Lydia confirmed that Deaton was at his veterinary clinic, but was either asleep or unconscious. She offered to 'BAMF' them there (as Stiles put it), but Derek was coming to hate that form of travel. Driving his Camaro gave him time to think about whatever was coming, and he would usually have a solid plan of action by the time he arrived. Last night's jaunt to the chemistry lab proved to him that he was no good off the cuff. His overreaction had nearly led to Stiles dying, and if it weren't for that freak gust of wind, that would have happened. He couldn't imagine what he would have done if Harris had carried out his threat. Lying there dazed and helpless, the pain causing him to lose the Alpha shift…absolutely useless to Stiles and everyone else…and that was why Derek made sure Harris' death was the most agonizing thing possible. Derek started to devour him while he was still alive, and in such a way as to keep him alive as long as he could. That was the price you paid for threatening the mate of Derek Hale.
In the end, he let Lydia convince him only because time was of the essence. With less than 24 hours to go, every minute counted. When they appeared at the vet's they quickly saw that Deaton was unconscious from a serious head wound, and also bound by the glowing purple force bands that Harris seemed to be so fond of. Lydia cancelled the spell, and did what she could to reverse the man's injury. When he came awake, he backed quickly against the wall, clearly terrified.
"Listen, I tried to stop him going after you! I have no argument with any of you! I helped Harris because he was a friend and colleague, but I warned him not to get involved with black magic! He never listened! When he said he was going to try to take a hostage to get his book, we fought…and he won. He was more powerful than I realized. Oh God, if you're all here…is he dead? Are you going to kill me? Please, I beg you…"
"ENOUGH!" said Derek. Deaton flinched and smacked his head against the wall, nearly knocking himself out again.
Scott glared at Derek before turning to his boss. "Sir, we aren't here to hurt you. We need your help. Harris is dead, and he totally had it coming; not just for last night either. The Succubus is coming to claim her kid, and that's either Jackson or Lydia. How do we stop her? Think before you answer; the words 'you can't' will likely send our Alpha into a feeding frenzy. We don't care how risky it is."
Deaton began shaking his head no, but then caught the baleful crimson gaze of Derek Hale.
"Look, if we had the name of the Succubus in question, we might be able to do something, but Harris never told me and now he's dead. There are literally thousands of possibilities-"
"Her name is Lilith. He mentioned it in passing last night." said Lydia.
The others started, then realized she was right. Lydia's 'Total Recall' was a force to be reckoned with. They all turned to Deaton expectantly, but instead of looking relieved he was even more terrified than before.
"Dear God, it would suit his ego to choose the Queen of them all." He put his hands over his face and moaned.
"Sir, you're going to need to enlighten us." Scott said patiently. Derek's hands were clenching, and he seemed an ace away from twisting Deaton's head off like a bottlecap.
"Lilith was the first of them all. Only Lucifer himself is older, and only a handful of demons are as powerful. All succubi owe their allegiance to her. She was Adam's first wife, sent away from Eden because she wanted equality, and she found it among demon-kind. Most demons cannot reproduce, but when she was made, it was given to her to quicken with child no matter who the father might be. All of her children share this power, and the legions of incubi and succubi have grown exponentially through her efforts and those of her spawn. It is a wonder Hell can house them all."
"Wow, Jackson, our Mom is not only a celebrity but she's apparently been around. All this is great, Doc but back to the original question…how do we stop her? What would have been your plan if it were a lesser succubus?" Lydia glared at the frightened man with her dead black eyes.
"To conjure up another of greater rank and power to challenge her. One whose price would be easier to pay…Harris' soul would have been perfect but I'm guessing he's already arrived down there. Lucifer is her only superior, and I won't call Him up. Glare at me all you want, Alpha of the Hale Pack. You could devour me in minutes, but Lucifer could devour me for eternity, and He would have us all in the Pit within an hour of appearing before us. We would be better off with Lilith."
"Who are her equals then?" asked Derek flatly, annoyed that threats wouldn't work in this case.
Deaton thought for a minute, then his eyes widened. "Lycanus is one."
Derek looked shocked at this. Lydia was puzzled. The Compendium had not mentioned that particular demon's name.
"You know about him Derek?" she asked.
"It's…an old legend passed down among my people. How the first werewolves came about. He has many names, including 'Dark Man of the Forest' or the "Great Unknown'. He's haled as the Demon Prince of Werewolves. He's the one that created the first werewolf…supposedly he shows up in a forest on nights when the moon is full, and offers the power of transformation to people he thinks will do evil with it. My ancestor, Heinrich Heller saw him in the Black Forest of Germany, where the Little Red Riding Hood story originated I might add. Heinrich was what the rest of us called 'a bad apple'. His own son killed him for the brutal torture and murder of a little girl…and whatever you're thinking that he did to her, trust me it was worse; the… symbolism… comes across in the fairy tale as it originally went. Franz Heller killed his own father and inherited the Alpha position, changed the family name to Hale, and we have sworn since then to never shed human blood unless absolutely necessary. Oh, and I'll give you three guesses whose family the girl came from."
Scott's eyes widened. "No way, the Argents?"
Derek nodded grimly. "Now you know why they hate us so much. This vendetta has gone on for hundreds of years, and my Uncle Peter, Kate, Laura, the rest of my family…they're only the latest victims of it. Because one person became a werewolf who never should have."
Derek turned to Jackson. "That's why my Uncle even in his madness never considered turning you, Jackson…why I didn't want to. Nothing terrifies us more than the idea of someone who is so greedy for it actually getting it. There have been a few Heinrichs over the years…and they always get stopped…if not by the Argents, then by us. I'll be the first to say that I was wrong about you, though. You had justification for everything you did, but that's a slippery slope to becoming like my uncle."
Jackson looked down at the floor, considering how easily his petty cruelty to others throughout his life and bitterness at the world in general could have worked to turn him into a true monster.
"That's not going to happen, Derek. And not just because I know you'd all come after me. I'm a different person now. Seeing Harris and how little he thought of everyone around him…I had a piece of that in me, sure, but it's gone now. I never want to be anything like him!"
Derek didn't need to listen to Jackson's heart to be sure the words were true. "You won't be."
"So how could this guy help us against Lilith?" asked Lydia. Although she was fascinated by the history lesson, they definitely needed to start making plans in the little time they had left.
"Of all Lilith's equals, he alone may be sympathetic to your cause. Especially since you are now his kin and hers, boy." This last Deaton directed to Jackson. "They despise each other…it was Lycanus who poisoned the werewolf bite against Cambions, although Lilith's own gifts allowed you to bypass that edict with a trade. Perhaps he can be convinced to fight her for you!"
"I don't like it, guys! Even this Lycanus will charge you for his help. Who's to say he won't take someone to Hell?" babbled Stiles. For once, no one disagreed with him.
"I don't see that we have a choice, Stiles. How do we call him up, Deaton?" Lydia asked.
Deaton sighed.
"Come with me." He went to one of the cinderblock walls in the ER and pressed a loose brick. The wall swung inward, and he led them down a flight of concrete steps to some kind of ceremonial chamber. On an enormous pedestal sat a massive volume, far larger than the Compendium.
"The 'Dictionaire Infernal.' It lists all of the known high ranking demons and the means to summon them."
Deaton flipped to the page concerning Lilith first. Her symbol looked like a heart with horns growing out of the top. The illustration of her true form was not pretty.
"My God, Harris was…intimate…with that? Which of her mouths did he kiss, anyway?" asked Stiles.
"She was in a human body, Stiles, though from this description Harris is incredibly lucky to be alive. She tends to devour her mates…he must have been a really sick puppy to get on her good side."
Jackson looked nauseated. "If I had to choose between her and Scott…I'd pick Scott."
"In your dreams. If I was going 'mo, my best friend would get first dibs." Scott jokingly grabbed Stiles' shoulder. Glaring, Derek slapped Scott's hand away.
"Over my rotting corpse." spat Derek.
"Yeah, Scott, you're like my brother, it would be too weird. And I go near nothing that's been near Allison Argent." Stiles said absently, flipping through the book. He found Lycanus, and they stared at his picture. He looked like the grandfather of all Alphas, a veritable Fenris. Another picture showed his humanoid form, which was kind of shadowy but with the same glowing red eyes. The picture creeped them all out. His symbol was…a triskelion, or triple spiral. The same symbol Derek had tattooed on his back.
"Der, why do you have his tramp stamp?" asked Stiles. Derek's eyes were wide, and he looked horrified.
"I had no idea…I just kept seeing it in my dreams, and started drawing it. When I found out about Laura, something made me get it done."
Now Deaton looked nervous. "You dreamt about his sigil, Hale? Oh, this can't be good." Deaton sat down and held his head as if it were aching.
"What does it mean, Deaton?" Derek asked.
"I…don't know. He has you marked as special in some way. But if he wants something from you, Hale, that can be the bargaining chip to use with him."
"Unless what he wants is something completely horrible and evil for the world! Guys, maybe we're going about this the wrong way. Let's go to a church or something and hide there until after tomorrow. Demons can't go in a church, can they?" Stiles was desperate not to mess with any more demons.
"A church is a building, Stiles, like any other. And I don't know if the prayers of werewolves, half demons and a retired sorcerer are going to be listened to." Deaton said gently. "Something else you all should understand…Cambions can only trade things they actually possess or own, whether it is an object or a quality or whatever. Lilith and Lycanus can offer things far beyond that. Their bargains are very tempting, and far more binding. They are also very good at figuring out exactly what a person would sell their soul for. You cannot let yourselves be tempted…they will focus on the losses that hurt the most and offer to undo them. If you agree, you are lost. The demon owns you forever."
They took in this information silently.
"If you want me to call up Lycanus, you have to let me know now. It takes time and preparation. I'll have to begin now."
Derek nodded. "Do it. I'll handle the Dark Man."
"Derek…" began Stiles.
Derek came over to him, surprised to find Stiles face wet with tears. "Don't. I'll be fine. We all will. We're going to get through this."
"You're lying. I can hear it. You're planning to sacrifice yourself!" Stiles cried out.
"Not unless it's absolutely necessary. That's what it means to be Alpha, Stiles. To protect the Pack at all costs. And if anything does happen to me…well, you're older than Scott, you were bitten first, and you're my mate…so I'd be very surprised if you didn't become Alpha yourself. You would have to pick up where I left off, protecting Jackson, Scott and Lydia and all your families."
Stiles shook his head rapidly, unable to speak. Derek just hugged him tight
Lydia handed over the Compendium of Alchemy to Deaton who regarded it with awe. "It may be of some use. Deaton, don't screw us over. I have that entire book in my head, and have even improved on some of the spells in there."
"No, no…of course not. Thank you. I'll keep it safe from people like Harris."
"We'll let you prepare then. Lilith should be arriving at around 3:00 pm which is when Jackson and I were born, so we will be back here tomorrow in time for her. We have a few plans to finalize ourselves. Shall we head back to the lair, boys?" Lydia pulled another vial from her purse, and a minute later they were back on the Hale property. Stiles turned and stalked off through the woods, and Derek stared after him, an alien expression of sorrow and hurt stamped into his face, before turning and trudging alone into the house.
Scott and Jackson looked at each other and shrugged.
"Love just made Derek her bitch. I'll try not to tease him too much about this." said Scott, chuckling.
"Scott, unless you'd like you're next words to be 'Take me, Jackson, right here and now, pound me like chop-meat', you'll keep quiet." Lydia hissed.
Scott laughed, then looked horrified at her expression. "You can't really do something like that, can you? You're just bluffing."
Lydia shook her head. "I warned you." She invoked 'Aphrodite's Revenge', and turned away just as the two boys ran towards each other. She was out of earshot inside the house before the moans and short painful gasps began. First a bath, and then some beauty rest, she thought to herself.
About an hour later, Derek looked up from the chair where he sat researching his family history as the door slammed. Scott and Jackson stood there, their clothing disheveled and covered in dirt and grass stains. Their arms were folded across their chests, and they had thunderous expressions on their faces.
"What the hell have you two been up to?" said Derek in a bored voice. Scott opened his mouth to speak…then closed it and stomped out of the room, blushing furiously. Derek might have imagined it, but Scott looked like he had a limp. Whatever, it would heal. "Well, Jackson?" Jackson also failed to speak and followed Scott's lead, stomping out.
"Nice talking with you boys." Derek went back to his reading.
"LYDIA!" They screamed together. Derek sighed and went on a brief jaunt and bought an enormous order of Chinese take-out. When he returned, he found Scott and Jackson outside rough-housing while Lydia sat on the porch swing consulting a layout of playing cards.
"What's up with those two? They've been acting weird lately." Derek asked.
"They spent a memorable hour under a love spell for being insensitive to matters of the heart. Scott was sore in more ways than one, while Jackson said it wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. I felt guilty, and wiped it from their memories though. All the wrestling seems to be a side effect."
Derek burst out laughing, and he looked at the ground pinching the bridge of his nose while he gasped for breath.
The boys came up to the porch.
"Is that food?" asked the ever hungry Scott.
"I know something you don't know." said Derek.
"I'll take that as a yes." Scott and Jackson grabbed the food and went to the dining room to chow down, followed by an amused Lydia and a still-chuckling Derek.
As full night came on, Stiles still had not appeared and Derek turned to Lydia with a questioning look in his eye.
"He's still on the property. He's not hurt or anything…just very emotional. It's confusing and hard to read. Give him some more time."
{}{}{}{}
Stiles looked around the dark forest, suddenly realizing how late it had gotten. He was surprised Derek hadn't tried to track him down. He got up and began the walk toward the house, his glowing amber eyes allowing him to see his way clearly. His greatest fear, ever present on his mind since he first declared his feelings for Derek and found them reciprocated, was that he would lose what he had so recently come to care about. Derek seemed not to understand how Stiles felt. Derek had lost his entire family, but had somehow been able to move on. Stiles had barely survived the loss of his mother. Unbeknownst to even Scott, Stiles had contemplated simply ending it all, so that at least he would get to be with her again. The thought of his father and Scott were literally the only reasons he could find not to do it. One more death would do him in. He would just simply break. His father, his friends…his mate. He could not afford to let anything happen to them. Like Derek, he would protect them with his life, because if he lost them…he would have nothing.
A sudden movement in the woods caught his attention. Peering through the trees, he caught sight of a man shaped figure, shrouded in a darkness that even his wolf eyes could not penetrate. The figure was standing impossibly still and facing away. Somehow, Stiles knew that it was aware of his presence. The hair on the back of his neck prickled, and he felt every wolfish instinct within him scream in alarm.
But hey, he was Stiles Stilinski, the badass werewolf.
"Yo, buddy. Who are you?" he asked boldly.
The figure chuckled, and it was the laughter of the boogeyman himself. Stiles came within an ace of voiding his bladder right there.
"I'm no one. Who are you?" the figure asked in that same black voice. When it turned around, Stiles got one look at its face and began to scream.
