There was a light scratching followed by a low whine, causing Roman to wake up. Loki was at the door, pawing at the wood and tilted his head slightly to the side. He slipped out of bed carefully as to not wake Mack and pulled on some shorts, discovering he was a little hungry anyway so letting the dog out was a good excuse to head down for a midnight snack. The hallway was dark, the only thing that really stood out was Loki's light coloured form as the animal trotted ahead before disappearing around the corner. This place was definitely far too large, it took him a few minutes to finally get to his intended destination that was tucked away at the opposite end near the rear of the house.
Fumbling around for the light switch he cursed softly as he stumbled over the now empty cooler they had bought with them, its contents having been transferred to the old refrigerator once it had gotten cold enough. He squinted a little when he found what he was looking for and warm yellow light flooded the room then opened the fridge, Loki's head suddenly appearing and poking around the corner, looking hopeful at the plate of leftovers. Roman plucked one of the cold burgers from the plate and gave it to the dog before taking the bread and a few other things for himself.
He didn't notice he had lost his company's undivided attention while he messed around making his sandwich until the animal growled lowly, his focus solely on the door that led outside. At first he dismissed it, simply putting it down to the scent of native wildlife that he probably picked up and went back to loading up the bread with cheese, tomato and sliced turkey. When he wouldn't stop Roman nudged him lightly with his knee, "Calm down." When all he got as a response with a slight flick of an ear Roman shook his head and went over the door and opened it, "See? There's nothing there." Instead of settling down Loki went from low growling to aggressive snarling with hackles raised as he looked past the human and into the dark woods beyond. The complete change in his normal behaviour confused Roman, he had never once seen Loki act in such a way before. When he began to cautiously close the door was when everything erupted into violent chaos.
It was big, about eight feet tall haunched over as it was and covered in thick grey fur. Large yellowing teeth were bared and set in a thick muzzle, dripping with thick, ropey drool. Its limbs were unnaturally long, chorded lean muscle rippled under its coat as it stalked in on hind legs, its front ones ending in a parody of hands with elongated fingers and set with wicked claws. Large ears flattened and snarled as Loki attacked before backhanding him across the room, the dog letting out a squealing yelp, then bought its attention to bear on Roman.
Roman's hand wrapped around the closest thing he could grab at, a handle to one of the draws, and flung it as hard as he could at the beast before making a break for the door. If he could put enough distance between himself and... whatever it was, he could get to the Jeep and the pistol he always kept in the glove compartment. It was great in theory but in reality the plan died instantly as the monster easily tossed the large, heavy oak table aside to clear its path and charged.
He tried to get out of the way but it was unbelievably fast and powerful, slamming him into nearby cupboards before it was on him. Fangs pierced the flesh of his left shoulder next to his neck and he bellowed in agony, his right hand scrambling around desperately for something in the displaced cutlery that had scattered all over the floor from the draw. It was distracted for a split second from its attempt to kill him as Loki once again attacked it, his own teeth ripping at the skin of its hind leg as Roman's hand closed around something. With every bit of strength he had left he buried it deep in the side of the monster and it let out an unearthly howl, retreating into the night as suddenly as it came. The opposite door that lead out into the rest of the house burst open and he was barely aware of the horrified expressions of his friends.
"Dean, get the kit out of the car," Mack said while already in motion, instinctive work ethic overriding her shock. Snatching up the tea towel she pressed it up against where Roman had been torn open. There was so much blood, was it all his? Seth appeared next to them and handed her his shirt to cover what the inefficient piece of cotton couldn't. "Go see what's keeping Dean."
Roman watched absently as Seth took off at a run and the pair returned in short order, Ambrose opening up the large first aid kit and passing Mack whatever she asked for. He was feeling exhausted, light-headed and a little cold, something in the back of his mind vaguely telling him these were not good signs. The idea of simply falling head first into the seducing sleep that was beckoning him was hard to resist, no matter how hard he tried to fight it. Ultimately it was a losing battle as he reluctantly slipped into the maw of darkness.
He was surrounded by a dense thicket of trees, moonlight overhead reaching the forest floor in dappled patches. He lifted his head and sniffed at the air, picking up on a particular scent out of many that was trailing on the gentle breeze. With a growl he set off, jet black paws moving silent over the soft earth covered in leaf litter and clawed, elongated hands brushing leaves and branches out of his way. The stronger it got the loping gait disappeared as he favoured moving on all fours, the hurried pace bringing him to an edge of a small clearing. A figure stood there, lithe and beautiful. He growled again, low and hungry with anticipation. She was familiar. Submissive.
Mine.
He emerged from the shadowed ring of trees and she turned, finding his new form an unfamiliar one. He smelled sudden fear and she ran. He gave chase, bounding through the woods with abandon with lupine eyes viewing the world as clear as day and the thrill of the chase singing in his blood. He startled her when he came crashing through the foliage and cut her off, the damp ground had her skidding to a halt and slipped. She scrambled backwards as he stalked closer until the retreat was impeded by the thick trunk of a tree. His muzzle was inches away from her exposed neck as he invaded personal space. He was the leader, the alpha, and thus he was well within his right to claim dominance and his mate.
Suddenly there was the howl of another far in the distance that caused him to stop. A threat. Rival. It must be dealt with. Slowly he pulled away and stood to his full height on hind legs to answer the challenge and disappeared into the night.
Roman woke up with a start, confused and disorientated for a few moments as the details of the vivid dream started to slip into vague obscurity. Everything seemed so much sharper than it had been the day before; sights, smells, the sunlight peeking in from behind half drawn curtains, he experienced it all with an indescribable clarity. When he tried to move he found his chest and shoulder bound firmly in gauze and bandages. He was on a bed, Loki sleeping at the end of it on his right side with his foreleg wrapped in a bandage of its own. The memories of his midnight foray came flooding back with frightening clarity. The beast, its fangs, the horrified expression on Mackenzie's face as she desperately fought to stop him from bleeding out onto the kitchen floor. Mack...
Mack?!
His head twisted to one side to find she was slumped in a chair asleep, half sprawled out on the mattress beside him with his left hand gripped in hers, while Dean sat in another next to her lightly snoring as his head lolled back against the back of his own seat. A surprising, irrational surge of territorial jealousy spiked as he noticed the other man's hand resting on the paramedic's shoulder. He tried to shake it off, not knowing where it came from or why he had such an abrupt change of attitude. There had never been anything going on between the two and never would, their relationship more akin to that of close siblings. He knew this and yet there was a primal urge lurking there as he picked up a trace of her scent, causing a demand that was beating away in his subconscious.
Mine.
Where had that come from? What the hell was happening to him?
With a sleepy murmur Mackenzie woke up, restless movement on the bed stirring her out of an exhausted sleep to find Roman not only awake but clear and alert as he stared at her. It was all kinds of strange, if he had lost any more blood last night he would have died for certain, yet here he was barely looking any worse for wear from the experience. She'd work it out later, relief taking precedence by the simple fact that he was alive and well.
"Morning, stranger. You had me worried."
He closed his eyes briefly as she pushed some stray hair from his face before seizing her wrist and pulling her across his body, causing Mack to make a small surprised noise by the sudden action. Her free hand shot out just above his injured shoulder as to keep her weight off him, only to have his wrap around the back of her neck and pull her flush against him. The kiss was rough and demanding, catching her completely off guard while that one word kept repeating itself over and over in Roman's mind with some semblance of bestial savagery.
Mine.
"Christ. I'd say get a room but we're already in one."
Dean's wise ass quip broke the moment, though Mackenzie could have sworn she heard Roman emit a low growl. Not his usual noise but a bona fide, animal like growl. He released his hold all the same, watching her intently as she carefully climbed off of him and then sat up.
"I'm hungry," he finally announced.
Mack turned to Dean, "Go wake up Seth and Leia, We're getting out of here today."
"You sure its ok to move him?" Dean asked before addressing the man himself, "You were one hell of a mess last night."
"I'm fine," Roman insisted, "Just starving. I could eat a horse right now."
"Go, I'll take a look and redress it while you guys get ready."
Ambrose hesitated a moment before pushing open a door left slightly ajar that led to an adjoining room as Mack began unravelling the bandages that encased Roman's shoulder. He simply watched her with an unreadable gaze but she wasn't paying any attention to it.
"The hell..."
Where there had been savagely mauled muscle and sinew before was now a just a set of fresh, angry red scars. Tender, but still the flesh was healed over. What was going on?
"I told you I'm fine," he reiterated quietly.
"But that's... that's not normal." Mackenzie had seen a lot of brutal and gruesome things over the past five years as an EMT, but nothing could explain this.
He was getting irritated that she wasn't letting this go. All he wanted was to get up and have a feed; something like a big, bloody, rare, still out to pasture type piece of steak. He held her head in his hands, looking closely into concerned green eyes, "For the last time, Mack, I feel fine. Stop worrying." Before she could protest otherwise he issued another dominating, searing kiss, leaving her breathless and a little stunned. Taking the opportunity he stood up and padded down the hall, he wanted food and come hell or high water he was going to get some.
As Mack's brain righted itself she wondered what to do. Something was definitely wrong, not just the seemingly miraculous healing his body had done but his attitude had shifted to something more... aggressive? Dominant? She couldn't quite put her finger on it except that it wasn't his usual behaviour. With the tiniest tendril of dread she began to wonder if the myth of the loup garou wasn't quite so make believe after all.