d..、，.. #MY_BLACK_KNIGHT d..、，..
Happen 40
As Produced By Sheriff Squinty
Theme: Black Out
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An indeterminable amount of time later, the heavy blackness I was
swimming in seemed to draw back, letting me claw my way towards the light. I was still surrounded by searing heat but it was at a more tolerable level. Struggling in the confines of darkness, I was afraid of what would
happen if I couldn’t get away. In the back of my mind, I felt my Wolf
stirring. As I finally escaped the deep recesses of unconsciousness, my eyes snapped open and I sucked in a breath of air as I adjusted to the dim
lighting. My skin was sticky with sweat; I was practically swimming in it.
Heart pounding, I glanced around nervously. I was in my room and it was
dark outside. I could see a glimmer of moonlight trickling in through my
partially closed blinds. My sweltering body was wrapped in blankets and I
weakly struggled, attempted to pry my sweaty skin from the fabric. Slowly, the recent events were coming back to me – The Purge, Gabriel’s moonlit- bathed face, the blood-sharing, and then the darkness. I yanked my hand
out from under the comforter and glanced at it. There was a thin line across
the center of my palm where I had slashed myself. It was already mostly healed but I wondered if it would ever completely fade.
That scar signified that Gabriel was my Alpha now. Tensing, I realized that
deep in the back of my consciousness, I could almost sense his presence. It was as if he was hovering just out of reach. It was a sensation similar to
when Brett was Alpha. The thought made me nervous; Gabriel could talk to me whenever he wanted . My heart began quickening its pace and my Wolf paced with excitement as I thought about hearing his husky voice inside my head.
Adjusting my position, my eyes roamed the room again. How long had I
been out? It was still dark, so perhaps it had only been a few hours. I felt
marginally better than before. There was still a lingering itch under my skin but it was bearable and not nearly as excruciating.
There was a loud creak outside my room and the door opened, revealing my disheveled father. His eyes flashed with relief when he saw me and he hurried over.
“Finally,” he breathed, putting a cool head on my hot and sticky forehead. “How long have I been asleep?” I croaked, my voice rasping against my
parched throat.
“An entire day.” I blinked with surprise as my father grabbed a nearby glass of water and brought it to my lips. Gratefully, I swallowed the cool liquid as he tipped it down my throat, draining the cup completely dry.
I studied his face closely. His brows were furrowed with worry and judging by his resigned expression, my father knew exactly what was wrong with me and was hesitant to say it aloud.
“Dad….” I started, trying to sit up, but he reached out a hand and pressed me back into the pillow.
“Skylar, you need to rest.” His voice was firm, leaving no room for argument.
“What…what happened?” I intertwined my fingers under the blankets where he couldn’t see them, trying to mask my nervousness.
Sighing, my father pulled up a nearby chair and settled down. He rested his elbows on my bed and gazed at me intently.
“There’s no need to beat around the bush here, Skylar, so I’m just going to come out and say it.”
I nodded, mouth suddenly dry again.
“You’re getting your Affinity.”
I nearly choked on my own spit. “W-what? Affinity? But I’m almost twenty years old! How…?” I spluttered in confusion.
He reached out a hand and rested it on my shoulder, rubbing it to soothe
me. “I know. It’s rare that something like this happens, but when I was
trying to heal you, I could sense the Affinity in you. That’s why you still have a fever. I can lessen the pain for you but I can’t completely make you well. This is something your body has to do for itself.”
Silently staring, I sat there for a long moment before I spoke, voice coming out as a cracked whisper. “How did this happen?”
My father sighed yet again. “As you know, the Affinity is usually hereditary. What you weren’t aware of is the fact that there are two forms of the
Affinity, the dominant and the recessive. Most children of Pack Doctors –
about ninety percent – inherit the dominant form. A child that receives the dominant gene will get their Affinity before or during puberty. They get it at this time because the body is still malleable, still adjusting to the Wolf
inside. Matured Wolves do not so readily accept change like that,” He paused, contemplating. “The recessive gene works differently.”
I nodded once more, chewing on my bottom lip as I absorbed the information. “So I have the recessive form?”
He nodded. “A child with a recessive Affinity will only inherit the ability to use it if their parent dies while the child is still young. If the parent is still alive, as the child ages and matures with a recessive Affinity, they grow
increasingly less likely to ever show signs of being able to use it. Basically, the recessive gene gets buried so deeply it can never be drawn out.”
“So how am I getting it, then? I’m way past puberty. And you’re still alive,”
“That’swhy it’s unusual. When Cain put me in a coma, it triggered
something in you. It would’ve been normal if you were younger but since you’ve fully matured and the gene is so deeply buried, your body shouldn’t
still have been able to make the transition,”
“So why am I transitioning?”
His eyes were distant as he pondered. “There are always exceptions to every rule. The only thing I can think of is that some part of you still recognized
the deeply-buried gene. Your body is already going through changes
because of the Mating pull. It might have made you susceptible to other changes, such as your Affinity emerging.”
His expression grew solemn as he added in a quiet voice, “Or it could have something to do with whatever concoction Cain injected me with,”
I felt a flutter of anger at the vampire’s name, and our conversation in the woods came rushing back to me. His words made sense now. Cain had
suspected that something was happening within me and it was almost like he
wanted it to happen. That freaked me out more than anything. He had
planned on taking me with him; what exactly did he want with my father’s blood, and what did he want with me now that I might have an Affinity? I tried to change the subject. I had time to work all of that out. I had to
focus on the immediate problem.
I shifted position again, wincing slightly. I felt incredibly sore. “Is it always this painful?”
*
Hall Of Supernatural Stories
*
He shook his head. “No. It comes with a mild fever but nothing like you’ve been experiencing. It goes back to the maturity thing; your Wolf isn’t
accepting the transition as well as she would have when you were young. Outside of the Mating pull, your body has never anticipated change like
this. Honestly, being so close to Gabriel is making things worse. Your Wolf is struggling to cope with the Mating pull at the sametime as the Affinity. Sharing blood with him just compounded everything. Your body went into sensory overload.”
I blinked up at him, feeling a pang of worry. Did this mean I couldn’t see Gabriel until I felt better? My father seemed to read my mind.
“You’ll still be around him, just limit physical contact until you’re better.”
Something flashed in his eyes but I couldn’t place it. “Not like anyone could keep him away. He almost bit all of our heads off when we were trying to
help you. For a while he didn’t want anyone else touching you.”
My face instantly heated up even more and I felt my cheeks turning red
with a blush. My Wolf was feeling very satisfied with her Mate’s protectiveness.
Releasing a heavy breath, I pushed some of my dark locks away from my
sticky face. It was all making sense now, and a large part of me was excited that this was finally happening. I had always been teased for not inheriting the Affinity. Now I had the chance of being a Pack Doctor; of being special. I bet our Mate will be proud, my Wolf said smugly.
“So when this all ends, I’ll be able to use it? Just like that?”
“Like I said, I’ve never dealt with this before. Hopefully your fever goes away within the next day or two. Normally it only lasts a day but I have a feeling yours will be more drawn out. After you feel better, I can try to teach you
how to use it.” I thought I detected a bit of pride in his expression. For a
split second, though, I could have sworn I saw a flash of worry in his green eyes as well.
“I’ve been feeling feverish for a couple of days now, I was just ignoring it. I was going to bring it up but…I wanted to wait until you felt better.”
His eyes narrowed. “You should’ve told me sooner. You almost gave everyone a heart attack,” The typical stern expression was back on my father’s face but there was still a tinge of worry there.
“What’swrong?”
My father shook his head. “Ijust don’t like the fact that you’re so sick and I can only do a little to help. You’re strong, though. Your body will get
through the transition fine.” He spoke reassuringly, but his voice was tense. I really hoped he was right. The fact that he was slightly nervous, though,
was off-putting. I would make it through the transition; I had to. My body may not be used to this sort of thing but I’d get over it. I had to be strong, especially in a time like this.
—
I was alone in my room for the next couple hours, because my father went to go rest. Using his Affinity had worn him out after recent events. He had also informed me that Eva had helped take care of me during the day I was passed out. The thought made me extremely uneasy, and I wasn’t sure how to feel about it. I knew she couldn’t stand me, yet she had still helped me
out twice now.
The redhead was currently staying in our house in the guest bedroom. I
hadn’t seen her since I had woken up, but I could catch her scent. It was
strange that she was here without anyone in her pack. Just then, a startling realization came to me: was she avoiding Will? It seemed a bit far-fetched but she had disappeared the night of the Purge and now she seemed to be lying low at my home for the most part. She had no chance of seeing Will here since Gabriel had scared him away. I wondered why on earth she
would possibly be avoiding him. Will would be overjoyed to find his Mate,
so I could not fathom how she wouldn’t feel the same way. It was a puzzling mystery I was determined to work out.
I had yet to see Gabriel since I woke up and I couldn’t help the hurt that
blossomed when I thought about it. Did he not even care that I’dfainted in the middle of the ceremony? My father said he brought me home, but now he was making no effort to come check up on me. I would never admit it to him but it stung. Especially after our moment yesterday.
Maybe he was regretting it. That thought was very disheartening.
A couple hours after my father told me about my Affinity (and subsequently made me some potato soup, my favorite), I let my eyelids droop. It was still uncomfortably hot in my room but I was supposed to stay under the covers to ‘sweat it out’. Since my father would not let me get up except to go to
the backroom, I might as well sleep. My mind began to wander and my thoughts aimlessly drifted until I found myself dozing.
Minutes later, I was dreaming. It was one of those dreams where I knew it wasn’t real, and knew I could wake up at any moment, but that didn’t make it any less frightening.
Cain was in my dream – or at least I think it was him. He materialized as a
shadowy presence at the edges of my vision, relentlessly chasing me as I
raced in Wolf form through the woods. My paws thundered against the
ground but every second that passed, I knew he was gaining on me. My
heart was pounding and I was desperately trying to leave the woods before Cain captured me. I had to save Maria and Will. They would pay the price if I didn’t make it in time.
Seconds later I felt claws sink into my back and I was brought hard to the
ground. The monster leaned over me, baring his fangs in a hiss. Kicking and thrashing, I snarled and growled while fighting wholeheartedly to get the
bloodsucker off of me. But Cain held me down, pressing my shoulders into the ground harder, preventing me from struggling. I whined in misery,
kicking back and forth, and Cain opened his hissing mouth to taunt me.
“Skylar, wake up,” he hissed menacingly.
What?
“You’re dreaming, wake up!”
I continued to thrash.
“Skylar!” Cain began to shake me and I was roughly yanked from the violent dream, sent crashing into reality.
My eyes snapped open and I panted, gasping, taking in the contents of my room as relief struck me. I had known it was a dream but I was grateful I
could escape the terror of Cain’s pursuit.
It was then that I became aware that it was Gabriel above me, pinning me down, not Cain. He was standing next to my bed but his hands were
planted firmly on my shoulders as he pressed me into the mattress. It was still nighttime outside and my light was off. Bars of moonlight squeezed
through the blinds and fell upon my Mate’s face as he stared down at me, making sure I was truly awake now.
*
As Produced By Sheriff Squinty
*
Gabriel released me suddenly and backed away, and I felt cold despite my fever and all of the blankets. “You were dreaming,” he muttered by way of explanation.
I tried to sit up a bit. “It was Cain,” I replied, glad that my voice didn’t shake. My Wolf was purring in the back of my mind and it was quite distracting.
Gabriel’s expression tightened. I glanced around, noticing the chair pulled up by my bed. Had he been watching me sleep? The thought made my
blush return in full force and I avoided his eyes.
“Do you have nightmares often?”
I pulled my hands out from under the covers, examining them as I replied. “No, this was the first in a long time.”
Slowly, Gabriel moved back to the chair and lowered himself. I felt a prickle of excitement; he was finally staying to keep me company! I tried to
remember what my father said about physical contact. Gabriel had held my shoulders down while I was waking up but it didn’t seem to have made my fever worse, thankfully. I supposed it was the blood sharing that had set
everything off. I would have to be careful, even though I was itching to reach out and run my fingers along the side of his face.
“Where were you all day?” I asked, hoping I didn’t sound too pathetic.
“Working on pack logistics,” was his simple reply. I nodded, picking at the blanket.
“Are you feeling better?”
I glanced up at him, the question taking me completely by surprise. He was giving me a cursory scan as if assuring himself that I was well. I felt a trickle of warmth.
“I am now that you’re here,” I replied before I could think about it, unable
to help myself. I looked away from him again as I felt my face heat up. Since when was I so straightforward with him?
I heard Gabriel’s sharp intake of breath and he was silent. Had I gone too far?
“Your father said that your…contact with me worsened things.” Gabriel replied after a moment of tense silence.
“The blood-sharing overwhelmed my body.”
“I didn’t know your body would react like that or I never-”
“I know.” I cut him off before he could go any further. There was no need
for him to explain himself to me. I didn’t require an explanation. Closing my eyes for a moment, I remembered the minutes just before I’d fainted – the desire that had coursed through my body was easy to recall. In those
seconds, I had wanted Gabriel more than ever before. My Wolf had been dangerously close to forcing me to jump him.
I peeked up at my Mate from the corner of my eye. He was staring into
space, jaw clenched. I aimlessly wondered what he was thinking about.
Gabriel was always so closed-off and hard to read. He put up barriers
between himself and everybody else, although occasionally I thought I saw through his walls. Those moments of true emotion glimmering in his dark eyes made everything worth it.
I couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable as we sat there, the silence stretching on, the heat rushing around under my skin reminding me that my fever had yet to break. I felt my forehead beading with sweat, some of it trickling
down my temples. I needed some sort of distraction before I focused more on discomfort. Glancing at Gabriel again, I felt a prick of curiosity. I’d always
wanted to know more about him but he’d rarely volunteered information about himself. Well, here he was sitting next to me and I had absolutely nothing to do but talk with him.
I wasn’t sure why I was feeling so brave. Maybe it was my body’s sickness,
or Gabriel’s proximity, or the fact that I was fed up with him pushing
everyone away. I knew I needed to make a decision soon – my Wolf was
constantly reminding me of that – and the issue was always hovering in the back of my mind. I kept finding reasons to put it off but the more I ignored it, the more attached to Gabriel I was becoming. Soon my logical side
would have no say in the matter. I would be deciding purely based off of instinct. I wouldn’t lie to myself; some part of me just wanted to follow my instincts despite any potential consequences.
Either way, I wanted to know more about the person that was constantly plaguing my thoughts. All of my reasoning combined into a sense of
determination and I shifted my body to face Gabriel.
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#Tobecontinued…
Enjoy ur night peeps!!
_ _-Agboola-_ _