Shadows on the Wall
Roisin attempted to hold her grumbling to a minimum, though it was proving hard as she made her way through the crowded hallway at Forks High School, her arms full of a box with everything from Mae's locker. True, she had volunteered, unable to handle the stress of sitting around and waiting for Cathal - it had been a few days now - but that was before she realized just how much shit Mae had somehow accumulated in her locker.
And well, Sean, Cara and Mae had set out on a COSTCO run, seeing as the wolves pretty much came by all the time now and a few more fae had decided to invite themselves to stay. It was driving Roisin up the wall having the house constantly full, and she needed to get away from all of it. Especially since Paul was at work and couldn't distract her.
Sighing, she finally made it to her own locker and opened it, thankful that it wasn't nearly so full and better organized than Mae's. She had already dropped off all of her and Mae's books and a bunch of documents at the office so all she needed to do was to clear this out and then she was done. Maybe she would go bug Paul at work since she was in town.
Feeling there was no point to keeping up the school ruse since they were going to be leaving as soon as they got Tara back, Sean had withdrawn them both from Forks High. And honestly, they had missed a couple weeks by now. Not to mention Roisin was fairly sure she wouldn't be able to focus on anything outside of the current trouble. As it was they had a near nightly argument over where to go next that usually ended with Mae rushing to her room and slamming her door shut. It was the only time she showed up and attempted to be somewhat helpful. Truthfully, Roisin wasn't completely sure just where she got off to, but as long as she was staying out of trouble, she didn't mind.
"Oh my god, Ro!"
She stopped and turned, seeing Megan and Trey quickly walk up to her. She felt a twinge of guilt - in the midst of everything going on, she had forgotten to check in with them lately. She wrapped her arms around Megan in a tight hug as soon as she stepped up to her.
"How are you doing?" Megan asked. Roisin's eyebrows rose in surprise. Meg had been the one who was injured - had seen Tara disappear - and she was worried about Roisin?
"I'm okay," she said. "I'm more worried about how you're doing."
"Getting there," Megan said, glancing at Trey and then back at Roisin. "Tara's parents… they think they might hold a service for her next week. You'll be there, right?"
Roisin nodded, though she hoped that before that she would bring Tara home and there wouldn't have to be a service at all.
"I'll do my best," she replied.
"What are you doing?" Trey asked, pointing to the box. Roisin looked down at it and then back up at them, guilt twisting around in her gut. Right. How to explain this? "Are you dropping out?"
"We… might be moving soon," Roisin said. Both Megan and Trey's faces fell as sadness entered their eyes. "But we're not leaving yet. So we can try and hang out… and I won't leave without saying goodbye."
Granted, even she knew better than to promise that. There was no telling in what fashion they would be leaving. Especially as it clearly depended on what happened with Tara.
"Well, we've got some time before class. Do you need help?" Megan asked, her eyes returning to the locker.
Roisin opened her mouth to accept the help when she saw a dark mass of shadows converging down the hall. Her eyes drifted to look just beyond Megan and she froze. Cathal appeared, a sinister smirk on his face as he caught her staring at him. Raising an eyebrow, he gave her a short wave with his fingers.
What the hell was he doing here? Of all the places for him to show up.
"Ro?"
"Sorry, you know. It's fine. I got this. You should probably get to class," Roisin said, turning to look at Megan and Trey. "Really. It's okay."
The two gave her an odd look but nodded.
"Give me a call later, okay?" Megan asked. Roisin nodded and gave them a strained smile, urging them silently to get out of the hallway quickly.
Pretending that everything was fine, she turned to her locker and quickly dumped everything into the box. Before she bent over to pick it up, she locked eyes with Cathal again and motioned slightly with her head for him to follow her. Whatever was going on, she wanted him as far away from the students as she could get. Preferably out of the school completely.
She then picked up the box and turned, making her way through the few students left straggling just before the bell. Picking up her pace, she glanced over her shoulder, seeing Cathal following at a leisurely pace, glancing around here and there to check out people.
Roisin breathed a sigh of relief when she darted out the doors to the parking lot just as the bell rang, finding it empty. In the next instant she was at her car, thankful she had parked on the far side, tossing the box into the backseat. When she shut the door, Cathal was leisurely leaning against the driver door, nearly causing her to jump even though she knew he had been behind her. Glancing around to make sure the coast was clear, Roisin quickly fell unseen before meeting Cathal's gaze.
She should have known he would track her down and wait until she was alone to speak with her.
"You have news for me?" she asked, crossing her arms in front of her.
Cathal chuckled as he swirled some of his shadows around his finger, his dark eyes not leaving her.
"What? No 'hello,' or 'how have you been'?" he asked. "Being away from court really has taken a big hit on your manners." Roisin just glared at him. "Very well."
He pushed off from the car and turned to her.
"What would you do if I told you I had your precious mortal in my possession?" he asked. Roisin tried hard not to react, but her heart was beginning to pound as he took another step towards her. He reached out and lightly dragged his finger down her cheek. "What would you give… for her?"
"I'm not joining your court," Roisin said immediately. "I told you that was off the table."
"Shame. You would really let her waste away with all the other mortals in Shadow Court. All because of your pride?" he said before tsking, tilting his head to the side. "I'm a bit disappointed. That you would put your own happiness over saving your friend. Must not mean much to you… Or well… could mean that you're perfect to be Shadow queen..."
Roisin narrowed her eyes at him, though silently cursed herself for thinking that he might consider something - anything - else. Maybe she should have given into his request in the forest. Surely she could survive one night with him. Then again, there was no way that would have ended well. Especially if he insisted she go to the Shadow Court with him. She didn't trust that he wouldn't try something to make her stay forever.
"I thought you were reasonable. Surely there's something else you want," Roisin said, quickly trying to think of a way out of this.
Cathal's eyes lit up. Almost as though he was expecting her to say that very thing. He leaned closer to her and Roisin fought to not back down.
"You know… I have been looking for someone to take care of a pesky little problem for me," he said smoothly, a sinister smile spreading across his face as the shadows swelled around them. Roisin felt her stomach sink. "I think it's an even trade… my brother - dead - for your very alive human."
Roisin closed her eyes a moment. She couldn't do it. Kill Sean? But she desperately needed to get Tara back. She needed to think of something. Fast.
"At least tell me she's unharmed," she said, opening her eyes. Cathal's grin grew. He shrugged.
"I can't attest for what happened to her before I found her. But I can say that I didn't do anything to harm her," he replied.
Which basically told Roisin that there was no telling what sort of hell Tara had been through. Sure, he hadn't hurt her. But that didn't mean one of his minions hadn't.
"So, we have a deal then. You kill Sean and I'll give you the mortal back," Cathal said. Roisin frowned. She hadn't agreed to anything. "Ah… should have known… you're going to fight me on that one too… Really, just why is it you're so attached to my brother? I assure you, I'm far better than he is..."
Roisin clenched her hands into fists, her frustration and anger welling up inside her into a frenzy.
"Why do you want him dead? He left. He doesn't want Shadow Court," she said, fighting to keep in control.
Cathal's expression darkened as he narrowed his eyes at her, his shadows swirling around them almost like a tornado. It grew harder to breath as his rage filled the air, making it heavy.
"Because as long as he's still alive, there are others who think he'll come back. That he'll take what's mine," he growled at her.
"Or is it because you know that you can't take him on yourself? That you'll always be weaker than him," Roisin shot back.
Fuck, she really shouldn't have said that. But it was too late to take it back. And well, Roisin was aching for a good fight, if she was being honest. She smirked at him, feeling her own power welling up in her, pushing back at his. For a moment, Cathal looked confused, glancing around as though he thought they weren't alone.
"Come on, if you want a fight, fight me. If I win, you give me Tara back - alive and no further harmed," she said, daring him to accept.
"And if I win?" he asked. Roisin didn't reply. "You give me Sean. Or yourself. I don't really care which. Actually, no. I do care. As much as I'd love my brother dead, I know how much it will pain him to know that you're with me. In fact, I almost like that better."
An evil grin spread across his face as Roisin weighed her options. He was strong, yes, but she was too. Maybe it was about time she started believing in that damn prophecy.
"What do you say, Ro?"
"Let's do this."
OOOO
Paul sighed as he walked back into the storeroom to get another box of new gear that just came in that needed to be scanned into the computer. He couldn't but feel irked that he had to be here. He wanted to be back at the McLaren house with Roisin. Even though he knew she wasn't far, he still felt on edge being away from her. Knowing that at any second her brother, or Rian, or even Cathal could show up and try to take her away or hurt her.
He wanted to be at her side at all times. Just to make sure that she would be safe. Why was he even working anymore? It wasn't as though he was going to be here that much longer. As soon as they got Tara back, he fully intended to go on the run with Sean, Mae and Roisin. Though he had yet to share this information with his dad. He should probably do that. Truthfully, he hadn't even really given himself much time to stop and think about what he was doing.
He was going to be leaving behind everything he ever knew.
Paul stopped for a moment, the thought really sinking in. While he wanted nothing more than to always be with Roisin, he hadn't really considered the implications. He would be leaving the only place he had ever lived. The only people he had ever known. The packs. And being away from here… he'd lose his ability to shift unless there were bloodsuckers around. Or at least he figured he would.
In an instant, he was completely overwhelmed by it. This wasn't going to be some sort of extended vacation. This was going on the run. Never staying in one place for long. Changing identities. Constantly looking over his shoulder until they could figure a way around the deal with Rian.
Was he ready for this?
Part of him felt that he was. He knew that he loved Roisin - okay, now he could admit it to himself - and wanted to always be with her. To protect her. But it wasn't going to be all sunshine and rainbows. And even though they imprinted, it wasn't necessarily guaranteed that things would work out. Any manner of things could go wrong. As he was learning, there were still many things he didn't know about fae. What's more, if this prophecy came true, she would go back to the Fae world. Where did that leave him? Could he even go with her? If he listened to Mae, it sounded like he couldn't. But no one had actually said it was impossible. And Roisin hadn't fought him when he suggested it.
That brought a whole new mess. Was he willing to give up everything to live in the Fae world? Sure he was planning to go on the run with her, but that was in this world where he could at least still keep in touch with everyone. Could he truly follow her to another world?
Paul struggled to breathe for a moment, before he focused his thoughts on Roisin. He loved her. Wanted to be with her. And she wanted to be with him. They were imprints. That was enough.
He then bent down and picked up the box, walking back out into the main room of the store.
"Okay, so don't be mad… but I think I screwed up the computer again," Mike said, bent over the screen and mashing at the keys.
Paul rolled his eyes, feeling his anger simmering just under the surface.
"For the love of-"
He suddenly froze, something pinging inside him. Paul looked towards the doors. He wasn't sure just what it was, but a feeling that something was very wrong came over him.
"You okay there, buddy?" Mike asked.
Paul seized a bit, the feeling coming on stronger. He then dropped the box and started towards the door, vaguely aware that Mike was shouting something at him. He ignored it. He wasn't completely sure why or how, but he knew that Roisin was in trouble. He needed to find her. Get to her. Now.
"YOU CAN'T JUST LEAVE!" Mike shouted.
"Fucking watch me," Paul shouted back as he shoved the door open. He stopped for a moment on the sidewalk, looking around. He then closed his eyes and took a deep breath through his nose.
He then opened his eyes, looking in the direction towards the high school. Without another thought, he took off in a sprint, hoping he wouldn't be too late.
OOOO
Roisin was breathing heavily, but she couldn't help the grin that came over her face as she squared off with the Shadow king. She had managed to move them to the empty football field, not wanting to chance accidentally hurting anyone, though she had to admit it was still a risky move. But at the moment she didn't care as she stared him down.
Goddess, it had been such a long time since she fought like this. It felt good. Really good. She was finally working off some of her frustration.
Cathal reached up and brushed his fingers against his cheek, pulling them away to see the bright red blood there, seeming amused.
"Didn't expect you to draw first blood," he said, before looking back at her. "Oh, it's going to be so much fun when I beat you… the things I have in store for you, little princess. For us."
"Try me," she said through gritted teeth.
Before he could say anything further, she launched towards him. Cathal easily moved away, but her reflexes were fast and she was once again grabbing him and tossing him halfway down the field. Almost before he stopped, he was back up and reaching for her, but she quickly kicked out, once again shoving him away before he could grab her.
It was a whirlwind of motion - his shadows would attempt to blind her, but Roisin would move away, sending as much heat towards the king as she could. After a while, she could see him starting to get frustrated when he couldn't even land a proper punch or kick.
Finally, she had him by the neck, squeezing as strongly as she could. Cathal started laughing, but then she sent as much heat to her hand as she could, watching his eyes widened as he started clawing at her. She could feel it. She was going to win. And then she would get Tara back. This would be over.
Then suddenly, Cathal reached out, managing to grab her own neck and for a moment, she was frozen. Before her eyes, all she saw was a frozen tundra, the wind whipping her hair around her as the bitter cold bit into her skin. Filled her veins. No. She had to fight this.
"Roooooisiiinn," a voice said playfully. It sent chills down her back.
Suddenly, Rian was before her, a malicious smile on his face as he gripped her throat, ice starting to spread to the rest of her body. Roisin gasped for air, feeling her limbs begin to freeze into place. She locked onto his ice blue eyes, the wind whipping at his short white blonde hair.
No. This was all in her head. She couldn't believe it. She had to fight back. This was just one of Cathal's tricks.
Roisin closed her eyes, locking onto her anger, which was starting to fuel her. Her eyes flew open and she once again saw Cathal before her, a look of shock starting to come over his face. She could feel the warmth begin to spread through her body like a roaring fire.
But just as she started to smile, a large mass came shooting from her side. As she turned to look, a giant dark silver wolf leapt over, latching on to Cathal and pulling him away with such a force that she fell back to the ground.
When she looked back up, she saw Paul - well Paul's wolf - snarling over Cathal, which he had pinned to the ground. The Shadow king only grinned up at him before looking over at Roisin.
No, he couldn't do that. She had to win. Not Paul. It was the only way the deal would work.
Growling, she shoved herself back up to her feet, already moving towards them. But Cathal had launched Paul into the air, a loud squeal sounding from his snout as he hit the ground hard. She wasn't sure, but was pretty certain she had heard a crack of sorts.
Roisin slid to a stop, for a moment torn between continuing the fight and going to make sure that Paul was okay. Cathal's laughter got her attention though.
"A wolf? That's just… wow, Ro. Never knew that's what you were into," he replied. Roisin started towards him, but stopped when he put his hand up. "That's a draw. Meaning, sadly, you don't get to come with me. But you also won't be getting your mortal back. I'll contact you with new terms."
He then turned and was gone. Roisin almost started after him but stopped when she heard Paul - human Paul - groaning loudly in pain. Sighing, she turned and rushed over him, causing Paul to flinch at her sudden appearance at his side. He was gripping his arm, his face contorted in pain.
"Where does it hurt?" she asked, for a moment her concern winning out over her anger.
"My shoulder," he said. She looked at it and then around the field, realizing that even though no one could see her, they very much would see a naked Paul grimacing in pain in the middle of the football field.
"Okay, just… keep your eyes closed. I don't want you vomiting on me," she said, looking back down at him.
"Ro… what are you-"
She didn't give him a change to finish as she wrapped her arms around him, her wings now beating quickly, and they were gone.
OOOO
Roisin paced around the great room, every so often hearing a shout from her bedroom that had her stopping and looking over at her shut door, worrying about what was going on in there.
As soon as they arrived back, she had put Paul in her bed and called Carlisle, remembering that he was a doctor. He had shown up not long after, a bag of medical supplies in hand, and went straight in. Brendan had gone in as well - popping up from wherever he had been - saying something about how he had skills as a healer.
"I can't believe you fucking did that," Sean said. She looked over, seeing him glaring at her. "You fought Cathal? Why?!"
"Because it was the best way to get Tara back," she shouted back.
And well, offering herself was better than offering Sean. She knew that there was no way she could kill him. And there was no way that he would remain alive if Cathal got his hands on him.
Sean ran his fingers roughly through his hair, his shadows more pronounced as he paced away from her.
"And what if you lost? What did he ask for in return?" he shouted, turning to look at her.
"Me," she said. Sean turned away, growling in frustration. "But I would have won! I had him until Paul showed up!"
"Yea, and look what happened, Ro! Cathal could have easily killed him!" Sean shouted, pointing towards the door. "Why don't you stop and think about things?!"
"I didn't know Paul would be there! And I certainly didn't ask him to show up!" she roared back at him.
"How is he?"
They both stopped their shouting match, looking over to see Jacob and Sam walking into the living room. Roisin rolled her eyes and turned away, starting to pace.
"What happened?" Jacob asked.
"Well, apparently Ro decided the best course of action was to take on Cathal. On her own," Sean said viciously. "And then Paul jumped in and got hurt. Thank the goddesses Cathal called it a draw."
"I told you I had-"
"But you almost didn't! And then where would we be?! You would be forced to go to Shadow Court and be subjected to whatever hell Cathal would rain down on you and there's not a goddamn thing any of us could do!" Sean shouted, cutting her off. Roisin didn't say anything, her eyebrows shooting up. "Did you even stop and think what would have happened if you lost?! What it would do to Mae? To Paul? To me?"
Roisin still couldn't speak. Just blinked at him. Sean sighed and shook his head.
"I know you don't want to start a war. And you were trying to take care of this on your own because you think it's all your fault, but fuck, Ro. You very well would have had a damn war, because there's no way I or Paul would have let him keep you," Sean said.
He stared at her a few moments before turning and suddenly he was gone. The slamming door the only indication of where he went.
"You fought Cathal on your own?" Jacob asked, appearing stunned. Roisin looked over at him and nodded.
"He has Tara. First… he wanted me to go with him. Then he wanted me to kill Sean. I thought offering to fight him was the best course of action," she said. "It was better than the other options. I honestly have no idea how Paul found out and showed up."
She looked towards her bedroom door, missing the look that went between Sam and Jacob. Thankfully, Carlisle and Brendan stepped out at that moment and she rushed over to him, Carlisle having to take a slight step back.
"He's fine," he said. "His shoulder is back in place and Brendan was able to heal the break, though it would have healed on its own pretty quickly."
"I took away most of the pain as well, though… you have a strong one," Brendan said, a smile on his face.
"Thanks," Roisin said, suddenly feeling guilty again. Paul only got hurt because of her. Everything today was her fault.
"He's asking for you," Carlisle said. Roisin nodded and took a deep breath.
"Okay…"
OOOO
Paul rubbed his shoulder, not quite believing how much pain he had been in before Brendan did something with his hands. He then looked towards the door, seeing it open. Roisin stepped in and shut it, then leaned against it.
"They said you were better," she said. He offered her a smile, not wanting her to worry about him. She already looked as though she thought this was all her fault.
Which it wasn't. She hadn't known that he would show up. Hell, he was still curious about how he had known, but figured it was something to do with their imprint. And as soon as he did, his protective instincts had taken over, causing him to shift almost immediately.
"I'm fine. Whatever Brendan did, it's pretty good. Helped Carlisle," he said, dropping his hand into his lap.
"How did you know where I was?" she asked, still not moving closer. He wished she would come over to him. He really wanted nothing more than to feel her in his arms right now.
"I… I just felt something. That you were in danger. So I left the store and tracked you to the high school. Must be the imprint," he said. Roisin nodded. "Why were you fighting Cathal? Did he try to take you?"
Roisin shook her head and looked away, almost as if she didn't want to tell him.
"Ro… what happened?"
"I made a deal with Cathal. We would fight. If I won, he would give me Tara," she said, still not looking at him.
"And if you lost?" he asked, already starting to feel a bit of anger seep in. God, he hoped she wasn't about to say what he thought she was.
"I would go with him," she said softly, her eyes flicking over to look at him.
Paul sat up and rubbed his face, willing himself to stay calm. She had only done what everyone had been saying she would do. Offer up herself in return for Tara, but at the same time, just the thought of Cathal getting his hands on her. On hurting Roisin. It was difficult to keep his cool.
But even this was nothing like what he felt when he got to the football field and saw Cathal with his hand around Roisin's neck. The grin on his face as his shadows swirled around them. As though he knew he was winning. While Paul was sure he wouldn't kill her - that would defeat the purpose - for a moment he had lost it, thinking he just might.
"I did what I had to do. If I hadn't offered the fight… he wanted me to kill Sean," she said, a bit of anger in her voice. He looked up, seeing she was now at the end of the bed, her eyes starting to light up. "And I had him. I was so close to winning."
"Not from where I stood," Paul said, frowning at her as he fought to keep his voice in check. He wasn't angry with her, but it was so damn hard to shove it off.
He could have lost Roisin.
Roisin scoffed and rolled her eyes.
"I really did have him!" she shouted. "If you hadn't jumped in, we would have Tara back right now!"
"We don't know that," Paul replied.
"I know that!" she continued to shout. "I was so close-"
"Ro, it looked like he was killing you!" Paul roared, finally giving into his anger and jumping out of the bed, his injured shoulder be damned. And well, thank god someone had given him pajama pants to wear, otherwise this conversation would have taken on a whole other level of awkward. He walked over and gripped her arms, forcing her to look up at him. "He had his hands around your neck and you… you were off somewhere else - struggling to breathe. I thought I was about to lose the woman I love!"
Roisin's mouth dropped open as she stared up at him a few moments, stunned. Finally, Paul managed to swallow the rage coursing through him and pulled her to his chest.
"I seriously thought I was about to lose you… one way or another," he said, his voice a bit strangled. "I can't lose you."
He felt Roisin's arms come around him, holding onto him tightly.
"I know that you think this is your fault and that it was the best way… and… maybe it was… And me getting hurt definitely wasn't your fault, but I also know that I can't… I can't breathe without you," he said. He ventured a look down at her, seeing her peer up at him with tears in her eyes. "I love you."
"I love you too," she whispered. "I'm sorry… I should have…" She stopped and shook her head. "I'm sorry you got hurt. And I'm sorry that you went through that. But... I made the best choice."
Paul reached up and held her face gently in his hands.
"I know," he replied. "I get it. I would have done the same thing. If it was you… or even someone else in the packs."
"Even Jacob?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at him as a small smile came across her face. Paul rolled his eyes.
"Maybe," he muttered. Roisin chuckled. "Just… next time… maybe include us in the decision-making process?"
"I can't make you any promises. But I can try," she replied. Paul smiled. He figured as much. "Are you in any pain?"
"Not really," he said. "Seriously… we could definitely use someone like Brendan all the time. Took the pain away instantly." A grin slowly slid across her face. "Ro…"
Before he could finish his thought, her lips were on his and in an instant, the burning of his anger was replaced with a different kind of burning altogether. He wasn't exactly sure how, but suddenly, he found himself on his back on her bed. Roisin broke off the kiss, sitting up as she pulled her shirt off.
It was hard to keep his thoughts straight for a moment as she leaned back down and kissed him again. He was vaguely aware that there might be others in the house. But even that thought seemed to evaporate as he pulled her closer, running his hands up and down her sides.
She then pulled away again, hovering just above him, her eyes glowing.
"I love you," she breathed.
"I love you too…"
OOOO
FINALLY! They both say the 'L' word. Though man, looking back at how much time has passed, it's not as much as I thought writing this. But hey, thankfully I can blame that on the imprint.
And if you go over to AO3 (story under the same name, but my username is rubberduckz84) there is a bonus racy chapter that picks up right where this one leaves off. Though as with my other story where I did something similar, it won't detract from the story if you want to skip it.
I got a lot of plotting and writing done today, though realized I needed another chapter in between chapters 27 and 28 – seriously, I don't know why I cram so much action/suspense/tension/whatever in the last few chapters of every story I write - so I still have to write the new chapter 28, but I've got the new chapter 29 written and half of chapter 30. So as long as I stick to my current writing pace, then I should be able to continue posting one chapter a day.
AND if you like what I've done with fae, please pop over to WattPad to read my original story "The Witch of Marshallville" which also includes a lot of fae lore, though there I go more traditional and call them seelies (and that's the reason I already had a lot of fae lore on hand for this one, though I admit, I am currently finishing up the Wicked Lovely series by Melissa Marr, which also influenced me a lot in this one, but not in the original fiction). I only have eight or nine chapters up, but after this story, I'm super motivated to go work on it more and actually have a good amount more than that written, so will probably post more chapters soon. My username there is EmmaKalka for my original fiction.
LizzyBeWe – Thank you so much! Again, I've had to put a lot more thought into this one than I usually do for fanfiction (or well… I tend to put a lot of thought into it always despite my best efforts, so you can imagine how much more this one involved). The vampires are going to come in more, even though this is more focused on the packs and fae. Stay tuned for more! Cause I've got a lot coming. ^_^
Marianka – Yea, everything with Jacob is coming from a sense of protecting those he loves. So anything new is going to make him suspicious. But he's going to start coming around. I promise. And as you can see… something's going down with Shadow… A lot of tension and action about to come up because of that.
Thanks everyone for reading and following!
