~Breathing Angel Style~
By: Aerys Krystie.
oOo
"Just fucking kill me!" Jackson begged as the antiseptic cream was rubbed into his wounds. Tsuki ignored him and Jackson tried to swing at him. Tsuki calmly caught the fist without even pausing in what he was doing.
Jackson glared at the demon. Tsuki raised his eyes, forever edged in sorrow as he continued to rub the cream into the bites and claw marks on Jackson's back. Jackson cursed and tried everything he could to get away from the stinging. The wounds hurt enough, especially since some of them were deep enough to have nicked nerves and some had scratched along bone. He had no idea how he was still awake for this, as he thought his body would have shut down.
Tsuki never said anything. He stopped Jackson every time he tried to squirm away. He ignored the words. Everything he did was done effortlessly and taken in stride. Nothing phased the demon as Jackson screamed, begged and threatened. He would do anything to make the pain stop. He even tried to break the ceramic lamp over his head, but Tsuki had grabbed it and placed it out of his reach.
Jackson hated that Tsuki had to dig into the deep wounds to spread the cream. It had happened on his left bicep. He could feel Tsuki's finger sliding into the tooth puncture, right down to the bone, which had Jackson screaming and begging for death again. He didn't cry, though. He wasn't that much of a bitch. He tried not to flinch when something gleamed from the corner of his eye. Tsuki was holding a needle and a pathetic whimper left Jackson's mouth.
Tsuki once again said nothing as he threaded the needle. Jackson screamed as it pierced his skin and he could feel it moving through. There was a bang on the door and Jackson yelled at them to fuck off. He wasn't having an audience to his torture. The door unlocked and opened and Jackson growled at Tsuki for being a dick. The demon didn't flinch or give any indication that he had heard.
Jackson turned his head and groaned when he saw Derek entering. He had woken up just in time for Derek to punch and then threaten to put him down if he did anything again. He figured the earth wolf was angry with him for making noise. Derek knelt beside the bed and Jackson flinched when he raised his hand. Derek sighed and nodded, saying he deserved that.
Another scream ripped from Jackson's throat. He sat up and shoved Tsuki back, glaring at him. His head swam from the blood loss and he swayed where he sat, falling backwards. Derek caught his head just before it hit the wall. He groaned, trying to push Derek away. Instead, he gripped the shirt his mate wore and pulled him closer, closing his eyes and breathing in his scent.
"I'm sorry," he murmured, opening his eyes slightly. He didn't notice that Tsuki was stitching closed a deep claw mark on his leg. He focused on Derek's battling blue to green eyes. "I didn't hurt Peter. I would never do that to someone. I don't want to be a killer. Not again."
Derek ran his hand through Jackson's hair, watching as it reflected blue and silver in the light. He smiled softly. His eyes dropped to the bite marks on his throat. "I know, Jackson. I'm sorry that I hit you, but I really ––"
Jackson shook his head, clinging to Derek. He didn't want to hear how Derek thought he could actually do something that cruel. He knew he wasn't responsible for the deaths of the people and the animals, but he had no idea what was happening to him. No one seemed to know anything and it was starting to scare him. It was too much like being the kanima again. He didn't want to be that thing.
He knew who he was. He knew what his purpose was. He had to make Derek happy and he seemed to be failing miserably at that. His wolf was telling him that Derek was happy, for the moment. What would happen tomorrow, if Jackson killed someone else? He looked at Derek's face. The earth wolf's eyes were closed as he continued to stroke Jackson's hair.
A searing heat filled his body and Jackson hissed, glaring at Tsuki. The demon blinked and walked out of the room. Jackson frowned and looked at his body. It was perfect, almost flawless aside from the scars that he refused to let heal from Derek's attacks on him. He grinned and shook his head, unable to believe he forgot that Tsuki could heal any wound. He had no idea why he didn't just demand that in the first place. That demon was a jerk sometimes.
Derek's eyes opened and he ran his hand over Jackson's healed body. Jackson felt the relief wash through his mate's body. "I was told that Sierra had taken over your mind, which is why she used your body to attack Peter." He lied Jackson down; kissing the cheek he had punched for a moment and then settled beside him.
Jackson glanced at Derek. He knew they were trying to have a serious conversation, but Derek's hand was stroking his abdomen and Jackson shifted, turning onto his side. He felt Derek's lips and stubble on his shoulder. He felt the hot tongue on the scars on his neck and his cock was standing at attention. He felt Derek's hand move towards his boxer briefs. He pulled back, falling off the bed and taking the blood-stained quilt with him.
He was breathing heavily, trying to get his thoughts into order. He really needed to talk to someone about this; someone that had experience. Derek looked devastated and Jackson ran his hands through his hair. He had no idea how to explain this. Sure, he wanted Derek and nothing but Derek, yet he couldn't stop the fear of having a man like Derek in him. Now really wasn't the time for them to be thinking of mating, anyway.
Jackson dressed and said he was going to see Danny. He slipped out the window and shifted into his wolf form, running from the woods. Once he hit the town, he became human and followed Danny's scent – more specifically, the scent of Armani aftershave that smelled really good. He honestly didn't care that it was one in the morning. He needed to talk to his gay best friend.
He found that Danny had moved out of home and was living with an alpha werewolf. Jackson had no idea if Danny knew about werewolves. He looked at the two story house and raised an eyebrow. He jumped onto the roof easily and unlocked the window with a flick of a finger. He slipped into the bedroom, ducking the hand that was coming for his throat.
Not used to the bedroom, Jackson hissed when he bumped into something that broke. He could see the red eyes of the alpha in the darkness. They changed the moment the bedside lamp went on and Danny sat up, staring at Jackson like some kind of monster. Jackson knew his eyes weren't swirling. He had used his magic to make them appear their usual blue.
"Hey, Danny," Jackson greeted with a grin. Danny frowned and Jackson slipped into his mind. "Of course you don't remember me." He walked up to the human, growling when his arm was caught and he was thrown into a wall. He dropped his magic and glared at Ethan. "Back off, sunshine."
"Stay the hell away from my mate."
Jackson rolled his eyes and locked them with Danny, seeing the curiosity in his eyes as he watched Jackson's swirl. He slipped into the human's mind and found the wall that was locking his memories of Jackson away. He easily removed it and Danny frowned, before he tilted his head to the side adorably. Jackson grinned.
"Hey, Danny," he greeted again, grateful when Danny threw back the covers and walked over to Jackson. They stared at each other for a moment, before Danny pulled him into a hug. "I know it's been a while, man."
"A while?" Danny repeated as he pulled back and shook his head. "I haven't seen you in four years. Last I heard, you woke up as a werewolf and then nothing! And what is up with your eyes?"
Jackson glanced at Ethan for a brief moment and then looked back at his friend. "I'm a wolf-shifter now," he said slowly and didn't do anything as Ethan stepped up to him and sniffed along his neck and up behind his ear.
The alpha pulled and frowned. "That's impossible. Wolf-shifters are a legend." He leaned in and inhaled Jackson's scent again. "You're very fresh."
"What's a wolf-shifter? Is that a werewolf that can change into a wolf? Ethan told me that there are some werewolves that can do that." Danny tilted his head again, staring at Jackson. "But he didn't say anything about eyes like that. Serious, what is up with those?"
"Wolf-shifters are different from werewolves," Ethan said as he stood beside Danny. "They're meant to be stronger, faster and have magic." He ran his eyes over Jackson. "They're only a legend, though, a story that we were told. No one has ever seen a wolf-shifter before."
"Well, there are four in town now." Jackson grinned. "Derek's a shifter, as well. So is his crazy uncle and there's another snow wolf in town that's hunting me." He shrugged and went over to the bed. He flicked his hand and it was made. He sat on the foot and gazed at them. "I'm not here about that, by the way."
Danny was staring at the bed for a long while. "Why are you here?"
"Sex with a man."
"Derek finally claimed you?" Ethan asked and shrugged when Jackson's bewildered eyes landed on him. "Your scent was all over him. I didn't know who it belonged to, because I never met you."
Jackson glared. "No, he hasn't claimed me. I need to know what to expect when it happens, though. Derek isn't exactly…small in any area." He turned his eyes to Danny, pleading with him. "I really need some help in what to expect and how much it's gonna hurt."
Danny blinked several times. He sat beside Jackson and placed an arm around his shoulders. "It won't be as bad as you think it will be." A sly smile spread over his lips as he glanced at Ethan. "My wolf isn't that small either."
Ethan groaned and left the bedroom. Jackson watched him go. "But you're accustomed to men being in you…" He trailed off and cleared his throat.
"If he doesn't do it correctly, the first time will be painful. If he's as big as Ethan is, it will tear you, despite how gentle he is." Danny's hand dropped from Jackson's shoulders.
Jackson wasn't sure if Danny was making him feel better or worse. He knew he didn't want to know about the pain that could come from having sex with another man. He wanted to know about the pleasure it could create. He wanted to know what it was actually like and if it was something he would be into.
"If you're not comfortable with the penetration, you need to make sure he knows it. You can't be with someone that doesn't respect your limits," Danny said, hands falling between his legs. "Do you trust him?'
"I don't really have much of a choice but to trust him. He's done so much for me that it wouldn't sense for me not to trust him." Jackson glanced down, chewing his lower lip.
Danny nodded slowly. "Still, don't do anything you're not comfortable with. Love comes from trust and if he breaks that trust…" He trailed off, staring intently at Jackson.
"He would never do anything like that. He knows he basically owns me."
Jackson idly touched the scars that were on his neck. All of them were from Derek. He had made sure that they didn't heal over, because he wanted the world know who he belonged to. He wanted everyone to know he had a partner that made him happy and he had someone he could talk to.
It probably should matter that they had only just reached this conclusion. Jackson knew he wasn't the best partner out there, aside from looking good on someone's arm. He was intelligent, but he wasn't the nicest person in the world. He honestly had no idea what Derek saw in him that made the werewolf claim him. It could be that Derek liked the mental ones.
Derek's previous known girlfriend to Jackson did burn down his family home, with his family still in it. Maybe Derek saw a little of Kate in Jackson, which was something he really didn't want to think about. Jackson couldn't even begin to conceive the idea of destroying someone that way. He shuddered and Danny glanced at him.
With a smile, Jackson stood and clapped Danny on the shoulder. "Thanks for all your help, man. I'm sorry that I disappeared for so long. I promise that it won't happen again." He gave Danny a quick hug and slipped out the window.
Once he was outside, Jackson gazed at the window for a moment, slipping into Danny's mind. He grinned evilly as he retrieved the information he was after and ran out of the yard. He really didn't need to worry about the cops detaining him. He couldn't exactly explain why he was there at that hour, instead of just calling the owner. If he didn't live in a house with werewolves and wolf-shifters, he might have actually called Danny.
However, getting the information could only be done in person. So he had a valid reason to be there, in a sense. He wasn't going to have Danny explain it to him when it was so much easier to just take what he wanted without his friend ever knowing. He stopped on the street and looked back at the house. Danny and Ethan had gone back to bed. He wondered if Lydia had a wall up in her mind, as well.
With a shrug, Jackson decided that there would be a time and place to see Lydia. Right now wasn't one of those times. He made his way back to the Hale house, shifting into his wolf form the moment he was out of the public's eye. He got back in minutes and shifted again. He grinned at Vincent as the dragon smoked and watched him.
Jackson ran inside and found Derek reading Great Expectations. He looked up the moment Jackson walked in. "I'm not comfortable with the idea of your dick in my ass," Jackson stated as he knelt beside the bed.
Derek tagged the page he was up to and placed the book on the bedside chest. "I'm glad that you told me." He placed a hand on Jackson's head and gently ruffled the strands. "I would never push you into something that you wouldn't want to do."
Jackson lowered his head slightly, allowing Derek to pet him like a dog. His eyes ran down the length of Derek's body and he tilted his head, seeing that the earth wolf was still hard. It had to be painful or he was hard again. Jackson moistened his lips and crawled onto Derek, running his hands over the exposed torso.
He leaned down, kissing the corner of Derek's mouth and then down his chin and throat. He kept his eyes on Derek's, watching as the vivid blue bled into emerald only to bleed back into blue. He moved down to Derek's clavicle, running his tongue along the bone. A gentle moan left his mouth as he tasted the skin. It was like salt and loam after a heavy rain.
Jackson moved further down, eager to put the information to good use. He needed to know what Derek liked when it came to someone's mouth on his cock. He undid the belt and button on the jeans, trying to keep his hands steady. He knew that Derek could smell and sense the nervousness from him.
Derek gently touched Jackson's shoulder and the snow wolf looked up at him. "You don't have to do this," he murmured.
Jackson shook his head and pulled off his own shirt. He undid the flier on the jeans and moved down the stunning body of his mate. He kissed the abdomen and pulled down the jeans, not surprised in the slightest that Derek went commando. He stared at the cock that was on display for him and his own strained painfully against his jeans.
Long and thick and just perfect. Jackson knew he wouldn't be able to take the whole on length into his mouth, but he would give it his best damn shot. He moved down and exhaled on it, grinning when he heard Derek inhale sharply from the cold breath. However, the mirth didn't last long as he realized that Derek would want a warm mouth.
Jackson hesitated and licked the head. Derek didn't react, so Jackson took the head into his mouth and swirled his tongue around it. Derek didn't react, so Jackson pulled back and stared at him, curious on if he was doing something wrong. Derek smiled warmly and told him to do that again.
Deciding it was a good thing; Jackson went down and took the head into his mouth again. It was so warm against the chill of his tongue. He slid down the length more, a tingle going up his spine when a soft groan left Derek's mouth. He slowly moved his head up and down the half length he could take in. Derek started panting and Jackson pulled back slightly, running his tongue along the slit.
Jackson chanced a look up. Derek was watching him intently; his eyes didn't miss a single thing. It made Jackson feel better about what he was doing. He took in even more of the length, deciding that he liked having Derek's dick in his mouth. His speed increased and so did Derek's breathing. He looked up and Derek pursed his lips, trying to push Jackson back. The snow wolf wouldn't budge and Derek came in his mouth.
Frowning, Jackson waited until Derek had spent his load and sat back, swallowing and tilting his head. It wasn't nearly as bad as he thought it would be. He rolled to the side and smiled up at Derek. The earth wolf was breathing heavily and staring at the wall in front of him. Jackson grinned and shook his head. He kicked off his shoes and removed his jeans, pulling back the quilt and slipping under.
"Jackson, how did you know…?" Derek looked down at his unsatisfied mate. He kicked off his jeans and got under the covers. "Did you want me to ––?"
Jackson shook his head and pulled Derek against him. "I just need you near me," he said sleepily. He gasped when he felt Derek's hand over his stiff cock. "Derek, don't."
"Jackson," Derek whispered hotly into his ear. "You don't need to think only of my pleasure. You're allowed to let me ––"
"I don't want anything from you, Derek. I just need you here." Jackson rolled over and nuzzled into Derek's chest.
"If you're sure." Derek wrapped his arms around Jackson, making him relax instantly. "Good night, sýntrofos."
"Night, Derek."
oOo
Derek woke slowly, feeling much better than he had in over a decade. He looked down at the body in his arms and frowned. He remembered what happened earlier in the morning and quickly pushed the memory away as a certain part reacted to it.
He rolled Jackson onto his back, smirking at the slight pout at moving. He tilted his head slightly as he looked at the sleeping face. He never had the opportunity to study Jackson when he was sleeping. He loved seeing the softer lines. He leaned down and brushed his lips across Jackson's. The snow wolf moaned softly and his eyes fluttered open, gazing at him sleepily.
It was only three hours ago that they had fallen asleep and Jackson didn't look ready to wake up. He wrapped his arms around Derek's neck, nuzzling into his throat. Derek's eyes widened as Jackson's bucked his hips up. A shaky breath was the result and Derek wanted to hear him scream. He knew that would have to wait until they found Sierra and killed her.
Derek kissed Jackson's throat as the snow wolf's hips continued to buck up. Derek knew it was futile to fight off the erection that was steadily growing. His eyes widened when Jackson rolled them. He watched as Jackson kissed his way down his torso, eyes open and alert. He knew exactly what he was doing.
Jackson got to his destination and ran his tongue from the base to the tip of Derek's cock. The earth wolf started at him, curiously wondering if Jackson had an affinity for blowing him. The snow wolf smirked, wrapping his cool fingers around the hot shaft. It was a devilishly wonderful contradiction that he expected would make him go flaccid.
"I want to take all of you this time."
Derek's eyes widened as Jackson took the head into his mouth, swirling his tongue around. He watched as more of his cock disappeared into the cool mouth and then reappeared. He shuddered as more vanished each time Jackson went down. He placed a hand on Jackson's head lightly, which made him look up.
He looked so beautiful with his lips wrapped around a cock, the ever battling blue-silver eyes filled with lust and a dash of innocence. Jackson hummed gently and Derek groaned as the vibrations ran through his dick, not helping with the building pressure. His hips jerked up against his will, but Jackson took it in stride. He didn't seem bothered that Derek's hips wanted him to take more than he possibly could.
Jackson moaned as Derek's hips continued to move. The earth wolf panted, trying hard to stave off the orgasm. He wanted this to last as long as possible. Jackson looked up at him again. Come for me, Derek. Please, he begged and Derek inhaled sharply, his body tensing. He released his load into Jackson's eager mouth, the snow wolf's hand milking every last drop from his cock. Derek sank into the bed, watching as Jackson sat back and swallowed, cleaning the corners of his mouth with his thumb.
Derek also noticed the raging hard on that Jackson was sporting. His wolf was screaming at him to make Jackson feel as good as he did. He reached forward and Jackson slipped off the bed, heading into the bathroom. His wolf told him to follow, corner and then pleasure. Derek wanted nothing more than to give into his instinct. He didn't, though. There had to be a reason why Jackson didn't want pleasure.
He sighed and ran his hands through his hair. He didn't want to go into Jackson's mind and find the reason. He wanted his mate to trust him enough to tell him what the problem was. He got the feeling that wouldn't happen. Jackson wasn't exactly forthcoming with his feelings, except for anger and possibly disgust. He didn't know how to approach the subject, but he knew he had to, since his wolf was telling him that he was selfish and not good enough.
Derek stood and went into the bathroom. He slipped into the shower, jumping back immediately as he was hit by the icy spray. Jackson apologized and turned on the hot water. Once the water was warm, Derek stepped up to Jackson and wrapped his arms around the smaller wolf. He kissed his wet neck, running his hands up and down Jackson's back.
Jackson sighed happily, lapping the water that ran down Derek's chest. He looked up and Derek leaned down, kissing the droplets from Jackson's cheeks. He leaned down further, gazing at those lips that had brought him pleasure not ten minutes ago. He moved his head closer and Jackson pulled back, ducking his head. He pressed his lips to Derek's throat.
Derek exhaled with disappointment and Jackson looked up. "I did something wrong," he whispered and ran his hands down Derek's torso.
"No, Jackson," Derek murmured and ran his hands through Jackson's hair. "I just want to kiss you; hold you; make you feel good."
Jackson pulled away and stepped out of the shower. He wrapped a towel around his hips, going into the bedroom. Derek washed and turned off the water, remaining in the shower for a moment. He shook his head and grabbed a towel, following into the bedroom. He grabbed Jackson before he could leave and threw him onto the bed.
His wolf was telling him to go about it slowly. He couldn't rush Jackson, despite how much he wanted to. He had never known anyone to reject pleasure, but he needed to know why his mate was doing so. He wanted nothing more than to have Jackson come for him, his name on those beautiful lips.
Derek climbed on top of Jackson, unzipping his hoodie and placing kisses along his chest. The cold body of his mate was enticing. Jackson watched him, whimpering softly the lower Derek went. As soon as his hands were near the button on the jeans, Jackson pulled away and Derek let him do so. He wasn't going to force Jackson into accepting the pleasure.
"Why won't you let me touch you?"
"I'm not…" Jackson trailed off and sighed. He pulled his knees to his chest and Derek was by his side immediately, pulling his mate close to him.
Derek gently stroked Jackson's hair. He had felt the hesitation and there was something else in the words. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to push you, but I had to know how far I could go. I won't do it again."
"No, you don't need to apologize. You're always apologizing to me, Derek." Jackson turned his head and pressed his lips to Derek's softly.
Derek closed his eyes. Dear god, those lips were softer than he ever thought possible. He ran his tongue along the seam and Jackson parted his lips, his tongue coming out and attacking Derek's. The earth wolf moaned, which was lost in Jackson's mouth. He ran his tongue along Jackson's, loving that it tasted like ice.
He curled his tongue around Jackson's, loving the way the snow wolf gasped as ran his hands over his back, neck and chest – anywhere he could reach. Derek lapped at the roof of Jackson's mouth, which was just as fresh as falling snow. He really liked the way Jackson sucked on his tongue. Jackson pulled back, breathing heavier than before with a soft flush to his face.
Derek ran his hand down Jackson's chest and then down to his abdomen. Jackson's pulse quickened and Derek paused, his hand hovering over the obvious bulge in Jackson's impossibly tight jeans. The snow wolf shivered and moved back, shaking his head. Derek smiled and kissed him quickly.
As Jackson fixed his clothing and headed downstairs, Derek rubbed his neck. His wolf was disappointed knowing it hadn't made its mate happy in a sexual sense. Derek tried not to think about the fact that Jackson was denying him. He ran a hand over his body and he was dressed in his usual attire. He joined Jackson, Scott and Vincent in the kitchen. He grabbed a cup of coffee and sat beside Scott, taking one of the bagels that were on a tray.
Scott leaned over the table and took in Jackson's scent. Derek snarled and ripped the alpha back, throwing him across the kitchen. He moved around the table and rubbed his face into the crook of Jackson's neck, where Scott had scented him. Jackson blinked and tilted his head allow more access to Derek, as he watched Scott pick himself up and sit down at the table again.
Derek pulled Jackson up and then sat down, wrapping his arms around Jackson as the snow wolf sat in his lap. He figured it was better than taking his gay virginity in front of everyone so they knew who he belonged to. He ran his tongue over the scars on Jackson's neck as he glared at Scott, not wanting him to even look at his mate.
"Moving on from your little dominance display. We have a she-wolf to worry about that's been using your mate to murder innocent animals, while she frames him for the human murders that have been happening." Vincent sipped his tea, glancing at Jackson.
Derek knew that Jackson was uncomfortable, but he wasn't going to let anyone near his mate. They might hurt him and that wasn't something he could allow. It was bad enough that he couldn't protect his mate's mind, which had his wolf going slightly insane. He wanted to nestle in there and kick her out if she tried to hurt him again.
Jackson tried to stand, but Derek growled and held onto him tighter. Fear shot through Jackson and Derek's wolf instantly went into gentle mode, nuzzling his neck, which didn't seem to help. Jackson kept trying to get away and it wasn't until he felt claws in his neck that Derek released him. Jackson went to the breakfast counter and stared at him with an unreadable expression, but it was one Derek didn't want to see on his face again.
I'm sorry, Jackson, Derek whispered, tensing under the claws that were still digging into his neck. I didn't mean to do that. I was trying to protect you. Derek glared at the dragon that was making it impossible for him to move.
I don't need you to protect me from a werewolf, you psycho! Jackson glared and then announced he was going for a run. The claws were removed from Derek's neck and the earth wolf looked at the talons on Vincent's fingers that were covered in his blood. He should have known that Vincent would come to Jackson's rescue. The dragon didn't seem to know when to stop being someone's keeper.
"Was that necessary?" Derek demanded as he concentrated on healing the wounds.
"You were scaring him and you didn't care," Vincent snapped as he sat down and the talons retracted.
"Even I know that Jackson isn't one to flaunt his affection in public." Scott shook his head. "You need to move slowly with him. How is it that I know your mate better than you?"
Kill him. He touched what's yours, the wolf whispered and Derek forced those thoughts back. It wasn't Scott's fault that he had spent more time around Jackson, since they grew up together. Derek knew he had to keep his instincts in check when it came to offering protection and comfort. Jackson was broken and didn't know how to handle affection like a normal person did.
Derek had no idea how he forgot that piece of information. There was a reason why Jackson became the kanima and then became a wolf-shifter. His psyche was damaged and it was trying to heal the only way it knew how – more lies and masks. It was terrible, but Jackson had no trust in himself or others, especially since he was used to murder by the people he should trust. The same thing was happening with Sierra.
She wanted to make Jackson hurt and she was the one Derek needed to focus on. Scott was not a threat and neither was anyone else in the house. With the exception of Peter, which made Derek frown. He stood and left the kitchen, going upstairs to Peter's room. He needed to know why his uncle was back in town, before he could begin to deal with the issue of Sierra.
Peter had just woken up. He was in his human form and looked as though he had been through hell. His eyes were exhausted and he was underweight. Clearly, he had been running towards them without a thought of stopping. There had to be a reason for that. Nothing made Peter stop thinking of himself.
"Why have you come back after three years?" Derek asked as he sat on the edge of the bed, gazing down at his hands.
Peter frowned at him, raising an eyebrow. "I was told that you wanted me back for a fight with a she-wolf of the snow variety." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "It was a snow wolf that told me. And when I do get back, your little bitch tries to rip my damn throat out!"
Derek snarled and pinned Peter to the bed. "Don't you dare talk about him like that again," he warned and waited for Peter to nod before he released the throat. "Yes, it was likely that she was the one that brought you back."
Why she did, Derek had no idea. It didn't make sense to bring his uncle back, which would be another one to help take her down. It made no sense to take over Jackson's mind and have him kill Peter. Derek pulled away from his uncle and sat on the edge of the bed again.
What good could come from killing Peter? What good could come from using Jackson to kill Peter? They would have pieced it together that he wasn't in his right mind and would have known she was responsible for it. It wouldn't have taken long, either. Tsuki and Vincent were within the town and they would have picked up on it immediately.
Derek stood and gazed at Peter blankly. It wasn't his pack, so it was up to Scott to decide if Peter was allowed to stay. He left the room, telling Peter to talk to Scott about staying in the town. It was bad enough that there were two other alphas in town, but neither of them should be a problem for a wolf-shifter. He really needed to know how Sierra was getting into Jackson's mind without alerting him.
So it came as no surprise when he found Tsuki in the foyer, conversing quietly with something that Derek couldn't see. The demon waved his hand and the conversation was over. He turned to Derek and offered a small smile, which wasn't returned. Tsuki didn't seem to mind as he gestured towards the front door.
They left the house and stood on the front porch, watching as the trees were lighted by the rising sun. Derek didn't say anything for a long moment. He just looked out at the trees and got the strange sense of déjà vu. The same thing had happened three years ago. Tsuki had tried to reveal information without revealing anything. The demon was the master of instilling half an idea in the mind.
"Are we going to survive?" Derek inquired softly, not wanting to be overheard by the others.
Tsuki inhaled deeply. "You have only just accepted Jackson as your mate," he replied as softly as ever, which didn't answer Derek's question in the slightest. "Did you want to survive?"
"Of course," Derek responded without hesitation and thinking of what Tsuki said first. He had only just accepted Jackson as his mate. He would be damned if he was going to lose him before he could properly claim him. "How bad will it be?"
Tsuki lowered his eyes for a moment. He raised his right hand and Derek frowned when a carousel appeared. He listened to the music that was playing as it spun around. He tilted his head and tried to understand what he was being told when the machine exploded. Derek turned away to protect himself, but quickly realized that none of the burning fragments had touched the house. He looked back at the burning wreckage.
Derek frowned as he saw a wolf ride that resembled Jackson a little too closely burning. The paint was bubbling and peeling back from the plastic that covered the wood, which was melting. His eyes widened and he stared at Tsuki. The demon appeared to be crying without shedding any tears. Tsuki waved his hand and the destroyed ride disappeared. Derek got the message, loud and clear. It was going to be hell trying to take her down.
Tsuki exhaled quietly and tilted his head back. "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned," he quoted and leveled his head. He glanced at Derek from the corner of his eye. "She is very upset that Jackson has remained loyal to you."
Derek turned his back to the tree, resting against the railing and crossing his arms. "Would Jackson be able to wound her enough for me to kill?"
"No."
The answer was immediate and firm. Derek figured that Jackson would have a hard time with attacking someone, especially since he realized he was responsible for the deaths of the animals in the clearing. Jackson wouldn't be able to bring himself to toy with Sierra in order for Derek to end her miserable life. It was a good thing, but Derek had no idea how good of a fighter Sierra was. He had no idea who would be walking away from that fight.
While he had Tsuki answering his questions, he glanced at the demon. "Is Jackson going to leave me again, after we've defeated Sierra?"
"He is your mate."
Derek sighed. He was well aware of that fact, but that didn't answer his question. Jackson was his mate three years ago, as well. That didn't stop him from leaving and then trying to take another mate, even if it was so he could forget. Derek lowered his eyes. He had been really hard on Jackson for leaving without saying anything. Jackson had tried explaining why he left, but he was just as bad as Derek was when it came to explanations.
Jackson… Derek closed his eyes. Jackson didn't want to fight anyone or take the life of anyone. Derek knew it would be selfish to demand him do something about Sierra, since she was there because of him. He needed to be the alpha that he never was and help Jackson get over this mate. Derek opened his eyes and stared at the decking beneath his feet.
"You might want to be gentle with him, too," Tsuki continued as the sun crept higher in the sky. "He is not ready for your overprotective behavior. I know your wolf is telling you to claim him, but you need to think about this as a human. You can break what is already broken and he will leave again. When that happens, I will not interfere again."
End Chapter VI.
Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed the chapter and the next one should be up soon.
R/A/F if you please!
Until the next one!
Peace.
Auska.