Thank you to all who reviewed. I realize how long it's been since I last updated and I'm sorry. I've really had no time to type up the story. But I have written some chapters on paper. Since it's Winter Break, I've decided that it's the perfect time to reward you patient folks with another chapter of my infamous story, Attacked!. A few days ago, I noticed that there is another story in the AF fan fiction world with the same title, exclamation point included and that the story was published long before mine was. Sorry, mystery writer, for stealing your title name. I hope you can forgive me.
Now, for the seventh chapter of Attacked!
Recap:
"It's Shane, dude." Owen said. Artemis was immediately on alert. His back stiffened and Holly could almost imagine his ears sticking up, like that of a dog. "He's not doing so hot."
"What's wrong with him?" Artemis asked. Owen looked reluctantly at Holly.
"You need to come see for yourself. Alone." Owen said. Artemis nodded.
Artemis and Owen ran at a speed nearing 200 mph. They arrived at Shane's house in less than 5 minutes. Artemis was amazed at his own speed.
Owen led Artemis to Shane's room, where Shane was laying in bed, staring at the ceiling.
"You brought that Holly girl into the picture. Everything was fine until she showed up."
"I'm sorry I ruined your fun elf-chasing game, but she's my friend. And she just showed up, okay! What's the big deal?" Artemis said, growing angry again.
"The deal is that I... imprinted." Shane said. "On her!" Shane practically screamed.
In a split second, Artemis had Shane pinned against the wall above his bed, his feet an inch above the mattress, by his shoulders. "You can't imprint on Holly!" Artemis snarled. "She's off limits!"
"You think I chose this?" Shane fired back, pushing Artemis away. "You think I wanted to imprint on your little girlfriend?"
Why did you attack him?" she asked.
"He told me something that I didn't like hearing." He admitted.
"What was that?" she asked.
"He told me that he imprinted on you last night."
Artemis laughed. "I get your point. Have they caught Opal?"
"They did." She rolled her eyes. "But she escaped. Again."
Artemis pulled her back, kissing her first this time. Holly's eyes widened, but she closed them and leaned into the kiss. Artemis deepened it, darting his tongue against her lips, which she eagerly parted.
Something in the back of Artemis mind snarled angrily, and let a growl out in the back of Artemis throat. Artemis gasped and broke the kiss, backing away, and crumpling onto the floor.
I almost hurt you. I'm sorry. It doesn't like you. Or it doesn't like me liking you." Artemis breathed out.
He had finally built up enough courage to let his feeling known to Holly, but the stupid beast inside of him had ruined it.
Chapter Seven: Break-ups and Break-ins
(3 weeks later)
"I'm not in any danger, am I?" Brody asked Artemis, tossing the last piece of bread in the lake outside the Manor. A duck eagerly ate it.
"What do you mean?" Artemis asked him, grabbing Beckett as he ran past, stopping the young boy from rushing into the lake to pet the duck again.
"Well, hanging out with a teenage werewolf has to be pretty dangerous, right? Not to mention a whole pack of them! I mean, what if I'm bitten?!" Brody asked, stuffing his hands into his pockets and looking down.
Artemis laughed once. "You don't have anything to worry about. It's physically impossible for me to hurt you. And no one else in the pack would hurt you either, unless they absolutely lose control. And by the time they do lose control like that, everyone else would be fighting to protect you. It's kind of understood that you'll be in some deep shit if you hurt someone that a pack member has imprinted on. "
Brody scowled at the word 'imprinted'. Artemis noticed and hoped his next words would cheer his boyfriend up. "If a werewolf is injured badly enough, then the rest of the pack members would feel it too. It wouldn't be anywhere near as painful for them as it is for the injured wolf, though. It's more like a really sharp pain between the shoulder blades. If something were to happen to somebody that a werewolf has imprinted on, the werewolf hurts really bad. It's a heartbreak that's physical and he'll be in almost unbearable pain. The rest of the wolves will be able to feel that sharp pain then. So, most wolves don't want to hurt the imprintees of their packmates, because they'll hurt. It's why we consider ourselves a family. All fourteen of us."
Brody smiled lightly at Artemis, but it faltered. "Fourteen? I thought there were only thirteen of us."
Artemis glanced uneasily at Brody. "Well, yeah, about that. Holly is considered in the family as well. Shane imprinted on her. He didn't want anyone outside of the pack to know." Artemis shrugged and smiled apologetically at Brody, who smiled brightly back at him.
"How do you know that it hurts the pack when… someone in the family is hurt? Has it happened before?" Brody asked.
"Not in our pack," Artemis answered. "Riley was informed by the Elder pack when he imprinted on Maura."
Brody nodded.
"We should head back." Artemis said, motioning to the Manor.
"Yeah." Brody agreed.
Artemis' parents had gone shopping for the twins' birthday an hour ago. Artemis had called Brody to come over and help him entertain his brothers. Myles and Beckett had insisted that the two teenage boys take them to the pond outside to feed the ducks. Butler was currently inside the Manor, probably starting to prepare lunch.
So the four boys walked back to the Manor, the two teens laughing as the twins bickered. They reminded Artemis of Foaly and Mulch always arguing.
Artemis' cell phone rang. He fished it out of the pocket of his tight jeans, and was surprised to see that Holly was calling him. She hadn't spoken to him since he had kissed her. His heart sank. He loved her, but she was off-limits, not only because Shane had imprinted on her, but because the monster inside of him wouldn't accept anybody else but Brody.
He ignored the call.
Lunch was ready when they got inside. Seeing as how his tight jeans would not allow Artemis to sit with a phone in his pocket, he took the phone out and set it beside his plate. He excused himself to go to the hallway bathroom to wash his hands.
Brody was helping the twins into their seats when Artemis' phone vibrated on the table. He was getting a phone call. Brody checked the caller ID and frowned. It was Holly. Of course, he still hadn't forgotten finding her in Artemis' bed, and couldn't help the jealousy that he felt whenever she was mentioned. He did, however, note that he didn't feel as jealous as he probably should.
He grabbed the phone and answered it.
"Yo!" he said as a greeting. The twins giggled and he smiled at them and winked.
"Artemis?" Holly asked, sounding as if she was trying to decide whether to be confused or amused.
"Naw, it's Brody. What's up?"
"Where's Artemis?" Now she seemed annoyed.
Brody moved into the living room, where he couldn't be overheard.
"He's washing up for lunch. What, am I not good enough to talk to?" he joked.
She sighed. "I have something important that I need to tell him. "
"How important?"
"Life or Death important." She said, clearly getting frustrated.
"Well, why don't you tell me and I'll relay the message. Besides, I do have a right to know if my boyfriend is in any danger."
"Fine!" she snarled. He could hear the scowl in her voice. He smirked. "Just tell him that past-Opal broke present-Opal out of prison and that they're on the loose."
"Huh?"
"Just tell him what I said!"
"Okay! Okay! Chill!"
"And tell him to call me."
"Ha! Yeah, sure." He hung up on her as she started yelling at him in a language that he had never heard before.
Brody reentered the dining room to find Artemis, Butler, and the twins already eating.
"Artemis, catch!" Brody called to him, tossing the phone to Artemis. The toss was a little too far to the right, but Artemis reached for it and caught it easily. Butler raised his eyebrows in surprise and Artemis looked at Brody, confused.
"Why did you have my phone?" Artemis asked, not upset, but curious. Brody sat down beside him.
"Holly called and I answered." Brody told him. Butler furrowed his brows this time. So did Artemis.
"What did she need?" Artemis asked.
"She told me to tell you," Brody took a bite of his sandwich before continuing, "that past-Opal broke present-Opal out of prison and that they're on the loose."
Artemis and Butler's eyes widened and they looked at each other. They seemed panicked.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Brody asked them.
"It means," Artemis said, picking up his phone, "that I have to call her back." He was already dialing her number and standing. "I'll be right back." He walked out of the room, through the door leading to the living room. Brody rolled his eyes and munched on his sandwich unhappily.
Artemis and Brody were watching the twins in their playroom twenty minutes later. Butler was in the security room, watching the monitors and making sure that they were all in working condition. The two teens sat on a couch while Myles and Beckett played firefighters.
"Why do you look so worried?" Brody asked Artemis.
"Opal is dangerous. You have no idea how many times she has tried to kill Holly and I." Artemis answered.
"Are you and Holly close?" Brody asked nervously.
"Well, she was one of the first real friends that I ever made," Artemis said, "So, yeah, I suppose we are."
"I think she likes you." Brody confessed sadly. He didn't want to have this conversation, but he needed to know Artemis' real feelings for him.
Artemis looked at him questioningly. "Why are you –"
"And," Brody interrupted, "I think you like her too."
Artemis breathed in deeply and let it out slowly. "Holly and I have been through a lot together. And, I won't lie, there's definitely an attraction between us." He couldn't look at Brody, choosing instead to look at his hands, but he knew Brody well enough to know that hurt was present on his face. "She was my first kiss," he confessed.
Brody was silent for a few seconds, as he watched the back of Artemis' head. Finally, he spoke. "I wouldn't be in the picture if you weren't a werewolf, would I?" He asked Artemis sadly.
Artemis shook his head slowly.
Brody sighed deeply. "You said that you don't necessarily have to date the person that you… imprint on? That it usually happens because you start to really like them?" he asked.
"Well, yeah, but –"
"But, you don't really like me, do you? Not like that?"
Artemis turned to Brody then, looking him in the eye. "No, I don't. I'm sorry." He admitted sadly.
Brody frowned. "It's okay. Gay isn't the way for most people." They laughed, but it never reached their eyes. "We can still be friends though, right?"
"Of course, I kind of can't stay away from you." Artemis said, smiling. Brody smiled back.
"So, now you and Holly can be together." Brody told him.
"Well, no, we can't." Artemis said, scowling.
"Why not?"
"The wolf won't allow it. I kissed her once and almost attacked her. It's too hung up on you."
"Whoa! You kissed her after you imprinted on me?"
Artemis blushed. "Oh, well, it was the day after the full moon." Brody's eyebrows shot up. "She was leaving, and we were saying goodbye, and it just kinda happened!" he said hurriedly. Brody shrugged.
"What if I told the wolf that it was okay." He asked Artemis.
Artemis laughed. "I suppose you could try."
"Wouldn't hurt, right?" Brody put his hand on Artemis' shoulder and turned to him, looking him in the eye. "Hey, Mr. Wolf-Inside-of-Artemis, I don't want Artemis anymore. So if you ever want to get any play at all, you're going to have to settle for Holly. I'm sorry." Brody was grinning wildly at Artemis' scandalized face. "Well, that outta git er done." They laughed.
They were jerked back into focus when the Manor began to shake violently. The twins ran to them just as a hole was blown into the wall opposite the couch. An LEP shuttle appeared and the door opened, revealing two human men, obviously mesmered.
The boys had been knocked onto the floor from the force of the shuttle colliding with the wall. Artemis was just feet from the others, but his vision was blurring. He'd hit his head pretty hard on the ground, and a large pretend kitchen set had landed on top of him. His head was beginning to heal however, when he saw the men take Brody and his brothers onto the shuttle.
Before he could even shout, the shuttle sped away. He yelled and got up, his head clear now. He ran to the gaping hole in the wall, and cursed loudly. The shuttle was too far away from him. Butler came bursting into the room, demanding to know what happened.
"The Opal's have taken Brody, Beckett, and Myles." Artemis answered. He took out his phone and called Holly, telling her what happened.
"Okay, meet me at Tara as soon as possible. We've been trying to locate Opal, but it'll take a while. So we'll get you down here, and come up with some sort of plan." She told him.
"Why do we need to go underground?" he argued.
"Because this is LEP business, and you need to let us do our jobs. I don't need to give Internal Affairs another reason to demoted or fire me."
He reluctantly agreed.
When he hung up, he called Riley.
"Hello?" Riley answered
"Brody and my brothers have been kidnapped by two evil pixies and we need to get them back!" Artemis screamed into the phone.
Riley flinched. "Okay, where do you want us to meet you?"
"Bring the pack to Tara. Holly will take us underground to Haven."
"Okay." Riley said, and they hung up.
"BUTLER!" Artemis yelled, and Butler ran back into the room.
"Yes?" Butler yelled back as he poked his head into the doorway.
"Pack some bags for yourself, Mother, and Father. Enough for a few days. Meet them at the gates when they arrive and take them somewhere safe. Tell them that I'm sending them on a surprise vacation until the twins' birthday. My mother knows about the People, so just mention that to her. Get tickets to Paris and send them there. When they are on the plane, call me and I will tell what to do next."
"Sir, what about you?" Butler asked.
"I'm going to Tara, and Holly is taking me belowground."
Butler nodded and did as he was told. Artemis packed his own bags quickly.
Artemis ran downstairs and grabbed the keys to his Dodge Charger. He started it, and raced down the driveway, turning down a street, then the freeway, making his way to Tara.
He really wished he didn't have to bother with the car. It was fast, but not as fast as Artemis' own four paws.
That's it for this chapter. I hope you liked it! All of you who were wary about the whole Arty/Brody thing will. And those of you who are rooting for Arty/Holly will most definitely like the next chapter!
Just tell me one thing: should I leave the Arty/Holly-ness of the next chapter at a T rating or up it to M? Maybe the smut is better left to my other AH story, In Need Of a Friend?
Review please cuz I love you!