Disclaimer- I don't own American Dragon. Just this plot and my characters
XxXxX
I rushed forwards and grabbed Wheylyn's wrists. His head flicked to me and I gasped. His pupils had dilated to almost black and his green irises had turned a deep red. His teeth were extending to fangs, his face elongating into a snout. Fur was sprouting everywhere and his face was twisted in to a grotesque look of pain.
Jake grabbed my arms and yanked me away so hard, my head jerked and I stumbled back into him. Wheylyn's limbs twisted into the shape of dogs legs and paws and he went down onto all fours. I turned and shoved Jake around, pushing him back up the stairs.
'We've got to move! William and Bryce will be transforming' I told him
Wheylyn let out a fully fledged wolf howl and I gasped with surprise. The urge for me to transform was very strong now but I was relieved I was able to resist. I fell forwards on my face when a hand wrapped around my ankle. Bayard had lunged forwards and grabbed me. I shrieked and kicked out with my other foot, connecting with his face but he kept his grip, crawling up the stairs.
Jake had gotten outside and I could hear him arguing with someone and there was a lot of shouting going on. More people had arrived. My attention went back to Bayard as he straddled me, pinning me down and wrapping his hands around my throat. I let out a gurgled yell, scratching at his hands, trying my best to get him to let go. If anything he was angered and his grip tightened. He was pressing against my throat so tightly I could feel the step on the back of my neck, slowly helping him asphyxiate me.
'If I can't have your blood, no one can' He snarled
My breath was rapidly leaving me and my heart beat strummed in my head, my eyes felt like they would explode from my head and I gasped for air. My vision clouded at the edges and I kicked my legs around, hoping to dislodge him. My strength ebbed away, as well as my vision.
Oh my god, I'm actually going to die I thought desperately I didn't get to give Nicky another cuddle, I didn't get to give Em a hug and I told her I'd be okay! Heck I don't get to have another fist bump with Pete And then it hit me, making my eyes fill with tears I never told Jake how I feel about him
Then Bayard was yanked off me, he pulled a good handful of hair with him. Wheylyn was in full transformation and he was attacking Bayard. I turned my head away from the sight and rolled, pulling myself up. My throat still felt tight and I was coughing and gasping for air. I tried to drown out the horrible noises behind me as I stumbled my way up the stairs and out of the door.
I tripped on the uneven ground and fell flat on my face again. I'd lost count of how many times this had happened tonight. I lay stunned, shaking and still coughing and gasping.
'Selena! Get off me! I have to help her!'
Jake was yelling, there was the sound of a vicious fight going on. I looked up to see William and Bryce locked in a fight still but fully transformed. I could tell the difference and which was which from the fact that William had pure white hair and Bryce had got brown hair. Their pelts matched their hair and they were fighting ferociously.
Then I noticed another wolf bounding towards me. My eyes refocused and I recognised the slightly off-white fur and yellow eyes.
'Shai?' I asked
'Yes, get up Selena. You must get up, I can't carry you out' He told me
I nodded, still dazed and pulled myself up. But then I paid attention to the fight going on between Bryce and William. William was winning the fight and Bryce was covered in cuts and bites. I hesitated, my anger at William flooding back.
'No, there's nothing me can do' Shai told me
'Yes there is' I replied
I took off, running right at them, transforming as I went. My strength was renewed with my anger at William. I crashed into his side and knocked him off Bryce. William recovered quickly and lunged at me. I dodged and snapped at his snout but missed.
He attacked again, this time I snapped at his paws and managed to grab one, biting down. I got a small yelp for my efforts but he was biting down at the back of my neck. I pulled away, feeling the prickle of a few hairs being pulled out but nothing nasty. It was lucky my fur was of the long-haired variety and not short or else he might've got me.
He circled instead, forcing me to snap at him when he got too close to Bryce, who was crippled, for my liking. I took a few steps back, putting myself closer to him. Shai was helping him up and goading him into escaping. It seemed we could communicate with them in wolf form and help them focus. My protective instincts were going haywire as I growled harder, hoping to make myself a better target than them.
William went for me again but this time he reared up, I reared up too out of instinct but then realised my mistake. He was heavier and far stronger and he crashed down on me, both of us snapping and snarling at one another. He managed to land a few bites and I managed to as well. We were rolling around, in the thick of a fight but I was weak already and he took advantage. He pinned me with his body and grabbed at the scruff of my neck, pinning me by the baggy skin there.
I struggled, clawing the ground trying to get away. Jake was yelling loudly but I couldn't locate him. From the desperation in his voice, he could probably see what was happening. Then, William was ripped away from me, tugging my skin and cutting it with his teeth as he went. I looked up to see that Wheylyn had gotten out of the bunker Bayard had kept us in and had engaged William in a fight now.
I got up quickly and the two of us drove him away. He cowered at the sight of my father. He looked terrifying, his off-white fur around his snout and neck was dripping with blood and I tried not to wince. Finally there were two pops and thuds of something impacting and then a few seconds later both Wheylyn and William went down.
I looked around confused until Jake burst from the tree line. I transformed back into a human and he crashed into me, wrapping his arms around me tightly. I buried my face into his neck as he stroked down the back of my head gently.
The dragons emerged from the trees and I relaxed. Everything was going to be okay.
XxXxX
They returned us to their island. They kept their word and removed my tag almost as soon as we arrived back. Their healers treated mine and Jake's light injuries. They determined that the bullet had leaked liquid silver into my system but adrenalin had allowed me to overcome it and break it down quickly in my system. It had however, left grey swirling tracks under my skin which showed up through. They couldn't tell if it would be permanent or not yet and they had been very confused when I told them how my body had pushed the bullet out itself.
Wheylyn and Bayard were taken into separate rooms with locked doors to keep them safe during the night. William was taken to a cell. All of them remained unconscious; the council sedated them with doses of Wolfsbane strong enough to keep them unconscious for the night. Andam assured me that they'd agreed to it but they had thought things would go differently.
Emily was there, as was Jake's family. I could hear them all greeting him on the other side of the curtain separating our hospital beds. Emily had brought me an overnight bag and I showered, changed into my pyjamas and Emily settled me in bed.
'Where's Nicky?' I asked, finally feeling groggy enough to sleep.
'He's home with Pete. If they don't let you come home tomorrow I'll bring him to see you. I promise' Emily said soothingly
She stayed as I dropped into an exhausted sleep.
XxXxX
'Psst, Selena'
The voice roused me from a deep sleep. It was very early morning and a small amount of light was coming in through the windows.
'Selena?' I realised it was Jake
'Hmm, what?' I asked tiredly
'Are you awake?'
'I am now' I grumbled
I pushed the sheets back and sat up, rubbing my hair out of my face. Jake had parted the curtains between our beds and was stood in the gap. His face was hard to see in the dim light.
'Sorry' He replied quietly
He crossed the rest of the gap and sat at the end of my bed. Reaching and brushing the stray locks out of my eyes. He frowned.
'You've healed quicker than usual' He commented
'Really?' I asked
'Yeah. You had a split lip, the cut on your chin and bruising on your neck. It's all gone' Jake told me
'I wonder if the full moon did it' I speculated 'I've never had injuries on a full moon before. Perhaps it strengthens the body for the transformation'
'But you don't transform' Jake pointed out
'No but I was given the best circumstances for it. The Wolfsbane seemed to leave my system too' I said
We sat in silence. I was pondering what had happened but Jake was looking at me very intensely. I looked up at him and quirked my head.
'What?' I asked
'Did Bayard try and strangle you?' Jake asked, his voice deadly serious
I sighed 'Yes. He said, if he couldn't have my blood, no one could'
'What did he mean?' Jake asked, his face shocked
'I don't know. I have no clue'
I paused, struggling to find words to describe how I'd felt. Jake waited patiently, watching me, seeming to know that I was trying to put words together.
'I...I felt like I could feel my life slipping away. I thought I would die right there, in front of my Dad without getting to tell him I love him for being my father. I thought I'd never see Nicky or Emily again'
As I spoke, my voice got higher in pitch as I struggled to keep my emotion in check. The fear I'd felt during Bayard's attack came back to the surface. Jake shuffled further up the bed and gripped my hands, his face creased into distress. I took a few shuddering breaths, it was not or never. I'd been granted the opportunity to tell him how I felt when I had truly believed I would die without him knowing.
I looked up at him, his dark eyes seemed to glitter even in hardly any light. His scent was all around me, soothing me. He was looking at me carefully, the same intense look on his face, his thick eyebrows shadowing his eyes. I took a breath, my heart beating wildly and butterflies churning in my stomach.
'I thought I would die without seeing you again. Without getting to tell you how I feel about you'
His eyes flicked up to mine from where they had been watching our clasped hands. I took another breath.
'I honestly never thought in my life that I would be lucky enough to meet someone like you. Someone so caring, gentle and just all around gold. I was frightened of you at first but that was only because I could tell you were different from what I was used to. I've grown to care a lot about you Jake'
I was in the middle of my babbling when he let go of my hands and reached up to me. He tangled his fingers in the hair on the back of my head and drew me forwards. His lips fell on mine and I relaxed into him. He kissed gently but passionately, it was like I could feel all of his emotion. He pulled back and separated us long enough to get a breath and push me back.
I landed on my back, laid out on the bed. He moved over me immediately, kissing not just my lips but along my jaw, sweeping my hair aside to press kisses down my neck. Eventually though he calmed us both and he simply lay with me, his arms around me and his back pressed to my chest. He was stroking my hair back affectionately. He was soothing me back to sleep. Then he shifted, I felt a small gust of warm air on my ear.
'I love you Selena' He whispered
I turned my head to look at him. The intense look was back, suddenly I could see it was him showing the level of emotion he felt. He was showing me how he felt with his eyes. I smiled sleepily.
'I was trying to say that to you' I told him playfully
'I know, I wanted to say it first though' He replied easily
I smirked and turned back to snuggle into the pillows. He chuckled in my ear and wrapped his arms tighter. Both of us sank into a deep sleep.
XxXxX
I know, a bit of romance but I don't write it often.
Also I'd like to offer a reader the chance to write a slightly heavier make-out scene between Selena and Jake. Obviously I would like to have input on this so the best way to describe it is a collaboration. You'd be fully credited for your effort. Before I make any firm decisions on this I'd like to see if anyone is interested in doing this for me. Drop me a PM if you are interested for further details.
Otherwise, happy readings and review please!