He ripped off his shirt as he ran to the back door. He flung the door open and jumped through it landing on four paws. He ran swiftly and quietly around the house into the woods. It was mere seconds before he picked up Cody's scent. He followed it through the woods zig-zagging through the trees and leaping over logs. Cody hadn't gotten far. He didn't even hear Ben coming. Ben crashed into him knocking him to the ground. He rolled over and saw a snarling wolf standing in front of him. He reached for his gun but the wolf bit his arm. Ben jerked so hard Cody thought it had dislocated his shoulder. Ben transformed and stood before Cody as a man. Ben leaned over and grabbed the gun laying next to Cody and threw it. Horror spread across Cody's face at what he was seeing. Ben crouched over him and grabbed his hand. He grabbed one of his fingers and jerked it, snapping it like a twig. Cody screamed and Ben spoke. His voice was low and unnerving. "My intentions are not to simply kill you, but to cause you pain in the process. I want you to suffer. Suffer just as Scarlett has suffered." He broke another finger. Cody screamed again. "Were there other girls?" Ben didn't recognize himself. He snapped another finger. Cody screamed and begged him to stop but Ben didn't. He stood as Cody laid on his back groaning in pain. He stomped on his genitals and screamed. "You've hurt a woman for the last time." Ben's expression was almost evil. In a blink the expression was gone and the wolf was back. Ben latched onto his throat and gripped it between his jaws until Cody stopped struggling for air. He let go and looked down at the limp body in front of him. No air was entering the lungs anymore. It wasn't thrashing or begging anymore. He leaned in and listened. No heartbeat.
He stood looking at the lifeless body for a moment longer and then took off in flash back to the house. He hoped and prayed for Scarlett as he ran. He moved through the woods faster than he ever thought possible but when he finally made it back and transformed, he walked slowly as he entered the house, terrified of what he may find. He made his way to the couch and bent down next to Scarlett. His heart ached as he looked at her. He promised to protect her and this is what had become of her under his care. Her color looked better though. He lifted her shirt to look at the wound on her stomach. It was healing. He pulled her shirt back down and listened. Her heart rate was getting stronger. He sat and fought the tears that threatened to spill from his eyes at the other possible outcomes of this. Scarlett's phone rang and he nearly jumped out of his skin. He didn't get up to get it. The thought suddenly struck his mind that he should call Adam. And then he thought of Ashlynn. She would be horrified when she walked in and saw this. He pulled on his pants and went to Scarlett's room and got her another tshirt. He got a bowl of warm water and a wash cloth from the kitchen and came back to the living room. He took Scarlett's shirt off, trying to be as gentle as possible. He was thankful that as he pulled her shirt up, he saw that she was wearing a sport's bra. He laid a blanket out over the adjacent couch and moved her over to it placing her head on a pillow. He used the wash cloth to wipe off all the blood that was drying to her skin. As he cleaned around the wound he was amazed at how fast she was healing. Once he had her as clean as he could get her, he put the other tshirt on her and covered her with a blanket. He looked down at his own wound. It was almost healed. He ran to his room and threw a shirt on to hide it. Next he gathered some cleaning supplies from the laundry room and set to work scrubbing the blood off the kitchen cabinets, the floor and the couch Scarlett had first laid on. He couldn't have Ashlynn come back and see any of it. He decided there was no use to call Adam. There wasn't really anything he could do. All that was left to do was to wait and watch.
~
Ashlynn walked out of her grandparent's house and got in Adam's truck. "Thank you for waiting on me. I tried to hurry but I haven't seen them in a while."
"No worries Love." Adam smiled at her. "It's fine. I would've waited out here all day on you if it made you happy!"
"You are just too cute!" Ashlynn giggled at him.
"Do you mind swinging by the office? I need to get some things."
"Why would I mind? It wouldn't matter if I did!" She laughed.
Adam smiled but didn't reply. They drove to the office and pulled up to the doors in the front of the building. They got out of the truck and Adam unlocked the door. He held the door and let her enter first. Once they were both inside he locked it again and walked back the hall. He entered the last door on the left and Ashlynn followed him inside. There was an old couch in the corner with an end table next to it with notebooks and pieces of paper piled on top of it. The rest of the room was filled with shelves. "What is this?" Ashlynn asked as she turned in a circle looking around.
"This is my storage room." Adam answered.
"I figured that, but what's the deal with the couch?" Ashlynn plopped onto the couch as she asked.
"Well, I work on my 'personal' experiments here as well as the cabin. Sometimes I work pretty late and crash on the couch."
"But you don't have all the stuff here that you do in the basement. There's no burners or anything cool to play with."
He laughed and walked over and sat down on the couch next to her. "The stuff I work on there is the carry out to the ideas and formulas I come up with here."
Ashlynn grinned, grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him up against her. "I have some ideas you can think on and execute right here!"
"Do you?" He grinned at her. She turned and propped her legs up across his lap. He moved back and got up on his knees and grabbed her by her thighs, pulling her down until her back was flat on the couch. He leaned down, pushing her knees apart enough that he could lower himself down against her. She leaned up and kissed him. The kiss was far more intense than any kiss she'd ever experienced. The feel of his lips upon hers sent shivers down her spine. His fingers felt magical on her belly as he slid his hand under her shirt. It moved slowly up until he reached her bra. His hand ran over the lace of it that covered her breast. He squeezed it gently but firmly and Ashlynn's back arched as she pressed herself even harder up against him. He pulled his lips away from hers and kissed her again on her cheek and then again a little further down her cheek. His lips felt like silk gliding over her skin as he worked his way to her neck. He kissed her neck and smiled when she moaned as he bit it. He pulled back and looked at her. Her eyes were closed and he could see the enjoyment she was taking in this. Her eyes opened and locked with his. They were filled with want. He kissed her again. She opened her mouth and he accepted the invitation, exploring with his tongue. He retreated and kissed her lips one more time before he leaned back. He grasped her shirt in both hands and ripped it off of her chest. Ashlynn smiled and moaned at the shock of him literally ripping her clothing off. He leaned down a little closer and Ashlynn waited for him to kiss her again but instead he stared at her up and down, biting his lip as he did so. "You are beautiful!" He whispered as she grabbed his shirt and yanked it up over his head. He smiled and and wrapped his arms in under her neck and her upper back. He squeezed her tight against him as he kissed her. Ashlynn grabbed onto his back with one hand and ran the fingers of her other up through his hair. Ashlynn thought to herself this was the sexiest man she'd ever met and then a phone rang. They ignored it but just when the noise finally stopped, it rang again. Adam leaned back, frustration written across his face and pulled his phone from his pocket. He saw it was Ben and hit a button. "Yea."
He heard Ben on the other end. "You need to get back here. Now."
Chapter 15
As Adam sped down the street Ashlynn questioned him. "What is going on? Why are we hurrying home?"
"I don't know what happened! Ben just said we needed to get back so I didn't waste time asking questions!"
Ashlynn sat quietly for a little bit looking out the window watching everything wiz by. "I don't understand what would be some important that we have to go right now! I texted Scarlett but she hasn't answered me." Adam was driving fast. So fast that he cut their travel time in half but it still seemed to drag for Ashlynn. "I hope Scarlett didn't have
another break down or something. She was doing so good. I can totally picture her crying and Ben freaking out!" Ashlynn snorted.
"I can see that too, but from his tone I'm guessing it's a little more serious than that." Adam tried not to express the fear he was experiencing. He didn't want to scare Ashlynn. He saw Ashlynn out of the corner of his eye glance down at the shirt she was wearing. It was his tshirt. Since he had ripped hers, he got her one of the shirts he kept at the office. "Sorry I ripped your shirt! I got a little caught up in the moment!" He seemed a little embarrassed by his earlier actions.
Ashlynn shot him a wicked smile. "Don't you dare apologize! That was fucking hot! I'm going to kill Ben if nobody is dying when we get there! He has no idea what he interrupted!"
Adam grinned at her. "If there isn't anything urgent happening I will help you kill him. But don't worry, it won't go unfinished!" He winked at her and she smiled.
They turned down the driveway and bumped and bounced down the narrow dirt road to the house. They got out of the truck and Adam froze. Ashlynn stared at him and wondered why he looked frightened. "Ashlynn, get in the house! NOW!" She ran up the steps with Adam right behind her looking around, scouting the woods.
She opened the front door and they ran inside as Ben stopped them just as they entered. "Ben, what's happened? I smell it on the air!"
Ashlynn was bewildered. She looked at Ben and then to Adam. "Smell what?" She looked back to Ben. "What's going on?"
Ben stood in front of them with a face of stone. "Before I tell you what happened, let me say everything is fine, she is safe."
Ashlynn glared daggers at him. "What is going on?" She looked around him and saw Scarlett on the couch. She pushed herself around Ben and ran to her. She knelt on the floor and took Scarlett's hand from under the blanket and held it in her own. She turned to Ben and Adam who were walking towards her. Adam knelt next to her and rubbed her back. She ignored his presence, never taking her eyes from Ben. She stood as she spoke. "What happened to Scarlett?" Her voice was steady and low. She ground the words out through her teeth making them more like a command instead of a question.
Ben looked at the floor and then back to her. "She is okay now, but she was shot."
"SHOT? What the hell do you mean she was shot?" Ashlynn was frantic. Adam stepped up behind her and was trying to comfort her but she slapped him away.
Ben moved to the couch, he pulled the blanket down and pinched the hem of Scarlett's tshirt. He pulled it up and showed Ashlynn the wound on Scarlett's abdomen. She gasped and slapped her hands over her mouth. Ben looked at her and then to Adam standing behind her. "I have everything cleaned up for the most part. Wasn't sure if I should call or not. I wasn't going to. I didn't want to scare Ashlynn, but then decided I should."
"Back up Ben! How did she get shot?" Ashlynn was furious and although she knew it wasn't Ben's fault, she couldn't help but take her emotions out on him.
"It was Cody. After breakfast we were cleaning up, as we stood in the kitchen I saw him outside with a gun, I jumped in front of Scarlett but I didn't take much of an impact from the bullet, it hit her too." Ben's head hung, disappointed that he hadn't protected her.
Ashlynn's eyes were huge as she looked at him. Ben thought she was going to stare a hole through him. "You jumped in front of her? And you got shot too? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine! It's healed fast. Scarlett however, " Ben looked down to the pale form on the couch. He had failed her. "Adam, I had to do what I had to do to save her."
Adam swallowed hard and nodded. "I know Ben. I saw the wound and how fast it had already healed. I know and I would've done the same thing."
Ashlynn broke up the banter between them. "What the hell is going on? What are you fucking talking about?"
Adam gently guided her to the couch parallel to Scarlett. She sat down and he sat next to her turning to look at her. "Scarlett was dying Ashlynn. No human could survive an injury of that extreme. Ben saved her." He watched the emotions dancing across her face as his words penetrated her mind.
"How did he save her? Are you saying what I think you are saying?" Ashlynn's expression was vacant.
Adam spoke quietly and as gently as he could. "He has turned her."
Ashlynn wasn't reacting as Adam anticipated. She was much more calm than he had expected. "She's a werewolf? He made her a werewolf?"
Ben stooped in front of her. "There was no other way for me to save her. She would have died." His head hung again.
Ashlynn got down on the floor next to Ben and nearly tackled him as she wrapped her arms around him. "Thank you for saving her! Again! God, how did that girl survive before she met you?"
Adam laughed at Ben's wide-eyed expression. He wasn't much for touching and Ashlynn had him completely taken him off guard. He didn't hug her back. He was going to speak but his mind raced wondering what to do and what to say so instead he sat there in an awkward manner with big eyes, clearing his throat. When Ashlynn finally let go and leaned back, he said "I couldn't let her die and this was the only alternative."
Ashlynn looked up at his face. "I think this is awesome! But I don't know what Scarlett is going to think of it." They all turned to look at Scarlett lying on the couch. What would Scarlett think of it?
Ben stood and cleared his throat again. "Adam, can I speak to you in private?"
Adam was confused at Ben not wanting to talk in front of Ashlynn. She shot him a dirty look but he brushed it off. "Sure, we can talk in my room." He followed Ben back to his bedroom and closed the door behind him. "What do you need to talk to me about that you can't mention in front of Ashlynn?"
"Cody's body." Ben was still as a statue with a bland expression.
"Is that why the blood is so thick on the air outside? I wondered why I could smell it so strongly out there."
"His body is about 1000 yards south of the cabin. What do you think we should do?"
Adam rubbed his face. "I don't know. Let me think about this for a minute. We need to act fast though. Can't have him laying out there for someone to stumble onto. I know the odds of someone being up here and finding him are slim but always expect the unexpected. Have you thought of any ideas?"
Ben nodded. "I have. I thought maybe we should move the body near the campground. Maybe set up the scene to look like an animal attack."
Adam cocked his head to the side. "It was an animal attack wasn't it?"
Ben frowned. "It began as an animal attack. I had a few things I wanted to say to him though."
Adam shook his head. "Now there is a risk of fingerprints!" He looked angry. His face was turning red and his breathing got heavy. "What were you thinking Ben? What the hell were you thinking?"
Ben was angry now too. He was blown away that Adam had the audacity to yell at him like this. "I was thinking that that son of a bitch had hurt her enough and then tried to kill her! Would have killed her! In a way, he did kill her!"
Adam put his head down, closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath. After a few seconds he looked up at Ben. "I'm sorry Ben. I understand. It's just tough. I'm not sure what to do."
Ben sat down on Adam's bed. "I think we should do as I said. Take the body to the campground and set it up like an animal attack. I don't see them doing much forensics if they believe a wild wolf is the culprit."
Adam nodded. "It's a Monday, I don't think there will be anyone around there on a Monday night, we'll wait and move him once it's dark."
They both nodded in agreement and exited the room. They found Ashlynn sitting on the couch next to Scarlett. She looked up at them with tears in her eyes. "I'm going to kill that mother fucker Cody!"
Adam tensed at her words. "About that, Ben has beat you to it."
Ashlynn's eyes widened. "You mean he killed him?" She turned her stare to Ben. "You killed him?"
Ben nodded. "Adam and I are going out later tonight to take care of the incident."
Ashlynn shook her head in disbelief. "An incident. You killed someone an refer to it as an inci
dent? I'm not complaining but geez you killed someone Ben!"
"He had it coming!" Ben was unaffected by what she was getting at.
Ashlynn looked at her feet for a moment and then agreed. "Yes. He did. I guess if I would've been in your shoes today, witnessing what you have, I could have killed him and I wouldn't be showing any regret about it either. I'm not disagreeing that you did it, just that you aren't showing any emotion over it."
Adam interrupted them, "Ben isn't really one for emotions anyway."
Ashlynn changed the conversation to the other thoughts that were weighing on her mind. "So Scarlett is a werewolf now. Is she going to wake up soon?"
Adam nodded. "I have never seen anyone transformed from human to wolf. As you know my parents were wolves, so I was born with that gene. I can imagine though that it is a strenuous process. And her body is already worn out from the trauma and shock of being shot. Would you mind letting me get a blood sample from you? I'd like to do some experiments mixing mine with yours and compare it to a sample of Scarlett's."
Fate's Intentions Page 10
