adhd brain says start a new story.
Jade's left hand fiddled with the ring on her right ring-finger as she watched the new Vega sister adjust to the school. Something about her was different from Trina, something deeper than her bubbly and bright persona. Tori's demeanor was unique from that of her sister; she was confident, but not overtly so; her presence alone demanded attention, and infuriatingly, it demanded her attention. She seemed perfect. Too perfect.
From the moment she lay her eyes on her, Jade didn't like Tori. She couldn't explain why, just that there was something wrong with her, and Jade didn't like it. Jade had hated Trina from the moment she met her, she at least knew why that Vega made her wish she was deaf, blind, and perhaps even dead. Well, more dead.
Something was off about her scent and Jade didn't like it. It was easy to lash out at her over the way she pursued Beck – but then he kissed her, and his scent changed. Suddenly he had the pull on her she'd wished for. Jade caught him between classes and yanked him into the closet to demand answers.
Beck held up his hands innocently, defensively, "Please, let me explain."
"I don't want to hear it," Jade snarled. He shrank back against the door and she stepped forward, "Who is she?"
"I just met her – she's just a friend! I'm sorry, I shouldn't ha-"
Jade growled ferociously and Beck immediately shut his mouth. She barely contained her fury enough to speak to him, her voice low, "I don't care what she is to you. What is she?"
His eyebrows furrowed, "What?" A low rumble in Jade's throat made him hold up his hands again, "I don't know! I don't know anything about her, I swear!"
She closed the distance between them and raised her balled up fist against his chest. She pressed him back against the door. He swallowed his nervousness as the thunderous sound of his anxious heart rate reverberated in her ears. Her eyes lingered on his, then down to his lips, and down to his neck. He sighed and closed his eyes in surrender, but Jade wasn't interested in feeding. She leaned in and sniffed a few times, then inhaled deeply.
"Find out," Jade commanded simply as she stepped back.
"Find o-" he stuttered, then stopped himself and tried again, "How?"
She pushed him aside and grabbed the door handle, "By any means necessary."
He nodded slowly, but she didn't wait for a verbal confirmation. They both knew he didn't have a choice.
Over a few weeks, Beck managed to get into Tori's good graces, but not much further. To Jade's immense annoyance, Tori was far too respectful of the fact that Jade and Beck had just 'broken up', and refused to get any closer to him. When Jade yanked him into the closet again about a month later, he looked disheartened. She wasn't interested in his report, as she'd already made up her own mind.
"I tried, I swear," Beck said the moment the door latched, "She just doesn't want-"
"I'll do it."
He faltered, "What?"
Jade barely bit back a growl, "I said I'll take care of Tori. You go after the older one."
"Trina?"
She threw up her hands, "What other Vega is there?"
"I don't know!" He exclaimed, his anxiety mounting, "The parents or something, I didn't know. I can't read your mind, Jade."
"Don't fucking remind me," she snarled. Jade shook her head and huffed, "Just go. Fuck her if you have to, I don't care – find out what the hell they are."
Beck raised his eyebrows, "What do you think they are?"
Her upper lip curled, "They certainly aren't like me."
"And you think they aren't like me, either," he nodded slowly at the realization.
"Tori definitely isn't," Jade clicked her tongue and pushed him aside, "I'm gonna find out one way or another."
Jade gave him another week – any more couldn't possibly be necessary. Trina was already tripping over herself to get her hands on him. Yet, when Beck came back to her with a sheepish smile, she knew he had nothing. He meekly followed her into the janitor's closet and she threw her hands up in exasperation.
"Seriously?"
"I didn't really learn much," he admitted.
Jade crossed her arms, "Nothing?"
He bit his lip and his eyes wandered as he thought, but he just held up a hand, "The only thing that stood out was a comment she made about her dad."
"Her dad?"
Beck held up both hands, "She mentioned something offhand about him and Tori being gone at this time every month and-"
"When did she say that?"
He hesitated, "Sometime last week – Tuesday, I think."
"What else did she say?"
Beck scratched the back of his neck nervously, "Not much else. There was some weird stuff in the house, but-"
Jade rolled her eyes at his vague answers, "What did you see?"
"I glanced into Tori's room and saw a bunch of clothes on the floor. They looked super ripped up – like just in a bunch of pieces. The other thing was this weird like," he pursed his lips as he struggled to put his thoughts together, "I don't know, it was this little statuette."
She raised an eyebrow, "What did it look like?"
He bit his lip and shook his head, "I don't know, all I could see was a dark shape, it looked like some kind of animal – bright green eyes."
Jade leaned back against the wall and licked her lips, "Anything else?"
"No, I'm sorry," he raised his head slightly to look at her, "Should I keep trying?"
"No." She rubbed at her brow with her knuckle, "No, I'll figure it out."
His brows knitted together in concern, "How?"
Jade scoffed, "By any means necessary."
He slipped his hands into his pockets, "What if she's..."
"If she is, then I'll kill her."
"Is it worth the risk?"
She raised a hand, "I don't have a choice."
Beck looked at her skeptically, "Who says you don't?"
"She'll try to kill me either way. Only one of us can survive."
He nodded slowly and bit the inside of his lip, "What if she doesn't want to fight you?"
Jade laughed humorlessly, "Yeah, right, as if that would happen."
Of course her window is open, why wouldn't it be?
Jade jumped up and grabbed the railing of the balcony, then slipped in through the open window next to the door. Immediately, she was overwhelmed by Tori's unique, intoxicating scent, and she had to stop a moment to regain her composure. Tori herself was asleep in bed, and Jade's eyes lingered on her peaceful, sleeping form. Her eyes were drawn to a pile of clothes on the floor; tattered and torn, just as Beck had told her. Then she noticed the statuette. She held it up to the light and saw the intricately carved stone in the shape of a wolf's head; its piercing green eyes seemed to stare right back at her.
A deep sigh behind her pulled her attention away from the wolf head statue and she carefully set it back down. Tori's steady breathing was disrupted; there was another inhale, a louder sniff, and Jade froze. She turned around slowly, her eyes darted toward the window, but it was already too late. A low, guttural rumble in Tori's chest confirmed Jade's suspicions only a moment before she jumped out of bed. Jade turned and dove out of the window, but Tori was right on her heels out onto the balcony, and the drop down to the ground.
She heard the unmistakable rip and tear of her clothes, then a loud, threatening growl as Jade ran toward the treeline. She scrambled up the trunk of an oak tree onto a branch far away from the ground. Below her, a large, dusty brown wolf circled the tree, clawing at the trunk with its front paws. To her mounting dismay, she couldn't figure another way out of the situation, other than to face the wolf.
Tori.
Jade jumped down onto its back and wrestled it to the ground. As it snarled and snapped at her, her own form shifted to that of a massive cat, as black as the night. With her hackles raised, she easily towered over the wolf as it took a tentative step backward. She roared at the wolf and took a careful step toward it as Tori's confidence seemed to dissipate. The wolf's deep brown eyes bore into her, and her growl turned to a low rumble, then to silence. The panther flicked its tail, daring the wolf to move.
The wolf's front paws extended slightly as she stretched her shoulders, then to Jade's surprise, lowered herself to the ground. In one final act of acquiescence, she tucked one paw under herself. Jade was still for a few moments, then stepped forward, her eyes searching for a reaction, but found none. She closed the distance and lowered her head to draw in as much of her scent as she could. Jade flexed her claws into the earth then she slowly lowered herself onto her belly.
The gravity of the situation settled over them both as Jade matched her posture, yet neither moved for some time. Tori tilted her head slightly, then leaned forward to sniff her again, and she shifted to lay on her side. Jade stared into familiar eyes as she tried to make peace with her worst fear. Tori is a werewolf. She'd never met one in person, yet as the reality gazed back at her with gentle eyes, she didn't know how to feel. It was built into her DNA to hate Tori – and the same was true for Tori, yet there was no aggression or fear in her eyes.
Tori had no idea what Jade was until that night. She woke up to the smell of vampire and went into defense mode instantly. Now, as Jade lay across from her in the grass, Tori was still trying to show Jade that she wasn't a threat. When she realized those weren't her own thoughts, Jade was up on her paws in a heartbeat, and she scrambled backward in the grass. No. No, no, no!
Jade flicked her tail with agitation as Tori's thoughts faded from her mind. Tori tilted her head slightly, then whipped around at the sound of a howl, and the fur along Jade's spine stood on end. Tori quickly stood up and turned back toward her house and the sound of the howl, then she paused. She met Jade's eyes again, dipped her head slightly, then pointed her tail toward the treeline. Jade stepped forward, but stopped when Tori barked sharply, and she snorted before turning to run back toward her house.
As she slipped into the darkness of the forest, Jade looked back toward the house, where Tori was trotting toward a huge, dark brown wolf. She hesitated and tasted the air. Another Vega. Tori nuzzled the larger wolf, and Jade could tell it was most definitely bigger than her. David. She dug her claws into the dirt, then ducked behind a shrub as the dark brown wolf scanned the treeline. Tori nudged its side and the two turned back toward the house. Jade huffed and turned to run back through the forest.
Jade couldn't reconcile with the knowledge. She'd never met a werewolf, but suddenly one had been thrust into her life, and directly into her heart. Everything she'd ever known, everything she'd ever heard, it all told her that Tori was her mortal enemy. She didn't know why, but she knew it was the reality. Despite that, somehow, there was an undeniable and irrevocable connection between her and Tori.
Jade didn't bother to come to school until just before lunch. She approached the table occupied by her friends and sat down between Cat and Beck. The emotional strain fell on her almost instantly, and she felt exhausted. Tori met her eyes and Jade froze. She remembers. She knows. Jade shut her eyes tight and leaned her head in her hands, silently begging for the voices to stop.
She flinched as she felt a hand on her back, then Beck's voice, "You okay?"
"No," she grumbled.
She stood up and hurried back inside, then slipped into the janitor's closet and slammed the door behind herself. Jade crouched in the corner and took several deep breaths, trying to calm her body and clear the intoxicating scent from her mind. Her head fell back against the wall when she realized Tori was right outside the door. A moment later, she knocked.
"Jade?" Tori called out quietly as she propped open the door, "Are you-"
Tori froze when she met Jade's eyes, but retained just enough control over herself to close the door. She flipped the lock and Jade could sense the spike in her heart rate. Her mouth opened and closed a few times, but nothing came out. Jade sighed and closed her eyes tight, "Get out, Vega."
"You don't want me to."
It wasn't a question. It wasn't even a guess. Tori knew that as well as Jade did. Tori sat down across from her, though she kept a considerable distance between them, and she was quiet for some time. Tori raised her head slightly and tried to meet her eyes, but Jade stared down at the ring on her finger as she absentmindedly spun the black band around. Her eyes lingered on the emerald in its setting.
"Last night..." Tori started hesitantly.
Jade cut her off, "You're a werewolf."
She seemed taken aback by the blunt statement, then she just laughed nervously and dipped her head, "And... you're a vampire."
Jade met her eyes, "I'm supposed to kill you."
The statement made Tori's anxiety spike, though just as quickly, she relaxed. Jade pursed her lips and looked away from her. She'd never felt so exposed and vulnerable in either of her lifetimes. Tori seemed at a loss for words, but finally, she managed to break the spell, "Jade?" She raised an eyebrow in acknowledgment as she continued to fidget with the ring on her finger. Tori bit her lip nervously, then asked, "Why can I understand your thoughts?"
Jade said nothing. Her eyes were transfixed on the light glinting off of the emerald on her ring; the same shade of green on the wolf statue's eyes. A similar sentiment flickered through Tori's mind, and Jade scoffed as she looked up, "You're supposed to kill me, too."
Tori pursed her lips and her eyes softened, "I don't know why. I definitely don't want to."
Jade leaned her head back against the wall and met her gaze. She raised her eyebrows slightly, "Your dad would want you to kill me."
"That's why I ran off," Tori admitted quietly, "I didn't want him to come after you."
"I'm not scared of him."
The edge of Tori's lips twitched and there was a small crinkle in the bridge of her nose, "I don't doubt that, but I didn't really want to test the theory."
Jade linked her fingers together, "You were protecting me from him...and him from me."
Tori bit her lip and shook her head, "I don't want any kind of fight."
"I don't think avoiding it is possible."
Her eyebrows furrowed, "I don't want to avoid you, either."
Jade took a deep breath and immediately regretted it as Tori's scent clouded her mind. She sighed, "This is so dangerous."
Tori nodded slowly, "Yeah," she hesitated and looked into Jade's eyes, "It is."
Jade sniffed along the treeline; every few meters she could scent David's marks, and it was foul. Intermittently were lighter marks in a much more familiar, much softer scent. She turned toward a tree further into the dense forest and stood up on her hind legs to scratch and the bark on the trunk. She huffed and growled with frustration as she paced between the trees. The panther's tail flicked back and forth with agitation, then stilled for a moment. She could taste her scent in the air a moment before she heard the paws thudding against the earth.
Jade scrambled up the trunk of the nearest tree and balanced on a branch. A few moments later, the dusty brown wolf slipped between the shrubs and into the darkness of the forest. She paused and sniffed a few times, her tail still as her ears pivoted to listen carefully. The panther's muscles tensed as she prepared to pounce, and one of the wolf's ears turned toward her slightly.
The panther dropped down onto the wolf's back with a growl. The wolf instantly barked sharply in surprise and rolled away from her. The massive black cat collapsed onto her side and flicked her tail, then slowly licked a paw as if to display her innocence. The wolf snorted and shook out her coat, then walked over to sniff her a few times. She sat down next to her and bent down to lick the panther's head and ears. A huge black paw bowled her over onto her side with an undignified huff.
Tori shook her head furiously and growled at her. Jade rolled over onto her side to groom the wolf's head. A dusty brown tail stirred up the leaves on the forest floor as she groomed the black spotted chest, rumbling with a low, gentle purr. Tori rested her chin on Jade's forepaws as she meticulously groomed her head and ears. The wolf nudged her with her nose and Jade huffed with irritation.
She hated not being able to leave her scent on Tori, but she understood as well as she did why it was a bad idea. Tori raised her head to nuzzle the panther's cheek and neck, then stood up and shook out her coat. Jade stretched her muscles and flexed her claws in the dirt, then followed the wolf through the underbrush. She tasted the air every few steps as Tori seemed less concerned, stopping only occasionally to leave her mark on a tree. Jade thought the putrid rank of David's scent was more than enough to keep away any possible trespassers, but it was a good cover, at least.
Tori turned around to meet her eyes and snorted at the insult. Jade sat down and licked a paw in a disingenuous display of innocence, then stood up to sniff along Tori's flank. She licked the side of the wolf's head to soften the blow and reaffirm that she had very different thoughts about Tori's scent. The wolf ducked her head under Jade's chin to nuzzle her neck, then turned and continued her patrol.
Jade's ears picked up quiet movement in the brush nearby, and she dropped into a crouch. She quickly pinpointed the source of the noise and carefully stalked toward it. As Tori continued Jade quietly climbed up a tree to find her prey. In between a few small trees was a coyote, its ears pointed toward Tori. It had clearly scented Tori and was maneuvering itself closer to her. It wasn't quite as big as Tori but she knew it could cause some serious injury anyway.
The wolf stopped and tasted the air. She caught a faint, unfamiliar scent, and her fur stood on end. She turned her head and her ears pivoted to try to find the intruder, then she noticed the panther behind her had disappeared. Her tail stilled and she stood in place, waiting, listening. A twig cracked behind her and she whipped around to see yellow eyes in the darkness. She growled threateningly, but the coyote stalked toward her, clearly hungry and desperate.
Her hackles raised and her lips peeled back in a ferocious snarl. The coyote ran at her and jumped, its jaws aiming for her throat. Before Tori could even react a massive black shape dropped down on the coyote's back. She heard a loud snap, then the panther's head raised to meet her eyes, the coyote's lifeless neck still in her jaws. Jade let the animal drop to the ground and sat down in a silent offer. Tori trotted over to lick the side of her head in thanks, but didn't have any interest in the prey. Jade didn't hesitate to tuck into her meal voraciously as Tori went back to her patrol.
After eating and drinking her fill, Jade dug a shallow hole in the earth and buried the remains. She followed Tori's scent until she caught up with her in a small clearing between a patch of dense underbrush. Jade padded up to her and purred loudly as she nuzzled along her flank. Tori sat down and nudged Jade's head affectionately. A distant howl, slightly different from David's, drew out a whine from the dusty brown wolf next to her. Several more howls followed, resonating through the forest all around them, and Jade's tail fluffed up.
Tori's pack.
The wolf nudged her several times, then barked sharply in warning. Her huge black head nudged her back, and Tori could feel the rumble of her purr against her flank. Tori nudged her one last time and with a frustrated huff, Jade stood up and disappeared into the darkness of the underbrush.
Jade tossed another book aside into the pile of every other useless tome. As vast as the collection was, none of it offered her any answers. Even a book based entirely around the concept of vampire consorts offered absolutely nothing on cross-species mates. She'd read every textbook, every tome, every scroll, and book she could get her hands on, but nothing helped.
She'd researched extensively after her attempted mating with Beck yielded nothing, regardless what they tried, short of her turning him – which he'd vehemently denied. He'd let her feed many times, yet it was never much more than to satiate her hunger, it never offered a deeper connection. She never understood his thoughts, nor could he understand hers. She began to wonder if it was just a legend, but then...then she met Tori. Tori, a hereditary werewolf, and part of the biggest pack west of the Mississippi.
She knew it was a huge risk to move to an area so densely populated, but she felt a pull so strong, the danger barely crossed her mind. She was stubbornly certain Beck had been the reason, but he wasn't. Beck made sense; he was a human, male, and an otherwise perfect mate for her. Conversely, Tori was quite possibly the worst candidate; a werewolf, female, someone she would otherwise kill if given an opportunity.
Jade had never bitten Tori. She hadn't even met Tori until she was overcome by a scent so enchanting, so alluring, that she risked her life just to be near her. Tori knew next to nothing about vampires – only what her father had taught her. It was the usual; bloodsuckers, immortal, enemies.
Enemies. How could she be enemies with her mate? Jade growled and threw the book across the room. How was she even mates with someone she barely knew? It was nothing less than a death wish to be near Tori as often as she was, yet the distance felt so painful that the risk suddenly didn't seem so bad. What's death compared to spending a lifetime alone?
let me know what you guys think, i always love reading reviews.
for those following Street Rat, it's still in progress, so no worries there.
