CHAPTER 5
Awake
"Eliot?" Gemma started to cry in relief when she saw his eyes flutter open. "Eliot!"
Suddenly it felt as if the floor tipped underneath her and she was falling into the dark once more. She would have screamed in terror, and she could feel the sound expanding in her chest, but she felt Eliot's hand tighten on her forearm so she clung to him.
. ͽϿ Ѻ Ͼͼ .
Tyrel hurried over when Gemma began to slump forward. When he picked up her arm to try to stop the bleeding he was surprised to see Eliot's hand clinging tightly to Gemma's arm. On the other side, Gemma was squeezing Parker's foreleg so tightly that Tyrel began to worry that her grip might be acting as an improper tourniquet.
Quinn looked over and saw Tyrel trying to pry Gemma's hand loose so that he could get to her wounded wrist. "It's going to be okay Doc. She found him."
Tyrell saw tears running down Quinn's face just before Quinn curled forward with a groan.
"What's happening?" Nate was standing with fists clenched.
"I don't know." Tyrel started checking Gemma's vitals.
"It a be okay." Ms. Teo gripped Sophie's hand. "Ain' nothin' bout werewolves is easy. But dees babies 'll be jus' fine."
. ͽϿ Ѻ Ͼͼ .
Gemma wasn't sure when the fall through the dark had stopped but she found herself held secure to Eliot's chest.
"Hey, darlin'." Eliot smiled down at her and kissed her softly.
"Where are we?" Gemma leaned into Eliot but looked around into the dark.
"I haven't got a clue." Eliot looked around as well. "A minute ago I was sitting in a bar thinking I'd gone crazy and now I'm here with you. Do you know what's going on?"
"I was supposed to pick up the bonds and pull them back together. But I guess I did it wrong." She frowned. Her confusion began to turn to panic. "What if I did it wrong Eliot?! What if I made things worse?"
"Ssshhh." He soothed and tilted her chin up so that he could look into her beautiful green eyes. "Tell me how you found me."
"I saw the glowing ribbon and I picked it up and I followed it to you."
"Okay…" Eliot looked around and didn't see anything like a glowing ribbon. "Can you find Parker's… Gemma is Parker alright? Did she survive?!"
Gemma was looking around. "Yes. We need to find her though."
She started to walk around him and he felt a tug in his chest when she started to walk away. He started to follow her and when he did he could see a small chain running from the center of his chest to her fist.
"Found it!" Gemma smiled at him. "At least I think I did." Gemma held the bright ribbon in her hand and followed it into the dark.
. ͽϿ Ѻ Ͼͼ .
"We've got a minute maybe less before she's too far gone." Tyrel was carefully monitoring Gemma's pulse.
"I can't…" Sophie got up, walked to the other side of the cabin, and stared out the window.
. ͽϿ Ѻ Ͼͼ .
A scream pierced the darkness and Eliot was knocked to the ground in a tangle of arms and legs. Gemma yanked the ribbon in her hand like she was setting the hook in a marlin.
Petite and lithe as ever Parker rolled to the side grabbing the rappelling line that connected from her chest to Gemma's fist.
"Parker!" Eliot pulled Parker into a tight embrace until she started to squirm.
Parker flopped back to the ground dramatically clutching her chest. "It took you foooorrrreeeeevveerrrr to get here." Parker hopped up and looked between Gemma and Eliot. "Come on let's get the boys!"
For all of Parker's enthusiasm she didn't move. After a few exchanged looks Parker sighed in exasperation.
"I don't know where they are. That's why you're here." Her last comment, to Gemma, was delivered with the arch of an eyebrow.
Gemma started to search around like she'd done before but she couldn't find a new ribbon. "I don't see anything. Before there was a ribbon but I can't find anything."
"Gemma, sweetheart, we need you to come back to us." Quinn's voice whispered in her ear and she spun toward the sound.
"Did you hear that?" Gemma continued to look around.
"What did you hear?" Eliot put a comforting hand on her arm.
"Quinn." Gemma was still looking in all directions. "I heard Quinn."
"Come on sweetheart, Eliot wouldn't want you to do this. You did your best but now we need you to come back."
"There! He was talking!" Gemma looked at Eliot but she could see by the look on his face that he hadn't heard Quinn.
. ͽϿ Ѻ Ͼͼ .
Nate moved to help Tyrel pull Gemma's fingers away from Eliot's arm but even with both men trying it was as though Eliot and Gemma had been carved from a single, solid, block of marble.
Quinn, who had been just as still and silent as the rest of his pack, opened his eyes. He looked down at the crushing grip that Eliot had on his arm and could see that even with Nate and Tyrel working together they couldn't break Eliot and Gemma apart.
He felt like his body was made of lead but he moved until he could reach Gemma. Her face was so pale and he could hear her heart slowing its rhythm. "Gemma, sweetheart, we need you to come back to us."
"Quinn!" Nate looked at Quinn and noticed that he was nearly as pale as Gemma. "Can you help us? Tyrel can't stop the bleeding because he can't get to the wounds."
Quinn cupped Gemma's cheek, gently rubbing a thumb over the soft skin. "Come on sweetheart, Eliot wouldn't want you to do this. You did your best but now we need you to come back."
Quinn's eyes widened in surprise. "Thata girl." The words were whispered a moment before he collapsed.
. ͽϿ Ѻ Ͼͼ .
"Alright darlin', I'm sure you did hear him." Eliot's eyes flashed yellow for a moment. "Close your eyes and reach out. Take his hand." Eliot could clearly feel his wolf's instinct leading his words and it felt good, like coming home.
Gemma closed her eyes and reached. She could feel the warm rough palm slide across hers and she curled her fingers reflexively, taking his hand. When she opened her eyes there were two bright ribbons in her hand. She yanked them, and Hardison and Quinn stepped from the darkness.
Quinn squeezed Gemma's arm. "Good job Red."
Hardison pulled Parker to his chest with a whimper. "I was so scared."
Gemma looked around at the motley crew that had become her family. With a smile she turned to Eliot and held out her hand. "Take us home Alpha."
Eliot took her hand and could see the pack bonds stretched out like a web. The line of incomprehensible, to him, computer code that stretched from Hardison's chest to his own.
A silk cord that seemed to connect from Eliot's chest to Quinn's belly, Eliot couldn't help the smile when he saw it and realized that's where Quinn always touched when he talked about pack bonds.
An odd sensation tugged at his chest, and he could see the rappelling line that made up his connection to Parker, she was waggling it a fit of excitement.
Looking at Gemma he could see a chain of daisies from her heart to his. "Let's go home."
. ͽϿ Ѻ Ͼͼ .
"Son of a bitch!" Nate stepped over the tangled bodies on the floor and checked Quinn's pulse.
Tyrel stood feeling helpless and unsure what to do next.
"Thank you Abba! ¡Oh Dios, eres realmente grande!" Julio shouted and leapt from the couch pumping a fist in the air.
He got several sour looks but he completely disregarded them as he hurried forward and placed a hand on Eliot's forehead and Gemma's. "God said they will be fine. Whole. With us soon!" He bowed his head in silent prayer as a huge smile split his face.
Color warmed Gemma's cheeks and Eliot began to stir. Hardison and Quinn were showing signs of life as well, but all eyes were on Parker as her body slid from big, black furred wolf, to slim naked woman.
Julio turned his face away with a blush. Tyrel snagged a blanket from the back of the couch and quickly draped it over Parker.
One by one, they woke, and each was added to the group hug that had started when Eliot, holding Gemma to his chest, had reached over and pulled Parker into his side.
Just as it might have become awkward Parker's muffled voice was heard from somewhere in the middle of things. "So am I a werewolf now?"
"You were a wolf just a minute ago." Hardison kissed her temple.
"Guess you slept through your first shift." Quinn smiled.
"Dangit!" Parker looked around. "I was a wolf and I didn't even know it?!"
Everyone laughed.
. ͽϿ Ѻ Ͼͼ .
It had taken a little while for everyone to get their turn in the shower and Eliot had to admit that warm showers in the cabin may have been one of his favorite renovations so far.
Hardison and Parker had gone for a walk in the woods and Quinn was still in the shower. Gemma had been tucked up on the couch with a blanket and a hot cup of tea despite her protests. Tyrel, Nate, and Ms. Teo, all checking her vitals and reassuring themselves of her wellbeing. Chrissa and Sophie had poured their own cups of tea and were staying out of the way at the kitchen table.
Eliot knelt next to one of the puddles of blood and began to wipe it up with an old rag. Julio snorted in amusement and knelt on the other side of the mess with his own rag.
"Seriously man, I can't believe you drug me all the way out into the woods just to mop up blood with you again." His tone was scolding but a twinkle lit his eye.
"Wouldn't be official if you weren't here to help me destroy evidence." Eliot teased back, knowing that when Julio had helped mop up the blood after Hardison's change he'd been pretty sure he was helping Eliot conceal a murder.
They worked together for a few minutes until Eliot got up to change the water in the mop bucket. He watched the water pour into the sink leaving rusty pink drops to trickle into the drain. He'd wanted to spare his pack the sight of blood, the cost of becoming a werewolf. Instead, it had nearly cost Gemma and Parker their lives.
Moreover, he didn't want to think about what would have happened if he and Parker hadn't woken up. Hardison without his mate, his Alpha, his oldest friends. Quinn, whose control of his wolf was already so unstable, left with the responsibility of the pack. It was a dark image.
"Eliot?"
Eliot's eyes flashed yellow as he turned toward Gemma. He set his bucket down and grabbed a towel to dry his hands on as he headed toward the couch. "You okay? Should I call Tyrel?"
Gemma scooted up on the couch. "No. I'm just fine. I wish everyone would stop fussing." She held a hand out and Eliot took it as he sat next to her.
He ran a thumb over the thin pink scar that marred the inside of her forearm. "Do you want some more juice?"
She huffed out a breath. "No. I'm fine." She squirmed around so that she was facing him squarely. "Really, there is no reason for all this coddling. You know…" She tapped his chest. "you know I'm fine."
He nodded but kept his eyes on her new scars. To everyone's shock Gemma's wounds had been healed by the time the blood had been wiped off of her skin. She had healed even faster than the rest of the pack and no one had any sort of explanation.
"I could feel you brooding over there." She smiled and ran her fingers up his arm to his shoulder. "Can you feel me too?"
He laced their fingers together with a small smile. "Yes." He put his hand to his chest. "I can feel you and the rest of the pack again." He knew that it had only been a few hours that he'd been disconnected from the pack but it had felt like months. Months of being alone and unwanted. Months of grief over Parker and the pack.
Gemma could feel the melancholy creeping up on Eliot again. She leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss to his lips. "Hey, it's okay. We're all here. I know it'll take some time to feel normal again after so many months on your own."
Her kiss had certainly distracted him and helped him focus on the here and now, but her words caught him by surprise. "How did you know about that?" He hadn't told anyone what he remembered and no one else had mentioned anything.
"I've been seeing it in my dreams." She leaned into his shoulder, snuggling against his chest. "What was with all the thief stuff?"
"Hhmm?" He rubbed a strand of her hair between his fingers.
"Ma Barker, Belle Starr, and Ms. Lyons, and all that." She turned her head a little so that she could look up into his face. "There were a bunch of other things that were related to… how does Parker say it?... The art of theft?"
"I don't know. I don't recognize those names." He shrugged.
"Those were all names of women who were famous for theft and conartistry." She smiled.
A chuckle rumbled in his chest but didn't quite make it out. "I guess I must have read about them at some point or maybe someone told me about them." He shrugged. "How did you know that they were all thieves?"
"I googled them."
A smile tugged at his mouth. "How long ago did you see all of this?" He knew she'd been traveling before he even started Parker's change and she'd already had the knife with her.
"A while." She bit at her lip. "But at first all I saw was the knife and you."
He felt her shudder and pulled her a little tighter to him.
"I didn't start seeing the rest until a couple of weeks ago." She'd woken up crying almost every time she'd seen him living alone in her dreams. "And I didn't know what to do about it until Ash recognized the knife I'd been dreaming about."
"So you tell Ash about your nightmares?" Eliot tried to squelch the feelings of jealousy, hurt, and anger.
Gemma rubbed a hand over Eliot's arm to comfort him. "Not exactly. But he's been a good friend."
Eliot arched an eyebrow. "Really? I thought vampires couldn't be trusted?"
She snorted when he gave her words back to her. "True. But that's a story for another time." She noticed Quinn watching them and seeming to be waiting for a break in their conversation.
"Quinn." Eliot waived Quinn over and made room on the couch for him. "I didn't get the chance to tell you before…"
"I'm sorry. I know I screwed up." Quinn tilted his head submissively, exposing his neck.
Eliot snorted and shoved playfully at Quinn's shoulder. "You did great. You took care of everyone." Eliot had already heard from Nate and Hardison that Quinn had struggled to control his wolf.
Now it was Quinn's turn to snort. "Whatever. I'm sure everyone's already told you about my less than stellar control."
Eliot tugged at Quinn's shoulder and the three of them relaxed into the couch. Eliot gripped Quinn's shoulder. "You realize that it's been less than a year since you were added to the pack right?"
Quinn hhhmmed an indifferent response.
"When I first brought you into the pack you couldn't control your wolf on your own let alone help keep anyone else in the pack stable."
Quinn sighed. "Well today really wasn't any better."
"Are you kidding?" Eliot smiled and nudged Quinn's shoulder with his own. "You kept everyone here safe. You took charge and kept Hardison from losing control. You listened to suggestions, even though no wolf likes to be told what to do when they're in charge." Eliot let his pride in Quinn's progress flow through the bonds. "There's no way you could have done that six months ago."
The cabin door opened and Parker ran into the room and launched herself at Eliot. Gemma had started to move as soon as she'd seen Parker but she still barely made it away from Eliot's chest before Parker's impact rocked the couch and all it's occupants.
"Parker!" Eliot growled. "There's somethin' wrong with you!" He'd caught enough of her weight in his arms to lessen the impact a little but she'd still hit him with more than human speed.
Quinn had caught one of her knees and had the urge to shake his hand as if he'd caught a power pitch bare handed.
"Sorry." Parker frowned when she saw how far she'd knocked the couch back.
"You shoulda seen her hoppin' tree to tree and what not." Hardison strolled in behind Parker and couldn't seem to help the smirk on his face when he saw the results of the collision. "Someone's just a little excited." He squinched one eye closed and pinched his thumb and finger together to show the tiniest possible measurement.
Eliot couldn't help his smile as he felt Parker's happiness zinging through the bonds. "Ready for a real run in the woods, little wolf?"
. ͽϿ Ѻ Ͼͼ .
Eliot wanted to take Parker through her first change, like he had for Hardison, so he led them away from the cabin toward Parker's zip line.
"You've felt what it's like for the rest of us when we shift and I'm sure you remember what I told Hardison when he was first learning." Eliot started to strip off his shirts while he talked.
Parker nodded and started to pull off her own shirt but paused and looked down to see a bloody scratch just above the waist of her pants.
Eliot smelled the blood and turned to get a better look. "Looks like your wolf is more than ready to get out and play." He picked up one of her hands so that they could both see the claw tipped fingers. "Don't worry about control right now. I've got you covered. We'll start practicing control soon though."
"Okay." Parker didn't hesitate as she skimmed out of the rest of her clothes letting them fall as they may.
Eliot turned to give Parker a little privacy and he could feel her amusement through the bonds. It felt so good to feel her and the others in his pack bonds again. And having Gemma added in was better than beating up a team of thugs.
When he heard the last of her clothes drop he turned back to face her keeping his eyes on hers. The yellow of her wolf's eyes washed through her irises and Eliot lost his breath for a second. "Okay, sweetheart, focus on what it will feel like to stand on four paws."