"We can begin whenever you'd like, Holly." Grace informed her.
Holly nodded as she lay on her back and made herself comfortable on the couch. "One moment please," She smiled warmly at Grace but the warmth was overpowered by the forlorn look in her eyes.
From experience, Grace knew that the first session was the hardest for a new patient. They were insecure about revealing their inner thoughts to a completely stranger. They feared being vulnerable and being scrutinized by judgmental eyes.
The first session was all about trust, an unbreakable bond between not only doctor and patient, but friends. If Graced wanted Holly's trust, she must give her time and let her know that she was her friend, was what Anna had told Grace once. Grace hadn't seen her friend since graduation and was excited to meet with her again to catch up on old times and discuss Holly's file.
Anastasia Brockington, or Anna as they would call her, attended the same college as Grace and Selene. They didn't befriend her until the end of the school year, because she seemed unapproachable to both men and women. There was a cold air surrounding her that prompted people to step aside as she walked down the hall.
Ice Queen was what all the guys called after she turned them down in the beginning of the year and none ever asked her again. She made it very clear to them that she was not interested and only wanted to study. All of her attention was on her studies and class assignments, which lead to her having little social life.
"She's mourning a lost one," Selena told Grace one day after Anna got upset during history class and excused herself from the room.
She stumbled upon Anna in the library, staring at a history book with a painting of France during a Mardi Gras event. Grace asked her if she was all right and if she could help her. Anna smiled sweetly, hugging the book. She told Grace that she was fine, merely overreacting to a memory.
Grace didn't want to be nosy but she was curious to know why Anna was crying from seeing a painting of a statue of a mother holding her child. She knew there had to be a good reason for her cold demeanor and sad eyes.
Grace didn't press her for answers. She befriended her and invited her over for study sessions and lunch. Their friendship grew, but Grace felt that Anna was still holding back on her. She concluded that something awful must've happened that made it hard for her to trust others.
It was a long while before Anna revealed her secret to Grace. She decided to tell her because she felt close to her and if she kept it to herself any longer she would explode.
Anna once had a daughter, who died in a freak accident, which she blamed herself for. She hasn't been able to forget about her little girl.
Grace's heart went out to her and they solidified their friendship that day.
Anna was as beautiful as Grace remembered, with her long blonde hair and gray-blue eyes. The black dress with blue floral patterns she wore flowed with the light wind and brushed her creamy long legs as she approached their table and sat down.
Grace used to be secretly jealous of Anna's beauty and the attention she received from everyone, and how easy life would be for her. But after befriending her she realized that physical beauty wasn't everything and it certainly doesn't make your life easier.
"How have you been?" Grace asked her. Although Anna always sent her post cards on holidays and birthdays, they were short and friendly with a bit of light humor, and a little hint on what has been happening in her life.
"Not as good as you," Anna replied teasingly, with a wink, "I got the pictures, your children are adorable and you're husband." She wiggled her eyebrows, causing Grace to blush.
"Thank you. How about you? Did you ever get the chance to tell your friend how you feel?" Anna once told Grace that she had fallen in love with her childhood friend, but was afraid to tell him her feelings for fear of rejection. Grace and Selene have been dying to know if Anna ever told her secret crush that she was in love with him.
Anna's smile instantly faded, humor gone from her eyes, which nonverbally answered Grace's question.
"I'm sorry," Grace said sympathetically.
Pain swept across Anna's features as moisture glistened in her eyes, but it disappeared as soon as it came. "It's my fault. I'm a coward."
"What happened?"
Anna inhaled and exhaled deeply. "I never told him how I felt." She clicked her tongue, "I pretended to be someone else and shamelessly flirted with him."
"Oh...how'd it go?" Grace asked, although she had a feeling it didn't turn out well.
"He flirted back, then I left. It upset me to see him so… he's so different now. Afterward, I got drunk at a bar and hung out with some random guy I met."
"Well…that's um…Did anything happened?"
"No, no." Anna waved her hand dismissively, "I left him passed out, half naked on someone's roof."
Grace arched her brows.
"Mardi Gras," she mumbled.
"All right, let me get this. You meet up with your secret crush - under a pseudonym – changed your mind, and left him, then found another guy and left him on someone's roof? Half naked?" Grace paused as she thought of something, "He did find a way off that roof now, did he?"
Anna took a long drink of her glass of water before she answered her. "Eventually,"
"How long was eventually?"
"Twelve hours."
Grace's jaw dropped.
"He was asleep for a good eight hours," Anna argued as Grace shook her head. "And I left him some of his clothes."
"What building did you left him on?" Grace curiously asked. "How did you get up there?" If it took him four hours to get off, chances are it was a tall one or worse. "And what do you mean by some of his clothes?"
Anna took a folder out of her bag. "This is Holly's file."
Grace gave her a look that said they were going to talk about it later and took the folder. Grace had learned from experience that if Anna didn't want to talk about a subject anymore then there wasn't a thing she could do about it. Anna was tightlipped when she wanted to be.
"It's half blank," Grace stated after looking through the file.
"That's because you'll being filling it out. Holly wants to tell you about her problems herself and I respect her decision. I'll give you extra details about her after she reveals them to you." Anna smiled, "Holly is one of my best and oldest friends. I recommended you to her knowing that I'm putting her in capable hands."
Grace closed the folder and asked Anna a question she was dying to know. "From what I could see you are making great progress with Holly. Why did you recommend her to see me?"
"Because you two have a lot in common. You would relate to her situation and ideals about sexual intimacy. It's the only subject I can't help her with."
"If the only problem is intimacy, then why couldn't you…" Grace's paused as she thought over why Anna couldn't help Holly.
"I'm not qualified in that department."
Grace was taken aback by the last part her friend had just revealed to her. "What do you mean?"
"I'm a partial virgin," Anna said, getting attention from those in hearing range.
"Are you-are you joking?" Grace asked. With the way Anna talked and how confident she was around men and sexual subjects, Grace would never have guessed. "And what do you mean by partial?" How could Anna be a partial virgin if she once had a daughter?
"It's not like I don't have experience or anything, but I just haven't emotionally committed myself to a man yet. Give my heart to another person, except for this one time – but I'm not counting that." Anna said. "Let me explain. When I was little my aunt, who's been around a lot, told me that your lips have special nerves that connect to your –"
Grace cleared her throat, and glanced left and right. The people sitting on the tables near them were listening with great interest, which made her blush with embarrassment at what Anna was telling her. Between Anna and Selene, Grace didn't know which was more shameless.
Anna stopped speaking long enough for Grace to gather her wits. "Nether lips," she continued as if she hadn't stopped at all, "So I kiss almost every guy I think is worthy and analyze them. If I don't like their kiss I stop and tell them up front what they were lacking."
"How did they take it?" Grace wondered aloud.
"Pretty well," Anna replied thoughtfully, "they mostly start freaking out when I tell them I've interviewed their ex-lovers about their stamina and techniques – well, if they ever get far enough."
Anna was picky, but Grace didn't think she was that picky. "Anna, are you doing this to men because you had a bad experience with one?" she asked, speaking in the tone she normally used with her patients. Anna was a professional in her work, Grace had no doubts about that, but she was hopeless with her personal life, especially in relationships. "Or are you secretly using these tactics as excuses to wait for your secret crush?" Both would likely be possible, but Grace was putting her money on the latter.
"A little bit of both. My first boyfriend wanted us to have sex as soon as possible, but I told him I wasn't ready. He claimed he could wait and would stay loyal to me forever. Because he was older, I thought he would be mature and keep his word to me. Next day I found him drunk and sandwiched between a bunch of whores."
Grace took Anna's hand into hers. "I'm sorry,"
"It's okay. I got my revenge."
Grace squeezed Anna's hand, worried. "What did you do to him?"
"Tricked his brothers into beating him, then I emotionally castrated said brothers."
"Anna," Grace stressed her name. "He hurt you, why did you take your anger out on his brothers too?"
"His brothers were the ones who throw the party with the intent of breaking us up. I overheard them laughing about it. They were betting on who could sleep with me first. They had it coming." Anna sighed, "Now that I look back at it. I realize that I never loved him."
Anna released Grace's hand when her cell phone began to ring. Anna took her phone from her pocket and quickly answered it without looking at caller I.D.
"Excuse me," Anna told Grace and turned in her chair, "Hello Traver?"
Grace leaned back in her chair and gave Anna her privacy.
"She fainted? All right I'll be there." She closed her cell phone and turned back to Grace. "Sorry we have to cut this short."
"Don't worry about it,"
Anna gave Grace a hug goodbye before she paid the bill and left. "We'll finish this conversation later. I'll call. Tell Selene I'll come by later."
"Sorry,"
Blinking, Grace straightened herself and registered that she was back in her office. She mentally scolded herself for letting her mind wonder so far away and focused her attention on Holly, who had sat up, her hands tightly on her sides.
"For what?" Grace kindly asked her.
"I can't start today." said Holly.
"It's okay," Grace told her gently, "You don't have to tell me now if you don't want to. We can begin whenever you want. It is your choice."
"Thank you."
%
"What's wrong with me?" Holly asked herself as she flopped on her bed in the hotel she and Traver were staying at. Traver had flashed her back after the failed session and asked if she was okay before he excused himself. He had a date with his girlfriend.
Holly wanted to talk to Grace, tell her all her problems so they could cure her fear of intimacy. But before that, she wanted to reveal to her that she was a wolf turned human and explain her past. When she entered the room the words she wanted to say did not come out. She supposed this was what humans called stage fright. Human…it was still difficult for her to grasp the concept.
"It's a perfectly normal human emotion."
Holly turned her head and smiled at Anna, who materialized next to her bed. "I know," Holly agreed, "but I didn't think it would be so complicated."
"Things can only be complicated if you want them to be."
"Are you saying that as my doctor, Anna, or my friend, Lacy?"
To the Fates Holly was an exotic pet, due to circumstance she couldn't control. They kept her knowing that one day they could use her as a means to one up Savitar in the near future. That day had come, with her choosing her mate. Savitar and the Fates had already placed their bets and are waiting to see results.
Lacy had been Holly's best friend ever since she had died and entered Hades. Even though Holly had served under the Fates, her loyalties were always to Lacy. She was the one who took her in and tucked her under her wing and cared about her feelings. Lacy wasn't steering her toward anyone. She just wanted to see her happy and free of her past.
To aid Holly in her emotional turmoil, Lacy had entered college in the human world and majored in psychiatry, under the name Anastasia Brockington. Holly had a feeling that Lacy studied the subject in ordered to help the both of them. Lacy had gone through some deep loss and emotional trauma as well.
Lacy crossed her arms and thought about it. "Both. The mind is a powerful organ. It all depends on how you perceived things. For instance, if you convince yourself that you are a not standing in a crowded room your mind will believe it and enable you peace. The people are still there, but you will not see them. You will see only yourself and Traver, together in the empty space."
Holly nodded. She had been practicing the exercise and it was working. She was now able to be in a crowded room with strangers, without be paranoid and start shooting them.
Lacy was great as Holly's therapist. They made good progress, except for the one area of which Lacy was lacking in. It was the reason for Holly having to see Grace.
"Don't worry about Grace. She knows you'll talk when you're ready." Lacy said, although Grace had already told her it, Holly needed to be reassured. It was her call and she had control over the situation.
Holly nodded. "She seems really nice, but I don't know why I find it so hard to tell her I used to be a wolf and I don't know where to begin after that. It was much easier with you. You already knew everything about me."
"If you feel uncomfortable, you don't have to tell her about your past. You can begin wherever you want. You don't have to tell her about him yet, either. You can start by telling her about San Diego, your daily activities, your likes and interest. Slowly working your way to tell how you met Traver and Alex, and the rest will come out." Lacy conjured a note book and pencil and handed it to Holly. "You can brainstorm, make a list if you want. Organize and timeline the events in order of your comfort."
Holly opened the note book and began to write but suddenly stopped. "Lacy, can you do me a favor?"
"Anything,"
"Please. Can you go see how Fury's doing? Angelia will never let me see him and I respect that, but I want to know if he's all right and also what happened after we parted."
"If you want to see him you can borrow my helmet, free of charge." Lacy offered. "No one will ever know."
The helmet of invisibility was created by the Uranian Cyclopes during the war against the Titians. It had the ability to prevent other beings including gods, humans, demons, etc… from seeing or sensing the wearers essence. The young gods and demons believe they could not sense Lacy because she was dead - although it was true - her powers are aided by the helmet. Only the elder gods know that her father, Hades, allowed her to play with his helmet whenever she desired. They would trade her gifts and favors in exchange for having possession of the helmet for a certain amount of time. Seeing the opportunity of winning favors from the other gods, Lacy created her own business where she secretly rents out magical items, confiscated from their prisoners, in the holding cell where they stored them.
Holly shook her head. "I haven't got an answer from Angelia yet. Until then I don't think I should see him."
Lacy of all people would understand her feelings. She had gone through a similar situation with her sister, Ray, and it ended tragically. Not pressing her further, she vanished.
%
Lacy materialized in the mansion Fury was living in, wearing her father's helmet. Her powers were strong enough to prevent the Were-Hunters from seeing or sensing her, but she didn't want to take any chances. These Were-Hunters are friends of Acheron's, leader of the Dark-Hunters, and her ex-friend. He might pop in to say hi to them, see her, argue with her, and might wish her dead again.
She vaguely remembered her first death compared to the others. That was how traumatic it was. The only thing she remembered was feeling betrayed and scared for her life, but in the end she felt peace. Before she took her last breath, she smiled, believing she was going too reunited with her daughter after she died. But she didn't. She awoken with the help of her father, with a feeling of lost and hollowness with the knowledge that her daughter was dead and she could do nothing to bring her back.
Lacy closed her eyes in order to push the thought to the back of her head. She didn't want to think of the past. Not now. Right now, Holly needed her and she was going to help her anyway she could.
Fury was sitting on front of the T.V with other wolves watching him play Soulcalibur IV on his PlayStation. He was playing online against a player from another area.
Stepping from the corner, Lacy studied Fury. He was tall and lean, blond hair, dark turquoise eyes. Wearing a black leather outfit…Lacy rolled her eyes. Dark-Hunters and Were-Hunters are always dressing like bikers. It seems mandatory to have the color black or some type of leather in their wardrobe as if it was a required uniform. Their uniforms were probably meant to help them blend in with the night from humans and display their badassness.
Lacy stopped her musing and turned her attention back to Fury. He certainly would get along fine with Holly and her sons with their love for video games. He and Holly have the same concentrated look on their face when they played.
Lacy's lips twitched before she let loose and smiled as she thought of Holly and Fury. Fury and Holly. Wrath and Fury. Wrath was Holly's name when she was a Were-Hunter. Her father named her that because of the high pitch on her barking and that she was constantly play fighting with her littermates. After she died the Fates gave her a new name.
"Fury,"
Lacy's eyes followed Angelia as she entered the room and sat next to Fury on the couch. He turned from the game long enough to greet her with a kiss her on the cheek, acknowledging her presence. Angelia kissed him back and snuggled in his side as she watched him play.
The love that Fury had for Angelia was clear for all to see. He loved her with all of his heart, of that Lacy was certain of, though, she was a bit skeptic about Angelia's love for Fury. It seemed that in times of distress, Angelia tended to…react in a rather slow pace.
Fury let out a string of curses as he was defeated once again by his opponent.
"My turn," said one of the wolves on the other couches and took the game controller. "Damn!" the young wolf cursed as he was beaten, thrown off the arena, without even landing a hit. They're opponent had a perfect.
"Who is this guy?" demanded one of the wolves.
"Why can't we ever beat him?"
"He probably has some secret technique we don't know about."
"What's going on?" Angelia asked Fury.
"We've been combating against this player for about a year now, and he keeps kicking our ass."
Lacy looked at the screen and recognized the avatar and screen name. She couldn't believe who they were battling against. For almost a year, he was playing online against Holly. It seems the bond they shared was strong and no matter what happened, they are subconsciously searching for one another. Deep down the animal in them knew that they were meant to be together.
The Fates had nothing to do about this. In fact, they' be livid if they found out. Something that Lacy found odd. The Fates were the one who paired Holly and Fury in the beginning. Why are they trying to separate them now?
Curiosity getting the better of her, Lacy closed her eyes and opened them. Scenes played before her eyes of an alternative reality, if Fury were to stay with Holly four hundred years ago. If she was brave enough to tell her false mate that she loved Fury, he would have viciously beaten Fury and left in anger. She and Fury would have enough time to find a new hiding place before he returned.
Away from him, Fury and Holly would have submitted to their desires and discovered they were mates. Fury would have learned to love again. They would have mated and bonded, lived together until he died of his injuries two years later. Holly would have followed him to death. They would have met again in their next life, where things would have turned out better for them. She would never have to endure the pain and trauma her false mate had caused. But she made her choices and set the events that happened in motion.
Closing her eyes once again, Lacy smiled at the scenes she had witnessed. Although it was short, they both looked so happy in that life. A life full of love and affection. Complete devotion.
Everything was clear now, Lacy figured out why the Fates wanted Holly away from Fury. She was their servant for years, and they cared for her – to a certain degree - and believed she would be happier with someone else. Someone innocent, devoid of violence and who would treat her kindly. They knew how ashamed she was of being born an animal and thought she would prefer being mated to an Arcadian.
Lacy sighed. There was no shame in being an animal. Holly only thought it was because her false mate made her felt like it was. Who was he to say such a thing to her? He was the one who fell in love with an animal and was ashamed of it.
Seeing how focused the Were-Hunters were on the game and will be playing it for a few more hours, Lacy left Fury with the intent to return.
Flashing on top of their roof, Lacy sat down. She took her helmet off and held it on her lap as Savitar materialized next to her wearing a Hawaiian shirt and cargo pants. "For a man who claims he doesn't want to get involved, you sure like getting involved."
"They're the ones who threw the gantlet."
"I thought petty fights were beneath you?" she teased.
"I am merely answering their challenge." Savitar sat beside Lacy, tilted his head to get a better look at her face. Mainly her eyes. They had altered to swirling silver then back to green an instant later.
Lacy wondered why he was staring at her with an odd expression on his face. "What?" she asked as he glanced at something over her left shoulder.
"Are you going to tell Acheron about Mintha?"
"What's the point?"
"He's her father."
"So?" Lacy said the word in a tone that meant there was no point in what he was claiming.
"He has the right to know about her."
"Acheron told me himself that he didn't want the responsibility of taking care of another child."
"He might think differently now. Furthermore, you asked him that question without giving him details."
"Why are you bringing this up?" she curiously asked, rubbing away the tingling sensation on her left shoulder. "Mintha is dead."
Savitar ignored her question. "You shouldn't be up so late." he commented, his hand hovering over her left shoulder.
Lacy flashed to the other end of the roof, putting a safe distance between them.
Savitar put his hands up in surrender. "I wasn't going to do anything I swear." Knowing that she reacted that way because she just had a sudden flashback of the last time he tried to heal her. He accidently dismembered her body in an attempt to heal her wounds, causing her body and soul to separate. "Come back, we need to talk."
"We're going to talk, all right, but for my safety I'm going to stay over here."
"I understand." He took no offence to how she felt, "How'd Holly's first session go?"
When the time came for Holly to choose a mate the Fates were quick to summon her in order to tell her who they had paired her with. Savitar interfered, which surprised everyone, and pulled Lacy into the middle of it. Being the mediator and Holly's therapist, Lacy advise that Holly should undergo treatment to sort out her issues before she was ready to have a new mate. Her last mate left an emotional scar that would take time to heal.
Lacy made the Fates and Savitar swore they would not interfere in Holly's decision and her therapy sessions. She used the power of the helmet to prevent anyone from seeing Holly. Instead, she would be monitoring Holly and give reports to the Fates and Savitar. "She's not used to Grace yet, but I'm sure she'll come around in the next session."
"Has she met any of her suitors yet?"
"Fang. But you and I both know he's taken. She saw a vision of Fury at Sanctuary, with your help."
The Fates and Savitar are permitted to speak with Holly only once during this game they were gambling on. Savitar used his chance already, and the Fates still have theirs.
Trace, Fang, and Dare are the suitors Holly has to choose from. Fang's dating Amiee, and Dare's incarcerated. That leaves Trace as the obvious choice. He's the one the Fates have their money on. Lacy had hopes for him as well, but didn't want to voice her opinion until she was certain he was the right mate for Holly.
Savitar, in an odd twist, placed his bet on an unsuspected suitor, Fury. Lacy didn't know what he was thinking trying to pair Holly and Fury together. Fury was taken. Unless, of course Savitar had something up his sleeve, this could be a possibility.
"By the way I need to schedule a meeting with Dare. I want to have a talk with him before he and Holly meet."
"Done,"
"One more thing,"
"Yes,"
"Is there something going on that you're not telling me?"
"Whatever do you mean?"
"Oh…I don't know. Maybe because you're glancing at my shoulder and making weird faces." she said sarcastically. "Is there something on my shoulder?" This time she was dead serious.
"Mintha,"
"Why are you being so cruel?" She couldn't believe he was bringing up her dead daughter again, when he knew how much that particular subject depressed her.
"I'm not being cruel." Savitar stated, glancing at the little girl, no more than eight. Mintha was holding on to Lacy's neck, her head resting on her mother's left shoulder.
Savitar was certain Mintha's sudden appearance was not threatening, but there had to be a reason why she was here.
Before Lacy flashed away, Savitar dangled a clear ball in his hand with flashing lights, at an angle that Mintha could see but Lacy couldn't. As expected, she was interested in the toy and stayed behind while her mother left in fury at him for hurting her feelings.
"Want to play?" Savitar asked her.
Mintha eagerly nodded, her dry and brittle red hair barely affected by her movements.
He crooked his finger for her to come to him. Mintha skipped to him and curiously stared at the flashing ball, her swirling silver eyes wide with amazement at the gadget. She leaned her head back, and gave him an inquisitive stare that clearly said, 'What do you want in exchange?'
Smart kid.
"Where have you been?"
Mintha placed her hands over her eyes in respond and something occurred to him.
"Can you speak? Have you spoken to Lacy?"
Mintha shook her head and put her hands over her mouth, then her eyes, then her ears.
"Mouth, eyes, ears? I see. You tried to speak to her, make her see you, and hear you, but she couldn't."
She pointed at him, then cupped her eyes.
"Only me? I'm the only one that can see you."
She shook her head and stepped back.
"What's the matter? Is there someone else who can see you?"
Mintha didn't respond, merely pointing at the toy in his hand, and held her hand out for it.
"Of course, here." He handed her the ball and watched as it fell through her hand.
She slowly put her arm back to her side and pressed out her bottom lip. She stared at him with watery eyes, angry at him for tempting her with a toy she couldn't have or touch. Similar to her mother, Mintha left in fury at him for hurting her feelings.
Savitar let her go. He got the information he needed. Mintha was alive.
%
As soon as Lacy returned to Holly, she was bombarded with questions of Fury's wellbeing and health. She led Holly to sit on the couch and answered her.
"Is he eating right?" Holly eagerly asked, tightly hugging a throw pillow over her chest. "He was so thin..." She murmured sadly.
"Yes, Bride, his sister-in-law, makes sure of it. You don't have to worry of him starving."
Holly's hold on the pillow softened as she relaxed. "Have his injuries healed? What of his legs? Have they healed?"
"It's been over four hundred years, Holly, of course they've healed."
"Right. Four hundred years." Holly mumbled, adjusting her eye patch, "Is-is he…" she shut her mouth as if afraid to ask her the question.
"Is he what?" Lacy pressed her.
"Is he," Holly tightened her hold on the pillow, "happy?" she whispered.
"Yes,"
Holly was relieved to hear this. "And his mate, Angelia, is she happy?"
"Yes,"
Holly remained silent as she took out her notebook. "I'm done with my list. I won't disappoint Grace next time." She cheerfully announced, but Lacy could see through her facade. Holly was confused at what she was feeling. She was delighted in hearing of Fury's happiness, but was depressed because it was not with her.
"Holly, do you want to speak with Fury?"
Holly froze as if in shock. "I-I…I want to but I shouldn't. Angelia. She hasn't allowed me yet."
"It's the twenty-first century, Holly. You can speak with him online without either of them knowing. He doesn't have to know who you really are. Just create a Facebook and pm him."
"Create a Facebook? But what if he doesn't pm me? And why would he?"
Lacy nodded to the PlayStation 3 that was still warm from Holly playing it. "You were playing against Fury online and he's dying to talk to you."
"What?"
"The person you were battling online against was Fury and he wants to know how you keep beating him."
"How did you know for certain it was him?"
"I recognized your screen name and avatar on his T.V."
Holly gasped. "You-you mean Fury is Furious_wolf?"
Lacy laughed. "Kind of obvious now that you think about it. So what do you say? Want me to set things up for you?"
