The meaning of awkward: embarrassing, uncomfortable and unpleasant — three words that summed up this entire situation. Emma had left her to sit and stare at the three males that crowded the room. She wasn't even going to pretend she didn't remember this time. She was not going to pretend that she wasn't attacked by wolves three times the size of her own pet wolf nor was she going to pretend the giant wolf that nearly took Van's head off never happened either.
However, she was going to pretend that she didn't notice Van staring a hole through her head next to her hospital bed or that they didn't stare into each other's eyes for a good portion of time while buried alive. The awkwardness just kept coming wave after wave.
"I... what... what are you, exactly?" she finally asked. Years of living under the same roof and you'd think you knew a person — apparently not because she had no freaking clue about this Titanic-sized secret. Aira was four docks away from paddling up shit-creek at this point.
Drake and Aiden seemed to look every other way but in her general direction. The only one who had the guts to tell her anything was Van. Go figure.
He answered as if it was obvious. "Shifters... or your kind refers to us as werewolves. Degrading..."
Her rapid blinking should have been enough to tell them she had no clue what they were talking about. "Werewolves aren't real," she replied, matter-of-fact. She loved the men in this room with all her heart, but that was so far-fetched even Aira couldn't just sit back and believe it.
Van's hand crept up and squeezed her bandaged arm softly, catching her attention. Aira turned her head and gave him a puzzled expression. After a moment, she snatched her arm away as if it burned. She couldn't help but notice Van's face fall into a dark expression as he snatched her arm back, squeezing it in iron like grip.
Drake shot up out of his chair when he noticed his daughter flinch. "Van..." he warned.
Van flipped her arm and with a scowl, muttered, "You need to change this." He showed Aira the blood seeping through the bandages on her injury.
Aira frowned and tenderly took her arm back. "This is a mean joke," she muttered as she turned her head away from them.
The arm that shot out and grabbed her chin made Aira gasp in fright. Van's hand tightened as he pulled her face closer to his, his grip like iron as he stared into her eyes. Through the murky brown color of his iris, Aira could instantly tell these were nothing but contacts as the gold shined through.
Has Van always worn eye contacts? she thought to herself. Now that she really thought about it, the way the light often shined off of her father's eyes had always been odd. She always knew her father wore contact lenses, but Aira had thought it was because he had bad eyesight. She supposed that was just another lie she was told over the years.
Her face was inches from Van's. She knew her father was watching them carefully. She could almost feel the tension when Van's face tilted away from hers, giving Aiden a quick glance.
"Pup, show her," he commanded, leaving no room for discussion. Aira vaguely remembered Van calling her brother "pup" when they were kids, but that memory had been lost as she grew older.
Aiden's face paled. "Me?" he asked, visibly dumbfounded by the very notion of Van's demand. "Why me?"
Drake's body had visibly slackened from his angry stance when he realized what Van was trying to do. Shaking his head, he looked to Aiden and chuckled, "Well, considering you're the least scary version of us, I have to take Van's side." He stayed closed to Aira.
Van smirked when Aiden huffed in defeat. Aira wasn't sure what they were talking about, but she certainly wasn't thrilled to find out.
"Lock the door." Aiden's face showed defeat, and Drake moved to lock the door. They didn't need a nurse to come wondering in when they were in the middle of this little show, Aira supposed.
As soon as they heard the lock click, Van let go of her face, and she turned to watch Aiden. His eyes were closed as if he was concentrating on something and then she all but screamed in terror as she moved towards Van. The man caught her just before she fell out of the bed but put his hands on either side of her head to keep her focused on Aiden. His grip like before was like the Jaws of Life as she tried to look away. Her back was to his chest, and she could feel him chuckling softly at her reaction.
Aiden's teeth had sharpened into canines. His eyes turned to slits like cats. His nails grew into razor sharp claws and even his skin seemed to look thicker, rougher and not... human. If that wasn't supposed to be as scary as what Van and her father could turn into, then she was grateful they had picked Aiden.
"The only difference with Drake and I is we can control what we want to change..." she heard Van mutter and tilting her head when his grip loosened, noticed his fingernails were now sharp, dangerous claws scraping against her temples. They looked even scarier than Aiden's if that were even possible.
She was thankful her father stepped in when he did. Otherwise, she might have passed out again. "Okay, that's enough," he snapped, eyeing Van more so than Aiden. "You're both scaring her."
Aira tried to push the thought away that Van was actually enjoying her reaction. She supposed this was some sort of sick payback for how she treated him over the phone days prior. If that were so, she was glad she had hung up on him.
After her father had stepped in everything was back to normal. They even looked human again, almost, anyway.
Aira had to regain her composure or risk stuttering when she muttered disdainfully, "Next thing you know, you're going to tell me you're a hundred years old." This was insane!
She almost hit the button and called for a nurse when Van and Drake swapped amused looks. "Two hundred, was it?" Drake asked, trying to hide a small laugh.
Van's tone was bored as if he were asked the same question often. "I thought you were keeping count?"
Aira watched in horror as they seriously tried to do the math, determining their age. She was too stunned to even register Aiden's voice as he said, "You know you're old when a doctor and a businessman can't calculate those numbers."
Van didn't find that funny. "Watch it, pup, or you won't live long enough to call yourself old."
Aiden made a zipping motion over his lips and sat back down with a grin. What really made Aira nervous was that they couldn't even remember the year they were born. She made a promise that if BC were in that number, she would make a run for it.
As Drake and Van argued between each other about the years they were born — they were tossing up between 1780 and 1812 — Aira felt Van absentmindedly place his hand on the crown of her head, as if subconsciously trying to calm her down. She looked up and realized she was right. He was still talking to her father as if she didn't exist.
Aira didn't get the chance to think much more about the situation when an uninvited visitor stormed into her hospital room, breaking the lock on the door while they were at it. Her gaze was fully fixed on the gorgeous raven-haired woman as she moved to stand in front of Van, waving a newspaper in front of his face. The woman's frown and creased eyebrows let Aira know Jillian hadn't come to wish her a fast recovery.
Van didn't seem as thrilled to see her as he snatched it out of her hand and growled, "It's good to see you too, Jillian. I'm fine, thank you for asking."
Aira would have giggled at his sarcastic response if not for her brain still panicking about this... werewolf identity crisis with her family.
"Oh, yes, Van, it's great to see you, but pardon my French when I say, you are so far up shit creek right now that you better know how to fucking swim!" she spat, her chocolate eyes burning with annoyance at his nonchalant expression. "Look at that New York bestseller." She turned to take her fury out on Drake next and snapped, "And you! I warned you about shifting, but no, you decided to go rogue and get all our asses on a front page spread!"
Aira felt Van's hand snake away from her head to look at the newspaper he had snatched from Jillian. Aira knew why Jillian was so hostile when she peeked over and saw the cover. She determined that giant beast she had seen was no dream. The proof was staring at her like a hungry lion.
Unexplainable Oddity Hit's Washington.
The article was full of pictures ranging from the giant wolf that had almost chomped Van's head off, the wolves that had attacked her at the school, the destroyed school building, and lastly... her face as Van carried her from their tomb of rubble.
"You're very lucky my father made a deal with the editors to not show your face, Van. Other than that, they wouldn't budge from printing this... this... horror story!" Jillian was more than ready to slap him in the face as Drake tried but failed to calm the ticking bombshell down. Aira could tell this just by Jillian's shaking fists.
Van ignored Jillian as he stared at the article for some time and then, finally, turned the article to show it to Aira. His equanimity surprised everyone as he asked her, "Do you like that picture?" He pointed to the picture of her, disheveled, scared, and covered in dirt and a little blood.
Well, she couldn't deny it wasn't a front pager for Seventeen Magazine. The girl, barely surviving their earlier discussion, shook her head stupidly. "Um... not really?"
Jillian was about ready to shoot herself in the head. "Van, please... please, just for today, take this seriously. You can't threaten your way out of this one!" she begged.
"Well, people have already seen it, Jill. It's too late to get them to retract anything," Drake mused, trying to defuse the whole situation.
"You..." Jillian's blazing eyes had set their sights on Aira who had happily gone unnoticed up until this point. "What the fuck did you do to piss off Ronan? In fact, the last time I saw you, you were dumber than a doorknob and couldn't even speak without a damn stutter," Jillian hissed, her intentions clear that she simply wanted to point the finger of blame at everyone and anyone. "I knew you would cause us trouble and look what has happened!"
Her father was already in protection mode as he pulled Jillian back. "Hey, that's enough. She's just a kid," he snapped. Aira was aware her father was much nicer with his words than the way his face darkened let on.
Aiden jumped up, ready to defend his sister. "Hey, chill out, lady. She didn't do anything."
The woman's face was anything but stunning as she spat, "You followed Van around like a lost puppy for years. He treated you well enough and now, look where it got him!"
She looked more than happy to go on with her rant; that is until Van stood from his seat. His face was a haunting swell of rage, but Aira had a feeling Jillian had been in the warpath of far worse when it came to Van. She ripped her arm from Drake's hold and stood tall in front of the fuming man.
Her smile was wicked as she calmly said, "Are you going to hit me, Van? Choke me, perhaps? Or, better yet, you'd prefer me on my back in your bed like all those other bitches you control?"
Her eyes were on Aira as she spat that last question, and Aira, although not certain, could have sworn a flash of jealousy darken Jillian's face.
Van's smirk was intimidating as his face turned cold, something Aira had remembered seeing when he busted into that classroom to save her, and growled, "Well... if you insist, Jillian."
Aira could have sworn her father was anticipating this reaction as he warned, "Van... don't..." He sounded nervous, and that made Aira nervous.
Van ignored Drake's warning as his hand bolted out, grabbing Jillian by the back of her hair, and spun her around. She let out a loud yelp as he then started to drag her out of the hospital room. Nurses and doctors in the hall got out of Van's way as he dragged the screaming and thrashing woman roughly down the hall. Aira could hear the thundering kicking sounds her legs made down the hallways.
His voice was filled with dark humor as he grunted, "If you wanted to be on your back, all you had to do was say so the first time."
Aira watched as her father flew out of the room, chasing after Van. Aiden was about to follow when Aira snapped, "Aiden, a little help here!"
She was halfway out of bed and couldn't walk on her own due to her sprained ankle, an injury that happened when she fell trying to escape out the window during the attack. Aiden, conflicted on what he should do, caved and went to aid her. Aira slung her arm around Aiden's shoulder as he helped her out of the room. Although the situation was chaotic, Aira couldn't help but notice that even though Aiden had grown, he still felt the same. He even smelled the same. She had missed that smell of fresh grass and summer mornings.
When they entered the hall, it was worse than she had thought. Van still had an iron grip on Jillian's hair, nearly ripping it out, while Drake had stopped his departure by grabbing onto the arm Van was pulling her with. They seemed to be yelling back and forth; Drake telling him to let her go while Van simply replied with growls and threats.
By this point, Aira had enough of this insanity. First, they had dropped an unbelievable bombshell of a secret on her, and then she was accused and her intelligence insulted by Jillian, and now, this? If this were a common occurrence between her hero and Drake, she wondered how her mother dealt with it.
Slipping away from Aiden, Aira winced as she limped towards the scene, overhearing a nurse call security as she did so. She had to do something fast before her father and Van were hauled off in a police cruiser.
As soon as she reached them, Aira grabbed hold of Van's shirt and stared up at him. Any rational girl would have slapped him, but Aira couldn't dream of mustering enough backbone to do that to a man she adored, so she did the next best thing — she yelled at him.
"Van, let her go!"
She felt his growl rumble through his chest. "Go back to the room."
He couldn't be serious? "No, you should never put your hands on a lady! My hero, the man I respect, would never do that!"
To her utter surprise and relief, Van let go of Jillian completely. She crawled away from him as fast as she could until her back hit the wall. Aira continued to stare up into Van's enraged eyes before he ripped his arm away from her father and used it to gently push Aira away.
Van pushed past her as he made his way down the hall, muttering, "I'm not your damned hero... get back to your bed," before making his escape.
Aira sighed as she watched him go, confused and baffled by what she had just witnessed.
Drake looked as if he were feeling the same way. "Aira—"
"I don't remember him being like that," she whispered sadly.
Her father frowned. "You idolized him. That's why. You were the only person he never... well, went crazy in front of. Even though he'd never admit it, I think he liked the respect and adoration you showed. But Van has always had problems with his temper, something Jillian knew," he finished with a compassionate look towards the nearly hysterical woman on the floor.
She was ashamed to say it out loud, but she still adored him. She was angry with him for leaving and for doing what he did to Jillian, but she still put him on that pedestal so high up that no one could even compare. Perhaps, now, that she was older, he didn't see her as this innocent little girl anymore. Perhaps, he wanted to show her what he was capable of.
Aira took a deep breath as she limped to Jillian and reached her hand out to help her up. The proud woman simply slapped Aira's hand away and laughed, but it was far from humorous.
"You think you can heal his demons? No one can fix Van Volkov. He's a monster with a handsome face. He's no hero, honey," she snapped, venom lacing her tone.
Aira's mouth formed a straight line as she let her father help her catch her footing. "I hope he didn't hurt you, Jillian."
She faintly heard Jillian say, "Yeah..." before her father led her back to her room.
However, before she entered her room, she looked back and smiled. "Jillian, I may be a lot of things, but I'm not dumb, not anymore, anyway." She added that last part; referring to her blindness when it came to a secret that was so obvious it basically slapped her in the face with hints and clues. She asked her father if, after he had helped her back into bed, he could make sure Jillian was okay.
Just as Drake was about to help her to bed, she froze, feeling bile rise in her throat. "I'm gonna puke," she moaned.
Aiden barely made it to her with a vomit bag before she threw up the few contents she had in her stomach. Maybe their confession along with witnessing Van's temper for the first time had a much worse effect on her then she had originally thought.
*******
Aira sighed as she finally had the chance to just relax in her own bed, in her own house, in her own bedroom. Despite her wolf, Vaughn, having a bit of a hurt paw, he was as good as new in the days she had been away. She was thankful for that. It seemed he was just as happy she was home as she was to be home.
However, Emma hadn't been too thrilled when she learned of Van's outburst. Actually, she hadn't been thrilled until Drake had explained what Jillian had said to set him off in the first place. Emma had been ranting for hours over Jillian's audacity and gall to accuse her daughter of bringing this upon herself. Aira had no idea who this Ronan was or what she had done to make him angry. For heaven's sake, she barely left the house as it was!
Van was different, very different from what Aira remembered. He looked rundown and tired, albeit still handsome. She still looked up at him and remembered seeing the strongest man she had ever known.
"You think you can heal his demons? No one can fix Van Volkov. He's a monster with a handsome face. He's no hero, honey."
Jillian's words continued to run through her mind on a repeated loop. Aira had remembered Jillian from when she was a child. The only times Aira had come into contact with her was when Van was around. Jillian was like Van and her father — a shifter. It made sense that she was always around Van; she must have been his girlfriend at the time or even still.
A pang of jealousy raced through Aira's chest as she thought about it. The sudden emotion startled her, as she'd never been jealous of women around Van before. For all she knew, he could have had many girlfriends back in Russia. He was a very handsome man after all.
"Or, better yet, perhaps, you'd prefer me on my back in your bed like all those other bitches you control?"
"If you wanted to be on your back, all you had to do was say so the first time."
A deep blush crept up onto Aira's face and chest as she threw herself into her pillow, screaming bloody murder into it as she thought more of what they had said to each other. "Bad thoughts, bad thoughts, bad thoughts!" she chanted, embarrassed.
True to her word, she was by no means dumb, and Aira knew exactly what they had meant. She knew exactly what sex was, but sex and Van in the same thought seemed to both tarnish her childish idolization and make her stomach churn in excitement. By now, her teenage mind had turned to thinking of Van with his shirt off and...
She screamed louder into the pillow, trying to wipe those thoughts completely from her mind. This was wrong on so many different levels, and she was already on level fifty. Fifty more to go until she was officially in Van Naked-Ville.
Van naked...
"Jesus Christ, brain, why?" she cried. She tried to block out the automatic Emma voice in her head that reprimanded her for using the lord's name in vain.
Thinking about Van with his shirt off — or everything off, more like it — and the fact he wasn't even human to boot made this all the more confusing. She was an awkward teenage girl living in a world that wasn't all it appeared to be. The only thing that kept her from puking from the stress once more was trying not to think about everything she had just been thinking about. Easier said than done...
The knock on her door made her jump and almost fall out of her bed. It was difficult to lower her voice when she answered, "Come in!" A cough at the end wasn't any less suspicious.
The person she had just been thinking about, well, more like drooling over, was the same person who stood at her door. Van looked hesitant to enter, but his face was stoic as always. His attire surprised Aira, as she was always used to seeing him in expensive fancy suits. Van always looked like he was going somewhere important, but today, he simply wore a pair of black denim jeans, black shirt and a leather jacket that looked just as expensive as his suits. She supposed he wasn't a businessman twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, despite it seeming that way.
"You're not naked," she blurted out, giving him a once over. Then, it clicked.
God, I know you failed before, but it's okay, you can kill me now! she thought desperately.
His brow shot up as he leaned against the doorframe. "No, I'm not." He nodded, and after staring at her for a moment, he asked, "Should I be?"
She wondered if she could move fast enough to throw herself out the window. "No, no, clothes are good! I like clothes!"
Idiot.
She couldn't help but notice he looked a lot more relaxed today. She had always remembered him having a constant glare; always looking annoyed and never smiled. Since his return, he showed more emotion in his face. Perhaps, being in Russia had been good for him.
He kept his distance, much to Aira's gratitude. Finally, after a few agonizing minutes, he spoke, "Are you coping well?"
She nodded. "As well as I can, I guess," she laughed nervously. In fact, she most probably wasn't coping well at all. "At least, Halloween will be funnier this year..." she tried to joke.
It seemed he didn't find it as funny as she did because he turned around and started to head downstairs. "Come on, get your ass up, we'll be late."
Ah, there was the Van she remembered. Her embarrassment was replaced with curiosity as she shot up off of her bed to follow. "What? Where are we going?"
He didn't give any clues away as he said, "Human's shouldn't ask too many questions."
So now her nickname had been replaced with "human" instead of "girl." Lovely.
As she followed him down to his car, she instantly replied with, "I didn't know old men were so cocky."
He didn't miss a beat. "You should speak up. This old man didn't hear that little remark."
She gulped when he turned to look at her, his eyes instantly flashing with anger and amusement, something that caught her completely off guard.
She shook her head. "Nothing, just talking to myself..."
"Thought so," he muttered as he opened the driver's side door.
She got into the passenger side, instantly feeling giddy when the smell of his cologne hit her. She had never been in a car with Van before, and now, she knew why her parents never let her get into a car with Van. He was a speed freak.
She sat back into the leather seats as she held on for dear life. She was too busy concentrating on not dying when she asked, "Have you ever considered anger management?"
This question only seemed to make him drive faster. "I wonder if the garage fixed that airbag on your side," he said with a nonchalant tone.
If Aira was all red before, she didn't have to worry because she was certainly pale now. "Point taken..."
"About that," he muttered, eyes trained on the road as he swerved in and out of traffic, "I should speak to Jillian. It was inappropriate of me."
Aira couldn't help but get the feeling that that was as close as an apology she was going to get. He certainly didn't look remorseful.
"You have a choice, Aira," he suddenly said, a serious expression washing over his face.
Aira looked at him. "A choice?"
He nodded. "Drake and Emma are coming back to Russia with me, for their safety. You have a choice whether you'd like to stay or leave with them."
Her eyes widened as the car slowed down. Leave the only home she'd ever known? Go to Russia? "Russia...?"
The car had, by now, come to a complete stop on the curb of a little, quiet street. Looking around, she didn't recognize where they were until she spotted her mother, father, Aiden and even Susan standing in the driveway of a little suburban house.
"Van, where are we?" A sinking feeling in her stomach was all she needed to know that this wasn't right.
He was already getting out of the car when he answered. "You should know, you used to live here, little one."