A hard thump echoes throughout the room before Denny's onyx colored hair appears in the doorway. I give a silent prayer to the 'man upstairs' when I realize that Elliot has enough sense to stay on the floor. I really don't feel like explaining to Denny why Elliot's in my bed....
"Hi, Denny!" I blurt, so too sweetly.
Fuck, he's going to know I'm hiding something. Well, someone, but that's not the point. He has always known when I'm up to something.
"What are you up to in here?" Denny asks, his eyebrow raised. Fuck, I knew it!
"Nothing!" I blurt too quickly. Macy, get yourself together. For Christ's sake, you're a grown ass woman. You can fool around with someone without worrying about your friend's opinion. Jesus, act like an adult.
"Macy," Denny sighs, crossing his arms over his chest, his eyes looking right past me.
I look over my shoulder and shoot daggers at the traitorous, long-haired god that's standing at the edge of the bed bashfully. God, he looks like we just finished having sex.... His hair that I spent so much time combing is a tangled halo around his head, his lips swollen from our kisses. It doesn't help that all he's shirtless with a pair of low riding pajama pants on. I snap my head back to Denny. He simply smiles before shaking his head.
"Can you come out here with me?" Denny asks. I comply instantaneously, not wanting to stretch out the awkwardness of the situation. Hell, it's not like I haven't slept in the same bed as Elliot before, but not with his lips on mine and his hand up my shirt...
I glance behind me to Elliot who simply shrugs in my direction so I smoothly shine my middle finger in his direction before closing the door. The back of Denny's head has never been so intriguing as it is now. I mean, has he always had that sideways cowlick?
It's only a few more steps before we reach the end of the hallway and all I want to do is bolt in the other direction.
"Happy Birthday!" Denny squeals the moment we walk into the living room.
I fight to hold in a squeal of delight when I notice all the balloons and streamers hung up throughout the room. Hell, Denny even has all the Shifters wearing those silly party hats. God, this is great!
"Surprise, Sunshine...." Elliot whispers in my ear as he walks up behind me.
Denny surprises me with the most fantastic birthday party that I've ever had. There were only a few people present, but I haven't smiled this much in a long time. Ronan even came, bringing me a pre-loaded credit card worth more than I made back at my old job in more than a month. I tried to refuse, but he wouldn't take no for an answer.
The party was exhausting! Apparently, Denny decided to go retro and bought all kinds of old style party games. I think my favorite part was us playing 'pin the tail on the wolfie'. Elliot kept pinning the tail on the wolf's head. Eventually he gave up and pulled me into his lap for the rest of the night....
Chapter Twenty-One
Have I told you how nice all of this was?" I ask Elliot as I lay in his arms.
We retired to my room a little over an hour ago. I'm more than exhausted right now and all I want to do is curl up in Elliot's arms and take a long nap. The party was fantastic and I can't believe that they were able to pull it off underneath my nose. Honestly, I had forgotten that today was my birthday. I guess that happens to you when your life is full of the craziness that mine is packed with. His strong arms wrapped around my waist as I lay my head back against his chest makes all my worries fade away.
"Hmm..." he murmurs into my neck, "Why don't you show me?"
I chuckle before turning in his arms, my knees balanced on either side of his legs as I press his back against my headboard. His hands slide across my waist, anchoring me to him.
"Thank you...." I whisper, my lips lowering to his.
We roll around the bed for a while, my mind only concentrating on the man in my arms. I need to take advantage of the day and do what Hank told me to do...I need to live a little.
I look up and smile as I see the beautiful silver eyes above me,
"Hello, Olcan." I say with a smile, pressing my lips to his.
"Happy Birthday, Beautiful," he murmurs, ducking his face into my neck.
A sigh passes his lips and he closes his eyes before grasping my face with both of his hands. His lips are crashing into mine a heartbeat later, completely dominating yet passionate at the same time. I can't help it, my body takes control and I crawl closer to him, refusing to break contact. I straddle his waist, pulling my body closer to his as noises that I don't want to admit come from me, flow from my lips.
He pulls away, eliciting a deep groan from me. What's up with this man and his fascination with ruining perfectly good kissing sessions?
"Macy, I had to do that before you would never let me do it again...." he admit, making my heartbeats quicken within my chest.
"What are you talking about?" I ask, sitting up. He's a vision beneath me and I try my hardest to push my inner whore aside as I wait for him to elaborate.
"I heard what you told Elliot earlier...." he whimpers as he presses his face into my chest.
"Olcan, I needed to do that...." I whisper, pulling his face up to look into my eyes, "I just want you to know...if I had the option...I would give this a chance."
"How is it not an option?" he asks, a puzzled look on his face.
"Olcan, I know this is my last birthday...." I whimper, succumbing to the thoughts that have been worrying me all day.
"What are you talking about?" he snarls, grabbing me and flipping us until I'm wedged between him and the mattress.
"We've been over this.... I can't control what happens to me.... I'm not going to survive this, Olcan. I'm sorry," I reply, shoving my hands against his chest. He refuses to move and simply growls at me.
"And I said you aren't allowed to die." he growls before nuzzling my face.
"Why?" I ask, my voice barely louder than a squeak.
A scared, almost feral look passes over his features before he closes his molten eyes. My heartbeat skips a beat within my chest and I grip his forearms tightly, my nails biting into his skin.
"Because this is my fault," he says, pulling his face away to look me in the eyes, "I think I was the one who attacked you...."
"You son of a bitch!" I snarl, kicking him away from me.
He lands on the ground in a crumpled heap as I launch off the bed and onto his back. There's a fire flowing through my veins that I have no intention of smoldering. This sorry sack of shit was the one who ruined my life! He took my family away from me. He took my future away from me. God, I want to fucking kill him!
"I said I thought it was me!" he pleads from beneath me as I wail at him with closed fists.
I ignore his grunts of pain as tears stream down my face. The moments leading up to my attack flicker across my mind. I remember walking through the alley on my way home after leaving Boondocks, the strange feeling that passed over me, and finally...the mind shattering pain that took over me as I crumpled into a screaming heap on the filthy ground. The growls that broke the perfect silence of that alley reverberate throughout my mind as my fists land across his back.
"Why me?" I scream, falling to the side, "Why did you choose me?"
"I don't know for sure," he says as he climbs to his feet.
I look up, my eyes traveling across the multitude of scars that mark his otherwise perfect body. His silver eyes stare down at me...a completely heartbroken emotion in their depths. How could it be him? He's acted too...normal. For Christ's sake, the man has taken care of me like no other would. But it makes me think...was it because of his heart of gold or was it because he felt guilty for ruining my life? But then, it isn't Elliot admitting guilt to me...it's the feral beast that lives within him. How could I be dumb enough to think that he could be helped?
"How could you not know?" I spit as I wrap my arms around my knees, leaning against the corner of the room like a cornered beast.
"I can't say...." he whispers, biting at his lip.
"You can't say?" I growl,
launching to my feet, my eyes narrowed. He takes a step back, away from the door, but that's not what I'm after. All I can see is red and I only have one target at the moment.
I cross the room in three long steps as I lash out at him, my nails raking down the side of his face. Blood wells in the deep tracks, easily flowing down his face. He doesn't move though. Instead, he just stands before me with his head hung low. That's right! Be ashamed of your actions! I snatch his head up, making him look me in the eye.
"Don't you dare ever speak to me again!" I snarl, grasping his face in my hands, "I don't want you to see me. If you even look in my direction, I'll fucking kill you!"
"But, I don't know what happened...." he argues, his eyes welling with tears. I notice the startling blue orbs staring at me and let out a slew of curses. The fucking coward hid....
"Have a talk with your Umbra!" I snap, my eyes narrowed at the man before me.
"What did he do?" he asks, his voice wavering as if he's scared to know.
"Olcan was the one who attacked me...." I inform him, "Because of that...I never want to see your face ever again. There's a fucking monster in you."
"That's not possible!" he exclaims, reaching out to grasp my arm. I take a step back and hold my hand out to block him.
"Leave me alone!" I roar. I can feel a prickle travel down my spine and Elliot bows his head, completely still as he stares at his feet.
I spin on my heels as takeoff out of the room, my bare feet slapping against the hardwood floor. Sebastian and Denny barely notice me as I nearly fly out the house, the front door slamming behind me.
"Kana," I whimper, my feet carrying me across the clearing, toward the woods, "I need to speak with you...NOW!"
'What do you need?' she asks, her presence brushing against the boundaries of my mind.
"Was Olcan the one who attacked me!?" I snarl.
'This isn't right.... I know he was there....' she scoffs, her deep voice vibrating in my mind.
"I can't believe it!" I snap, "He told me himself, but I don't want to believe it."
'Macy,' she sighs, 'Trust me when I say that he would not do a thing to harm you...to harm us....'
"You have no clue about anything!" I growl before slamming the door to my mind that she exists behind, closing her off from me.
I look up, noticing that I've arrived back to the same rock formation that I found the day of the rouge attack. My legs give out just before I reach it and I tumble into a groaning heap at the base of the stone. I can't control the sobs that wrack my body, nor the angry tears that spill down my face. The night is completely silent around me, as if the small animals that live near are too scared to make a sound.
"Why did you do this to me?" I scream into the night, tossing my head back as a chill runs down my spine.
My eyes focus on the moon above me, the clouds barely covering its surface. It's not full, but instead crescent, barely lighting up the night sky. The heavens look so lonely, the stars barely twinkling though I know they should be. That's when I notice my vision becoming blurry, but not from tears.
My heartbeat accelerates, so fast and hard that I can hear every beat. A sudden pain ripples up my spine. I arch my back, a cry passing my lips as the feeling latches on and takes the breath out of my lungs. What the hell is happening to me? I'm in the fourth stage right now, the only other thing it could be is...Oh No!
"Help!" I scream as my fingers grip at the ground beneath me.
A pressure builds in my gums and I hold my jaw in my hands, the pain bringing tears to my eyes. My mouth fills with blood and I press my tongue against my canines which have doubled in length. A sob breaks free from me the moment I hear booted feet snapping twigs as they rush toward me.
Large, black boots appear in my line of vision and I raise my eyes to see Elliot looking down at me with only a pair of loose jeans on.
"God, Macy," he whispers as he skids to a stop in front of me, "What did I do?"
I claw at the forest floor, dirt and leaves embedding themselves beneath my nails as wave after wave of pain rippled across my body. A painful howl rips itself from my throat, making by body stretch in agony. Elliot falls on his knees beside me, his hands grasping my face. Where his hands touch me, my skin feels as though the flames have been extinguished. He pulls my body into his lap and rocks me back and forth.
Another painful attack hits my body and I arch with the mind-blowing pain. Whimpers tear through my throat as I was shake with wave after wave of hell.
"Don't fight it...." Elliot whispers into my hair, his arms surrounding me as I cry into his chest. I don't care if this is his fault, I just need someone to hold me.
It's too much. There's no way to survive this. The stages have come much too fast and I'm spending my last moments staring into the blood smeared face of the man who did this to me. My body arches as another wave of pain takes me by surprise and all I can do is whimper. I close my eyes and open the door holding Kana back. She's the only one who can help me right now.
'Kana,' I plead within my mind, searching for her, 'I need your help.'
'Just a while longer', she answers, he voice rumbling within my mind, 'Let Elliot help you through this, it is the only thing I can tell you to do. Do not fight me and I will try to make this painless. We WILL survive this!'
My eyes open and Elliot curses out loud. "My God," he gasps, "your eyes."
Suddenly, a wave of pain hits me so hard that I curl into a ball. My fingernails claw into my own skin, trying to dig the cause of all of this from my own flesh. Elliot's hands trap my own and I kick at him, screaming.
"Stop hurting yourself Macy. It will only make you weaker...." he coos as his hands trap mine.
"What does it matter, Elliot!" I groan, my teeth clenched as another wave of agony hits me, "I'm going to die!"
"I won't let you die!" he tells me, his voice sincere as he stares down at me.
I stop fighting him and curl my body into a tight ball. My hands squeeze into fists so tight that my knuckles turn white and my jaw clenches as a painful wave rides up my spine. It feels as though all of my bones are re-arranging themselves within my body, ripping and tearing apart everything they encounter. My actions grow weaker as the waves become stronger and more intense. I barely have the strength to open my mouth to speak.
"Kill me...." I whimper, tears rolling down the side of my face.
It's the only thing that can make this stop. I've fought so hard. I survived the accident and the loss of Henry. I had accepted my future without him. I had found a new family to enjoy my life with. I tried to move on, God I tried. Oh, how I had fought! One person could only go through so much and I just hit my limit.
"Oh, don't you say that!" Elliot growls, his arms holding me tighter as I convulse, the pain making it impossible to be still. I cry painfully as my head lays against the forest floor. Elliot's hands are the only reprieve for the hell going on in my body. I can feel my body slowly shut down on me, pulling me into the darkness. The erratic beat of my heart slows. Elliot notices it too and his hands stop moving within my hair and he gives out a feral growl.
"Don't you dare give up!" he orders, as he pulls my body into his lap and directs my face to his. "Look at me!" he growls, his tone leaving no room for an argument.
I open my eyes to look into his icy gaze. Tears are streaming down his face as he runs a thumb across my cheek. I raise my hand to wipe them away, noticing how heavy my limbs are. His face leans into my touch, savoring it. My hand runs through his hair, spinning the silky strands though my fingers.
"Please don't leave me...." he begs, the tears spilling down his face and onto my chest, "I'll make this up to you. Somehow, I will find a way to make this right.”
I close my eyes and lean my head into his chest. The waves are growing weaker with every passing breath. I search my mind for Kana and find her pacing back and forth.
'Kana, help me please.' I beg, my inner voice little more than a faint whisper.
'It is almost time
. It will all be over in a moment. We will run together soon.... Just stay strong. You're letting go....' she answers, finally exposing herself to me.
My breath catches in my throat the moment I see her silver-white fur that glistens under the moonlight as she stands beside me like a mirage. Her amber eyes stare down at me sadly and she leans forward to press her cold, wet nose to my cheek. Kana is a beautiful she-wolf, her long white tail trailing along the ground behind her. A small whimper vibrates in my mind as she lays beside me, her side pressed against my feverish yet numb skin.
I look up at Elliot, his bloodshot eyes stare at me and he looks completely helpless. His hand grasps the sides of my face and I close my eyes, ready for the darkness to take me. Dying doesn't seem to be so bad, it's a peaceful farewell. I can only pray that Henry will find me once I leave this world and that Elliot can muster the strength to forgive himself. Knowing that this is killing him on the inside, I forgive him, but he needs to know.
"Elliot...Olcan," I whimper, breathless, addressing them both, "Work together. Don't...let this...happen again. I forgive you...."
"No," Elliot whispers, leaning down to press his lips to mine one last time, but I can't feel them, "You're not allowed to forgive us."
"Goodbye...." I whisper, closing my eyes as my heartbeat falters, finally resting, and my vision goes dark. With the cries of Elliot above me, I allow myself to be swallowed by the darkness....
The Dying Fate (The Umbra Chronicles Book 1) Page 24
