Sorry this chapter took so long, re-wrote a few times. I'm curious what you lovely readers think of Derek and Eleanora's interactions? And thank you to all of those sticking with this story especially those who have reviewed, favourited and followed. Find me on tumblr "Eleanora Argent" for edits and sneak peaks. Please review, ~C
Chapter 10: Deeper Wounds
Her head was spinning, Scott was the other beta, her sister was dating a werewolf. There was no way Allison knew what he was. Did he know about their family. He must if he knew Derek. Was he dating Allison to get close to them? There were too many questions, her head was pounding. She had to get out of here. That was going to be a problem though as the only way down to the first floor was the stairs Derek and Scott were standing at the bottom of. Plus she was badly injured. She could feel blood pooling in her boot. He hadn't tended to all of her wounds, Scott had interrupted that. Thinking back why was he helping her at all? Maybe he was trying to get close to her to learn what her family knew.
She shook her head there was no time to think on that now. She needed to get out of here, but she was so tired. The long day and the blood loss were wearing on her. She looked around and seen a room she could duck in, a plan starting to form. She reached down placing her hand onto the bloody mess her jeans had become. She pulled it back looking to see it covered in red. She ran her hand along the wall and over the sill of a broken out window. She reached down again squeezing her gashes filling her hand with a small pool of blood. She tipped it out onto the ground outside the window. Then standing by the empty room she hollered and ran in closing the door softly.
She waited as she heard the two sets of footsteps run passed her.
Scott had come to the house to make sure Derek was still alive. Thankfully the man was but he seemed a little more distant than usual which Scott didn't think was possible but there it was. He noticed his stormy eyes glancing up the staircase a few times.
"I don't know what to do about the alpha Scott, any more than you do," Derek sighed tiredly, "all I know is that we're stronger together."
The two wolves stared each other down in a tense silence for a few moments. Derek had started to formulate a plan to get the teen to help him. He wasn't sure what Scott would think of the woman upstairs. Derek was still trying to sort out his thoughts on her. She was an Argent that alone should have made him keep his distance. But the fact that she seemed unafraid of him while terrified of the world was just confusing enough to pique his interest. He had gotten lost in his thoughts when he heard her yell. Scotts eyes just about bugged out of his head as Derek ran up the stairs.
The coppery smell of blood hit his senses first knocking him for a loop. He looked into his room not seeing Eleanora anywhere. So he let his nose do the work as he followed the blood trail she'd left and looked out the window not seeing her but sure she must have ran. It was a long drop but he didn't know what training she had, there was allot of things he didn't know about her. Scott was looking around confused as hell.
"Derek what's going on?" Scott looked up at the other wolf smelling someone familiar but not sure.
"She must have took off in the woods," Derek decided, "we can't let her get back to them she knows about you."
"Who does?" Scott was suddenly afraid as he seen fear in Derek's eyes, something he'd never realized was possible.
"Eleanora Argent," Derek said in a frustrated growl as he took off down the stairs, Scott right on his heels.
Eleanora waited 'til she seen them take off into the trees through the window before she ran out of the room, down the stairs and in the complete opposite direction. There was no way in hell she was going to be here when they got back. Her head was swimming with everything that had happened since she'd been back in Beacon Hills. She was longing for the familiarity of Coach yelling at the boys, that seemed another life time ago. She was running for about five minutes when she noticed the trees getting thinner. She must be getting closer to the edge of the woods. She burst out of the trees only to trip on a rock.
She looked up to find herself at the lookout. Not the best place to make a stand but at least she had her bearings now. She looked around before realizing something was parked in front of her. Her bike was sitting twenty feet from her. She was pretty sure the ignition had been fixed too, there were no wires hanging anymore. Every nerve in her body wanted to run for it but her brain was screaming to stop. There was no way this wasn't a trap. She looked for another exit but suddenly she heard running footsteps behind her.
They were coming fast and it was big, "shit!" she swore.
Eleanora ran for the bike but tripped again this time she looked down to find a dead body. The man's eyes staring hollowly at the moon. She'd seen him somewhere before but couldn't place him. She scrambled realizing that the footsteps had stopped just short of her. She swore she heard a cackle. She tried desperately to pull herself up but between her exhaustion and the blood her hands were covered in she kept slipping on the rock.
She felt a foot press onto her lower back, right over her scar. She felt as his clawed toenails dug into her skin through the sweater she'd borrowed. Then she felt a knee press into her back and it was a little lighter. That's when she felt breath on her face and a pair of very human lips at her ear.
"Hello little blue bird," he licked the shell of her ear gently.
The shiver that ran through her body at the action was not pleasant like the ones earlier.
"Don't call me that," she tried to sound confident but her voice was too weak.
"Why wasn't that his nickname for you?" the breath was hot and ragged on her cheek now.
She tried to squirm but felt a hand press the side of her face down into the blood beneath her. She wasn't sure if it was her's or the man's. She felt him trace her eyebrow with his finger, something that brought back bad memories. She was trying not to think, trying to react instead but the familiar shaking had started.
"Uh oh, did you forget your bag?" he cackled again.
Her eyes went huge at the realization. She had forgotten the precious bag at Derek's which meant her pills were miles away. There would be no way to stop the flashes now. Her breathing started to rapidly grow panicked. She suddenly felt him smell her neck.
"You smell delicious," he stated.
She suddenly felt human hands brush her hair away from her neck as hot lips kissed the side of her neck a few times. She clamped her eyes shut trying not to scream thinking that's what he wanted.
"Hmmm… you're all warmed up and ready to go," he sniffed again.
Eleanora was helpless, the feeling she hated the most. She tried yet again to pull herself along the ground and away from him. He pushed down on her back more causing her to cry out in pain.
"Should we punish you for your sins?" she felt him put one hand on the back of her neck pressing and then she felt a clawed finger run up the back of her leg ripping her jeans.
"Fuck you!" she spat out.
"We could do that," she thought she felt him shrug, "or maybe I could bite you? Make you like me."
She was silent but she was seething, the finger was going higher.
"I could make you kill your precious Allie," he suggested, "like Derek was supposed to kill you. Except this time I'd make sure Scott was so far away he couldn't stop me."
She realized the howl she'd heard was Scott, he'd stopped Derek from killing her. The alpha was watching realization dawn on her.
"Maybe you should have stayed at the house," he laughed again a sickly cackle.
"I won't let you punish Allie for my sins," she said spitting some of the blood out of her mouth with the effort.
He had let go of her neck and was balancing on just his knee. She realized he wasn't fully transformed and she might have a chance. She bucked up as hard as she could but it wasn't enough. He dug his claws roughly across her back and she screamed out in pain. Suddenly she heard another set of footsteps. She smiled hopefully as she felt the weight leave her back.
"Don't think you won't be punished severely for your sins," he swiped down opening the wound on her leg worse.
When Derek ran into the clearing he thought she was dead, her red hair more crimson with the blood it was caked in. The moon was reflecting off of her pale skin and the pool of blood her body was sprawled in. That's when he heard it.
"Help, please," she breathed out between her shallow, quick breaths.
Scott almost slammed into Derek's back as he was frozen to the spot. Scott looked down at the girl running to her side, no thought at the moment of who her family was. All he knew was that she was hurt badly. Derek finally snapped out of it rushing to her other side. Her face with towards him and her eyes looked up locking onto his.
"Derek," she almost smiled but didn't have the strength, "I need my bag."
"You're bleeding to death in the woods and all you are worried about is your purse?" Derek asked incredulously.
"Please," she begged again.
This is when Derek noticed the slight shake in her voice and that her eyes were doing that unfocussed thing again. Derek wasn't a doctor but he knew that couldn't be a good sign. Scott looked up at the older man with fear in his dark eyes.
"She needs a doctor," Scott told him seriously.
"No doctors and no hospitals," she glared over at Scott.
Eleanora tried to sit up on her own only to slip and fall. Derek caught her before her face slammed into the ground. When Derek touched her arms he felt an overwhelming amount of pain cloud his senses. Without thinking he absorbed as much as he could. Eleanora closed her eyes and panted as her breathing came a little easier.
"Take me to my bag, now," she demanded locking eyes with Derek and he seen the plea behind them, "please."
"Derek I'm serious she needs to go now," Scott was confused why they weren't running with her in their arms.
"He threatened to turn me Scott," she turned her blue eyes to his warm brown ones, "then he'd force me to kill Allison."
Derek listened and she wasn't lying. He wondered what he would do if it was him protecting Laura like that. He winced internally thinking about his sister.
"I can't help protect her if I'm in the hospital or in jail," Scotts eyebrows shot up.
"Jail?" he was confused.
"If you haven't noticed I'm bleeding all over a dead body," she sighed.
Scott looked down noticing the body for the first time, "it's the janitor from the school."
"Now that that's decided can one of you young wolves help me to my fucking bag?" Derek would have expected growl if she had been a wolf.
He stood up swooping her into his arms for a second time in less than a day. He started packing her and her head instinctively lolled into his chest. She could smell his sweat from here, he smelt like the woods and leather. She got a flash of his smirk and pushing her knife into his thigh, but it wasn't at the school. Did she really see him before she was drugged? Could he have drugged her?
"You at least have to let me look at your injuries," Scott said from somewhere behind them, "my Mom said you were hurt pretty bad earlier."
The walk back seemed to take no time at all, every once in a while she felt Derek take some of her pain. She didn't know if he was aware he was doing it as he never really reacted at the time. He carried her in and set her gently on the bed then passed her the black leather bag. She immediately started digging in one of the pockets. Derek watched as she took three separate pill bottles out.
"Water please?" she asked without looking up.
"You can't still be in pain, I watched Derek take your pain," Scott was appalled.
She glared up at the boy, "well this one is an anti-psychotic, this one is a mood leveller and this one will stop the shaking from the nerve damage," she spat out taking the pills she motioned to.
Scott left the room to collect himself ashamed at having witnessed such a private thing. Derek stayed rooted to his spot trying his best not to let his curiosity win. She started packing everything away when something fell out of the bag. A small syringe landed softly on the bed. Derek watched her eyes lock on the item. She bit her bottom lip and started to reach for it before pulling her arm back cradling it. Derek could feel the fear and excitement wafting off of her. He kneeled down beside the bed, he gently put his hand on her leg to get her to focus on him. She tentatively looked over at him shame in her eyes.
"What does that one stop?" he asked softly.
She hesitated for a moment looking back down at it and then up at him, "everything. It stops everything."
Her voice broke at the end of the sentence, Derek gently grabbed the syringe and took it out of her view. Scott walked back in then and Derek hid the item in his desk drawer. Eleanora nodded at him in a silent thank you. If Scott knew Allison would know. If Scott was more attuned to his wolf senses he might realize the increase in Eleanora's heart rate had nothing to do with her injuries.
Scott shyly looked at the older girl, he was even blushing. Again Eleanora couldn't help making comparisons. Scott looked like a kicked puppy while Derek was silently brooding like the lone wolf she imagined he was. She looked back and forth a few times waiting patiently for someone to speak. When no one did she rolled her eyes at them.
"Well if we're good here I'd like to make sure that Alpha isn't headed to kill my sister," she made to get up.
As soon as she put weight on her injured leg she cried out, listing forward. This time Scott caught her in his arms. Eleanora blushed being this close to her sisters love. He smelt sweet like baking and innocence. She felt him push her lightly back on the bed, forcing her to sit down. Scott crouched down in front of her and pulled her leg towards him. Gently rolling her jeans to check her leg, it was slashed up pretty bad. Scott was pretty sure he could stitch it up if he had the supplies.
"The alpha did this?" Scott asked sadly having noticed that some of the blood was clotting.
"No actually he did," Eleanora nodded towards Derek and he looked down ashamed.
Scott looked over his shoulder raising an eyebrow at the wolf. Watching him pace in front of his desk thinking. Scott stood up looking to dig his phone out of his pocket before realizing he didn't have one.
"Give me your phone," Scott told the other wolf.
Derek raised his eyebrows and narrowed his eyes at the teen, "Why?"
"Because you smashed mine, remember?" Scott's voice rose a little.
Eleanora looked over at the two in amusement wanting to make a smart ass comment but her vision blurred and she was seeing double. She shook her head trying to fix her vision. Derek noticed the action out of the corner of his eye and handed the phone over without another question.
Scott excused himself again and Derek overheard him ordering Stiles to get some supplies from the animal clinic. Derek crouched down in front of her much like Scott had. He looked her in the eye locking her blue eyes with his stormy ones.
"I need to clean up the rest of your injuries," he told her while gently sliding her boot of her hurt leg.
Setting the mangled leather aside he moved to the other leg. He reached up inside her jeans brushing against her bare leg. The touch was soft and gentle as he unzipped the boot slipping it off. He looked back up at her again.
"If you lean on me do you think you can stand?" he asked softly.
She nodded slightly grabbing his shoulder and bracing herself. He reached up and undid the button on the front of her jeans. He slowly slid the bloody, mangled fabric down to the floor. Not once did his eyes leave her's. Eleanora was shocked by the gentleness in his eyes. There wasn't a trace of the anger or shame he'd had in his eyes earlier in the night. She sat gently back down and the action caused his outstretched hand to gently caress her knee. Derek heard her heartbeat rise at the touch. He wasn't shocked this time and he could see the want in her eyes. She looked down for a moment and Derek broke the eye contact. He heard her unzipping the sweater and his eyes grew big. She slipped the sweater off covering herself to the best of her ability before laying face down on the bed. Derek heard Scott finishing his call and stood up covering as much of her as he could with his blanket.
Scott walked back in then without saying a word about Stiles as he knew Derek had heard the call. He instead looked down at the huntress in front of them. He looked from her to Derek seeing the amount of damage. He could see many of the stitches his Mother had put in had been ripped open. There were puncture marks on her lower back over top of an old looking scar. A large portion of her back was bruised with what looked like boot prints. Derek left the room coming back with clean water and rags for cleaning the blood away.
Eleanora was glad her face was down in the mattress at the moment. She was blushing furiously and couldn't help the guilt that was weighing her down. She'd let her body betray her with Derek yet again. He had undressed her so softly and gently. She couldn't help wishing the situation was different. She was almost happy for the distraction of the stinging her back was getting at Scott's cleaning.
Scott was being very thorough but she was getting tired. Suddenly all three of them heard the front door slam open and clumsy footsteps run up the stairs. She heard a strangled cry as he entered the room.
"Holy shit!" the boy she assumed was called Stiles said, "did the Alpha use her as a human sized scratching post?"
The silence stretched out for a moment as all three men stared at her back. Derek watched as it suddenly started twitching and he was instantly worried, kneeling down beside the bed and about to reach for her. Suddenly the sound of a soft laugh echoed in the quiet room. She was laughing at Stiles.
"I'm guessing your Stiles," she stated more than asked from her position, "you're funnier than Allie said you were."
She leaned up slightly on her elbows to look back at the two younger boys. Stiles straightened up and smirked pleased with the compliment. Derek looked over at her astonished that she was this calm right now. Then he heard it, the beating of her heart loudly against her chest. She was terrified and damned good at covering it up. Derek took this distracted moment to size up her wounds in general sure there was more on the front of her body when he caught sight of some writing peaking out on her ribs. The problem was it was just below her half exposed breast.
Scott and Stiles were talking amongst themselves, Derek assumed discussing what he had brought in a gym bag. He was still trying to read the writing when her face turned to meet his which was allot closer than he realized. She caught his eye and then as if realizing what he was looking at she brought her arms up to cover herself and quirked up one eyebrow. There was a deadly question in her eyes as he looked away ashamed. Then he felt a gentle hand on the top of his thigh.
"Thank you," she said quietly hoping to have a private moment while the others talked, "for everything," her eyes darted to the desk drawer.
Derek only nodded as his throat had suddenly gone dry staring at her hand still sitting on his upper thigh. Eleanora was still not sure why they were helping her but she was starting to feel like she could trust Derek. Some unseen force in her head, maybe her instincts. Her Father and Gerard had always said her's were almost supernatural in their clarity. She always felt more wolf than hunter when she was tracking. Maybe that's why she felt closer to the man beside her than she had felt to her sister since being back. It didn't hurt that she hadn't lied to him so far but all she had done since being back was lie to Allie.
Scott and Stiles must have finally came up with a plan because they were both standing behind her staring at her back. Scott spoke up first and she could hear the doubt in his voice.
"I'm going to stitch what I can," he hesitated, "but I don't have anything to dull the pain."
Derek rolled his eyes at that ready to take her pain if need be.
"And you need me to feel the pain to make a proper assessment of my injuries?" Eleanora asked without a hint of fear in her voice.
Scott nodded gravely but kneeled beside the bed by her leg.
"I know the drill," she said and Derek flinched slightly at the cold and emotionless voice she adopted, as though she really had done this tons of time.
Scott started to poke and prod at her leg. Taking stock of the large gashes that would need stitches. He sterilized a needle in the hot flame of his lighter before taking the steel like thread from Stiles hands and threading it. He ran the needle into her skin just below her knee doing his best to knot it as he went. Derek watched her face and was surprised to see a far off look in her eyes. She wasn't even flinching, as if it didn't hurt at all. After about fifteen minutes of working on her leg Scott dropped the blood needle into the hot water he'd used earlier to clean her back.
He grabbed a cloth and cleaned the rest of the wound of blood. He then ran the cloth up the back of her leg at a cut Derek hadn't even noticed. A cold chill crept up his spine as he realized there was a smooth line cut up from the back of her knee to just below her ass cheek. It was from a single claw. Anger boiled deep in Derek's gut at the thought of what could have happened if they hadn't of found her when they did. Scott wrapped and taped her leg then finally covered her lower body with the blanket.
Scott moved to sit beside her on the bed. He repeated the process on her back injuries. Again she didn't make a move, still as a statue. Scott caught Derek's eye when he finished, he looked just as terrified as Derek felt. This girl was a solider and the fear in Scott's eyes wasn't for himself or the girl in front of him. He realized he was afraid of what his girlfriend truly was and Derek was slightly grateful to the girl for getting through to Scott even if it was a terrible way to learn.
"There all done or as best as I can do," Scott told her quietly, "I got Stiles to bring you some of his clothes. I'm sure Derek's wouldn't of fit."
Derek nodded standing up about to leave the room to allow her to dress, "Derek?" she asked her voice shaky finally showing some of her pain.
Scott and Stiles turned back as well but Derek just waved the boys off. He entered the room again shutting the door behind him. He stood in front of her as she was sitting up in the bed clutching his blanket to her naked chest.
"What happens now?" she asked a sudden cold realization on her heart, "you helped me even though my family is sworn to fight your kind. Are you just going to let me walk out of here, knowing what I know?"
"Depends on whether you're going to run home to Daddy and tell him everything," Derek felt the cold edge return to his voice.
He had almost forgot what she was, forgot that she'd been trained her whole life to kill him. Forgot that she was just like Kate.
"I have no proof you've hurt or killed anyone of your own volition," she locked eyes with him sincerity in her's, "so as far as I'm concerned I owe you one."
Derek raised an eyebrow at her incredulously.
"Take it easy Brooke Shields, I'm giving you a free pass. This time."
Derek couldn't help it when both his eyebrows shot up into his hair line at the jab.
"Now if you don't mind I'd like some privacy while I attempt to squeeze my womanly hips into that scrawny kids sweats," she smiled warmly at him.
Derek blushed at her glib remark and he rushed out of the room.
"Something doesn't feel right," Stiles commented his paranoia getting the best of him.
"What do you mean?" Scott asked ever the optimist, "maybe she can help us."
"Well the Alpha led Allison to the school right?" Stiles explained, "do you think he led Eleanora too?"
"I'm pretty certain he did," Derek added scaring the younger boys.
"God why are you so good at sneaking up on people?" Scott asked grabbing his chest reminiscent of an asthma attack.
"Werewolf," Derek raised a brow answering the question.
"Right," Stiles scoffed, "but shouldn't that be a sign we shouldn't trust them?"
"I wouldn't say I trust her," Derek started, "but if she's willing to help take down the Alpha we can deal with what comes next after."
"So you would kill her if you had to?" Scott asked his eyes huge.
"For what they did to my family I would kill them all," he flashed his eyes at the younger Beta.
Eleanora quickly changed into the worn out sweats and t-shirt the boy had brought. They fit her better than she thought. Tight enough to not be baggy but still allow easy movement. She smiled down at the Beacon Hills Lacross shirt as she sniffed in the boys scent. He smelt like caramel slightly, she thought it was quite fitting as that's what his eyes reminded her of. She could hear faint talking below her. No doubt trying to decide if they were going to let her go or not. She tried to wait patiently when something clicked in her head. Derek had left her goodies in the desk drawer. She was so consumed with opening the drawer she didn't hear the soft footsteps approaching.
Eleanora opened the drawer to find it empty. She was just about to curse under her breath when someone cleared their throat behind her.
"Looking for something?" Derek asked her holding the syringe in his hand.
"Sneaky, sneaky wolf," she chided under her breath.
Derek seen the corner of her mouth lift slightly before it went down in a frown suddenly. She gripped the edge of the desk her breath coming in short gasps. Derek panicked and ran for her. He touched her arm gently and that's when he felt all of the pain she had been trying to repress while Scott did his work.
"Fuck," he swore and black veins crept up his arms but she pulled out of his grasp.
She was shaking her head and backing away. Derek could see the cold dead look in her eyes. It was a look he'd seen in his mirror way more times than he could remember. It was a mask of pain and anger, guilt and shame.
"I'm fine," she told him her voice barely above a whisper, "I just need a shit load of sleep."
Derek looked her up and down now. Realizing that she looked tiny in Stiles clothes. Her face was sunken with pain and misery. She was positively dead on her feet.
"Sleep here tonight," Derek told her, "we'll figure it out in the morning."
She looked up into his eyes now, possibly looking for ulterior motives in them. It was then Derek realized this girl didn't trust anyone and that was something he understood all to well.
"You can take the bed and I'll sleep on the floor," he told her motioning to the small bed.
She just nodded and slid back down onto it. Derek watched as she cuddled under the covers and in a matter of moments she was out. But her body never seemed to fully relax even after he heard her heartbeat slow. Derek took a moment to sneak out of the room and make sure the other boys were gone.