((Sorry for the long wait for another chapter. Life's been playing catch up with me:P hope you enjoy this and hopefully new chapters will be sooner forthcoming then this one! Cheers and thank you for the reviews!))
I can`t remember how long I was holed up in that bed, but it seemed like a millennia. People came, and went bringing me food, water, and a cornucopia of things to preoccupy my time. The only constant thing in my life during the weeks I spend recuperating was Reese. He hardly ever left my bedside. More often than not whenever I awoke he was either dozing on the chair next to my bed, or sitting by the window watching the world outside. The rainy months had since passed and already the weather had shifted to bright unhindered sunshine. Summer had come, and the warm weather brought cheer, I figured that was a tempestra demon thing.
Jaime came often to visit me, but continually told me I was still too weak from the aneurism to work with her on anything more tasking then talking to Eve, and Eve kept telling me I'd been overly reckless when I'd risked my life for 'a werewolf who could easily take care of his damned self'. Both were none too pleased with what I'd done, but each grudgingly gave me the props summoning lightning deserved, and both made me promise never to do it again, or Eve would make my afterlife hell and Jaime would summon my spirit into a beached tuna fish. Neither punishment sounded appealing, so the promise came easily.
"How's my favourite patient doing this morning?" Jeremy asked me about a month into my recuperation. By this point I felt strong enough to actually get farther then the window or washroom, so I waved him off, stood up in my flannel jammies and tank top and wandered off.
"I feel like I need to actually go out and do something, if I'm allowed?" Jeremy and I had developed an odd relationship these past few weeks, to say the least. He babied me worst of all, treated me like a frail exotic animal in a foreign eco system. Reese, who was almost always in my room laughed at my comment, earning a glare from me, which promptly shut him up.
"What?" he said smirking. He stood, striding over to me with only a few short steps of his long legs, wrapping me up in what I thought was a hug, but proved to deteriorate into a fireman's carry. As he tossed me up into his arms and over his shoulder, he laughed. "We do need groceries, feel up to a tri[ into town? And don't worry, it's already cool with Jeremy…right?" Reese said, his eyes roving to his Alpha. Jeremy just shook his head smirking as Reese dragged me over to Clay and Elena's room.
"Put me doooown!" I whined at Reese, squirming like a squid trapped in a tempura machine. My arms flailed and my legs wriggled in his grip, but the wolf had me good, and never even so much as twitched at my actions. When he ignored my pleas I sighed. "Fine, but if Elena is coming, I call shot gun." He gave no argument, and so he dropped me off at Elena's door. She opened it and let me in snorting.
"You two can be completely ridiculous, you know that?" she ushered me in and handed me a few large bags full of clothing. "Nick went shopping for you back when you first got here in your mild comatose, I've been keeping these for you for when you got better. The room they have you in has no closet, and we're still in the process of making the dresser, though Clay's almost done. Get changed and be outside in 10. I'm driving us to town for some grocery shopping. The twins finished off all the bacon, again." She shook her head as she referred to her twin children, Logan and Kate, those two were quitter the handful. They'd come to see me once and a while. Logan often asked if the dead could tell him better ways to hunt, and Kate always wondered if I'd inherit the madness, she'd heard Jaime mention it. I'd never met children quite like them, and I doubted I'd ever meet any such again.
After I was dressed in simple shorts and a t-shirt I hurried downstairs where I came face to face with Jaime. "Going out? Are you sure you're strong enough Holly? It's only been a few weeks. Did you want me to come? And should you leave? I mean we're none closer to figuring out who this Edison group is, reports are sketchy at best." She continued on and made me huff softly, rolling my eyes, and I almost choked on my spit realizing I used to do the same thing to Mom before she'd been killed. Jaime must have noticed the change in my demeanour, because she placed her hand on my shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "Look at me overreacting, god, I'm sorry hon, sometimes I forget you're not a little kid, you're what, 19?" she rubbed my shoulder gently as I replied.
"20, and its fine. Just you reminded me a lot of my mom when you said it is all. I miss her. And it's just groceries, how dangerous can a Wegman's be?" I laughed, moving to give her a light hug, something she encouraged me to do with her at all times. "I'll be back soon, and then you can teach me some necromancy stuff, ok? Really I'm way better." I hurried off hearing Elena honking the horn of the jeep. I was getting too close to all of then, I knew it, and I could feel it. At the same time, I liked it. I loved having a surrogate family, mock brothers, sisters and Jaime as a mother figure, but at the same time, I felt ashamed. I was a burden, I was trouble and worst of all I could be endangering them with every breath I took. Staying in Syracuse was the most selfish thing I'd ever done, and the sad bit was, I wasn`t even feeling that guilty.
"Have you been able to locate project Phoenix yet?" he asked, his dark eyes bordered on black. The nurse eyed him with a mixture of fear and admiration. She held her clip board close to her heart, as if for protection as she stood in his presence. He noticed she shook when she spoke to him, which made him feel all the more powerful, and why shouldn't he feel thusly? He ran the whole damned group. They should all tremble for him if they knew what he was capable of.
"N…no sir, we've got eyes and ears all over New York state looking for her. Our spies have virtually all corners of the state covered, from hotels, hostels, supermarkets, even the amusement park has a spy or two from our group looking for Project Phoenix. It's like she's just vanished from the grid. And our Clairvoyants are having no luck either. It's likely the witches the pack knows are veiling her with spells." She replied. Could he smell her fear? Did he know how weak and insignificant he made her feel. Would he kill her for her lack of progress?
"See that she is found soon, Louisa, or I may grow impatient and require a new specimen…you're a half demon aren't you? You could serve just as well as the girl if it really came down to it, but would you survive the initial treatment I wonder." His voice was low and dangerous, and he grinned wider as she looked about ready to wet herself. That was what he craved. The sorcerer raised his hand, which made her drop her clipboard and squeal. "Now get out of my sight, and get me results or it will be you on my table next." She ran, which just made it all the sweeter.
"You'll scare away the help that way, Nero." Scarlett called to the sorcerer from her dark corner. "And this group won't function well without the help, you know that. What good is a game of chess when there are no pawns?" the vampire stood, her pale skin translucent in the dim lighting of Nero's office. The sorcerer turned to the vampire and chuckled.
"I suppose you've got it right, but I want results, and if we're to summon Focalor, we need that girl. She's a Tempestra which makes her his progeny, and to boot, she'd a necromancer, giving her a near direct contact link to his realm if we can harness her." Nero eyed the vampire, taking her in. She was lean and taller than most men, her russet hair had earned her the name Scarlett among his people of the Edison group, no one but he knew her true name. She merely chuckled.
"We're looking to summon the great storm demon. He's millions of years old, he can wait a few more weeks to come and wreak the havoc we crave on this poor unsuspecting world, can't he?" her tone was low, dangerous, warning. The Sorcerer knew his power over her was as much as Louisa's power over him, non-existent. He nodded at the vampire, who proceeded to leave him alone in his dark office. She was an enigma, Scarlett, no not Scarlett, Elizabeth Bathory the blood countess of Hungary. She was not a figure one ever wished to trifle with, not even a very powerful sorcerer.
"Sold out of Bacon? You have to be kidding me! The twins are not going to be happy about this." Elena said as we moved out of the cold meat aisle. I pushed the cart along as Reese scouted up ahead. He came back waving a dozen packages of turkey bacon, making Elena chuckle. "They'll know the difference, but bacon is bacon, no matter what animal it's made from. You two keep shopping from the list, I promised Jaime I'd grab something for her while we were here." Elena hurried off, leaving me alone with Reese, which all things considered worked out well for me.
"How's your taste of freedom going Rapunzel? Nice to be free from your tower?" Reese teased. I leaned over to punch his shoulder, wincing as I did so. He simply laughed and flexed his well-toned arms. "Yea that's right."
"One of these days you're going to be so sorry you teased me so much. I won't be here forever for you to bother you know?" I'd meant it as a joke, but his smile vanished at my words, and a look of…well I wasn't sure what that look was, disappointment, maybe it was anger, but all of it was hurt. She'd pause, watching him closely. "I…I didn't mean that Reese." My voice was strained, every time I felt I hurt him I felt guilty, which was just plain ridiculous, we were squared off, he and I there was no reason to feel like that.
"You can't go" he said simply, looking at me with his intense gaze. His eyes felt like they would engulf me. "You're part of our pack now, like Jaime, and Savannah, you don't get to go lone wolf, Holly. You don't get to walk into our lives and walk on out like some transient." His words made me look closer at his body language. Mom had been better at reading body language then me, but it was clear my words had hit a nerve.
"I'm sorry." I said it softly, simply, my hand moving to clutch his gently. He'd been by my side a long time, through the whole recuperation. I'd been callous saying I'd leave him alone someday soon. He was my friend, maybe more than that, and I'd gone and rained on his parade. "I'm still getting used to not having to run and hide every time I go outside. Forgive me?" I grinned to him, pushing the cart away from us to move in and poke my face towards his. He tried to avoid my eyes at first, but like usual, he smirked and nodded, giving in to the little game.
We found Elena at the checkout with a turkey, a whole 20 pound turkey. Reese locked at it and was nearly licking his lips. "Thanksgiving came early?" he asked, making both myself and Elena laugh.
"No, Jaime was just looking to cook for us tonight, which may or may not turn out horrible. So I'm glad you guys grabbed a bunch of frozen pizzas, we may need them. " She grinned and it was infectious. For the month and a bit that I'd been living with them, the wolves seemed warm, nothing like I'd worried it would be. It was nice to have a home, even if it should have been temporary. As we checked out, Reese moved closer to me. His breathing got a bit ragged as he hurried me out of the grocery store, Elena hot on his heels with our loot.
"What's going on guys?" I asked, my own heart starting to pound. This felt more like my life, it made me wonder how I'd deluded myself into thinking I could have a real home. They packed the car and drove home the long way. Down the winding trails and around half the city before heading back to Stonehaven. "What's going on! I'm serious! You guys are freaking me out." Reese got out of the car as we parked, opening my door and literally scooping me out of my seat, snapping the seat belt from around my torso.
"We were being watched, and then tailed. One man followed us through the store, his eyes never left you, Holly, and the Beemer in the parking lot parked across from us followed us around half the city until Elena lost him at the intersection when the train came by. We need to get you inside and well hidden. We'll need to stay in the basement, well away from peering eyes, okay?" he sounded worried, almost panicked and it made me cling to his form tighter.
"Reese has the right idea, I'll alert Jeremy and Clay and we'll get the basement liveable for you" Reese eyed her. "For both of you to live in, beds, blankets and Parcheesi. All homey." Her tone wasn't any more calm then Reese's which only increased my own panic. They'd found me. The Edison group had finally found me. I'd need to run again, I knew I would.
"No, I should go, it's not safe for me here, I'll bring them on you, they'll...what if they take the Twins too." My eyes burned, but like hell I was going to cry. Mom had raised me better. "Elena, I can't risk your family for hiding me." I wriggled, trying to escape Reese's grip, but he only held me closer and tighter to him.
"I told you earlier, Holly, you're part of the pack, we protect our own, and you entered that realm when you almost died saving me. So suck it up and get over this whole 'I'm a danger to anyone and I can't be happy' complex you have. This is your home and like hell we're going to let anyone take you without a god damned fight." And that effectively shut me right up. Was that what I seemed like to him? A pathetic emo kid crying about being a danger. The world on me, weighing. It made my heart ache to hear him of all people speak those words, and I was silent, for once.
"Get her downstairs now, Reese, take some clothes and some blankets for you both. Jeremy will check on you when were sure they haven't followed us here." She was firm, and Reese only nodded, moving to deposit me in the basement on the lone chair which sat in the middle of it. He left to get the blankets and clothing and I was left to my thoughts.
Was I really not a burden? What had I done to deserve their protection? For them to risk their lives and freedoms for me? And it struck me. I was in a pack house, full of pack wolves. They'd effectively adopted me into their fold. Like Mom, they were my family, and I prayed they would not die like she did for me as well. When Reese returned, he draped my blanket over my shoulders, moving to sit by my side on the floor. And he took note of my silence, frowning.
"I didn't mean what I said, Holly, I was angry, and worried." I moved to close my had in his shaggy light hair, letting my fingers slip through his silken tresses. He leaned into the touch, not unlike a dog may a pet.
"No, Reese, you're not allowed to apologize for showing me what a moron I've been for a long time. You're right, I get down on everything, and I have trouble being happy, I have trouble with. This, living here, with the ;pack. And it is nothing to do with any of you, you're all amazing." I inhaled and prepared to share with him my story, all of it. "I need to tell you about my mom, and why I was always running. Maybe if I do, I can overcome this stupid fear of losing everything I love, or that loves me." I tried not to look at him, which was easy since he was below my eye level on the floor.
He sat quietly, listening, Reese was great at reading me, and I only wished I could return the favour. More often than not I was either annoying him or setting him off rather than causing happiness. "It started when I was 13, and I saw my first Ghost. Mom told me about Nana, and how she'd gone insane from the ghosts. Mom was worried that would happen to me, so she found a doctor, well he said he was a doctor." My hand moved from his hair, falling to my side. He shifted, but made no move to try and retake my hand. "He said I was sick, and he could stop the madness from getting me. He said he had a special hospital for people like me, so mom sent me without question, and that's when everything went to shit." I couldn't go into details, and my voice choked as I continued on.
"I'll spare you the details, cause I can't face em again, but mom knew something was wrong. She broke in with the help of an old witch friend. She found me half dead, half starved, bloody, weak and hooked up to a billion machines. As she and the witch broke me out, he came." I had to inhale slowly, and it was then I felt Reese grab a hold of my hand. He gave me a reassuring squeeze, but it was too late, the story had begun there was no stopping it till I got to the end.
"They killed Kennedy, that was the witch's name, and mom and I ran. We ran for a few years until they found us hiding in Saskatoon. Mom tried to protect me, she had a gun, and she shot at him. But he struck her down with a firebolt. I blacked out, but when I came to, he was gone, and mom was dying. I held her and all she could say was 'I love you' and she died." My voice failed me and the tears fell in torrents. Her face as she died was etched in my mind, her smile was present, even as she felt her last breath.
I don't know when it happened, but next I knew, I was wrapped in his arms, on the floor, and my tears were soaking into his shoulder. His voice was soft, and low, and gentle. "Holly, I will never die on you. You won't ever have to be alone, or run away while I'm with you." False promises, all of them, but they made my heart thump heavily. I wanted to believe him, I wanted beyond any hope to know he'd stay with me, he'd live, and he'd keep me safe and secure here, with him, for as long as I could be.
"Thank you, Reese." I said, and between my sobs I snorted loudly, squirming "You're cutting off my air!" he wasn't but this was getting a bit beyond my comfort zone. It wasn't our usual playful silliness, there were emotions behind his actions I was still too afraid to seek out. He released me just as quick as he'd embraced me, grinning that sly Aussie smile of his.
"Let's get some sleep, hopefully they haven't followed us and you can spend tomorrow night in your bed trying to kick me out of it." I grinned at that, kissing his cheek and laying on the ground. I twitched some as he came to lie next to me, draping a lazy arm over my shoulders, but it seemed platonic enough. I curled my legs up to my chest and slept poorly, I dreamt of Mom, and of the sorcerer's firebolt as it robbed me of the only person I'd loved. Nero…his name was Nero, and one day I would kill him.
"Louisa, can you transfer me to Nero or Scarlett?" the husked Russian lilt called over the static fuzzed phone line. The small blonde grumbled making the Russian laugh lowly "Now Louisa"
As she transferred him, Nero could be heard laughing lowly with Scarlett. "Nero, how can we help you, Stanislav?" he asked. Scarlet could be heard chuckling still in the background, murmuring soft words to someone else present.
"We have found her, sir. Permission to post a few men to spy on the pack and see if they let her outside again?" the Russian asked. Scarlett took to answer him.
"Of course you idiot, now leave us…we have a snack to enjoy." She pressed the end call button, turning to the teenager in her grasp. "Now, Tina, how old did you say you were?"
"F…fifteen ma'am" the girl, Tina whimpered out. Scarlett's hand tightened around her neck.
"Such a budding little flower." As she spoke, Nero's hand raised in a motion and a moment later, the stench of singed cloth and flesh filled the room. "Careful, I need her blood, and I don't like it boiling, you really need to find a more subtle method of killing my snacks, Nero. Beauty is half the flavour, and scorch marks are not beautiful." She hefted the corpse over her shoulder and wandered off. "Let's hope this Russian has better luck capturing the girl then you did. To think you got your ass beat by a girl, a child too. Pathetic." As she left, Nero growled after her. He remembered the night Project Phoenix had nearly killed him.
He'd just finished killing her mother when her eyes glazed over and the deep violet blue they associated with her demon father, Focalor, in possession. She raised her arms upwards and a storm came from nowhere. Winds, rains, and lightning attacked him all at once. He'd been lucky for his shield spells or the freak storm would have destroyed him. She was the key to summoning the demon, and the demon was key to harnessing nature itself. He who controlled nature could enjoy wealth beyond compare, and to Nero, there was nothing more important then that.