I felt bad about just leaving her the way I did. Pulling her out of the car and telling her to stay. I just didn't know how much more delicate I was supposed to be able it. Silas was hurt, and he needed help, a lot of it. With her around, and my feelings, I would have lost it and run off again. I couldn't do that. I owed Silas too much for what he gave me these past five thousand years for him just to be left by the one person he's depended on for centuries. I couldn't let my feelings for her get in the way. I knew that deep down inside of her somewhere were the feelings for me. I knew she had them. She lite up every time I was around. That couldn't have just been me dreaming it, it was real. Then her unbelievable fear and grief when I left. I almost turned around just because of that. She was scared to be on her own, and honestly, with all that has happened lately, I didn't blame her. Regardless, I had to leave and get Silas help. I couldn't worry about someone else at the moment, Silas was number one.
We were just pulling into the cabin when I felt that Anabelle had settled down. That was good. Perhaps she had called Portia or Ruben and they helped her settle her fears. Either way, I was glad that she was feeling better so I blocked her emotions from my own. I had to concentrate on Silas. First thing I did was help him into the house. I draped his arm around my neck and I half dragged him as he was starting to get bits and bits of his strength back. It didn't help that most of the blood that Anabelle had given him went to repairing muscles and flesh that was eaten away, thus leaving him with none for his actual strength.
"Just take me to my bed, I need to sleep," Silas said as he pointed towards the door that I was getting ready to pass. I had planned on just dropping him on the couch, at least we would both be comfortable and I could keep an eye on him.
"I can lay you on the cou-"
"No, put me in my bed. I need to rest," Silas insisted.
Without any more words I nodded and carried him downstairs to his bedroom chamber. He really needed to get a room on the main floor, or for Christ sake get some electricity or something. We weren't nomadic people like we used to be, though I knew deep down he wished he never became what he did. I could never thank him enough for what he did for me, but this wasn't what he wanted. He just wanted to be strong enough to defend our people, not to be hungry enough to murder them. Which is eventually what happened if it wasn't for me to help him.
I sat Silas down on his bed, fluffed up his pillows then went to the little mini fridge outside the bedroom to gather a few blood packs that I knew he stored there just in case of emergencies. Generally he liked to hunt in his animal form, but tonight, that wasn't going to happen. He needed blood and quickly. Opening the door I found only a few. "Damn," I muttered as I shut the door. I would need to call someone to bring more.
The moment I reached the phone in my pocket it was as if chills literally coursed all through me. My fear spiked and I started to feel clammy and disoriented. My vision blurred and my head throbbed. What was wrong with me? Panic and alarm overwhelmed me. That is when I knew these weren't my own feelings, they were Anabelle's. Was she in fear that we had left her? No, this was a different fear from earlier. This was terror that she was feeling. I needed to get to her and soon.
I decided to just leave Silas with a few blood packs on the dresser in his room. He was long gone counting sheep and as much as I would have objected and had him gulp down the glorious life essence, he needed rest as well. He shouldn't be bothered and so I could leave to take care of things with Ani.
I ran up the stairs and grabbed my keys from the foyer table before darting out of the door without as much as a second look back as I peeled out fo the driveway and down the many miles towards Anabelle's. I just hoped I could get there in time.
From a distance I saw the house, it was only a few yards in front of me. I turned the wheel fast and slid into the driveway. I don't think I was prepared for what I was about to see. Standing in the middle of the yard was Tristian, crouched low on the ground as a wolf on his opposite side growled and pawed at the dirt as if ready to take off on a run. Just on the other side of the wolf was Morrigan. She stood there and laughed as the wolf charged at Tristian. This wasn't an ordinary wolf either, this was the beast I had fought and had bitten me. Trying to push my anger for the beast aside, I got out of the car as Morrigan turned her head towards me.
"Where is Anabelle?" I yelled to her as I quickened my step.
"None of your concern any longer," she flicked her hand and I went flying back, slamming into the car hood as she laughed and turned to go into the house.
A lovely woman behind her kept her eye on me as she smiled and followed Morrigan into the house. She looked oddly familiar. If her hair was maybe of a different shade? Or perhaps her eyes? Why did she have such a striking similarity to someone I once knew, though I could put no fingers on who.
I sat up on the hood of the car, dazed and confused as Tristian popped in front of me, his arms spread yelling for me to run as the wolf leaped up on him. He fought with the beast until his strength could hold him no longer. The wolf was huge, larger than an normal wolf standard and he didn't look much like a normal wolf would either. I would get this damn beast if it kills me. I had hoped that it wouldn't come to that, but I would sure die trying.
The wolf was trying to chomp down on Tristian's face as he held his snout away from him. He struggled and grunted as he tried to fight the beast that was attacking him. Soon, a smaller wolf emerged and started to run. I jumped down from the car and opened the passenger door just as the small pup jumped towards me. The hard fiberglass hit the pup in the face and smashed an imprint into the door. The wolf pup fell to the ground and whimpered as I grabbed the tire iron that sat on the side of the seat. I closed the door as the wolf was backing away, it's ears down and tail between it's legs. I lifted my iron, determined to strike when Tristian called out to me.
"No!" he yelled.
I turned, distracted by Tristian's comment, but by the time I looked back, the pup had taken off into the woods. I went to aid Tristian, but it didn't seem as though he needed much help. He stretched his arm out and a brilliant white light exploded through his palms. The wolf was shot back about fifty yards from us, closer to the barn.
"Go! Get Anabelle!" I pushed him towards the house as the wolf shook off the shock of being thrown by a powerful force and came charging towards me. "The beast is mine."
Tristian looked back at me as he reached the door of the house, his eyes shadowed and guilt-ridden. I had almost let my lingering glance get my head taken off as the dark black wolf jumped up towards my face, but I blocked him with the tire iron and threw him up and over my head. "Go!" I yelled again and soon Tristian disappeared.
We danced in a circle, looking at each other. Measuring up each of our prey, waiting for the right moment to attack. What had Ilona told me? That to drink the blood of the wolf that had bitten me, I could be immortal again. I wouldn't be like my old self though. I couldn't walk in the sun any longer. I wouldn't be able to morph. I wouldn't ever be King again. However, I would have my strength and I would have my immortality, I would have my Power once again. Was it enough to give up the things I had learned to cherish for centuries, most definitely.
The wolf man's ear were pinned back behind his head as he snarled and growled at me. I tossed the tire iron between my hands, the beast watching exactly where the weapon went then his head turned to me and he took off. He leaped high up into the air, his paws scratching my face as I ducked out of the way, rolling onto the ground as he turned quickly and jumped on top of me. I held him off by the tire iron that was no between his teeth as his rancid breath was in my face. His paws were scratching at my stomach as he continued to try and attack. I held firmly onto the iron and pushed back, bashing the wolf's head with the iron until he yelped and jumped away.
He gave me little time to try and get to my feet before the beast's head shook and he ran to attack me again. This time, I planted my feet firm, held my hands out as if to catch him and once he jumped up into the air, I jumped towards him, my arms outstretched as I grabbed ahold of the head and twisted with all my might.
The growling ceased and the wolf lay on the ground motionless. I huffed and puffed trying to catch my own breath as I watched the dark fur receded, as if it had grown out of his skin, the snout getting shorter until it resembled a man's nose and soon enough, a whole body lay at my feet of a man. His hair was short, cut close to his head and was a sandy blond color, much like my own. His eyes were closed but they were deep sunk into his skull. He was a very built man, thick muscles that coursed through his arms, chest and legs, though his face looked as if he hadn't eatten or slept in days. I knelt down at the man's side and picked up his wrist. I took one look at him before I sunk my teeth into his arm, hoping that with all my might that drinking his blood would turn me again.
The taste was all wrong. It wasn't irony like a human, nor sweet tasting like it would if I was a Vampyre, but it was like drinking molten lava. Hot and burning down my throat, taste of ash and death. It was disgusting. I nearly spit it all back out as I was pummled by a small naked child that pushed me off the body. The boy flung himself over the man and growled at me. My brows furrowed and my head tilted, this must have been the small pup that Tristian distracted me from. I could see why now. He couldn't have been more than ten years old at the most. His body covered in dirt and grim from running wild and scared in the woods.
Suddenly, as I watched the boy cry over the man, their became two of them. They kept moving in circles, multiplying over and over. I felt dizzy and I fell to my knees with my hands clasped on my head. This must be it, this must be when I change. It has to be. For if not, I wasn't sure how I was going to save Anabelle now. I screamed in pain as I shook all over and my body felt limp as it collapsed on the ground. The last thing I remember was looking up into the stars as the darkness took over.