~Dying Angel Style~
By: Aerys Krystie.
oOo
"You did that on purpose!"
"Prove it!"
Knowing it wouldn't do any good, Derek heaved a sigh as Jackson and Peter glared at each other. Boyd, Erica and Isaac already had their asses handed to them at the hands of Jackson, so Derek decided he could train with Peter. That had seemed like a great idea, until Jackson got angry and did everything he could to cause pain to Peter.
Before Derek could scold him, Vincent snapped out Jackson's name. The snow wolf glared at the dragon. Vincent said nothing more, but Jackson ended up hanging his head and glowering at the ground. The pup finally raised his head and turned his back to group, walking off into the woods. Derek shook his head, calling training to an end.
Scott cocked an eyebrow and shrugged. Derek stared at him, deciding he wasn't allowed a say on the matter. Scott had flat out refused to train against Jackson as he found it to be unfair for a werewolf to go against a wolf-shifter. Boyd and Erica agreed with him, but they couldn't deny Derek any command and they were a little pouty about the issue.
Derek grabbed the bag that held the witch's jaw and threw it at Scott, telling everyone to get familiar with the scent. The werewolves already looked sick before the bag was opened. The moment it was untied, Erica and Isaac were running to throw up behind trees and Derek followed Jackson. He needed to know what was angering his pack member.
He was use to Jackson being angry about the fact that the others had more training than him. Jackson detested being the one on his back, especially when Erica would laugh at him. However, he had shown no mercy on them when they were paired against him. He had gone easy on Isaac, but that was probably because they were friends. Jackson had all but ripped Boyd's arm off and beaten him with it. Erica received a broken arm and rib. They were healed and refused to be Jackson's training partner ever again.
Derek found Jackson in the clearing that Tsuki created. Jackson's head tilted up a little and Derek knew the shifter had caught his scent. Derek frowned and looked up when the sun was blocked out. Snow clouds had come in from nowhere. In minutes, a thick blanket was covering the ground and Jackson shifted into his animal form. He almost completely blended in with the snow and Derek looked around, deciding that Jackson was going to exact some revenge on him for stopping their little act the previous night.
He strained his eyes to see through the snow and tried to hear any sound from Jackson. He ducked when Jackson jumped at him from the right. He had no idea if he wanted to hurt Jackson when he was in his animal form. He didn't want to be known as the bastard that would kick the shit out of an animal. He knew exactly how bad that would end. On the plus side, at least he now knew that Jackson could control the weather.
There was a bite on his left shoulder and Derek cursed, removing his jacket before it was completely destroyed. His shirt was ripped from his body and Derek cocked an eyebrow, smirking. Jackson was faster than he gave the boy credit for. He turned a slow circle, trying to find the wolf through the blinding whiteness. He frowned, squinting at a shape to his right. His eyes widened when he was tackled from behind.
Derek turned around, staring at the clouds. He blinked the snow out of his eyes and got to his feet. He grabbed Jackson around the waist when the shifter ran at him from the left. He had no idea when Jackson shifted back into a human, but he looked stunning in the snow with his eyes. Derek smirked, brushing a few flakes from his hair and leaning down.
"I should've known Jackson was the cause of the freak storm in the middle of spring."
Derek sighed and pulled away from Jackson, turning to glare at Peter. The fire wolf grinned at him and it took everything that Derek had not to rip his throat out. Before he could tell Peter to get lost, Scott and Stiles showed up. Stiles' eyes lit up at the snow and he ran into it, flopping to the ground and making a snow angel. Isaac wasn't far behind Scott and Derek shook his head, allowing them to have fun.
With another sigh, Derek turned to Jackson. "When did you learn that you could control the weather?" he asked as he grabbed his jacket and stared at the hole in the left shoulder.
Jackson waved his hand and the hole mended. "It was something that I just knew I could do," he said offhandedly, as though everyone could create snow and change the weather in a certain section of the town.
Derek went to kiss Jackson's bare shoulder when a tunnel of fire shot past him. Jackson raised a hand and used the snow to stop the fire. He turned on Peter and his eyes went white. Derek stood in front of Jackson, not wanting to bury another family member. He also knew that Peter was going to fuck with Jackson as much as possible since they were basically opposites.
Jackson shook his head and the snow fell harder. In moments, no one could see a foot in front of them and Derek got the feeling that Jackson had left them. That was made clear when the snow stopped and he was nowhere to be seen. Derek lowered his eyes and pulled on his jacket, heading back to the house while the others played with the snow. He kept forgetting how young they were.
It wasn't surprising to see that Jackson was back before him. What made Derek raise an eyebrow was that Jackson was in his animal form and Mark had gone full alpha on him. Jackson lowered his head and snarled, his hackles going up. Mark roared and charged at him. Jackson met him halfway and slammed the side of his body against Mark's legs. When the alpha landed, Jackson stood over him, mouth around his throat.
Mark cleared his throat and pushed back his wolf. Jackson stepped back and shifted back into a human. He grinned and held his hand out to Mark. The Doyle chuckled and accepted the hand up. Jackson led him into the house, completely ignoring the fact that Derek was there and watched their sorry excuse of a fight. Derek took comfort in the fact that he lasted longer against Jackson and that was when he was running on instinct.
Derek followed them into the house and to the kitchen. "So did it work?" Jackson asked as he handed a cup of coffee to Mark.
The alpha smiled his thanks and sipped the drink. "Well, yes and no. It killed the witch, but now that we know how to do that, the coven has destroyed the headstones so we don't know what graves to use. Liam's brother managed to get the plans from a caretaker." He pulled out a folded piece of paper and beckoned Derek over to join them.
Derek looked at the cemetery plan and found that Mark or Liam's brother had marked the graves that were a century old. He looked at Mark. They all knew what the witches smelled like now. One whiff was all it took to never forget. Still, it was interesting that Jackson was taking such an interest in this. With the power a shifter had, Jackson could probably obliterate the coven without breaking a sweat. On the other hand, Jackson might be trying to keep a low profile.
"So there are only two, century old graves here?" Derek inquired as he looked at the circled graves on the map. "And I'm guessing we're not allowed to reuse a grave or put more than one in there?"
Mark pursed his lips apologetically. "Yeah. I don't know why that is, but it just doesn't work. One witch per grave."
"That doesn't seem too bad." Jackson shrugged when the alphas stared at him like he was insane. "All I'm saying is that there are three shifters here. Two wolves and a dragon. Then there's the demon."
Derek shook his head. "The dragon-shifter isn't part of my pack. He might help if you ask, but I'm pretty sure I can use you and Peter." He lowered his eyes when Jackson raised an eyebrow. "I can ask Stiles if he can get the maps of the other cemeteries."
As he left, he heard Jackson and Mark talking about different plans. Derek tried not to growl when Mark suggested that Jackson take on the coven alone, maybe take some back up in the form of a freaking dragon-shifter. Derek knew that he could trust Jackson not to try anything stupid, especially since it would put the pack in danger.
The Sheriff's car pulled up, followed by Christ Argent and Derek shifted. He howled, calling back his pack along with Scott and Stiles. Derek shifted back and gazed at the two men in front of him. He wasn't sure if he liked how popular the house was becoming. John Stilinski nodded at Derek as he stepped onto the porch. Derek was going to tell them to back off, but Vincent showed up and invited them in happily.
Derek shook his head and decided not to say anything. Chris was a hunter and could likely help in the way of finding and burning them. John was probably there to find about the dead children. Derek wasn't sure how much help they could be. Knowing that they were a ritual probably wouldn't help too much or ease any of the tension.
Derek's pack came running in, still shaking the snow from their bodies and clothing, grinning and chatting as though they never had that much fun. Chris just stared at them with a raised eyebrow, deciding he didn't want to know how they were covered in snow.
"Hey!" Jackson greeted and Derek could hear the grin in his voice. "This is Mark Doyle. He's helping us with our witch problem."
"Well, that's why I'm here," Chris said and Derek heard the map moving. "I wasn't sure that it was witches, being that the body was burned."
"Had to make sure that it actually worked," Mark said huffily. "Can't exactly test a theory without the test part. Now we know that it does actually kill them, we're good to go."
"Are there any copies of cemetery headstone arrangements in the records of city hall?" Stiles asked and Derek could basically imagine his head tilted as he thought. "Is it weird that we have three cemeteries?"
Derek rolled his eyes at the question and went back into the house. He stood in the entrance to the kitchen, watching as Jackson and Vincent created drinks for their guests. Derek watched the way Jackson's eyes sparkled. It was odd to see him happy about being around people he otherwise couldn't stand, at least last year he couldn't.
This time, Jackson seemed more interested in ignoring Derek. He left it to Vincent to offer him a drink, which Derek declined. He hadn't really trained that hard and water from the tap was more than enough. If he really felt like getting fancy, he could make a cup of tea, just to show the shifters how it was done.
"So… Do these witches have anything to do with the twelve kids that were murdered?" John inquired, sipping his coffee and looking around. Vincent answered him and then told him to make the calls about the graveyard maps.
Derek narrowed his eyes when saw Jackson's hand brush against Mark's. It could have been an accident, but he would rather not have any strange scents on Jackson. He was the one that had to inhale him more often than the others and he liked how Jackson smelled. Derek turned away from them and focused on Stiles and his father.
Stiles was waiting for John to finish up on some calls about the cemetery plans. Scott and Chris were talking about a plan of action, while Isaac, Jackson and Mark joined them. Derek, Erica and Boy were the only ones not contributing to any conversation. That worked fine for Derek. He was seconds from ripping Mark's hand off his body if he didn't remove it from Jackson's shoulder as he leaned down slightly.
Derek forced his wolf back, knowing it would only cause more problems. He wanted nothing more than to let the alpha out and tear Mark's throat out with his teeth. Some of the others might have an issue with that. Jackson laughed and Derek saw red. He pushed himself between Mark and Jackson, noticing the way everyone looked at him. Thankfully, none of them were stupid enough to say anything.
Jackson glanced up at Chris, chewing his lower lip before he looked around Derek and at Mark. "Do we know what the ritual was for? Did they do it to get more power or something?"
Mark rested his hip against the table and grinned. "More power is usually a safe bet. Innocent blood boosts their magic and spells. If they want Derek and me to fight, they'll make a hate spell and put it into motion by using the blood." He sighed and appeared ill. "The things they do are disgusting."
"That's why we're taking them out," Chris stated and pulled out a machete. Jackson raised an eyebrow and reached for it. "That's silver, kid."
Jackson grinned. "Not a werewolf, grandpa." He took hold of the weapon and ran his fingers along the blade. "You could stand to sharpen this a little more."
"I'll look into it." Chris narrowed his eyes and took back the knife. "Are there any herbs that work great against evil bitches?"
Mark smirked and shrugged. "We could use a couple of cocks." He laughed when he saw the raised eyebrows and confusion. "Roosters are said to scare witches," he clarified. "There's also salt and my personal favorite – a wolf's head." He stared pointedly at Jackson for that the last one.
Jackson narrowed his eyes and rolled his shoulders. Derek placed a hand on his lower back. He's only playing with you, Jackson, he murmured mentally, but found he liked the slight pout on Jackson's lips with a joke at his expense. Derek gently massaged the area and glanced at the Sheriff when he hung up and said that he was going to get the maps of the other two cemeteries. Stiles and Scott asked for a lift back with him, saying that they would look into witches.
Erica and Boyd asked to keep an eye on the witches and Derek nodded. Mark said that he could use some help in the hunting division, which Chris agreed to help with. Derek noticed the spark of disappointment in Mark's eyes when he offered. That left Isaac, Jackson, Peter and him in the house. He was sure they could find something to do, especially with all the books around.
Jackson offered to look up any way of taking out witches if there weren't enough graves. He went down to the basement, where the books were held. Isaac offered to help him and Derek knew he should pull his weight when it came to that, as well. However, he would much prefer to do the research with Jackson, but he wasn't about to make Isaac feel like he was unwanted.
Derek followed the other two down to the basement. He raised an eyebrow when he saw books hovering in the air, moving around and the way that Jackson would glance at them before he waved a hand and they returned to a shelf. Isaac was sitting on the floor, watching the tomes move around for a little, before saying he had better things to do. He left the basement and Derek caught a glimpse of Jackson's eyes. He thought they were white when Jackson used his magic. At the moment, they were like pools of mercury.
"Look through those books," Jackson said and pointed to a small pile beside him.
Derek narrowed his eyes at the tone Jackson had taken with him. He went over to the pile and picked up the first book. He sighed. "This is written in Greek," he stated.
Jackson glanced at him and shook his head. "Vincent can read Greek and so can I. Do you know any language, other than English and bad English?"
"I know a little Russian," Derek admitted with a slight shrug.
Jackson shook his head. "Just stick to the English books. I don't need you attempting to translate something and giving us the wrong information." The pile separated and two books hovered in front of Derek. "You can start with those."
Taking the books, Derek sat down. He gazed at Jackson thoughtfully. "What languages do you know now?"
Jackson shrugged. "Just a few, thanks to Vincent. He instilled his knowledge of the languages into me so we could talk without having people eavesdrop on us."
"Hm." Derek opened the first book and flipped through the pages. It mentioned the wolf's head again, but he figured it would best not to say that out loud. He didn't want Jackson to attack him for making an offhanded remark. "What languages do you know?"
Jackson sighed. "French, Russian, Greek, Romanian, Italian, German, Chinese and Indonesian. Are you happy now?"
"Vincent taught you all of those?"
"I already knew French and Italian." Jackson lowered his eyes and Derek stood when he smelled the pathetic scent of sadness. "My parents wanted me to learn at least three other languages. I was in the process of learning Chinese when the bite happened."
Derek bit the inside of his lower lip. "What were you planning on doing when you graduated?"
Jackson shrugged and turned his back to Derek, continuing to look through the books. Derek decided not to push the issue. Clearly knowing that he couldn't return to his family was something that hurt Jackson. Derek had no idea what to do about that, since his remaining family was an insane uncle that sold his soul to become a wolf-shifter for more power.
Shaking his head, Derek sat down and flipped through the book. He picked up the little sticky strips and placed them on pages that might help them. He was thankful that salt seemed to be the more common seasoning against witches. He saw something about vervain and decided it couldn't hurt to look into it, so he made a note.
The books that were in the air dropped suddenly and Derek looked up. Jackson was on his hands and knees, shivering. Putting the book to the side, Derek got to his feet and got on a knee before Jackson, asking if he was all right. True to his normal self, Jackson nodded. Derek didn't believe him for a moment, but it took Vincent showing up for Jackson to stop the shivering.
"I keep telling you that you can't skip meals, Jax." Vincent pulled Jackson to his feet.
Derek frowned at the nickname. There were times he wanted to call Jackson that, but he got the feeling that Jackson would attempt to gut him on the spot. However, it was completely different for Vincent as he was a dragon-shifter. Still, it was a chore to fight back the jealousy as Jackson whined and clung to Vincent like he was a saving grace.
There wasn't anything he could do about it. Vincent had been there for Jackson more than he had. Derek knew why that was. He wasn't ready to get attached to someone, only to have them ripped from his life. Since Jackson was a wolf-shifter now, it probably wouldn't happen, but there were some things he wasn't going to risk. If he was lucky, Jackson would hang around and wait for him. That would almost seem plausible, if Jackson wasn't such an impatient personality.
Knowing there wasn't anything he could do to help Jackson, Derek sat down in the chair again and opened the book to the last sticky note. He scanned through the words, trying to remember what herbs were easily accessible and what ones would take time to get there. He really wished there was a decent manual around for killing witches. Even he knew the myth about witches and water was just a myth, but someone decided it was worth seriously looking into.
Having finished going through that book, Derek picked up the other one that was in English. He glanced at the one that was in Russian. He was starting to understand why Vincent constantly reminded him that shifters were better. Jackson had learned six languages in the course of six days. Vincent was over a thousand years old and clearly had nothing better to do with his time than learn languages, even if he was taking eight hundred year long naps.
He shook his head. There was no point in crying over spilt milk. He picked up the English book and scanned the words, seeing that it was most of the same shit. There was something about valerian root, which was a common substance. If that actually worked, it would make this whole thing a lot easier. He had no idea how they were going to test any of these, though. They would need a live witch, but Mark had no intention on keeping one alive long enough to have these theories tested, especially knowing that his theory worked.
After reading that book, Derek picked up the other and headed upstairs. He found Jackson and Vincent in the kitchen. Jackson was still trembling from the loss of energy, but he got to his feet when Derek entered. Derek told him to sit and Jackson did so, gratefully sinking into the chair and closing his eyes. He sipped at his tea and Derek sat opposite him, pushing the books towards his omega.
Jackson opened his eyes to slivers and glared at Derek. He felt Jackson slip into his mind and forcefully pushed him out. Jackson blinked and sat up straighter, staring at Derek with confusion. Peter had taught him a few things when it came to dealing with wolf-shifters. Jackson tilted his head and pushed into Derek's mind again. When Derek forced him out again, Jackson's head snapped back and he toppled backwards, crashing to the floor and panting with pain.
"No more cheating, Jackson. If I give you something to read, you read it." Derek stood and looked down at Jackson. The shifter's eyes were bloodshot and a thin line of red was leaving each one. Jackson nodded slowly, swallowing several times before he attempted to move. "I need you to go over these with Isaac. Work through the pain, if you have to."
When Derek turned away from Jackson, he was met by Vincent's fist. He was knocked over the table and imprinted in the wall. Vincent stepped up to Derek, eyes narrowed, but not swirling. "If you ever poison him again, I will show you how much I care about my wards."
"I didn't poison him. I just wanted him out of my head." Derek pulled himself out of the wall. "If he's part of my pack, he needs to know that he's like the rest of us."
"But he isn't like the rest of you, idiot. He's far superior and he doesn't need to read in order to know what you know." Vincent wrapped a hand around Derek's throat, not surprised when he was knocked back by a gale of wind.
"He doesn't know any better, Vincent. Don't punish him for being ignorant." Jackson swayed and fell to his knees. His arms hooked onto the edge of the table and more blood trickled from his eyes.
Derek wasn't sure if he was insulted or not with what Jackson was saying about him. However, he did feel like a dick for poisoning Jackson's mind. Peter never said that would happen, but Peter really didn't like Jackson since he was a wolf-shifter and could kill him. Derek went to place a hand on Jackson's shoulder. The shifter flinched and shied away from the contact.
With energy he didn't have, Jackson stood and picked up the books. He left the kitchen and Derek heard him go into the living room. Isaac asked Jackson if he was okay and Jackson said he was. One good thing came about from that: Derek realized how it was that Jackson could hide the werewolf pneumonia and the changes from him. He never realized just how cruel he was to Jackson, but he figured that Jackson could handle it.
Vincent ran a hand through his hair and shook his head. "I really don't know what he sees in you. You're the most idiotic alpha I've ever met. And I've seen my fair share of moronic werewolves." He sighed. "If you don't stop treating him like he's a nuisance, I will take him away."
Derek cocked an eyebrow. "Really? I would like to see you try. He's chosen me as his alpha," he stated flatly.
"That's because he has a choice of you or Mark Doyle. He knows the shady business that Mark's into, but he's so blinded by his feelings for you that he doesn't see just how much of a joke you are." Vincent's tone was just flat, as though everything he said was factual. "I don't care if he has chosen you for now. Once he meets a real alpha, he'll drop you faster than a bad date."
Derek shook his head. He really had no idea why he was still in the kitchen, listening to Vincent. The dragon-shifter had made it clear from the first day that he didn't like Derek. Yet he was always stating how bad he was at being an alpha, even for a werewolf. Derek never understood why Vincent felt the need to point out all of his flaws. He was doing the best he could with what he had.
Considering he had three betas that were nearly seventeen, he figured he was doing rather well. It didn't matter that two of those betas were getting ready to leave him, if they could find the right time to tell him. It didn't matter that his first bite turned into a murdering lizard, then a werewolf and finally a wolf-shifter. It didn't matter that his uncle had murdered his sister and he in turn had murdered his uncle, only for him to come back from the dead.
Derek frowned. When it was listed like that, he could see why someone would think he's a shitty alpha. He figured he was never cut out to be an alpha, but that didn't stop him. He lowered his eyes and sat in the chair Jackson was in. He gazed at the tea that was still on the table, unsure of what to do about his problems. He couldn't show that he had any. He had no idea if the coven would prey on his weaknesses, even if he had few of them.
He blinked and looked up, gazing at Tsuki blankly. The demon wasn't paying attention to him. He was talking to Vincent in a language that Derek guessed was Japanese. Vincent's brows furrowed slightly, but he nodded and walked out of the kitchen. Tsuki gazed at Derek, tilting his head as his eyes moved over Derek's form. He said nothing and walked out of the room, as well. Derek sighed and rubbed his neck, thinking about the coven.
None of them knew how many graves they had that could be used. He wasn't sure if there would be more than a handful. Derek stood and went out to the porch. He looked around, watching as the trees swayed in the breeze. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, loving the smell of the woods. He even caught the hint of fresh snow from Jackson's little flurry. It was always fresh and soothing. His eyes flew open when he caught the scent of the witches.
He scanned the trees in front of him, but there was nothing there. He inhaled again and could still smell them. He looked around for the jaw and found it in the bag, tied tightly and inside another bag. Clearly, the others did not enjoy the smell that came from the jaw. He strained his ears, trying to pick up a sound that wasn't natural. He frowned when he realized what was wrong. It was deathly silent. There were no bugs, birds or animals around.
"It is like the calm before the storm."
Derek jumped at the sudden voice and glared at Tsuki. The demon ignored him and focused on a point on the horizon. Derek followed his gaze, but he couldn't see anything that would cause alarm. Of course, he wasn't aware of how strong a demon's eyesight was. In fact, he didn't know squat about demons or what they were capable of. He knew that they could turn a werewolf into a wolf-shifter, even if it was as painful as possible.
"You would know about the storm. Is this your way of warning me?" Derek rested against the pole holding up the roof, watching the leaves dance.
"I am helping you as much as I can without holding a current contract." Tsuki blinked and turned his eyes to Derek. "I do not need to be here."
"Yeah, you do," Derek stated and ignored the gaze. "You can't help it. You're keeping an eye on Jackson, because he has supposedly attracted something evil." He frowned and looked at his right wrist, remembering when Jackson crushed it a couple of days ago. "Are you able to possess someone?"
"Possession is…archaic, though achievable."
Derek nodded slowly. "Did you possess Jackson a day or two ago? He kinda flipped out on me and broke my wrist, for the fun factor." He glanced at Tsuki for a moment, before he looked at the trees again.
"I do not possess anyone," Tsuki stated and Derek listened to his heart. Oddly enough, there was hardly anything that made it increase in beats. Derek could never tell if he was lying or not. "It was not I that possessed Jackson that day. It was my older brother. He has been…dealt with."
The serenity that surrounded Tsuki made Derek tense. He couldn't even begin to think about saying something like that about a sibling. Of course, Derek had never met Tsuki's brother and was grateful that he didn't have to deal with him anymore. Still, it chilled him to the core to hear Tsuki talk about dealing with someone like they were nothing, despite the blood ties they had.
Derek lowered his eyes. "Are we going to win against this coven?" He wasn't sure if he was going to be told the future or if he even wanted to know what the future was.
Tsuki raised his hand and Derek watched as a crystal ball rolled over it. It was oddly captivating to see the ball roll from the back of the hand to the palm. "Are you sure you want to know the outcome of this small battle?"
"Twelve kids are dead. I don't think it's that small, anymore." His eyes continued to follow the crystal ball. He caught Tsuki's wrist and the ball rested on the tip of his middle finger. "Who do you think you are, David Bowie?"
Derek frowned when saw images in the ball. He leaned in closer, watching different scenes playing out. He glared at Tsuki when he saw himself and Jackson from the previous night. He saw Boyd and Erica walking through the streets of the town, stopping every so often to mark it off on a map when they caught the scent of a witch. He saw Chris and Mark at Chris's place, talking and scheming. John, Scott and Stiles were going over the cemetery maps and circling the hundred year old graves.
The ball suddenly turned into a white dove and flew away. Derek blinked and watched as it flew towards to the trees. It suddenly dropped from the air, dead. He looked at Tsuki and saw the sorrow deepen on the demon's face. He walked down the stairs and picked up the corpse, kissing the head and the cooing started. Tsuki turned around and walked back up the stairs. He placed the dove on the railing and it sat there happily.
"What killed it?" Derek asked and again, wasn't sure if he wanted to know the answer.
"Black magic usually destroys symbols," Tsuki explained as he ran a finger down the back of the dove. He picked up the bird and held it out to Derek. "Sniff it."
Derek raised an eyebrow, curious on how many conversations could start with an order like that. He did, however, sniff at the dove. He frowned and nuzzled at its neck gently. It smelled fresh and clean, like a waterfall surrounded by cherry blossoms. That was the image that popped into his head and he figured that was because of Tsuki's name.
"Now, go to where I revived him." Tsuki pulled the dove back, murmuring to it softly.
Derek said nothing and went to the area. Before he was even close, he caught the acrid stench that brought up an image of corpses used as a wall. He tried to push the scent out of his nose, shaking his head and stepping back. He had no idea how he hadn't noticed the smell before. It was like the odor of the jaw, except that was much worse. The black magic was just a residual affect, but the point was made. They knew where he was.
He joined Tsuki on the porch, listing to the dove coo. "Do you happen to know what the best way to remove a coven is? Preferably a way that doesn't include scattering around the country, hunting down the leader."
"Did you know that innocence is sometimes described as the act of having guilt?"
Derek frowned, unsure of how to even approach something like that. He wasn't sure what it had to do with his question, but something told him that Tsuki didn't speak for the sake of speaking. He thought about the words, eyes dropping to the dove. He had never heard of innocence described that way. On the other hand, he wasn't nearly as old as Tsuki, either.
"Nearly everyone has guilt over something. Does that mean that nearly everyone is innocent?"
Tsuki chuckled softly. "Most people are guilty about the fact they were caught. I meant those that show guilt for something they could not control."
"You could've been a little clearer on that," Derek snapped and sighed. He glanced over his shoulder. "You're talking about Jackson, aren't you?"
"I was talking about you," Tsuki responded immediately. "Yes, Jackson is innocent, but he is not the alpha of this pack." The demon gasped quietly. He closed his eyes and Derek's head snapped when there was a scream of terror and agony. "Your uncle is rather good with his mind games."
Derek stared at the ceiling of the porch, hearing Peter whimper. "What the hell did you do to him?"
"I reminded him of his place. I also happen to know what he has planned." Tsuki opened his eyes, gazing at the dove. "These witches are after you and your pack, simply because they can smell the guilt, which is almost like an aphrodisiac to them."
Derek fought off the images that those words conjured. He wasn't going to think about what they could do to him, while they were drunk off his guilt. "Why did they kill the kids, then?"
"Do you know what innocence is?"
Derek groaned. "Someone that hasn't broken a law or committed a sin," he answered with a growl.
"Yes, that is correct. Perhaps I should have inquired if you know what true innocence is." Tsuki tilted his head as he looked up at Derek. "True innocence is selflessness."
Derek frowned for a moment. He couldn't believe that was true innocence. It sounded so – so easy. Yet when he thought about it, he realized just how difficult it would be for some people. He remembered how Jackson had given up his life so he couldn't continue to harm people. He thought about how Stiles always put everyone first. He knew he had to protect those two from the coven.
"Wow. I'm tainted."
"You are not beyond saving."
Derek shook his head. "I know you're meant to be a demon, but I doubt even you could know that."
Tsuki turned his eyes to the front door. "You know how they say that animals can sense something about what a person is truly like?" Derek nodded. "When you confessed to Jackson that you did not want to die, he knew you were telling the truth. He saw something in you. He saw your demons."
Derek winced and turned away from the demon. "That's why he didn't kill me? He wanted me to save myself from the hell I'm in?" He shook his head.
"He is helping you the only way he knows how."
Derek wasn't sure if he liked the fact that his words were used against him. He had no idea how Jackson was helping and he was nearly certain he didn't want to know. He wanted to know how to take out the coven. His thoughts came to a screeching halt as he thought about Tsuki's first question about innocence. What did that have to do with the coven?
"What does my innocence have to do with the coven?"
Tsuki blinked and looked at Derek. The demon almost seemed confused on what Derek was talking about. It lasted half a second. "You asked me the best the way of taking out the coven that did not include scattering around the country to take down the leader. Salt will trap them, but it will not destroy them. There are not enough graves to burn them in."
Derek raised an eyebrow. He was certain that Tsuki just told him in great length that they were fucked and that his blood had something to do with it. "You want me to sprinkle them with my blood?"
"You have a choice of three: You, Jackson and Stiles. All three can be used or you can just use your blood. It matters not how it is done."
Derek growled in the back of his throat. Tsuki didn't seem bothered by the sound. "It might not matter to you, but I count on those two. What use would they be to me if I drain their blood?" He stopped and closed his eyes. If he did that, he would never hear the end of Stiles calling him a vampire.
"You do not need to drain them completely. Ten milliliters of their blood would be enough to kill one witch," Tsuki explained as he turned to look at the forest in front of the house.
Derek's back straightened when he heard someone breathing. It sounded like someone had the worst chest infection known to man and they were wheezing. He followed Tsuki's eyes and he narrowed his in return, glaring at the three hags that were standing just out of the tree line. Their skin was the color of old parchment, their eyes bloodshot and covered with dark circles. Their oily, matted hair fell in thick strings. They moved as though they were fighting rigor mortis.
Walking down the stairs, Derek flicked his hands and brought out his claws. They weren't worth him going full alpha. He heard someone running through the house and glanced over his shoulder. Jackson ran out the door and leapt from the first step. He landed in front of Derek in his animal form. His head was down, hackles up and he snarled in way that was clearly not natural.
The center witch threw up her hand and a circle of mountain ash fell around Derek. Jackson jumped at her, jaws on her arm, which he ripped off easily. The other two turned on him and he let out a howl of pain that had Derek growling. How dare they force that noise out Jackson! He was going to murder them slowly.
Jackson was thrown to his feet and Derek stared down at the body. Jackson wasn't breathing, but there was a faint heartbeat. Derek raised his eyes slowly, feeling the beast in him unleash. He howled and used Jackson's tail to break the mountain ash circle. He was going to enjoy ripping them apart. His hand wrapped around the center witch's throat, which he ripped out. He grabbed the one on his left and threw her into the one on the right.
After he tore the head from the center witch's body, he turned to the others. He was more than disappointed to see that they had run off. He turned back to the house, just as Isaac came running out with Peter a step behind him. Derek ignored them and walked up to Jackson. He was breathing shallowly, whining and whimpering with pain. It was a heart wrenching sound to hear an animal in that amount of agony.
"Jackson," Isaac called as he fell to his knees. "Come on, you can pull through this. Where the fuck is Vincent?"
"He would not be of any use," Tsuki answered as he stood behind Isaac. "There is only one person that can help you when it comes to a witch's magic." Realization flooded through all of them and Tsuki nodded. "I suggest you leave now. Jackson will not survive much longer."
End Chapter X.
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Peace.
Auska.