Recap...
And then I was running back to help. And then I wasn't.
And then I was on the ground, crawling, crawling, crawling.
I looked into those black eyes and then I knew what this whole thing was for. And it terrified the living daylights out of me.
"Hello little Kat." Vaughn said, in his mocking drawl. "Fancy meeting you here."
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Chapter Nine- Delirium
I scrambled back, feeling the cold brick wall of the bell tower meet my arched spine. My hands were scraping against the hard stone ground and they split and left light trails of blood over where I'd dragged them. I paid no mind to the stinging pain as I stared into the beady black eyes that mocked me.
"Why Kat, you seem to have gotten yourself into an unfortunate position here. Let me help you - just grab my hand and I'll keep you safe." I stared at the offending limb and scowled in disgust at the blatant lie that was Vaughn.
I growled - or tried to, it was more of a whimper - at him as I tried to make myself as small as possible. Every step he advanced, I shrunk another centimeter into the wall, like somehow I would suddenly become a part of it if I pushed hard enough.
His returning smile showed me that he heard my whimper, and it more than pleased him. It made him excited and all the more prone to controlling me. "There, there, little Kat. I just need your cooperation for a while. I just need you to help me."
My lip trembled and I forced myself to lock eyes with him and send him my best glare, "Never." I spat onto the ground at his feet and finally stood up, pulling myself to my full height as I gained the confidence that was my wolves nudges.
My spine thanked me as the pressure the wall had put on it released, and my limbs ached to be released from their human constraints. I stepped closer to him and repeated myself, this time with more energy and confidence, my voice never faltering. "Never will I ever help you. Especially after what you've done to me and my family."
But Vaughn simply laughed at me.
At me.
No one laughs at me.
My hand, seemingly of its own accord, struck out to slap him quickly and forcefully on the cheek. I was satisfied with myself as I saw the bright red hand print that I left in the wake of my hand. But I figured I should probably start running before the shock left him.
So I ran and didn't stop until I reached the edge of the balustrade. Then I stopped because there was no other way to go, and the stairs were behind Vaughn. I turned to face the approaching beast, hoping beyond everything that he would find his humanity and let me go.
But of course that would never happen.
Vaughn's sadistic grin had been wiped clean from his face and had been replaced by a look of disgust and pure unadulterated anger. In that one moment, I was truly terrified of what was to come.
"Oh Kat, that was a mistake." His anger spilled over into his speech and his words were laced with fire and animosity, his gaze cold on mine.
I tried – God help me, I did – not to flinch, but in the end I had to look away from the pure hatred in the deep pools of black nothingness.
I wanted so badly to be home, safe in the arms of Archer and Seth, but as – from this point – my life didn’t look very promising, I sent out a silent plea to whoever was listening that the two men would be alright and would survive their fight.
In the end, which may more or less be now, I would be brave and fight like my life depended upon it. Which, actually it did. I held on to the last images I had of the – my – two men. For Seth I settled upon the look on his face when he talked to me about his life as an officer.
For Archer it would forever be the heartbroken look on his face when I told him I would reject him as my mate. I held on to the small shred of hope that now, at least, I could never hurt him again if I was gone. I hoped they made it out okay.
“Well my dear Kitty, it looks like it’s just you and me left then,” Vaughn sneered as he drew closer and closer to my perch on the balustrade. “Can’t say I’m complaining; you’re not too bad to look at. What do you say we forget this whole ordeal and you come home with me? I’m sure your mates won’t mind too much.”
“I’d rather die.” I spat at his ugly face, fuming.
My brain was awhirl with thoughts, that it couldn’t process, and images of my life flashed before my eyes. The taste of my favourite food – chocolate cupcakes – lingered on my tongue as I greedily remembered their taste on my lips. The delicious smell of Archer’s spare shirt – grassy and spicy, the scent of Seth’s hair – coffee beans and caramel.
I remembered the feel of the grass against my bare legs the first time I Changed, and the wind as it whipped through my smooth fur as I ran through the forest on new legs.
All this hit me in a span of two seconds as I contemplated death and how much I would really miss life.
Vaughn laughed and smirked without any real emotion, “You’d rather die, would you? Well, luckily, I can make that happen.”
This was it.
Here comes the end… ready to transcend… dah dah duh dah…
I laughed a bit hysterically at the fact that I was humming this to the tune of 'Here Comes The Bride' and I hadn’t even gotten to be married yet.
I was so far gone that when I found myself dangling upside down from the balustrade, I didn’t even flinch. I just laughed more, amused at the blood that had rushed into my brain. It seemed that as I was dangling, about to plunge to a painful death, I was more light and free that I had ever been.
Of course, I was deathly scared of heights, so that may have had something to do with my sudden onslaught of laughter. And tears too, if I’m being completely honest. But it was my last few moments so I could do whatever I wanted.
If whatever I wanted was to cry and laugh hysterically, then so be it. Who’s to stop me?
Vaughn’s voice suddenly boomed from above me and I was disturbingly aware of the pain he was causing in my ankle as he held on to the only limb that was not dangling free. Thankfully, his grip was tight and he was strong. I knew I’d only fall if he let go, there was no chance of me slipping from his grasp.
“Hello fellow wolves, I want you all to listen up, and listen well.” As soon as he yelled the words, every head, snout and nose turned towards him as if under some trance. “I’ve got the lovely little Kat here, and she says that she’d rather die than come home with me. But I beg to differ.”
He paused and looked out at the crowd that had moved closer to hear his next words. “I believe that are some people – two in particular – that would rather see her alive than dead. So I would like those two people to step forward. You know who you are.”
I watched in horror as Seth and Archer came forward, abandoning the wolves fighting them. I shook my head desperately at them to tell them, ‘No, go back where you came from and be safe!’ But neither man listened to my mind-linked pleas.
Archer even went as far as to send me a grim smile and a look of disbelief, ‘How on earth did you manage to get yourself into this one, love?’ Was his only reply.
‘Right, because this was all my fault and I had every intention of going to chill with Vaughn. Because he’s such a great guy and all I want to do is spend every damn hour of my life next to him. Right. Very funny Archer.’
‘Well,’ I heard Seth put in his two cents, ‘At least you’ve still got your sarcasm. Now we know for sure you’re not going to tumble and fall to your perilous death in a matter of minutes.’
The heavy sarcasm in his tone was evident, even in my mind. I heard his eyes roll and from my perch – maybe ‘perch’ wasn’t exactly the right word – I saw his shoulders shake in laughter and I smiled despite the situation.
Black spots appeared before my eyes and I blinked to stay them away. I felt my feet go numb like they used to after I hung upside down from the monkey bars for too long when I was little. But this time the chance to get down was nowhere near my choice. And this time, if I did fall off, it wouldn’t just be a broken arm. It would be a broken body, and a dead Kat.
It was a long way to the ground from where I was upside down. And I’m not sure how anyone else would feel about this, but if they were in the same situation they too, I’m fairy certain, would be hoping and praying that they didn’t fall on their soon-to-be-sorry behinds.
No matter how padded they were.
Oh God, I needed to stop making jokes on my deathbed. It wasn’t helping anyone. Least of all myself.
I took a deep calming breath and tried to push the black spots away as I also attempted to re-tune myself into the conversation – yelling match – that was going on around me.
“I swear if you drop her…” Archer was fuming and his eyes were like small balls of fire glowing in perfect round orbs.
“What, pray tell, would the reprimands be if I did such an awful, awful thing?” Vaughn mocked Archer who in turn fumed an even darker colour of red. I almost thought I saw flames leave his ears.
Or maybe that was just me hallucinating.
Archer just shook his head slowly, “I’ll kill you. But first, I’ll make you beg for death one thousand times over before I’ll let you bleed out to your deathbed, where I will patch you up, only to do the same thing, over and over again.”
Seth’s face mirrored Archer’s own, and he looked to wholeheartedly believe in the torture of the threat Archer so easily dished out to Vaughn. I waited for him to say something, as he opened his mouth, but he just spat on the ground harshly like he was trying to be rid of the disgust that rose up when he saw Vaughn.
Behind them, the battle waged on, movement returning to the limbs of my pack and the feral wolves. I saw the blood and gore that littered the once-green grass, and heard the screams of women and children as they cried in terror, locked inside, watching with wide eyes from the window.
But all my eyes could stay on were Archer and Seth. I couldn’t look at Vaughn, obviously I hadn’t anyway to crane my neck up to look in his direction, but I could almost feel the anger radiating off him. It was so hot; I had the burning desire to attempt to cook a chicken on his skin to see if it would work.
I heard Vaughn’s deep, amused laugh as I strained to suck breath in through my lungs. The clean air was sticking in my throat, and the result was a sound like a dying cat.
Ironic, because I am a Kat.
With that final, delirious thought, I could breathe no longer.
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Dah duh duh dahh! The chapter is... EXACTLY 2000 WORDS! Look at me being all... smart at math. Yeah right.
Wow, I got this in a week after I published the last chapter! I think that deserves some nice comments and/or votes, don'tchathink? If you actually read this, type "chocolate cupcakes" in your comment. :)
Until we meet again, XxEm.