by Laura Del
She checked me over thoroughly, grimacing at the wounds on my chest and stomach. Then it was time for her to check my insides. She did an ultrasound on my lower stomach, and frowned when she found the heartbeat was gone. Finally, she did a full pelvic exam and whistled.
“What?” I asked, looking down the length of my body at her.
Maryanne shook her head, taking off her blue rubber gloves in the process. “I thought you were gonna need a D&C, but from what I can tell, everythin’ is healed down there. How in the hell did that happen?” I began to shrug, but it was kind of awkward with my legs up in the stirrups. She shook herself. “Oh, you can get up and get dressed now.”
“Thanks.” I sat up as fast as I could and got dressed carefully, trying to not hurt myself.
“So,” she began again, “how did ya heal yourself?”
I shrugged again as I placed my pants back on, zipping them up over the bandages. “I’m not quite sure. Samuel gave me this potion that Chloe made for me. I’m guessing that there was something in it that could heal me inside but not outside. To be quite honest with you, I have no clue how it works.”
Maryanne nodded. “Witches. You may never understand their craft, but they’re excellent healers. When they have the right information, that is.”
“Great,” I said slowly. “Why in the world are werewolf scratches so difficult to heal? I mean, look at this!” I pointed at my chest as I buttoned up my shirt.
“Well,” she answered with a slight frown, “werewolf bites are easily fixed. They heal on their own, but scratches…” she paused, shaking her head, “they’re a completely different animal. Even when we get scratched in our wolf form, they don’t heal right away. I find it very strange, but we’ve all come to accept it. Animals roughhouse and werewolves are essentially animals. But to be honest with ya, I have no clue why they’re any different. Maybe it has to do with some supernatural stuff. That’s about all I can figure.”
“I see,” I laughed as I slipped on my new pair of Birkenstocks. “Well, I’ll keep that in mind the next time one of you attacks me.” I gave her a dark smile, and left without another word.
It wasn’t as if I didn’t like Maryanne; it was just that I wanted to get away from everything supernatural. Vampires, werewolves, and witches alike. I was done with it, and I couldn’t stand being around any of them at this point.
When I walked outside, I took a deep breath, placing my coat on as the wind went right through me. I never knew the south could get this frigid in the winter and until now, it hadn’t bothered me. But the cold reminded me of that moment when there was nothing. That moment between death and light. The emptiness. The darkness. The bitterness.
I shivered, seeing Angel leaning against her Mini Coop. “Hey there, fleshy girl,” she yelled. “Mike sent me to get ya, so we can go back to your place and get your stuff. Oh, and Wolfman, too.”
I smiled as nicely as I could, getting in the car and shutting the door. In a matter of minutes, we were outside of my apartment. I told her to wait and she nodded, saluting me as a joke. As I rolled my eyes, I got out, walking inside for what felt like the last time. At least for a while, anyway.
Taking a deep breath, I made my way into the apartment and found the coffee table turned upside down, and the couch cushions torn up. My heart thundered in my chest as I slowly made my way through to the bedroom. It was a stupid thing to do without a gun or any other weapon to protect myself, but I needed to know if Mike was all right. However, when I walked into our room I saw him sitting with his head in his hands. His hair was a mess, his clothes torn, and he bled from his knuckles and forearms. It looked like after he attacked the couch, he began brutalizing himself.
I cleared my throat and he looked up, his eyes burning with anger. I stepped back a little, not wanting to test him, but as soon as he saw me, he adjusted himself. His eyes turned back from yellow to his normal green as he placed a semi-smile on his face. “What’s the news, Pat?”
“Besides the major scratches on my stomach and the antibiotic cream I have to rub on them, I’m all healed,” I replied. “Maryanne was very surprised that everything was cleared out and in its place, considering that I just…” my voice trailed away. I couldn’t say it. No, I didn’t want to say it. “Anyway, what happened to the apartment?”
He shrugged. “Ya know, redecoratin’.”
I laughed a little and his smile widened, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Seriously, Mike, what happened?”
He took a deep breath, hanging his head. “I…uh…started thinkin’ about what happened last night and I just couldn’t take it anymore. So I lost my temper.”
“I wasn’t your fault,” I reassured him again, but he glared at me. “Okay, it’s a little bit your fault, but you can’t blame yourself for what your wolf does. You told me before, you can’t control him.”
He looked down at his hands, and I knew my feeling in the diner last night was right; he was hiding something from me. But before I could ask what was going on, he looked up. “I…you’re gonna hate me when I tell ya.”
I shook my head, gently sitting on the bed. “I could never hate you,” I said, placing my hand on his knee. “Just tell me the truth, Mike.”
“I knew exactly what I was doin’,” he blurted, and I quickly took my hand off his knee.
“What?” I asked, voice shaking.
“I knew what I was doin’. I had a lucid change last night,” he explained, and I suddenly felt sick to my stomach. “The smell of your blood was just so…I couldn’t control myself. If it wasn’t for Angel and Sam, I would’ve finished you off.”
I stood, looking down at him. Suddenly, I didn’t know who he was. He certainly wasn’t the man I had fallen for…or was he? Frankly, I did not know anymore, and a small part of me didn’t want to know. “I guess it really is a good thing that we’re having this break from one another.”
He nodded, but he didn’t look happy about it. “Yup.”
“Don’t look so sad. Besides, if you came with me there’s no telling what my pops would do to you.”
His brows pulled together in confusion. “Your pops?”
“Like I said before, he really doesn’t like you.”
“I forgot to ask ya why?”
“I’m not entirely sure, but I have a feeling it has to do with Samuel and the fact that I cheated on him with you.”
“Ah,” he said with a nod, “that’ll do it.”
We smiled awkwardly at each other. It’s funny how just a few days ago we were extremely comfortable around one another, and now the tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife. A cliché, but true.
“Well,” I sighed, “I guess we should go.” I began to turn, but Mike caught my wrist.
He stood, looking down at me. “Patricia, is it always gonna be like this?”
“Like what?” I asked, pulling my wrist out of his grasp.
“Like that?” he clarified. “You can’t bear to be touched by me. You pull away and jerk back every time I’m near you. Are you really that afraid of me?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. I can’t tell if I’m afraid of you or just afraid of your wolf.”
“We’re one and the same,” he said with a frown.
“I’m beginning to realize that.”
“Do you still love me?”
“Yes,” I answered without the slightest of hesitations. My emotions had come back as soon as I saw my moms, so I knew now that I really did love him. Even in the darkness, I had loved him. “But that doesn’t mean I’m not frightened of you.”
He nodded. “Okay. I can understand that. Do ya really think being away from me is gonna help?”
“Honestly, I don’t know. But it’s better than being with each other and being miserable.” He opened his mouth to protest, but I held up my hand. “You would be thinking about attacking me, and I would be
thinking you were going to do it again.”
He nodded. “True.”
“So we should just take some time off and get ourselves settled. Now,” I breathed, “we have to go or I’ll miss my flight before we even get something to eat.”
“Okay,” he agreed. “Let’s go.”
I walked into the living room, making my way over to my desk, reaching underneath it to pull out my computer bag. I placed my laptop, charger and mouse inside then I zipped it up and was ready to go. But when I turned to look at Mike, his eyes were wide and his mouth hung open slightly. “What?”
He shook his head. “Nothin’.”
“That look is not nothing. What’s wrong?”
“You’re takin’ your computer.”
“And?” I asked, confused.
“Are ya ever comin’ back?”
I rolled my eyes. “Mike. I have to take my computer because I never know when Joey is going to send me an assignment. You know that.”
“Right,” he breathed. “Right. Sorry.”
“No worries. Literally no worries, Michael. If I get a phone call from Angel saying that you have gone on some sort of rampage, I will kill you.”
He smiled, his green eyes sparkling. “What if I get drunk again?” he asked, walking closer to me.
I thought about it for a second. “I’ll kill you.”
He walked even closer, stopping just a few inches away. “Take wolfsbane again?”
“Shoot you right between the eyes with a silver bullet,” I said matter-of-factly.
He leaned down, hovering, his lips close to mine. “What if I—”
I kissed him before he could ask the rest of the question. Then I moved away, turning so I could walk out the door. “I’ll kill you no matter what you do wrong,” I said, looking over my shoulder at the wolf. “Understand?” He nodded, a little stunned, and I went outside, knowing he would follow me. “Good boy.”
chapter
TWENTY-FOUR
“Text me every day, fleshy girl,” Angel said, hugging me after I checked my bags in but before I went through security. We had stopped to get something to eat, and after an hour or so, Angel managed to get me to the airport. So it was now time for the good-byes, and I had to admit, it made me sad.
I patted her on the back. “I will, I promise.”
“You better,” she choked out. But when I pulled back, she was completely composed, not even a tear in her eye.
“Thanks for saving my life,” I whispered so Mike wouldn’t hear.
She looked like she had no clue what I was talking about. “It wasn’t me,” she said quietly, and then winked, walking away with a smile.
That’s when Mike walked in front of me. He seemed to have himself under control, given the circumstances, and the fact that…well…he was Mike. “Are ya sure you have to go?” he asked, already knowing the answer.
“I’m afraid so,” I sighed, looking up into his almost frozen face. He didn’t look sad and he didn’t look happy; he just looked numb. “Are you going to be all right?”
He nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah. I’ll be fine. You know me…” he shrugged, his voice trailing away.
The truth was, I did know him, and I knew that when he said stuff like that, he was not going to be okay. “Uh-huh,” I said, pursing my lips. “You just remember what I said.”
“I know, I know,” he breathed, smiling slightly. “If I do something stupid you’ll…what was it again?” he asked, looking serious.
I rolled my eyes. He knew perfectly well what I’d said, but I decided to say it again. This time, for Angel’s benefit as well as his. “I will kill you, Wolf. Stone dead. You feel me?”
He nodded. “I feel ya.”
“Well, I guess this is good-bye.”
“For now.”
“For now,” I agreed, and started to walk away, but he grabbed my arm. “What is it?”
“Don’t I get a kiss?” he asked and I nodded, leaning up to kiss him softly on the mouth. Any more of this “good-bye” stuff, and I felt like I was going to lose my mind. I’m not too big on farewells; they make me uncomfortable.
I moved away from him, giving him a small smile. “See you later, Wolf.”
He touched my cheek, brushing my hair out of my face. “See you, bébé. I love you.”
“I know,” I replied with a wink, and he smiled his sparkly, green-eyed grin. Then I finally walked away from him, waving as I made my way through security.
Once I was on the other side, I had about half an hour to get on the plane. I made my way through the rest of the airport, and by the time I got to the terminal, it was almost time to board. I waited in the hard, blue plastic chairs for a little while, feeling like something was going to go wrong—not with the flight, but with something else. Another thing that I couldn’t quite put my finger on.
All of that went by the wayside as I got on the plane, turning toward first-class. And just as I was settling in my seat, thinking about how a girl could get used to this, the captain announced that we were next to take off.
I looked out the window at the flood-lit airport hangar and thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. But as I blinked, I realized it was actually happening. Mike was standing on top of a service cart, and I watched in horror as he waved at me before lifting his head and letting out the most mournful and soulful howl I had ever heard.
Frantically, I looked around, noticing that everyone was craning their necks to see what the commotion was. Then security finally caught up with him, and just as they were about to arrest him, I closed the blind, pretending not to be interested.
The last thought I had before the plane moved onto the runway was, I’m going to fucking kill him. Then I closed my eyes and fell asleep, dreaming of what Mike’s head would look like mounted on a wall.
THE END
For now, anyway…
