Rozelynn's P.O.V.
"Roze call Azalea, she's worried about you, ask her to spend the night." Mother said after the cops were gone. Nick would know what to tell the cops and we would both be in the clear. I grabbed my cell phone from the pile of 'evidence' and dialed Azalea's number. She answered on the second ring.
"Hello?" She asked warily.
"You've been my best friend for years...why don't you come spend the night. And I'll tell you what I can." I promised.
"Roze! You're back!" She shrieked. "I'll be right over." She fumbled and dropped the phone. "Sorry I just have to get some stuff."
"Bye Azalea, get your stuff and come on." I laughed slightly. I hung up and she pulled into my driveway ten minutes later. I opened the door, she flung herself from the car and ran up the porch steps. She reached out and stopped just short of hugging me. I hugged her, she embraced me gently. "Come on, we'll go to my room." She locked the car with the remote and followed me up the stairs.
"What happened to you. I knew you didn't run away."
"First and foremost let me say I hate trees! Don't get me wrong I don't want people to cut them down but if I ever have to go camping in the woods, you can forget it." I growled.
"Trees did this to you?" She asked. "How did you not see them?" She asked.
"Let me start at the beginning. Remember the party three nights ago?" She nodded.
"And Cole the cute college jock!" She giggled.
"Yeah and him...I no longer trust blonde jocks either, especially not the cute flirty ones." I sighed. "Listen Cole followed me home after the party and he dragged me off. I know it's hard to believe but he's not who you think he is. They took me somewhere and he kept talking about the full moon. They held me until tonight, and told me I had to run because whoever caught me could have me. I spent an hour and a half running through the rainy forest starting at true dark...meaning about 9:30. It's eleven now. If I hadn't made it to the road I don't know what they would have done. It wasn't just some game, not to them." I admitted.
"That's insane...what were they thinking?" She gasped.
"Well there was an upside at the end." I smiled softly. "I got to ride in an amazing car with a cute guy, one that I actually know something other than his name. You know anyone who's tall black-haired, lean, broad-shouldered, great looking, drives a '69 Camero?" I asked.
"Not that I can think of once you add the car." She wrinkled her nose and cocked her head to the side. "Give me some more clues."
"He's cynical, keeps to himself, he has a job." I smiled. "And he's totally not into me...I don't think. He's nineteen." I admitted. "Want to go get some coffee tomorrow?"
"Sure...in the morning?" She asked.
"Nope, in the evening, maybe about 4?" I answered.
"Nick?" She gasped. "You're crushing on Nick?" She giggled. "He is cute! What did you talk about in the car."
"How he was going to be thrown under the jail because of me...and how I nearly ended up cut to ribbons." I rolled my eyes. "I told him what happened and then he started ragging on me."
"Mmm. Cynical and caring about people."
"I don't think he believed me when I said I would see him around the coffee shop." I teased. I looked at her over my shoulder.
"Did he get arrested?" She asked.
"For about point two seconds...well just long enough for them to read him his rights."
"Oh a bad boy, cuffed and Mirandized? That's sexy!" She giggled.
"Azalea! You can't have him either, the police told him to 'watch himself around the young girls'." I laughed. "But he is fine! And totally fair game...for me. If he shoots me down completely and you're not with Drake, you can make a play for him. But since you are with Drake he's all mine." I yawned. "I'm probably going to sleep 'til noon anyways."
"You really do need to sleep." She agreed.
Nick's P.O.V.
I drove to my small apartment, I headed straight to the shower and then dumped my clothes in the washing machine trying to purge her scent from my things. I padded into the living room and flopped down in my leather recliner. I wasn't surprised when a they knocked on my door. I muted the television and let Cole, Lisa, and Ivan in. Cole grabbed one arm and Ivan took the other one as they dragged me back into the apartment. "Well hello Nick." Lisa laughed.
"Hello Lisa, Cole, Ivan, what's the matter?" I asked.
"Oh don't play coy...Or better yet do. That makes it so much more fun." I saw the silver talons that she slid on her fingers. I didn't even bother protesting.
"How old are you Ivan? How long have been a Wolf?" I asked with a small laugh.
"Going on twenty years. And you little boy?" He sneered.
"What about you Lisa?" I asked.
"Twenty-five. And you?"
"Well that's great Cole...sexual favors get you promotions in the pack? We all know that Ivan here has a thing for the boys." I growled. Lisa punched me the silver claws cutting into my lip. Ivan grabbed a fist full of my hair jerking my head back.
"Nick, you ARE going to answer our questions. Other than that keep your mouth shut." Cole ordered.
"One more thing...Why is that these two are here with you? You're alpha can't you just order me to answer you? Oh wait...I forgot, age kind of has a factor in that." I laughed.
"Lisa start the questions." Cole ordered.
"Did you know the prey?" Lisa asked, pressing the silver into my arms.
"The only prey I see here seems to be me." I taunted. She slashed my chest with once quickly.
"So you don't want to answer that one...Did you help her escape?" She asked her voice firm.
"I'm still here aren't I, though I would appreciate it if you didn't refer to me as a girl. Thank you kindly." I gritted my teeth as she dragged the talons excruciatingly slowly down my back.
"You like that? Did you help the girl escape?" She growled.
"I don't see any girls here...you certainly aren't one. Transsexuals don't count in my books." I scoffed. She started hitting my face repeatedly, my lips gushed silver tainted blood. I sucked the blood into my mouth holding it.
"Did you save the girl?" She growled punctuating it with another slash across my chest. I held my tongue in check this time. "Now you don't want to talk?" She struck me again.
"Answer the questions Nick. It would be a lot less painful." I turned to Cole and smiled. He glared and I spit the tainted blood directly into his eyes. He screamed and batted at his eyes. Lisa and Ivan froze, and then released me. I pooled more blood in my mouth waiting for one of them to attack. I Guessed it would be Lisa but she was too concerned with Cole. Ivan jumped at me.
"Target practice boys." I smiled and got the tainted blood in his eyes and all down his face. "Do come back for another lovely chat children. I do enjoy them very much." I waved with a maniacal grin stretched across my face as Lisa dragged them from my apartment. I locked the door behind them and washed the wounds with rubbing alcohol. I hissed silently as it stung even worse than the silver. My eye was black and my lips would still be split and swollen by morning. I went and crawled into bed feeling nauseas from the silver.
I would have to take my shift tomorrow or risk getting fired, which I couldn't afford. I laid there in bed waiting for sleep to come, hoping I wouldn't vomit. If I planned to keep some semblance of sanity, please let me not puke. This wasn't the first time I had silver poisoning, but this was started to seem like it would be the last time. I groaned and shifted aver so slightly so that nothing pressed against the scrapes. If I lived through this, I was going to kill someone...okay maybe not literally. What the hell, I could kill Cole and Ivan for holding me. A knock sounded on the door yet again, I eased to my feet and opened the door slightly so that I could hide behind it. I didn't expect Sybil to be standing there.
"Going to let me in?" She asked impatiently. I eased the door open and heard her sharp cry of disbelief. "I heard they were coming to visit you but I didn't think you would be this bad." I turned my back to her to show her the extent.
"All laced with silver." I paused. "Shut the door please...Lisa's pissed."
"You didn't answer?" She asked.
"I gave answers alright...just not the ones they wanted. I discovered that Lisa doesn't like being referred to as transsexual and Ivan and Cole don't like implications about the two of them being homo with each other." I lowered myself into the recliner.
"No wonder your so bad off!" She groaned. "You saved the girl...I can't go against Cole's orders. She was innocent."
"I know Sybil, don't worry." I smiled. "I do have a question...What does silver tainted blood do to the eyes?" I asked.
"Did it get in your eyes?" She demanded, I smiled innocently.
"Not my eyes...Cole's and Ivan's." I shrugged. "They busted my lips with silver. I got mad and spit in their eyes." I laughed sounding a smidgen on the insane side.
"Nutcase!" Sybil groaned. "Did you clean the wounds?"
"With rubbing alcohol. It's just the silver poisoning that's bad, it'll be better in the morning." I smiled. "I've got to sleep it off, I have the evening shift tomorrow." I admitted.
"I'll come see you." She offered.
"Don't Sybil, you're one of the good guys but in trying to keep the bad ones away it's dangerous for you to be there. And I don't want my boss killed. I need him in case what little pretense of sanity I have left slips, I know the pack wouldn't man up and take me down." I warned.
"The girl, you know her don't you?" She asked.
"I know that she didn't deserve to be hunted in the first place. She never harmed anything, and I couldn't let the charges for murder fall on me." I lied. "It's I who live in the same town."
"Fair enough." She smiled.
"You thought I had fallen for her?" I demanded. "Sybil, how stupid do you think I am? Why would I love something that I could not be ever again...why would I?" I asked.
"You could make her one of us." She pointed out. I barked a laugh.
"You're killing me Sybil!" I laughed harder. "You'll soon learn that babysitting me isn't going to be fun. Go home...I'm going to bed." I called. She shook her head and let herself out. I locked the door and dragged myself back to bed. My head hit the pillows and the next thing I knew my alarm was shrieking in my ear.
I punched it into silence and gritted my teeth, screaming into my pillow as I pushed myself from the bed. I could barely stand getting up, how was I supposed to wear clothing? I rushed through a cold shower hoping to ease some of the pain and swelling. One look in the mirror told me I was better off crawling back in bed, I looked like got the losing end of a fist fight. As long as you didn't see my back or chest, my shift started in an hour. I had slept 'til 1 in the evening...courtesy of the silver poisoning. I carefully pulled a t-shirt on and then slipped into low-slung, snug, black jeans. I pulled on my motorcycle-boots so I didn't have to lace them. I grabbed the keys from their designated hook and slid sunshades over my black eye.
When I arrived the boss, Adrian, was waiting. "You're on time!" He called before I was out of the car. "To what do I owe this honor?" He asked sarcastically. I slid out of the car carefully hauling myself up. He gasped silently. "What happened to you?" He demanded.
"Let's just say 'no good deed goes unpunished'." I muttered. "I'm here, you should be happy, I'm working today." I mused. I followed him through the back door and hung my shades on my apron hook as I pulled it on.
"It looks as if you got hit by a train." He shook his head.
"I would say it felt like it too, but in reality it feels more like being ran over by a diesel." I answered. "But hey thanks for the vote of confidence."
"Can you mind the counter by yourself for a few hours?" He asked.
"Sure let me clock in." I rolled my eyes as soon as my back was turned. The lunch hour was over and it was time to open the front door again. Sybil was the first one through the door...I groaned out loud.
"Well hello to you too, Nick." She teased. "I'll have a cinnamon cappuccino." She smirked.
"You can take it to your table all by yourself." I growled.
"Hey, be a little more appreciative! It could be Selene, who was charged with babysitting you cynical, realist crap. And you know she would tell them your every move. Personally I don't care what you do." She grumbled.
"And I have customers." I pointed out handing her the drink. Sybil was pretty, blonde, slender, tanned, and curvy...which didn't go with the rest of her. A bit top heavy too be honest, which was all well and good for some people. She had no personality. She sat in the corner and watched me carefully. Then she walked through the door. I groaned internally as her brunette friend giggled and pulled her towards the counter. Rozelynn was thin, pale, with green eyes, deep auburn hair, and gentle feminine curves that could captivate any males attention. She was actually good looking for a human, her friend was cute in a delicate pixie-like way. I reached for a napkin and quickly scribbled a note to her.
Roze,
We can't talk now, I'm being babysat. Be careful of the blonde in the corner. She's the least likely to get her tail in a knot, but fair warning is called for. I'll explain later, they figured out what happened. Watch your back and be careful who you party with.
Nick.
"Don't say a word." She hissed at her friend who smiled flintily.
"What can I get you?" I asked looking up quickly. Roze eyes widened.
"What happened?" Her friend asked. I laughed.
"I met the wrong end of someone's fist...what can I get you?" I asked again.
"Azalea...? Whatever, I'll have a double chocolate chip frappé. Sorry my friends an airhead." She growled.
"I'll have a caramel frappé." She glared at me. I fixed their drinks and folded the note and another napkin over her drink, and passed it off. I folded a blank napkin over Azalea's. They sat at one of the tables in front of the windows. She found the note.