"You're pathetic," said a voice, coming from within the shadows of the forest.
Selene stopped crying, but her body was still shaking with sobs. "Who the fuck is there?" she demanded angrily.
"Geez, you really are the PMS-Queen," said the voice. There was now a vague figure in the shadows.
"Show yourself," she barked. I'm in no mood for games.
A male Lycan, slim and tall, stepped from the shadows. Typically, he was clothed in all-black, with a black T-shirt, black leather pants, and black leather shoes. He also wore black gloves, and had a black denim jacket draped over his shoulder. He was a Stealth Shooter.
James, if I remember correctly… she thought to herself. "Why are you here?" she asked out loud.
"Because that's what I do," James said, rolling his eyes. "I stalk women in the forest, watch them cry for a little while, then I get asked stupid questions and give stupid answers."
Selene got angry at his sarcastic tone. "Bite me," she spat.
"I would, but I think that's Mike's territory." Selene was well aware that everyone else called Michael "Mike." James sat down next to her. "Seriously? I like talking walks in the forest during the day. I'm not much of a sleeper. But I heard you crying and carrying on over here. And you smelled friendly, so I figured, 'what the hell,' and checked you out."
"Shoulda left me alone," she muttered.
"Something happen?" he asked innocently. But he knows, she thought. I can tell.
"You know already."
James sighed. "Yeah, I do. Bummer, everyone ganging up on you."
"You gonna rat me out?" Selene asked.
"Nahh," James replied. "What am I gonna get outta it? I'll tell ya what; I'd get my ass ridden by a PMS-ing bitch. Like I want that."
Selene playfully smacked him. "Dick."
"Ice Queen."
Selene shivered. The summer was quickly becoming fall, the temperatures low even while the sun was up.
"Here," James said, draping his coat on her shoulders. "When you take daily walks, you get used to it."
"Thank you, James," Selene said.
"Would you do a favor for the Ice Queen?"
"Sure."
"Be my chauffeur?"
"So I'm the substitute for Mike, Amie, Derry, and Marc?" He smiled. "I'll take it." Waiting for the sun to set, since the vampires would burn way too early for their plan to succeed, they sat there in beautiful silence, for a while. Then James spoke again. "What does kidnapping vamps have to do with the actual plan? Couldn't you just not be there when we activate it?"
Selene shifted uncomfortably. She obviously didn't want to discuss the subject. "Because the mechanism can only be used by a vampire. No Lycan blood can activate it or make it function."
James faced Selene. "But the guy who did it to Sonja lived."
"That's because it was just one vampire. We're talking about at least a couple dozen vamps. That's a wide range for the beam, the whole chamber."
"And you'd be in it," James said, comprehending why it was so dangerous for Selene, if Lucian's notes were correct.
Selene nodded.
"You know that they were all worried about you, right?"
She sighed. "You talk too much."
The rest of the day was quiet, both of them napping and waking up every now and again. By the time the sun had set, James had gone back to Nueva Esperanza, and, under orders by Selene, had quietly taken a key and drove back to pick up Selene.
On their drive to the largest vampire HQ around, Selene spoke. "Thanks for this, James."
He glanced over to her. "You know, you're not the Ice Queen everyone thinks you are."
She gave him a puzzled look. "Is that supposed to be a compliment? Because that's the shittiest one I've ever heard."
He chuckled. "Everyone thinks of you as this bitchy, cold Blood. And, thought they'd never say it, that's mostly why they respect you. They don't want to get in the way of a PMS-ing woman on a rampage all the time."
"…And the compliments are just getting better and better…" Selene remarked, smiling.
"Hey, it is a compliment. Not many people, vampires especially, can strike fear in many a Lycans' hearts." He winked at her. "It's a vibe that not many have. That's definitely one thing you inherited from Lord Viktor."
The car got very silent. "And then he was killed by the person he trusted most," she said quietly.
He placed a reassuring hand on her lap. "That's not gonna happen," he said soothingly. "The people who respect you, even though they fear you, would never try that on you."
"All the vampires feared Viktor, too," she reminded him.
"Yeah, but he was a lying bastard. You're not."
She sighed. "I've just got an icebox where my heart used to be."
He touched her cheek. "I dunno; you seem pretty warm to me." The car had stopped. She brought her hand to his hand.
She smiled. "Thanks, James."
He gently withdrew his hand. The scene was not a 'romantic' one, but one of friendship.
But then there was a tapping on the window, on Selene's side. They both looked to see who it was, and it was Michael.
She felt like telling James to start the car up again, but decided against it. Why run away from my troubles when they keep finding me? She rolled down her window. "Michael."
He looked breathless. "Selene, you're okay!"
She rolled her eyes, putting on her "Selene, Death Dealer" attitude without realizing it. She didn't want to show that she really had been really hurt by what had happened the day before. She had been alone for the first 600 years of her existence; she never wanted to feel that awful feeling again. Every time she thought about how awful it had felt to be so lonely, her heart felt like it was breaking in half, and she felt like just breaking down and crying, as she had done in the forest. So she figured if she just put on her neutral mask, she could get by for a few minutes without feeling that terrible, horrible feeling.
"Yeah, I'm fine," she said coldly. If you call having your heart shattered 'fine', she thought sadly. "Just fine."
Michael gave James a puzzled look. "Where are you going?"
"Where do you think? I'm going to kidnap a few vampires, and then I'm gonna go through with the rest of plan, including roasting and toasting them."
"Selene," Michael said softly, "we're all on your side."
"Funny, didn't seem that way last night. I seem to recall everyone wanting to make another plan that doesn't include me."
"To protect you."
"I don't need protecting," she insisted angrily. "Not from Damien, not from Derek or Marc, and certainly not from—"
"Trouble in paradise?" asked a deep voice from James's side. Everyone looked over; it was Raze. "How sad," he mocked.
Selene unbuckled her seat belt and got out of the car, pushing Michael out of the way. She was angry, tired, upset, and ready to lose all control.
"Selene…" Michael said, trying to grab her arm. She shoved him out of the way, walked around the car to where Raze was, and stared into his eyes, fire burning in hers. Was it just her, or was there fear in his eyes? Was James right about her sending off a certain 'vibe'? Yippe-ki-yay for me, motherfucker.
"I'm having a very bad week," she declared, grabbing him by his throat, and picking him up. "And you're just making it worse." She slammed his body onto the hood of the car, avoiding shattering the windshield. He tried to struggle against her might, but she used her nails to pin him down to the car, and kneed his groin for extra measure. "Wanna make it better?"
"I'm not telling you anything," erupted Raze's deep voice.
She pushed him farther into the car. "I didn't ask you to," she said, smirking, showing her fangs. She picked him up and flung him several feet form the car, and ran in that direction. She caught his flailing body, and slammed him into the road so hard that pieces of it protruded from the ground.
She kicked him in the stomach hard enough to make him cry out in pain, but lightly enough to keep him in one spot. She did it again and again and again…
Michael and James slowly made their way over, and after the hundredth kick, James whispered to Michael, "Mike, I think you should go over there. She's more upset than you know."
He shook his head. "I don't think—"
"Dude, she was crying in the forest for at least half an hour when I found her. Believe me: she's upset. She just doesn't want to show you how upset she really is."
Michael reluctantly walked over to Selene, who had know beaten Raze's stomach into a thick liquid. She grabbed Raze by the head and pounded it into the road, her eyes an electric azure, shining from tears that threatened to come.
Raze's head became a bloody pulp, and it was obvious that the Lycan was dead. Yet the pissed off vampire continued to smash Raze's skull into the ground harder and harder each time. Eventually, she could hold back the tears no more, and they came out first in sobs, then in long streams of salty relief, faster and faster.
She finally released Raze's head, and she collapsed onto the ground, losing all control as she pounded the ground with her fists as she grabbed her stomach, trying to stop. But she couldn't, nor did she really want to. Truth is, the last time she really let herself feel her emotions was when Michael had 'died' all those years before.
Michael kneeled down next to her trembling body, and held her close to him, stroking her as she cried and cried.
"I-I-I don't want to be alone," she sobbed into his shirt, which was quickly becoming stained with her never-ending tears.
"I know," Michael whispered into her ear, holding her tightly as she continued to sob and her body shook.
"Please don't let me be alone," she whispered, holding on. "Please, oh God, Michael. Don't let me be alone." I can't be alone, not again. It might kill me…
"You're not alone," he whispered back, cradling her as she rocked back and forth, trying to get back some control of herself.
She was so tired that she cried herself to sleep. But before she allowed the welcoming slumber take her in, one thought crossed her mind, and almost made it out of her mouth. I love you, Michael.
But she just whispered, "I'm not alone," as the last of her sobs escaped her mouth.
...The Ice Queen has melted...
Hope you've enjoyed the story so far. Please let me know what you thought.
KATEB819
