Chapter Four
Lina let out a heavy sigh as she closed her locker door, slinging her backpack over her shoulder. Biting her lip, she glanced at her phone screen. No new messages. No recent calls. Closing her eyes, she sighed again. Derek had disappeared the other night and, according to Scott, had been shot. The elder werewolf hadn't shown up at the house at all and she and her brother were fearing the worst. Especially since Kate was back. Lina knew before anyone, except maybe Lydia, that the blonde huntress had come back due to Allison. She had gotten a text from the brunette saying her 'awesome aunt Kate' was going to be staying with them for an undetermined amount of time and that she couldn't wait to introduce them. Lina was not looking forward to it. Slipping her phone into her pocket, she jumped when she suddenly heard a slam and whirled around to see a person decked in black pinning Jackson to the lockers. Not even thinking, Lina dashed to Derek and practically tackled him off Jackson, wrapping around him like an octopus as she embraced the man tightly.
"Der! You're okay!" she cried, near tears.
Derek stumbled a bit under the sudden weight, but hugged her back just as tightly.
"What the fuck is going on?!" yelled Jackson, face red in anger, yet there was a sliver of fear in his eyes.
Lina released Derek, ignoring the blonde jock, and frowned deeply when she saw how pale and sick looking her brother in everything but blood looked. "Derek? Are you okay? Is it because of the bitch? I swear, I'm gonna rip that slut's intestines out and strangle her with them." she snarled, planning Kate's death in her head.
Jackson gave her a fearful, wide-eyed look before he started inching away. "I'm gonna go. Bye." He dashed off.
Derek tried to smile, but failed due to the agony his body was in, though his eyes shone with amusement. "Yes, it was Kate. She shot me with some type of rare wolfsbane."
Lina's eyes widened before she draped one of Derek's arms around her shoulders and half carried him out of the school to her brother's jeep. Stiles was impatiently tapping the steering wheel as he waited for her. She and Derek were a foot away when her twin noticed them and he hurriedly got out of the jeep, running to them.
"Oh my gods. Derek, are you okay? Wait, never mind. Obviously you're not okay."
Scott was suddenly there too, looking Derek over. "What happened?"
"I was shot, remember?" Derek rolled his eyes in annoyance.
"He doesn't look too good." Stiles said worriedly.
"Why aren't you healing?" asked Scott with slight concern.
"I can't." Derek gritted out. "It was... it was a different kind of bullet."
"Wait," Scott said, looking as if he suddenly realized something. "That's what she meant when she said you have forty-eight hours."
Stiles and Lina paled before they shot accusing and hurt looks at the elder werewolf, who glance away, refusing to meet their eyes. Lina huffed and helped Derek to the passenger's side of the car. Once he was in, she turned to Scott.
"Scott, go to Allison's and find out what kind of bullet Kate used. We're going to need it in order to save him." she ordered her best friend, who was about to protest before he sighed and nodded.
Stiles stiffened and paled even more. "K-kate? That fuckin' bitch is back?" Fury started coiling inside him.
Scott gaped in shock at his best male friend.
"Yes, she is, now get in the damn car, Stiles. We need to go." Lina snapped as she climbed into the passenger's seat.
Stiles immediately got into the jeep and started it, driving away from the school. Lina opened the glove compartment and took out a packet of tissues, opening it before she climbed into the back with Derek. She started wiping his forehead before she pulled out her phone and called Scott a little while later. Only he didn't answer. Lina cursed and frowned, glaring darkly at her phone.
"Scott's not answering." she hissed.
"He's probably making out with Allison." Stiles retorted, pulling out his own phone to call Scott. He let out a frustrated sigh when the teen wolf didn't answer and sent an angry text.
Lina's eyes narrowed. "I swear to god, if he's sexing it up with her I'm going to rip his fucking dick off. This is not the damn time to get laid." she snarled.
Stiles just scowled at his phone, gritting his teeth when he finally got a text back. "'Need me time'?! What the actual fuck? How much time does it take to find a bullet?!"
"Maybe I should have gone with him." Lina bit her lip. "I could have distracted Kate."
Derek's eyes flashed bright blue and snarled, pain momentarily forgotten. "No! I don't want you anywhere near her! Either of you."
"I know, but someone needs to keep an eye on her. I'd be the only one to actually get close, since I'm Allison's second best friend and her parents like me." Lina stated.
Derek looked like he wanted to argue, but a wave of pain silenced him. Lina helped him get his jacket off and watched him roll up his sleeve. Her chest clenched painfully when she saw the wound.
"Der. Oh my god." she whispered fearfully. "Stiles, get us home. Now."
Stiles nodded and sped up a little bit. Once they got home, Lina and Stiles helped Derek inside and too the kitchen. While Stiles set him down on a chair, Lina dashed up to the attic, which had been cleaned and turned into a 'lair' as Stiles called it. Grabbing a spell book on healing, she flipped through the pages. Finding nothing that would help in their current situation, she picked up a different one. She felt a small burst of hope when she found a spell that would delay the wolfsbane in Derek's bloodstream and sprinted downstairs. Both Stiles and Derek looked up when she burst into the kitchen, spell book in hand.
"I found a spell that'll delay the wolfsbane. It should give us more time." she explained, setting the book down and showing them the spell.
Stiles read it and nodded. Being the one that was better at this type of magic, he agreed to do the spell. He placed his hand over Derek's chest and started chanting the spell. When he finished, Derek's body glowed a bit, signaling that the spell worked. Both teens sighed in relief, though they noticed that Derek was obviously still in pain. Lina grabbed his hand and held it tightly, tears in her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she decided to try something.
'Please, give me some of his pain.' she chanted in her mind, over and over, as she focused on the somewhat wild magic inside her. She gasped when shots of pain washed through her, making her tremble a bit.
Stiles gaped at his sister, who was obviously taking Derek's pain into herself. How, he didn't know, but he knew magic was based on pure will and intent, so it gave him an idea. Derek's body relaxed and his eyes opened, though they widened in alarm when he realized what Lina was doing. He tugged his hand out of her grasp, waking her from her daze. She looked up at him with a questioning stare, her body still trembling.
"Derek?"
"You can't take anymore, Li. You've already taken most of the pain." the green eyed male told her, feeling only a little pain now. And that worried him. Any more and Derek had the feeling that Lina would have taken the wound itself on to her own body.
Stiles eyed his twin with concern, frowning when he saw that she seemed weaker. "Li, go rest."
"No. I'm staying here." Lina said firmly, though she leaned against Derek's leg.
Stiles sighed, knowing it's be pointless to argue.
For the next two hours or so, they waited for Scott to arrive with the bullet. He had called at one point, but that was a while ago. Lina kept drifting in and out of consciousness, Derek and Stiles eyeing her with concern and worry.
"Lina! Stiles!" the trio suddenly heard Scott call as the front door opened.
"We're in the kitchen!" Stiles called back.
"Did you get it?" Derek asked the moment Scott stepped foot in the kitchen.
Scott nodded and pulled out a gold encased bullet.
"What are you gonna do with it?" asked Stiles as Scott handed the bullet to Derek.
Instead of answering him, Derek bit off the top of the bullet and tapped it repeatedly on the island to empty it of the wolfsbane. Pulling out a black lighter, he lit the plant on fire. The flame immediately caught and grew higher, the smoke a blue color. Derek took the remains in his hand and pressed it into the bullet wound. He groaned in pain and fell to the floor as his knees buckled, withering in pain as the wound healed itself. Once the wound was closed, Stiles helped Derek to his feet.
"You okay?" the spastic teen asked the werewolf.
"Well, except from the agonizing pain," Derek replied sarcastically.
"I guess the ability to use sarcasm is a good sign of health." Stiles smiled at him.
Scott frowned. "Okay, we saved your life, which means you're gonna leave us alone, you got that? And if you don't, I'm gonna go back to Allison's dad, and I'm gonna tell him everything-"
"You're gonna trust them? You think they can help you?" Derek interrupted him, Stiles and Lina glaring at their best friend with hurt and betrayal.
"Well, why not? They're a lot freakin' nicer than you are!"
Stiles and Lina scoffed, rolling their eyes.
"I'll show exactly how nice they are." Derek retorted.
"What do you mean?"
The twins sighed, knowing where this was going. While Derek left with Scott, Lina leaned heavily against her brother, struggling to keep upright. Stiles' eyebrows furrowed in concern as he wrapped an arm around her and led her up the stairs to her room. Setting her down on her bed, he was about to leave, but a hand grabbing his arm stopped him. He stopped, giving his sister a questioning look.
"Li?"
"Stay with me, please? I don't want to be alone right now." Lina whispered, scooting over so her twin had room.
Stiles nodded and climbed onto the bed beside her after kicking off his shoes. She cuddled into him, closing her eyes and taking comfort from her brother's presence.
"We almost lost him, Sti." she whispered to him. "That slut hasn't even been here that long and she's already causing pain."
"I know, Li, I know."
"... Allison wants me to meet her."
Stiles stiffened. "I don't want you near her. What if she finds out we're part of the Hale Pack? She'll kill you."
"She can try." Lina looked up and meet his eyes. "Until she's gone, we're both to have a weapon on us at all times. Even if its something small like a pocket knife."
Her brother nodded, relaxing. "The magic is a bonus."
"Hm. Maybe we'll get the chance to fry her ass."
Stiles snorted. "If we're lucky."
Lina grinned, a yawn making her close her eyes again. "G'night, lil' bro."
"I'm the older twin, not you, remember?"
"Whatever you say."
"Seriously, I'm older by 14 minutes."
"Go to sleep or I won't make crepes in the morning."
"Yes ma'am."