Something Immortal

31

REY

I try to distract myself by thinking about any kind of irrelevant thing, but any resistance is futile. Sitting behind this pile of rocks and knowing that Maxine is a few feet away from me, completely naked makes the blood pump hard in my veins and a wildfire roars within me.

Curiosity eats me up alive as the urge to turn and take a quick look at her becomes stronger with every second passing. I slowly get myself up - just above the ground – and turn until my eyes find her.

I feel like a young boy hiding between the trees on the night of every moon eclipse when the females were celebrating their mystic ceremony by jumping into the lake and dancing – a tribute to the moon.

A knot forms in my throat as I lift my head up from the pile of rocks and see her form, standing at the edge of the water tank, her frame pictured clearly under the almost transparent fabric she wears.

I gulp when she makes a few steps getting into the spring. I close my eyes shut and press them tight in an attempt to stop making thoughts about her but my heart starts racing again and all I wish right now is to be in the water, hugging her lovely curves.

Get your shit together, this is a sacred place! I try to reason with myself. I turn back and sit down. Having her out of my sight would be easier to calm my nerves and anything else.

Seleus' voice breaks the silence and covers a bit of my heavy breath. He starts the prayer in a language that only the elders know. An ancient language that is as old as the first werewolves, set foot in these lands. Soon, Maxine follows right behind, repeating after him. She makes it look so easy like it comes naturally.

There's no sign of anything moving around but for some reason, I feel uneasy. My gut tells me that something's wrong. I stand on my knees and look around carefully for anything unusual. I don't see anything but the strange feeling within gets more and more intense.

The whooshing sound of something flying through the air makes me jump on my feet and turn to see a golden arrow landing with a thud on Seleus' chest. He steps back from the impact and falls into the spring.

"Get down!" I shout to Maxine before I allow my wolf out. It is then that I spot him, one of the welcoming party centaurs at the willow tree. That's the one firing that arrow. A traitor.

I run towards him and I push him down before he can even turn his head on me. My paws are on his chest, claws already dug within his flesh until the air around us fills with the smell of iron. I growl over his face, eyes pinned on target.

Galloping echoes from afar. Adrenaline rushes through me. I can easily take him out, only a snap of the neck and he's a goner. A few seconds later Toral appears through the trees and runs towards us.

I step out of the centaur and Toral ties his hands behind his back. Another two make their appearance soon after, taking the culprit away.

I turn to Maxine and find her standing still looking my way. Her eyes are wide from the shock and blazing in anger. I have been exposed. I didn't want this to be that way.

Her lower lip trembles as she holds her gaze on me – still as the statue behind her – pain and sorrow mirror behind her dark brown eyes as the realization hits her. She finally breaks eye contact and rushes over to Seleus. I run behind the rocks and change back into my human form and put the clothes on.

I run to them but the look she gives me is a warning that now it's not the right time to argue with her. She's hurt and she has every right to be mad at me. I knew this would happen eventually and I hoped I would be able to explain it to her before I show her my wolf form. That's why I didn't shift when the vampires attacked at the feast.

I dip into the water and approach her slowly as she holds Seleus steady. His head is resting on the rocky edge of the water tank. Placing my hand around the arrow while the other is placed against his chest for resistance, I pull it out with a single move.

Seleus screams as the arrow leaves his flesh and then collapses back. Maxine takes a step back to hold his weight. She's still covered by the water just below her shoulders. One hand is wrapped around Seleus' shoulders while her other hand rests at the side of his face. Seleus breathes slowly, his eyes shut.

Then he suddenly snaps them open and looks at Maxine. "Thesian..." he whispers before collapsing unconscious. I put my hands behind his back to steady him. Toral comes back and I help him take Seleus out of the spring. Maxine has turned her back to us, her hands crossed over her chest.

"I'll wait for you to get dressed," I mumble. "When you're ready, call me." I turn walking past the tall trees surrounding the spring.

I failed her. I kept it hidden from her for so long. The last few days we were getting closer and she was showing me trust and I blew it all away.

"Rey" she calls my name and the stern tone in her voice hurts my ears. I walk back to her and find her in her attire, jeans and sweater. She sits on the ground, her feet bare as she tends to them.

I rush to her side and kneel before her. She pushes my hands away at first but when my grip around her ankles got firm, she stopped resisting. The frown on her face makes my chest pain. Her feet are covered with countless dark dots, expanding across her heels and small drops of blood come out of some of them.

"It's the floor of the water tank..." She scowls. "...like rocky needles..."

I can't help but feel more attracted to her even when she acts like that. I take off my shirt and rip it in half. I wrap each piece of cloth around her feet to cover the wound, but she can't walk like this.

"You can't walk like this. Is it... all right to carry you back home?" I hesitate. Gods, what she has done to me?

Her nostrils dilate momentarily as the suggestion infuriated her. But then her expression suddenly softens, like a child accepting defeat.

I scoop her off her feet and lift her up. Her hands instinctively wrap around my neck, her soft skin making mine light up even with the smallest brush.