Disclaimer: I do not own the Fable universe. Characters you do not recognize were created by me for the purposes of this story. Story contains scenes of a very mature nature, do not continue if anything of that nature could offend you (sex, violence, sub/dom, non-con). This story will be quite dark at times, you have been warned.
Thank you for taking the time to read my story, and for the lovely reviews that have been left so far! It is so nice to know "Wolves" is really being enjoyed :) Writing it has been a real pleasure! - Fallon.
Chapter Twenty
"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.
Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." - Martin Luther King, Jr
The house was dark except for a lone candle in the study.
Ezra sighed and his breath hit the flame, making it quiver.
"Master?"
His eyes shot over to a darkened corner of the room, "Sneaking isn't very becoming of a gentleman, Malakai..."
He stepped into the light, "Forgive me, Master."
The young male was a new addition to the Family, having just been turned by Ezra himself. He was cocky, but he had every reason to be – he was a born hunter and killer. While those traits had made him an outcast and a criminal in the world of humans, they made the transition into the life of a balverine an easy one. Ezra had heard whispers of him and saved him from a remote jail in the mountains, where he was waiting for his turn before the executioner. It was not difficult to convince him to accept the bite.
Ezra chuckled, "I didn't say not to do it, just that you're not a gentleman."
"No, sir," he sneered wickedly, "I'd never claim to be."
"But what you are, Malakai, is of use to me..."
The young man straightened, eager to prove himself to his new master.
Ezra liked that in him, "My brother will surely be returning with the Princess and her allies within the next few days, I want you to see that he is removed from the fighting..."
Malakai's eyes narrowed as his mind raced with a hundred evil thoughts, "What do you have in mind?"
"We need him for the battle, there's no denying that. See to it that he is separated from everyone, I want none to see his "demise". Do not kill him though, simply detain him and make sure he stays quiet. I have an arrangement with a...friend," Ezra smirked, "He will take care of the rest."
Malakai frowned, "So...I can't kill him?"
Ezra twirled his glass of wine, watching the candle flicker through the rich liquid, "No...his end will be far sweeter, youngling, far sweeter."
"Then who may I play with, Master?" He asked hopefully, "Surely you have found use for my particular talents?"
Ezra nodded slowly as he thought, he rather liked having a lackey to do the killing for him, "You are rather gifted...it would be a shame not to utilize those fine talents of yours."
"My victims have their own section in the Mistpeak Graveyard," he said proudly, "I'd be honoured to add your enemies to my collection." Malakai was glad to be out of the jail, and was eager to show his gratitude for the new power Ezra had bestowed on him. Killing and inflicting pain were as natural to him as breathing.
And he desperately needed to take a breath.
"You're eager," Ezra said smoothly, "that is good. For now, focus on preparing for the upcoming battle. We have to aid the Princess. If she fails, so do we all. Aid her, get her to the throne, and use the chance to remove my brother from the picture once and for all."
Malakai nodded, "And what will we tell her when Von is gone? Will she not ask to see the body?"
Ezra shrugged, "We kill one of the lesser males and burn the body. She'll not know the difference."
He bowed, but there was something else he was dying to know, "Sire...who is taking care of your brother's end?" He was curious to know whom Ezra trusted more with the murder of his own brother. Who else was more qualified then himself?
Ezra chuckled and blew out the candle. He looked at the younger male, his eyes glowing in the dark, "Reaver."
"Have you seen Maya?"
Ben glanced over to him and shrugged, "She promised Kalin her support, spoke with Walter and hurried off to buy a house in the area."
Von resisted the urge to shake the man, "Where?"
Ben glared at him, "You're the wolf...sniff her out."
Tension hung between the two men, both of whom had locked their sights on the other.
"I pity you Finn," Von spat angrily.
"Oh really? Do tell!" Ben threw down his book and stood.
"I pity you because you only appreciate her with your eyes," Von said coolly, "you can not appreciate her like I can. You do not notice the scent of lavender on her after a bath, or the smell of the earth clinging to her...you only see her. And that is because you are a roaming male, a casanova. You can not appreciate her for everything she is."
Ben stammered searching for something to hit back with, anything to get a rise out of the balverine. He clenched his fists, "Do you really think she'll want you? That she'll want to add the blood of a balverine into that of a hero?" He shook his head, "You're pathetic."
Von didn't flinch, "Coming from you that doesn't mean much, Finn."
He spun around and left the speechless Captain in the temple. Finding Maya was easy, he knew her scent. But he had hoped the Captain could shed some light on what was bothering her so much. Clearly it had been a waste of his time.
Von knew deep down that Ben wasn't a horrible person, he knew that he'd follow the revolution, and Maya, to the end. But, he did know Finn's type, and he didn't want him sniffing around Maya. She wasn't his, and perhaps never would be, but so long as there was hope his instincts told him to keep all others away. It was primal, ingrained in him like breathing and hunting - males defended the female they desired as their mate, it was as simple as that.
He scaled the clay-brick wall of the nearest building and inhaled the cool desert night air.
The smoke of a fire and the salty scent of roasting pork, the water from a well, the musky mix of sweat and tobacco...and beyond all of that, Maya.
Maya curled up in a ball on the bed. She felt weak and broken, and she didn't want anyone to see her in such a state. She had locked the door and windows to make sure of that. Even Hale was outside.
The room was lit with numerous candles, all of which she had salvaged from the ruins of the city. She needed them, all of them, to keep the shadows at bay. The light that had been inside of her, once so strong, felt dimmer.
She shivered, but didn't bother pulling the sheets up. Her leggings and skirt were folded neatly beside the bed and her Dragonstomper was loving placed atop them. She wore only her blouse and her undergarments, which provided little protection from the chilly air that slipped through the cracks in the house. Untucked, her blouse stopped just above her knees. She tucked her legs up under the thin fabric.
In the morning they'd be leaving for Albion. She'd have to face her brother, the man she both loved and hated. He'd killed Elliot, Major Swift, and countless others, but she still loved him with every ounce of strength she had. He'd raised her after her father died, had defended her from bullies and taken care of her when she was sick.
But she knew what the people of Albion would ask of her, knew that they were hungry for revenge - for her brother's blood.
Tears rolled down her pale cheeks.
How could she bring herself to do it?
He wasn't perfect, but by Avo he was all she had.
Kalin had told her of Logan's betrayal, how he had sworn to aid the Aurorans after they saved him from the Crawler only to turn his back on them. It made her sick to think he'd do that, but then again she knew how deep the Darkness ran, knew the games it played. It bound them together – two pawns in a sick dance with the Darkness taking the lead.
In her heart she knew it had taunted her brother in the same way and that, ultimately, much of what was good in him had died in the caves.
But she couldn't condemn him for it, for she feared she too had lost a part of herself in that very cave.
She cringed and rubbed her arms.
Even now, so far from the caves were the Darkness dwelled, it haunted her. And how far would it follow her? All the way to Albion? It was like a stain she couldn't wash from her hand, only it went far deeper.
It had brought her past hate to the surface, toyed with Von's image and twisted it for it's own enjoyment. More than anything, she was ashamed of how she'd reacted and she was just happy no one else had been around to witness her pathetic display.
She had been alone, just as she was now.
"Amaythea?"
She whirled around at the sudden break in her sweet silence and quickly made a grab for her Dragonstomper. Anger and fear clouding her eyes, she pointed the pistol at the intruder.
Wide eyed, Von raised his hands, "Woah, it's just me, kid!"
She blinked a few times and lowered the pistol shamefully, "Why are you here?"
He tried not to stare, but seeing her spread out on the bed in nothing but her blouse was difficult to ignore, "I was worried about you -"
"So you broke into my house?"
He pointed up, "You forgot to shut the skylight."
Maya glanced up and saw that the wooden shutter was still propped open. She frowned and brushed away her tears, "That doesn't mean you're welcome to barge in on me as you please..."
He noticed her tremble on the bed and took a step closer, "Amaythea -"
"I told you not to call me that!" Maya hissed, feeling naked and fragile under his gaze and hating herself for it, "I want to be left alone...please!"
She rolled away from him and allowed her hair to fall forward to cover her face.
Von crouched down at the edge of her bed, "What happened in the desert?"
"Please..." she murmured, "just leave me alone..."
"That's not happening," he said softly, "you're just going to have to answer my questions."
"You can't make me." She countered, trying to ignore how much of a blubbering child she sounded like.
Von's eyes ran down her figure and he realized, with a heavy heart, that he could see her ribs and spine sticking out against her blouse. Whatever had happened in the desert, it had affected her greatly. It was almost like it had drained her. Of what, he could only guess.
"You need to eat something, Maya."
"I'm not hungry..."
"Then answer my question."
She shook her head, "I don't want to think about it."
"But you are," he offered gently, "and not talking about it isn't doing you any good."
She hated when he was right.
"You'll hate me for it," she said through tears, "and wish I'd never told you..."
Von smiled, "I seriously doubt that."
Defeated, she rolled onto her back and glanced at him. Crouching down like he was, he looked like an animal about to pounce. What the Crawler told her replayed in her mind, but she looked beyond that to his eyes and saw that his concern was genuine and deep.
"I woke up alone on a beach. Walter found me, but when neither you or Ben appeared..." she choked on a sob, "I thought two more friends had died for me."
"Maya -"
"But Walter pulled me onward. We left the beach the only way we could - through the cave." Maya shook her head, "It was so dark, so cold, but I didn't think anything was strange or out of the ordinary until it started talking to us."
He watched fresh tears fall down her cheek, "What did it say?"
"Everything I feared." She swallowed hard, "It was like it could read my mind, my very soul. It told me Ben was dead. And...and it spoke about you. I knew it was taunting me, lying to me, but at the same time I feared it was speaking the truth. When we finally made it out of the cave, Walter insisted I go on without him. The Darkness hurt him, slipped inside of him, but I managed to fight it off. I tried to carry him but I couldn't. I left him there..."
"Maya...that wasn't your fault."
"He'd never have left me though!" She said through clenched teeth. "Never!"
Von's heart ached for her, "He's alive because of you."
She bit her lip and looked up at the ceiling, "I was a coward. I ran so hard through the desert, away from it, away from what it whispered to me. I thought I'd left it behind, but it followed me. It...it showed me things."
"What?" He eyed her fearfully, "What did you see?"
"Walter, Ben," she looked at him, "...you."
Von shook his head sadly, "You aren't the coward, Maya, it is. You made it through the desert, you fought it's influence in the temple. And whatever you saw...Maya, none of it was real."
"I know, but I'm just so angry that I allowed myself to believe it. I let it play with my head."
He waited patiently for her to continue.
She took a deep breath, "I saw you...and you looked so real, I thought you'd found me. I told you I needed help but you didn't seem to hear me and..."
"And?"
She'd grown so much in the time she'd know him, and to think for a moment that she still feared what he was both embarrassed and shamed her. Her lip quivered, "You tried to bite me."
Expecting an anger filled response, she looked away from him, "It told me you didn't deserve to live, that it looked forward to...to..."
"Shhh," Von suddenly whispered in her ear.
She jumped, not having heard him move across the bed to her, and tried to edge away from him.
He smiled and pulled her close, looking down at her with gentle eyes, "Maya..."
Her entire body went rigid against him, fearful of his response, "Von, please...I'm sorry -"
Von silenced her with a kiss.
Her eyes opened wide, then fluttered shut. The kiss was even softer then the one he'd stolen on the ship, but she could tell he was holding back, that he was being gentle. It was like he was savouring every second, drawing it out for fear he'd never get another chance.
And somehow the darkness around her felt lighter.
His lips left hers and slowly trailed across her jaw.
Air escaped her parted lips in tiny gasps and she desperately held onto his shoulders. With him looming over her, she realized just how solid and strong he was, and whimpered - it both scared and excited her.
"You know I'd never bite you right?" He whispered as he kissed her ear, "I could never hurt you like that."
She arched off the bed as he licked her neck, her mouth open in a silent moan. She'd never thought a man's touch could feel so good. It was warmer than the sun, and her skin craved it just as much.
Maya closed her eyes. She loved it, loved him, and she couldn't bare the thought of losing either. The admission made her vulnerable, to more than just the Darkness, and she knew she could never admit it aloud.
He would leave after all, no matter what he said.
Encouraged, and afire with desire, Von ran a hand up her thigh.
Maya's eyes shot open and she quickly brushed his hands off of her.
The tingling warmth evaporated from her skin.
She looked up and realized how tremendously hurt Von looked.
"I-I'm sorry..." She muttered as she turned away from him.
He kissed the side of her neck tentatively, fearful she'd pull away completely, "Let me take your mind off it all..."
She trembled, "H-How?"
Maya scolded herself as soon as her voice trailed off. She wasn't blind to the lust in his eyes, and could only imagine what he had in mind. Still, she hated to draw attention to her lack of experience.
Her mind raced with a dozen new worries. She loved him, more than she cared to admit, but how far would she go? The innocent side of her feared he'd disappear as soon as he got what he wanted and she doubted she could handle that, not on top of everything else.
Von stared into her eyes, trying to figure out what she was thinking. He ran his fingers down her cheek, "You couldn't get rid of me if you tried, Princess."
His voice sounded hopeful.
She swallowed hard and managed to force herself not to look away.
"Talk to me..." he pleaded in a strained voice, "let me help you."
Maya shook her head, "There's nothing you can do. It's my battle, I knew it wasn't going to be easy the moment I accepted the gauntlet."
He lightly kissed her lips, "It may be your battle, but there is something I can do..."
His hand brushed across her stomach and she tensed.
"I'll not go under the fabric," he assured her, "I promise."
Though he knew it'd be damned hard.
He doubted she knew how much she controlled him or how easily she could break him if she willed it so. Having her pressed up against him, clad in little more than her blouse...it shook him more than he'd ever dreamed.
Maya nodded quickly and stifled a moan as he rubbed her bare legs.
"Y-You're not on top of fabric..." She stammered quickly, not trusting herself with long sentences.
Von smirked, "I said I'll not go under it, not that I'd avoid the parts of you not covered in it."
She bit her lip but made no attempt to stop him, "Damn you..."
His hands melted the tension in her legs and he soon moved down to her calves. It was strange, how good it felt, but she wasn't about to complain.
He watched her face relax into contentment as he rubbed and kneaded her muscles. But he couldn't help watch her chest rise and fall as she breathed heavily, her bosom bound down by tightly wrapped cloth. Memories of what little he had seen of her at the tavern bathhouse resurfaced and a growl brewed in the back of his throat.
He leaned up and kissed her stomach, smiling against her as she sighed, "You're beautiful, Maya."
Her eyes fluttered open, "Liar."
Von chuckled, "Hmm, every inch of you, my love."
Maya nervously clutched the sheets on either side of her - had he said love? His love?
His lips pressed to her bound breasts brought her back to reality, "V-Von!"
"I told you I'd take your mind off it all," he murmured, resting his head on her chest, "and I intend to do just that."