-This update took me sooo long and I am sooo sorry! I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint though! As usual, no one but Aya is mine! Reviewer thanks are at the bottom! Enjoy!
He threw himself backwards. Suddenly, the face he'd imagined earlier came into cruel, sharp focus for a brief moment. The sadistic smile, the gleam of white fangs peeking out, the eyes twinkling with the rage and cruelness of an uncontrolled beast. He could almost hear the vocal chords vibrating in the muscular throat of his brother. He just knew this wild…beast was his brother. Then, the face slipped away. He tried to force the image forward; tried to recall each bittersweet memory before it faded back into the recesses of his jumbled mind but it was too late. It was gone. He looked back up at Aya, wide-eyed. What felt like terror filled him and he couldn't bear to look at her. He turned away, standing up and grabbing his leather jacket. She sobbed loudly.
"Wait! Logan, please wait!" she yelled as his hand closed tightly around the doorknob. He froze, head bowed in anger and fear. She choked out a final sob before falling silent behind him. In a move neither one of them quite expected, her arms were tightly around his waist, squeezing. She sobbed uncontrollably into his back. He stayed still, mentally kicking himself for upsetting her yet again. But he felt that he deserved this moment a little more than she did. "Please tell me," she whispered, breaking through his personal tug-of-war. "Please tell me why ya can't remember." His heart skipped a beat. He could feel her own thrumming against her ribcage. She'd known. All this time. She'd known that he was a wandering soul, lost to the hollow dreams and memories that haunted him. How could she know? He'd made sure not to let it slip. It was a weakness, and now it was one they both shared. He sighed and turned slowly. She threw herself backward, creating space between them. He wondered for a second if she felt threatened by his shift. He could see apprehension dancing in her gray eyes.
"I just can't," he admitted bitterly. He dragged himself to the bed and fell down onto it. She gracefully curled her legs underneath her in front of him. She laid her head on his lap and stroked his numb fingers. "I woke up one day, and jus' didn't remember. I knew ma name, and that I was differen', but that was it. And these." He extended his claws. She jumped slightly at the sound of them sliding out of his skin. She ran her fingers over the tip, the blade, the back. "These weren't always like this. But I can't remember what they were before."
"Victor was your brother, Logan," she whispered, avoiding his gaze.
"I know. I don' know how, I just do." She suddenly reached up and kissed him. It was long and hard. Her hands grabbed his jaw, curling around his ears and sliding through his hair. He kissed her back, passion coursing through his veins in one hot moment. She pulled away, breathless.
"Tha's what the dreams are abou', isn't it? Wars and him." God damn, she was inquisitive.
"Yea." She nuzzled her nose against his and playfully bit his bottom lip. He growled at her and threw her down on the bed. She shrieked with joy and beat on his broad chest to break free. The moment was broken. The tension was gone for now. He sighed with relief. Her eyes danced a pleasant shade of pink. He'd never seen that one before. But then again, they'd never teased and played with each other before. She craned up and kissed him again, gently.
"What are ya thinkin' about?"
"What I have ta do," he said. He knew he had to find each and every person threatening her, his mate, and destroy them.
"Ya mean, what we have ta do. I'm not lettin' ya risk yer life fer me," she said firmly. He opened his mouth to protest but knew it was futile. His mate had spoken, and he listened. He climbed off her and stood up, ripping off his jacket. Fuck, he wanted her. He clenched his jaw and strode briskly to the door. "What's wrong?" she asked, panicked.
"I'm hungry," he lied. Well, partially lied. He was hungry but not for food. He walked to the kitchen. The house was a single story. It was on a decent size of land, and even had a chicken coop a few hundred yards away. They'd make a living here for a little while, at least until he could figure out the next step to finding them. He reached into the pantry and began to make a sandwich. "Ya want somethin' babe?" he called. The nickname had slipped but when she called back, he assumed it was alright. He pulled out more bread. "How did ya know I don' remember?" he asked as she joined him. She sat down and was quiet for several minutes. He turned around to see a cigarette dangling between her lips, smoke curling from it lazily. "Babe?"
"The night we fought, I knew. I told ya I could hear ya in the other room, I wasn' lyin'. Yer loud as shit in yer sleep. Now, we need to figure out how we're goin' to go abou' huntin' the people huntin' me," she said flatly. He sat down across from her, sliding a sandwich. She grabbed it and tore into it. Dying did make him hungry. He felt stupid for not thinking of it earlier.
"We go to New Jersey," he said suddenly. "There's a guy I know there. He'll help us find somethin'." She raised an eyebrow at him. "I just know that's where we're goin'."
"Well, well, well! If it isn't the Wolverine!" a man bursting out of his A-shirt playfully punched the Wolverine's stomach in greeting. Logan took his hand and pulled him into an awkward hug. "And who is this fine, young lady?" he asked, leaning on the doorframe and running his eyes up and down Aya. Logan growled angrily, his lip curling into an angry snarl. The man chuckled, flashing a mouthful of gleaming pearly whites and shook his head. He slipped back behind the bar and grabbed a rag, wiping down the counter.
"Can I have some whiskey?" Aya asked. Logan smiled. She pulled another cigarette from the recesses of her baggy sweater and lit it, taking a long drag. Damn, she was sexy. He motioned for two glasses. He was apprehensive about this. He wasn't sure she should be here, finding out with him, but she had demanded it. He didn't want to put her in danger but she seemed drawn to it, almost like he was.
"So what are you doin' here Logan?" the man asked, his tone suddenly dark, accusing. Logan glanced at her. Her eyes flashed a bright red and she gripped her glass with white-knuckled intensity. Easy, he thought, hoping his scent switched with it. Sure enough, her grip relaxed and he could feel her anger dull the slightest.
"I need information," he replied bluntly. "On one of her friends."
"And who is that?"
"His name is William Stryker," Aya broke in, her voice strong. Logan clenched his jaw. The name sent inexplicable shivers through him. The beast within seemed to lift his head at the sound of the name, as if a noise had been made in the quiet jungle. He could smell fear in the dark bar. So the name bothered everyone. The man put down the bottle of whiskey after their glasses were full again with a sudden plunk!
"Don't know that name," he said heavily.
"Cage*!" Logan suddenly roared. He stood up, unsheathed his claws and swung at the giant of a man. He grazed Cage's arm, but wasn't fast enough, as Cage punched him hard in the jaw. He quickly shook off the blow and swung, catching Cage's nose. Before either one was aware, they were caught up, rolling across the floor, knocking over bottles and stools. He could hear the growls emanating from his mate's chest but he couldn't force himself to stop. He needed to tear into him, to show this man he meant business. And he did. He stabbed deep, penetrating the skin he just knew was thick and dense. The man roared in rage and pain, throwing Logan to his feet and standing up himself. They paced in a slow circle. A dance of the alpha males.
"Jim, I din't think ya had it in ya to take on Cage!" the voice suddenly rang out in his mind. He roared in frustration at its sudden presence and charged forward, determined to rip through Cage's throat. He was blinded by rage, and suddenly he was tackled to the floor. Honeysuckle filled his nostrils and his muscles suddenly went lucid. He couldn't quite see who was in front of him though, for the sadistic smile was back, grinning at his apparent anger. "Ya usually lost whenever we brawled with Cage! Kick his ass runt!" the voice chuckled. He knew it belonged to Victor. And he hated him.
"Logan! Logan! It's me!" Aya shouted. She growled and let out a threatening roar. Logan looked up to see his mate on top of him. "We need him. Let 'im give us what we want, then ya can kill 'im!" She climbed off him without another word and walked out of sight. He stood, snarling at her in annoyance, and turned towards Cage. He was sweating profusely and holding a rag to his bleeding arm. Logan knew it would heal pretty soon, not as fast as him but fast enough. "Mr. Cage, we had a long few days and would really appreciate any info ya could give us."
"Luke, call me Luke," the man said, sitting down on a barstool and throwing his rag across the bar. "You usually weren't the one fightin' me Logan. It was usually Victor."
"Then I owed ya one." Luke chuckled and sighed. "Whaddya know 'bout Stryker?"
"I know he's been lookin' fer all the old team fer a while now. Tryin' to get everyone together fer somethin' big," Luke admitted. He walked over and locked the door, flipping the open sign to close. "Sit down." Logan reluctantly took a seat a little farther down the bar and drained his glass. Cigarette smoke filled his nose and he could smell the anxiety on Aya.
"Who's the 'old team?'"
"What do you mean who? Logan, you, Vic, Dukes! What the hell is wrong with you?" Luke scoffed.
"Dukes! I remember Dukes! Lupa mentioned him the last few times I saw her!" Aya hissed in his ear. "Where's Zero?" she asked Luke. Logan frowned at her in confusion. Her eyes were an inquisitive green, quickly flaring into a hot orange.
"Dead as far as I know," Luke shrugged. He poured himself a shot and threw it back. "That was Victor's doing."
"Wha's this thing he's gettin' everybody together fer?" Logan growled.
"I don't know. But I know they're lookin' for someone. Logan, he's going to be tracking you pretty soon. If you're not interested, you better run," Luke warned. Logan's throat went dry. It was hard to strike fear in him but he was chilled by Luke's warning. Aya's hand fell across his shoulder.
"Ya know what that means," he said. He clenched his jaw tightly, steeled his face against any emotion other than the blind rage he was feeling. The beast within him roared and ravaged, dying to be free. "I'm not goin' anywhere."
"Yer a lot tougher than I remember, runt," the voice purred in jest.
"It's you, isn't it?" Luke suddenly stood. Logan's muscles tensed and he stared intently at Luke. He could smell the mixed emotions on him, could feel his stance go from relaxed to threatening. "Well come on, I know somewhere you can go for a while. At least until you figure out how you're taking him down." Luke walked behind the bar and held the swinging door to the kitchen open for them. Logan reluctantly went, Aya close behind him. He didn't want to trust Cage but he knew he could. He was a friend from long ago, the time before he couldn't remember. "Oh, these belong to you. She's still runnin', I kept her up when you stopped comin' around." Luke threw a set of keys at Logan. He caught them and frowned. He followed Luke through the small empty kitchen, to the alley behind the bar. They walked down the alley to the back lot where a garage stood. Logan immediately recognized the beautiful Chevy sitting in front of it. A classic 70s car that was synomous with Luke.
"Still runnin' huh?" he chuckled, despite himself. Luke ran his hand along the door and patted the trunk as he walked to the garage door. He undid the padlock and lifted the door. A swell of pride filled Logan as he laid eyes on the gorgeous motorcycle sitting in the garage, gleaming in chrome and leather. He could smell the hide pulled tight across the street, could feel the powerful engine under him, the handles in his grip. "Still runnin'," he mumbled.
"Damn, tha's a nice hog!" Aya exclaimed. She stamped out her cigarette and walked forward, examining the engine and its details.
"What do you know about bikes little lady?" Luke chuckled.
"A lot more 'an ya think!" she retorted. Logan allowed himself a sideways grin. He put his hands on his hip and watched his two ladies exchanging a greeting. The motorcycle from his dream, and his mate. He couldn't believe he'd gained so much in such a little time. Cage wrapped an arm around his shoulder.
"Where do you find them, man?" he laughed. Logan chuckled. "Come on, follow behind me, I'll take you to the place." Luke climbed into his car, and Logan took a breath before climbing onto the bike. Aya straddled behind him, wrapping her arms tightly around him and resting her head on his back. He revved the engine and pulled out of the lot, following the long cab of the Chevy in front of him. Hatred for Stryker broke through his thoughts. No one was going to take this from him again. No one.
*Luke Cage was a Marvel character introduced when vigilante justice was popular, around the 70s. He's an awesome character and I thought he should make a little cameo. Search him on for more info!
Thanks to...
GypsyWitchBaby- thanks sooo much for the shoutout in your last chapter of The Dreaming Animal! I appreciate it more thank you could imagine!
PheonixRebornFromTheAshes- I hope this chapter is up to your standards! Thanks for reading!
Royal shadow1- I'm glad you like it! I'm trying to keep the same style going so lemme know if this does it!
AreYouSirius-questionmark- I totally hope the last chapter made up for what happened to her! And I hope it kept you reading!
RKF22- I'm so glad you liked it!
microcheese- I didn't mention last time I did shoutouts, I'm sorry! But I hope you like this chapter! I like Aya too! Duh! lol
needtowrite- Your comment made me smile! Don't forget to keep reviewing!
PhantomProducer, Kai-Qui, misswatson97, XxXSkullCookieXxXSlipknot, daddysgirl1211, Kvaes Varetnai, Royal shadow1, QueenOfAwesomness, Hyper1Emo0, Lorna Roxen, Vendetta M., Joker-Girl-Kelly, microcheese, AreYouSirius-questionmark, RKF22, PrincessRachW, and needtowrite for the Story Alert/Favorite Story adds! I appreciate you all so much!
Reviews are greatly appreciated everyone! And of course, don't forget to check out GypsyWitchBaby's stories!