Derek's POV:
"Does anyone wanna try not being completely predictable?" I asked as my betas kept using the same fighting tactics.
As I sat and watched my betas train, Erica sat on my lap and kissed me.
I pushed her off and said, "That's the last time you do that."
"Why?" She retorted with a smirk. "Because I'm a beta?"
"No, because I have someone else in mind for you. And I already have a mate. Don't test her."
Erica rolled her eyes and glared at Ella. In return, Ella growled quietly at Erica.
"Are we done?" Isaac asked impatiently. "I got about a hundred bones that need a few hours to heal."
"Come here," I ordered, breaking another bone. "A hundred and one. You think I'm teaching you how to fight? Huh? Look at me! I'm teaching you how to survive!"
"And how not to get your asses handed to you in a fight against hunters," Ella added, glaring at Erica.
I get the feeling she doesn't like Erica. I wouldn't either, if I'd been her and had seen another guy kiss my mate.
"If they wanted us dead, why aren't they coming for us now?" Isaac asked.
I shook my head. "I don't know. But they're planning something. And you, especially, know that's not our only problem. Whatever that thing is that killed Isaac's father, I think it killed someone else last night. Until you find out what it is, you all need to learn everything that I know. As fast as I can teach you."
Isaac pointed at Ella. "How come you don't have to teach her how to fight?"
"Because I can already fight, dumbass," Ella shot back.
She stalked away, clearly still pissed. Probably about what happened earlier.
I glared at my betas and followed her. She was sitting with her back to me.
I knelt next to her. "Ella?"
She glanced at me and her eyes flicked blue. She threw a rock as she muttered, "I'm angry. At everything."
"That's why you have an anchor. That's why I'm here to help. I can get the triskelion if that will help."
She laughed. "You know that's bologna, right?"
I kissed the top of her head and she sighed.
Erica and Isaac left and Ella decided to stay.
"Aren't you going to school?" I asked.
She fake coughed. "I can't. I'm sick. See?"
I laughed. "That's not even close to convincing. You can't get sick."
She sighed. "I know, but I don't want to go to school."
"Fine by me."
"Really?"
"I'm not your guardian. You just better hope your dad doesn't find out. Let's practice control."
She pouted. "I have enough control."
"Yeah, well, you've been losing control, so we're gonna practice."
Later that night, during the lacrosse game, we made our way to the school. We met up with Stiles in the pool.
"Stiles," I acknowledged.
"Derek," he replied in the same tone.
"What did you see at the mechanics garage?"
"Uh, several alarming EPA violations that I'm seriously considering reporting. Holy God!"
I shifted and growled at him. "Let's try that again."
Ella glared at me and I ignored her.
Stiles sighed. "All right, the thing was pretty sick looking. Um, skin was dark. Kind of patterned. Uh, I think I actually saw scales. Is that enough? Okay, because I've somebody I really need to talk to--hrr." Erica and I threatened him. "All right, fine, eyes. Eyes are, um, yellowish. And slitted. Um, has a lot of teeth. Oh. And it's got a tail, too. Are we good? What? Wait, have you see it? You have this look on your faces like you know exactly what I'm talking about."
Stiles was right. We did know exactly what he was talking about. The creature was right above him.
"Run!" I cried.
"Derek, your neck!" Stiles warned as I suddenly lost all feeling. "Ella! Watch out! Hey, come on. Where is it? Can you see it?"
"I can smell it. Ella, are you okay? Please hurry. Call Scott! Stiles, ah--"
Ella scoffed. "I can't feel my body. That's not a pleasant feeling."
"Where did it go?" Stiles asked. "Do you see it?"
"No," I hissed.
"Okay, maybe it took off."
"Maybe not," Ella retorted angrily.
Stiles managed to get both of us in the water. Ella was hanging from the pool stairs, attempting to be as far away as possible.
"You get us out of here before we drown," I said in an irritated tone.
"You're worried about drowning?" Stiles shot back. "Did you notice the thing out there with multiple rows of razor sharp teeth?"
"Did you notice I'm paralyzed from the neck down in eight feet of water? Ella is hanging on the stairs trying not to drown. If she does, I'll kill you myself."
Stiles looked around the pool area. "Okay. I don't see it."
"Wait, wait, wait, stop, stop," I said, noticing something.
"What's it waiting for?" Ella asked from the stairs.
The creature dipped its toe in the water and jerked it back. "Wait, did you see that? I don't think it can swim."
"Great!" Ella yelled. "Did you see how close it came to me?!"
"It didn't touch you," Stiles retorted, to which Ella huffed.
After a moment, Stiles said, "Okay. Okay, I don't think I can do this much longer."
I realized I was slipping and said, "No, no, no. Don't even think about it."
"Would you just trust me this once?"
"No."
"I'm the one keeping you alive, okay, have you noticed that?"
"Yeah. And when the paralysis wears off, who is gonna be able to fight that thing, you or us? You don't trust me, I don't trust you. You need me to survive, which is why you are not letting me go." He let me go and I cried, "Stiles!"
"If you kill him, I won't hesitate to kill you!" Ella cried.
Stiles picked up the phone. "Scott!"
"Tell me you got him," I said.
"I can't stay up any longer. I need something to hold onto."
He let me fall into the water and I heard Ella yell something, but couldn't make it out.
My eyes closed as I sunk to the bottom of the pool. After maybe a minute or two, though it felt like an eternity, I was pulled up. Ella was sitting on the side as Stiles dragged me to the edge of the pool. Thankfully, the paralysis had finally worn off. I noticed Scott had arrived.
"How are we supposed to figure out what this thing is?" Scott asked.
"It's called a kanima," I replied.
"You knew the whole time," Stiles said angrily.
I shook my head. "No. Only when it was confused by its own reflection."
"It doesn't know what it is," Scott noted.
"Or who," Ella added.
"What else do you two know?" Stiles asked.
"Just stories, rumors," I answered.
"But it's like us?" Scott wondered.
Ella nodded. "A shapeshifter, yes, but it's, it's not right. It's like a--"
"An abomination," Stiles interrupted.
"Derek?" Scott called. "We need to work together on this. Maybe even tell the Argents."
"The Argents?!" Ella exclaimed. "Wow. Brilliant idea."
I half-smiled at Ella's words and turned back to the boys. "You trust them?"
"Nobody trusts anyone!" Scott yelled. "That's the problem. While we're here, arguing about who's on what side, there's something scarier, stronger, and faster than any of us, and it's killing people and we still don't even know anything about it."
As I walked away, I said, "I know one thing. When I find it, I'm gonna kill it."
Ella followed, rubbing her neck. "Being paralyzed sucks. I hate not being able to feel anything."
"Tell me about it. Are you okay?"
She nodded. "I'm okay. Are you?"
"I am."