Next Chapter: Edited and ready. Wonderful, huh? I'm getting there! It's now 9pm. I've been working on this for twelve hours people. TWELVE HOURS OF EDITING AND REWRITING! Please tell me if I've succeeded or just been wasting my time!
Disclaimer: I, sadly, have no claim to the rights of the ever-awesome Darkest Powers series, as Kelley Armstrong beat me to the idea…
I do, however, own Rickie, Charlie, Seth, Ethel, Juliet, Lillian, Arabella, Jasmine, Lotus, Marie, Nigel/Nosferatu, Antonio and just about every Edison goon you read about (except the ones you recognise from the books, duh; if you recognise anyone else, you can assume that it was a creepy coincidence, unless I say otherwise. Kay? Kay.)
If you steal them, my PSYCHO BUNNY army will sneak into your house in the middle of the night and assassinate you favourite foods, toys, books and movies. They are psychic PSYCHO BUNNIES, so you cannot hide. Got it? Good.
Now, threats and complete and utter blabbering mumbo jumbo aside… ENJOY!
I was in the darkness, talking to my mental posse.
I want to teach you how to control my ability said Jasmine suddenly. I nodded, quietly moving to the front of my mind and waking myself up. I sat up, stretching as usual.
Hurry up; Derek is about to wake warned Jasmine.
Gimme a sec! I grumbled. I do not appreciate being woken up.
"What is it with you and sneaking out a night?" a low voice rumbled beside me. I didn't jump; he was pack. I sighed, continuing my stretching, hoping he'd go back to sleep. No such luck, unfortunately.
"Answer me, Charlie," he whined, sounding desperate. I turned around, facing him, gleaming amber eyes meeting and holding a glowing green.
My wolf eyes took in his appearance; he didn't look well. He was sweating slightly, and his eyes were too bright. I narrowed my eyes, and he looked as sheepish as a wolf could. He was caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
"When?" I hissed at him. He shrugged. Filthy rotten liar. We always know when it's gonna happen. Even I could smell it. Tomorrow night.
"Liar," I muttered. He glared at me angrily.
"Give it a rest," he murmured in a frustrated manner, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Now answer the question." Ugh, he was so frikken stubborn.
"I'm going somewhere," I told him. Even I didn't know where I was going. He looked at me annoyed, but the undercurrent of worry was there. With the change so close, his instincts were peaked. In my head, Jasmine huffed angrily.
I'm going, I'm going! I growled at her.
Bring him if you must she snapped.
"Fine, come on," I muttered, getting up and moving quickly to the door. He followed silently.
We stopped at every corner, listening for movement and looking for places to hide. The only sounds were our quiet breathing, the slow and even breathing of Si and Tori and the hushed voices of Lauren arguing with Kit in the kitchen.
There's a stain on the ceiling, said Jasmine, and a little divot just next to it; barely noticeable. I saw it and nodded absently.
Jump, grab the divot and pull; there's a trapdoor to the attic. That's where we're going she told me. I did as she said, jumping and grabbing the divot. As I landed, a trapdoor was tugged open and a ladder folded down silently.
"How did you know about that?" asked Derek, bemused.
"Telepathic half-demon, living in my head; Kit knew about it," I told him. He shrugged as he remembered. The ladder was in perfect condition; the oil in the hinges had been applied merely days before. Kit wanted this room for something.
Not Kit; someone else was here an eerie voice said from my head. It was Arabella.
How can you know? I asked her. She shrugged, a secretive, and honestly quite creepy, smile tugging at her lips.
Everyone has a shadow she said, mysteriously, the creepy smile getting creepier, and shadows are my specialty.
A dusty room lay before us. Chairs, portraits, old desks, candelabras, chandeliers; everything an old Victorian house would have. Shivers ran down my spine; a smell lingered in this room. Fresh. Human. Familiar. Lauren had been here. It mingled with another familiar scent, one that I couldn't place. I sniffed around the room. Why was this scent familiar? It smelt a bit like Rickie, only rather than being sweet and like homemade brownies, it was like stale biscuits, and a hint of decay. It was horrible.
"What do you smell?" asked Derek in confusion. An owl hooted somewhere in the forest as the same sickly scent wafted in on a breeze from the window. The open window. A shadow flicked across the yard, so fast I barely caught it. Nothing human could move that fast.
Shut the window! Shouted Jasmine desperately. Hurriedly, I snapped it shut, fastening the lock.
Of course, with my luck, a rock chose that moment to fly through the window. I ducked just in time, but it hit Derek square in the chest and knocked the wind from him. A soft 'oof' echoed around the near silent attic.
Someone had been in our 'safe' house. Someone who I knew, was obviously not a friend, and had been in contact with Lauren. What a brilliant day I'm having so far, I thought sarcastically.
Now would be an excellent time to teach me, so I can scram! I urged Jasmine. She nodded. Her eyes were fearful. Why wouldn't they be? They only thing that was keeping her and her sisters on this place of existance was me; if I died, so did they.
Sit in the centre of the room, and tell your packmate to keep his distance; if he touches you, he'll overload your mind and it will kill you. I need to awaken your sixth sense. It is less painful this way than it is if you do it for Volo first she explained, as I moved to sit in the centre of the room. Derek moved too, but I put my hand out in the gesture for 'stay'.
"If you touch me during this, it will overload my brain and it will kill me," I warned him.
"You need to know that this will hurt me; you are not to do anything to comfort me until Jasmine says so," I commanded. He whined low in his throat, the thought of pack hurting but not being able to help making him uncomfortable.
"Shhh, it'll only take a minute," I tried to comfort. He just looked at me sadly and sat about five meters away from me.
I felt cold touches at equal intervals down my spine and I closed my eyes on instinct. Then, the touches came into contact with my eyelids, soft as butterflies wings. Lastly, they came to rest on my temples, and blinding pain flashed through my head. I opened my mouth, but no sound poured out. I was dimly aware of Derek whimpering in the corner as whispers and mutters flooded my head. The searing pain continued.
Eventually, as the pain died down, the whispers vanished. The headache was still there; if I moved, it felt like someone was stabbing something straight into my cerebral cortex and twisting it around (even though your brain actually has no nerves in is whatsoever). I slammed my eyes shut, the dim light pulsating through my head. I whimpered quietly; Derek was doing everything he could to not come to my side. A dim whisper in my head, as Derek's thoughts wound their way into my mind. At this point in time, I was in too much pain to heed what they were saying.
She needs to sleep it off; your touch will no longer kill her said Jasmine softly to Derek. Almost immediately, overly warm arms wrapped around me gently and I was pulled softly into a warm, strong embrace, sat on someone's lap.
Mmm, purred Ethel. Pack she murmured happily, sleepily. Safe. Derek gently rocked me back and forth, trying to calm my whimpering. I felt myself falling asleep, and I tried to fight it.
No! Jasmine objected, if you don't go to sleep your subconscious won't be able to adjust; you need to rest she said. I stopped fighting, falling into a dreamless, painless sleep. Even my mental posse left me alone.
~~~~TIME JUMP~~~~ (we love squiggles!)
Ugh. Sunlight streamed through the window. For a moment, I just lay there groggily, hoping that the sun would suddenly black itself out. The last night came back and I sat bolt upright. Someone had been in our house. Someone had tried to hit me on the head with a rock. Someone had been moving too fast to be a human. Someone was going to try and take us down. And I needed breakfast. Now.
The scent of bacon drifted up to my nose and my mouth watered hungrily. I hadn't eaten since dinner. Food was a necessity, so I raced down the stairs as fast as possible without face-planting in the process. Soon, I was seated next to Derek, eating bacon and happy.
Derek, on the other hand, didn't look so happy. His eyes were glowing brighter than they had been last night, he was still sweating and his leg was twitching every now and then. He was definitely changing tonight. And no one else had noticed his discomfort except Chloe. She believed him when he said that it was just a fever and would go down soon, though, so that didn't really count.
I suggest you stop eating, or that's gonna be horrible to throw back up I reminded him. He shrugged.
If I don't eat, they'll know something's up. I don't want that he said, picking at his food uncomfortably.
I sighed.
Fine; I'm going to be standing away from your head when you change, then I muttered. His head snapped up, gleaming eyes locking feverishly onto mine.
And what makes you think that you're coming? He asked indignantly. I rolled my eyes.
Sheesh, you seem to forget that I'm the only one here who is actually able to help you out here I reminded him.
I can take care of myself he growled, physically bristling up. People were starting to notice the visible things we did - rolling eyes, sighing, growling quietly - and were starting to watch us. I didn't care.
What I saw last night, whatever threw that rock, you will not be able to take care of if you're lying on the ground, throwing up your stomach and having what most people would call a seizure I retorted, growling as well. He glared at me, and I sighed softly.
I had to go through it alone, with only a vampire for help, I told him, and he raised his eyebrows. I looked at him pleadingly.
I don't want you to go through that too. It was barely a whisper, but he caught it all the same. His eyes softened, and he nodded his head in acceptance. Kit and Lauren were looking between us, Simon and Tori had paused mid-argument to watch, and Chloe had her eyebrows raised.
"Stop staring; it's impolite," I grumbled through my mouth full of food, causing them to jump. They all hastily went back to what they were doing. For the most part, I was happy with that; except for Simon and Tori. They went back to arguing.
"C'mon, EVERYONE knows that ham is WAY better than bacon!" shouted Simon. Tori huffed.
"Puh-LEASE, bacon is, like, the KING of breakfast foods!"
"What if it came from a female pig?" asked Simon snarkily. Tori narrowed her eyes, magic dancing at her fingertips.
"Bacon is better," she said dangerously. Simon lifted his hands, readying a knock-back spell, as Tori grabbed a plate and flung it at Simon's head. His knockback spell took effect as it flung at me. Everyone's eyes went wider than the plate as it flew at my head. I put my hand up calmly and caught it easily. The pack's eyes went wider still. Really? I'm a werewolf, guys; super-reflexes ringing any bells?
"Bacon and ham are the same thing," I pointed out. Simon and Tori threw matching glares at each other. If I didn't know any better, I'd say they were siblings. My eyebrows drew together in thought as I analysed their scents. I drew in a deep, subtle breath through my nose, my mouth open slightly to help catch the scent; only Derek noticed, his eyebrows raised. Sifting through what I found, I categorised the scents of Kit, Simon and Tori, and compared them. Both of the younger Spellcasters had a matching scent that fit exactly with Kit's. It had nothing to do with their magic.
You have a step-half-sister I told Derek, keeping my surprise mental only. My poker face was the best of the best. Unless you count Derek, then… well, I'm still second best.
Huh? He spluttered, keeping his face completely neutral. Man, he was good.
Tori is Simon's half-sister, and he is your step brother, so you have a step-half-sister I said, like it was totally simple. He just sent me a pointed look.
I sighed, and the whole group looked to us again. I ignored them.
Simon and Tori have an underlying scent that is exactly the same; Kit also shares that scent, only stronger because it is his. Only his biological children will have that scent on them, which means that Tori and Simon are half-siblings I explained slowly. Derek, still looking at me, raised his eyebrows. Everyone in the room was watching the silent exchange.
You got all that he stated slowly, incredulously, from a single, underlying scent that I don't even know exists? He asked. It was my turn to look like he'd just spoken gibberish.
You mean you can't smell it? I asked. He shook his head, and the eyebrows of all onlookers went straight up.
"What's going on here?" Tori and Simon whispered to Chloe together, glaring at each other when they realised what they had done. She shrugged.
You have an incredibly sensitive nose he muttered, almost to himself, but still directed to me.
I figured I responded sarcastically. He just glared.
"As interesting as this… whatever you're doing is," said Tori annoyed, "we don't know what the hell's going on," she pointed out. That was kinda the whole point of doing that through the Pack Bond.
"Pack Bond," I said simply. Kit and Lauren understood, but everyone else was blank.
"How do you think they talk to each other when they become mutts?" clarified Lauren, insulting us. Derek and I let go of two deep, resonating – but still not full throated (since Derek's still a pup and can't do that just yet) – growls that vibrated through my chest and throat.
"I don't know what your problem is, woman, but we are every bit of a 'mutt' as you are," grunted Derek angrily. Lauren shook her head incredulously.
"How dare you compare me to a simple dog!" she shrieked. That was breaking point for me. Or would be, if Rickie hadn't come in through the door during the exchange and placed his hand on my shoulder.
"Cool it; you don't want to give her a reason to get rid of you," he murmured calmingly.
Instead of lunging across the table like I'd originally planned (and so desperately wanted to), I just bared my sharp, elongated fangs in a long, drawn out growl that Derek could only dream of until he completed the Change. Lauren jumped back, fear rolling off her in horrible smelling waves. Ick. It smelt… how do I put this?... it smelt tangy, like it would leave a bad after taste in your mouth.
"That's enough!" shouted Kit. Chloe looked frightened, Simon looked intimidated and Tori looked impressed. I shrugged, and sat down to finish my orange juice.
~TIME JUMP SINCE THE DAY WAS SOOO BORING~
I was sleeping calmly when something in my wolf DNA woke me up. Derek was moving quietly out the door. Now I knew how he caught me when I had to Change; pack genes don't wanna be left behind.
"I sensed you," I said quietly, just as he was opening the door. He spun around, nearly losing his balance from a dizzy spell, itching his arm so hard it was bleeding. I gasped as the smell of blood tinged the air.
"Stop scratching!" I hissed, "there's a vampire in here and you're bleeding!"
He blanched slightly, applying slight pressure to the new wound so it would heal up quicker.
"Can we go? Please?" he asked hoarsely. I nodded, grabbing a jacket as a 'just in case', since I don't feel the cold, and followed him out. We went to the same clearing as last time, and Derek stripped down to his boxers.
"Those are gonna tear if you leave them on," I reminded him. He nodded, removing them as well, and getting down on all fours. His body began to convulse, and I moved to rub his shoulder. He threw up again and again and again.
"I warned you," I muttered under my breath, earning a growl. I huffed at him.
"That doesn't work on me, remember?" I reminded him. He just whimpered. Course black fur began to sprout, recede and sprout again, his ears shifted and his tail began to extend. He looked to be in agony.
His back jack-knifed into the air, which would have thrown another person aside. I simply stayed, rubbing his shoulder as it grew higher and higher, bones bending at an unnatural angle. Finally, he lay, panting, as a large black wolf with beautiful, glowing green eyes.
You like my eyes, huh? He asked playfully, though still tired sounding. I nodded.
I'm allowed to like your eyes; besides, I've already got my mate and you've got yours I said, playing along with him. His beautiful green eyes saddened.
She doesn't know he said sadly. My heart broke for him.
I'll Change; we can be sad for our loss of good mates together I offered. He looked up at me.
He knows; we were talking about it when you ran off to chase rabbits he said. I glared at him.
That's all well and good, but it don't mean he's gonna do anything about it I pointed out. He shrugged as best he could, what with it being awkward as a wolf.
Gimme a sec I said, stripping down suddenly. Derek sat and waited patiently. I hadn't tried this yet.
I focused on my inner sanctum, looking for Ethel and letting her take control. My body temperature sky-rocketed, and I almost immediately threw up. Bleahg. The Change came quickly, bones snapping and rearranging within minutes and, after a few more moments of utter agony (rather than Derek's ten minutes or so), I was a red wolf with glowing amber eyes.
Slow, mocking, single-personed applause came from behind the trees.
"Bravo, bravo," said a smooth, cold voice that was all too familiar.
"I must admit, I'm surprised you found your lost packmate; and, in this form, you're so much easier to take," he said cockily. Derek and I both snorted. We were big, even for werewolves. One thought ran through my head.
Bring it, Brick-Boy
I think you know what I'm going to ask. Please review, thanks for reading. Let me know what you're thinking about my edits and if they're any good. Thanks, everyone!
~PiptheSnake~
Edit number two: I'm SOO sorry that this turned out badly last time I tried to edit it!