Danny's Dance

by Arizona Tape

My hands balled in fist as she lisped the names of my lovers, her voice changing to an oddly soft and seductive tone.

  “Regan sure is strong and sexy... I wonder how it would feel to have him under me.”

  Don’t engage, Danny. Don’t engage. I repeated to myself, trying to keep my cool. I knew what she was doing, she was trying to rile me up. I couldn’t let that happen. I couldn’t lose control of myself and do something stupid.

  Chesca twirled another strand of hair around her finger. “Or JP. He’s always so shy and adorable, but I bet he’s a beast in bed. It’s always the quiet ones, isn’t it, Danny?”

  Anger flamed up in my stomach as she spoke about my men. They weren’t hers to talk about.

  “It would be such a shame if they arrive right when I slit your throat. Maybe they’ll be so overcome with grief, they’ll need someone to comfort them. But don’t worry, I will be waiting for them with open arms. And open legs.”

  “You fucking bitch!” I growled, finally losing my temper and throwing all caution to the wind. If she was trying to piss me off, she succeeded. I clamped my hand around her wrist, yanking the blade away from my throat and jabbed my other elbow in her gut. Using the tricks JP taught me, I stole the knife from her as I rolled away from her. Even though my limbs had grown stiff from the cold ground, I quickly jumped up on my feet.

  If she insisted on fighting it out, I’d gladly comply. There were a lot of things I’d take. Playing games and even cutting of chunks of hair I could tolerate. But her threatening my men, talking about making them hers, that was one step too far.

  “What’s happening, Danny dear? Don’t want to share your boy toys with me?” Chesca sneered, rage boiling up in me from. Regan and JP were mine and mine alone. With a force I didn’t expect from myself, I swung the short blade at Chesca and somehow managed to slice her cheek. She brought her hand up to the wound and laughed out loud as she watched the blood trickle down.

  “Is that all you got?” she mocked, licking the blood from her fingers. Fuck me, she was utterly deranged.

  Angrily, I lunged at her again. Recalling all the lessons I had, I twirled around my enemy and managed to slash a deep cut in her upper arm. Instead of reacting like a regular person to pain, she just laughed harder and harder. “Pathetic! Do you think this will hurt me, Danny dear? You’re sad. Such a disappointment. You’ll never be able to live up to your father’s expectations. He’s probably glad you ran! After all, you’re just not good enough, Danielle,” Chesca hissed, the use of my full name sending me in a rage. She knew how much I hated my full name, how I hated my father, how I hated never being good enough for him.

  Overcome with rage and frustrations I had been carrying around for so long, I jumped at her carelessly. I grabbed her by the wrist and spun around her, pressing my blade against her throat. My hand was trembling, but not from fear this time. I was angry, angry like I hadn’t been in a long time.

  I could do it. If she said my full name one more time, I could slash her throat and kill her, ending this ridiculous and petty war. All I needed, was just one extra burst of anger. Just one and I could end this. For good.

  “Are you going to kill me, Danny dear? You don’t have the guts” Chesca dared me, seemingly unconcerned with the situation she was in. I tightened my grip on the blade as I tried to gather the courage I needed. Come on, Danny. You could end the war right here, right now. Come on.

  Do it.

  Chapter Two - Woods of Erald

  The first trail of blood trickled out of the cut on Chesca’s neck as I pressed the blade firmer into her skin.

  Chesca squealed in pleasure as she pressed herself harder into the knife. “Yes, hurt me! Come on, kill me. Kill me again! Let me die like last time, Danny! Chase me into my grave once more!”

  Her words triggered a new set of memories, freezing me in my step. The scent of iron and fresh blood flooded my senses, fire burned the back of my neck, and cries of agony filled my ears. The scene that haunted my sleep unfolded in front of my eyes as I relived Chesca’s death all over again. The helplessness, the panic, the desperation slapping me in the face once more.

  I felt my knees tremble as my body was ready to give out. I didn’t want to kill Chesca. I couldn’t. I tried to release the blade, but Chesca had palmed her hand over mine.

  “What’s wrong, Danny? Was that all you got? Can’t kill your best friend again? Come on, it’s the second time, shouldn’t it be easier by now?” Chesca taunted, pressing the knife in my hands harder into her skin. A cry echoed through my mind as I recalled the day I let Chesca down. The day she died in my arms.

  I tried to let go of the knife, not wanting a repeat of that day. I didn’t want my friend to die. Not really. Even if she was crazy and had fueled an age-old conflict into a war, she was still my Chesca.

  “Please...” I begged, trying to stop the blade from digging deeper into her neck.

  “Oh, Danny, don’t be such a crybaby,” she sang. “Do it, do it again. Kill me again, but this time, do it with your own hands. Take my life once more,” she sneered, drawing blood from her own skin. “It’ll be easy. Come on, just one little cut and I’ll bleed out in front of your eyes again. Don’t you want to see it happen once more?” she asked, licking her lips as she played out my worst nightmare. Only, this time it was real.

  Tears sprung to my eyes. Was this really happening? Was I going to kill Chesca?

  With a loud cackle, the woman in my arms released her grip on my wrist and shoved me away. I staggered backwards, trying to regain my footing, but was quickly knocked off my feet. With the agility you’d expect from a Puma, she jumped on top of me as she pinned me down. Her hand coiled around my neck, her fingers digging hard into my windpipe. Her bright eyes flickering menacingly as she mockingly laughed at my helplessness.

  She was too much. I couldn’t keep up with her. Her games were too much. One moment, she was replaying my worst nightmares, the next she was threatening to take my life. I was exhausted. I was done playing her games. She had me. She knew she had me. Maybe this time around, it was my turn to die.

  More out of defeat then anything else, my fingers unclenched and the blade slipped out of my grip. The dull thumb of the metal hitting the gravel sent all different kind of memories through my mind and I closed my eyes. Chesca died because I made a mistake, it was only fair she was the one who killed me in the end. This was only fitting. Yes, this is how it should end. The fight, my fight, finally over.

  A sudden rush of air fills my lungs as Chesca releases me. Coughing and spluttering, I shot up and clutched my neck.

  “Oh, silly Danny, did you really think I’d kill you? Where would be the fun in that? No, your story doesn’t end here. That’s not how this little game works. You’re going to live for a long time and I’ll make you watch how I die over and over again.”

  Not more games. No, I couldn’t take it anymore. She was torturing me, toying with me like a predator plays with it’s prey. She was enjoying this and I was just along for the ride. I couldn’t keep up. I pressed my hands against my ears, trying to block out her taunting words, but it was no use. She curled up behind me and with her chin digging into my shoulder, she continues her verbal torture. “How many times do you think I’ll come back? Maybe the next time I die, it’ll be my last life. Imagine being around for that. Imagine letting me down again, won’t that be fun? Answer me, Danny, don’t you want to see me die for real?”

  “That’s enough, demon!”

  A loud voice overruled Chesca’s evil whispers as her body is yanked away from mine. An immediate relief washed over me. Regan. He was here.

  “Are you o-okay?” Another voice replaced Chesca’s at my ear and I felt myself relax as warm hands caressed my skin. With a sigh, I fell into JP’s arms. They were here. My men were here.

  “W-What did she d-do to you?” JP asked, his hands expertly examining the bruises on my neck.

  “Nothing worse than my nightmares,” I mumbled, finally daring to look up. Chesca was
struggling against Regan’s grip, but without use. He was far too strong for her.

  “Is this how you’re going to let it end, Danny? By letting your men rescue you?” she yelled, trying to win my attention back.

  “D-Don’t let her get to you,” JP whispered, helping me get back up.

  “All the thing she said...”

  “T-They’re probably not worse t-than the things you say to y-yourself,” he reasoned, pushing my chin up so I was facing him. “This w-war needs to stop. W-We need to s-stop her.”

  “I don’t know how,” I admitted, hiding my face against his jacket. His familiar scent of honey flooding my senses as he soothingly rubbed my back.

  “She l-loves tormenting you. Y-You need to get o-over your guilt. Yes, s-she died, but she’s alive a-again, isn’t s-she?”

  I swallowed a lump in my throat. “Yes...”

  “Everyone m-makes mistakes. F-Forgive yourself so she can n-no longer haunt you. F-Face her.”

  I pressed myself into JP, seeking out his warmth for comfort. He was right. Chesca was playing with me and she could because of how I felt. If I moved on, if I stopped feeling guilty, she might lose interest.

  “I can do this,” I muttered, drawing from my lover’s strength. I needed to face Chesca and stop running from her. It was time. My guilt about her death almost got me killed today. What if next time, it wasn’t my life on the line but one of my lovers? I couldn’t let that happen. I needed to face her. I needed to give my mind some sort of peace, even if I didn’t deserve it.

  “Chesca... I’m sorry for what happened,” I said in a shaky voice, every word I drew hurting my bruised windpipe. Served me right. “I didn’t mean for you to die, I really didn’t. I tried to protect you, tried to shield you and I failed. If you want me to suffer, you got it. I do. Every night. You haunt me and there’s nothing you can do, that’ll make it worse...”

  The girl I once considered family laughed out loud at my words. “You sure, sis? Maybe I should just kill one of your boyfriends right now. Wouldn’t that be fun?”

  A warm hand found my waist and JP leant into me for support. “W-We won’t let that -hhappen.”

  “Who should I kill first? Your precious boytoy? Or your mate? What will pain you the most, Danielle?”

  Hesitantly, my eyes shifted from JP to Regan, the thought of losing one of them clouding my mind.

  “Hey, Danny, d-don’t go t-there.” JP snapped my attention back to him as he placed his hands on my cheek. “You’re n-not going to l-lose us.”

  Chesca gargled loudly. “Is that why you have two boyfriends? So you have a spare lying around for when I kill the next? Silly Danielle, one day you’ll run out of men who want you. I promise.”

  “Shut up, you witch,” Regan hissed, tightening his grip on her until she flinched in his arms.

  “Ouch, this one is strong. But not strong enough. One little nick could have him bleeding out in your arms, just like I did. Remember, nobody is immortal!” she taunted, her words slashing into me like a whip.

  “She’s s-still playing g-games, don’t listen to h-her,” JP warned in my ear, trying to reassure me. I swallowed the lump in my throat and forced myself to face Chesca once more.

  “I’m sorry for what happened, but you need to stop chasing us. You’re still alive, Chesca. Do something with it instead of wasting it on a chase.”

  The girl in front of me threw her head back and her deranged laugh filled the empty forest. “As long as I live, I’ll come for you, Danny. One day, one day you’ll be alone. Unprotected. Scared. And we’ll continue our game from today without your nasty men interrupting us. And I will kill you. Or even better, you’ll kill me all over again.”

  With eyes big as saucers, she flashed me and JP a smile. “Goodbye, suckers,” she grinned and with the snap of a finger, she vanished in thin air.

  “Damn it!” Regan growled in frustration, slamming his fist into a nearby tree. No match for his power, the poor tree crumbled under his assault and crashed on the dry ground. The eerie wind blew through the open spot, playing with the leaves and twigs as it twirled around us.

  For a moment, we waited. For the tree to fall, for the wind to blow, and for Chesca who might return. It wouldn’t be the first time we fell for that trick.

  But nothing. Her menacing aura seemed to have cleared up for real and once again, we were alone.

  Chapter Three - Muscles

  “That was way too close,” JP said, breaking the silence and I nodded. He was right. Chesca came way too close to killing me tonight. I turned around to my oldest friend and lover and pressed myself softly into him, his familiar scent of dried parchment and honey comforting me like it always did.

  “I was so scared,” I admitted, melting in his warm embrace. His arms were slender, but I could feel the hidden muscles roll underneath his skin. JP was a lot stronger and tougher than he looked, something I always admired about him. His hands rubbed soft circles on my back as he let me hide myself and my fears into his embrace.

  “Are you okay, Danny?” Regan asked, shaking his hand as it reddened from the impact. I turned in JP’s arms and faced my mate. His face was warped in pain and concerned, I took his hand in my own. His fingers were swelling and the telltale bursted red veins let me know that he’d have a bruised hand for at least a good week.

  “You need to be more careful,” I warned him, but Regan just brushed my concern away. He pushed up my chin with his good hand and stared deep in my eyes.

  “I’m fine. You’re the one who’s really hurt,” he muttered, his voice strained. He was really fucking pissed off and if I wasn’t around, I wouldn’t be surprised if he tried to take down a couple more trees.

  I pushed his hand away and pulled my shirt up to my nose. “I’m okay,” I mumbled, hiding the tender spots on my neck. Chesca got me good and I was sure she left some nice blemishes on my skin. I just hoped I could avoid mirrors for the next couple of weeks and not be reminded every time I saw my face how close she came to robbing me of my life.

  I shivered. What if she’d actually succeeded in killing me? Unlike her, I wouldn’t resurrect into a next life. No, for me, death was rather permanent. Without the rather. It was just permanent. And not something I was particularly looking forward to.

  Although...

  No. I needed to stay alive. There were still so many things I had to do and me dying wouldn’t really benefit or accomplish anything. Except stop the war.

  “We’ve got to move,” I muttered as the adrenaline of the fight wore off and the markings on my neck started to hurt. I needed to get them wrapped in hot bandages and hope my wolf healed it before we were back around people.

  I turned on my heels, ready to get out of the forest, but JP caught my wrist.

  “H-Here,” he motioned, waving a rather large tissue in front of my face. I frowned, wondering what he was on about. Did he want me to blow my nose?

  “Ummm...” I hummed, looking at him questiongly.

  “I t-thought you could use it as a s-scarf... But it’s s-stupid. You’re n-not going to w-wear a tissue. Stupid,” JP muttered to himself, his cheeks flushing red. I felt my first smile break through on my face as I took the tissue out of his hands. He was so thoughtful and sweet. How I landed a guy like him, I would never understand.

  I gently pressed myself into him and placed a soft kiss on his lips. He sighed in relief and gently brushed the strands of hair away from my face.

  “Thank you, love,” I whispered against his lips, drawing a chuckle from him.

  “Always, Danny. You know that, right?” he muttered, peering deep into my eyes. I bit my lip as I melt under his gaze. There was just something irresistible about guys with long eyelashes and warm eyes. And JP had both.

  “I know,” I breathed back, pressing my lips lightly on his again, tasting more honey. Another smile slipped on my face. I couldn’t help it. JP always tasted of honey and home. It was definitely reassuring to know that with him by my side, I could have a little
slice of home even in the middle of nowhere. Which reminded me...

  Reluctantly, I pulled away from JP and cleared my throat. “Time to move... We don’t want to linger too long and wait until Chesca returns to finish the job,” I reasoned, wanting to move out of the dark forest as fast as I could.

  “Let’s get out of here. They say the forest gets haunted at night. Frankly, I don’t see how it could get any worse, but let’s not gamble,” JP added as he turned to my mate, who was always our navigator. Regan pulled a neatly folded map from inside his pocket and I leant over his arm to get a good look. The scent of oak and maple hit my nose and I pressed myself just that little bit harder into him. I admired the strong lines on his face as he studied the vague lines on the parchment and couldn’t help my wolf happily running to the surface. She never could resist Regan, but then again, that was no surprise. He was my first mate after all. My fated mate. My one and only.

  I snorted softly, trying to muffle the unflattering noise against Regan’s muscled arm.

  Nature could suck it. I loved JP just as much as I loved Regan and I fought enough with my wolf until she accepted that both the slender man and the muscled giant were to be my life partners. I knew she pretended to be upset about that, but secretly, she tolerated him. How could she not. She knew how happy he made me. After all we’d been through together, if there was one person my wolf would make an exception for, it was him. My rather nervous and twitchy, yet somehow incredibly agile teenage sweetheart. But that didn’t mean she didn’t like biting him every now and then.

  “We came from that direction. The end of the forest should be near,” Regan coordinated, pointing at the direction where he and JP appeared from.

  “Okay,” I agreed, still clinging to his arm as he meticulously folded the map and hid it in his jacket.

  “You comfortable there?” Regan mused, a little twinkle flickering through his usually dark eyes.

  “Very,” I answered, pressing my full body against his side. A soft growl escaped from the back of his throat as he wrapped a strong arm around my waist.