Chapter Seventeen
“Sorry Damien, we can’t let you leave. Jill asked us to make sure you didn’t go anywhere until she gets back.” Scott didn’t sound sorry and Cade seemed to be enjoying Damien’s house arrest.
“You’re kidding me, right? Where is Jill?”
“She went hunting.” Cade said, emotionlessly.
“Let me go, Scott. I have to find someone.”
“No. Quite frankly, I’m glad she’s finally put you on a leash. I was tired of rescuing your stupid ass every five minutes.”
“Step aside, both of you.” Kain stepped between Cade and Scott. “Let him go. I will accompany him.”
Scott scoffed at his alpha.
“Did you say something, Scott?” Kain’s eyes met Scott’s, forcing him to back down the longer he stared.
“No, my alpha.” Scott said, lowering his eyes.
“I didn’t think so.”
“Kain, I need to find Chelsea. Please. I want to try to reason with her.” Damien interrupted the lycans, desperate to reach Chelsea before Jill found her.
“Damien, there are some souls that cannot be saved. Especially when they are already gone.” Kain forced Cade aside, his voice calm despite his frustration.
“I have to try. Please.”
“Very well.” Kain surrendered, leading Damien down to his car.
****
Jill returned to find Damien gone. She’d left Scott and Cade in hopes that she could speak with Damien about what happened.
“Kain went with him. I had no choice, Jill. As much as I hate him, he’s still my alpha.” Scott apologized, still pissed.
“Did they say where they went?” Jill replied, clenching her gloved hands against her sides. She was beyond furious.
“Damien wanted to find that Chelsea girl who went missing. Kain said he’d take him back to his house.”
Jill thanked Scott, heading back down to her car to Damien’s house.
****
When Jill arrived at, Kain was standing by his car waiting for her.
“Kain, where is he?”
“Jillian, I understand you are worried. You love him but he is doing what he was sent here to do. The Purifiers were keepers of peace between the races. You cannot interfere with that.” Kain replied, calmly.
“Where is he?”
“I don’t know. He took off on the motorcycle Charlie got him. He asked me not to follow. I honored his request.”
“You don’t know or you won’t say? I know you, Kain.”
“Jillian, I do not know. Now, go back to the gym and work off some of your anger. Your emotions are clouding your judgement. He will be fine. He’s going through some changes and may need some time to think. This incident with Chelsea hit him pretty hard.”
Jill took a deep breath. She thought about Damien’s words when she left. He’d asked her to trust him and that’s what she would do. No matter how worried about him she was.
Instead of going back to the gym, Jill went for a walk in the town to enjoy the decorations and hear some of the bustle of the holidays. The music had always been some of her favorite genre.
Getting around crowds used to make Jill nervous but after she met Damien, she began to appreciate interaction with people. Many of them were either lycans that recognized her as one of their own or those that had long forgotten how to change.
The cold snow coated the ground beneath Jill’s feet, crunching beneath her boots as she walked down the street. Damien still hadn’t come back or answered any of her texts or calls. Gods, she hoped he wasn’t angry at her. She would never forgive herself for overreacting like she did.
Jill looked up at one of the wreaths that adorned an old-fashioned lamp post, her heart breaking as she longed to see him. She couldn’t feel his emotions as though he’d found a way to hide himself from her. Wherever he had gone, Jill couldn’t hear his voice or the soft song of his soul. It was if he’d disappeared.
Damien, do you not know how much this hurts? I can’t feel your emotions. I can’t hear your soul anymore. Where have you gone?
Jill hugged her coat around her against the cold and ache in her heart. She longed for him to be beside her. She’d felt his emotions, heard his voice in her mind. Now it was empty. Like half of her was missing.
“Sucks, doesn't it?”
Jill's eyes opened to find the very cause of her pain standing in front of her. Chelsea had her hands in her pockets. Her blonde hair golden from the immortal beauty she'd cursed herself with. Her eyes darkened with not only layer upon layer of dark purple eye shadow but the dark circles characteristic of a vampire.
“You. You knew he would react this way. Don't you dare tell me you didn't. Which parasite did you beg to change you?” Jill’s anger was beyond her control the moment Chelsea appeared.
Chelsea's smile was dark and sadistic. “Doesn't matter who changed me, bitch. Did you think I would let a slut like you take what should have been mine years ago? Where is he by the way? I haven’t seen him in weeks.”
“What do you care? You don't know anything about him. He would have never opened his heart to you and you know it.”
As if she knew what was going on, Chelsea chuckled. “Oh that’s too funny. He’s severed your connection, hasn’t he? Impressive. He’s even more powerful than she said.”
“How do you know about him?”
“Doesn’t really matter, does it? I've known Damien since he was nine. I stood by him when the town thought he was nothing but a monster. Where were you? Why didn't you come to his rescue then?”
The vampire’s toxic words stung like salt in an open wound. Jill hadn't been around when Damien was a child. If she had she would have protected him from those who dared call him an outcast. She would have watched over him until he was old enough for her to court.
“I don't have to explain myself to a newborn bloodsucker like you. You think you know, Damien? If you would have taken the time to get to know him instead of constantly throwing yourself at him, maybe he would have actually opened up to you.” Jill replied, smirking.
“Don’t you dare assume you know how I felt. I tried to get him to open up to me. He just never would. Maybe with you gone, he’ll finally wake up and get his head on straight.” Chelsea hissed her reply. A small amount of spittle shot from her fangs.
“Chelsea, I won’t face you here. Vampire or not, this is still your home or it was. Would you really risk hurting these people?” Jill replied, trying to keep calm. Even though she hated her, Chelsea was still Damien’s friend.
“I would have cared, dog. Except for the fact that I hate you too much to give a damn about these people. Don’t fight if you so choose but I’ll tear you apart. Maybe deliver your head to Lilith as a gift.”
Jill growled, her fangs extending beyond her lips. She knew she’d have to draw the vampire out of the town to avoid drawing too much attention.
The ground splintered as she took off at top speed into the woods with Chelsea hot on her heels.
“Chelsea, we don’t have to fight. It isn’t right to Damien to make him have to choose. He still sees you as a friend. He ran because of you.” Jill circled the vampire, careful to keep her back from being exposed.
“I didn’t send him away, bitch! If he ran then it was on you. You should have been a better girlfriend to him.” Chelsea yelled at Jill, her fangs bared as she hissed at her.
Jill jumped forward, shifting mid-air as she prepared to meet Chelsea head on. If she didn’t then she could have been seriously injured.
Jill stop!
Hearing his voice in her mind, Jill’s ears perked up. She froze. Her fangs just above Chelsea’s face.
Whimpering she turned to see Damien walking into the clearing. He was still so beautiful. Untouched by all the time they hadn't seen each other.
Jill ran up to him. Her muzzle met his stomach as she rubbed against him, whimpering in happiness. His emotions filled her. The feeling of his voice in her mind elated her as she tried not to push him over.
I know. I missed you too. Damien stroked the soft fur, reassuring her she wasn’t dreaming.
“Damien? Where have you been?” Chelsea asked, the voice of the woman she once was piercing through the darkness.
“I stayed at Kain’s for a while. He gave me a spare key to go whenever I wanted. I knew if I disappeared Chelsea, you would come looking for me. You were always playing mother hen when we were kids.” Damien replied, still petting Jill’s head.
Jill’s eyes met Damien’s, almost misty in apology for what she did.
It’s okay. You were looking out for me. I get it. Don’t do it again. Damien shoved Jill’s head, playfully.
“Don’t touch her!” Chelsea yelled. Her body began rippling with her anger. Two large gray wings protruded from the back of her jacket, now tattered and torn from the emergence of her new leathery wings. Her fangs extended larger than her mouth could handle. Her fingers elongated with her nails turning into a tint of gray.
Jill stepped in between Chelsea and Damien.
No, Jill, let me talk to her. Damien walked around the wolf, determined to try to reach his friend.
The large wolf heard him, staying close in case she needed to interfere.
Chelsea looked nothing like herself. The image of Barghast ran through Damien’s mind as he stared at her demented form.
“Chels, it doesn’t have to be this way. Please. This isn’t you.”
“Step aside, Damien. I don't want to hurt you.” Chelsea's voice was almost a high-pitched hiss. “Please. Move. I have no war against you.”
“No. I won't let you hurt Jill anymore. What happened to you, Chels? The young woman I grew up with would never do anything like this. She wouldn't lie to her friends or try to kill over jealousy.” Damien replied, keeping his body between Jill and Chelsea.
“She doesn't love you, Damien. She can’t. She only cares about her filthy pack. She forced you to run away for weeks. Are you going to say that’s okay?”
“I wouldn't Chels, except for the fact Jill didn’t force me to do anything? I chose to stay low for a while. I needed some time and space to think. I worried sick over you. So did Rob. When I heard you were turned, I lost it. I felt like part of it was my fault. Chelsea, I’m sorry I hurt your feelings but I fell in love with Jill. I knew if I disappeared, you would eventually come looking for me. Please, you don’t have to do this.”
“Oh, but I think I do.” Chelsea's grinned “I never wanted this, Damien. I wanted you to love me but you never even saw it inside yourself to give me a chance.” Her wings flexed as she pushed herself skyward, preparing for a forward dive.
Damien held his ground, his hand behind him kept Jill where she stood. Stay there, Jill. Please. Trust me.
Jill whimpered as she watched the vampire getting closer. She almost jumped over him when the sound of a splintering log drew her attention to the wolf that flew through the sky above them. He landed just in time to take Chelsea's wrists in his clawed hands. His feet dug into the ground as he took the brunt of the speed of the plummeting vampire.
The sandy fur identified him as Kain. Only he stood on two muscular legs instead of four. His jeans were only ripped and he wore a red, plaid jacket with Sherpa inlays tied around his waist.
The image of Tenebris taking on Barghast ran through Damien's mind as he watched Kain hold Chelsea back. His experience clearly dwarfing her as she fought to try to push the large lycan back.
“Alexander Kain. I've heard of you. Damn you for interfering!”
Kain almost smiled as he threw her back, skidding across the ground. He readied himself in a stance mirroring that of a martial artist.
“Fine. I'll retreat for now. I know I'm not strong enough to handle the likes of you. Not in your true form. I won't forget this, Damien! I’ll see you dead before I see you in bed with her!” Chelsea lunged skyward to fly back to the coven.
Kain turned around, allowing himself to shift back into human form as he walked forward. “Are you hurt, Damien?”
“No,” Damien replied, upset. “What was that? I've never seen them take that shape before?”
Kain untied the fur-lined jacket from around his waist, putting it on. “Only high-ranking vampires can grow wings and talons like that. The nobles can go further into a form almost rivaling the dark god himself? Whoever it was that changed her was strong.”
Damien took off his jacket to cover Jill after she shifted back into her human form. “Jill, I’m sorry. It was the only thing I could think of to get Chelsea to come out of hiding.”
Damien’s words were cut short by Jill kissing him. Her arms pulled him firmly into her, her fingers tangling in his hair.
“Damien, why did you run? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“He had to stay silent, Jillian. It was the only way to draw out Chelsea to see if she had been turned. I didn’t know of his plan until he contacted me right after I saw you. He called me in to either handle Chelsea or to keep you back. Now that we know she can’t be reasoned with, we won’t need to do anything like this again.” Kain replied for Damien.
“Jill, I’m sorry, I really am. I needed some time.” Damien caressed Jill’s face, his thumb brushing the lone tear that fell down her face.
Jill didn’t speak. She only held Damien close to her, content that she could feel his emotions and hear his soul again.