A continuation of Parts One and Two. Killian and Emma are called back to Storybrooke where a series of attacks has plagued the town.
Part Three
The rattle of the phone buzzing on the bedside table echoed through the room.
"Ignore it," Killian mumbled against Emma's neck.
"It could be important," Emma half-heartedly protested as Killian molded himself to her recently transformed body, pressing her further into the mattress as he continued his early morning explorations.
"Not as important as this."
"As what?" Emma panted in eager anticipation at the graze of his fangs along her throat.
"Getting you to the point where you'll howl my name in ecstacy."
Emma rolled her eyes. "Again with the wolf puns? Seriously?" The buzzing continued from the bedside table. "You really should answer that."
"If you think I'm going to forego pleasuring my mate, so I can be talked into whatever new creature Cleo wants us to go after this time, you are barking up the wrong tree."
"Ugh. That's it." Emma shoved Killian off her with a playful chuckle, then quickly sprang from the bed out of his reach. "Come up with new material," buzz, "and answer your phone, Jones."
"Swan!" Killian whined as she made her way into the bathroom, closing the door firmly behind her with a self-satisfied smirk on her face.
As much as she'd like nothing more than to let him carry through with his plans for her that morning, it was good for him to not always be the one to call the shots. Although he'd established them as equal partners in their bonds from the very beginning, Emma knew that his Alpha nature was there just beneath the surface. She appreciated her mate's willingness to set aside his instinctual nature, and even though she had no problem with his dominance, it was fun to put him in his place every so often.
"Yeah, what," she heard Killian snap irritatedly into the phone. The sound had Emma suppressing a giggle, until she heard his tone change. "Graham? What is it? Is it Granny? Ruby?"
Emma quickly finished throwing on some clothes and hurried back to an ashen faced Killian seated tensely on the edge of the bed.
"No, no. They're fine," Graham assured. Emma could feel the strain start to leave Killian's body. "For now, at least."
Killian met her confused expression with one of his own before he hit the speaker button on his phone. Although he knew she could hear what Graham was saying, it was his way of including her in the conversation.
"What do you mean, for now?" Killian questioned. "What's going on, mate?"
A deep sigh crackled over the phone before the man answered. "I've got a situation here, Killian. I'm out of my depth and I… I need your help."
"You need my help?"
"Well, yours and your mate's," Graham clarified.
"Emma," Killian insisted, earning him a brief smile from her.
"Right, Emma. Sorry," Graham replied with a hint of penitence. "From what Ruby tells me, this is right up your alley."
"And what exactly is that? What's going on, Graham?"
Another heavy pause stretched out over the line before he answered, "We've had a series of vampire attacks. I don't know if it's just one or several."
"What kind of attacks?" Emma questioned, now earning herself a small smile from Killian as she pressed the man for answers.
"At first the victims were all in human form. They were persuaded, so they don't remember anything about the attack, but they were left with varying degrees of injuries."
"How many victims are we talking about? How long has this been going on?" Killian inquired.
"Eleven in the past three months."
Killian and Emma both balked at his answer, with Emma quick to admonish, "And you're just now calling for help?"
Another sigh. "The Oz pack wouldn't agree to it… until now."
"Why now? What's changed?" Killian asked.
"During this last full moon cycle there was another attack," Graham explained. "It or they went after the Oz pack's Alpha… He's dead, Killian."
Killian sucked in a sharp breath at the news. Emma knew there was no love lost between the Oz pack's Alpha (or any of its members) and the hybrid he'd always referred to as an abomination. Never having had the displeasure of meeting the Alpha herself, Emma had only ever heard him described as a real devil of a dog with his mate being a real wicked bitch - according to Ruby.
Emma met Killian's eyes and neither of them had to say a word, their bond did all the communicating that was necessary.
"Give us the day to settle a few things we need to wrap up here," Killian replied. "We'll head to Storybrooke first thing tomorrow."
"Thank you, Killian," Graham exhaled on a relieved breath. "Thank you both."
After ending the call Killian took Emma's hand in his and lifted it to his lips. "I guess it's back to werewolf country, love," he quipped before placing a light kiss to the back of her hand.
It was a tense several hours up the coast the next morning, and became even more so once they crossed the town line. Emma tried to ready herself for what awaited them at the diner. In the year and a half since she and Killian had left Storybrooke they'd only seen Ruby and Granny a handful of times. Emma's only interaction with Graham had been the day they'd left after that fateful full moon cycle had ended.
"I think that's everything, love." Killian slammed the tailgate of his truck closed then walked around toward the passenger side. "All we need to do now is collect your bug and hitch it to the truck. We can see about getting it running again once we've made it back to your place."
"Our place," Emma corrected with a smile, pulling him in to for another kiss - she'd lost count of the number they'd shared already that morning.
They both stiffened, their bodies on high alert, as the sound of the perimeter alarm notification went off on Killian's phone. The sound of tires on gravel rumbled in Emma's ears, and prompted Killian to take an instinctual protective stance in front of her. Were members of the Oz pack coming to seek out Walsh and his band of wolves? The only people who knew their fate for sure were Ruby and Granny, who had called early that morning to check on Killian after four excruciating days where they'd been forced to sit by and wait out the cycle.
Emma felt Killian relax when the vehicle came into sight. "It's alright, love," he reassured, taking her hand and leading them towards the slowing vehicle.
Emma watched as a tall brunette sprang from the car and ran headlong at them. Killian caught the woman with an audible oof and chuckled.
"Good to see you too, Ruby."
"I'm so glad you're okay," the woman muffled into his shoulder before releasing him and throwing her arms around Emma, who stiffened at the unexpected contact. "Both of you."
"For pity sake, Ruby. Let the poor woman breathe," Emma heard Granny admonish as she left the car to join them. "Though, I am relieved to see you both came through this unscathed."
Killian cast a look Emma's way and reached up to scratch behind his ear. "Well, not completely unscathed," he admitted before wrapping an arm around her waist, pulling her into his side, "but I don't think either of us mind the lasting repercussions."
Emma smiled up at him in agreement then turned her attention back to Granny, who gave them both a self-satisfied smirk.
"I didn't think you would."
"You knew, didn't you?" Killian mirrored the woman's knowing smirk right back at her. "You knew back at the diner the effect she'd have on me, what we might come to mean to one another."
"Of course I knew," Granny quipped with a hardened edge of mocked exasperation. "You should know better than to doubt my intuition by now." She gave them both a softer expression before adding, "I'm thrilled to find out it wasn't wrong. You two are clearly meant for one another."
Killian's arm tightened around her waist before their attention was drawn back to the vehicle, the last occupant now exited the driver's side.
"Stay here," Killian murmured into Emma's hair, placing a kiss at her temple before excusing himself to approach Graham.
"I tried to talk him into letting Killian stay, but…"
Emma tuned Ruby out, her focus squarely set on her mate and the Alpha who'd left them both to fend for themselves. Anger began to spark in her nerve endings and her senses were on high alert, ready to come to Killian's aid should he need it - and maybe even if he didn't.
"You know there was nothing more I could do," Graham stated. "My hands were tied, Killian."
"I know," Killian replied. "I didn't leave you with much of a choice. I understand that your first priority is to your pack."
"Well, I don't understand it," Emma thundered as she stormed toward Graham. "How could you just turn your back on him?"
Killian caught her around the waist before she could step further into the man's personal space . "Swan, it's alright."
"No, Killian," Emma argued. "No, it's not alright. He turns his back on us, leaving us for dead, and now he wants you to appease his guilty conscience? That's bullshit!"
"I have nothing to feel guilty about," Graham contended sternly. "Killian knew the consequences should he ever act against the charter, or use his unnatural abilities against members of the packs."
"Unnatural abilities?" Emma seethed through clenched teeth. She could almost feel the wrath burning in her eyes. Graham flinched back, and Emma realized that perhaps her eyes had betrayed more than just her rage.
"Emma, look at me," Killian insisted.
She complied, swallowing down the desire to lunge out and attack the infuriatingly arrogant Alpha. A desire that pulsed in her teeth, her fangs threatening to emerge with each drum of her heartbeat.
Killian fixed her with a firm look, his hands coming up to cup her cheeks. "Breathe, love," he encouraged. "You can control it. Just breathe."
Emma heeded his advice and focused on taking even breaths, made difficult by Graham's astonished reaction as realization settled over him.
"She's a… is she a?"
"Aye," Killian confirmed without taking his attention off her.
"You turned her into a hybrid?" Graham accused, a tone of disgust lacing his words that had Emma seeing red all over again.
"He saved my life," Emma defended.
"And condemned you to the life of an outcast," Graham admonished, his words directed more to Killian than her. She could feel Killian's own anger begin to spike. "Why would you do that? How could you shackle someone to that kind of existence?"
"It wasn't intentional," Killian replied, the lingering guilt she knew he felt was evident in his voice. "As Emma said, I was trying to save her life. I didn't even know I could make her like me."
"And why shouldn't he want to?" Emma challenged. "Do you really want him to be alone for the rest of his life? I'm sure it hasn't escaped your knowledge that he's already going to outlive all of you." She turned her gaze to her mate and took his hand in hers. "Now he doesn't have to be alone."
"Don't misunderstand me," Graham responded with a hint of sympathy. "I don't begrudge you two finding one another, or that Killian now has someone of his own kind. I just worry that you have a difficult road ahead of you both. There are many who aren't going to be very accepting of your… unique nature."
"Like you," Emma muttered accusingly under her breath.
Graham's jaw clenched. "Perhaps you should start exerting a bit of control over your mate," he advised Killian. "You are her Alpha now."
Emma blanched. She hadn't considered that reality until right then. Killian wasn't just her mate, he was her Alpha. Uncertainty over how she should respond to that revelation swept through her as her eyes snapped to Killian's.
His eyes briefly flickered between hers before he addressed Graham. "That may be, but I'll never treat her as anything but my equal." His expression morphed from one of intense sincerity to one of utter cheek as he quipped, "Which means if she wishes to give you a piece of her mind, she's well within her right to do so. I'm certainly not going to deprive her of that pleasure."
Emma beamed up at him, raising herself up on her toes to kiss his cheek out of gratitude for his words and mindset.
They'd said their goodbyes after that. Inviting Ruby and Granny to come visit them, and promising to let them know if Emma's work (which quickly became Killian's as well) ever brought them up that way. Ruby and Granny had never been able to make it down their way, it was difficult for them to stray too far from their pack, but the handful of times Emma and Killian had come up north in pursuit of an arcane criminal they'd managed to meet with them outside of the pack territories. This would be the first time either of them had seen Graham since that morning, though.
Even though they'd been in agreement while on the phone with him, Killian had asked her a number of times if she truly was okay with them coming back to Storybrooke to assist Graham when he hadn't afforded them that courtesy. Emma would be lying if she said it didn't chafe her just a bit, but she understood the concern neither Killian or Graham had admitted out loud. The concern that after one Alpha had already been killed, Graham might be next.
It hadn't been long after they'd left Storybrooke that Killian told her the full story of the terrible event that had plagued the town nearly ninety years before. It had been a vampire attack. A turf war between arcane creatures that had left one pack decimated, and the remaining two without their Alphas. Graham had become pack leader in the wake of his father's death, which had in turn forced him to make good on the promise he'd given Ruby. The promise that Killian could return to Storybrooke.
Emma knew that Killian and Graham were both concerned that the town might be facing a situation similar to the one the packs had faced the century before, and though most of the town didn't merit much concern from her, she was worried for Granny's and Ruby's safety. For all intents and purposes, they were Killian's only family, even if they didn't share pack ties.
Killian parked the truck out front and took Emma's hand, "Ready, love?"
She could feel his own anxieties fluttering furiously, so she leaned over to place a kiss at his lips while running a hand up his chest, grazing his nipples with her nails through the thin fabric of his shirt. She hoped the action might turn his temperment in another direction, exchanging his worry for another kind of tension that wouldn't be interpreted as a potential weakness. By the look in his eyes when she pulled away, she'd succeeded in her efforts.
"Minx," Killian muttered amusedly under his breath.
Emma giggled, "Which kind?"
"Both."
Emma smacked him in the chest, causing his own chuckle to rumble there. He offered her a quick wink before opening the driver's side door, and she followed him out her own side. Taking her hand again, he offered it a light squeeze as they made their way through the diner door. The squeal that resonated from within as they entered had Emma wincing. Ruby tackled them both, wrapping her arms around the pair and squeezing tightly.
"For pity sake, Ruby. Let them get inside before you go attacking them," Granny admonished, making her way from behind the counter.
"I'm just so happy you're both here," Ruby said as she released them and pulled them toward the counter.
Emma surveyed the patrons around her. Scared and somber faces were huddled in booths and around tables. The attacks had clearly taken their toll.
"Why don't you two come have a seat and I'll get you something. You must be starving after your drive."
Emma and Killian took a seat at the bar, both still surveying the diner when Killian posed the question, "Where's Graham?"
Ruby and Granny exchanged a look that had Emma on high alert. "What? What's happened?"
"Nothing," Ruby soothed. "It's just… you two aren't the only ones he called for help."
"Excuse me?" Killian inquired tightly. "Who else did he call?"
Before either Granny or Ruby could answer, a small boy of maybe five or six rounded the corner from the back hallway.
"Uncle Killian!" The boy ran right up to them, practically jumping in Killian's lap.
"Lucas!" Ruby chastised. Emma suppressed a grin at the mother getting onto her son for the exact same behavior she'd been guilty of just moments before. "Emma you haven't met the last of our litter. This is Lucas. Lucas say hello to Emma, Killian's mate."
"Hiya!" Lucas offered, and Emma gave him a little wave.
A pang of longing swept through Emma at the sight of the dark headed boy seated on her mate's lap. She and Killian had talked about having children, but neither of them knew if it would be possible. Vampires were incapable of conceiving their own biological offspring, and it was impossible to know if that was one of the traits they'd been saddled with in their hybrid nature. Emma still had her human cycle, though it had been erratic and unpredictable since her change, but had only experienced a wolf heat once in the last eighteen months. She held out hope that one day it would be their own son or daughter snuggled on Killian's lap the way Lucas was now.
Emma's attention piqued at the sound of male voices coming from the back hallway. She turned in time to see Graham and two other men round the corner into the diner. The Alpha gave a nod towards Killian who gently slid Lucas off his lap so he could join the other men, sharing a look with Emma before he did.
Killian had instructed her on the protocols of being on another pack's turf, and they'd both agreed to adhere to them to a certain point. Killian would take the lead initially with Graham and other males, then bring her into the conversation as his mate and partner.
"Killian," Graham greeted, "I'd like you to meet Arthur." Emma turned her attention to the man and began sizing him up. He offered a friendly smile, but it didn't sit right with Emma. "He's Alpha of the Camelot pack up north. Arthur, this is Killian Jones."
"Ah, yes. The infamous hybrid I've heard so much about." Arthur extended his hand and after a moment's consideration Killian accepted the gesture. Nothing about the interaction was threatening, but her mate's rigidity at the man's comment had Emma on guard all the same. "Allow me to introduce Lance, my Beta."
The two men nodded amicably at one other before Killian beckoned her over with a glance. "And allow me to introduce you both to my mate, Emma."
Killian's arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her in close; a sign of possession to the other males that he rarely ever demonstrated, and one that Emma found kind of sexy. She shook the thought, and its eventual spiral of temptation, from her mind and nodded toward the men. No hands were extended her way. Physical contact with an Alpha's mate was considered a grave infraction, unless the other male was a close relation.
"Well, I must say. You're not at all what I was expecting," Arthur commented, his gaze lingering a little too long on her as he appeared to size them both up just as she'd done with him from the counter.
"And we weren't expecting another outsider's presence, so I guess we are even in that regard," Killian stated. His attention shifted back to Graham with a quizzically raised brow.
"Arthur's pack experienced a number of vampire attacks earlier in the year," Graham relayed in a hushed tone. "It was never caught, which makes me wonder if-"
"If it could be the same one," Emma finished, drawing incredulous looks from the males. Their stares were obviously meant to chastise her for speaking out of turn, but Killian's supportive squeeze at her hip and amused huff bolstered her confidence in the face of their scowls.
"Perhaps we should take this conversation elsewhere," Arthur suggested with a quick scan of the now bustling lunch crowd within the diner. "We don't need the whole of Storybrooke overhearing the tale. Might start people panicking more than they already are."
Graham agreed and led the group to a back room past the diner's kitchen. He informed them that it was entirely soundproof, something quite common in a community full of super hearing werewolves, so anything said wouldn't be overheard, allowing them to speak freely.
Arthur was about to launch into his tale of what his pack had faced when Killian questioned, "Are we not waiting for a representative from the Oz pack?"
"There isn't one."
"What do you mean, there isn't one?" Emma inquired in confusion. How can that be?
"Well, seeing as how their Alpha is dead," Arthur stated callously, "and your mate killed their Beta, and other high ranking members last year-"
"What about their Alpha's mate?" Emma cut him off sharply; unwilling to listen to the man's accusatory tone any longer.
The visiting Alpha flushed a deep shade of crimson at being interrupted before growling. "It's not her place."
Emma's brows shot toward her hairline, and she felt Killian tense up beside her. "I'd watch your tone there, mate."
"I wouldn't have to watch my tone if she'd stayed back with the other females where she belongs." His comment was directed entirely toward Killian, his dismissive and chauvinistic attitude on full display now.
"I am where I belong. Killian and I are a package deal." Emma crossed her arms over her chest. She wasn't about to let the man dismiss her, and she knew there was no way Killian would allow it anyway, which only bolstered her to throw an additional barb his way. "Being arcane creatures doesn't mean we have to follow archaic mindsets."
"There is something to be said for the old ways," Arthur quipped with a nonchalant air that didn't match the tight set of his shoulders. "You should keep your bitch on a leash, Jones. Or better yet, muzzle her, so the rest of us don't have to endure her."
Killian gave the arrogant ass a smirk as he brought his hand up to rub behind his ear. "Well, you've gone and done it now, mate."
Fully expecting a physical retaliation to come from Killian, Arthur didn't see the right cross from an incensed Emma which landed him on his back. Graham extended his arm, stopping Lance from coming to his Alpha's aid while Killian placed a calming hand on her shoulder before stepping forward to menacingly stand over Arthur. "I don't restrain my mate, mate. Best keep that in mind."
"Or else his mate is going to kick your ass," Emma threatened.
"Enough!" Graham commanded before allowing Lance to assist his Alpha off the floor. "Now that we've all establish the hierarchy of our alliance, let's get down to business."
Emma snapped her head towards Graham, and realization of why he hadn't intervened until then set in. He knew that in order for all of them to work together a hierarchy would have to be established among them. Given that they were on his turf and there by his invitation, Graham was the highest ranking male, which left Arthur and Killian to battle it out for where they would fall in the order of things. Emma also realized that by taking a step back and letting her engage Arthur, Killian had established both of them as dominant over the insufferable Alpha. Granted, Arthur would probably only defer to Killian and not her, but regardless, Emma couldn't help the satisfaction she felt at having assisted her mate in claiming that place of authority within their group.
A satisfaction that didn't last as Arthur continued to be dismissive, not only of her, but Killian as well, as the afternoon wore on. Graham, at least, seemed to recognize and respect their expertise in tracking and apprehending arcane criminals. Deferring to both of their observations and suggestions as he and Arthur brought them up to speed, he adjourned their meeting in agreement of Killian's suggestion that they reconvene in the morning and scout out the areas the attacks had occurred.
"Try and find the villain's lair, as it were."
"That settles it then," Graham announced. "We'll meet here tomorrow morning and begin our search for this... thing."
Graham led them out of the back room and into the sparsely populated diner, still serving those few patrons who'd come in at the tail end of dinner service. Arthur and Lance excused themselves to head upstairs to their rooms in the B&B, saying they'd call something up from the kitchen later. Arthur did request that Graham walk with him as he had something of a personal nature to discuss with him, and Emma's eyes narrowed suspiciously after them.
"You two must be famished," Granny chided at the sight of Killian and Emma re-entering the diner. "Take a seat in one of the booths and I'll have Ruby bring you something."
She and Killian did as they were told, and Emma eagerly relaxed into the booth now that it was just the two of them again.
"So, do we have to work with that jackass?" Emma asked sassily hoping to tease a smile from Killian's lips. He'd been wound up tighter than she'd ever seen him all afternoon.
"I'm afraid so, love," Killian muttered. "He's here at Graham's behest, so we'll have to endure his presence until this vampire is stopped."
"I guess we'll just have to find him quickly then," Emma continued, still trying to lighten the mood from her broody and sullen mate. "Otherwise I'll have to work on my sparring technique so I can really break the douchebag's nose next time."
Killian's expression soured, the complete opposite reaction she'd been trying to elicit from him. "I'm sorry you had deal with that, Swan. I should have stepped in sooner-"
"You don't have anything to apologize for," she interjected. "Besides, I think I handled him pretty well."
"Aye, you did," Killian agreed with a hint of pride before his demeanor soured once more. "But you shouldn't have had to. If he'd truly seen me as an Alpha, recognized me as one worthy of that respect, he never would have treated you that way."
Killian's fist was balled tightly on top of the table. His knuckles were turning white from the strain of clenching it in his apparent rage. Emma reached over and gently placed her hand over it.
"Hey. It's okay," she assured him. "It's no different than any of the prejudice we've faced before, right?" A saucy smirk pulled at hers lips when his eyes finally met her. "He's clearly trying to compensate for some kind of shortcoming that we both know you don't have to worry about. She threw him a wink, and was rewarded with an amused huff as he released his fist and took hold of her hand.
They sat in silence, each rubbing soothing circles over the other's hand with their thumbs, speaking volumes to one another through just their gazes until Ruby deposited plates in front of them.
"Hey, Ruby?" Emma called, gaining the brunette's attention. "What can you tell us about that Arthur guy?"
"You mean King Arthur," Ruby sassed with a roll of her eyes.
Emma exchanged an arched brow with Killian before scooting over and gesturing for Ruby to join them.
"What do you mean King Arthur?"
"The guy runs his pack like a mini-kingdom," she relayed as she slid in next to Emma. "Really old fashioned ideas about hierarchy, women's roles, and werewolf superiority. He's a total weasel."
"Yeah, we got that," Emma snorted past the onion ring she'd just stuck in her mouth.
"How is it that I've never heard mention of him before?" Killian posed dubiously.
"None of us had," Ruby replied. "Camelot has led a pretty secluded existence for hundreds of years. One of the last secret holdouts in the area, apparently."
Emma nodded in understanding. For the vast majority of the world, arcane creatures were still the stuff of myths and legends. There was an entire subculture of human awareness of the reality, though. Organizations and individuals who'd become aware of their existence through a variety of circumstances, good and bad, and for the betterment of all, worked in cooperation with supernatural communities to keep the arcane world a secret.
Emma had discovered over the course of her experience in bail bonds and as a bounty hunter, and more recently as one of these creatures herself, that the secrecy of the arcane world didn't just pertain to humans, but permeated the supernatural world itself. Distrust between the various species, even within their own kinds, had caused many communities to seclude themselves from not only the human world, but the arcane one as well.
"Several weeks ago, patrols found a body just outside our borders during the start of the thaw," Ruby continued. "They'd obviously been there since winter, and weren't a part of either of the Storybrooke packs, so Graham worked some of his channels to try and find out who the poor soul belonged to. That's how he discovered the Camelot pack. There'd been rumors of a pack further north, but few had ever had contact with them. It took some time for Graham and Arthur to build a rapport with each other, but once Arthur found out we'd had attacks too, he offered whatever help Graham thought we might need. After what happened to the Oz Alpha…"
Ruby went quiet. Emma could smell the swell of fear that had taken over. Fear that her mate could be the next victim, just as Graham's father had been nearly a century before.
"We'll find it, Ruby," Killian assured as he covered her hand with his. "Emma and I will see to it that this thing hurts no one else."
Ruby gave him a grateful smile, but Emma could tell that her worry wasn't completely assuaged.
"Did you want me to get you a room ready?" Granny asked as she approached their table. The diner was now mostly empty, given the hour. Citizens had been encouraged to adhere to a curfew until the culprit behind the attacks was found, and it looked as though most were taking heed of that warning. Emma found herself feeling rather tired, and didn't mind the prospect of turning in early as well.
Before she could reply though, Killian answered for them "No. We're going to stay at the cabin."
His short tone caught her off guard, but Granny didn't seem too put off by it.
"I figured you'd want to be in your own space." Ruby smirked. "I went by yesterday to spruce the place up a bit and stock it for you."
For the first time in several hours, Killian seemed to finally relax a bit. Even if just marginally. They finished their meals, said their goodnights, then headed off towards the cabin. Emma couldn't seem to make sense of her thoughts as they drove. She wanted to ask Killian his impressions about the day without any other ears listening in, wanted to figure out what had him so wound up. They'd gone after a number of nasty creatures together, and none of those cases had ever affected him like this. Was it concern for Ruby and Granny that had him so on edge? Unfortunately, exhaustion from the day caused her to doze off before she could pose a single question his way.
Killian parked the truck in front of the cabin and took a moment to take in the sight of it from the illumination of the headlights. He probably should have asked Emma if she'd be alright coming back here. Discussion of their accommodations while in Storybrooke hadn't really come up while they'd prepared for the trip, but he felt certain his mate was under the impression that they'd stay at Granny's. Honestly, it had probably been his intention as well, but that was before…
Killian shut off the engine and turned his focus to the sleeping woman beside him. A pleasant ache settled in his chest at the peacefulness resting on her features, and he was loathe to wake her. He was certainly capable of carrying her into the cabin without rousing her, but knew she'd want to shower and get her bearings before actually turning in for the night. Resigned, he reached over and gave her shoulder a gentle shake.
"Swan? Love, we're here. Wake up."
A small smile pulled at his lips from the stretch and little noises she made as she came to, which caused some of the tension he'd been carrying to release a bit more from his frame. Rapid blinks from her eyes preceded her focused gaze as it landed on the cabin before them. Killian heard an uptick in her pulse and cursed himself. He should have known this place would cause such a reaction within her.
"I'm sorry, love. I should have asked you about staying here. It was selfish of me. You probably never wanted to see this place again-"
Emma halted his broodings with the press of her fingers against his mouth. "Stop. I'm fine." Her fingertips skimmed lightly over his lips then down his neck, sending his own pulse into overdrive as her hand came to rest against his chest. A knowing smirk teased the corner of her mouth from the thundering of his heart under her palm, but then her expression turned a bit more serious as she continued, "You've been on edge all day. Ever since we got into town. If being out here makes you more comfortable, then I'm absolutely fine with staying in the cabin." Killian opened his mouth to protest, but she cut him off. "This is your home, Killian. Your place of sanctuary. I might not have the best memories of this place, but I do have a few good ones. And one in particular that trumps all the bad ones."
"And what memory is that, Swan?"
"Becoming yours. Your mate and your bond."
Killian sucked in a tight breath then released it as a shaky sigh. The primal instincts that had been gnawing at him all day welled up within him, forcing him to surge forward and lay claim to her mouth. She was his, by the gods. His. Possessiveness snarled in each of his nerve endings and manifested itself in the demanding crush of his lips against hers and the command of his tongue to give him access to her own.
He pushed her back until she was pressed against the passenger door, his body splayed over the top of hers on the bench seat. Hands roamed greedily, groping at all the places that might elicit a growl or a groan from the other. Killian wanted to tear at the offending garments keeping him from his Swan's skin, but before he could get a proper grip she tore her mouth from his.
"Easy there, tiger," she panted. "We might want to get into the cabin first. I remember that bed being a bit more comfortable than this door panel is pressing into my back."
Killian suppressed the urge to reprimand her for the interruption. Startled that such a notion even occurred to him, he bit down on his tongue and moved back to the driver's side. What the bloody hell was wrong with him? He would never put his own wants and desires before Emma's comfort, so where was this aggression coming from? Perhaps he just needed to get them inside where he could regain some modicum of control.
With a quick breath to try and calm his keyed up body and emotions, Killian swept a hand through his hair and opened the door to exit the truck. Having grabbed their luggage from the bed, he took Emma's hand and walked them to the front of the cabin. Mindful of her emotional state as they approached the door, he was relieved that she seemed calm and relaxed. A state he craved for himself as he unlocked and pushed open the door, then took in a deep breath that he hoped would bring him some peace.
The intake, however, had the complete opposite effect.
"Killian?" Emma questioned behind him.
His hair stood on end and he froze in predatory readiness, a low growl rumbled in his chest that caused her defenses to rise in response as well. "Someone's been here," he snarled.
"You mean other than Ruby?"
"Aye. Take a whiff."
Emma stepped inside and drew in a deep breath. Her brows furrowed as she tried to process the multitude of scents clinging to the air.
"Do you smell it?" he asked. "That sort of… stale, musty sweetness? Like mildew, but without the hint of dampness?"
Emma's eyes widened, her own growl now resonating in the back of her throat as she surveyed the cabin with her own superior senses. "Vampire," she spat, now recognizing the odor they both attributed to that species of arcane creatures.
"It's alright, Swan. It's long gone now," he assured her, even as he struggled to keep his own anger over the intrusion in check.
"How the hell did it get in here without an invitation?" Emma questioned. "You don't think Ruby-"
"It wouldn't need an invitation before now," Killian reminded. "They only need to be invited into places where the living dwell. No one living has dwelled here for over a year."
"Do you think it's been squatting here during the attacks?"
The idea of that had Killian seeing red before logic insisted, "No. Ruby would have smelled it.
It must have entered after she'd gone, or perhaps even earlier today."
"So it can just come and go from here as it pleases now?"
Killian could hear the trepidation in her voice, and was quick to wrap his arms around her before reassuring, "No, love. We're dwelling here now. Unless you'd rather go back to Granny's?"
"No," she insisted firmly. "I'm not letting anything else drive you from your home."
Killian smiled down at her then brushed his nose against hers. "Our home." This close to her face he could now make out the dark circles under her eyes. It hadn't occurred to him that the day had taken its toll on his mate as much as it had on him, but clearly it had. "Why don't you go get settled and ready for bed. I'll take stock of what Ruby's left us, and make sure the cabin is secure, yeah?"
Killian followed her into the bedroom and deposited their luggage on the bed before returning to the main part of the cabin. Not much had changed really. Ruby or Granny had seen to it that the bedroom door had been replaced, and they'd obviously tended to the place since he'd left. The fact was that the cabin and the land it sat on actually belonged to Granny. It had been in her family since Storybrooke was founded, and when Graham had agreed to let Killian return all those decades ago it had been the perfect place for him to make a home. Far enough away from the packs, and on neutral land that had never been annexed by the pack or the town proper.
The more he checked the cabin the more he'd hoped the sense of the familiar would calm him, but it was to no avail. A thorough assessment of the now fortified cellar only served to spike his ire further when he caught wind of the blood sucking intruder's scent again. There was something about it Killian couldn't quite put his finger on, but he swore he'd smelled it before and it was an infuriating feeling that he couldn't pinpoint where or when.
Infuriating. That word could easily sum up his entire day.
He hadn't been prepared for it, hadn't even considered how different it would be to return to Storybrooke in the new role his bonds with Emma had given him. An Alpha. A Dominant. It was something he knew lingered just under the surface of who he was, what he was, but he'd meant it when he'd told Graham that final morning before he'd left that he'd never treat Emma as anything but his equal. She was his equal, and over the last year and a half they'd operated that way, had lived their lives that way. The Swan-Jones Bounty Hunters, both using their own unique skills to track down and bring arcane creatures to justice. As partners.
Killian had spent his entire life suppressing the qualities that made him superior to others. With no pack to guide him in roles of hierarchy, serving and taking orders in two world wars had sufficiently prepared him for a life of deference under the Storybrooke charter. As a loner and outcast, it had become almost second nature to swallow his pride and take the barbs and insults hurled his way. His dominance could take the hit, and nothing had been worth upsetting the status quo.
Until Emma.
She'd changed everything the day she broke down outside of town. Even before they knew, or admitted that a bond existed between them, Killian had felt protective of her. He'd had to check himself numerous times over the course of those full moon cycle days to not exert too much of his dominance; an instinct that had become easier to control when they'd returned to Emma's home.
Being two unique arcane creatures in a predominantly human landscape had set him and Emma above their associates by the sheer fact of what they were. Those they worked with naturally deferred to their authority, but not only because of their hybrid natures. Emma had proven herself a force to be reckoned with even as a human, and once it had become common knowledge that the papers and academic journals they all relied on in dealing with the more supernatural of skips had actually been penned by him, Killian had garnered an equal amount of their respect.
Killian hadn't realized how much the submission of their human community to his and Emma's authority had helped him channel his Alpha tendencies. When he'd come into town earlier in the day however, he could feel the difference coursing through him. A community of werewolves wasn't going to be so quick to offer up that same level of respect. It had to be earned.
As soon as he'd learned Graham had invited another outsider into town to assist, Killian knew a battle for supremacy would be required so a chain of command could be established within their tenuous alliance. It had been his intention from the offset that Emma would be the one to earn their place in the pecking order, but he hadn't expected the distasteful inclination his deep seated, dominantly primal instincts had dredged up. The thought that perhaps, despite being a complete sodding git, Arthur had a point, and Emma should have stayed back with the other women.
It was utter bollocks! They'd have all been fools to not include her. There was no one better at finding people, human or otherwise, than his Emma, and regardless, they were a team. He couldn't have been more proud of they way she'd stood her ground with the other Alpha, or how she'd laid him out with just one punch; both demonstrations stirring more than just his pride, if he was being honest. However, the continued dismissive and belittling tone they'd both received from the man for the remainder of the afternoon had only served to add to the powder keg of emotion Killian had tried to quell, and now he feared this added insult of a vampire daring to enter his domain would set him off in a most volatile way.
His hands shook with fury, and a hot coil of rage twisted in his gut. Vaguely aware that Emma was done with her shower, and would seek him out, Killian went to the kitchen sink to splash cold water onto his face. Pressing the tea towel against his features, he was finally able to draw a breath that didn't include hints of the trespasser.
"Are you coming to bed?" Emma called out from the bedroom.
"In a bit." Killian hoped his tight tone wouldn't betray his turmoil, but he really ought to know better by now.
"Killian?" He knew Emma had emerged from the room, even though his back was to her. He could hear her concern at having found him hunched over the sink. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," he replied quickly as he straightened and made himself busy with returning the towel to its proper place.
"Don't nothing me," she admonished as she crossed to him. "I can tell something's wrong, so what's going on with you?"
She tugged at his shoulder to force him to face her, and he felt his eyes flash at her action. She gasped and Killian bowed his head in shame. None of this was her fault. He had no desire to take it out on her. She was his mate, his bond, if he couldn't share what he was feeling with her, then...
"I just," he started stiffly. "I feel so out of control right now."
"Well, that's understandable," she soothed. "It's okay to feel-"
"No! It's not!" Killian barked. His unexpected outburst made Emma flinch back, and remorse consumed him again. "I'm so sorry, Swan. I didn't mean to… I just..."
Emma stepped forward and ran her fingers down the side of face. Her eyes were filled with love and tenderness, his surliness already forgiven. "Tell me," she whispered softly.
"I used to be able to bury it," he began again in strained bursts. "My dominance. Serving in both wars, taking orders, never really having been part of a pack. It made it easier to defer to other males, other Alphas. But ever since…"
"Ever since you turned me, and became one yourself?"
Killian nodded and released a diverted breath. Of course, she understood.
"That primal nature isn't as easy to bury anymore, especially here. As much as I consider you my equal Emma, I can't deny the dominant part of me that exists just beneath the surface. Not having other Alphas acknowledge it, acknowledge me. Having this… thing invade my territory." He could feel the spiral of chaos swirling through him again, causing him to snarl out the remainder of his explanation. "My dominant nature hates the lack of control, and I-I need..."
"What do you need, Killian?" Emma pressed.
"I…," Killian wet his lips, his gaze falling to the pulse thrumming in her neck, and the deep plunge of her robe as it framed her cleavage. "I need…"
Emma knowingly brushed back the damp hair resting over her shoulder, exposing the full expanse of her neck to him, then she began loosening the belt on her robe until she was able to slip the garment from her shoulders, revealing her bare form underneath. "Take what you need, Killian. Whatever you need."
Killian wrapped his hand around the back of neck and pulled her to him, sinking his fangs into the tender flesh of her throat and drawing deeply from the well of luxury he found there. He groaned at the hot rush of pleasure coursing through him from having his Emma in his veins. There was no other sensation like it, and only a few could compare to its euphoria. His skin came alive, every hair stood on end from the current of power electrifying his senses and igniting his primal urges.
A throaty moan escaped Emma's lips and he felt her hands at his belt and the fastenings of his pants. Fiery need licked its flames of desire up and down his spine, a sudden blaze combusted within his blood at the salty mixture of hers, and a burning he had no interest in controlling consumed him as he lifted Emma into his arms. Reluctantly, he pulled his lips from her vein and crashed them to her lips as he unceremoniously deposited her on the island behind them. Slipping his jeans just low enough to free himself, he gauged the level of her readiness before plunging himself inside her, each of them gasping and groaning at the way only he could fill her.
The frenzy continued through the rough snap of his hips. Emma's thighs clamped firmly against him, her arms wrapped tightly around his shoulders as she held on through the punishing rhythm he pounded out between them. She crossed her ankles behind him and shifted her pelvis against his, the new angle caused her to through her head back, exposing the expanse of temptation to his more feral urgings. He wouldn't take from her again just yet, though. A sweeter reward would infuse her blood once she came, a reward he found himself quite impatient for.
"You love it when I take you like this, don't you love?" Killian panted.
His own release was approaching quickly, seeing his mate completely surrendered to him as he took her again and again, watching her welcome him over and over at the point of their union with a look of unbridled trust and ecstasy on her face only served to spur him on in his efforts to possess her fully.
"No one else has ever made you feel this way, have they? Have they?!"
"No," Emma replied breathlessly. "No one else."
"You crave me, don't you," he stated. The evidence was clearly displayed by the fangs now toying at her bottom lip.
"God, yes," she cried, her legs beginning to quiver against his as her back arched in anticipation for the coming bliss. "I want to taste you, Killian. Please. Let me taste you."
"Then take from me, Emma," he commanded. "I want you filled with my essence in every way imaginable. Marked as mine from the inside out." He reached up and ran his fingers over the only remnant of her change still visible, the transformative werewolf bite he'd administered in order to save her life. Emma hissed as his fangs sank into her neck once more, and he groaned appreciatively as hers pierced his flesh before she began to draw his blood, his very life, into herself.
He tasted her release before he felt it. A sweet spike of ambrosia blended with the coppery notes of her blood just before he felt the vibrations of her moans against his skin and the tremor of her walls clenching around his member. The extravagance of the sensations pushed him over his own precipice and he came with guttural utterances of his own against her neck, knowing his Swan was now experiencing the same decadence flowing from his veins he had from hers.
Killian broke away from her neck with a delicate swipe of his tongue over the puncture marks that would quickly heal from their rapid regeneration. She mirrored the action before they pressed their foreheads together, now drawing breath from one another as they just had with each other's blood. As he came down from his high, Killian began to feel the needles of reproach prickling under his skin.
"I'm sorry, Sw-"
"I swear to god. If you apologize to me one more time Killian Jones, I will not be responsible for my actions." Killian chuckled, despite the feelings of bad form he was working to combat. Emma ran her fingers through the scruff at his jaw then pressed up on his chin to tilt his eyes towards eyes. "You have nothing to be sorry for," she whispered softly, moving her hand to card through his tresses which were now damp with the sweat of their exertions, before sweetly adding. "I like it when you go all Alpha male on me. Reminds me of our first time."
Gods, he was a lucky bastard.
Killian pulled her flush against him and held her tightly in his embrace, nuzzling his face into the crook of her neck so he could drink in her scent. For many long moments they stayed that way, Emma scratching the back of his scalp with one hand, as the other traced up and down the curve of his back.
"Feeling better?" she asked when his arms finally loosened from around her torso.
"Aye. Thank you."
"You can thank me by coming to bed," she half commanded with a raise of her brows and tilt of her head. "And promising that you'll clean this counter thoroughly before making me breakfast tomorrow."
Killian glanced down to where their bodies were still barely joined together and grinned wickedly. "Perhaps I'd planned on having you for breakfast."
"Then you can have your breakfast in bed," she chortled. "This island is meant for preparation, not consumption." She wiggled stiffly, attempting to pry her flesh from the hard surface with a slight grimace.
"I'm sor-"
She shot him an exasperated look, and he held up his hands in abdication before fully extracting himself from her, so she could extract herself from the counter. Following her back into the bedroom, he went about removing his clothes while weighing the option of a shower before collapsing in bed. Emma made up his mind for him.
"Go shower," she mumbled as she wallowed into her pillow after climbing under the covers on her side. "You'll feel better after a nice hot shower."
Killian watched her eyes flutter shut, and the corners of his lips ticked up. "Did I wear you out, love?" he teased, though he knew she'd been weary before their extra-curricular activities. Her half snorted hum had him chuffing all the way to the bathroom and through his shower.
She'd been right, he did feel better after some time in the hot steam to help clear his head. Still not quite calmed down enough to actually sleep, Killian went back through the cabin to try and put to rest the niggling feeling he'd had about the vampire's scent. He'd been too preoccupied with the tempest of his storming emotions and instincts earlier to really analyze it properly. Pushing past the dank notes of decay, Killian homed in on the aromatics that made up the unique signature of the creature. What he discovered there gave him pause.
"No." Killian rushed back into the bedroom as silently as he could and inhaled deeply, the redolence of his and Emma's scents confirmed his suspicions. Killian knew exactly who Storybrooke's attacker was, and more importantly, why it was here.
It had come for him.