d..γοΌ.. #MY_BLACK_KNIGHT d..γοΌ..
Happen 22
As Produced By SheriffSquinty
Theme: A Bold Threat
Sub Theme: Initiating War
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Gabriel recoiled from me, and I thought I saw visible pain flash in his dark eyes before he turned away.
I didn’t care either way. My Wolf was as angry as I, not appreciating the way her
Fate-given Mate had insulted her pride. I stormed inside, ignoring everyone else as I slammed the door behind me. I dashed up to my steps and into my room, closing and locking the door.
My Wolf was whining softly in the back of my mind. The way he had treated us
had been insulting the last few days, but never had he come out and said something like that.
I wish I didn’t.
I wish I didn’t.
I wish I didn’t.
The words kept running through my mind. Blinking rapidly to fight away the tears, I entered my bathroom and started up a hot shower. The last thing I wanted to do
was cry; especially if there was a chance he could come up here and overhear me. I was starting to lose this battle, though.
As the water got hot and steam began to escape the confines from the shower, I thought I heard a knocking on the door.
“Skylar.” The baritone was unmistakable; Gabriel was at my bedroom door. I shut the bathroom door nearest me loudly so he got the message. I closed my eyes
tightly as the pain rose again. I wasn’t sure if he was coming to yell at me for
snapping at him or coming to apologize; the former seemed more likely, but it
didn’t matter. I had no desire to talk to him. As far as I was concerned, he had made it apparent that he didn’t want me. My Wolf whined, loudly.
I stripped off my clothes and stepped into the scalding water, my eyes still burning from unshed tears. I heard knocking again and a muffled voice calling my name. I couldn’t care less. He would have to break down the door to talk tome. Hopefully
he would respect me enough not to, although with his recent behavior, that was doubtful.
In the haze of internal turmoil, I made a decision. I knew it was going to be the
most painful thing I had ever gone through in my life, but I was going to have to
leave Gabriel. It was apparent that he was too heartless to ever want me or to ever love me. I wasn’t sure what exactly I had done to deserve a Mate that didn’t want
me, but that was what I got. I would have to return home to my pack, to the people that cared. All of my previous determination to get to know him was gone. Gabriel had given me absolutely nothing to work with.
I slowly slid down the side of the shower until I was sitting, the water pounding
against me and traveling in rivulets down my skin to the ceramic tile below. I shut my eyes tightly, feeling the tears gathering. It already felt like something was
breaking inside. My Wolf felt it too, I could sense it. He hadn’t said the words of rejection but he might as well have. I felt like this whole trip had been a gigantic waste of time.
There was no more knocking for the rest of my shower.
I climbed into bed about half an hour later, feeling almost completely numb. All of the little rejections and brush-offs had just added up to one question: why didn’t he just reject me first, instead of stringing me along like this? I should have known all along that what everyone said about him was right, he was just cruel. Soulless. In my state of dejection, I blamed Fate for giving me an impossible task. I’d always
thought I was more compassionate than most but even I couldn’t break his shell. I was just going to have to accept that and move on with my life.
I fell asleep with all of those disconcerting thoughts whirling through my brain.
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My tired eyes slowly opened and I blinked, trying to adjust to the lack of light in my room. I frowned in confusion; why was I awake, anyway? It was the dark of night and my room was slightly chilly. I turned to the side, glancing at the clock above my bed. It read 2:58 a.m. Why the hell was I waking up at this time?
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As Produced By SheriffSquinty
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My Wolf was whining softly in the back of my mind. At first I thought it was because of the events from earlier, with Gabriel, but then I realized it was
something else. She was nervous about something.
I sat up slowly,rubbing my tired, itchy eyes. I shivered slightly; it really was cold in here. At this time of the year it was chilly at night. I frowned again. How had it gotten so cold? I heard a slight rustling noise and I turned to the side, my eyes
widening.
My window was open. Had I left it open? I didn’t remember doing so. I felt a
twinge of nervousness and I took a deep breath. There was a strange scent in the air. It almost smelled like blood, and I felt my stomach plummet as my eyes
scanned my bedroom with renewed vigor. The air in my room felt different than normal, less stale, as if something had stirred it.
It was then that my eyes fell on something at the foot of my bed. A small sliver of paper gleamed white, and next to it was a medium-sized brown shape that looked like a box or container of some sort.
My heart began to pound as I realized that someone had been in my room, that they had likely come through the window I had left open. They had been in here while I had been sleeping and had been quiet enough that I hadn’t heard them. The thought was deeply disturbing and I shivered, not from the cold. I crawled out of bed, the
hairs of the back of my neck standing up as my nervousness increased tenfold.
Holding my breath as the stench akin to blood increased, I warily approached the items at the foot of my bed.
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~~~~~Eli’s Point of View~~~~~
I leaned back in the armchair, attempting to stifle a yawn. We had been at this
nearly all night and still there was a pronounced lack of progress. Working with maps and coordinates was not my favorite thing; my Wolf and I would rather be outside patrolling than doing the paperwork. Not that I would tell Gabriel that.
When he put his mind on something, he doggedly pursued it until he achieved his goal.
I glanced up at the Alpha, who was broodingly examining amap on the table from the chair opposite mine. He had been quiet and sullen tonight, even for him. I was pretty sure I knew the reason. I could still recall the stricken look on his face as
Skylar had walked away from him earlier this evening. I kept my opinions to
myself but after the way he’d acted towards her, I couldn’t say her reaction was unforeseen.
I sighed. Gabriel and I had been friends a long time and had been close growing
up, although I’d stopped calling him by his first name out of respect as soon as he became Alpha. Despite the fact that he was more withdrawn now than when he
was younger, on rare occasions he would confide in me. I had hoped he would talk tome about this but he was stubbornly keeping his lips sealed. He wasn’t used to
opening up, that I knew, but if he wasn’t careful he would lose her. He might already have. I didn’t want to know what would happen to him if Skylar left.
“This quadrant needs to be searched again.” Gabriel was saying, tapping a pen impatiently on an area of the hand-drawn map that he had circled. I leaned
forward, examining it.
“Vincent said he took that quadrant yesterday,” I commented.
Gabriel shook his head. He drew a line with the pen straight through the middle of the indicated quadrant. “He only took this left side. The right side has only been
searched once, but not by our best teams. We need to check it again.” I nodded. “What time tomorrow?”
Gabriel leaned back again, his expression hooded. He looked exhausted. “I’ll tell them first thing in the morning.”
I studied him for a moment. He looked more drawn than I had ever seen him, and there was a grim set to his mouth.
“If there’s nothing left for tonight, Alpha, maybe you should rest.” I knew I was one of the few that could get by with saying something like that.
Gabriel made a noise deep in his throat. “I don’t think that’s possible right now.” As if on reflex, his eyes flickered up towards the staircase. I hesitated, wanting to say something but completely sure how to approach it.
“What is it, Eli?” Gabriel did not miss my expression.
“It’s….nothing, Alpha.” I winced internally, knowing I should’ve just come out with it.
“You’re not a good liar.”
I snorted slightly, it was one of our inside jokes. I really was a terrible liar and he’d always called me on it.
“It’s just…you’ve seemed a bit tired since…earlier.” I didn’t dare elaborate on that but Gabriel’s eyes flashed as he got my meaning. He tensed, remaining silent for a few seconds. I hoped I hadn’t pushed him.
“I didn’t mean to talk to her like that.” He finally said after a moment of silence. His voice was quiet, and there was genuine regret in histone. I blinked with
surprise at the admission; perhaps this was one of the rare timeshe was going to talk through his internal struggles.
“I didn’t intend it to end that way. I was just….recognizing my own selfishness.” His expression had morphed into one almost akin to self-loathing.
“I know that. She’s just…confused,” I muttered half-heartedly, not knowing how to console him. It was true that Skylar didn’t have a clue about Gabriel’s history. In
truth, I could see both sides. In her position I would want to know everything about my future Mate,but I could see the various conflicts that Gabriel was presented
with. He was having to fight his Wolf every step of the way.
“I want to tell her.” Gabriel said abruptly. He seemed almost uncomfortable that he
was being so forthcoming. “But she’ll be even angrier after I do.”
I shook my head. “You don’t know that for sure.”
Gabriel sighed, rubbing his temples as if he had a headache. “I was thinking about taking her with me to visit Raziel.”
I tried to hide my surprise. I knew Gabriel was considering paying Raziel a visit, as he might be the only one who had the answers we needed about the vampires. If
Gabriel was willing to take Skylar along, that would mean he had decided to tell her.
“I think that would be a good thing,” I replied, trying to keep my answer fairly
neutral. I really did like Skylar; she was tenacious and had a big heart. It was about time for Gabriel to let her in.
Gabriel narrowed his eyes in silent contemplation. I didn’t press him any further, as he’d already been surprisingly forthcoming. He shifted position as if he were about to say something when aloud sound cut him off.
It was a horrified shriek, coming from the upstairs bedroom.
“Skylar!” Gabriel muttered, an overwhelming expression of worry and concern
crossing his features. In an instant he had leapt out of his chair and was hurtling up the stairs, trying to get to his Mate as fast as possible. I stood up and followed him, feeling a twinge of worry myself; Skylar didn’t seem to be the type to be easily
spooked. I took the stairs two at a time, rushing into Skylar’s room immediately after he did.
The brunette was huddled in the corner of the room, staring with a horrified
expression at something Gabriel’s figure was hiding from my view. Gabriel
glanced at whatever it was before his shoulders stiffened and he quickly darted over to his Mate.
My eyes sought out whatever it was on the bed. It looked like a small slip of paper and a brown box. Cautiously sniffing the air, I walked over to the objects. My body instantly became on full-alert as I caught the scent of blood. Whatever was in that box smelled absolutely foul.
“Did you open it?” Gabriel was asking. He was gripping Skylar’s arms and staring at her intently. Almost numbly, she nodded. I could see disgust evident in her blue eyes.
I gently picked up the slip of paper and read it aloud, my horror growing with each word.
You look lovely when you sleep. Thought you might want this as a reminder….
With great trepidation, I picked up the box. It was surprisingly light, although I
wasn’t sure what I expected to be in it. Gabriel had turned and was staring at the box with an unreadable expression, still gripping Skylar’s arms, although his hold was gentle. He shifted slightly to block her view of the box.
“Open it,” he commanded.
Holding my breath, I undid the latch on the outside of the box and slid the lid open. My stomach plummeted as I saw the box’s contents. Inside was a rotting, bloody
chunk of remains that I quickly determined to be the heart of a werewolf. I knew
instantly who it had belonged to. Riley. The stench of blood grew thick in the air as I dropped the box, snarling with disgust. The horrible smell of old blood and
decomposition was nearly overwhelming, especially now that the box had been
opened. I quickly backed away, trying to fight the bile that was rising in my throat. “Who the hell-” I began, feeling my fury rise.
“Vampires,” Gabriel spit out the word with disgust. “They came in here and put this on her bed while she was sleeping.” He glanced down at Skylar, who just
stood there frozen, thankfully unable to see the contents again because of her
Mate’s hulking figure. Gabriel’s expression was dark and murderous, and he was clearly trying to restrain himself from tearing after the culprit. I couldn’t blame him; one of our worst enemies had snuck right in here in the middle of the night. Into his Mate’s room.
I swallowed, trying to regain control of my emotions. The thought of a vampire
slithering in here while an innocent girl was sleeping was vile and disgusting. It
was also disgusting that the vampire had been carrying that rotting heart around for nearly two weeks, just to torment Skylar, it seemed.
“What are we going to do?” I asked, attempted to keep my voice level. The box now lay on the ground, half-opened, a faint glistening sliver of the organ still
visible. I turned away so I wouldn’t heave.
Gabriel’s jaw was set. “I know we discussed this as an option before, but now I see no other alternative. We need answers and it’s even more urgent now. I’m not sure how a vampire could have gotten in here completely unheard by any of us.”
He sighed, closing his eyes for a brief second as if he was having a mental battle. He let go of Skylar’s arms, stepping a bit away to give her some space ashe’d
nearly been pressed up against her. I noticed out of the corner of my eye that
Skylar shuffled closer to him almost unwittingly, seeking the comfort of her Mate. Her eyes were looking anywhere but at the box, although I could tell that she was trying to keep a straight face and regain control of her emotions. I couldn’t imagine how she must be feeling right now, with a sick monster watching her sleep. The
thought gave me unpleasant goosebumps and made my stomach lurch. My Wolf, too, recoiled at the thought.
Gabriel’s dark eyes opened again and I knew he’d made a decision. Skylar slowly looked up at him in dazed expectation. “I’m going to see Raziel. And I’m taking Skylar with me.”
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#Tobecontinued…….
It’s sure time for some secrets to be revealed don’t you think?