Dangerous Beauty

Ice Pick

A sigh escapes my lips; my heels begin to sink into the dirt as I walk across the land slightly. Arriving at the spot, I sink into a crouch and balance myself on the balls of my feet. The distinct outline of two large patches of dead grass is scrutinized under my intense stare. I reach out and grab a couple of strands of the lawn, my fingers slightly covered in blood.

"When I arrived, I had the men take both parts of the body and put it in the shed for you to go and see." Nodding in understanding, I rise from my position and turn around.

"Show me."

Nik leads me into a large shed that is covered in metal and concrete. My shoes clicking hard on the cement as my eyes land on the lone table placed in the middle of the room. Walking closer, I wrinkle my nose at the smell of the start of decomposition; both halves are on the table with a space in the middle to inspect the damage.

Standing at the end of the table, near the head, I study the features of the now-dead wolf, "Do we know who he is?"

"No, I have people tracking the trail he left, but so far, nothing has come up." My eyes snap to Nik when he tells me this information, not liking it.

"How about why he was running?"

A shake of the head.

"What pack was he from?"

Another shake of 'no.'

"How long has he been on the run?"

My irritation growing as my brother continues to shake his head in denial.

"DO WE HAVE ANYTHING?" my patience finally snapping, not liking being in the dark this much.

Nik and the men guarding the build and the ones who drove me all jump when my yell sounds. I slam my hands down on the table and stare at the cut.

"We know that he was cut into half by the Argents."

My head slowly rises at the answer, and I look over to the man who thought it was a good idea to make a smartass comment. All the other men stiffen, and Nik snaps his head to look at the guard, his eyes wide as even he knew not to push any of my buttons when it comes to these matters, especially when I am already irritated.

A making smirk and deprecating laugh are the only sounds in the room; the guards, Kyle, eyes become the size of saucers, and his heart going into overdrive at the seriousness of the situation finally resonates.

"Jefa, I- 'm sorry," Kyle begins to stutter, "I- I wasn't thinking. It-it just slipped out."

I look over at him, "Of course, I completely understand." lining my voice with false sincerity, just enough to ease the man a little. He still oblivious to the fact that all the other men and Nik are staring at the ground, not raising their heads or making a single sound.

"Thank you, J-" the word is cut off like a gunshot rings through the air. A slight rise of smoke coming from the barrel of the gun that is resting in my hand. Kyle's breath catches as he lowers his head slowly to look at the gunshot wound in his stomach, blood blooming and soaking the shirt he is wearing.

"That," I gesture with the gun to his abdomen, "is a warning. Step out of line one more time, and the next bullet will be in your heart."

Kyle nods rapidly in understanding, his hands placing pressure on the wound to stop the bleeding. A small 'ting' sounds as the bullet falls through his fingers as his wound slowly begins to heal itself.

"I gave you those powers," referring to the werewolf powers that come with the bite, "I have no problem with taking them away."

"Y-y-yes, Jefa." his body shaking with fear and his voice trembling, "forgive me. It won't happen again. I swear."