He's adapting to the heat.
I was born from the flames.
Andrew's pov...
My bones broke on impact, the demon throwing me down harshly as I gagged up blood. Something inside me had been punctured, my body convulsing as I fought to heal.
If I didn't defeat this one soon, I would surely die again and lose the deal. I had yet to shift, saving my strength would have been a good excuse, but really I was just scared of the emotions and how they would control me if I were to hear her voice again. I didn't know if I could handle it.
The demons weren't taking it easy on me at all, each blow intended to kill me.
I lifted myself from the ground, catching the demon as it tried to attack me again. I diverted the attack, sending it flying away from me.
I couldn't keep from yelling my frustrations, each thought, breath and beat of my head was devoted to only Emily. Yet here I was, wasting myself away in Hell knowing my mate was blaming herself. I knew she was, that's who Emily is.
Killing Cain was not worth this torture.
I dodged the attack again, driving forward and catching it on the jaw with my flame engulfed hands. It's screams rattled the beast inside me that craved chaos, my ablaze fingers trying to pry its jaw apart so it could no longer bite me but not doing so in time before it got me, claws sinking into my sides to hold me.
Groaning with pain, I kicked the beast away from me and shifted into my wolf during the fall to the ground, landing on my paws before charging to attack it again. The smell of its burnt flesh kept me encouraged, claws extended before tearing down its body.
Wounded and shrieking in pain, I had almost sliced through it completely, the wound too severe for it to stand anymore as it laid on its side bleeding out. I raised my back paw, stomping down onto the head as his brain mashed between my paw pads.
I took a few steps away from the body before crumpling to the ground with a whine, withering at the pain my body was feeling while listening to Emily's voice crying for me.
"I miss you..."
Oh Goddess - I miss you too baby.
It was torture listening to her like this, having the feeling that she was merely inches from my touch - it was Hell. I couldn't end the suffering yet, shifting back into my human form meant my connection with Emily would be severed and I would no longer have a piece of her with me.
It was selfish, I know.
That idiot - though stubborn and annoying - was the only motivation for me right now, and I'll be damned if I don't return to her like she wants. I needed to suffer for leaving her and I needed to do it now, ensuring that when we were reunited I could love her properly right away.
"Come back to me."
If only you knew how hard I'm trying, my moon.
I craved for her skin to touch mine, the wolf in me begging to serve and love her and not taking the separation well.
My ears lowered flat against my head as I let out a low whine, belly sinking to the floor as I listened to her voice.
"Speak to me, I'm listening." She wouldn't hear me, but it made me feel a bit better to try everything I could to speak with her. The silence was killing me, why wasn't she saying anything again?
Has my absence - already been dismissed?
That couldn't be it, she sounded upset and broken, much like how I was feeling too. Had they given her time to heal? My lip curled in worry as a low growl rumbled in my throat, my jaws snapping lightly to release some tension. Had they pushed her right away without letting her grieve, there was no telling what kind of state she was in.
Let her speak to me like I was there and she could count on me to fix it, my mind begged to know that I was still needed by her. I wanted Emily to still be counting on me, selfishly knowing that would probably be the most painful thing for her to do.
I just wanted to listen to her, to all of her problems and ranting. I wanted to know who had been there for her in my absence, to make her feel loved and comforted.
I could only beg at this point, "Emily speak to me!"
"I - I can't eat, I can't sleep!"
Her voice hit me like a strike to the body, my breath catching in my throat as I sat frozen to one spot. Those weren't the words I wanted to hear, a sob rattled inside my chest as my haunches shook from the force of it. Emily was hurting, not eating being an issue for her since the start and I worried even more because I wasn't able to help her even when I was there.
"I think I'm dying!"
I snarled in hurt, not able to contain it as I clenched my eyes shut in rage. This is what I deserved for trying to be the hero, the one who finally did something good. I thought that maybe I could outrun my past, lessening the horrible reputation the name Alpha Blood carries - hoping that I could have just been known as Emily's mate. It was a far better title that I didn't deserve to have, yet craved anyway.
I only wanted to be her hero.
Oh God, what have I done?
My body could no longer handle the shared emotions, sinking into my human form as I shoved my knuckles between my teeth to muffle my screams. My canines sank into my skin as the tears began to evaporate from my skin.
"That was impressive, Alpha. Very impressive."
My eyes narrowed as I gritted my teeth, turning my head slightly so that I could side glare at Cain who stood in front of me with a scorching rage. His body was tattered, similar to mine in a red tint as his skin adjusted to the heat. Cain smirked smugly at me as I straightened myself, my muscles flexing with the thought of revenge.
"Fuck man, you look like shit." Cain chuckled.
"Feeling much better now that I get to kick your ass." My hate for this Alpha ran deep within my blood, burning me with a reminder that he had threatened Emily and took her away from me, hurt her and planned to take her life.
That is a death wish he got on his knees and prayed for.
"Before you get too cocky, I can conjure my wolf as well." Cain grinned, leaving me to groan internally. I wasn't expecting his additional power, but it wouldn't be an issue to knock his ego down a few notches, hopefully killing him for good this time too.
"Wonderful." I smiled and rolled my muscles, popping my joints as I loosened my body. "I can kick your wolf's ass too."
That aggravated him, sending him to shift into a demonic wolf form, also similar to my vessel.
I rolled my eyes at the copy, hoping they underestimated the strength needed to conjure both powers. "Easy Cain, I wouldn't want you to tire yourself with all this dramatic climax."
Cain snarled, stalking forward and pressuring me to shift too.
I shifted into my wolf, my demonic markings glowed brightly here, recognizing that we were home. Cain was clearly at a disadvantage, doomed down here after making a deal. I was created here, living amongst the demons who terrorized beings like him.
He's adapting to the heat.
I was born from the flames.
He has no idea who he tried to fuck with.
We charged towards each other, Cain snaking his way to try and bite into my throat but I slid underneath him, nipping at the soft skin of his stomach.
Being an Alpha, hybrid and a sexy old dude, I think I deserve some praise for getting down and dodging a blow that I had not stretched for.
Cain had leaped onto my back, teeth trying to sink past my fur and into my scruff as he dug his claws into my chest and shoulders, reopening old scars that already lingered there. His fangs had torn through my skin and into my muscle, yanking ruthlessly to damage me.
I tore into Cain's paw near my face, his claws retreating before extending to cut the inside of my mouth. I was quicker, more gruesome than he had expected as I took off a couple of his fingers. Those would not be healing back.
We parted from one another to catch a breath, Cain licked at his dismembered paw desperately to stop the bleeding.
I didn't need this time to recover, Cain had underestimated me and thought we were equal. His lungs would continue to scorch with the temperature, I would continue to thrive in my natural habitat.
Racing forward before he could recover, my claws caught against his skin as I tore his face open, damaging his nose so that he couldn't breathe properly from there anymore. He flew away from me with great force, the smell of his blood drawing an ache into my throat in hunger to kill him.
He struggled to stand yet found the strength to rile me even more. "I was so close to having your mate clenching around me, her pleasure and wishing for me to do so practically begged for any male to do so!"
I brought my teeth down on his neck and squeezed enough to cause him pain, slowly locking my jaws tighter and tighter the more he struggled. I would not be giving him this death so easily.
I slung him while he was caged in my teeth, pieces of his neck had torn off and littered around our paws. Cain's skin looked like it had gone through a cheese shredder after I was through with him. He gasped for breath, choking on his blood from underneath me.
"You will be remembered as the fool who tried to fuck with Andrew's mate and died twice because of it." When you had something on the line as precious as what I had, it was all I could do to stop myself from killing anyone who laid their sinful eyes upon her. What no one realized was that I had been craving this ever since finding her, finally getting to have my slaughter fit.
Emily was all mine, they would remember it in all realms.
I forced his mouth open and broke his jaws apart, watching them dangle loosely while his eyes rolled into the back of his head. I tore his tongue from his mouth, shoving it down his splitting throat as I squeezed his last breath out of him.
Emily -
Please forgive the monster I have become.
My body shortened as I shifted, my body shaking from the adrenaline that coursed through me.
"You've impressively defeated over a couple hundred of my army, further than any creation of mine has gone. Five more await you before you can reclaim freedom. They are what you might call, adequate, for this sort of thing."
"Bite me."
I panted, my head craning awkwardly to the side as the bite marks on my neck tried to heal.
"I'd rather not see you destroyed or injured beyond use to me, I want you to realize that this is your true home here and I want you to choose this willingly."
His powers leaked into me with the mere twitch of his fingers, my wounded flesh healing much quicker now as I regained some energy back. I stood from the ground, looking at my skin healing from the bruises and internal damage, shaking my limbs out as I prepared to battle all over again. "That woman is my home now. I refuse to part with her!"
"We will see - " The weight of his laughter began to trail away as I readied to face another opponent, their footfalls heavily pounding in my ears like a drum. My eyes scanned through the darkness, not sure yet the direction the sound was coming from.
The hair on my arms and neck bristled as the aura I dreaded most became recognizable, slowly moving closer until his golden eyes danced among the shadows. I let out a snarl warning him not to come any closer, his long black hair curled at his shoulders exposed him even without my heightened senses.
"You don't look happy to see your father." Zion revealed himself completely to me, his body reeking of power as he circled me and his muscles rolling underneath his skin. One of the last times I had seen him was the night I had found his human vessel after he had slaughtered my Mother years before. It was hard to track him, nothing but my endless bloodlust and loss pushing me to find him. I had grown tremendously when I found him, catching him by surprise and overwhelming him before destroying his connection with the mortals.
"You're not a father to me, Zion." My body trembled at the trauma, the remembrance of my past would always be painful for me, but now it was something that I was trying to move past from - only wanting to be known through my time living with Emily.
"Of course I am, we look just alike." I hated to admit that he was right, we looked very similar with our curly black hair, similar facial features like eyebrows, eyes and jaw. We were even similar in height although he was a little taller and more stocky. He looked down as Cain's corpse, whistling slowly with a smirk. "Apparently we act alike too."
Zion was greatly experienced with life due to having been around since the start of creation itself, he wasn't one to underestimate. He resided here in hell and ruled as a powerful demon among many, waiting for the chance to possess another vessel.
"I am nothing like you." My future would have looked similar to his, had this been the path I had chosen at a younger age. I had liked pack life a lot better and refused to be separated with my mother, never enjoying the nightmares and endless torture, even when I was well into my hundreds.
Zion pressed a little closer, my fists swinging in his direction to keep him away as he teleported through the darkness to overwhelm me. "You could have ruled alongside me as a true king here. Instead you chose to waste away living the life of a dog."
"That sounds fucking tragic." I rolled my eyes, dodging a quick blow to my right before leaping out of that area. Zion looked pissed, stalking towards me as he revealed his position, his horns spiraling towards the front of his head mimicking a bull.
Personally, I thought mine looked better.
"You've gotten soft." His fist flew to catch my jaw, skimming my skin as I raised my leg to kick him away. He stumbled, teleporting to catch his balance right in front of me as he tried to strike me again. "That human has made you soft."
"That human has a name, asshole." I had caught him in the ribs, letting his claws claw down my burn with a painful burn. I threw him off of me with a groan, forcing myself to heal a lot quicker than I usually did. "Emily is everything to me, and I'm learning what's most important by her side."
"Pathetic." Zion grimaced away from what I had become, looking to destroy me completely. "You will always be the worthless half breed mutt you try to run from."
I cocked my head to the side, those words having no control over me now after I had grown to overcome the pain. "You know, I think I may be starting to see the resemblance."
His eyes blazed with rage, his body emitting a red glow as his body warmed and adapted to his true form. "I taught you everything about your powers." His horns had lengthened, eyes going black as he swung harshly at me, missing me barely as I managed to throw myself out of the way. "What makes you think you can beat me?"
"I have everything to gain and nothing left to lose." I had overwhelmed him when I had shifted a few feet away from him, my size enough to distract him enough to miss striking a blow. I jumped on his back, biting deep into his shoulder blades and tearing his shoulder apart. He teleported out from underneath me, I landed on the ground swiftly as my eyes scanned the darkness and licked away Zion's blood on my muzzle.
"You really love this girl?"
"More than anything." I had caught him about the time he had reappeared, the excitement to kill him again made me leap forward too early and he had caught me by the throat, hitting me in the nose before I could kick him away.
Blood oozed from my nose only blending in with Zion's from my snack earlier. His body scorched making it really difficult for my wolf to hurt him without taking damage also. I shifted back into man, letting the anger push my horns to lengthen to their full extension, my curls getting caught on the rough ridges. We looked very similar now, the fire in our eyes burning to out beat the other. I would not be losing this fight today, I had too many counting on me.
Charging forward, I blocked his fist and caught him squarely in the jaw, making him stumble with unbalance away from me. I attacked again, clawing out his eyes so that he would have to stumble in blindness.
Kicking Zion forward while he buckled to his knees, his yelling wouldn't earn him my mercy as I took him by his hair and slammed his face into the ground until he was unrecognizable.
He was choking on his blood, sputtering the ooze out of him as he lamely swung his arms about trying to get a hold on me. "You were never my father." I squeezed the breath out of his body, watching him collapse into a bloodied, grunting mess. He was quiet after a few seconds as I took a seat to watch this moment, his heartbeat no longer ringing in my beast's ears.
One person down. Four more to go.
I'm coming Emily -
Wait for me.