Monstrous Part One:
"Sophie, you nearly died tonight. Take a break." Derek urged me for the hundredth time as he intently watched me move around the room from where he was sitting on the end of the bed. The two of us had gone back to the loft after we made sure everyone else was alright so that I could shower because the smell of gasoline had been starting to make me nauseous.
"If I took a break every time I nearly died, I'd never do anything." I told him in a light tone of voice as I dropped the towel from around my underwear clad body and I noticed the way his eyes followed the movements of my back muscles with a heated glimmer.
"That's not funny." He replied with a glare as he tore his eyes away from my bare back and I rolled my eyes with a small smile as I turned around to face him.
"It wasn't meant to be funny. Listen, hon…" I started patiently as I walked over to where he was sitting and I stood in between his legs with my hands on his shoulders as he gripped my hips possessively. "I would love for our biggest problem to be whether or not to go out for dinner or to order in, but that's not the life we live right now. Satomi's pack are running for their lives, and they didn't ask that, or do anything to deserve it. So, if I can help them, protect them, I'm going to do it. Regardless, whether or not I've had a bad night."
"I know. It's the reason I love you." He said with a tired sigh as he looked up at me with an adoring glint in his eyes and I grinned down at him as my chest swelled with warmth at the easy declaration. There was also a twinge of guilt in my stomach because he could voice his emotions so easily and I struggled to tell him exactly how I felt about him, even though I knew without a doubt I loved him.
"Oh, the only reason?"
"One of the reasons." Derek relented with a smirk as he pulled me towards him and I giggled when we tumbled onto the bed in a tangled mess. He rolled us over so that he was hovering over me and I smiled lovingly as he cupped my face with a serious expression. "I love that you're so protective of everyone, but please remember to protect yourself too."
"Always." I assured him softly with a small smile as I nodded in agreement and he released a reluctant sigh as he rested his forehead against mine. I leaned up to press a lingering kiss to his lips before pushing on his shoulder so that he rolled off of me and I climbed off of the bed with a smirk over my shoulder as he groaned under his breath.
"Do you know where we're meant to be meeting Scott? Or Satomi? Or whoever we're meant to be meeting?" he asked reluctantly as he sat up on his elbows to look at me with an eyebrow raised and I slipped on the clean sweater on over my head.
"Satomi and some of her pack are at the animal clinic, Scott went home to shower, and Kira is trying to find Brett, apparently he's missing."
"Kira's back?"
"Kira's back." I confirmed with a small smile as I pulled on a pair of pants I kept at the loft and I tied my wet hair up into a bun as I sat down next to him on the end of the bed. "I was planning on meeting everyone at the animal clinic. Between my claws and my guns, I should be adequate protection."
"We should be adequate protection." He corrected me pointedly as he sat up straighter with his eyebrows raised and I almost winced at the hard determination in his light green eyes. "I'm coming with you."
"Okay." I conceded in a whisper as I leaned forward to peck his lips and pulled back with a small smile as I jumped up from end of the bed. I shot a smirk at him over my shoulder as I started sauntering out of the room and called out determinedly, "But you're bringing your gun!"
"I was going to anyway!" he shouted after me like a petulant child as I laughed in amusement and the sound of my cell phone ringing caught my attention as I entered the main floor of the loft. I immediately rushed over to my handbag and grabbed my cell phone out of its confines as I saw my brother's name flash on the caller ID.
"Scott, hey. What's going on?"
"Hey. Kira found Brett at the high school, dodging arrows." Scott told me drily through the phone line as I sat down on the floor by the door and I tried to slip on my combat boots singlehandedly.
"Hunters?"
"Apparently. We're taking Satomi and her pack to Argent Arms International. Lots of room, we can defend it. It's the best plan I have."
"No, it's a good plan. I'm on my way right – Oh, my god! What is wrong with this shoe?!" I shouted in frustration as I threw the offending shoe across the room when it wouldn't slip onto my foot easily.
"That better not have broken another lamp!" Derek called out from the bedroom in a serious tone but I could hear the underlying amusement and I scowled the direction his voice had come from.
"For the record, I maintain you moved that lamp into the path of my shoe." I shouted back at him in an annoyed tone of voice with just a hint of playfulness and he made some noise of protest as he walked around the corner to give me an incredulous look.
"Why would I move my own lamp into the line of fire?"
"Because I was aiming for you!"
"Guys!" Scott exclaimed in annoyance through the phone line and I frowned slightly because I had forgotten that he was there as I brought the phone back up to my ear. "We don't have time for you to argue. Satomi's pack isn't ready for a fight, so can you please get here and help me protect them?"
"Yeah, yeah, we're on our way." I muttered into the phone with a roll of my eyes but I knew how serious this situation was and I watched as Derek strolled across the room to grab my flying shoe. "How many of Satomi's pack survived?"
"Seven. Eight including Satomi. Some of them are wounded, healing."
"Okay, we have you, me, Derek and Kira. Did you try and get a hold of Chris? Let him know we were coming?"
"I tried to get through. I'll try again in a minute. I would call the Sheriff but he's at the station dealing with Meredith. And he has enough to with, what with Stiles in the hospital after the attack."
"Yeah, I heard from Lydia. She stayed at the police station. I tried to convince her to go to the hospital but she's stubborn." I told him drily as I watched Derek crouch down in front of me and slip my combat boot onto my foot with ease before tying the laces. I offered him a grateful smile as he placed my other shoe on my opposite foot and then held out his hand to help me up off of the ground when he was finished. "Listen, Scotty, we'll meet you at warehouse in ten minutes. Actually, five minutes. I'm driving."
"Okay, see you there." Scott said with a sigh as I hung up the phone and I slipped my phone into my pocket since I was leaving my handbag here instead of bring it to what was sure to be a fight. Derek slipped his hand into mine as we exited the loft and headed downstairs to the basement storage area where I kept a mini arsenal in case of emergencies.
Chris had given me all of the Argent's weaponry to look after when he left for France and I had stored them all in Derek's basement without his permission while he was being held captive in Mexico. He had been surprisingly cool when I hesitantly explained the situation to him and had even set a little makeshift shooting range after he soundproofed the basement.
Derek held the door open for me as I passed through and I went immediately to the large silver case on the counter. I opened the clasps of the case as he came to stand behind me and I smirked spread across my lips when my gaze locked on the military grade pistols that were nestled inside.
"Seems like the occasion." I remarked idly as I removed two of the guns and Derek took one of them from me with an unamused expression that made me chuckle.
"That's a big gun."
I lifted my head at the innocent statement and my gaze locked on the blonde haired girl standing next to me who couldn't be more than ten. I had been routinely checking the bullet cartridge of my shotgun to make sure I had a sufficient amount of bullets and I offered her a small smirk as I closed the clip into place with a 'click', "All the better to shoot them with."
"Little Red Riding Hood." The girl recognised the paraphrased quote with a bright grin and I smiled back at her as I set the gun down on the table.
"I'm more like the Big Bad Wolf." I assured her playfully as I flashed my elongated canines at her before turning back to normal and she giggled in amusement as she stepped closer to fold on her arms on top of the table. "What's your name, kid?"
"Lori. What's yours?"
"I'm Sophie."
Recognition lit up her eyes as her lips parted in shock and she stood up straighter as she regarded me in a new light, "You're the True Druid. Satomi says you are going to be the strongest emissary in existence."
"What, I'm not already? Mean." I joked with a mock pout on my lips as I placed a hand on my hip and she broke out in a wide grin as she relaxed her posture now that she knew I wasn't some uptight holy-than-thou bitch.
The sound of faint footsteps caught my attention and my head snapped up with a slight frown on my lips as I silently picked up my gun. I gestured for Lori to stay back as I carefully edged my way towards Scott but he had already picked up on the noise and he turned to meet my eyes with a determined expression.
The silhouette of a shadowy figure appeared behind one of the hanging pieces of plastic and I took a few steps backwards as I aimed the gun. A metal spike flew past my head, causing me to flinch to the side and spin around to face Satomi incredulously as she held a few more spikes in her hands. I held my arms out in the universal 'what the hell' gesture and she grimaced guiltily as I shook my head slightly in exasperation. A loud roar drew my attention and I turned around to see Chris aiming his handgun at a fully transformed Brett.
"Wait! Wait! Brett!" I called out in horror as I rushed forward to stop him and Scott quickly caught the Beta's arm so that he didn't get himself shot. "This is his place. It's his."
"Sophie, Scott... If you bring in guests, you could have called." Chris stated gruffly as he lowered the gun to his side with a blank expression and I slapped my brother's arm in reprimand as I pursed my lips in annoyance.
"Dude! I told you to call him!"
"I didn't have anywhere else to take them." Scott admitted sheepishly with a contrite smile as he shrugged and Chris shot him a short look but didn't admonish him anymore.
"I know this man. He may not remember, but we've met before." Satomi told us in a measured voice as she almost glided forward without making any noise and I nearly jumped but stopped myself at the last minute as I released a breath.
"You can trust him. We trust him."
"How do we know he's not like the others?"
"What others?" Chris asked in confusion as he held up a hand to stop Scott from answering and I sighed to myself as I rolled my eyes before strolling back over to the table where Lori was still standing. I shot the girl a wink as I stopped besides her and she grinned back at me as I lifted her up onto the tabletop so that she was the same height as me.
"Last night, there was a whole team after them. And they used crossbows." Kira explained shyly as she handed the veteran one of the arrow heads she had collected after the attack and I leaned my hip against the table as I crossed my arms over my chest.
"They're hunters, aren't they?" Scott asked him knowingly with a frown pulling on his lips and I felt someone stand behind me, leaning into them slightly when I recognised the familiar warmth of Derek.
"Not if they're killing for profit. Not anymore." Chris told them in a saddened voice as he curled his hand around the arrowhead and I looked down at the ground because I hated that pain in his expression.
"Can they find us?" Brett asked warily as he glanced around the room, his gaze resting a little longer on Lori before returning to the veteran hunter with an inquisitive frown.
"They might already know you're here. Maybe they're waiting for dark."
"So we're not safe here?" Kira asked for clarification as she bounced nervously on her toes and she chewed on her lower lip anxiously as she glanced around at the werewolves in the room.
"They're not safe anywhere." I pointed out in a harsher tone than I intended and everyone turned to look at me as I raised my eyebrows unapologetically.
"She's right. We've been trying to get out for days. Everywhere we turn, we find someone new trying to kill us." Satomi agreed sagely as she offered me a brief smile and I nodded back at her, slightly grateful that she had taken the heat off of me.
"If they're coming, Scott, they're coming for you too. You're still number one on the dead pool." Chris reminded my brother in concern as he rested a hand on his shoulder and I tensed slightly at the reminder as I leaned further into Derek's comforting embrace.
"I know." Scott replied with a sigh as he looked down in frustration and he shook his head to himself as he lifted his head to meet Chris' gaze determinedly. "I know Lydia can get the answer from Meredith. She just needs more time."
"Then that's what she'll get."
"What are we going to do?" I asked curiously with a quirked eyebrow as I straightened up slightly and Derek rested a hand on my waist as he moved to stand next to me.
"I've got some motion sensors in the car. I'll set them up so we'll be alerted when someone enters." Chris told me firmly as he started walking out of the warehouse and I mouthed the word 'okay' as I rolled my eyes because that didn't really answer my question.
"Hey, Sophie?" Lori asked sheepishly as she tugged on my shirt to gain my attention and I hummed in acknowledgment as I turned around to face her with a raised eyebrow. She bit her lower lip nervously with a blush rising on her cheeks and I followed her gaze as she peek at Derek from the corner of her eye while she leaning in to whisper, "Is that your boyfriend?"
"Yeah. That's Derek." I whispered back to her in amusement as I bit my lower lip stop from laughing and Derek looked over at us with an eyebrow raised questioningly but I just smirked back at him.
"He's cute."
"I know."
"You going to introduce me to your friend?" Derek asked in amusement as he quirked an eyebrow and leaned back against the table with his arms crossed over his chest.
"Derek, this is Lori. Lori, this is Derek." I introduced the two of them with a small upturn of my lips as I waved a hand between them and I watched with a warmth growing in my chest as Derek shook hands with Lori, a genuine smile on his lips.
"Nice to meet you, Lori." He said softly as he released her smaller hand and she ducked her head with a small smile as a blush spread across her cheeks under his attention. I lifted my head to see Chris discreetly setting up the motion sensors throughout the warehouse and I shared a look with Derek before turning my attention to the young girl in front of us.
"Okay, sweetie, I need you to do me a favour, alright?" I asked her rhetorically as I placed my hands on her shoulders with a small smile and she nodded her head seriously as she looked up at me with wide eyes. "I need you to go find somewhere to hide, somewhere safe. No matter what you hear, or what you see, stay hidden until someone you recognise comes to get you, okay?"
"What's going to happen?" Lori asked in a small frightened voice as she looked up at me with teary eyes and my breath caught in my throat at the innocence shining in her eyes as my lips parted but no words came out.
"Come on, let's get you somewhere safe." Derek said warmly with a smile as he lifted Lori off of the table and we both grabbed one of her hands as we shared a grim smile over the top of her head.
We led the young girl to an abandoned corner of the warehouse and I opened the door to a closet as I checked to make sure it was empty before holding it open wider for her to enter. Lori looked around the spacious storage area with a slight frown and I crouched down in front of her with a consoling smile as she turned to look at me.
"I know it sucks. And I know you probably don't want to stay in here while everything is happening, but it will make it easier for me, for all us, to fight if we know you're safe." I told her honestly with a small shrug of my shoulder and she sighed heavily with her lips pursed as she glanced out the door towards the main floor of the warehouse. "Come on, kid, work with me here."
"Okay, I'll stay in here." Lori agreed in a small voice as she looked down at the ground with her arms crossed over her chest and I sighed in relief because I didn't want to think about a little girl being caught in the middle of what was sure to be an epic brawl.
"Great! Thank you."
"But - !" she cried in a panic as she caught my arm when I went to stand up and I raised an eyebrow at her in question as I crouched back down. "Can you look out for my brother? Brett?"
"Yeah, sweetie, I'll keep an eye out." I assured her softly as I soothed her hair back from her face with a small smile and she grinned brightly as she launched forward to wrap her arms around me. I nearly fell backwards under her sudden weight but quickly caught myself as I wrapped my arms around her in shock. I glanced over my shoulder at Derek and mouthed the words 'what do I do?' but he just shrugged his shoulders with an amused smirk on his lips.
"Be careful." Lori whispered sincerely in a worried tone and I relaxed into the embrace as I tightened my arms around her because it was nice to have a stranger concerned about me.
"Soph, we gotta go." Derek reminded me quietly as he laid a hand on my shoulder and I extracted myself from Lori with a small smile on my lips as I gave her hand a comforting squeeze. I stood up from my crouch as she sat down on the ground, getting comfortable for her stay and I sent her one last warning look as I shut the door behind me.
I leaned my back against the closed door as I closed my eyes and took a deep breath to centre myself as I mentally prepared for the fight that was coming. I felt Derek's gaze on me as I straightened my shoulders and opened my eyes as I pushed myself off of door with a reassuring smile on my lips. I instinctively checked my gun as I pursed my lips in determination and I traded a look with Derek as we headed towards where Scott was standing with Kira.
"They'll be okay." Scott stated with determination he probably didn't have when he noticed me looking around in concern and I shot him a disbelieving look but didn't comment.
"They've got claws and fangs. But they're not fighters." Derek told him pointedly with a raised eyebrow and I nodded mutely in agreement as I glanced around at the remaining seven werewolves of Satomi's pack.
"That's why I wanted you here."
"Well, try to remember I don't have claws and fangs anymore either."
"That's why I'm here." I commented almost cheerfully as I held up my gun in proof with a smirk on my lips and Scott gave me a disapproving look as I shrugged my shoulders innocently.
"Am I the only one still hoping this is all just a false alarm? I mean, it's possible we could wait here all night and nothing happens. Right?" Kira asked nervously as she looked towards the main entrance of the warehouse and I closed my eyes at her naivety as I shook my head slightly.
"Scott, you heard anything from Stiles or Lydia yet?" I asked him instead of answering Kira's insane question and I edged closer to the front of the warehouse so that I would be on the first line of defence.
"Lydia's still talking to Meredith. Stiles and Malia are headed to the lake house. They're trying to stop it." Scott answered with a frustrated sigh as he ran a hand through his hair and I nodded in understanding as I fidgeted with the gun in my hand anxiously.
"What if there is no stopping it? What if it doesn't end until we're all dead?" Brett asked bluntly as he crossed his arms over his chest and I resisted the urge to slap him over the back of the head because I had promised Lori I would watch out for him.
There was a brief silence that followed the question, a silence loaded with unsaid thoughts and queries. Everyone in the room seemed to be on the same wavelength as they thought the same thing, 'Would they live to see tomorrow?'
"Then let's send a message." Derek declared loudly so that everyone could hear him and I raised an eyebrow with a proud smirk on my lips as he turned around to face the collective group. "Let's make something perfectly clear to anyone with a copy of that list. It doesn't matter if they're professional assassins, hunters, or an amateur who just picked up a gun. Anyone who thinks they can hunt and kill us for money, is gonna be put on another list. Our list. They get to be a name on our dead pool."
A loud 'click' punctuated the end of his speech as I snapped the chamber onto my shotgun and I couldn't help but grin proudly at my boyfriend because everyone had been inspired by the words. I bit down on my lower lips as I dug my nails into the palm of my hand and stopped myself from running over to him because the authority and confidence in his voice made me want to jump him then and there.
The moment seemed to fade anticlimactically when the assassins didn't choose that exact moment to attack but everyone's morale stayed positive as they moved into smaller groups.
I cocked my head to the side with a smirk plastered on my lips and I sauntered straight towards Derek with my shotgun resting on my shoulder. "That was a very impressive speech."
"Oh, yeah?" he asked in amusement as his light green eyes twinkled with mirth and I hummed in affirmation with a slow nod as I stopped in front of him.
"I'm definitely into take charge Derek. He's very sexy." I told him huskily as I leaned forward so that my lips were only an inch away from his and a slow smirk spread across his lips as he closed the distance between us. One of my hands curled around the front of his jacket as I stepped closer to him and his hand splayed across my lower back to anchor me to him.
"Guys! Really?" Scott asked incredulously as he forcibly pulled us apart and I huffed in annoyance as I took a step back with an irritated look directed at my brother.
"You see me holding a gun, yes?"
"I see you making out in the middle of fight for our life!"
"Exactly! It might be our last chance to kiss our significant others and you're wasting it scolding me instead of making out with Kira? What's wrong with you?"
"Sophie…" Derek sighed out in a mixture of exasperation and amusement as he rubbed the bridge of his nose in between his fingers but I just shrugged innocently. I opened my mouth to retort but the loud screeching of warning bells echoed throughout the warehouse and I instantly went onto alert as I slid the shotgun down into my arms.
I started backing away from the entrance of the warehouse along with the others and I quickened my steps when four gas grenades came flying into the room. "Get back!"
Everyone in the room scattered to hide behind the version concrete pillars or leftover furniture. Several assassins wearing full-faced gas masks and equipped with military grade assault rifles entered the room with expert precision, already firing off rounds. I quickly ducked behind one of the concrete pillars to avoid getting hit and I tried to steady my panting breaths as I waited a moment before stepping out to fire at the men.
I could see Chris and Derek returning fire in my peripheral vision but I focused on my own shooting and I gasped out loud when one of the bullets hit my arm as I moved out of the way. I glanced down at my arm as I hissed in pain but I could tell it was only a flesh wound and that it would heal quickly.
After reloading my gun, I took a deep breath and ran across the room to the next pillar while firing blindly in the direction of the assassins. One of the men tried to approach me from behind but I quickly struck him with the butt of the gun and continued making my way across the room.
I was distracted by the men in front of me, I didn't even notice one of them coming at me from behind until Derek knocked him out of the way and I glanced over my shoulder in surprise.
"How many are there?" he asked me loudly over the noise as we met each other back to back and slowly circled around to check we were in the clear for the moment.
"Too many!" I shouted back at him as I fired off some more shots when an assassin tried to approach and I opened my mouth to say something but the sound of my cell phone ringing interrupted me.
"Seriously?"
"What? It could be an emergency!" I called back to him as I kept an eye on my surroundings and I answered the phone call from Lydia as I set the phone down on the table next to me on speakerphone. "Hey, Lyds. Little busy at the moment!"
"Is that gunshots?!" Lydia asked in horror through the call line as I fired off a round into an approaching assassin and I huffed in annoyance as I glanced over my shoulder Derek to make sure he was okay but he was firing from some shots.
"Did you need something, Lydia?"
"Meredith refuses to speak to anyone except for you and Peter."
"Peter?" Derek and I asked in unison as we paused momentarily to stare at the phone in confusion but I quickly remembered that we were meant to be defending ourselves and I pushed Derek to the side slightly so that I could shot someone coming up behind him.
"Peter." Lydia confirmed in a resigned voice as Derek shot me a pointed glare for pushing him but I just quirked an eyebrow because I did save his life.
"Well, sweetie, I'm a little occupied right – Derek, look out!" I shouted in horror when a man came up behind him and he turned around with his gun raised but the man fired rapidly. I pulled the trigger of my shotgun as I ran forward and I knocked Derek to the ground before he could get hit by any stray bullets.
"Sophie? Sophie!?" I could hear Lydia screeching in a worried tone of voice as I landed on top of Derek and I breathed out in relief when I felt his chest move underneath me. I rested my forehead over his heart for a moment, relishing in the familiar beat and I huffed tiredly as I climbed to my feet. I held out my hand to help him up as he offered me a grateful look and I smiled back at him as I bent down to grab my gun before rushing over to grab my abandoned phone.
"Lyds, Lyds, I'm okay. I'm good."
"Oh, thank god." She breathed out in relief as I held the shotgun at the ready and reloaded it as I watched Derek check his own chamber. "Sophie, if we can get Meredith to talk, we might be able to figure out how to stop the money. We stop the money and we stop the contracts. We stop the contracts and we stop the all the horrible, horrible dying! You need to get here!"
"She's right." Derek whispered gently as he moved to stand next to me while facing the opposite direction and I snapped my head around to look at him with a questioning quirk of my eyebrow. "Sophie, we need to stop this. Go help Lydia."
"Are you crazy? We're in the middle of a gun battle, Derek!" I snapped incredulously as I waved a hand around the warehouse and he sighed heavily like he knew I was going to argue with him.
"The fighting will stop if you can shut down the Dead Pool."
"You nearly died two seconds ago. Do you really think I'm going to leaving you without someone watching your back?"
"How many people are going to die if we don't shut down the Dead Pool? I'll go find Argent. He'll watch my back. Go!"
"Alright." I agreed reluctantly with a frown as I glanced around the battlefield we were standing in and I exhaled slowly as I grabbed the phone from the tabletop. "Lydia, I'm coming to you."