Barely made the deadline. I'm not to proud of it, but it's something. :D
Chapter 23
As Damien seemed to accept my action and shove down his surprise, his arms wrapped around me tightly in return, the feeling it caused letting me know that I had made the right decision. Sighing deeply, I didn’t fight the feelings coursing through me, washing over me and leaving me feeling calm; it was as if the battle surging inside me finally had ceased.
And I was finally… calm. No dark and angry thoughts, no negative emotions; nothing.
I didn’t bother counting the time that passed, because it seemed to slip away so fast. Maybe by ignoring it, everything would slow down and allow me to appreciate it even more. But as usual, the universe was never on my side.
All too soon it was necessary for us to pull apart, clouds floating over to block the sun and giving the air a cool bite. As Damien pulled back, he still kept a grip on my arms, gently rubbing them up and done.
“Ready for what exactly?” he asked, letting a faint chuckle escape. I kept my fingers locked on the back of his neck as I answered softly, smiling lightly.
“I’m ready to move on… with you. I want to forget about all this, my past, and just start over with you.” I explained, adding light pressure to the back of his neck as I talked. The smile he gave me was blinding, reminding me of the sun hiding behind the clouds. It stretched out his face and was the kind of smile that almost forced you to smile along, coaxing it out of you indifferently.
Gently, he leaned his forehead against mine and let his eyes almost close lazily, moving one hand from my arm to run through my out of place hair. He took a deep breath, gazing longingly at me with his half lidded eyes.
“Finally,” he breathed out, making me chuckle and roll my eyes.
“Aren’t you going to ask me if I’m sure? Anything like that?” I questioned and he shook his head quickly.
“And give you the chance to take it back, you stubborn girl? No, no, I don’t think so.” he muttered, letting out his own laugh.
“Smart,” I trilled, unlacing my hands and stepping back.
“Ready to leave?” he asked and I nodded, glancing for the last time back to my fathers’ silent and cold grave.
Goodbye, I thought silently.
Turning, I grabbed Damiens’ outstretched hand and let him lead me through the rusting iron gates. I trialed lightly behind, still getting used to the new feeling pulsing through me. It really was something completely foreign to me. Even as I child, I had been a little girl that would always over think things; even picking out which candy bar I wanted was a stressful experience at one point or another.
After my fathers’ suicide, everything painful and negative in my life seemed to triple dramatically. Nothing ever seemed to go right for me after that, seeming as if someone upstairs was constantly putting every obstacle out there before me.
I stopped myself there, not letting me dwell even more; I had just promised myself and Damien to stop for good, so I quickly switched my mind to other, more positive things. I thought of the rest of my life, how it would be living and being with Damien for all of my time remaining on this earth as he lead me towards his jeep.
I felt happy and giddy as I thought about it, knowing being with him would make my life all the more better.
I sighed, but for the first time in a long time, it was more of a sigh from happiness and ease. Damien chuckled in response, shaking his head again at me as we reached the jeep. He opened the door for me, practically lifting me in and making sure I was secure before shutting the door and quickly making it to his side. He pulled himself behind the wheel, but simply sat there, not making a move to start the jeep.
“So… does this mean you don’t want to go visit the rest of your family?” he asked quietly. I jumped slightly, startled at his words despite his quite tone. I felt my eyes stretch wide, leaning away from him slightly. The words that had tumbled free were so unexpected and startling.
“My… you… I.” I stopped, shaking my head violently, trying to rattle my thoughts back into a constructive order.
“You were going to… let me see my family? My sister, mother… all of them?” my voice was barely a whisper, sounding breathless in the small space. He stared across the counsel at me, eyes dark and brooding with serious hesitation. He nodded than, slowly and deliberately.
“It seemed like the right thing to do,” he said simply, seeming as if he was trying to control some sort of hidden emotions. I let out an incredulous breath, wondering if the man before me was really the Damien I had come to know.
Had he really thought about seriously letting me once again talk to, interact with my family? The only people in this world who could easily convince me to run away from him again?
It was a very terse, quiet moment as he waited for my reply, seeming to hold his breath tightly.
“Thank you,” I finally muttered out, giving him a small smile of gratitude. His breath he was holding quickly left him in a gush of relief, a smile of his own gracing his face.
“For what exactly, might I ask?” he questioned as he started the jeep, preparing to pull away from the park.
“Being thoughtful; I didn’t know, but this trip… here, was exactly what I needed.” I said sincerely, speaking directly from the heart. His hand reached towards me, trailing his calloused fingers down my cheek, than back up again, making a pattern. I shivered slightly, feeling the usual appeal and desire slither quickly up my spine and back again, forming a pattern all its own.
“Anytime,” he murmured. He slowly drew his hand back, hesitant, before turning his attention to driving us away from town and back towards the pack house.
“Aw, is our adventure over?” I teased, causing him to chuckle and shake his head.
“Not quite yet; one more stop.” He told me, still laughing slightly. I sat up straighter in my seat, paying more attention.
“Where?”
“It’s a surprise,” I groaned at this answer, having a strong sense of deja vu.
“You’re so mean to me,” I pouted, once again, crossing my arms and slumping down even farther into the plush seats. I felt as if the conversation had taken a complete turnaround, but we were still having fun and being comfortable. He laughed at my expression.
“My over-dramatic little girl,” he snickered, his comment almost forcing me to stick my tongue out at him. I sat back, deciding not to push it and let myself see where he was taking me. He continued driving as if heading back to the pack house, confusing me more. The roads were steep and twisting, as were most that lead straight into the forest.
I fiddled with the window button, deciding finally just to roll the pane of glass down all the way. I let my fingers trail gently out of the window, the wind brushing and pushing against them, causing me to sigh contently.
I jerked to attention as Damien started to slow, turning left onto an unpaved part of the forest. Leaning forwards, I searched the unfamiliar area with my new sight abilities, squinting.
“Going for a hike?” I questioned as we pulled to a stop just off the main road, looking over at Damien. He was already hoisting himself onto the ground, coming over to my side to help me out.
“Not quite,” he answered, giving me a million dollar smile. He grabbed my hand as he set me on the ground and I let him grip it tightly, pulling me away from the jeep and into the dark trees.
“Maybe you are trying to kill me after all,” I mutter, unable to help myself.
“I’m going to spank you next time you say that,” he threatened over his shoulder, growling playfully at me. I barely controlled a snicker.
Yes, because that gives me incentive to stop, I thought, smirking at naughty thoughts taking over my mind. I shooed them into a corner, knowing that it wasn’t the time to be fantasizing about Damien.
He didn’t take me far, only two or three minutes deeper into the woods before stopping. I watched curiously as he tilted his head to the side, keeping completely still as he seemed to listen. After a moment he straightened, his suddenly grim expression worrying me. He pulled me forward, placing me before him and gripping my shoulders tightly. I fought against the urge to look up at him questioningly.
“Mallory, this is Doctor Pantrel.” He suddenly introduced as a man stepped out of the foliage, followed by a woman I knew very well.
“Mary?” I questioned, starting to really worry; what had Damien planned now and why did it include a Doctor and Mary? She nodded, giving me a reassuring smile. She had improved since Ashen had awoken yesterday… had it only been the day before? I couldn’t even remember anymore.
“Mallory, I presume?” the man Damien had called Doctor Pantrel questioned, looking down at me. I nodded numbly, meeting his brown eyes that appeared kind. “Hello Mallory, as Damien has said I am Doctor Pantrel. Do you know why Damien summoned me?” he breezed, his words crisp and quick, yet still compassionate. I shook my head to answer his question; it seemed as if moving my head was all I could do at the moment.
“You didn’t tell her?” Mary questioned Damien, stepping up to Pantrel. My eyes widened some as I felt the panic rise, struggling away from Damiens’ tight grip and spinning to face him.
“Tell me what, Damien?” I insisted, honestly starting to feel my anxiety rise.
“Shh, babe; it’s nothing to worry over. Doctor Pantrel here is a specialist on werewolf species and I asked him to look over you. I was hoping he could make sense of your whole shifting ordeal.” He answered, stumbling over his own words in a hurry to spit them out. I nodded slowly, having to tell myself countless times to calm down.
“Alright, I want to start with asking you; do you remember much from when you first shifted?” Pantrel questioned me, turning in my direction. He had his hands pressed together, making him appear to me as a curious, begging puppy.
I thought for a moment. “I remember some brief moments of pain in my stomach, but then I blacked out.” I answered, seeing Damien stiffen slightly.
“Wait, you blacked out on the trail leading straight to the infirmary?” he butted in, questioning me seriously. I nodded as I watched his reactions carefully. “How the hell did you end up deep in the forest than?” he insisted. I started to answer, than stopped, realizing… I didn’t have the answer.
“I… don’t… know,” I finally said, my voice coming out surprised. It wasn’t something I had really thought about. Damien stepped back, his face now contorted into a thoughtful expression.
“I’ll continue,” Pantrel inserted, stepping closer. “Do you know if there was a reason behind your shifting? It would normally be caused by a very strong emotion.”
“Like anger?” he nodded. “Well, I was certainly feeling that,” I stated, giving Damien a pointed look. He merely shook his head at me, only hearing my accusation as he stared off above my head, still in deep thought.
Mary stood silently besides Pantrel, watching me curiously. Pantrel turned to Damien and he snapped back into current reality.
“You told me over the phone that she was only a half were?” Damien shook his head.
“Only a fourth,” he corrected, a concerned look slowly creeping over and darkening his features. Pantrels’ eyes widened. "I searched her family in our records. She had a great, great grandmother who was a were. She mated with a human male. Their only child was half were and his mate was also human. With each generation the gene was cut out even more.”
“She shouldn’t even have a detectible were scent, let alone be shifting.” Pantrel stated, looking over at me with eyes that stared into me, carefully depicting each piece of me.
I’m so sorry; I jumped at Tylers’ voice, turning this way and that. The voice of his in my head was abnormally loud, making me feel as if he was actually there.
“Mallory?” Damien questioned, quickly appearing at my side. He looked all over, searching for danger.
“Tyler?” I muttered out loud, ignoring Damien even as he stiffened next to me at the name.
So, so, sorry; he moaned in my head, sounding as if the weight of the world was pressing heavily on his shoulders.
‘What did you do?’ I asked mentally this time. I let the others around me fade away.
It’s my fault, all my fault. But I couldn’t help it! He made me do it! I couldn’t let him hurt her, I just couldn’t. I had a choice; I could watch him kill her, or I could do his bidding.
‘Tyler, who are you talking about? Who was going to kill her? Who was he going to kill?’ I kept my tone soft; I could sense his fragile state.
Come back to the jeep, please. I need to speak with you in person. I felt my heart and stomach flip, both at his words and at his tone. He sounded so broken and fragile, making me pity the poor soul. But, his words excited me.
In person? I looked in the direction me and Damien had come, towards the jeep with a sharp jerk of my neck.
“Mallory, what’s going on?” Damien insisted, shaking my shoulders somewhat.
“I need to go to the jeep,” I blurted, surprising him.
“What? Baby, Pantrel isn’t done.” He said, staring at me intently. I nodded, telling him I understood and stepped out of arms reach.
“I know, I’ll be back in a second. There’s just something I need to do; don’t follow me.” I added sternly before quickly turning away. I ignored the surprised expressions of Mary and Pantrel and scurried through the trees, heading back towards where Damien had parked the jeep.
I tried to communicate with Tyler again as I made my way, but he was gone; I hoped he was actually waiting for me. As the jeep come into clearing, I realized that there was certainly someone there.
However, it wasn’t Tyler. I could tell easily, even though he was facing away, because of the red hair; Ray.
“Ray, what are you doing here?” I questioned, stopping a few feet behind him. I watched his shoulders as they rose, hearing the breath he heaved. He turned slowly, his expression matching what I imagined Tyler might look like based from his voice.
“I’m so sorry,” I balked, stumbling back slightly as Ray opened his mouth and, although said to be mute, spoke. But it wasn’t an unfamiliar voice that came pouring out.
“…Tyler?”
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