A/N: Firstly, this story isn't abandoned. I simply took a break to write Mushroom Punches and finish up 2 Horny Ghosts, which had been sitting on my google drive for several months waiting for a proper ending. Secondly, sending me a rude PM to explain why Pansy and Neville are a terrible couple after reading a 282,000 word fic where Pansy and Neville are, in fact, a couple(or trying to be anyway) is not going to stop me from writing them. (gestures wildly to my fics) OBVIOUSLY they are my favorite pair to write. Secondly, I don't write for reviews. They are awesome and totally make my day when I get one, but I write because it's my hobby, and it's satisfying. And I *WILL* finish this fic, even if it ends up being a million words.
Which, by the way, those words will be about Pansy and Neville. ^_^
Oh yeah, also, blood, violence, and sarcasm ahead. But if you're this far into the fic, you should know that by now. *rubs hands together evilly*
Chapter Thirty Nine
(AKA the day Posy decided all grown ups are useless morons)
Her fingers broke through skin like a knife through butter—as in, it shouldn't have been that easy nor feel so good but that was an issue for another day—blood welling as Pansy crushed Felix into the dirty brick wall of the alleyway. She tightened her hold on the wolf's neck and looked up just in time to see Neville disappear around the corner, running for Posy.
There were a lot of things wrong with her. There was no point denying it. She got the feeling she was living on borrowed time which, inadvertently, made her feel more like a wolf than human. Wolves were excellent at living in the moment, pushing the worries of the 'what ifs' to the side. Pansy didn't have the mental capacity to look into her future, being so god damn brain damaged and all.
But she simply could not get a handle on Neville. One moment she was furious with him. The next, she drooled to get a listen to his heartbeat, wanting to press her ear up against the hard plane of his chest and live out the remainder of her life. She always thought he lacked a real passion in life, he had nothing but the job.
Seeing him love a child changed that notion. Seeing him love Posy changed everything.
And she couldn't keep up.
Underneath her fingers, Felix struggled like a mouse caught in a trap. She itched to squeeze with her jacked up strength and watch Felix take his last breath, savoring the feel of flesh and blood at her fingertips. Feeling too much like her mother to be comfortable. But if he did have Posy, she wanted his knowledge, not his life.
Correction. She wanted his knowledge, then his life.
The world would be much better off with one less Vistain in it.
He groaned through the pain, golden eyes flashing the same way his brother's did whenever Ellis was happy about something. Always irritatingly happy. It made her sick to her stomach, taking her back to the months she spent with the collar on. Living in the Estate and constantly being on guard.
Fighting for her god damn life.
"Listen, Fefe," Pansy stretched out the ache in her shoulders, keeping her hold on his neck, her fingernails turning red with blood. Her voice did not betray the unease in her stomach. "I've been teetering on the edge of insanity for about ohhhhhh I don't know, 31 years now give or take… and I gotta say it's just not getting any better. Now might not be the best time to get testy with me."
"Dunno," he said as if he weren't bleeding from the neck, as if his larynx wasn't being crushed by Pansy's significant strength. Even so, his accent wasn't as refined as Ellie's. Felix spending too much time away from home—similar to Pansy. "From this angle it seems you're doing fine, my Lady Blackguard."
"I wouldn't," she pushed in, hearing the brick groan beneath his body. She would never return to that damn pit. Never. That goddamn name was done.
"Why not?" he choked out. "Can't deny my brother didn't give you the opportunity to increase that skill set of yours, that strength unmatched. Wolves will grovel at your very feet. Your power is unimaginable. Take it."
The heated whisper held weight, hitting her ear and sinking deep into her chest where it sat, heavy and harsh. Ellis didn't give her shit. He didn't make her powerful.
What he did…
"The thing is, Fe, my little sister, she's a werewolf. She grew up under the tutelage of my mother and trains with the strongest Auror that ever lived. I'm thinking… she can take care of herself," she caught his eye and held it, breathing out ice.
That kept happening. Maybe she should have paid attention to the trigger.
"So new deal. You tell me what use this make-up brush has or I kill you. Easy."
"Kill me and you won't see your sweet sister wolf again," he chided. "That wouldn't be fair. After all you've been through? To lose your sister when you're finally getting yourself back?"
He let out a strangled cry by the end of his sentence, short and sharp enough to let her know she was squeezing his throat too hard. Oops. Hissing out her displeasure, Pansy threw Felix to the ground by his neck before sticking her thumb in her mouth and sucking the blood off.
"We'll wait for Mr. Longbottom," she told him and took a stance at the front of the alley, blocking his way out and watching him silently. Wondering what his true motive was. Could be anything. A note. Instructions. More Glim. Felix wouldn't care about a make-up brush straight up. Perhaps something was hidden inside. Or it was incredibly valuable.
Too bad she hadn't a clue what he was talking about.
The wolf sat up slowly, running his slim fingers over his neck where a deep bruise was sure to form.
Why would he stand aside if she came for Vistain?
Why would she go after Ellie in the first place? She wanted to run from him, not towards him. She would never live anywhere but in the heart of a massive city ever again. No more trees and forest for her. Pansy wanted skyscrapers and steel and noise.
Except… a city was exactly where Jac had found her. A whisper of a memory hit her between the eyes, making her lean over and pant for breath. A panic attack from her first nightmare? It had been over a decade since the last one... but this one felt different. It wasn't the usual, moldy carpet and burnt Glim, it was Pearl's voice. An admission, except it faded away as quickly as it came on, leaving her panting and confused.
"My sweet Lady Blackguard," Felix whispered softly across the alley, his voice crackled and husky. He stood up and dusted himself off, eyes golden and beautiful like his brother's. "You seem in dire straits, my lady. Isn't there anything I can do for the mate of my brother? I hate to see you in such pain... and I've never known you to wait on a man before..."
Before she could bite out a snarky reply about Ellis literally leading her around on a leash, Neville dropped down from… who the hell knew where? He landed behind Felix with a slight bend in his knees, jeans torn, and that ridiculous shirt still on. The air puffed out around him as if he'd fallen from a great distance and Pansy remembered his jumps at the docks.
He wasted no time. Grabbing Felix with a crushing hand and pinning arms behind his back with a cold fury. He pushed him into the nearest brick wall with enough force to send cracks radiating outwards through brick and the mortar that held them together.
"Where's my kid?" he asked, stolid and tall and frankly scaring the hell out of Pansy again. If that tone had been turned in her direction… she wasn't sure she could match him.
"Ah. Mr. Longbottom, you're back," Felix groaned out in pain. "We were waiting for you. As I was just informing the mate of my brother, kill me and you won't see the Little Wolf Posy ever again."
"Tell me where my kid is," he repeated without an ounce of heat, pulling Felix through the alley. Banging him against a dumpster and dragging him through piles of trash and glass and city dirt.
"Wow, they weren't lying when they said you were strong…" Felix said in awe, as if he weren't in mortal danger. That he wasn't more afraid told Pansy he had an ace up his sleeve.
"Here's the thing about wolves," Neville continued down the alley and towards the street. He didn't look at Felix as he spoke. "They can take a hell of a beating. Years of abuse, starvation, turning every single month, drugs, a beating just short of death," his eyes flicked to Pansy briefly as they passed her. "—but they don't die. They just. Won't. Die. It takes a gunshot to the head. Or decapitation to put down a wolf."
Neville stopped at the curb. "Both a blessing and a curse, if you ask me."
Then he threw the wolf directly into oncoming traffic as if tossing a bit of trash into the bin.
It was a busy street with several lanes of oncoming traffic. A small delivery truck hit Felix dead on. His back hit the windshield, caving it in immediately. And Felix threw out a peace sign with his fingers right as he collided, the screeching tires ringing in Pansy's ears and causing the rest of traffic to come to a halt. Cars rear ended each other. People screamed.
Neville turned to look at her, his eyes hard and determined. And Pansy realized something.
She had to forget everything she thought she knew about Neville Longbottom. Because this was not the same man she'd known her whole life. This was not the righteous Auror on a mission to do good for the sake of good.
Her exhausted mind supplied the whisper of a memory... can't put my finger on it... but there's something different about you...
"Things are about to get very interesting…" she said, following him down the block and just resisting the urge to pass out. Her mind and thoughts had certainly been clearer in the last few days, but it took everything she had to stay upright.
She would need more time before she was in any kind of fighting shape.
They pushed around onlookers, all rushing out to see the accident, and to the stoplight where the truck finally came to a rocking stop. Felix rolled from the hood of the truck and sprawled out on the ground, seeming to anyone else like a casualty.
Neville pushed through and looked down. "How long do you think it'll take him to heal?"
Pansy tilted her head to the side. Felix was a sturdy type of wolf. "Maybe up to a week for the breaks."
Laughing, blood ran down his forehead from a wide gash, making the crowd gasp. His teeth were outlined with red blood, his arm and left leg broken in grotesque fashion. He set the leg first, sitting up with a groan. "My sweet Blackguard," he said, spitting out blood and glass. He did it again.
"Brother of mate?" Pansy sneered in response.
"I've got—" he coughed up more glass, pounding his chest roughly. Still laughing. "In my pocket…"
"We could run," she said to Neville, outright ignoring Felix. The words came from the broken place inside her. A place where a mate bond had been shoved so callously. "You and I, we go find Posy ourselves and just leave."
Never had she wanted to run away with a man before. The idea appealed to her in a way she simply hadn't experienced before—she didn't want him to chase her anymore. She wanted to run with him.
Holy Fuck. Did she trust him?
Of course, Neville didn't take it that way. He shot a hostile glare in her direction before kneeling down and searching Felix's jean pocket. He switched to the other one and pulled out a single creamy white business card.
"What the fuck is that?" she dashed forward, snatching it from his hands quickly. She recognized that sigil.
Despite his pain, Felix threw his head back in a very wolflike laugh. Of course he wasn't worried about them killing him and going off on their own.
Bastard had a little help.
"I want that brush, Blackguard. I want it before you kill my brother. And I have a very formidable ally on my side... one I'm sure you're quite familiar."
Pansy trembled, suddenly dizzy again. Exhaustion hit again between one breath and the next. She fought to stay on her feet… and barely managed it. Would she ever escape the mistakes of her past? "You want me to kill Ellis."
She held up the card in her hand, which Neville plucked back into his possession before she nearly fell over. Neville had to pluck her back up too.
"Heh heh," Felix jumped up, making the crowd gasp again. "Never. I wouldn't dream of losing my brother. But needs must be met, my Lady. Why don't you go find that brush and meet me at Henry's place say… this time tomorrow? Try not to be late."
He walked away with only a slight limp in his gait.
"C'mon," Neville snapped. She expected him to wrap a hand around her arm and drag her off the same way he'd dragged Felix. Instead he offered his hand, palm up. "Let's get out of here before the police show up."
Almost automatically, Pansy slid her hand into his before he tugged her away from the gathering crowd. Was this the same man who had, on many occasions, grabbed her by the arm whenever he wanted her to follow him?
She really did not know him. Not at all. Not anymore.
oOo
Bound and gagged, Posy curled up in a linen sack, upside down, and feeling really really frustrated! She'd been kidnapped! Straight kidnapped. She—the kid—had been picked up, thrown in a sack, and napped. No wait, nabbed. Why did they call it kidnapped? That made so sense whatsoever.
And who knew where they were headed?
All she knew, all her nose could tell her, was that her abductor was a wolf. The one she sent Neville and Pansy after once she caught his scent outside of Hal's place.
Obviously, those two lovebirds were useless. Because she'd. Been. KIDNAPPED. What the hell!
The linen tickled her nose as she struggled against the rough fabric. Obviously the sack was new. Linen got soft after a few washes but this sack was rubbing rudely into her skin. Somehow the rough texture seemed even more insulting in her precarious situation.
She warned Nev there was a wolf about and what was he and her sister doing? Probably fighting or yelling at each other. Being dramatic! Ugh!
Kidnapped.
Ron would never let her forget this.
Oh. And where the hell is HAL? Was he just twiddling his thumbs while she was being abducted?
Eventually she quit struggling to save energy, and instead tried to get comfortable, which was hard because she was upside down and the rope rubbed achingly at her ankles and wrists. And she was pressed against the other wolf's back as he traveled, which was less than a smooth ride. He didn't run, probably to draw less attention to himself?
Or because he wasn't worried about being caught?
It felt like a million hours later when he slowed down even more. There was a firm knock followed immediately by a door opening, one that smelled of wood and beer and bar snacks. Like pretzels and peanuts and fried stuff.
Her captor threw the sack. Posy felt herself go airborne for 4 full seconds before she slammed into a hard surface and rolled to an uncomfortable landing with a groan. One that was muffled by the stale tasting gag in her mouth.
Tossed. He tossed her. How rude!
When she got out of here, she was going to kick Neville so hard in the ankle he wasn't going to be able to walk right for a WEEK! She literally gave him all the warning he needed! He couldn't handle one wolf? Bah!
She'd been under the impression that he—AND HER SISTER TOO—were quite capable. Instead, they'd proven they were nothing more than two idiots who couldn't even watch out for ONE DAMN WOLF. A wolf that kidnapped her! Arrrgghhhh!
Flailing around wildly, she came up to a seat after nearly knocking herself unconscious on a hard ledge that was nearby. Maybe a foot or so above her head. Probably the lip of a bar top. Then she angrily stomped her legs and feet while shouting with frustration.
"Be quiet," a voice hissed nearby. A mean, snarly voice. Belonging to a man who was undoing the tie to her sack. He pulled her out by grabbing her arm and lifting. He was tall and rangy and dark headed, clearly a wolf, and smelled like forest and burnt oil at the same time. Maybe he worked on cars when he wasn't busy kidnapping children!
He also had her backpack in his other hand. Which he dumped out all over the floor without a care.
Grrrr! She was going to knife him. Right in the eye if she could. What was he doing, going through her stuff?! Bags of snacks and chocolates, her magnifying glass, notes, her compact, a bright yellow ball of yarn, a pair of knitting needles, her pictures—they all scattered over the floor. It made a rather stunning mess. Especially when a forgotten juice bottle broke and the liquid splashed in many directions.
Her knitting pattern! She was making a pair of booties for baby Rosie.
Screaming through the gag, she tried to go for the bindings at her feet. Her captor was gonna get a knife in the eye if it was the last thing she did!
But before she could undo the tie at her feet, he pinned her against the wall with one hand. It gave her the right position to see another man. A wolf.
That one seemed less scary since he wasn't as tall and seemed just as afraid of her captor as she was. He was also dark headed, but his hair was clipped short to his head and he had amber colored eyes Posy didn't think had anything to do with the wolf inside. They seemed duller than a wolf's gaze.
But that wasn't a surprise. She knew the Vistain's were in control of most wolves in the country now. And they'd never taken good care of their pack. Nope. Not them. This one definitely needed a little help—help in the form of a whole lot of food and a good night's sleep.
He said, "It is not our way to harm a child wolf."
The mean wolf sneered in his direction, clearly in charge. "We obey. That is our way."
Posy couldn't help but roll her eyes. Being a wolf wasn't so bad. But more often than not wolves got in their own way. There were tactics to work around an alpha's orders, especially if they were acting off their damn rocker. But, she reminded herself, she had the benefit of being taught by Sarah and Katherine and Hally. Wolves who believed in the good of the pack and all the individuals who made up the pack.
Oh. But even then. Sarah and her mate ended up being drug dealers serving the Vistain's.
Why are adults so dumb?
"And me orders were to secure this wee little wolfie using whatever means I needs to," he leered.
She watched short-hair wolf give her a grimace before walking over through a swinging door that must've led to the back. Maybe to check something. Guess he worked at the bar they were currently hiding in. The smell of pretzels was coming from him, she realized.
Mmm. She could eat a pretzel right then. One of those big, soft ones. With lots of salt.
Her captor loomed above her head trying his best to be threatening, and he was. Very threatening. Posy could hear her own heartbeat, puttering quickly with worry and fear. Or maybe she was just excited thinking about that pretzel. The bad part was he could probably hear her heartbeat too. But he wasn't as tall as Neville.
He wasn't as strong.
No one was.
And when she trained with Neville they worked on balance, they worked on speed, and he made damn sure she knew how to fight opponents who were bigger than her.
Because... everyone was bigger than her.
But she couldn't fight until she was free from her ropes. So Posy leaned back, making her eyes big and round as if she were on the verge of tears. He swayed as if unsure, his eyebrows pointing downward in a frown.
"No cryin'," he growled out. "Stop that now."
Ooohh, guess she had to do as he said then. Wrong. Blinking quickly, real tears formed behind her eyes and leaked down her cheeks. She forced a few sniffles as if she were winding up. He'd clearly been uncomfortable the moment she came out of the bag—ha ha, guess the dog was out of the bag, eh? Posy stifled her laughter before she blew it. She really needed to stop laughing at her own jokes.
Swallowing and nearly choking on the rag in her mouth, she forced out another tear. He wasn't used to children. She could use that.
She let out her most pathetic sounding whine, a high pitched noise she only used whenever she was trying to con Ron or Harry into doing what she wanted them to do. Like buy a lot of chocolate. Ron was her go-to on the food. But even Harry could be convinced fairly easily to buy a big bag of hazelnut chocolate crisps on occasion.
Oh... chocolate covered pretzels. That's it. Her new goal in life was to start a snack bar.
Frown getting even bigger, her captor backed up a few steps. "JULIAN! Get back over here. Deal with this cryin' thing. Feckin' hate kids…"
Did they really send this idiot after her? Didn't she rate a duo more skilled than Mr. Afraid of Crying Kids and Scaredy Wolf?
The short haired wolf lumbered through the doorway with an even bigger frown and came over to where she sat, holding a glass of water, eyes downcast. "I'll take care of it, go clean up in the back while we wait for Felix."
"Me finks it would be bet'er if aye just took me a wee bite," her captor sneered meanly but Posy thought he was going heavy on the accent to seem scarier. She could do Cockney way better than that.
Pretending it worked, she forced more tears out along with another low whine, until he dismissed her with a wave of his hand. "Ah never mind it. Boss wants her alive anyway."
Then he stomped away into the back room mumbling the entire time. The moment the swinging door calmed down after his departure, the other wolf, Julian she guessed, knelt before her and began undoing the gag in her mouth.
"Now listen, little one," he began in a quiet voice designed not to carry. "I cannot free you from your restraints, but you must stay still and stay quiet. Otherwise Gil is going to get angry and he's no good at controlling his beast, even with the moon a full week away."
"And you are?" she croaked out once the gag was removed from her mouth. She eyed him carefully because any wolf that skinny had to be hungry. Hunger meant less control. Less control when she was tied up? No thanks!
And she was tiny compared to these tall men.
Julian's dull eyes rose to meet hers. And caught. His surprise was great but he didn't try to hold her gaze, instead he bowed his head all the way down until he was lower than her. Which meant he knelt far down to the ground since she was sitting.
And super short. She totally lied to Hal earlier when she said she was almost as tall as Pansy.
Okay. Things were getting really weird.
"You are the only wolf I've ever met, besides my wife, that I feel safe around, little one," he said. His voice shaky and timid. "And that is strange, because you're so young."
Well most people wouldn't be scared of a tiny kid like her, Posy thought. But Julian meant safe. As in safe safe. His wolf thought she would protect him.
"Because a scared wolf is unpredictable and no one is safe around an unpredictable wolf... And I'm not scared," she informed him in an equally quiet voice. Maybe in dire need of a snack, but not hungry. And not scared. Plus, she'd probably been a werewolf for longer than him despite their age difference.
Julian nodded, sinking even farther down. Poor thing. She wanted to wrap him in a wool blanket and feed him ham sandwiches until he felt better. But she was the one that was kidnapped, so he wouldn't be getting any sympathy from her. At least… not yet anyway.
"Never thought of it like that before…" Julian continued to stay down and Posy realized he was waiting for her permission to move.
Dominance is weird.
"Stand up and tell me exactly what your orders were."
He stood up with the softest of smiles on his face. "Let Gil in, make sure no one else comes in."
Posy smiled. "Excellent you know what that means don't you?"
"I'm a jerk who kidnapped a kid?" he offered, the smile disappearing.
"No," she shook her head. Silly wolf. "'Make sure no one else comes in' doesn't mean you can't let someone out. 'Let Gil in' doesn't mean keep me tied up."
She held her bound wrists up and watched his face pinch in confusion, then relief. "To be a wolf you have to be a little sneaky," she continued. "Sometimes really sneaky. So. Jules baby, you wanna keep hanging out with stupid Gil back there, or jump on the Team Posy wagon?"
As intended, Julian seemed amused and delighted by her silly antics and she knew she had him hooked… until he suddenly stepped back and the scent of his fear hit her right in the nose.
"Posy… as in… Parkinson?" he gasped.
"Er-actually I go by Lovell these days. You know me?"
But Julian didn't hear her question. He began pacing anxiously, his fingers shaking uncontrollably. "I helped kidnap The Blackguard's little sister? Oh Sweet Mary and Joseph I'm going to die. I'm going to die…"
"Hey hey hey," she tried. "What's the matter? Who is 'The Blackguard'? Pansy?"
But the mere mention of her sister had Julian rushing into the back room, leaving behind only the sharp bite of sweat and fear and a big empty bar.
UGH! Why did all of her plans fail last second? She was this close to getting him to undo her bindings, then she could go for her knife at the very least. The one with little forget-me-nots carved into the hilt. She'd hidden it in her pocket before she was nabbed. Oh, hopefully it wasn't cutting up her leggings.
She frowned at her items, scattered across the floor and soaking wet from the broken bottle. Then she remembered she was mad at Neville. She warned him about the wolf. He said he was going to take care of it. Maybe something happened to draw his attention.
Maybe something with Pansy?
She sucked in a hard breath. If she lost her sister one more time. . .
That's it. She was about to lock both Nev and Pansy up so neither of them could get into any more trouble. Then she was going to put a tracker on the both of them. Idiots. Couldn't handle one wolf. Honestly.
Wolf. Hmm… she tilted her head and listened. She could hear Julian panting somewhere in the back and Gil mumbling into a cell phone. There was a leaky faucet somewhere behind the bar top. And a big wolf charging closer and closer.
Uh oh…
She knew that wolf. "Heya, Jules? You should… duck…"
"What?" she heard him call out right before there was a huge crash through the front door. Glass and wood splintered out and sunshine streamed across the hardwood planks that made up the floor.
"Hey," Posy waved her bound wrists to get his attention.
"Po, what the hell is goin' on here?" Hal asked, crossing his massive arms across his vested chest. The ink on his forearm bulged. It was a smiley face with two wolfy fangs at the corner of the mouth amid a thousand other tattoos.
Then Gil charged out of the backroom.
"That's the snarly one!" Posy shouted, rolling over and using the corner where the bar met the wall to help her stand up. She felt like a giant slug. "Jules! Jules!"
She ran over to the swinging door and used her shoulder to barrel through it. Apparently Julian had the same idea. He was coming the opposite way and the door bonked her right on the head.
The force of it threw her across the floor where she promptly slipped on one of her knitting needles, fell on her butt, and crushed her bag of banana chips. "Nooooo! My chips!" she shouted. "This day cannot get any worse!"
They were in a million pieces.
"Oh little one," Julian rushed over, helping her to her feet.
"Get me out of these ropes!" she shouted at him. She hated being tied up.
Across the room Hally and Gil were locked in a battle that was pure wolf. They circled one another, darting in and out as they attempted to land hits. Both of them were snarling.
Hal was big on family. He moved from the States to the UK to take care of his grandmother and never looked back. And Posy knew that a small part of that big ole wolfie considered Pansy part of his family. And Posy too, by extension.
He must have tracked Gil here to rescue her.
Finally! Someone who knew what they were doing!
Julian released the ties around her wrist with a giant butcher's knife and Posy huffed out in annoyance. She pointed up in his face making him back up a step in surprise.
"Don't mess with me again, Jules."
Red tinted his cheeks as he bowed his head. "Heard, little one."
That's what she thought. Reaching underneath the waist of her leggings, Posy pulled out her knife and knelt down, quickly cutting the rope around her ankles and throwing it to the side. Then she stomped once, turned around, and rushed into Hal's fight.
Gil was focused on Hally and didn't notice her at all when she slid to her knees and cut through the back of his ankle as quickly as she could. A move perfect for her little blade. But she put too much force in her movement and kept sliding all the way into what remained of the front door.
"Ouch! Splinter… grrrr…" She pinched her finger and looked up, her blade dripping with three small dots of blood.
Gil fell forward due to her strike and Hal took advantage, dashing forward and grabbing onto his throat with two massive hands.
"You little shit!" he screamed at her, despite being held by Hal.
"I may be small, but I'm scrappy!" she shouted back at him in her best Cockney accent.
"Why'd ya take her? Speak quick," Hal growled fiercely.
"Told-to-" Gil choked out, suddenly realizing the real threat.
"By who?" Hal lifted the wolf up by the throat until his feet dangled well above the floor.
"Felix," Julian piped up. "Felix Vistain."
"Anyone else involved?" Hal wasn't even sweating.
"No," Julian answered for them both. "At least, none that I know of."
"Any that you know of, Gileb? Ya, didn't think I didn't recognize you boy?" Hal squeezed Gil's neck until he started whining, much like Posy had earlier. "Think I didn't remember you? Then you went and tried to take that sweet girly over there from me?"
"I can't tell," Gil flailed around wildly. "I was ordered not to say!"
Growling herself, Posy walked over and gestured for Hal to set Gil down. The man flopped onto his behind like a fish out of water, struggling for air and sharp with the scent of fear. She could hear his heartbeat racing. Julian was pretty low on the totem pole, but he'd submitted to her so easily Posy wondered if she could do it again.
In addition to not being scared, she was feeling pretty ticked off too. She placed a hand on his shoulder and forced their eyes to meet. Poor wolf. He fought, way harder than Julian had, but he was caught from the first second. He couldn't look away, otherwise she would win their little dominance fight. So he fought. It took a full 3 minutes. No grown man would ever want to submit to a kid like her but in the end, he bowed his head, his wolf submitting.
Cool. She was like a superwolf or something. Too bad that didn't come with a pretzel.
"Gil," she began in a steady voice. "Who else is involved with my kidnapping?"
"Felix's buddy," he mumbled. "Name's Benjamin, he's supposed to meet us here. Our back up in case anything goes wrong. S'all I know."
She patted shoulder. "Stay there, Gil."
"Po," Hal said in a much gentler voice. "You're the one he harmed, what do you want me to do?"
She eyed up Gil before turning her attention back to the massive splinter in her finger. Squeezing it on either side with one hand, she plucked the offensive piece of wood from her skin and hissed out in pain.
Then she darted over to her pictures, picking up the first one she came to. Pansy was laughing, locked in a dance with their Papa. And they were both stained red from the spilled juice.
"He's just following orders, Hally," she hummed as she started collecting her things. She wanted to string Gil up, douse him in honey, and throw him over an ant pile. But it was unlikely he would have ever kidnapped her if he hadn't been doing as he was told to by a wolf much stronger than him.
"Orders to kidnap you," Hal growled.
"Gil is not the problem. He's a symptom," Posy explained. "The real problem is the Vistain's and what they do with their pack. Ruling by fear is no way to treat your pack, Hal. Something you taught me. Or you don't remember?"
"Hot damn!" Hal shouted as if he'd been burned. "Sometimes I forget who you are, Posephine Ermelinde Parkinson."
"Hal! I go by Lovell now!" she stomped her foot. "Keep up. Oh! I know exactly what to do. Jules, do you have a phone I could use?"
He did and by a stroke of luck, she remembered the right number to use too.
"O'Donnell," the woman on the other end of the line answered.
"Hi, Mrs. O," Posy greeted quickly. "Boy do I have a story for you. And before you ask, I have no clue where Pansy and Neville are."
oOo
While they weren't her own, Pansy was glad for the new boots the Malfoy's had supplied for her. They fit her well, proving Draco paid attention sometimes. Neville's hand fit her well too.
He tugged her along, taking back roads and alleys until they slipped through a dirty, fogged up side door and entered a small hole in the wall pub that was barely lit. The windows had been painted over with black, allowing very little outside light into the room. Which was empty. All except a ragged bartender and his not-so-clean bar. He wasn't doing anything so cliché like wiping his bar top down. Because there was no one to make a mess.
Instead, he leaned on the counter by the beer taps reading the newspaper. His blonde hair slicked back and several days worth of scruff on his face. The man didn't even look up. He just said, "Hal's not here, LB."
"You seen him lately?" Neville asked, digging through his pocket.
"Gotta buy a drink—"
Neville put several gold pieces on the bar by the man. "Don't bother pouring."
But Pansy slid around him and came to stand in front of the bartender. "I'll take a whiskey, Rufus."
The sound of her voice sent the wolf into full panic. His plain brown eyes turned bright amber between one second and the next and he screamed.
Adult men should not make such a sound. In absolute hysterics, he threw the paper aside and began scrambling for the far door. But Pansy was already vaulting over the counter. She landed easily, grabbing a bottle of Redbreast in the same move and bashing Rufus right in the back of the head. The bottle broke into pieces, sending dark brown colored liquid down his neck and back.
He cried out but didn't stop running. It slowed him down plenty enough though. Enough for Pansy to hook his ankle and take him down. She crouched on his back and leaned in, putting her mouth right above his ear as she pinned him.
"Sweet Rufus, long time no see."
"I do as I'm told!" he shouted, struggling beneath her. "I do as I'm told! Oh please, please don't kill me!"
He continued to plead for his life and she enjoyed holding him down, enjoyed his frantic begging for several moments. Until she realized how alike her mother she was acting. Then a wall of guilt slammed into her. The feeling something she could ignore when the collar was secure around her neck and she was following Vistain's orders.
Orders to kill anyone who dared defy Vistain or his family. Even for the smallest of offenses. There was no time for guilt when she had wolves to kill.
Now it choked her up, rolling her stomach violently. Countless lives she'd taken, until their faces started to blur together. Shaking, she stood up and released Rufus.
"Please, my Lady," the wolf squirmed in terror, rolling over and scooting away with heavy gasps. "Please."
"I'm not going to hurt you," she mumbled, grabbing a nearby bottle and a glass. She tipped the cheaper whiskey until the pint glass was half full, then she chugged nearly all of it. When he continued to blubber incoherently she slammed the rest.
"You hear me, Rufus? How about a deal? You answer our questions to the best of your abilities, and I won't kill you."
Neville reached out and took the bottle before she could pour more. "Alcohol makes it worse, Parkinson. Quit it."
"Makes what worse?" she picked up another bottle and poured while looking him dead in the eye. She was standing behind a bar for fuck's sake. Sometimes she really wondered about him.
He reached out and grabbed her glass, throwing it behind him without a care. "I can go all day."
She might have said something lewd and inappropriate like 'Bet you can, big boy'. Instead she winced, wondering if she would always be this fucking damaged. She couldn't even force a smile. Worse was the look on his face when she didn't give into banter. He missed it too.
"Alcohol dehydrates, you… well I don't know about you I suppose. But when I get dehydrated my muscles tense up even more," he explained. "Tense muscles means less mobility."
"Sadly, Vistain wasn't handing out mojitos when he threw me in the pit. It's been awhile since I've had anything to drink," she informed him with a sneer but almost immediately realized he was right. It seemed her muscles were growing tighter by the second. Just enough to be uncomfortable. Not painful. Her pain was emotional.
Instead of giving in though, she pulled out two more glasses and poured them each a shot.
"A shame," he deadpanned. "I love a good mojito. Are you done mucking about, or can we get back to the task on hand?"
"Never done 'mucking about'," she pushed one of the shot glasses towards him. "Take it with me."
She wondered if he could see the pain she was in, since he was so damn perceptive usually. She played with the silver buckle on her belt while watching him, both their gazes soft yet attentive. But she didn't know what it meant when he reached out and took the glass into his hand.
She tipped the liquid into her mouth when he did, feeling a thread between them that was old and familiar, and one she only just realized had been missing since she woke up without the collar around her neck.
Then he held up the business card they'd taken from Felix.
Growling, Pansy turned around and employed the same tactics she'd always used to funnel her anger into something productive. Except this time she used it on her guilt. There was nothing she could do about her time in the pit. The time she missed with Posy. She couldn't bring back the lives she'd taken and she was old enough by now to realize there wouldn't ever be anything she could do.
Just fucking live with it.
So she channeled it into action. "Rufus, we got a deal or no? Answer my questions, I don't beat you bloody? Pretty sweet deal, eh?"
"What do you… want to know?" he asked, cowering in the corner.
Pansy held up a finger. "One, have you seen Hal today? Two, know any info on the kidnapping of a young wolf? And three, tell me about my darling beloved."
Nodding as he tried to settle down, Rufus finally took a big breath. Rapidly he bit out, "No, haven't seen Hal in a few days, haven't heard squat about any kidnappings either, and the Alpha burned down his entire estate last week with about 40 wolves in it. Everyone else was told to report to him the moment they see you or have any information on you at all."
"40?"-"40?!" Pansy and Neville gasped at the same time. She looked down, allowing the short strands of her hair to cover her face.
Her throat started closing up again. Guilt was so much worse than anger. Slick and sticky at the same time, rolling her stomach until she couldn't breathe. And fuck Ellis for so callously discarding his wolves. Forcing the change on them and then throwing them away without a care.
Two strong fingers tilted her face up. He was suddenly much closer. "Not your fault."
"Yes, it is."
"What you're feeling? That's what makes you different from her," he whispered so softly, not even Rufus could hear. His fingers slid along her cheek until he was palming her face and holding her close.
"I hate how well you know me," she admitted, their breath mingling. It wasn't fair. "As if you plucked it from my mind when I wasn't looking. Those damn shards-"
"Those shards allowed me to save you," he pushed. "They also… they gave me decades with you, where I learned a lot. But you better believe me when I say this, Parkinson. I knew you before the shards, long before. You felt guilt for the girls on that case, you felt guilt for leaving me behind to go after your mother. Pearl never felt guilt. Even in the end."
His eyes darted to Rufus and back again. He had more to say, but he didn't want an audience.
"Rufus," Pansy snapped. "Wait in the back until I call you out again."
Though he was clearly terrified out of his mind, Rufus had no problem following her order, jumping up and rushing away. Once the door closed firmly shut behind him, Pansy poured another drink for both herself and Neville.
Which they took immediately.
Afterwards, Neville wiped his mouth and said, "There's something you ought to know, kitten."
"Coming clean?" she laughed, but it was hallow. Still no smile. She didn't really believe he used the shards to keep her all to himself, not anymore. Except everything she knew about the Mind Shards said otherwise. Just another thing she would have to live with. Another thing to deal with. She had a lot of healing to do.
"Felix Vistain is indirectly responsible for Pearl's death," he told her evenly, reaching out again and taking her hand. Skin against skin, the touch felt heavy with intimacy, far more than a silly hand holding session should. As if he were holding far more than just her hand. A Deep Touch.
One that held the whispers of home. That ever elusive feeling. Too bad she couldn't follow it... not right then.
"You said you twisted her neck. That it was all you. Your words, Longbottom..."
"It was me. I killed her," he assured quickly. "But only because we couldn't save her from Vistain's dungeon."
What the fuck? Did those words really just come out of his mouth? "Save and Pearl in the same sentence..."
"You asked me to save her. You... begged me to save her."
Yanking away from his hold, she couldn't handle the intimacy, nor their closeness, any better than the guilt. "There is no way in hell—"
"You said something about promising your father you would protect her. So that's what we did. Felix tied her up in such a way that to undo the ties would only crush her against a board of spikes. Instead of letting them continue to torture her, we—I—gave her a merciful death. Because you asked me to."
Damn. That collar fucked her up so badly, she went to try and rescue Pearl? Or was it the collar at all? She couldn't remember a lot lately, but she could recall the promise Neville spoke of with perfect clarity.
A promise to protect Pearl, for her Papa.
Her fingers curled, the blade within wanting to burst out and cause a lot of damage. She had the briefest memory of Pearl in a blue button up but it faded away as quickly as it appeared.
"Neville..." she coughed out, her throat burning from whiskey.
"You believe me now?" he whispered, taking the drink she handed him. His voice turned hard and mean. "That shame you feel, that guilt? That means you still have a soul. Stop trying to run away from it."
It took a lot. Maybe because her mind was broken. Maybe because she believed she was broken. But she reached out and took his hand again, knowing what he wanted and knowing what she needed. To heal. "Partners?"
Neville didn't smile, but his fingers squeezed around hers with deadly strength. Exactly what she liked. "Partners. Are you done mucking around now? I'd like to go rescue Posy."
"For now," she sneered loudly. "Get out here, Rufus."
The back door swung open and the wolf walked back towards her as if every step hurt him. He came before her, head hung low, and fell to his knees.
She leaned over him, making sure to move slowly so he could follow her movements, and looked him dead in the eye. "Don't want you getting into trouble now do we?"
He panted, sweat dripping down his dirty brow, Rufus shook his head as he trembled.
"Why don't you do as your alpha commanded then? Go run along and tell him I stopped by. You can tell him I'll be along shortly… to collect my rib."
Nodding, Rufus scrambled away, proving he was far more afraid of Pansy than Vistain.
There was no running now. No putting an ocean between her and her problems. No running away with her dark eyed man. Not if Ellie was going to raze the earth to get to her. Not if Felix had Posy.
She turned around and met Neville's hard stare. He was holding up the business card again. "Hal was not in the house. I didn't see any signs of a struggle. I assume that means he went after whoever snatched Posy."
"That means we need to go after the bigger problem," Pansy said softly. Her eyes went to the stiff business card in his hand. The sigil on the front looked similar to the symbol for power, except the three tines were dotted with smaller, blood red circles. Three each. It created a powerful Sigil; one of life, one of power, one of blood.
The Sigil of the Academy of Immortals.
The thread between her and Neville pulled tautly, a tension she didn't care for in the least. "You know what that means, Longbottom?"
"Yeah, I've seen one like it before. When she gave Posy one," his voice deepened into a growl on par with any wolf's.
But Pansy jumped at the new realization. "Posy has one of these? That means Sera can track her."
Hope everyone is staying safe!