The Secrets of Virginia
Chapter 1: The Same Old, Same Old
He heard the scream from the other end of the house. As he ran for his bedroom, he had an idea of what he'd find. He skidded across the kitchen linoleum and crashed into the kitchen table.
Damn, he thought, I wish she wouldn't have cleaned and waxed that today!
"Thomas Warren Colby!" he heard his mother screech as he hit what he considered sturdy ground- carpet- again.
He bolted for his room and found his mother waiting outside the last door of the hallway- his.
Oh shit, he thought.
When he entered the room, his mother escorted him to the closet. His closet door was wide open, which it hadn't been before he had left his room. Bailey Forrester, his girlfriend of about four months, took a nervous step out of his closet. Her hazel eyes, which were usually glinting with life and mischief, were now wide with fright.
Thomas, or- as everyone else called him- Fang reached out and gently took her hand in his.
"It's okay," he said, "I won't leave you alone with her. I'm here."
"It most certainly is NOT okay," his mother growled, "Get her out of my sight. NOW!"
"C'mon, I'll take you home," he said, leading Bailey towards the door to the hallway.
"No you won't!" his mother called after him.
"Look," he replied, dropping his girlfriend's hand momentarily and whirling around to give his mother an icy glare, "I've dealt with you for eighteen years of my life. EIGHTEEN, MOTHER! I've had enough! I've got a job, so I can save up my money. It's time I get a place of my own."
"What, so you can have your little slut over whenever you please?" she hissed.
"First of all," he said, stepping closer to her, so all six foot two inches of him could glare down at her, "she's NOT a slut! And second of all, so you can't control my life anymore. I'm not a kid anymore, okay?"
His voice had gotten eerily quiet at the last two sentences. Once again, he took Bailey's hand and headed for the door. His mother called out after him, but he kept walking.
"You walk out through that front door, young man, and you won't be coming back!" she warned.
"I'm a man, not a young man," he said as he continued to walk, "And I WILL be coming back for my stuff. Oh, and by the way, I see why dad walked out on you. I guess you were ALWAYS a bitch."
Then, he opened the door and escorted his girlfriend out to his car, a 2002, black, Pontiac Firebird Formula, after slamming the door behind him.
"Damn, babe, what're you going to do?" Bailey asked Fang, placing her hand over his on the clutch as he drove through the deserted streets of the small town of Virginia, Illinois.
The town only had eighteen hundred people, and most of those were the students of Virginia Elementary- even though the school taught pre-school through twelfth grade.
"I don't know," he replied, "Gabriel's still living with his parents too. I'm sure the only girls that are on their own, from our pack, would take me in: Jo, Katie, Gwen, Lilah, or Jade. Plus, there's you, if you really wanna get into this- just keep in mind you don't have to."
"What about the guys?" she asked.
"Well, Caleb and Lucien are the only two still at home other than Gabriel, so that leaves Billy, Axle, Rafe, Ulf, Johnny, Jordan, Travis, and Davy."
"See, you've got several to choose from."
"Yeah, but I refuse to stay with a girl. Don't get me wrong, I mean I LOVE to see them in their jammies," he teased, "But seriously, if I stay with one of the girls, they'll think I like them or want to be their mate or something…"
He trailed off, leaving her to fill in the blanks. She let her claws grow and sank them into the hand he had over the clutch. He grimaced and pulled back.
"Jesus! I was only kidding, Bay," he cried.
She grinned and retracted her claws. She loved it when he called her that. Only he was allowed to call her that. She wouldn't even allow her parents or siblings to.
"That's better," she said.
"Anyway, I would rather stay with someone who lived in the country, so I could go for runs at night," he continued.
"It must be nice," she commented.
"I used to with dad, when we lived in the country. Anyhow, that brings me down to Travis, Axle, Billy, or Davy."
"Well, you better figure out soon, or you'll be crashing at my place tonight."
"Oh we'd be doing more than just crashin', babe. I'd give you a few reasons to howl."
"Oh you would, would you?"
"Definitely," he replied, grinning at her.
"Well, keep in mind it's our first day of in a couple of weeks."
He groaned. Usually SHE caused him to groan. She didn't know how she felt about this. Either way, it still made her shiver with delight. She wondered what tonight would bring.
"Hey, it's only six. You wanna grab some pizza at T.O.'s?" he asked her.
"Yeah, sure," she replied eagerly.
They both lived downtown, right by the square of the not-so-busy, little town. They had driven around for about then minutes, since they had left his house, before heading back up town to T.O.'s.
It was the local pizza place, the place where all the high schoolers went after dances or games. It had a green sign on the front with white letters bordered in red. There were only about nine or ten tables- with either two or four chairs at each one- and some cheesy quarter prize venders, plus a gumball machine and a salad bar. The best part was the back room, the one with the red carpet, where everybody used it to throw parties.
They went in and ordered a large pepperoni pizza and a couple sodas. Then, they sat at a table in the corner by the window while they waited. He watched her sip her Pepsi from a straw, while he drank some of his own. She noticed him watching and gave him a smile. He smiled back.
Fang considered himself lucky. All the guys wanted Bailey, especially the ones from the pack. But yet, he had her. She was everything: beautiful, smart, funny, flirty, and yet also tomboyish. She was on his swim team and played powder-puff football every year. She was also seventeen, a year younger than him, and they'd be starting their senior year of high school in a couple of weeks. She also had those amazing hazel eyes, which complimented her fairly short, pixie styled, black hair and her medium toned skin.
"Hey, Fang, pizza's here," she told him.
He jumped. He hadn't noticed anyone bring the pizza.
"Right," he said, grabbing a plateful, "FOOD, at long last!"
She giggled, before blowing on her food to help cool it down. She watched him eat, while she did, taking in the sight of him. She loved his hair! It was black with a few blood red colored highlights through it, and it came down a little below his shoulders, by maybe an inch or two. It usually felt so smooth and soft to the touch. And his eyes! God, his eyes were dark brown, and they almost always had a gleam of mischief in them. His skin was a nice tan color too, and she knew that under that black Nirvana t-shirt he was wearing, there was a miraculously chiseled six pack. Plus, the whole six foot two inches thing was pretty cool too. All the girls wanted him, and she could TOTALLY see why.
"So Rayne was out searching for you last night," she said between bites.
"Aww, come on," he replied, "you ruined a perfectly great moment."
"What perfectly good moment?" she asked.
"I was just thinking about what you look like in your sheer beauty," he replied.
She reached around the stuff on the table and slugged him. He just gave her a crooked grin.
"I'm kidding. Actually, I don't know what would qualify as a perfectly good moment. BUT, if we would have had one, you would have totally ruined it," he said.
"Yeah, I know," she said, rolling her eyes.
Fang and Bailey finished their food and headed out to his car. He drove them over to the park- the one out by the school with the swings and the three slides. Two of the slides held a lot of memories for the pack. He had given Bailey their first kiss in the blue tunnel slide, and Lucien and Katie had always went tandem sliding down the yellow, curvy one. Of course, that was back before they had split. Now, Katie was Travis's mate, and Lucien was Jo's. But, Fang and Bailey could still make memories of their own.
They got out and walked around to the side where the alligator was. Then, they climbed the stairs and sat down on the top one.
"You know," she said, "this is where you gave me our first French kiss. God, it was great!"
"Yeah, it was, wasn't it?" he said.
He leaned in to kiss her. She met him eagerly, and when his tongue flicked her lip, she opened her mouth wide, inviting him in. She felt his tongue brush against hers and chased it. It was a little game they played, "tongue tag" as they called it. She played until she couldn't breathe, then she pulled back for air. He only grinned at her. She loved his smile. She loved everything about him.
He traced her lips with his thumb, before kissing her again. This kiss lasted longer and contained much more passion. He began to trace shapes on her back with his fingers, and her fingers knotted in the hair at his temples. He reached for her shirt, but she pulled back.
"Not here," she said in a husky voice.
"Where?" he asked, his voice deeper than usual and full of passion.
"Let's go for a drive," she replied, smiling at him, "We'll have some REAL fun, wolf boy."
"Oh? I bet I can make you beg like a pup."
"You're on."
"Oh I will be," he growled into her ear before licking it and funning for the car.
She was only two steps behind him, and soon they were both in his car, headed for their favorite back road. They drove out to "their spot", which was a secluded spot off an old, dusty, gravel road. No houses for miles. They thought it was perfect, especially for what they had in mind.
Sometimes that mated in their skin forms, sometimes in their wolf forms, and still others in their in-between forms. Tonight, they chose their human forms (the skin forms), mostly because it was quicker- since it didn't require time to morph- and easier. He put in six CDs in his CD player: Rob Zombie, Three Days Grace, Demon Hunter, White Zombie, Nickleback, and ACDC, before cranking the volume up until the black tinted windows vibrated. Then, they hopped out of the car, and they crawled into the backseat.
The first thing Fang did was go for her neck. He kissed it three times, letting her get used to his tongue and lips. Then, he added his teeth into the equation, testing her tender skin with them. He decided to leave his mark on her, a nice, big hickey. Bailey didn't seem to mind though. She just massaged the nape of his neck with her fingertips, egging him on.
When he was finished with that, he decided to peel of her Sweeny Todd t-shirt, revealing a black, lacy bra. He could see her chest rising and falling rapidly as her breathing quickened, her body's give away of expecting more- MUCH more. He kissed her collar bone, then a little lower, then the soft fullness of one of her breasts. She threw her head back and howled. He decided she needed a mark there too.
She began to softly trace shapes on his back with her claws. The next thing to go was his shirt. She yipped like an excited pup when she saw his abs. She leaned in and licked his cheek in affection. He took her bra off, before embracing her and pulling her close to him.
"Just one thing," he whispered into her ear, "Try not to dig your claws into the seats. Oh, and I love you."
"Please, Fang, please," she begged.
"Told ya' I could get you to beg."
Soon their jeans, her black panties, and his boxers came off (they always left their shoes and socks outside the car). Then, the car began to shake, and an hour into it, they both howled into the night. When they had finished, and he was pulling on his jeans, they heard a howl in the distance. They smiled. It was Travis, with Katie.
"Well," Fang said, grinning at her, "I guess we're not the only ones happy."
Then, they heard Katie's answering howl.
"Nope," Bailey replied.
"I guess I'll give Axle a call later."
"It's ten now. Maybe he'll be home by eleven."
"Try midnight."
Davy Thompson had gotten the call at 11:05. Fang, the pack leader and alpha male, wanted to have a pack meeting. He wondered what it was about. No matter what it was about, he knew he had to go. All twenty two of them had to. He knew the next full moon would be on Saturday, so maybe that's what Fang would discuss.
Usually, the meetings were pretty dull. You had Fang start off by saying that he was glad they could all make it. Then, he said why he had called the meeting. After that, the topic was discussed for about half an hour, before coming to his conclusion, thanking everyone again for coming out, and dismissing them to do as they pleased. Of course, somewhere in-between the announcing of the topic of discussion and the conclusion of the discussion, about five out of the seven "all wolf" couples would be all over each other.
Davy dated a human, and Indian (mostly Cherokee descent) girl named Fallon Hunt. All of the wolves except Bella, Axle, Johnny, Ulf, and Gwen called her a "meat girl" or "hot piece of flesh"- but that was only because the five of them were dating humans too. He didn't think their relationship would last though, since he pretty much figured out that the only reasons she was dating him were so she could cheat off him in chemistry, get rides to their swim meets in Jacksonville, and brag to all her friends about how she was dating a hot guy.
She had even begged him to screw her once. When he asked her why, she simply told him that everyone else was doing it, so why shouldn't they? That would be just one more thing for her to tell to all her friends.
"Oh hell!" he said as he missed his turn.
He pulled into the first driveway and turned around. Finally, he came to Bailey's huge house. He got out of the car and headed inside. Maybe tonight he could finally pick up a decent mate, or one for the night at least. Who was he kidding? He'd keep a decent girl until one of them let him go. Yeah, maybe tonight would be the night.
He dialed Fallon's number, standing on Bailey's porch. She let the phone ring three times before she answered it.
"It's over," was all he said.
He snapped his cell phone shut. He felt like a jerk, but maybe tonight he'd actually find a girl who cared about him. Finally, he opened the door and went in.
He looked around to see who was there. Fang and Bailey were at the center of the room, sitting on the coffee table. Bailey's three dogs: Polly (a black female), Penny (a cream colored female), and Piper (a tricolored female) were all curled up at their feet. They were all three Whippets. They were also sisters- since they were born in the same litter. At the moment, "the three sisters" were eyeing each pack member, but soon, he knew they would curl up into a heap together and sleep.
Bella was in one corner, being hit on by Axle, since they couldn't bring their "fleshies" with them. Jordan and Laura were sitting in a big arm chair, his arms around her waist and her sitting on his lap. Travis and Katie were in another corner, and he was leaning against the wall (both were standing) with his arms wrapped around her. Davy liked that couple though, because they were never all over each other in public, although you could hear them howling at least once or twice a week.
He continued to look around. Johnny and Ulf were sitting on the floor, talking to each other and telling stories about their "meat girls". Rafe and Jade sat on the couch, already making out pretty hot and heavy. Gabriel and Sarafina occupied another couch, her lips suctioned to his neck like a leech. Billy and Rayne sat in an arm chair, her on his lap, him kissing her neck. Gwen was being anti-social in her own little corner. Caleb and Lilah were standing by the door frame he'd come through, holding hands (the other couple who didn't cling to each other like mirror stickers). And Lucien and Jo were sitting on the floor, him giving her a hickey at the moment.
Davy took the last corner and stood in it. Okay, so who was "single enough" at the moment? Bella and Gwen- it looked like- were his only two options. Bella was prettier and smarter, and she had long, curly, black hair and hazel eyes, plus medium toned skin. Gwen had long, curly, bright red hair, dark brown eyes, and medium colored skin. Both were sixteen years old- which was a year younger than him. Gwen had a lot of ditzy spells too, and he didn't know if he could handle that. She was taller though. She was five foot eight.
Axle ran his fingers through his shoulder length, curly, black hair, and his grays eyes were intent on Bella's lips as she talked. His skin was the same shade as hers. He looked a little peeved when Fang hushed them, the sign the meeting would begin.
"I have three reasons for calling this meeting," Fang stated.
Davy decided to sit, since this meeting might take a while.
"Okay, first, I'm going to need a place to stay for a while. Don't worry, it's only temporary, until I can save up enough money and find a place of my own. So far, I have it limited down to: Axle, Billy, Travis, or Davy. I don't want to impose, so if you can't take me in or you don't really want to, please speak up," he said.
None of them said a thing.
"Okay then, shall we take a vote?"
No one objected.
"Axle?"
Four hands rose.
"Billy?"
Seven.
"Travis?"
Two hands rose.
"And Davy?"
The remaining nine hands rose, winning the decision.
"Is that okay with you, Davy?" Fang asked.
"Yeah, I'd be GLAD to have you," Davy replied.
"Okay," Fang said, before nodding to Bailey.
She walked out of the room. Everybody's eyes were focused on the door she had walked through. When she finally returned about five minutes later, five girls were following her. They were all nervous, and they kept looking around the room at the different pack members.
"These five girls will be joining our pack. I don't want ANY protests. They need a steady, stable environment, especially after what they've been through. These girls come from Washington- up by Olympia. Their pack was ambushed by a clan of vampires. The pack, which was originally twice the size of ours, was out numbered- three to one. On top of that, the vamps split the pack in two before attacking. They too had been having a meeting, so all were gathered together. Mothers, fathers, pups, brothers, sisters, aunts, and uncle - even grandparents- were brutally murdered. The remaining ones- only twelve of them were left- were chased out of the state, and they fled. The other seven were picked off as well. So, now these girls ask for our help. Once they got to Iowa, they were denied being accepted in, due to their past history with the vampires. We're the first pack they tried once they got to Illinois. And we WILL be the LAST."
Everyone stood- or sat- amazed by how something so HORRIBLE could happen.
"Now," Fang said, "they need temporary homes, until they can get money and find one themselves. Girls, why don't you tell us a little bit about yourselves?"
They each nodded. Then one with long, straight, jet black hair and blue-green eyes stepped forward. She had medium toned skin, like the other four girls from the small group did.
"My name is Moon Renaldi. I'm from Seattle. I am seventeen, and I'll be a senior this year. I like to play soccer, swim, and play powder puff football. I also enjoy going jogging, bicycle riding, playing hockey, going horseback riding, and surfing. If possible, I'd like to get placed with someone in the country, so I could have a place for my three horses. If not, I understand. I have them boarded at the Vaughns' for the moment," she said, before stepping back into line.
One with long, curly, dirty blond hair and baby blue eyes stepped forward.
"My name is Melany Shuppe, and I'm sixteen. I'll be a junior this year. I like to swim, play volleyball, jog, walk, and skateboard. I have one dog, so as long as I don't get placed downtown- no offense to any of you- I'll be fine."
The next one had long, straight, auburn hair and blue-green eyes.
"My name is Rory Strait, and I'm from Olympia. I DON'T have any animals- not that I don't like them. It's just that it doesn't matter where I get placed. I'll be happy anywhere. I like to swim, play powder puff, ice skate, and surf, and I'm glad you guys could help us. Oh, and I'm sixteen."
The second to last one had long, curly, bright red hair and blue eyes.
"My name is Carrie Finch, and I'm eighteen. I'll be a senior. I like to play softball, powder puff, ride horses or bikes, and eat pizza."
The last one had bright blue, spiked hair and blue eyes.
"My name is Bingo Calypso. I'm eighteen, so I'll be a senior. I like to play hockey, powder puff, and soccer, and I love to watch movies."
"Okay, well ladies, if I would have had a place of my own, being pack leader, I would have taken you all in myself. But, I left home due to complications, and was warned I can't return except to get my things, so I can't," Fang said.
Oh, thought Davy, now there are new prospects too. This could work out great!
Bingo seemed like the wild child type. The others seemed like tomboys maybe. They were all pretty, and Rory, Moon, Melany, and Carrie appeared to be not-so-disturbing (as opposed to Bingo)
He kind of liked Rory. She seemed like the best choice. He figured he'd talk to her later. He didn't know when, but he'd talk to her later.
"And, last but not least, the other reason for the meeting: we all know the full moon is in five nights. So, any of you who live in town or especially downtown, I wouldn't recommend running at night. Actually, I would prefer if you didn't leave the house at night. Then, no one would have to worry about someone seeing you morphed.
Everyone nodded.
"Now, can anyone give these girls a place to stay?" Fang asked.
"I can take one in," Bailey said.
"I'll take someone in," Billy said, grinning and showing off his pearly whites.
There was a glint in his dark brown eyes. His hair was light brown and buzzed fairly close to his head. He had tan skin, which made his already-white teeth look even whiter. He was always being a ham. Rayne looked pretty peeved off at his offer, since she was his mate, at the moment. She only seemed to want him- OR want to give him any of her attention- when Fang was around. It was clear she wanted HIM, not Billy.
Billy noticed her annoyed glare, which she directed at him.
"Why do you even care?" he asked her, clearly annoyed, "IF you even care."
"Billy-," she whined.
"I don't wanna hear it. You're only into me when Fang's around, and that's the only time I can even show you any affection. Hell, you howl for him every night, and you even go out looking for him," he growled, letting his fangs grow long.
"I do not," she whined back at him.
"The HELL you don't! If I want attention from a girl, I have to find it elsewhere."
"I can take one in," Davy said, interrupting their conversation.
Bella, Laura, Jo, Katie, and Ulf also volunteered.
"All right," Fang said, "ladies, you can go around and ask the volunteers questions if you'd like. Once you decide, come tell me. Then, we'll discuss it with the person you've chosen. Now go find them."
Moon was most interested in Billy, Jo, and Davy, since they lived in the country or on the edge of town. Davy gave her a nice white-toothed grin, showing off his tan skin. He looked almost identical to Fang- same dark brown hair eyes and facial features- except he kept his black hair in a semi-spiked style, not long and straight.
Carrie chose to move in with Jo. Katie settled on taking Rory in. Billy got to take Moon in, and Ulf took Melany in. No one was surprised when Rafe accepted Bingo's offer to move in with him. So, the living situations were decided. Now, everyone could go home or do whatever it was they did after the meetings. Some chose to go to a party. Tonight was a Monday though, so the party wouldn't be as good as the ones on the weekends.
It was well known that Fang always found a good place for a party, Lucien's parents were gone for every weekend, Billy sure knew how to throw wild parties, Rafe had the great music (the good thumping, head banging, wrenching, stomping, screaming kind of stuff- or "the good shit"), and Ulf had a pool and a hell of a house for throwing parties. Some of the girls threw parties during the week, but hey all showed up for the ones on the weekends. Jo, Katie, Jade, and Bella- when her parents were gone- could throw some good parties, during the week at least.
"So, who's throwin' a party tonight?" Billy asked.
Jo invited everyone to her house to party that night. Then, they all went their own ways. Some went over to Jo and told her they'd stop by. Billy asked Moon if she was interested in going to the party. She asked how many people would show up for the party, and he said that probably just the girls would, but he would take her if she wanted to go. She found out the party started at midnight- in fifteen minutes- and ended at three. She decided she wasn't too enthusiastic about going.
Lucien came over and told Billy the party schedule of the week: Jo's was tonight, Bella's the next night, Jade's was Wednesday, Katie's was Thursday, his was Friday, Ulf's was on Saturday, and Rafe's was on Sunday. Billy said they should go to the ones from Thursday through Sunday. Moon agreed.
Davy went over to Rory. He smiled and she did too.
"So are you going to the party tonight?" Davy asked her.
"I don't know. I was thinking about it. I thought that way I could get to know some of the girls," she replied.
"The best parties are over the weekend, trust me. But, tonight I'll make an exception AND an appearance," he teased.
"That's cool. I'll look for you then. Do you know who's coming?"
"Well, you could ask Jo. Most of the girls will probably show."
"Okay. So I'll see you there?"
"Yeah. You'll see me there."
With that, he left. He had some preparing to do, but he couldn't go home since it would take too long to get there and back. He went out to his car and sprayed some cologne on- Curve for Men. It always seemed to drive the girls crazy. He was in the process of changing from a t-shirt with a werewolf on it to a black wife beater, when Laura walked out of the house. She wolf whistled.
"Oww! Oww!" she commented.
He just looked at her. She was beautiful: short, curly, dishwater blond hair, blue-gray eyes, and medium toned skin. She was seventeen. BUT she was dating Jordan Kist. He was the kind of guy that was always all over a girl, but she didn't seem to care for that much affection in public.
"Going to the party tonight?" she asked him.
"Yeah," Davy replied, "I'm goin'."
"Me too. I finally get to get away from Jordan. God, he can be SO annoying sometimes," she said, almost whispering the last two sentences and looking around nervously to see if Jordan was around.
"Yeah, I know the feeling. I broke up with my girlfriend. She's not even into me. She just likes to cheat off of me, brag to all of her friends, and bum rides off of me."
"So, it's over between you and Fallon…" she said, taking in the information, "That's a shame. But you know, Davy, you could do better- MUCH better. There are a lot of girls who would take you, you know? And some of them might actually know how to treat you."
"Really?"
"Yep. See you at the party."
She walked off waving. Travis and Katie came out of the house holding hands, Rory following them. Travis and Katie looked nothing alike. He had brown, semi-curly hair, and hers was long, straight, and bright orange colored. He had brown eyes, and she had green ones. He had a tan, and she had medium toned skin. She was actually pretty hot, according to most of the guys, and some of the girls thought he was hot.
Travis gave her a kiss on the cheek and told her he loved her. Then, she said she'd go to the party. He said he'd try to make it. Then, Rory followed Katie out to her car.
Fifteen minutes later, Davy showed up at the party. Not very many guys were there- maybe about five, including him. The only girl that DIDN'T show up was Moon. Rafe, Ulf, Johnny, and Caleb were the only guys there. But, he was only about five minutes late, so maybe more would show up later.
Laura came over to him, wearing a red halter top that showed a little of her stomach and chest and a faded pair of jeans with holes in them, and she took his hand. She led him down the stairs to the basement, where all the action was. Rob Zombie's Dragula was playing. She began to dance and encouraged him to too. They bumped and grinded, him holding her close to him by her hips. Eventually, he started to run his hands over his thighs, sides, and butt. Then, he threw his head back and howled out loud. She joined him.
And right at that moment, Jordan walked down the stairs. He walked over to them- everyone stopping to watch him- and spun Davy around to face him.
"Ger your hands off my girl!" he growled.
"Maybe you should ask her how SHE feels about it," Davy said.
"Take it outside, guys!" Jo yelled at them.
Everyone went outside, following Davy and Jordan. The only time anyone had seen Davy fight was when they had fought for rankings. No one knew if he COULD fight, because he had barely even TRIED then. He hadn't wanted to be the alpha, so what was the point? So now, EVERYONE was interested in watching the fight.
Davy only believed in fighting for things he felt were important to him. He knew every person expected Jordan to cream him.
"Come on, PUP," Jordan snarled, "Let's see what you've got!"
"Ladies first," Davy said, slightly bowing.
Jordan ran at him and jumped to tackle him. Davy sidestepped, and Jordan hit the ground and then rolled to face him. Then, Davy stalked over to him, claws retracting, fangs bared. He was now in his half wolf form, hair now long and shaggy. He was panting from the effort of changing, his abs moving in and out rapidly.
He took a swipe at Jordan, reaching down, and tore open his shirt with his claws, also slashing Jordan's skin with it. Jordan howled in pain and rage. Then, he jumped up and slashed at Davy, managing to make some scratches on Davy's left cheek with his now retracted claws.
Davy tackled Jordan to the ground and went for his throat, but Jordan kicked at him, causing him to roll to the side. Davy got right back on though, and managed to get quite a few punches in. He gave Jordan a bloody nose and a nice black eye. Jordan managed to make some slashes in Davy's beater and a few in his chest.
Davy then grabbed Jordan by the throat, with his jaws, and was cutting off his air.
"ENOUGH!!" Fang shouted over the crowd, "We know Davy wins. Okay!"
Laura walked up to Davy and encircled her arms around his waist, pulling him close to her. Then, she pulled back and took a look at his chest. She had him take off his shirt, so she could examine his wounds closer. She stole quick glances at his impressive abs and pecs as she studied his wounds. He winced as she gently touched his bare chest.
"Laura," Jordan growled, "What the hell are you doing?"
"Jordan, it's over. You can't even treat me with respect, you're not capable of love, and you have no idea how to please a girl. I am DUMPING you, and I'm choosing HIM," she said, wrapping an arm around Davy's waist again.
He looked down at her, chest still heaving from the adrenaline of the fight. She smiled up at him, and he smiled back, white teeth glinting in the moonlight. He went out to his 1995 Camaro, grabbed another wife beater- a white one this time-, and pulled it on. Then, he hopped into his car- sleek and metallic, midnight blue- and cranked the stereo. Disturbed blared as he rolled down the windows.
"Where ya going?" Laura asked him, head and arms dangling in the passenger side window.
"No idea. Wanna come?" he asked.
"Sure," she replied, hopping in the car.
They went to the former FS- now the Cenex- and got some ice cream. She got a chocolate malt in a cup, and he got an ice cream sandwich- the kind where the outsides were chocolate chip cookies. Then, they grabbed a couple sodas and a booth by the window to sit and eat, after he grabbed her a spoon.
Jade, Sarafina, and Rayne walked in the door to the gas station. Jordan was sitting in his new Durango, in the passenger seat.
"She's no reason to get drunk over!" stormed Rayne.
"Yeah. That bitch dumped him, and he actually CARES!" Sarafina put in.
"How's that work?" Jade asked.
Davy finished his ice cream and stood up.
"Well, you see ladies, he finally realized he lost something worth keeping," he said.
The girls paid for their gas, grabbed sodas, and hurried out the door.
"You didn't have to stand up for me like that, you know," Laura told him, standing up herself.
"I know," he said, grinning at her, "But I wanted to. AND I wanted to put those bitches in their place."
She just smiled at him, but she was definitely not used to a guy standing up for her.
They grabbed a movie, 30 Days of Night, and went back to get her car at Jo's place. Then, they drove out to Davy's place. Davy popped some popcorn, and they plopped down on the couch to criticize the vampires that appeared on the screen of the TV.
Travis stayed at the party with Katie until three in the morning. They danced and laughed and had a great time. Then, they left and headed to his house. There, they listened to a Nickleback CD while they talked. She rested her head lightly on his chest as they lied on the bed in his room.
He told her that they could go hunting together the next night, if she wanted to. They usually caught a rabbit a piece, but once they brought down a deer together.
"You know I love you," Travis told her, holding her close.
"I know," Katie said, wriggling closer to him, "And I love you too."
"I know," he replied, before kissing her neck.
She snuggled even closer to him, not wanting an inch of space between them. She was really close to Travis, but, every now and then, her mind drug up thought of her and Lucien. She never did understand why he had broken up with her. As far as she knew, he'd never cheated on her. He'd spent all of his available time with her, when he hadn't been playing baseball or working. He helped build houses for a contractor in town.
She had never even THOUGHT of cheating on him. He had a real bad boy persona, and even a bad reputation, but he was actually quite sweet. All of his other girl friends had broken up with him because he wasn't as rough and dangerous as they had expected. Even so, he was still wild and crazy in just about everything he did, but that was just him. It was who he was.
She had gotten really close to Lucien, closer than she had with any guy. She had loved him with all her heart and still did, in a way. She was still trying to get over him. And now, Travis helped occupy half of her heart. She knew it would her forever to get over Lucien, but she was trying, and THAT was the important thing. Maybe she'd get over him eventually. Who knew?
Travis noticed her absent-mindedness.
"What's the matter, babe? What's on your mind?" he asked her.
"You're going to hate me…" she replied.
"I could never hate you. I'm not capable of it."
"I was thinking about him again."
She didn't have to say Lucien's name. He knew who she was talking about.
"I'm so sorry, baby. He was stupid. I don't even think HE knows why he broke up with you," Travis told her, wrapping his arms around her again, pulling her close and giving her a little squeeze.
"It's not that I'm not happy with you, because I am. HONESTLY, I AM," Katie told him, "It just hurts, you know. It STILL hurts."
"I know, babe. I know."
He kissed her neck. He got to number six, before she turned around. She was still sitting in his lap, but now she was facing him. He kissed her mouth this time, tasting her tongue and liking it. She tasted like oranges.
She pulled back to catch her breath and leaned her head backwards, exposing her neck to him. He licked her, showing affection. Then, he gingerly tested her tender skin with his teeth. Her hands moved instinctively: one between his shoulder blades and one behind his head. He let his hands stray over her body, but they always returned to her sides, up by her ribs.
"Does Rory have a ride back to your place?" he asked her.
"Yeah. Jo said she'd take her home, and I called Tessa to make sure she was aware of the situation. She said she and Lauren could help her get situated. Vanessa's out, so she won't be of much assistance. She's probably with Paul at the moment," she replied.
"Wanna stay tonight?"
"I don't know. Do you want me to?"
"Of course I want you to. You know I want you to."
"I guess I should have figured that one. I suppose, if you insist, that I can stay."
"Trust me," he said, growling against the soft skin of her throat, "I insist."
Jordan groaned, and not in the good way. He'd fallen asleep lying on the bathroom floor. The vodka was kicking into overdrive. He'd drank the whole damn bottle by himself too. It was a good thing he was a werewolf, because that much alcohol would probably have killed a human, especially since he'd drained it in two hours.
His stomach lurched, and he cradled the toilet. When he'd finished coughing up his guts, he lied back down on the cold, lonely floor. Jade poked her head in the door wearing a silky bra and panties.
"How ya feeling?" she asked him.
"How the hell do ya think I'm feelin'?" he growled.
"Well, you're kind of ruining the moment, you know."
"Well, I'm SORRY," he spat sarcastically at her, "What was I supposed to say 'Uh, excuse me while I bark my guts out. Then, I can come back and screw ya some more.'?"
"Well, no, but-," she started.
"Just get out, Jade!" Rafe'll be looking for ya anyway."
"But-,"
"GO!!"
"Fine. I'm going, I'm going. Let me get my stuff."
He lied on the cold floor while she went back to his room to get her stuff. He heard the front door slam, and he attempted to get up. Bad idea! After he got done, he flushed the toilet then lied back down and fell asleep, cradling a bottle of Sprite in his arms.
He woke up to the phone ringing. He got up slowly and stumbled down the hallway to his room. He picked up the phone.
"Hello?" he croaked, hoarsely.
"Hey. Look, I know you probably don't want to hear from me or see me, but-,"
"Laura, you bitch!"
"Look, I'm coming over, okay?"
"No, you're not!"
"Look, I'm bringing some crackers and a six-pack of-,"
"I've already had enough to drink for about a week, Laura-,"
"Of 7Up, you idiot!"
"Yeah, well you can take your six-pack of 7Up and shove it up your-,"
"My ass?! How original, Jordan. I'm trying to help you out here, okay."
"Yeah? Like how you helped me by dumping me- and humiliating me in front of all the pack members- and declaring that you were going to be Davy's mate instead?"
"Look, this has nothing to do with Davy-,"
"This has EVERYTHING to do with Davy!" he growled.
""The reason I'm coming over is to talk, Jordan. You at least deserve to know why I broke up with you."
"Laura, I've had enough out of you tonight!"
"REALLY? GOOD, because I've had enough out of Jade and Rayne and Sarafina. You know, they really need to learn when to keep their mouths shut. I'm about ready to sink my fangs into Rayne already as it is! She better hope to GOD I don't see her too soon."
There was no response.
She looked down at her cell phone. He had hung up on her- the bastard! Who did he think he was?! OH, she was pissed. Nothing was going right tonight. Except Davy. He had been perfect, even proving to her that he could fight- and well too- when need be. He had fought for HER- for the right to be her mate.
When she got there, Laura let herself in. She marched straight for his bedroom. She found it empty, except for the fact that the sheets were too rumpled for one person to have slept in it alone. She found him in the living room on the couch, cradling a bottle of Sprite. She felt bad the moment she saw him. He looked like shit.
"I'm sorry," she told him, "They didn't have any 7Up, so you'll have to settle for Sprite. It's better anyway."
She set the Sprite and Saltines on the coffee table and went to sit by him on the couch. He lay down, and she cradled his head in her lap. He looked up at her with the eyes of a miserable puppy. She didn't know now if she could explain to him why she'd broken up with him. Not now that he wasn't being a jackass. And he looked so terrible.
"You said you had a reason for all of this nonsense," he reminded her.
This snapped her back to reality- away from all her thoughts. And away from pitying him- at the moment. She nodded.
"Well…What is it?" he asked.
"Jordan," she said, looking down into his eyes, "You don't know how hard this is for me to say."
"Yeah, sure. I bet," he said, "It must be tearing you to shreds. Sounds so heart-wrenching."
She looked away from him briefly. When she looked back at him, her eyes were pooling with tears.
"You're such a smartass sometimes, you know that," she said.
"Whoa, hey," he said, reaching up to brush her tears away with his thumbs, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."
"That's why I fell for you to begin with," she commented.
"Because I hurt you?" he asked.
"No. Because you were so caring and kind when we first started dating. And you were like that for a while. But then the other girls started hitting on you, and things went downhill from there. You started trying to impress all of them, and you quit caring about me. I thought I had it made in the beginning, but then I began to realize that I never had you to begin with. I started to think that if you really had cared about me- even a little bit- you never would have tried so hard to make an impression on the other girls."
By now, she was bawling, and she let his head go to scoot away from him, refusing to look at him anymore.
"Laura-," he started.
"Please don't, Jordan," she interrupted, "You have no idea how bad I'm hurting right now. You can't make this one better."
"But I can try-," he tried.
"No, Jordan. I let that slide, I lied awake at night wondering what I could do to get you to like me more and make you forget about all the other girls from the pack. So, I let myself slip and I made a huge mistake. I gave in and let you take my virginity. And at first, I thought that was enough, I thought I'd got you back again, since you seemed happy with me again. But then I came to your house that one night, and I found you in bed with Rayne."
"Laura-," he said, reaching for her.
She shot off the couch and made for the hallway. But he was right behind her. He wrapped his strong arms around her and brought her to a stop- right in her tracks. She crumpled and fell to her knees on the floor, bawling into her hands. He was on his knees now, running a hand up and down her back, caressing her softly. He desperately wanted to make things better, but he knew- just like she'd said- he couldn't make this one go away. He knew he'd lost her- for good.
She sat there for about five minutes before she collected herself and got up. She headed down the hall and towards the front door, not looking back. He followed her the whole way, just steps behind her.
"Thanks for the Sprite and crackers, Laura," he called after her, "And I'm sorry."
There was no response from her.