I'm baaaaack! It's been WAY too long since I last updated any of my writing. I'm so sorry for the unintentional hiatus. I've been working on this story on and off for longer than I realized, but I didn't want to upload any new chapters until I knew I could finish the story completely. I'm super excited to say that I have finally finished writing the remaining chapters of this story! All that's left to do is edit and upload the remaining chapters and write an epilogue. I really hope fans of this story are still interested in seeing what happens next. So without further delay here's chapter six!
Chapter Six
Jordan Parish jumped from the driver seat of his cruiser the moment he turned the engine off. His Beacon Hills County Sheriff's Department uniform was slightly rumbled from all day wear, but his strides showed no signs of fatigue as he sprinted towards the Stilinski home. Before Parish could reach the porch steps however, he saw John Stilinski's form in the doorway. Having worked closely with the sheriff for many years his stance was one Jordan was quite familiar with. He stood tall with squared off shoulders, exuding an air of authority, but there was also a controlled rage simmering below his mask of calm. Parish had seen it before; it was a rage reserved for anyone or anything that dared to harm his only son.
"Parish, thanks for coming so quickly." John's voice was rough with worry.
The brown-haired man stepped passed the sheriff and into the dimly lit house. "Of course. Stiles and Lydia are like family to me. What do you need me to do?"
John closed the door behind the man, but before he could answer Melissa came quietly down the stairs. "Allison is finally settled. The poor sweetheart cried herself to sleep. She's in Stiles' old room." As the nurse's gentle gaze landed on the new arrival her tone of voice changed from motherly to down-to-business. "Did you tell him the plan?"
"Just about to."
Melissa nodded, her massive amount of curls bounced with the movement. "Alright. Everyone's setup in the kitchen; might as well tell him in there."
Without checking to see if they were behind her, Melissa made her way to the kitchen with clear purpose in her steps. After sharing a quick amused look the two men followed.
As they entered the kitchen Jordan made a quick assessment of the gathered group. A habit he picked up in the military that served him well in law enforcement. Malia paced restlessly near the back door, looking ready to bolt at any moment. If it wasn't for Derek, who was leaning against said door watching her closely, Parish was sure the werecoyote would have left to single handedly find Stiles and Lydia. At the old wooden table an array of weapons were lined up, Argent picking them up one by one and placing them into various holsters around his body with practiced ease. But it was Scott that really caught Parish's eye.
The true alpha was standing in the corner of the kitchen with Deaton as the old emissary explained something quietly. Scott nodded along with Deaton's words but his eyes were distant and troubled. Melissa also seemed to realize her son's distress and moved to his side as soon as she entered the room.
"Hey kiddo, how ya holding up?" Melissa asked softly as she wrapped her arms around Scott, who immediately burrowed into her embrace, gathering strength from his mother. The curly-haired woman placed a quick kiss to the side of her son's head, gently running one hand through his shaggy dark hair in an effort to comfort him.
Scott was always someone who wore his heart on his sleeve. He cared deeply for people and was quick to blame himself when someone he cared about was hurt. More so when it was someone from his family, his pack, that he failed to protect. Because of this, Melissa knew Scott was blaming himself for what was happening to Stiles and Lydia.
The nurse's thoughts drifted to a time when Scott and Stiles were eleven years old. Scott wanted desperately to go for a bike ride and Stiles grudgingly went along. It wasn't that Stiles didn't want to go riding; he was just always concerned with Scott's asthma. Especially after the death of his mother the young boy was filled with the fear he would lose someone else he loved. However, it wasn't Scott who had a problem on the bike ride that day, but Stiles.
Melissa still remembered clearly the panic in her son's brown eyes as he helped a crying Stiles into the house. She still remembered the complete certainty in Scott's voice that Stiles' broken wrist was his fault. That if he hadn't pushed Stiles to go he wouldn't have gotten hurt. Melissa knew Scott was blaming himself for what was happening now, but it still caught her by surprise when her son confirmed her suspicions with such belief in his voice.
"I should have known something was wrong when Stiles didn't show up. I should have known." The true alpha's quiet voice held conviction and absolute belief in his words. His eyes still distant as if he was caught up in his own head.
Gently, Melissa took ahold of her son's chin, making him look her in the eyes, and finally gaining his attention. "This is not your fault. Do you hear me? You are not responsible for everything bad that happens." Warm brown eyes searched Scott's face for any sign of acceptance of her words, but found none.
"We need to get started now that Parish is here." Scott said with determination, blatantly ignoring his mother's attempt to comfort him.
The nurse looked as if she wanted to argue, needing to knock some sense into her son, but Melissa knew the only person who could make Scott believe this wasn't his fault was Stiles. So despite the mother in her screaming to not let her son get away with blaming himself and to make him feel better she released her hold on his chin and left the room.
Scott's irises flashed red for a moment before returning to their usual brown. He ran his hands down his face in frustration, hoping to calm the raging wolf inside him.
Parish cleared his throat, causing every set of eyes in the room to land on him in an instant. He tried to shake the uncomfortable feeling that hit him with being the center of attention and pressed on. "So what's this plan I keep hearing about?"
From years of being in law enforcement, and taking charge as a sheriff, John took the lead before anyone else. "The people who took Stiles and Lydia are using my son to make Lydia bring them to the Nemeton. We need to get there to stop whatever their plan is, and that's where you come in."
Parish whipped his head in John's direction, startled. "Lydia never told me where she hid the Nemeton. I'm sorry, but I can't help you find it."
"You can't, but your hellhound can." Scott added confidently.
Parish's face took on a look of uncertainty while his voice held confusion. "Uh guys I hate to be a naysayers here, but I'm not like any of you. I can't just turn this hellhound thing on and off. Not to mention the fact that I don't have any control over my actions when I'm in that state."
"We have a plan for that." Scott answered back without pause just as his mom came back into the room carrying her medical bag.
Jordan Parish eyed the nurse and her dark purple bag nervously. Melissa's kind smile and soft voice did nothing to settle the man as she told him to take a seat. It was only after John's strong comforting grip landed on his shoulder that Jordan felt himself comply. After he sat down, Scott moved to take the seat across from Parish as Melissa settled next to him, pulling out a vial of liquid and a syringe.
"Deaton thinks that if we can lower your heart-rate and bring you to the edge of unconsciousness then you might be able to access your hellhound and remain in control." Scott's voice was even as he spoke, gaze fixed on Parish.
The dark-haired man nodded along as he listened his eyebrows scrunching together. "Okay. How are we going to do that, and what happens if it doesn't work?"
"I'm going to give you a little something to sedate you, but only enough to bring you close to unconsciousness. It's perfectly safe. I'm just not sure if the amount a human would take is the same for a hellhound." Melissa answered her voice fluctuating with a small amount of unease at the end.
Deaton stepped forward. "Even if Melissa can get the amount right, and Parish can in fact connect to his hellhound that doesn't guarantee you'll be able to reach Lydia and Stiles."
"What does that mean?" John asked immediately, everyone but Scott's attention turning to their resident emissary questioningly.
"As I was telling Scott earlier, I have no idea if the blood of a hellhound is going to work in the same way that a banshee's does. It may not open the portal at all."
Scott abruptly slammed his hands down on the kitchen table. The force creating a split in the wood. "We get it! If Parish can't access his hellhound side Stiles and Lydia die! If he can't control his hellhound they die! If Parish's blood doesn't work my best friend dies! Can we just please stop talking about all the ways this can go wrong?!"
The room was silent for a few tense moments before the sheriff finally broke the quiet. "Scott's right. If we run into any problems we'll deal with it then…because we have to, otherwise we're just wasting time."
"Alright let's do this." Parish said with conviction, nodding towards the vial and syringe sitting on the kitchen table.
Caleb looked up sharply at the sound of the front door slamming closed. He leaned back in his desk chair and tilted his head slightly. As soon as the identifying sound of clicking heels reached his ears the black-haired man lowered his gaze back to the wooden frame in his hands. His intense blue eyes swept over the picture of his wife as his thumb ran along the beloved image before he replaced the frame to its spot on his desk. The moment the frame landed on the desk Caleb's office door opened to reveal Colin and Lydia.
The strawberry-blonde stomped forward into the room squaring off with Caleb as he stood from his chair. "Where's Stiles? I want to see him right now." She demanded firmly.
"Aren't you feisty?" Caleb's smooth voice taunted.
Colin's dark blue eyes swept the room. "Where's Helen?"
Caleb's attention shifted to his brother standing just behind the strawberry-blonde. "Helen has gotten a little too close to this. I sent her to keep watch on the McCall pack to make sure they don't try anything.
"Hey! I did what you wanted now take me to my husband." Lydia demanded once again.
Caleb smirked. "Of course…follow me."
The group of three made their way out of the office and turned in a different direction to where Lydia last saw her husband. A knot of nervousness coiled in the young woman's stomach as Caleb opened a new door and gestured her inside. Stepping past her captor and into the lowly lit room Lydia's green eyes landed almost immediately on a large monitor on the back wall. Walking closer those same eyes widened as Lydia noticed Stiles chained by his ankle to the same bed as before on the monitor.
"What the hell is this?" The banshee's voice shook unable to avert her worried gaze.
The sounds of door closing and the harsh click of the lock being thrown into place was the only response she received. Instantly, Lydia was at the door frantically pulling on the knob, but when it didn't budge she start slamming her small hands against the unrelenting wood. "What are you doing?! We had a deal! Let me out! Let me out!" Tears began to slip down Lydia's pale face. "Please…take me to Stiles."
Feeling trapped the banshee took a deep breath preparing to release a scream when Stiles' voice sounded around the small room suddenly. The voice emanated from the speakers connected to the security monitor, causing Lydia to rush back to the screen. Her shaking hand slowly lifted to cover her mouth as she watched in fear as Colin pinned her husband to the bed while Caleb cut off his protests with a gag roughly. Once the gag was in place Lydia watched as Caleb removed the cuff around Stiles' ankle that held him to the bed, yanked him to unsteady feet, and pulled him from the room.
Lydia's heart stuttered as she lost sight of her husband. A feeling of overwhelming panic washed over the banshee as her mind filtered through dozens of possible scenarios each one worst than the last. It was less than a minute before the door behind her opened revealing the one person she desperately needed to see, but to Lydia the wait was unbearable.
Just outside the open door stood Stiles with a knife to his throat held tightly by Colin. His warm brown eyes were still slightly unfocused, but held a spark of rage directed at their captors. The banshee could see her husband's unsteadiness and quickly realized that without Colin's tight hold he probably wouldn't be standing at all.
Caleb strode into the room in the manner of someone that knew he held all the power. It made Lydia's blood boil.
"Time to do your job, Banshee." The dark-haired man demanded.
Lydia clenched her teeth, trying to not lose her temper. "Is the gag and knife really necessary?" She asked pointedly, hands on her hips. "Can't you see he's unsteady on his feet? We're not going to be able to escape you two."
Caleb observed the banshee for a moment before answering her. "You would be surprised the unimaginable feats people are capable of when their body is pushed past its limits. The knife and gag stay."
"At least let me help him walk. You can keep the knife pointed at our backs." Desperation broke through Lydia's voice.
Unexpectedly, Caleb turned and pulled Colin's hand holding the knife away from their captive with one hand and with the other punched Stiles hard in the stomach. The sudden attack doubled the young father over, causing him to cough and gasp for breath through the gag.
Lydia lunged at Caleb, knocking the larger man off balance with the intensity of her attack. The banshee continued the momentum by first slamming her elbow into the man's temple and then kicking out with all of her strength and hitting Caleb in the stomach with a heeled shoe. The black-haired man stumbled back against the wall, but instead of dropping like Lydia had hoped Caleb used the wall to push himself back at the young mother, sending her crashing into the large monitor at the back wall.
As Lydia recovered Caleb stormed across the room and took Stiles from his brother's hands. With a tight grip in the young man's messy brown hair and knife blade resting against his throat Caleb illustrated his dominance in the situation. "Enough!"
A satisfied smirk pulled at the pale man's face as he watched Lydia's movements freeze instantly.
Lydia breathed roughly, out of breath from the short fight. "You're a monster."
Caleb cocked his head to the side in confusion. "I'm no monster. All of this, what's happening, is your fault. Don't you see that?" The black-haired man said with conviction.
"What?! How could it possibly be my fault that you're hurting the man I love?!" The strawberry-blonde snapped.
"From the moment we open our hearts to love we give our enemies the ultimate weapon against us, Mrs. Stilinski. I'm just using yours to ensure your help."
Lydia's face twisted in disgust as tears blurred her vision. "What a twisted viewpoint. Are you telling me you've never loved anyone?"
For only a moment that look of pure devastation Lydia saw in the hallway returned to Caleb's blue gaze, but was quickly masked away by a hard empty coldness. "I've felt the agony of love. That's how I know how powerful of a weapon it can be." Caleb's voice took on a low dangerous tone as he continued. "We've wasted enough time on this. Either start moving or I'll start making permanent changes to your husbands face."
To emphasize his threat Caleb brought the knife to Stiles cheek and pressed until blood started to slip over that metal and down his face.
Stiles sucked in a sharp breath through his nose while his muffled cry of pain mixed with Lydia desperate shout for Caleb to stop.
In an attempt to make Caleb stop, Lydia stepped forward and passed through the door without another word. As she passed the vicious man threw Stiles back to Colin like he was nothing.
Colin gripped his charge tightly, but thankfully lowered the knife and followed after his brother with worry clear in his eyes.
There you have it! The very long awaited chapter six. If you like my writing, please remember to leave a review or hit the follow/favorite button! I love reading all of your comments! Until next time.