Death's Saviour

Author's Song of the Chapter: Born Bold by Valley of the Wolves

The mansion comes into view between the trees and I let out a happy howl that has Garth laughing on my back. He’s laughing then suddenly he isn’t, he’s screaming, and it rings through me bringing horror to my heart. I turn my head to see what he’s screaming about. Dusk’s eyes roll in her head from where she runs beside me as foam suddenly gushes from her mouth. Sicora’s eyes widen as she digs her hands into Dusk’s fur for grip. We are running full tilt when suddenly Dusk is going down tumbling her body limp as she goes. I try to stop by digging my paws into the dirt for grip as Garth’s hands ring into my fur as he tries to hold on sending daggers of pain along my back that I ignore. Dusk is my priority, she has come to a stop against a tree. I rush to her, Sicora huddles on the ground a few meters away with a good dash on her forehead and one arm hangs at an awkward angle. Sicora hugs herself as tears stream down her face while she looks at Dusk. I shift as I get to Dusk sending Garth tumbling from my back as he hits the ground with a grunt before popping up and going right to Sicora. Dusk lays in front of me in her wolf form, her body is still until I reach out to touch her. Suddenly her body convulses as she kicks out purple foam spraying from her mouth, her eyes roll in her head as her body shakes. Seizure is the first word that comes to my mind. Dusk is having a seizure.

“I’m sorry, I can’t control it.” Sicora whimpers repeatedly behind me.

Dusk’s body comes to a rest as she falls into my human form allowing me to rush to her. She isn’t breathing when I pull her into my arms as her eyes look up at the sky above and see nothing. No! No, this isn’t how she dies! Tears pour from my eyes as I squeeze her against my body willing her not to be dead. I run my fingers through her hair as I repeat her name as a whisper. I close my eyes trying to breathe, she’s gone. Suddenly she spasms again in my arms causing me to open my eyes. Purple liquid dribbles from her lips, eyes, nose, and ears as she comes to a stop. The purple liquid comes out of her in a more rapid flow. She coughs her body twisting out of my grip as she leans over vomiting out a whole bunch of purple foamy liquid. Dusk turns back into my arms taking in a deep shaky breath.

“Dusk!” I squeal out pulling her tight against me as she digs her hands into my chest holding onto me.

We stay that way for what feels like a long time her just holding onto me and me kissing her head as I hope this isn’t a dream. Finally, she looks up at me again and I wipe the dried purple streaks from her cheeks. Her eyes are so alive, they even have an interesting sparkle to them at this moment. Dusk turns her head from me looking at Garth and Sicora who look back at her amazement written on their faces.

“Your poison is something else, that was awesome,” Dusk speaks ending with a smile that has me scowling at her while Sicora and Garth’s facial expressions don’t change.

“You scared me!” I tell her as a response to her awesome statement as she turns her attention back to me.

“The poison attacks the system all at once, it couldn’t have killed me even if it tried because it burnt before it could reach my bloodstream, but it sure does give me quite the rush. I’m okay Noah.” Dusk explains, and I can’t help but hold her as she hugs me close comforting me.

“I thought you were immune to all other powers but mine?” I ask in a statement type of question.

“Apparently some powers are strong enough to affect me but they will never kill me. I am immune to them in that sense, my body can handle them in its own ways.” Dusk decides in a thoughtful voice as I smile at how smart she is.

We continue to sit there for a little while longer before Dusk finally convinces me that we need to go the rest of the way home. She wasn’t lying when she said it didn’t affect her long because she hops right up energetic as she makes me give her a piggyback ride. Garth and Sicora are smiling and laughing when we come out of the forest along with Carl who has introduced himself. Dusk’s situation is no longer an issue, they can cope again. Lora greets us on the porch of the house while I give Dusk and Carl a little knowing look. The mansion is quite the sight. It is twisted with overgrown vines looking old but not falling apart. It truly can feel like home, if one lets it. I glance up at the highest window in the attic which is round looking out of the forest, that is our room now. Suddenly a cold flick of wind comes over us causing me to shiver as my stomach rolls and I swear I see a flicker of someone in that window. The weather has been so warm that I forgot how quickly it can change, I didn’t know how it would affect me but this gives me an idea.

“Come inside, dinner is on the table,” Lora calls out to us in a pleasant voice though I can hear a hint of worry in her as well as she can feel the cold wind tonight.

We move to go inside; the house is warm from a fire burning inside the fireplace. Carl moves to attempt to fit another log into it as his arms rise with goosebumps.

“According to the news Carl’s house burnt down due to a kitchen fire and his foster parents think he is dead, just in case we wanted to know about that,” Lora interjects before any of us can talk.

“Thank you, Lora,” Carl says quietly his eyes finding the fire as he investigates it deeply leaving us behind for his mind.

“Can we get this biting thing over with, so we can stop dying and start living?” Sicora asks, she is supposed to sound like she is joking but her voice is more urgent than anything.

“Yes, let’s get this over with so we can work on controlling your powers,” Dusk states her voice wary with tiredness that only I catch.

‘Baby are you sure you have the energy for this?’ - I ask Dusk in her mind for her thoughts only and she gives me a small nod though I know she doesn’t.

I won’t fight her on this because I know she is right, we need to get Sicora’s powers under control as soon as possible. Then a thought pops into my head.

“Dusk, why don’t I do it, I’m an alpha too so my bite would work on them as well.” I teel Dusk and she twists her head to look at me with surprise in her eyes.

I can read her like an open book, she thinks I am learning way quicker than she originally thought I would. I am one with the Wolf more than she thought was possible as I understand what it means to be an alpha. I understand what this life means since it is my life and always has been even if I didn’t know it before. I know I’m more than right when Sicora’s head snaps up to look at me as if she is trying to understand me. Garth gives me a huge smile, it’s funny how quickly he has come to understand me, he and I are going to get along just fine. Even Carl looks at me out of the corner of his eye and I know he is just starting to get it.

“Yes, you are an alpha too, you can do it.” Dusk replies with the biggest smile I have ever witnessed playing across her face.

That smile makes me feel like I’ve just won the biggest jackpot on the planet. It’s contagious as I look at her, soon I can feel a smile playing on my lips. Dusk leans on me. I watch her face as firelight flickers across it highlighting those green eyes. I love those green eyes, I brush my finger lightly over her jawbone trailing it to her mouth as she closes her eyes letting out a little sigh. I lean over planting a kiss on her lips before letting her settle back and relax. I turn to Garth and Sicora who sit side by side, hand in hand on the other couch with Carl. I move crouching down on my knees in front of them both, they look down at me wide-eyed.

“I’m not going to lie, I’ve been through this and it hurts like hell, it’s not an easy process and there is the chance that you will not survive it, are you sure?” I inform Sicora and Garth honestly causing them both to swallow loudly as they look between myself and Carl who nods his head in agreement with my words.

I hesitate when they both look at me momentarily panicked, I’m not doing this if it isn’t something they want. I won’t do that to them. This isn’t an easy life if you are not prepared or meant for it.

“Okay, let’s do this.” Garth smiles suddenly as he reaches his arm out to me his face paling but determined.

I don’t give him the chance to change his mind as I bend forward extending my canines before I bite down quickly and smoothly. Garth cries out when my canines dig into his skin and he tries to pull away from me, but I hold him tight in my jaw to keep him from hurting himself. When he stops fighting and just breathes heavily I let him go. Blood pools trickling down out of his arm from the bite mark I have left behind. Garth shakes as he gingerly moves his other hand from Sicora’s grasp moving to put it over the bite marl. He grimaces when his fingers make contact and he decides against applying pressure to it. Instead, he relaxes back into the couch taking a ragged breath.

“You weren’t lying when you said it was painful,” Garth mumbles his voice shaky as he looks at me his face even paler than before.

Sicora holds onto his arm with such a force that it must be hurting Garth, if she is than he doesn’t show it or he doesn’t feel it. Either way, he doesn’t push her away when she curls into him. Instead, he pulls her against his chest as she extends her leg out to me.

“Maybe there being more flesh it will hurt less,” Sicora explains in a small voice as she hikes her hospital gown up to her thigh for me.

I smile a small smile as I glance over at Dusk first asking for permission because this is a little weird, it is also a little personal and I am unsure I am even comfortable with it. I stop thinking and start doing. I move and when my canines dig into Sicora’s leg she screams. On instinct, I raise my hands to cover my ears jerking away from her making it more painful as I pull my canines from her flesh in a quick dragging motion. She wriggles in Garth’s grasp clasping onto her leg as blood flows quickly down it. Carl and I go stone still as we stare at the blood, it isn’t red or normal. Sicora’s blood is purple, she really does have pure poison flowing through her veins. Suddenly a deep yearning in me makes my nose twitch as my eyes are drawn back to Garth’s arm and the blood that is sticky there. My gaze zeroes in on the red liquid and I want it. I need the blood right now, I need it to be flowing down my throat giving me strength. It’s as if a haze has come over me as I stand to grab his arm yanking it up to my mouth. Garth cries out in surprise, I’ve almost got it to my mouth when suddenly it is gone and Dusk is in front of me looking at me right in the eyes.

“Noah, Carl, you leave that urge behind, shove it away and think about the human you. You don’t want to hurt your friends. You don’t want blood, you don’t need it!” Dusk’s voice is stern and commanding as my eyes flicker to where Lora stands to restrain a shaking Carl.

I want to listen to Dusk but the pull is stronger as I try to sidestep her. She grabs my jaw hard making me face her until my eyes meet hers again. Carl goes still in Lora’s arms as he takes in shallow breaths.

‘Noah. Push it away, please.’ -Dusk’s voice is deep in my mind and loud as she snaps me back to myself, I stumble back a little, she doesn’t let me fall.

Dusk holds tight to my sides steadying me.

“We are animals at heart, we have a certain bloodlust that can consume us if we let it. All of us feel it and must deal with it, it is something that we will forever deal with. It is the one thing that will always remind us to never let the animal part have full control. It will keep the human in us alive.” Dusk explains as she moves me back to the couch where I can sit beside Carl as we comprehend what she has just told us.

“So, we have a bloodlust in us that we have to worry about now, fun,” Carl says in an attempted lightheartedness as he tries to lighten up the topic but, my heart feels a little bit heavier knowing that I have a new urge to come to terms with.

Dusk knows me too well as she reads through me holding my hands in her watching me as I squeeze her hands. She squeezes back, and the weight seems to lift a little bit. This isn’t something I have to go through alone, in fact, I will have my mate and my pack beside me feeling the same things I am. Battling with the same lust I am, lust, funny that I always associated that word with the need for sex only. Now it is paired with something much darker, but it doesn’t have to be. Making my mind up I swoop Dusk up over my shoulder which causes her to let out a surprising note.

“What are you doing Noah?” Dusk questions me in a high-pitched voice as she tries to get a good drip on my back to be able to steady herself.

I give her a slight jostle so that she won’t get a good grip also making her ass bounce beside my face which only reinforces the thoughts flowing through my mind.

“I’m transferring this bloodlust into a different type of lust. Sorry, you two I’m a little needy when it comes to my mate.” I smile as I turn back to look at Garth and Sicora who wear big plastered smiles that I know pisses Dusk off because she growls.

I turn back away from them heading for the stairs ignoring Dusk’s growls that ring in my ears vibrating through my back and into my chest.