"Have you lost your mind?"
Dwayne paused for a moment before looking over at the speaker, giving a careless glance beyond the jagged rocks and still pools of water before turning back to the task at hand. He wiped easily at his wet skin, letting the pain invigorate him while ignoring the question his friend had posed. David's drawl was cold, patronizing and, as such, very much not surprising but Dwayne just didn't have an answer for him.
He hadn't lost his mind but he'd come close.
The water level in the disused cavern never rose particularly high, there was never a risk of flooding but the small opening in the rocks did allow for fresh swells of water to enter, sometimes spraying droplets if the crashing wave outside was strong enough. As a pack they almost never entered the room, it literally held no use for them. Paul had been known to bring women into the cavern for an attempted brief interlude of passion; usually there was a lone oil drum used for lighting but when the area was filled with candles, it looked fairly romantic. The water was freezing, however, and hypothermia would always set in before a good time could really be had. Paul would get bored with the complaints of his prey and make his kill earlier than he intended to, returning to the main cave with disgruntled complaints of his own.
Dwayne never ventured down there himself but that evening he made his way almost unthinkingly. He had woken up still feeling disoriented, like Elizabeth was there, with him and surrounding him. The scent of her blood, the taste of her.
He had needed to do something, anything to return to normalcy.
He'd lit the oil drum, a perfunctory action rather than out of actual need, shredded his clothes long before entering the room and had been cleaning his skin, his mind wandering, losing himself in his thoughts.
As a wave outside the cave sent a swell of water up into the small cavern, Dwayne grimaced. Droplets splashed against his skin, burning and stinging him in the way sea water always did but at that moment, he relished in it.
It was cleansing.
Everything that had happened with Elizabeth last night was mind bending. It felt like it had been an impossibility, that it couldn't have been real.
The pain he was currently experiencing made him feel like himself again, reminded him of who he was, brought him back to the reality that he knew.
In a strange way, it comforted him. The pain was a reminder, confirmation loud and clear: he was a vampire, he was himself. Bathing was very much something he didn't do, the action itself was unlike him but still. He could feel his head clearing.
"Dwayne?"
"No. I haven't lost my mind" he replied, holding in another wince as some water sprayed against his chest.
"Then what the fuck are you doing?"
David rarely swore. He never needed to. Hell, he didn't even need words to get his point across half of the time.
"I'm checking"
"Checking what?"
"That I'm still immortal"
David tilted his head, observing his oldest and closest friend through narrowed eyes, "is that what you were playing at last night?"
Dwayne glanced over, raising one eyebrow in disinterested question and for a moment it looked like David's jaw was close to twitching.
"I'm not joking, Dwayne. You get back with minutes - literal minutes - to spare before sunrise, you fall into the deepest sleep I've seen you in since you turned, wake well after sunset and now I find you here..." he looked over Dwayne's body in sneering disbelief, "naked and taking a fucking bath?"
His voice was cold, incredulous but there was an underlying hint of genuine worry and Dwayne couldn't help the brief smirk from decorating his face. The ice-blonde was obviously torn between his role as leader and friend and it was rare for him to show this level of low burning anger. He had been sharp with Star, firm and occasionally flat out strict with Paul when the occasion called for it but Dwayne had never been on the receiving end of David's anger or annoyance. He was second in command, he understood the pack structure and his role within it, he didn't push boundaries - he enforced them...but more than that, the two were close.
They were friends, brothers and they had a special bond, an undeniable connection.
They had never fought...well. Not before Elizabeth, at any rate. There had never been occasion for harsh words, for concern or anger and for a moment, it was almost comical to see David worried, masking it though he was.
"Are you smirking?"
This time, Dwayne did smile though it was quickly wiped off his face as a strong swell sent salty, foamy spray over his chest and across his face.
The sting, the pain was undeniable, reminding him, proving to him who he was.
"Get the fuck out, would you? You can lie to Elizabeth and downplay how much the water hurts you but I know-"
"-I never lied about it" Dwayne replied, his voice deep and stoic as it often was.
David was right though. It was hurting, the pain becoming more potent as he time went on.
Clarification, if he ever really needed it, that he was indeed a vampire.
He took a step forward, easily navigating the sharp and clustered rocks, moving almost as if he was floating rather than walking. The pools of water weren't particularly deep, either and as he emerged onto a higher level, David's frown deepened.
"You downplayed it, whatever. I don't care" David stated, still frowning coldly as he flung a white vest towards his friend before asking bluntly, "why did you take Paul's clothes? What's wrong with you, Dwayne?"
Dwayne caught the vest, snatching it out of the air before frowning down at it for a moment, mirroring David's expression. He hadn't even realized. He'd woken up in a delirium, almost, elated but confused, feeling powerful but weak. Elizabeth's scent had been overpowering him, confined in the small space as he had been, and he could still taste her.
Like the night before, it had been indescribable.
He looked away from his friend, shrugged and murmured and evasive, "I didn't realize. I was disoriented when I woke up"
"Why?"
"What?"
David pursed his lips and arched his eyebrow.
"Why were you disoriented, what was wrong with your clothes?"
"Couldn't you smell it? Elizabeth's scent was over them, it was everywhere. It was too much. I needed to change"
"Her scent is always all over you, that's not new" David rebutted, watching with the same narrowed eyes as Dwayne slipped on the vest, "what's different now?"
Dwayne shook his head, reaching over and tugging on the rest of the clothes he'd unthinkingly brought into the deep, dank and wet cavern with him. He couldn't argue, David was right - the vest wasn't his and Elizabeth's scent was always around. Thankfully the remaining clothes he'd scooped up were his; his familiar jeans, his jacket. Even now her scent was still there but it wasn't overpowering him; it was comforting as it usually was.
He knew he was frustrating his friend but he didn't know where to start, where to begin. David wanted answers and Dwayne didn't know if he had any...everything was new, foreign.
He almost felt out of his depth.
The incredulous and cold leader watched in silence, seemingly intending to wait the stoic brunette out. The faint sound of the waves followed by the louder swish of water filled the room but not much else and as David's head tilted minutely to the side yet again, Dwayne knew his patience was wearing thin.
As he thoughtlessly fastened his jeans, Dwayne looked up.
It made sense to just start with the truth though he knew it was likely to annoy his friend because the truth was that he just didn't know.
Like everything with Elizabeth, this was new to him. He wasn't used to feeling such a lack of knowing, a lack of control.
"I don't even know where to begin, man"
"Why did you need to check you're still immortal? What happened to you? I think answering those questions marks a good place to start, no?"
"I thought I was mortal"
"What?"
Dwayne nodded, running his hands through his hair as he settled to sit on one of the high, jutting cuts of rock, well out of the reach of the water.
He didn't really think he was mortal, he knew he was phrasing it wrong just as he knew he was a vampire. He knew that only half vampires could revert, he knew that for him - as with the rest of the pack - it was vampirism or death. Logically he knew that nothing had changed but last night had been intense, almost destructively so.
He had felt mortal.
For that period of time, immersed in Elizabeth and feeding from her, he was the most vampiric he could be...yet he had felt like a mortal.
It had been a difficult, confusing feeling to shake off but at the same time not an unwelcome one.
"Elizabeth hurt me last night. Physically hurt me, I mean"
"That's impossible"
Dwayne shook his head, "her nails. She was clinging to me, pulling at me and I swear to God man...she ran her nails down my back and I felt it. I felt pain..she was tugging on my hair and I felt that, too-"
"-she's a mortal, she can't hurt you"
"She did" Dwayne insisted, shaking his head once more, "fuck, man..." he glanced at his friend. He'd never been one to share his thoughts, to share his feelings and while David was the one he felt most comfortable doing those things with, it was still difficult for him. His whole life - both mortal and immortal - he'd been a closed book, keeping his innermost thoughts to himself, "this feels like you've walked in on me cleaning up after a wet dream or something"
"It's that intimate?"
"Yes"
"Tell me, Dwayne"
"I already did"
"And I told you. She's a mortal, she can't hurt you. It's impossible-"
"-Jesus, what am I telling you? She hurt me. She caused me pain. I felt mortal, man. For the first time since becoming a vampire, since you turned me I felt mortal...weak and impotent and like I had no control. I felt like I couldn't breathe. You hear what I'm saying? I swear to God I was sweating, my muscles were clenching and flexing, I was shivering, I was-I was a fucking mortal..I had control but I didn't, at the same time"
"Why?"
"Everything that's happened with Elizabeth...it came to a head yesterday..that's what I'm trying to say"
This time, David's frown had morphed into one of stunned disbelief and Dwayne nodded almost as if he were in agreement.
David shook his head. Apparently, he was ready to listen without question, "start from the beginning"
"I bit her"
David looked sharply at Dwayne and the brunette held up his hand, "you don't have to do damage control, I didn't snap. It wasn't like that. I claimed her"
"You claimed her?" the words were repeated softly.
Dwayne nodded.
He could barely believe it himself.
"Tell me everything. Tell me from the start"
Dwayne met David's eyes, "I went to her as usual but she was sleeping. She'd crashed out, sitting on her bed.."
Elizabeth had looked so peaceful and though it was obvious she'd been waiting, trying to stay up and wait for his arrival, he didn't have the strength to wake her. Everything had been so stressful, so tiring, hurtful and draining and she was only mortal. Physically, emotionally there was only so much she could take. She needed to recover, to keep her strength up and sleep was the one way for her to do it. He had tucked her into bed carefully, brushing a kiss against her temple as he reluctantly left her side.
"...I put her under the covers and then I left"
"You went to feed?"
Dwayne nodded, not surprised that David guessed as much. He hadn't been feeding as often as he usually did. It wasn't a bad thing, he wasn't even close to starving but Elizabeth took a lot of his time and where he used to hunt, used to feed or just kill for fun with the pack he was now with her, "everything was fine. Despite everything that happened with Star, things were fine. It was strange, actually. I went thinking I would be comforting her, defending myself, the pack. Apologizing. But no. She was sleeping. She looked so content, after everything...she looked content" he shrugged, "I left, I made my kill but I had no idea..."
He trailed off, thinking.
David leaned against the cool wall, managing to avoid a patch of damp without even glancing at it. He gave a quiet prompt, "no idea...?"
"Elizabeth sought me out"
"What? She sought you out? In a storm?" this time David was the one to trail off and Dwayne nodded.
He knew what David was thinking. David thought Elizabeth would never have the courage to make such a bold move, he thought she was too weak to make any moves. Of course, David didn't know what happened, not yet, but it was clear he couldn't picture Elizabeth heading out into a stormy night just to see Dwayne.
Dwayne's thoughts were less harsh but being honest with himself, he always imagined that he would be the one to initiate everything. He knew Elizabeth didn't have a wild, reckless side but he wasn't too surprised that she had wanted to see him and had done so. She was strong willed at times, there was no denying it but everything else?
Never in his wildest dreams did he picture Elizabeth making the first move in the way that she had done.
He would have waited until she was ready, of course. He would never have done anything without her permission, her explicit agreement and until he himself was sure she was ready for the first steps but he always thought that he would be the one to do it all. Elizabeth was soft and unsure, she was young and inexperienced in so many ways. She was innocent, there was no other way to describe her yet she had been the one to make the move, to take the step.
"I was dumping the body-" he waved his hand as if it was of no consequence, not bothering to go into detail, "and it was like-" he punched his fist into his hand, "-boom. She was in my head, screaming and shouting and calling for me. Clear as day, she could have been stood right next to me, screaming in my ear for how strong it was"
David was frowning again and, once again, Dwayne nodded. Though she was his mate, she was mortal and for her to be able to connect with him like that? On that level, stronger than before?
"Straight away, my stomach just dropped. She sounded so distressed, so desperate. I thought something was wrong, if I'm being honest with you...with myself...I felt sick. What's more mortal than feeling sick?" he looked at his friend, "when was the last time you felt sick?"
David crossed his arms and Dwayne gave a short laugh, "...sick. Physically sick, like I could vomit. Can you believe that? And that's just the start of it, man...I went to her and she looked like a fucking maniac, barely dressed, running in that storm-"
"-running from where?"
Dwayne didn't know if David looked impressed or annoyed by her actions.
"From her house. When I got to her she was on the beach and she was soaked and babbling. She wasn't even wearing shoes. I was scared. I was scared for her, I really thought..I mean, fuck. What was I supposed to think? She kept saying she had to speak to me, that she needed to 'tell me' but she wouldn't say what and the rain was just pounding her. I thought she was going to get sick, I thought she was going to call it quits.."
"But she didn't"
"No. No, she didn't"
"What happened?"
"She was apologetic?" Dwayne shook his head, "it took a while to get her there, I got her in from the storm and I was trying to keep her warm, get her dry and suddenly she seemed unsure. Nervous, almost. Like being with me had taken away some of her confidence"
"I can imagine that. I'll admit, I can't imagine anything else but that, I can see" David said, his voice soft, "she seems...unsure of herself at the best of times"
Dwayne met his friend's eyes, knowing he was being diplomatic with his choice of words. It wasn't that David disliked Elizabeth but he was the pack leader. He had to be harsh, he had to be distant and Dwayne knew that while she would be accepted by him fully when the time came, for as long as she was a mortal he would be holding her at a distance.
After everything that had happened with Star, David didn't trust outsiders. David also didn't trust mortals but that was neither here nor there. The point was, he was right; Elizabeth was oftentimes unsure. It went with her innocence, her youth but last night was different.
"Not last night. When she finally had the courage to say what she wanted to say? She was unwavering, I've never known her to be so strong"
"Am I going to have to ask?"
"She apologized, said she was selfish" Dwayne gave his hand a little wave, summarizing everything. He wasn't going to go into great detail because it was his business and his alone, "she isn't of course but she was insistent, she told me that she wanted me to trust her, to open up to her. She wanted me to know that she was mine, she was there for me in the same way I'm there for her, that-"
"-that your relationship was one sided? With you bearing the majority of the load?"
Dwayne smirked for a second, meeting David's eyes again and unsurprised by the words, "don't be a dick, man"
David shrugged, "I'm just stating facts. And apparently, Elizabeth agrees with my sentiment"
"Whatever. She was apologizing, she didn't need to and I didn't want her to but she did...she said she was mine, that she would always be mine and then something in her changed"
Dwayne frowned, thinking.
"I don't know what but she was looking at me and it was as if she was seeing me for the first time. Really seeing me, I mean and her eyes, the way she was staring at me...I felt completely exposed, it was like nothing I've ever felt and then she asked me and I just..."
"Asked you what?"
"She wanted to see me. She said she was ready and.." he shrugged, "I turned and then so did she"
"What does that mean?"
"I turned. Since I'm sharing, I guess there's no harm in me telling you that I've never felt so vulnerable" he looked away from David's eyes, "I felt like a child, powerless. I'm there, I've turned, I'm showing her what a vampire looks like, what I look like. We're powerful. I'm powerful but in front of her, it was like I'd been stripped bare" he shook his head for a second, "but Elizabeth...something inside her changed, too"
"She wasn't scared?"
Dwayne shook his head again, "I can't describe it but there was no fear from her. I'm not going to try to tell you, I can't even begin to but there was lust and need and it wasn't because of my lure. It was real, totally organic and it was coming from her..she saw what I am and she was just..." he looked at David, "...she had transformed, man. She was..fuck, she was everything...and then she asked me to bite her. Her voice was so thick and the way she was looking at me..."
"Could you-"
"-control it?" Dwayne nodded, "yeah but barely. Elizabeth she..I'm serious when I say she transformed..she was needful and domineering, commanding. She was matching me, matching my need but exceeding it, almost. I've never seen her like that"
"You said she hurt you?"
Dwayne nodded, "she was so absorbed, she was pulling at me..."
Dwayne hissed, his eyes closing as Elizabeth's nails pierced into his shoulders.
She was pulling him close, closer than would ever be physically possible, her fingers rigid and hard. They were unforgiving, almost. There was desperation in her grip but it was needful and commanding, powerful. She wasn't going to be denied. He had never seen her like this. Her touch had always been soft, her gasps always delicate.
She was delicate.
Even when she was trying, playing at being in control her shyness, her desire to be dominated shone through but now? His mate was unrecognizable. Demanding, raw. He knew that if he tried, if he made a move to stop, to disentangle himself from her arms that she wouldn't allow it. He could feel it, he could feel the crescent moons of her neatly trimmed nails digging, itching and cutting into his skin, compelling him to stay exactly where he was.
It was the first time a mortal had caused him anything that could be considered even close to pain.
He wondered if she could do it, if she could actually cut him. It shouldn't be possible, mortals had no physical abilities over a vampire but he could feel it.
Elizabeth tensed under him, arching her neck and back, pushing her breasts hard into his chest, those nails, usually so nonthreatening feeling sharper than knives.
She gave a throaty, almost guttural moan and he felt himself react immediately.
He groaned at her movement, kissing, nipping and sucking at her neck, letting his tongue dance over the swollen cut that marked his bite.
"Don't stop" she gasped, her voice quivering.
"I have to, baby" he told her, shocked to hear the quiver in his own voice.
Her heartbeat was healthy, thudding and pounding but he knew, despite the haze of need he was shrouded in, that she was weak.
He needed it as much as she did, but she had limits.
Even if she had forgotten, he never would.
"No!"
She pulled her hands upwards, dragging those nails up and across his skin and he hissed once again, eyebrows furrowing as he clenched his shoulders instinctively, trying to move from the pain but wanting to move back into it, too.
"Fuck" he growled, pressing his chest flush against hers and tilting his body, moving his own hand to pull hers away. Despite her unrelenting grip, she allowed him to move her hand and he felt her fingers graze his face as he kissed, sniffed and nibbled her fingertips.
Everything was her.
The smell, the taste.
She hadn't cut into his skin, there wasn't even the faintest, lightest scent of his blood but, God, if the stinging wasn't real, he didn't know what was.
"There are no marks on you" David told him.
Dwayne wasn't surprised; he hadn't been able to smell his own blood and David had clearly seen his exposed skin but still. The statement bothered him, "you think it was all in my head? The pain?"
"Yes and no" David kicked his leg up, resting his boot on the rocks he was leaning against, "you wanted her, she wanted you. Two mates taking the first step. You have a connection, a deep one...I think in that moment, you were almost equals. There's no way she can match you, not with what you are so perhaps you met her at her level" he shrugged, trailing off. It was a first, David speaking as he thought, "but this is new territory for all of us. I guess we won't know for sure until someone else gets a mate and claims her. Did you feed from her?"
Dwayne blinked, looking at David.
"You fed from her?" his friend repeated.
"Isn't that what happens when a vampire claims their mate?"
David raised his eyebrow, unimpressed at the dry reply and Dwayne nodded. He knew that he could have just bitten her, left his mark, his claim - David's question wasn't stupid.
"Yes. That's why she was pulling me close. It was a taste, at first. Just a small bite. I didn't want to hurt her, I didn't want to make her weak and at the start I was aware of it. Fully aware of it" Dwayne continued, having been absorbed in the memory for a moment, "but it wasn't enough for her. She wanted me to drain her, I know she did. She may not even have known it herself but she was begging and pleading and nothing was enough. She was insatiable"
"How the hell did you not turn her?"
"I don't know" Dwayne admitted, the lightness in David's voice a rarity, "I don't know where the control came from because I felt a distinct lack of it, man"
"I understand the bath now"
Dwayne gave a brief grin, his shoulders relaxing.
"Yeah?"
David shook his head, his voice dry "if that happened to me, I'd have settled in for a long soak"
"Doesn't sound like fun?"
"Feeling like a mortal? Having to exercise control while feeding? Sounds terrible. I would have sprinkled some holy water over myself, too. Just to be sure.."
"It wasn't terrible" Dwayne said with a shake of his head, "I could do it again, I could do it forever"
Both men locked eyes. Sharing a knowing grin, David gave his eyebrow an inquisitorial arch and Dwayne nodded in turn. They were never ones to share details of their sex lives, to ask and answer intimate questions. They could joke, they could banter but to share the nitty gritty of their private lives was something neither man did. That was Paul, he was the open book but in that moment, they didn't need words.
No fanfare, no gossiping.
They knew each other, they didn't need to vocalize what they both knew.
Dwayne looked away.
"...listen" he began, settling himself down on the rocks a little more. The atmosphere between them had lightened, they were truly acting as friends rather than packmates and while he knew there was no good time to have the impending conversation, he also knew it had to be done, "considering yesterday...I wanted to talk to you about-"
"-you're late to the game. We're having a pack meeting tomorrow" David interrupted, "you were otherwise engaged but Marko pointed out that we need to focus. Star took us by surprise, we can't let our guards down, we can't let it happen again. Elizabeth is welcome, of course"
The offer was genuine but Dwayne knew it was being given begrudgingly.
"I'll let her know but I think she won't want to be involved" he loosely linked his hands together, letting them fall between his open legs, "look. I've known you a long time. I know you, so I'm gonna say what I need to say now. Just the two of us, no pretense and no bullshit"
"This is about her?"
"Yes"
David nodded.
"She's my mate and when it comes to her, I have no control-"
"-you didn't drain her. You got her home safely, didn't you?"
Dwayne knew that David understood how difficult it really was, how hard it was to have a mate, to have to wait for her to change and turn. He wasn't going to take the dismissiveness personally.
"I got her in through her window as best I could. I couldn't even get her onto her bed" Dwayne said patiently, "not exactly my usual standard"
"Last night was different"
"Yes but the point doesn't change. When it comes to Elizabeth-"
"-you have more control than you think you do"
"Fine" Dwayne said, once again with patience, "but everything is about her...I can't think about anything other than her. Now, even more so...she's everywhere, she's in my head, on my skin...she is going to be mine, she's going to turn and everything is more intense because of it. It was hard before but knowing..tasting..I can't-look, I can't tell you. I'm trying but..."
He wouldn't share his thoughts like this usually but he needed David to understand.
"...the point is, if she is ever in danger, even the smallest hint of it...that's all I would be able to focus on"
"Meaning?"
"Meaning Marko was right, Star did take us off guard. I assume the plan hasn't changed? We're going to set her free, right?"
"I'm getting tired of repeating it but yes. Only because it serves our purpose but she'll be free in the end. Mortal once more"
The bitterness in David's voice was hard to ignore and Dwayne knew if they were talking as a pack, that bitterness would be buried deep.
Like Dwayne, David also kept his thoughts and feelings close.
"It's dangerous"
"Elizabeth won't be involved. It has nothing to do with her. We kill the rogue, Star is free, Santa Carla remains our territory. Elizabeth doesn't feature in this-"
"-she has no reason to" Dwayne conceded, interrupting. David's words were reasonable but pointless, "but we're talking about being caught off guard"
David frowned.
"If Elizabeth is involved, if somehow she gets caught up in it...you have to take her. Marko, Paul and I will-"
"-I won't abandon my pack, Dwayne"
Dwayne shook his head, "yes, you will"
"No" David's voice was flat, "you're asking me to leave my pack, to walk away while they kill a rogue vampire. Do you really think this is something you have any right to ask of me?"
"I'm telling you" Dwayne replied.
For a moment, David's face changed.
Shock, anger, disbelief.
"It can't be done without me. I'm the strength, we all know that. Marko is invaluable, his skills are essential if we're going to do this and Paul? Unpredictable, agile, fast. We need him"
"I'm trying hard not to be insulted, Dwayne"
"I'm not insulting you. I'm telling you, it has to be you"
"You expect me to abandon my pack and babysit a mortal while-"
"-yes"
Both men stared at each other, the atmosphere suddenly tense.
"Dwayne..."
"I'm telling you that's how it has to be. Don't you get it? If she is there, if she is involved then we're fucked. All of us. You, the pack, her. I won't be able to focus; she's where my attention will be. Marko and Paul, too. None of us will be able to do what needs to be done if Elizabeth is there"
"Then have Paul or Marko babysit"
"That won't work and you know it" Dwayne's voice was hard. David's refusal to see sense was frustrating him, "do you think Elizabeth will sit quietly and happily? She'll be worried for me, for the pack. She's going to cry and beg and plead to know what's happening, she's going to promise she can take care of herself, plead to return to the fight and see for herself that we're not dead and Paul will agree, he'll do it. He'll trust that he's strong enough to keep her safe and fight, he'll trust that she can hide in plain sight-"
David opened his mouth.
"-and you know it. When it comes to Elizabeth, Paul is soft as shit" Dwayne said, speaking over him, "and Marko-"
"-he could do it easily"
"You're right, he can do it no problem. He's ruthless, we all know that but he will know that the pack needs him. He can get into the rogue's head, he'll know what moves he's going to make seconds before he makes them. Marko's gonna know that it can't be done without him and he's gonna put the needs of the pack first. So he'll either keep Elizabeth in a place he thinks is safe - and if she is involved, then she isn't safe. She's my weak spot and she will be targeted - and return to the fight, or he'll bring her and, like Paul, trust he can kill and protect. Don't you see?"
David's jaw was tense, his eyes narrowed, "fine...the night we take action, we lock Elizabeth away somewhere"
Dwayne sat, impassively listening. It was pointless but David was going to have his say.
"We have Marko lock her away somewhere from the offset. Lure her, put her to sleep, keep her locked up somewhere only he knows. Whatever. Nobody is breaking into Marko's mind. If we do that from the start, before engaging then she would be safe"
Dwayne nodded once. If Marko did it from the offset, working alone and before meeting the rogue then it was a good plan, "that would work"
"Conversation over"
"Not even close"
"I'm in charge, Dwayne"
For a second, David faltered. It was as if uttering those words had given him pause, that they had embarrassed him. It was understandable, the words themselves were petulant, almost, and they certainly didn't sound right coming from David's mouth. He never had to assert his leadership, his authority - the pack followed him, supported him and trusted him unwaveringly.
Dwayne perhaps more-so than anyone.
"You're my friend" Dwayne replied, quick as lightning, "I'm asking you as a friend. Elizabeth is my world. She's my mate, I can't control it. I wish I could but I can't. If she is involved in this, I need to know she's with someone that I can trust. I know you, David. You'll put my needs over hers. You'll keep her safe for my sake. That's what I'm asking you to do. I'm not insulting your abilities, I'm not dismissing your role. I'm telling you; I trust you to keep my mate alive if she gets caught up in this"
David looked at Dwayne, saying nothing.
"Please"
The cold blonde nodded once.
"You'll do it?"
"Yes"
Dwayne nodded himself, feeling relieved at the muttered confirmation. He stood and placed his hand on David's shoulder, squeezing it tightly.
"Thank you"
"I hope it won't come to it"
Dwayne nodded, not needing to say that he agreed. He didn't see why Elizabeth would be involved, there was absolutely no reason for her to be and if they protected her from the offset anyway, like David had suggested, then there really was nothing to worry about...and that's what concerned him.
They hadn't thought to worry about Star but she'd tried hard and come quite close to ruining what he and the pack had with Elizabeth.
He didn't like being caught off guard and once was enough.
He wasn't going to let it happen again.
"David" he waited until their eyes met, "I'm serious. Thank you"
As a genuine smile briefly made its way onto the usually cold, distant man's face, David gave another nod. As his face, his whole demeanor warmed, he looked away.
"I imagine you're going to continue adding the finishing touches to her room?"
"Seems like a good way to pass the time until she gets here"
"You're sure she's coming to you again?"
"Yes"
David pushed himself off and away from the wall, both men letting their arms fall down.
"Need I ask what you plan to do?"
"Sleep"
David grinned, his eyebrow raised.
"No, seriously. She's mortal, I could have killed her last night"
"I understand"
"Don't do that"
"What?"
"The sarcasm"
David grinned.
"It was hard for me, I can't imagine how she feels. She's literally been drained. I hurt her, I have to take care of her"
"You didn't hurt her"
"You know what I mean"
"Blood donors do it all the time"
"Cute"
"I understand. She is fragile, after all...such a shame...how boring...finally claimed her and now you need to baby her..."
Dwayne gave his friend a look but David merely smirked.
"Don't tell her that the heater was my idea"
"Why? You don't want her to think you're capable of being nice?"
This time, David's smirk was warmer than anyone else had been privy to, "I've never denied that I'm a 'dick'"
As they headed out of the often ignored cavern, the dank space deep in the bowels of the cave, the two men shared one last, knowing smile.
A/N: sorry for the wait! Time is not on my side at the moment! Thank you so, so much to those who take the time to review - I appreciate it beyond belief.