A/N: Someone said "you might not like bad review but you need to deal with when you write character that act this stupidly. if you can't take it maybe writing is not your thing ." on another fic, but I felt I should address this here as well. There's a difference between critique, criticism, and just plain being a bitch. When I read something I don't like, I move on. If it's an author I really love who does something I don't like, I might say something in private, wonder where they're going with whatever, etc. Getting a bad review is understandable, not everyone loves what I write, and I accept that. However, above all, I write to bring people joy and because I love it. I won't take someone being an ass to me because they don't like the stories they're getting. In the end, this is my story, and you all are reading this for free. Many of you have been super kind and appreciative and just plain awesome, and it's you all that I continue writing for. Not the entitled pricks who get pissy when things don't go the way they want it to.
A/N Part 2: Forgot to add, I haven't dropped any of my stories. I write new stories when the idea comes to me or when I get really bad writer's block. For whatever reason, when I get on a roll with a new idea, I also find inspiration for old ones as well, and it helps me continue them. Anyway, sorry for the rants, just needed to get some things off my chest. Love you peeps.
Chapter 21
It had been no more than two minutes since Paul brought Riley inside. In that time, training had been started at both vampire and shifters' insistence outside. Yet something else had happened in those two minutes, something inside the house where only Paul, Irina, Riley, Carlisle, and Esme resided. And that something was a minor issue of chaos.
"Riley, you're going to have to actually let the doc help you," Paul grumbled. He cursed himself for releasing his friend the second they were in the house. If he had just hung on to the annoyingly charming human, they wouldn't be in the current situation. "I know you hate doctors, but this is dramatic as shit, even for you."
"Fuck off Lahote, he can help me from where he is," Riley snapped back.
Carlisle and Irina could only stare dumbly at what was happening before them. Yes, they could have reacted in time to stop Riley from "escaping" but neither of them wanted to startle or accidentally hurt the human. They also didn't expect Riley to somehow flip onto the top of their fridge and hunker down like a wild animal. The only one who hadn't been surprised by the display had been Paul.
"He's a vampire, not a miracle worker. Someone is going to have to touch you for us to get anywhere. Now get down there, or so help me I'll-"
"What, Paul? You'll what? Mom me to death?" Riley shot back. "It's not like you can come get me, fucker." Esme appeared to be approaching her and Riley tensed, ready to escape or fight if necessary. Thankfully, all Esme did was open the fridge and take some beef out to continue cooking for the shifters. The motherly vampire didn't even glance Riley's way, and even seemed to act like Riley's behavior was normal. It was such different behavior from when they had last met that Riley absently wondered if someone had been giving Esme a class on how to act around Riley without Riley's knowledge.
"Only because you're such a goddamned dwarf." Paul still wasn't sure how Riley had fit herself in that crevice between the top of the fridge and the cupboards above her. But she had, and there was no way in hell Paul could manage to get her out if she moved any further backward.
Oh, how Riley wanted to lunge at Paul and take him down a few pegs for that remark. But she couldn't, not if she wanted to keep her current position. Instead, she jabbed her pointer finger at Paul from the safety of her perch. "You take that back!"
Paul wasn't about to bend to Riley's will; not now, and definitely not about this."You need to fucking accept the truth already, Riley! You're fucking short and you're going to be short for the rest of your life!"
Riley blinked, painfully betrayed by Paul's words. "That's not true! I can still grow!"
Paul scoffed. "So you're just going to keep lying to yourself, Redwood?"
"I'm not lying, I'm-"
Irina stepped between the two, promptly cutting off the argument. While she spoke to both of them, she only kept her eyes on Riley. She understood it was an extreme fear reaction that led to Riley hunkering down on the fridge, but she still had to push to have Riley checked out. Irina was just too worried about Riley's arm, as well as how Riley had claimed it had "exploded." "Whatever...this...is, it's helping no one." She gestured between them, then took a step toward Riley, holding out a hand pleadingly. "You need to get looked over, Riley. I'm sure all of us will do whatever it takes to keep you as comfortable as possible. Isn't that right, Carlisle?"
"Irina is correct. I just want to make sure nothing worse happens to your arm. I don't know what has you so afraid of doctors, but I promise I only want to treat you to the best of my ability." Carlisle started to take a step forward like Irina had, but with the way Riley froze and eyed him, he realized it wasn't a good idea. Instead he took a step back, holding his hands up in a placating gesture to try and show he wasn't going to hurt her.
"Please, Riley." The way Irina said her name made Riley's heart skip a beat, the blonde's voice easily reclaiming Riley's attention. It was so weird; Irina was a stranger, yet Riley could tell that the worry on Irina's face, the worry for Riley, the woman had was genuine. Even weirder was that, despite being a stranger to Riley with a presence that still mildly terrified the human, Riley really wanted to please her.
Riley let out a huff and rolled her eyes so as to disguise just how much Irina affected her. "Fine, but I'm only going to listen to you because you're hot." For a moment, Riley considered openly rejecting that outstretched hand, or at the very least just not taking it. However, the desire to feel that hand in hers, to see if the buzzing thrill she felt whenever Irina looked at her would strengthen with touch, to simply experience what her skin against Irina's felt like, won out. That desire only intensified when Irina let out a soft laugh and flashed her a small, sweet smile that made Riley forget to breathe.
"I'm happy to know my beauty is so compelling," Irina murmured.
"Hey now, don't put words in my mouth, even if they are true. I don't want to contribute to your ego regardless how deserving that ego is." Riley's words earned another soft laugh from Irina, and a muttered "suck up" from Paul. Paul was definitely going to get it later; it wasn't like Riley could help how she felt or Irina could help how hot she was.
For now, Riley was completely taken with Irina, and there was nothing she could do about it. Later, she would freak out over her own reaction to this blonde, as well as the other two Denalis. She would probably end up nonstop planning so as to make sure she would be able to spend as little time around them as she possibly could, because honestly, her own reactions to the women were beyond terrifying. They opened her up for weakness, and as Sasha said, "Knowingly allowing weakness into your heart will only lead you to a fool's death." So yes, in the near future, Riley was definitely going to avoid the causes of that potential weakness. But for now…
"So? Has my beauty convinced you to come down or not?" Irina asked, beckoning with the fingers of her outstretched hand.
Riley's lips quirked up in a small smirk, both at Irina's words and at her own stupidity. For now, Riley was going to be a fool. Just for a few hours. "Yeah, I'm coming." Riley reached out and slapped her hand down firmly on Irina's.
Then there was a jolt of pain, so powerful Riley lost her balance on the fridge. She grit her teeth, cursing herself as she realized, once again much too late, that she had used her injured arm. It was bad enough that she had used her fucked up arm, but it was made even worse by the fact she had been dumb enough to actually put some strength when she slapped her hand into Irina's. In other words, she had actually, stupidly, slapped the very hard, diamond skin of a vampire. Even without using any of the superhuman strength Riley possessed, the contact still hurt like a motherfucker.
It looked like Riley was already doing a great job being a fool. If Sasha had been alive to witness the stupidity, Sasha would have killed her.
Riley had barely started to fall off of her perch before Irina caught her, arms wrapping around her middle and pulling Riley close against her body before safely landing back on the ground. Her arm still ached, but that was easily forgotten when she registered how firmly Irina's curves were pressed against Riley's own. Riley could slightly feel the coolness of Irina's body even through the layers of clothing between them, but more than that, Riley was aware of just how amazing Irina's body was. She didn't know how a body could feel so soft and pliant, yet so hard and strong and solid at the same time, but the combination was perfect for her. And Irina's scent-it overwhelmed the human, made her head spin every time she took a breath of honeysuckle and oranges. Breathing through her mouth didn't make it any better, as instead of smelling Irina, she could basically taste her, a refreshing and tangy taste that was just as addicting. Was it Irina's scent Riley was tasting? Would her skin taste the same way? Fuck, Riley really wanted to find out.
"You really know how to keep a woman on her toes." Irina's wry comment shook Riley out of her daze; thankfully before Riley could do or say something stupid. Riley tore her gaze away from where she had currently been staring-at Irina's boobs apparently, not that Riley had meant to-and she looked up into Irina's eyes. Eyes as black as a starless night sky.
Was Irina thirsty? Did Irina want to taste Riley as much as Riley wanted to taste the vampire? Of course, Riley just wanted her mouth on Irina's skin while Irina most likely wanted the liquid that was beneath it, but Riley couldn't find it in her to be afraid. Instead, she was just horny. So very fucking horny.
"You're way too beautiful to be this close to me. Are you trying to kill a girl? Put me down." Apparently, Riley was nowhere near done making an idiot of herself. She wanted nothing more than to cringe, but of course, she wasn't about to show any signs that would point to how much she regretted her own actions.
Irina loosened her hold on Riley, but didn't let go completely. Instead, her hands lingered on Riley's hips; giving Riley the ability to move away, but also giving off the feeling that she might just drag the human back against her at any moment. "Sorry about that," Irina said, and the low tone of the vampire's voice sent a shiver down Riley's spine, because holy shit. That wasn't a normal voice. That was a tone that said "I want nothing more than to pin you to the nearest service and fuck you to sleep. As we aren't alone, I'm restraining myself, but I promise you, you're getting the fucking of your life later." Riley had heard that tone many times over her life-from many different women and for many different reasons. Not once had it instilled such a reaction from her as it did coming from Irina Denali.
Did she instinctively slip into that tone whenever she got thirsty? The whole "succubi legend created by Kate, Irina, and Tanya" thing made a lot more sense now. No one would be able to reject any advance from Irina if she used that voice, Riley was sure of it.
For a moment, silence stretched between them, interrupted only by the occasional sound Esme made while cooking.
"Doc, can we just get on with checking her arm out?" Paul was stressed and tense, battling his own aggression as he was faced with a black eyed vamp eyeing Riley hungrily with her arms around the human. Those emotions bled into his voice, and it was more than enough to get Riley's attention even if she didn't quite register what he had said.
"Of course, Paul; whenever she's ready," Carlisle replied, but his eyes were on Irina, taking note of Irina's reaction. Not out of fear for Riley, but because Irina appeared to be struggling to control herself so as not to lash out at Paul for interrupting. He was ready to step in at a moment's notice to smooth things over if necessary.
Riley stepped away from Irina and turned away from her, severing the weird connection she had felt between them so as to attend to her upset friend. She bumped her side against Paul's in a comforting gesture, and it was enough to make Paul relax.
"You're going to have to strap me down to a chair or some shit, because I'm not going to react well," Riley said to him, only half teasing. She didn't know what Carlisle would do when checking out her arm, and she was definitely going to be jumpy enough just having a doctor about to touch her.
Paul gave her a toothy grin. "Oh, I already have plans for that." He wrapped his arms tightly around Riley, pinning her left arm to her side but leaving her right free, and proceeded to sit on the couch with Riley in his lap. "Just try to escape me, Redwood."
Riley sighed as she did her best to relax into Paul's body. "You still make a shitty seat, Lahote, but you'll do."
"Excuse me? I'm a great seat, the fuck is wrong with you?"
"You sure about that? Because a good seat doesn't talk."
Riley made sure to become absorbed by the banter, if only not to think about her weird reaction to Irina or what was to come when Carlisle checked out her arm. Paul was doing the same, so as not to think too much about the vulnerable position he and Riley were in with the vampires.
In being so absorbed with the banter, neither noticed how Irina's lips skimmed back from her teeth, furious eyes locked on the way Paul held Riley. Her beast was raging inside her at the trusting, intimate position they appeared to be in. She absolutely loathed how Riley had left her arms only to end up in the arms and lap of a smelly mutt. It was only her willpower and Riley's relationship with Paul that stopped Irina from giving in to her desire to kick Paul's ass so that he knew Riley belonged to her and her sisters. Even recognizing that the gesture didn't have any romantic or sexual undertones didn't do much to soothe her violent desires. The more animalistic part of her mind was focused on one particular thing; she had finally found her mate, yet hadn't done anything that made it clear that Riley was hers. And someone that wasn't Kate or Tanya had just taken her unclaimed mate away from her.
A hand landed on Irina's shoulder. The hand wasn't there to restrain, but to show understanding and compassion. It didn't completely stop the raging storm inside her, but the blonde was able to use that hand to ground herself and pull away from her instinctive rage. Irina shot a quick grateful smile over her shoulder at Esme, and Esme gave her a warm smile and head nod in return. When Esme left Irina to go back to cooking, Irina found she was much less likely to lose it in front of her mate.
It was a good thing that she had been the one to go inside instead of Kate or Tanya. Kate would have been too impulsive while Tanya most likely wouldn't have been able to even let Riley go. They had been smart to leave everything to Irina instead of following Riley inside as well, even if it likely drove them up a wall to have their injured mate out of sight.
"Right, just tell me if you're starting to get uncomfortable, and I will do what I can to rectify the situation." In the time that Irina had struggled to get ahold of herself, Carlisle had already pulled out a case that might as well have been a mobile clinic and set everything up just out of Riley's view in case seeing everything might set her off.
Riley offered Carlisle a wry smile. "I'm already uncomfortable, Carlisle, and there's nothing you can do about it. Just get it over with." She had meant it to be a joke, but she hated how true her words were. She wanted nothing more than to kick Carlisle away from her and escape, and if it had been any other doctor in front of her, she would have. It wasn't like it was some kind of connection to Carlisle that stopped her; just the constant reminder that kicking a vampire probably wasn't the best idea. If she wasn't careful she might end up with an injured foot. Even if her foot ended up fine, who knew how a vampire, even one as calm as Carlisle, would respond to being hurt?
Carlisle didn't comment on Riley's words, thankfully. Instead he gave her a head nod and pulled off the girl's glove. Irina was immediately at Riley's side, blurring over so quickly Paul instinctively tightened his hold on Riley. Riley let out a surprised grunt as the air was squeezed out of her lungs. Paul immediately loosened his grip, but before he could even start to apologize, Irina was baring her teeth at him, looking absolutely furious. It set Paul's wolf on edge, and if he hadn't been holding Riley in his arms, he would have been fighting with the urge to shift.
"What are you thinking, handling her in such a manner? Do you not know how to treat humans, dog?" Irina demanded in a near hiss. She was absolutely furious at how the wolf was treating her mate, and nearly as furious at herself for how much the more animalistic side of her nearly won out and made her snatch away her mate.
Of course, Irina pointing out how he mishandled Riley made Paul feel a hundred times worse. He straightened and snapped back defensively. "Like you can do any better!"
Irina crossed her arms over her chest in an effort to stop herself from touching Riley possessively. "Oh, I would do much better than you ever could. For one thing, I know how to treat her gently."
Riley let out a low groan of frustration before muttering under her breath, "Oh, being gentle is the last way I'd want you to treat me."
Her words were more than enough to break the tension between the shifter and the vampire. Paul made a big show of gagging, but out of the corner of his eye, he noticed how pleased and even excited Irina appeared at Riley's comment. Before he could try to examine the vamp more closely, Carlisle cleared his throat.
It was then that Riley realized what she had done. "I didn't mean to say that out loud. You're supposed to keep your ears shut, perverts."
Carlisle cut in before Paul could open his mouth to retort. "How about we focus on fixing up Riley's arm? I'm sure she's anxious to get this over with."
Irina and Paul each agreed in some way, but Riley was too busy getting worked up at Carlisle's words. She grimaced, knowing that even Paul was likely to hear how quickly Riley's heart had started to beat.
Thanks for the reminder, Carlisle. Just what I needed. Riley took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm, and focused on bringing up the walls she had all but forgotten about thanks to her time with the shifters. She did her best to separate herself from her emotions, and thankfully, her heart started to slow in her chest as she stared blankly at the wall. Riley was many things, but she sure as fuck wasn't a pansy. She had to get through this; it was just a doctor touching her. Possibly helping her. She was not going to wimp out now.
Carlisle frowned at the distant, empty expression that came over Riley's features, but quickly composed himself. He knew it wasn't a good idea to bring up Riley's apparent way of coping, as it would only bring up more stress.
"I'll be as quick as I can," Carlisle promised before carefully unwrapping Riley's arm under Paul and Irina's watchful eyes.
The second Riley's arm was revealed, everyone, even Esme, let out a gasp at what they saw.
"Oh dear," Esme whispered.
"Holy fuck, it's even worse than the last time I saw it!" Paul said, sounding almost sick at the sight.
Irina was too horrified to even speak properly. "What...how...oh, your arm...when you said it exploded...I didn't think…" Irina wanted so badly to tend to Riley in some way, but she had no idea how.
"It certainly is...something," Carlisle said, at a loss as to how to describe Riley's arm.
Their concern made Riley scoff. "Oh, stop with the drama. I just saw it earlier today, how bad could it…?" Riley's eyes widened as she glanced down at her arm. "...Shit. Okay, yeah, that might be bad."