My Dark Knight (COMPLETED)

Chapter 9

((EDITED 5/17/2016. Some dialogue changes.

I was going to, but ultimately didn't change the spelling of Skylar's mom's name, even though I know it should technically be "Renee," because it is my mom's middle name (that's where the inspiration came from!) and my mom actually spells it the incorrect way, Rene.))

(A/N At End)

Although some part of me dimly registered the various aches and pains assaulting my body, for some reason I felt secure. Safe. Warm. It was as if in the darkness of sleep I was holding onto something that was protecting and healing me. I didn't want to let go of this source of protection and warmth so I drew closer, holding it to me dearly. In this moment I thought that everything was right in the world. Tethered to my source of security and holding onto it tightly, I quickly fell deeper into the confines of a dreamless sleep.

Some time passed before I felt the coldness begin to seep into my bones. I was no longer clinging to the heat source and I felt oddly empty and alone without it, although I did not know what had been the source of my security in the first place. Without it my body felt isolated and weak and the dull ache from my injuries began to return. As my mind awakened, I began to pull away from the impenetrable blackness in which I had slept. Part of my brain wanted to stay asleep and not have to face the world yet but I fought against this notion. I could now hear my Wolf in the back of my mind and she was urging me to wake up.

My eyes snapped open and I blinked, disoriented. As I adjusted to the lighting in the room I glanced around, determining my location. I felt a small trickle of shock as I realized I was back in my bedroom. The blinds were open and I could see that the sun had just gone down and the moon was beginning to rise. My room was quite warm but oddly enough I still felt cold. Everything in my room was as I left it, but how had I gotten here?

I frowned in puzzlement, the seconds passing by as I tried to work out the mystery of how I had gotten back to my house when the last thing I remembered was....

Vampires! It all rushed back to me in an instant and I tried to sit up, wincing as my body protested. Everything came back in a flood of images as I arranged myself in a sitting position. Although I was sore, it did not hurt nearly as bad as it should've and I realized my father must have worked on me. Werewolves healed fast naturally but there was no way it should be this painless. I assumed I hadn't been asleep more than a day, fervently hoping my assumption was correct.

My mind quickly wandered to the last thing I had seen before I dozed off. My father, Will, Maria, and Gabriel had come to my rescue and I remembered hearing violent fighting behind me as my father crouched before me. The thought of Gabriel fighting the vampires that had hurt me made my Wolf growl in satisfaction. I felt a rush of emotion at the thought of my Mate and I had to force it down; I was still supposed to dislike him, and I was beginning to fail miserably, especially since he'd just shown an entirely different side by coming to rescue me. I needed to thank him for that, despite my misgivings about everything.

Just then I realized that I could detect a faint sound coming from downstairs. Utilizing my werewolf hearing, I honed in on the noises. Voices emanated upstairs towards my bedroom, and as I listened they began to grow louder until I did not have to strain to hear them. Clearly there was an argument breaking out downstairs. I detected my father's voice first, then Alpha Brett's, then Gabriel's.

My Mate's husky baritone set me on edge and made my stomach clench in a way that was not at all unpleasant.

"You don't have a choice," Gabriel was saying, an undertone of anger in his voice.

"She's our daughter, we damn well have a choice!" My father snapped back. I gasped quietly in surprise that he would have the gall to talk to Gabriel like that. Then again, they were clearly talking about me, and my father was extremely overprotective.