Chapter Seventeen (Xed)
I wasn't sure how to describe how I was feeling.
At first, I was angry. So angry that Newell would say such a thing to me. He was making fun of me, but I knew he hadn't meant it. He was upset and tired and injured. He also seemed concerned to be held hostage by werewolves, which would certainly be cause for obnoxious behavior.
Now I was dizzy.
I had left the village while the others were still asleep and made my way to the wetlands. Certainly not the lake from before as it'd been incredibly filthy and stung my skin with its garbage and toxins. However, I was itching to get back in the water. I was tired of walking, tired of socializing with so many people at once. I wanted to be alone.
I wanted to be alone with Newell, but obviously that wasn't happening any time soon. No, right now, if anything, I just wanted to be in the water. The water wasn't like anyone else, not even Newell. While every part of my being throbbed for Newell in a way that I considered sinful, the water was much more relaxing and gave me time to straighten everything out.
My boots squished into the soupy water that was hidden by tall grass and plants. The sun was warm on my skin as it peered through drooping trees and vines. However, while the sun was warm, the air was cold. It gave me goose bumps and sent chills up my spine.
I continued trudging through the mucky water until I reached the deeper parts of the wetlands. From mushy tall grass to a wide open lake that was much cleaner than the last lake, it was like paradise. I stripped off my boots and pants, hanging them on a nearby tree branch before walking into the water, biting on my tongue as pain tore up and down my legs. I could feel the skin stretching and pulling, scales sliding through the flesh and hugging me tight before I dove headfirst into the water, fin flipping into the air behind me before I went below the surface.
I swam along the bottom of the lake, frowning at the dark sand that stirred with my movements and the movements of fish around me as they scattered in an attempt to flee. There was garbage on the bottom of the lake, making me sigh. I swam further down, running my fingers through the sand and picking up cans, plastic, and some coins.
My head broke the surface as I sucked in air. I swam closer to shore before tossing the garbage onto the grass in a pile that I planned to take to a nearby dumpster. I hoped the werewolf village would have something I could throw it in.
I swam back and forth, riding the lake of its impurities, watching fish swim around excitedly. They seemed to warm up to me, knowing I meant them no harm. They weren't the type of fish that would satisfy the agony in my stomach.
I needed something bigger, much bigger. Something thicker, juicier.
Ugh, I paused to groan, holding my stomach as pain tore through me. My stomach protested and urged me to find something to eat, anything.
Even werewolf.
The thought made me want to cringe. Normally, I would be devouring every last werewolf in the village, but they had saved Newell and kept him safe.
Even though they were the ones that hurt him in the first place.
I shook the thought from my head and grabbed a plastic bag that was tangled in some weeds before swimming to the surface again. I neared the shore, tossing the bag there when I caught movement out the corner of my eye. I snapped my head around and caught sight of a small boy.
He looked to be around ten or so. He was small and pale with golden hair and eyes the color of mercury. However, it was only the fact that he was naked that I was sure he was a boy. Otherwise, I wouldn't have known. He was feminine, small, and his hair, though pulled back into a braid, touched the small of his back.
"Hello?" I asked, confused. What was a child doing out here? And how... filthy. Now that I noticed, he looked as if he'd been running through mud. He also had a couple of cuts on his cheek and a scar that went right down the center of his torso to his navel.
He jumped when I spoke to him. His eyes widened and he looked around for a second, then pointed to himself to make sure I was speaking to him. I frowned and nodded slowly. I started to swim to him, but he squeaked like a frightened mouse and darted back into the woods. I would have gone after him, but it would take too long for my tail to turn into legs and he would be miles ahead of me at the rate he was running.
How odd, though. Was he part of the werewolf village?
No, they seemed too civilized to let one of their children run around naked and filthy.
I shrugged it off and swam for a while longer before climbing out of the lake. I had cooled down enough to return to Newell's side where I belonged. I let my fin melt into two legs before I got up and dressed. I gathered up the trash into the plastic bags I found and picked them up to bring them with me. I went the way the little boy had taken through the woods, hoping to meet up with him, but there was no sign of him.
Oddly enough, there wasn't even a scent trail. I couldn't smell him anywhere.
How strange.
I continued to walk through the woods until I heard a pair of familiar voices, making me turn my head.
"We can't leave the territory. If we do, Scooby's gonna sic his gang on us and I'm not equiped to deal with those meddling kids." Hunter's voice was saying. I narrowed my eyes in irritation at his references that I never understood. However, judging from his tone of voice, he was insulting them. Why couldn't he just speak like a normal person?
"Well, I'm certainly not going back until we find Xed." Newell answered. My cock leapt at that and I mentally scolded myself for it. He did not mean it the way it sounded. While I didn't know why he was looking for me, I knew it wasn't the reason I wanted it to be.
I went in the direction of their voices and came up behind them. I frowned at the way Newell limped and stopped every so often to breath hard, sweat forming at his temples and his cheeks flushed.
"You sure you don't want me to carry you?" Hunter asked dryly.
"Touch me and I'll rip out your jugular."
"Oh stop it you, you're making me all fuzzy inside."
"Ugh." Newell rolled his eyes, then seemed to notice me and whirled around, his eyes wide.
"Xed!" He exclaimed. For a moment, I wanted to believe he was actually happy to see me. Hunter raised an eyebrow at me, folding his arms over his chest as he looked at the bags in my hands.
"Do a little spring cleaning?" He asked. I ignored him and looked at Newell, who frowned at me. He studied my face as if trying to figure out what I was thinking, then he seemed at a loss for words before he cleared his throat.
"Xed, someone attacked one of the werewolves in the village this morning." He stated. I frowned at that.
Someone attacked a werewolf? In the village? That was incredibly dangerous.
Then I realized why Newell was telling me.
They thought it was me. Had the killing been so bad that they had no one else to point fingers at, except me? I would never attack the werewolves. I had no reason to, and while I was starving, I had enough control over myself to not do something that stupid. However, it was the fact that everyone else thought I had done it.
Did Newell think I did it? What about Hunter?
My quizzical look must have given me away because Newell blinked, then shook his head and looked at me firmly.
"I know you didn't do it, Xed. I know you. The victim was Vini's brother, Tony. He was mangled beyond recognition, but he was still there and that instantly told me you wouldn't. Not to mention, you only ever eat when I eat..." Newell's voice trailed for a while and I was surprised to see him flinch.
"Damn it," He cursed, making Hunter raise an eyebrow, "He hasn't eaten in days. He's probably starving." I frowned at that. While a small voice in my head thanked Newell for finally noticing, I didn't like the way he said that given the situation. Just because I was starving didn't mean I was going to randomly attack people, even if it was tempting. I wasn't going to put Newell at risk of being hurt. So I had learned to take control over my hunger, no matter how gut wrenching it was.
"Maybe we can feed him the alpha." Hunter suggested. Newell and I glared at him and he suddenly seem interested in the trash. Newell looked back at me, frowning.
"We need to take you back to the village. Maybe Drake has a tub we can get you into so you can explain to him exactly what you were doing this morning. We need to clear your name so we can leave. While I know you could easily rip through this pack, werewolves are known to hold grudges and the last thing I need is the next generation of werewolves coming after us." He explained. I didn't argue with that, not that I could.
Instead, I nodded and Newell seemed satisfied with that. He and Hunter led the way back to the village where I dumped the trash in their dumpster before we made our way back to the alpha's cabin. However, instead of feeling awed as I was when we first arrived, I could feel the despair and sorrow in the air like a heavy cloud. I almost felt sorry for the werewolves. To have a family member die must be awful.
At least, I thought so anyway.
My family seemed all too eager to be rid of me when I tried to return. Because I satisfied my curiosity, I had severed my ties with my family without knowing it. They wouldn't allow me to return home. Odd how before it didn't bother me as much as it did now. Part of me wondered if my family was even still alive. Did I have any new brothers and sisters? Mothers? Cousins? Were they still even in the bay on the island we called home?
I pushed those thoughts away, however, as we entered the alpha's home. It was eerily silent, save for heartwrenching sobs from upstairs. I recognized them as Vini's. My heart went out to him for having lost his brother, and so brutally too. We went to the sofa to sit and wait for Drake to come out.
After a couple hours, Drake finally came to the living room. He wore a long sleeved black shirt and matching jeans, his black hair wet from a shower. As soon as he saw me, his eyes flared and he approached with an angry stride. I remained calm, however.
"Where were you?" He demanded instantly. I tilted my head and frowned up at him.
"He can't talk unless he's in water." Newell informed. Drake made a sound of disgust, looking away before he gestured for us to follow him. We got up and went with him up the stairs and into the master bedroom. Vini was curled up on the canopy bed, fast asleep. His eyes were puffy and cheeks tear streaked as he slept cuddled up to a pillow. Drake stopped for a moment to stare at him before clearing his throat and leading us to the bathroom.
It was a large, extravagent bathroom. The tub was rather big and on the other side of the room, built into a wooden platform. Drake turned the water on to fill it up before going to the bathroom door, shutting it and locking it.
"So, just wondering," Hunter said casually, making Drake eye him warily, "Why does your pack give your lover dirty looks? Is it because you're gay or because he's an omega?"
"He's an omega?" Newell asked, perplexed. I was also a little shocked. Alphas usually mated with alphas from other packs to make his pack stronger, or a beta that the previous alpha chose for him. They most certainly did not mate with omegas, the lowest position in a pack. Omegas were only there to baby sit the pups or used as a punching bag for other members.
"It's really none of your business." Drake told Hunter, who made a childish whining sound.
"Aw, but I like soap opera dramas." He whined. Drake's nostrils flared and I could tell he was seconds away from beating the living hell out of Hunter, who didn't seem to know when to stop. I wouldn't feel bad, however, should Drake decide to surrender himself to the rage and beat Hunter senseless. The man was far too cocky and obnoxious for my tastes.
Drake went over and turned off the tub once it was full. I walked over, stripping off my clothes again and getting into the tub. The water was too warm for my tastes, but I said nothing as my legs mended together and my fin flipped up, the end of it popping out of the water and resting on the wooden platform. I frowned at it, then glanced over my shoulder at Drake, who narrowed his eyes at me, but before he could repeat his question, I spoke.
"I left the village this morning around sixish. I went into the woods and to a lake somewhere nearby. The walk took about half an hour. I spent a couple hours in the lake, cleaning it out," I paused, wondering if I should mention the homeless boy I spotted, but then decided against it, "I left the lake and met up with Newell and Hunter. I did not kill your wolf. I do not leave behind leftovers. When I eat, I eat every last piece of my meal, including teeth. As Newell tells me, there was a large amount of your wolf left behind." Drake narrowed his eyes at that.
"How do I know you're not lying?" He asked.
"You don't." I replied honestly. Drake frowned, studying me for a while before throwing his arms down at his sides in frustration.
"Then how do you explain what happened to Tony?" He demanded. I stared at him.
"I do not know. I was not here." I answered flatly. Drake scowled. Hunter made a face and cocked his hip, placing a hand on his hip and looking at Drake.
"Are you totally ignoring my dragon thing?" He demanded. I blinked, looking at him.
"Dragon?" I asked, perplexed. Hunter nodded.
"I'm pretty sure whatever attacked the wolf was a dragon. Those guys kill almost the same way as you guys, except they like saving leftovers like poor people at Olive Garden." He answered, making me frown. I had no idea what his reference was, but it didn't matter because Hunter was probably right.
And I had a strange feeling that the child I'd seen in the woods was the dragon Hunter was referring to.
Abandoned dragon children weren't uncommon. Dragons didn't live as long as many claimed. It wasn't old age or anything, but simply bad luck and human stupidity. And most dragons had at least one or two children left behind. If the kid in the woods really was the dragon, he was alone and he didn't know killing werewolves was a death sentence. He just saw food, went for it, then ran away to hide. He didn't know what he was doing.
He needed help.
I found it odd that I was sympathetic toward the child. I really held no interest in land creatures, aside from Newell. Maybe it was the fact that he was abandoned and I could relate. Not that I was any better as I had abandoned my family first, but I still felt it on some level.
"There was a child," I said at last, making the others look at me, "In the woods." Drake frowned, confused for a moment before his eyes widened.
"You mean Starling?" He asked. I raised an eyebrow.
"Starling?" Hunter echoed. He had the same look on his face as I did. What sort of parent named their male child Starling? While it seemed it could be a unisex name, it still sounded more feminine than masculine. Then again, the child did look quite feminine. Newell frowned, turning to look at Drake.
"You knew about him?" He asked. Drake stiffened.
"He's not a dragon. It's impossible. He's just a homeless child that wandered into our territory months ago. He's skittish and withdrawn. Even my people can't catch him. He's a wild thing. If anything, I'd say feral. He doesn't speak much and when he does, he doesn't speak properly and he has some kind of speech impediment. Either way, I assure you he's not a dragon." He explained defensively. Newell narrowed his eyes at that while Hunter snorted.
"Then what is he?" He asked. Drake was quiet for a moment, then looked away.
"We could never really find out. The kid is like a ghost. He disappears for days on end and occasionally, my hunters will see him in the woods, but as soon as he catches wind of us, he takes off in the other direction." He responded, making Hunter roll his eyes.
"You don't know what he is, so he can't be a dragon." Hunter stated. Drake glared.
"He doesn't act like a dragon. Dragons are much more obnoxious according to the records--"
"Dragons are introverts, not obnoxious. Jesus Christ, Fido, where'd you go to doggy school?"
"It doesn't matter. Starling isn't the one who killed Tony."
"And neither is Xed," Newell snapped, making Hunter and I look at him in surprise at his sudden hostility, "He was busy cleaning out your polluted lakes, which, by the way, you're welcome, you mongrel. I know Xed. He would never hurt one of your pack members. Not unless they hurt him first, which I highly doubt anyone in your pack is stupid enough to antagonize a merman. How do you know someone from your own pack didn't murder him?"
"Tony was family," Drake barked angrily, clenching his fists threateningly in a way that made my muscles tense, ready to defend Newell at the slightest shift toward him, "He was my cousin; He was Vini's brother! Vini's parents were killed in a hunting accident and that left Tony alone to care for Vini since they were pups! Tony was a good wolf! He didn't even marry because he wanted to make sure Vini was settled in first before he would do anything. No one in my pack would want to hurt Tony."
"And Xed wouldn't want to hurt Tony either," Newell insisted impatiently, "He couldn't have and he wouldn't have. You're only looking for someone to blame because it's easier than actually putting in the effort of finding the killer. If you truly cared about Tony as much as you say you do, you would do anything in your power to bring the correct criminal to justice, not point fingers blindly in the dark and kill the first person you find." Drake glared at him for the longest time, then glared at me. I met his glare fearlessly before he finally made a sound of disgust.
"You're still not leaving until we find out who did this." He seethed past clenched teeth. I frowned before Hunter cleared his throat and snapped his fingers for our attention.
"Now that your noble speech is over," He said, making Newell roll his eyes, "We can get down to business. I don't care what you think about that Starling kid. Find him and bring him here."
"Were you not listening," Drake demanded heatedly, "We cannot catch him. The kid moves like an eel."
"Use candy or something." Hunter answered nonchalantly. Newell gave him a deadpan stare before lifting a brow in a skeptical stare.
"You seem awfully skilled at luring little boys." He said. Hunter stared at him.
"I'm apparently really skilled at luring in little bastards too," He replied, making Newell snort before he returned to speaking, "Catch the kid. Don't care how. Just get him here. I can do the rest. If it turns out he's innocent, that means you have a not-so-friendly family member hiding out."
"Or a hungry merman." Drake muttered. I shot him a dirty look.
"I am not interested in your pack... too hairy." I added. Hunter laughed at that, but Drake didn't find it too funny. He merely curled his lip and left the bathroom angrily, muttering that we be gone when he returned from a meeting with the patrol. I watched him go, then turned to Hunter and Newell.
"I think you may be right, Hunter," I said, making him raise an eyebrow in surprise, "The child I saw had to be a dragon. His features were far from normal. His hair was almost looked like it was made of gold and his eyes were silver. Not grey or grey-blue, but silver, like mercury." Hunter frowned at that.
"If it's a dragon, then I have no doubt he was the one who killed this Tony guy. Dragon children who grow up without parents don't have anyone to teach them what to eat and what not to eat. They just follow their natural instincts and eat whatever is in front of them. My guess is Starling was starving and Tony was the nearest thing. Not knowing it would cause an uproar, the kid just took a few bites, then ran off to digest before he could come back. I gotta say, though, I'm impressed. If a little kid can eat that much, he must be pretty hungry." He admitted with a shrug. Newell gave him a disgusted stare, then turned to look at me with a frown.
"Do not leave again like that, do you understand?" He demanded. I stared at him for a moment, then nodded.
"Let me hear you say it." Newell ordered.
"Yes." I replied.
"Yes what?"
"Yes, I understand. I will not leave anymore."
"Good." Newell seemed satisfied with that. Hunter looked amused, but for once, played it safe and remained silent as I climbed out of the tub and got dressed after my fin seperated into two legs. We left the bathroom and went to the guest room downstairs. Newell looked so relieved to finally lay down in bed again. He eased himself carefully onto the bed, reaching over with a faint flinch of pain to pull the blankets over him. I took them and pulled them over him instead. He gave me an odd look that I couldn't place before he laid back against the pillow, sighing sleepily.
"Do you think they'll be able to catch the dragon?" Newell asked tiredly, closing his eyes and furrowing his brow. Hunter shrugged as he stood near the window, peering out between the blinds every so often.
"Probably not. Dragons are hard to track. And this kid has been living on his own for God knows how long. He probably knows how to evade predators. 'Course, he's never run into me, so his chances of getting away are slim." He admitted. I frowned at his cockiness and Newell opened his eyes to look at Hunter.
"We're not allowed to leave the village and while you're not my favorite person, I also do not want to scrape up your remains." He answered. Hunter smirked at that.
"Ain't leavin' the territory. Village, maybe, but not the territory. And I'll be gone for no more than half an hour tops."
"Yeah, right."
"You sorely underestimate me, leech," Hunter said casually, sauntering over to the bed and leaning on one of the posts, "I'm not just a pretty face."
"You're not even that."
"Ouch," Hunter cringed dramatically and clasped a fist over his chest, "You wound me."
"Good. Drown in your own blood." Newell replied. I watched them exchange banter and an irritating sliver of jealousy crept into my chest, making it tight. While Newell didn't admit it, I could see him warming up to Hunter in a way that bothered me. While I was positive Hunter wasn't interested in Newell sexually, he was still taking Newell's attention away from more important things and it bothered me how close they were becoming.
Suddenly, a cell phone went off and Hunter's expression quickly went from playful to dark in a matter of seconds. He snatched his cell phone out of his back pocket and flipped it open, heading for the door.
"I told you not to fucking call me unless you're dying, you little prick." Was the last thing we heard before he slammed the door shut. Newell watched him go with a suspicious stare before he averted his eyes and snuggled back down into his blankets. I turned to look at him as he closed his eyes for a while, then opened them back up sleepily to look at me.
"Xed, is the memory loss permanent?" He asked at last. I blinked, then slowly frowned before shrugging to let him know I wasn't sure. I honestly wasn't sure and I hoped it wasn't. It didn't matter now if he remembered what happened between us back in New York.
Newell sighed, closing his eyes again, but frowning.
"Fantastic," He muttered bitterly, "Before long, I might forget my own name. If that happens, you might as well kill me."
I shook my head vigorously and he seemed to sense that, a sleepy smile creeping onto his lips.
"I know you wouldn't. I was joking, Xed... Maybe..." His voice drifted as he fell asleep. My heart clenched as I watched him sleep, chest rising and falling, trembling every so often at the pain of his busted ribcage. The thought of one of those werewolves doing this to him boiled my blood and part of me wasn't all that sad that the werewolf had died. They had hurt Newell. They too deserved to suffer...
But then I remembered the way Vini had looked. He had been very kind to Newell and he was now the one to suffer for his family's cruelty to Newell. Fate had a cruel way of toying with us.
I looked at Newell a while longer, feeling my heart sink as I stared at his tiny hands resting on top of the blanket, his small chest rising and falling, pert pink nipples barely peeking out from a top a layer of white gauze. Silky soft black hair splayed out on the pillow, growing longer and longer with each passing day, matching the long dark lashes that touched his porcelain cheeks daintily.
Yes.
Fate was a very, very cruel bitch.