugged her socks onto her legs.
"I love you so much. I just don't want you to be in any form of pain." I claimed lovingly, her hands cupping mine. "Tell me what I need to do." Raising my palm to her cheek, her head snuggled into it. Tears glistened in her eyes, my heart shattering for her.
"You can hold me when I need it." She sighed sweetly, kissing the top of my hand. "Your smiling face in the sunshine is what kept me going for those couple of days. How could you ever think that I am mad at you? I feel like a piece of trash. A disgusting man violated me, and tortured me. He didn't say much but his actions spoke louder than words. One day we will be able to have sex once more. I am going to fail you so badly as a wife in that aspect. I don't understand why you could still hold me when I basically cheated on you. I understand why you would want to le-" Cupping her face, my thumbs traced her cheeks. Chewing on my lips, she was wrong. I still loved her with all of my heart.
"You didn't have a choice. Our wolf makes decisions for us when we are in the worst situations." I comforted her, my eyes widening as her arms wrapped around my neck. "I don't care about the sex. I care about the spunky girl I met months ago who planned a surprise wedding for me. I care for the future mother of my children. Believe me when I say I want loads of them. Could you just let me help you?" Feeling her embrace once more warmed up my heart, the lack of affection really had been taking its toll on me. Her next words stole my breath away, the hairs on the back of my neck popping up.
"Thank you for loving me when no one else did." She whispered lovingly into my ear, her embrace growing stronger. "I love you with all of my heart as well. I don't know what I would do without you in my life. You are the strongest person I know. You always hold me up when I fall down, so don't ever stop being you." Cupping my face, her lips pressed against mine softly. Time stopped, her heart racing as fast as mine. Frozen in place, my eyes watched her slip on her sneakers. How could she make someone feel better in an instant while feeling so down on herself? Swinging her feet into the car, her seat belt clicking. Jumping into the driver's side, the radio flickered to life, the alternative rock station hid the awkward silence. Sliding down into her seat, the blanket landed gracefully over her. Opening the glove box, I held a new book by the blanket. Poking her head out, her real smile illuminated her face. The author was one I had never heard of but she always talked about his books. The joy on her face when she talked about books was when she looked the most beautiful, the excitement twinkled in her eyes in a special way. The binding creaked, teardrops staining the page. Concern flashed in my eyes, the smile telling that she was okay. The ride seemed longer than usual, Celly hopping out of the car before it even stopped. Brushing past Avalanche, the fellow clan members watched on with curiosity. Nipping at my heels, I could barely keep up. Marching into the house, she thudded into the basement. Ignoring the blood stains and silver chains on the wall, her slender fingers scooped up the nearby sledgehammer. Swinging it down in the middle of the floor, concrete opened up to a dry well. Tossing the sledgehammer aside, she tied a chain to the nearest metal post. Throwing the chain down the well, she offered me her hand. Retracting it in a moment's notice, her shoulders shrugged.
"We are going down there. I hope you aren't too scared." She chimed happily, her real smile dawning on her trembling lips. "I can't do it alone." Dread bubbled in my stomach the moment she lowered herself over the edge, each grab lowered her closer to the bottom. Waving for me to come down, my fear of dark tunnels paralyzed me. Climbing back up, she grabbed my hand. Clammy sweat drenched my skin, her smile easing my nerves.
"It appears that I need help getting down." She said with poor acting, playing to my need to help her. "Gee, if only I had a strong man to help me down. Ahh! I am so scared." Rolling my eyes, a fit of laughter burst from my lips. Yanking her up, my lips smashed against hers hungrily. Her body arched towards me, guilt stopping my kiss abruptly. Stunned by my kiss, it was as if she was on something. Placing her on my back, I cleared my throat.
"I will be that strong man for you." I uttered with my own poor acting, her smile growing brighter. "Let me take care of you." Winking at her, a lump formed in my throat. Lowering myself over the edge, my slick palms forced us to crash to the bottom. Holding her up in the air, her beauty stole my breath away. The healthy color on her cheeks matched her shining eyes, her rare smile taking away the physical pain. Her face fell, the chain crashing to the floor. Wicked laughter echoed in the empty halls, her body stiffening.
"Remember your old pal, Ironclaw." A chilly male voice taunted cruelly, her confidence fading away as two feet landed at the bottom. "I came to claim my bride. Your father brought loads of drugs. Time to pay up with your nightly services." Leaping to her feet, she yanked me up. Picking up a loose pipe, she tossed me another.
"We have to run. Ironclaw is a serial killer that never got caught." She blurted out oddly, alarm gripping my face. "I was the victim that got away." Crashing down random tunnels, silver bullets whizzed by our heads. Another set of footfalls echoed down the hall, Avalanche's voice called out our names. Her face paled, tears welled up in her eyes. Skidding to a stop, her feet pounded back towards her cousin. A large white paw grabbed her ankle, her jaw dropped to the ground. A large white wolf snarled behind her, the original werewolf had awakened. Her scream bounced off the tunnels, the golden eyes rolling.
"Shut the fuck up. I was taking a nice nap." Shifting down to a carbon copy of Avalanche, only a few wrinkles separating the two of them. "We have been awake for years. I heard hunter's were trying to find us. Can I borrow your arm?" Offering her arm to him, he sank his fangs into her tender flesh. Gulping down her blood, her brow cocked in confusion while jealousy burned in my eyes. Sighing tiredly, he wiped the blood off of his lips with his white wool blouse.
"You will now live through your birth and have increased durability in general." He claimed serenely, her blood dripping onto the ground. "Now let's save your friend. My other friends are around here somewhere. Let's take care of Ironclaw." Something felt off, his energy was fading. Motioning for me to come over, his fangs sank into my arm. A golden warmth washed over me, the lack of pain bewildered me. More scents confused my nose, my left eye burning. Scarlet stained my navy dress shirt, the bite marks fading to an angry scar. Celly groaned next to me, her body sinking to her knees. The length of her hair tripled in length, gold painted the tips. A silent question rested on her lips. Avalanche stumbled in, sweat drenching his face. Ironclaw skidded around the corner, his finger pulling the trigger of his gun. The original werewolf leapt in front of us, the bullet landed in his heart. Collapsing in a heap, our eyes fell on the wild eyed man with oil strands of gray hair. Celly shrank back in fear, his gaunt features sending her into a panic attack. Her breathing grew shallow, her hand clutching her chests. Wheezes poured from her lips, Avalanche and I rose to our feet. The sleeve of his long sleeve cotton shirt brushed against the tear in my shirt, his eyes narrowing in my direction.
"Your left eye is gold." He pointed out oddly, my head tilting in confusion. "What do we do about her?" Turning back, our eyes widened at the white wolf leaping over our heads. Her fangs ripped out his throat, her claws ripping out his guts. Ruby stained her fur, the guts landing on top of us. Smashing her paw into his head, it was soon a pile of blood and bones. Ripping out his heart, crushing it in her snout. Spitting the heart out, it landed with a wet plop at her feet. Shaking off the blood, she shifted back. Falling to her knees, blood poured from her eyes and nose. Crawling over to the original werewolf, she pulled him onto her lap. Tossing her my shirt, her quaking finger buttoned it up.
"What did you do to us?" She wheezed, coughing up an unnatural amount of blood. "Why does it feel like my body's on fire?" Fighting a bout of vomit, her hand covered her mouth. Smiling weakly at her, a strained laugh bounced off the walls. Inky blackness dyed his veins, her fingers digging into his chest. Pulling out the bullet, the silver burned her finger. Tears welled up in her eyes, his body beginning to decay.
"I gave your husband and you my powers. I have lived since the beginning of time" He wheezed, teardrops staining his face. "The curse of immortality is gone for me. I am so happy to have met you. Be the hero your ancestors couldn't be. Hold me until I fade away." Holding his hand, her lips brushed the top of his hands. A golden light bathed his skin, the rest of his body decaying to golden rose petals. Catching a couple of petals, she blew them into the air. My breath hitched at the way a golden light bathed her skin, her tears staining her cheeks. Two black shadows rushed past us, a chill running up my spine. A black book flew to her hand, mixed emotions flashing on her face. Tucking it under her arms, her bare feet pounded down the tunnels. Golden tips were the last thing we saw, muffled groans and screams rang around us. Two people struggled behind her, a shaggy haired vampire and irritated witch struggled behind her.
"Let us go." They protested bitterly, malice burning in their eyes. "We just want to be free." Throwing them down in front of her, a golden chain tied them together. Her hand quivered, the golden chain tracing back to her left hand. Yanking them closer to her, she smashed them into the wall repeatedly.
"You guys have brought sheer hell upon my fucking life! Everyone wants you. Can they even control you?" She berated them voraciously, blood dripping down their face. "I doubt they can, so you probably should explain yourself." Slamming them into the concrete, a huge crater underneath them. Tattered clothing hung off of the original vampire's tall slender body. His ruby eyes watched her hungrily, the witch's violet tattered robes drowned her five foot petite frame.
"Oh, I know. How about you pledge yourself to me and we can call things even? You gain your freedom and no one uses you against your will." She suggested with a gleeful grin, the chains tightening around their squirming bodies. "I will just kill you if you refuse. What do you say?" The witch spit on her face, her sage eyes glistening with malice. Long white waves fanned around her head.
"Like hell I would serve a brat like you!" She protested hotly, the vampire rolling his eyes. "Just because Snowy gave him your powers doesn't mean you can boss us around. It's absolutely normal these days for vampires and witches to live an eternity nowadays." Celly's lips parted to speak, the vampire interrupting her.
"Hi, Dracula here. Let's take her up on her offer. Aren't you sick of hiding?" He grumbled under his breath, Avalanche rolled his eyes. "I for one don't mind her. Think about it. Snowy picked her after all. Is she not a goddess in a sense? We can finally get rid of the dark one." Her face fell at his words, the witch rolling her eyes. My eyebrows twitched with the shock of the whole scene, Avalanche not doing much better than me.
"So, you are telling me that there is an evil force out there that is worse than my myriad of enemies." Celly growled through gritted teeth, sitting down on top of them. "Just a hunch here. I am the only one who can stop it all. Also, I have read enough books to know that I have the one to absorb his energy which would kill your immortality. Does that make you the sidekicks of this whole operation?" The witch grumbled under her breath, Dracula biting down on her arm. The witch plucked out a piece of hair, swallowing the whole strand. Her hair floated in the air, strange symbols lined her skin. Releasing his bite, the witch held out a strand of her hair while the vampire held out his arm. Dry heaving, she swallowed her hair. Sinking her fangs into his arms, the blood helped the hair go down. Gulping down a couple of swallows, her hand covered her mouth. Fighting the urge to vomit, one last swallow kept everything down. The letters floated off of her skin, a bat with a witch's hat flew to their chests. Delivering them one last kick, they both groaned in protest.
"That is for cursing me to a fucked up life." She chastised with an agitated tone, retracting her chain. "Now let's get you cleaned up. I think it's time to update the wardrobes. Robes aren't in style anymore. Go get cleaned up." Sprinting past her, her hair blew back. Fixing her hair, her numb expression said it all. Collapsing into a heap, soft snores told us she passed out.
"What am I supposed to do about this?" I inquired oddly, Avalanche putting his hands up in the air. Tossing her over my shoulder, Dracula tossed down a chain. Smiling sympathetically at me, he scurried off. Climbing up, a gruff groan escaped my lips the moment I pulled myself up. The book slipped out from under her arms, the addresses matching the lists of names.
"Do you think that she was able to shift this time because she was protecting us?" Avalanche grunted as he pulled himself up. "I probably should close that thing and get you a shirt. The ladies around here might find you attractive. I have to say she is rather protected now with a demon, a witch and a vampire. Man, that sounds like all of them are going to walk into a bar." A fit of laughter burst from our lips, the madness getting to us.
"Mind if she spends the night? I have a few things to do." I asked tiredly, knowing my next step. "Don't tell her where I went." His lips pressed into a thin line, his fingers tapping his lips. Picking up the book, his head shook
"You guys can spend the night but I am not letting you go on your own. Most of these are dangerous rogues that can snap your neck in two seconds." He warned seriously, pressing it into my palm. "What is the first thing she will do if you are gone?" My brows furrowed, his stern gaze shutting my plan down.
"She will come after me." I uttered simply, rolling my eyes. "If that is the case, we need to make sure she doesn't go on her own." Nodding in silent agreement, he didn't know half of what she went through. Guiding me up to her room, it saddened me. The walls were bare, a mat lay on the floor with a thin blanket. Stacks of books lined the wall, a rock sinking into my stomach.
"This is sad, isn't it." He exclaimed darkly, backing out slowly. "Will this be fine?" Shooting him a thumbs up, he bounced out of the room. Laying her down, a tiny closet swung open. Crawling into it, the rock in my stomach doubled in size. Claw marks lined the walls, only a flat pillow remained. There were many times I had complained about tiny things while she was happy to have a pillow.
"That is where I used to sleep." She commented brokenly, her head poking in. "I always felt safer in smaller places. Can I show you something?" Pinning me to the floor, the heels of my shoes touched the other side. Laying down next to me, she pulled a string. My heart fluttered as the light bathed a mural of white wolves in a pasture. The brushwork was flawless, her real smile illuminated her pale face.
"I painted this with my father. We used to hide in here until he died." She admitted through a wall of tears, my finger wiping them away. "This was my true happy place here. My true old man could paint all day if he wanted. His art stole my breath away. After he died, my mother burned all of his paintings. This is the last one." Burying her head into my chest, her tears soaked my shoulders. Lifting her chin up with her finger, she let me kiss her gently. Continuing to tell me all of the good memories with her father, her face kept lighting up brighter. The tears were tears of joy, a welcome change from her sea of sad tears. Taking a deep breath, I knew that we were going to be okay.