Seven
barely made it to Damien’s house, relieved his father wasn’t there so she wouldn’t have to answer any unwanted questions.
The silver burned inside of her. The effects of the new bond still manifested in her mind.
Her breathing was labored against the fatigue as she struggled to use what was left of her unnatural strength to drag Damien to the bathroom to get him out of his bloody clothing. She lay him down gently on the floor. The tile on the floor began to blur, a sign she was losing the battle with unconsciousness.
“Kain,” Jill’s words were hushed as her breathing became shallower. Sweat began falling from her brow. “I have to call Kain.”
She pulled out her phone to dial Kain’s number.
A brief silence on the other end indicated an answer. “Jillian, did you find him?” the lycan asked, concerned.
“Kain, we’re at Damien’s house,” Jill took a breath to keep talking. “Please hurry.”
Before Jill lost consciousness, she made her way to Damien, laying her cheek on his chest. Greatly weakened against the poison of the silver inside her veins, she blacked out.
Outside, the rain began to fall, the thunder alerted the town to the arrival of yet another storm. In time winter would come to transform the angry rains to soft, comforting flurries of snow.
Jill opened her eyes to find she was staring into the lights of her room in the gym. She had no memory of how she got there but was grateful when Kain had gotten her message.
Damien lay beside her. His shirt had been removed. His ribs wrapped up from the shoulder down to his stomach.
“I am glad you’re awake, Jillian.” Kain’s relieved voice broke through the haze of Jill’s mind.
“Damien?”
Kain sat on the bed next to Jill. “He lost a rather large amount of blood but it appears he’s going to be fine. His body is repairing itself perfectly. Worst case, he might just be tired as sun’s hell for a few days. Whatever you did saved his life. You need to rest. I’ll help you recover tonight at moonrise.”
Jill forced herself to sit up. The anger at the situation still fresh in her mind. “It was Stoker. What am I going to do, Kain? The vampires are getting more aggressive.”
“Don’t worry about that now. You need to rest. I about burned my hand when I lifted you. You are full of silver.” Kain held up his burned hand. The wounds were fading but still evident.
“I’m sorry, Kain. Tonight, we can go behind the gym. I don’t want to do a full recovery in front of him just yet. He hasn’t even seen me transform. I don’t want to overwhelm him.” Jill replied, concerned and tired.
“Jillian, you need to stop being so concerned with hiding who you are from him. I spoke to him briefly when you went to get his truck. He’s more open than you think. From what he’s been through, I think seeing you transform is going to be the last thing that bothers him. Show him and let him decide. I think you will find you’re pleasantly surprised.” Kain smirked, his eyes laced with certainty and hope.
“Okay. You’ve never steered me wrong, old friend. I’ll see you tonight?”
“Of course. Sleep well.” Kain replied, nodding. He closed the door behind him, leaving them alone.
****
True to his word, Kain met Jill in the evening at moonrise. Damien hadn’t stirred all day. Dr. Langston dropped by from time to time to administer pain medicine as needed and to check the bandages.
Kyle insisted he was present at Jill’s recovery as a physician so he stood next to Kain, watching. “It’s amazing. Damien’s healing ability is more than we could have ever imagined. His rib was almost completely rejoined and the muscle in his side gave no indication it was even punctured. In all my years in medicine, I’ve never seen this. Not even in our kind.”
“Kyle, we don’t understand the Purifiers. No one does. We can’t hope to comprehend their power or what they’re capable of. Damien’s still asleep. I can only imagine what he would be able to do when he awakened,” Kain replied, still calm despite Kyle’s obvious excitement. He turned his attention to Jill. “Ready?”
Jill made an annoyed groan. No she wasn’t ready. Full recoveries hurt like sun’s hell and had to be done in human form which made it worse.
“Gods damn, these things sting!” Jill yelled. Her blood bubbled slightly where the silver poisoned it. If she hadn’t been immortal they would have killed her. Despite that, it didn’t make the experience any less uncomfortable.
Kain nodded, a crooked smile formed across his face. “Good luck.”
“Thanks.” Jill replied, less than thrilled at what she was preparing to do.
Jill flexed every muscle in her body, her eyes softly glowing. Her back arched. She growled a wolf’s growl, her fangs growing as her nails dug into the soft, wet soil.
The bullets slowly emerged from her flesh. Each dropped to the floor like hail stones during a storm. Her bones ached from where they’d splintered. Her blood was on fire from the sting of the toxins.
The moon’s light through the clouds gave her just enough energy needed to heal the wounds left behind. The whole process left Jill so exhausted. She had her tongue hanging out of her mouth panting.
“That is never…a pleasant experience.” Jill said, sitting on the ground while Kyle came over to check on her.
Kain shook his head. “I can imagine it isn’t. It has been a while since I have had to do one.”
“This is getting out of hand, Kain. We’ve been lucky so far but what happens when luck runs out?” Jill asked, slightly defeated.
Kain sighed. “Jillian, the easy thing for you to do is something I know you don’t want to do. If your sun’s hell-set on taking him as your own, then protecting him is a part of the deal. Yet another reason why we usually don’t go after one of them and keep to our own kind. I know you are going to find a way.”
“Kain, Jill’s going to be okay. Are you doing alright?” Kyle asked.
“I’m fine, Kyle. Damien may need another look before you leave. Thank you for your concern.” Kain replied, smiling.
Kyle walked back into the gym to go check on Damien before he left.
“See you inside, Jillian. I believe Gabriel is making dinner tonight. Should be interesting to say in the least.” Kain joined Kyle, slightly chuckling at his own joke.
Jill knew Kain was right. She looked up at the waning gibbous in the cloudy sky. Half the face of her mother looked back at her.
Mother, I need help. I care for this man so much but I feel I can’t protect him on my own. I’ve bound myself to him in the most sacred of ways. Please. I need a miracle.
****
Damien opened his eyes to see the ceiling fan blades spinning. The ball hung at the end of the longer chain clinking against its shorter neighbor. The soft whirr of the motor seemed distant as he tried to clear the fog from his eyes.
He had no idea how long he'd been out cold but his body ached from laying down.
As he tried to rise up, he felt so weak and drained he settled on rolling over to find Jill lying next to him. She had no blanket. The only cover was her athletic shorts and a sports tank-top. One would never think she was capable of taking on vampires with how she looked to him now. Vulnerable and tired.
“You really do care for her, don’t you?”
Damien rolled over to stare straight into the intense gaze of Gabriel as he sat in the chair next to the bed, his arms across his chest.
“I do. I never thought I could care for anyone this much anymore,” Damien replied.
Gabriel leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. The muscles in his arms combined with the fact that he was now face to face with Damien despite sitting reminded him of their obvious difference in size.
“You must really be special to her too if she’s willing to go to such great lengths to protect you. Has she shown you, yet?” The annoyance in Gabriel’s voice was evident.
“Shown me?” Damien replied, partially confused, and yet agitated at Gabriel’s obvious attempts to size him up.
“By the way you’ve just responded, I’m guessing she hasn’t. That’s usually what breaks the deal when one of our kind tries to love a mortal,” Gabriel leaned back, his arms crossed behind his head. “When she does, that’s the ultimate test. I hope you pass it.”
“Honestly, Gabriel, I can’t tell if you’re trying to help me or insult me. What I can tell you is based on what I’ve seen, I don’t think seeing Jill becoming a giant wolf is going to be a deal breaker.” Damien replied. He ignored the jealous alpha and got up to put his shirt on.
“To be honest, I have mixed feelings. I know she cares about you but at the same time, I don’t like having to save your ass every other day. Jill means a lot to many of us in this gym. Ask Kain. Jill saved him from Rayes and his band of jolly wolf killers. It’s getting upsetting to see her hurt so often.” Gabriel stood up and headed towards the door.
He stopped and spoke over his shoulder without turning around. “Damien, look, as much as you may care for Jill, I think you should end this thing between the two of you. It may sound harsh but an alpha’s first duty is to make calls to protect his pack. I’ve always considered Jill a part of my pack. That being the case, I’m asking you to think about what’s best for both of you.”
Damien couldn't respond. He just stood there baffled at the pain-filled intensity of Gabriel’s words.
Kain came in with a plate of food shortly after Gabriel left. “Glad to hear you're awake. I took the liberty of making you something to eat since you have been unconscious for four days.”
Damien avoided looking Kain in the face, angry at what Gabriel said.
Sighing, Kain sat down in the chair that Gabriel had. “Alright, what did Gabriel say?”
“I’m not even sure I should tell you.” Damien replied, his sarcasm sharp and cutting.
“Damien, no one knows Gabriel Locke better than I do. He’s stubborn, hot-tempered and doesn’t always think before he speaks. What did he say?”
“He said I should end things with Jill. I wanted to think that somewhere there was a general concern but it sounded like he was jealous.”
“I see. Damien, do not concern yourself with what Gabriel said. He’s worried. To Jillian, you are her world. It makes her nervous when she can't be next to you. Especially since the vampires are getting more aggressive. It scared her to death when she thought she might not have made it in time to save you from Stoker's wrath,” Kain replied, sighing, almost saddened. “The wound Jillian healed, may I see it?”
Damien lay back down on the bed to let Kain guide his shirt up so he could feel under the wrapping where the branch had penetrated all the way through. The muscle had no indentions or indications it had been pierced, just as Kyle said.
“Amazing. The muscle isn’t sore?” Kain asked, curious.
“No. I heal fast but something this severe usually leaves some soreness or a scar. Something.” Damien didn’t know how he’d healed so thoroughly.
Kain lowered his head. “I see. Damien, there really is no one else for Jillian anymore.”
“What?”
Kain's disappointment was evident as he clasped his hands tightly, his forearms resting on his knees. His jaw tightening. “It is not my place to say but when Jillian wakes up, you should make it a point to ask her.”
Kain left the room. The visit left Damien with more questions to ravage his mind than when Kain arrived.
A slight stir next to him alerted him to Jill waking up.
“Morning.” Her voice was drained and tired. She stretched her body out all the way down to the tips of her toes, groaning at the action before sitting up.
Damien winced at the sight of the multiple scars on her back and hips. “Morning, Jill. Can I ask you something?”
“Sure,” Jill scooted over to his side of the bed to let her legs hang over the side. “You're free to speak your mind anytime you want.”
Damien sat down next to Jill on the bed, the mattress creaked under his weight.
“What is it, Damien? Are you still hurting?” Jill asked, concerned at how stand-offish he was acting.
Damien shook his head, taking in a deep breath to gather his thoughts. “I want to know. What exactly is going on between us? We’ve talked. Gone out a few times. You’ve saved my life on multiple occasions. I’ve hidden this double-life from Rob, Chelsea and my old man. What are we doing?”
“Damien, I can’t decide for both of us. I never meant for you to get wrapped up in this war but you are now. I can’t change that. I know now what it is for me but I won’t force anything you aren’t ready for. Whatever you decide to do, I won’t stop you.”
Damien looked over at her. Her beautiful hair covered her face, hiding her eyes. He could see she was expecting him to leave her. She gripped the bedside as though she were strangling it.
Swallowing the knot in his throat, Damien remembered when he called Jill his girlfriend in front of Rob and the declaration he made in his bedroom. He stood up from the bed only to fall to his haunches in front of Jill, his hand petting her face.
“Jill, I don’t care what or how old you are. I don’t care about the vampires. I want to be here for you. Until I met you, I felt so empty, alone and lost. I hung out with Rob and Chelsea but I still felt dead inside. When I saw you on campus, I didn’t know what it was. I just knew I wanted to get to know you. Those nights we talked, I felt the loneliness leave me. I could actually laugh again without it feeling forced.”
Jill’s heart fluttered in her chest as though it were a hummingbird trapped in her ribcage. The man she had fallen for the moment she saw him knelt before her, pouring his heart and devotion out.
“I know it’s not going to be easy but,” Damien took her hands in his. “Will you be mine?
Tears Jill could no longer hold back fell down her cheeks. She’d pined for him for so long, wanting to get to know his life and share hers. “Yes, Damien. I will.”
Damien rose up to her, positioning his body between her legs on the edge of the bed. His lips met hers in a sweet embrace, his eyes closed as Jill's tongue ran the length of his lips. Her soft tip parting them, touching his teeth in an attempt to get him to open to her.
His strong hands gripped Jill’s soft hair as he savored her kiss. His breath was heavy as one of his hands ran down her arms, her skin so soft he almost growled in anticipation but held back.
God, she was perfect. Beautiful, strong, independent and so loyal and caring. She’d tried her best to protect him against the darkness of her world. Listened to him when he revealed the secret he’d held onto for so long it almost destroyed his soul.
Jill raised her head, allowing Damien to kiss her neck, her fingers wrapped in his thick, dark hair, savoring its soft fullness.
Her hand exploring the firm muscles of his shoulder and bicep as he ran his hand down her sides.
Damien pulled away. Their eyes met in a heated gaze. “Show me.”
“Damien, I…”
“Show me, please. I want to know everything about you.” Damien pleaded with her, his hand caressing the soft flesh of her neck.
Jill surrendered, sighing. “Okay.”