by Wilde, Rhea
I finished the rest of my tea. It calmed me down more than I thought it would. But not enough to the point that I was comfortable in my seat.
“So, now what?” I asked him. “What am I supposed to do? How could I possibly help you?”
“I’m picking them off one by one. They won’t escape. I need you to locate Vaughn so that I can do my job.”
“No. I can’t let you do that.”
“Ms. Everhart, you don’t understand. I have a job to do. I can’t let any of them get away.”
“Why not? Can’t you… negotiate with them?”
“Negotiate?” he scoffed at me. “You can’t negotiate with something that’s unwilling to talk. I’m sorry, Ms. Everhart. This has to be done. These murders won’t stop unless all of them are wiped out.”
“B-but what am I supposed to do? How am I supposed to get a hold of him?”
“I’m sure he’ll find you, Ms. Everhart.”
“But… what if you’re right? What if he is who you say he is and he wants to… kill me?”
“I’m not working alone, Ms. Everhart. But I promise you that now that you know everything, I will do everything I can to keep you out of harm’s way.”
“Am I supposed to just go about my life like nothing has changed? Do I go home and sleep then show up to work after I watched one of my friends get killed right in front of me?”
“I don’t have all of the answers, Ms. Everhart. This isn’t easy. I can only tell you that I’m trying…”
I was exhausted. The fatigue had finally caught up to me. I didn’t want to think about this any longer. After the night I’d been through, I wanted nothing more than to just clear my head.
“Come on,” Irvine said as he helped me up out of my seat. “I’ll take you home now.”
I nodded my head to him and we started to head out of the shop. I was silent on the drive back to my apartment. I was torn. I didn’t want Vaughn to meet the same fate as those other werewolves. I wanted him just to be the attractive man I saw walk into the bar that one night. But if what Irvine was saying was true, there wasn’t going to be a choice.
Chapter 15
I was motionless as I stood underneath the showerhead. The water washed over me but wasn’t enough to cleanse the memories that had been imprinted in my head. Summer’s death was something that I was would never get over. And next time I walked into work, I would have to console the rest of the girls when they learned the news. I would never be free or clean from all of this. I kept wishing that this was just some terrible nightmare but I would have woken up from it by now.
When I stepped out of the shower, I wiped the steam from the mirror and looked at my reflection in the mirror. I was beginning to question my own sanity. None of this made any sense. Even though Irvine had explained to me what was going on, it all seemed unbelievable. I became hysterical. I started to smile and laugh at myself. I was laughing so loud that I was beginning to think that all of this was funny. But something happened. I felt a surge rush through my body that I couldn’t explain. I closed my eyes and I could see flashing images before me. Pictures of these creatures, these werewolves, running around all over the city. They were running around, terrorizing everybody.
I opened my eyes back up and gasped. It was just like the dream I had. The nightmare that woke me from my sleep just a few days ago. The feeling in my body made it all feel so real and I just wanted it to go away.
I laid down in my bed that night, trying to fall asleep. I wrapped my arms around a pillow to try to comfort myself. I was tossing and turning, unable to clear my mind so that I wouldn’t have to think about this any longer.
Crash.
I heard the sound from inside my apartment and I sat up. I swallowed nervously, wondering if it was just my imagination but I knew that it wasn’t. I tip-toed my way into my living room and I saw someone standing next to a window, looking outside. It was dark and the moon was barely out. All I could make out was the outline of their figure in the moonlight.
“I saw what you saw,” he said.
He turned around and I saw that it was the man that Irvine had warned me about.
“Vaughn?” I said. “What are you doing here? How did you get inside?”
“None of that matters anymore, Ariel. You know the truth now.”
“What do you mean?”
He turned and started to walk toward me.
“We have a connection now, Ariel,” he said. “You saw them kill that girl you work with. I saw it, too.”
“What? How?”
“Ever since we first kissed, I became a part of you. I could see all of the things that you see now. Not clearly. We don’t have that kind of bond. But I can see fragments of what you see. Bits and pieces. You know the truth now. He told you.”
“You mean Irvine?”
“Yes. That man has a reputation. You saw his handiwork first-hand. He’s just as dangerous as he seems.”
“He said the same thing about you.”
“I know.”
“Is it true?”
I wondered if Vaughn would actually tell me the truth. Irvine warned me about him. He said that Vaughn was part of the Rucai, the vicious clan responsible for all of the murders. And here he was telling me that Irvine was the one that was dangerous.
“Not all of it,” Vaughn said. “The Rucai are dangerous. They’ll stop at nothing to accomplish their goals.”
“What are their goals?”
“I can’t tell you that.”
“Why not?”
“I am bound to the clan. I’ve sworn an oath not to tell the secrets of the clan to an outsider.”
“You still haven’t told me whether or not I should be afraid of you.”
Vaughn looked at me and even though his face was covered in shadows, I could see the blueness of his eyes through the darkness.
“I am dangerous, Ariel. You know what I am. But you have nothing to fear from me.”
“How am I supposed to believe that? You won’t tell me what’s going on.”
“I can’t. I’m only telling you that you’re in danger. From the rest of the Rucai.”
“I-I…”
I was having trouble speaking. Vaughn wasn’t being completely honest with me. I appreciated his warnings but they would do me no good if I didn’t know if it was the truth or not.
“I don’t know what to do,” I told him. “Someone died in front of me. I was nearly killed myself. Irvine said those werewolves… you’re just like them.”
“I’m not.”
“But you come from the same clan! You haven’t told me why I’m supposed to believe you!”
“Listen to your heart, Ariel. Close your eyes. Think. If I’d have wanted you dead, I would have done it already. You saw what those other men did to Summer. You saw the look in her eyes and how her body reacted. I’m capable of doing the same thing to you. But I never did it. I never took advantage of you.”
Vaughn’s reasoning seemed honest and genuine. He could have killed me right here on the spot if he wanted to. I had every reason to kick him out of my apartment. But when he took a step closer to me, I felt my body beginning to gravitate toward him. I wanted nothing more than to give in to the desire I was feeling for him. Just being in his presence stirred an arousal that I hadn’t felt just moments ago.
“This is part of it,” I said to him. “Everything you do or say is just to lure your prey into a false sense of security. I’m attracted to you because it’s how you were built. The smell of your skin. The venom in your lips. The look in your eyes.”
“That’s true.”
“Then how am I supposed to trust my own feelings if I don’t even know if they’re real or not.”
“Because they are, Ariel.”
He rushed up to me and wrapped his arms around me. He looked into my eyes and I felt myself beginning to melt. The warmth and softness of his lips looked so inviting even though I knew of the effects they had on women like me.
“Look at me, A
riel. What I’m saying to you is true. You’re… you’re different. You’re beautiful. I’ve never seen a creature like you before. I… I don’t know what else to say or how to explain it. I don’t want you to be a victim. I want to be with you and you with me. Don’t you see? These feelings I have for you are not instinct. It’s not a trick. They’re genuine.”
I looked into his eyes and I could feel my emotions beginning to boil over. I was torn between actually believing what he was saying and not falling victim to the trap he was setting for me.
“I-I can’t,” I said as the tears started to fall from my eyes. “I-I don’t know who you are. The clan you’re from has taken so many innocent lives. How do I know that you’re different?”
“What does your heart tell you, Ariel?”
I pushed him away from me. I didn’t want to listen to what he was telling me to do. I was already conflicted enough and when I tried to figure out whether my feelings were real or genuine, it just made me even more confused.
“You’re in danger,” he said to me. “You have to get away.”
“Why am I in danger? What’s going on?”
“You and I have spent too much time together. The Rucai are looking for you. You have to stay out of their grasp.”
“But—”
“I can keep you safe, Ariel.”
“What?”
“Run away with me. Stay with me.”
“Vaughn, I—”
“I’ll protect you. I promise. They won’t get anywhere near you.”
“Vaughn—”
He rushed up to me again and grabbed my arms. I turned away from him, unable to look him in the eye. Everything had already happened so suddenly and now he was asking me to run away. The feelings I had for him would burn inside of me every time he was near me. I had to fight them off. I didn’t want to be a part of this anymore. I didn’t want to have to deal with watching people die. I just wanted to be left alone.
“No!” I shouted to him as I freed myself from his grip. “I can’t do this.”
“Ariel…”
“I’m not… I’m not like you, Vaughn! I’m just a regular human being. All I wanted was just to meet a sweet guy and you were all of that. I wanted to be with you. But I can’t… You’re not even human! I don’t want everything else that comes with it. I can’t handle it.”
“Ariel, what you feel for me is real.”
“...I don’t know that.
As I said the words, I had finally broke free from whatever it was that held me back. I don’t know if the feelings I had for Vaughn were genuine but it didn’t matter anymore. I couldn’t go on with this any longer. I just wanted to be rid of everything that happened.
I looked into Vaughn’s eyes and I saw something I had never seen from him before. He looked hurt. His eyes narrowed and he took a step back from me.
“Ariel, you don’t know—”
Before he could finish, my apartment door swung open. Pieces of the door splintered into the air and I jumped back in my place.
“Get away from her!”
Irvine raised his crossbow and pointed it at Vaughn. Vaughn stared at him and let out a primal growl underneath his breath.
“You,” he muttered.
“Yes, me, Mr. Vaughn. If that is your real name. Step back from her.”
“You,” Vaughn repeated. “You’re the one responsible for all of this. You’re the one influencing her.”
“I’m not the one influencing anybody. Ms. Everhart is a flesh and blood human just like I am. I don’t have any of the mystical powers that you have. Now get away from her before I send you to meet the rest of your friends.”
The tension in the room jumped. My heart was racing and I was having trouble breathing. Irvine’s crossbow was pointed directly at Vaughn, whose chest was beginning to heave as he took deeper and deeper breaths.
“Irvine, wait!”
Before I could finish, Irvine pulled the trigger. The bolt from the crossbow flew through my apartment in a flash. Vaughn moved out of the way but not before it grazed him on the arm. He whimpered in pain as he immediately grabbed his wound. As Irvine attempted to reach for his blade, Vaughn rushed at him and tackled him down to the ground.
“Stop it! Both of you!”
I shouted and pleaded with them as they wrestled on the ground. Neither one of them could get an advantage. Something strange was beginning to happen to Vaughn. I could hear the sound of his clothes tearing. More hair started to appear on his body. His nails started to grow into sharp points and the bottom of his mouth started to extend outward. Before I knew it, his clothes were scattered all over the floor in shreds, the blonde haired man replaced by a beast covered in gray fur.
I feared for the both of them. It looked like they were going to kill each other and there was nothing I could do to stop them, my pleas drowned out by their violent struggle.
Vaughn managed to get on top of Irvine. He grabbed him by the collar and tossed him into one of the walls of my apartment. Irvine fell down to the ground, a dazed look upon his face. Vaughn stomped over to him and picked him up off of the ground.
“Vaughn! Please! Listen to me! Don’t do it!”
He held Irvine in his hands then slowly turned toward me. The face of the man I had kissed was gone, replaced by an unrecognizable wolf. The only way I could tell it was him was his eyes. The blue sapphires that put me in a daze every time I looked into them. They were exactly the same. Perfect circles through thin slits staring back at me.
“Let him go… Please…”
I could feel my face wet tears. Vaughn was breathing heavily as he held his stare with me. He reluctantly released his grip from Irvine and dropped him back to the floor. Vaughn stomped out of my apartment and I chased after him.
“Vaughn! Wait!”
It was useless. I watched Vaughn leap into the darkness. The shadowy figure of his massive frame quickly disappeared and I found myself standing at the destroyed door frame of my apartment. I went back inside and Irvine was dusting himself off, trying to catch his breath.
“Are you okay?” I asked him.
“I’ve been through worse, Ms. Everhart. You don’t need to worry about me.”
“H-he said that I was in danger. That they were coming for me.”
“I know. I should’ve realized it a lot sooner. You’re lucky to be alive.”
“But why would he warn me? Why would he tell me this if he wasn’t on my side? He said he was trying to protect me.”
“It’s not that simple, Ms. Everhart. That could all be part of his plan to lure you closer to him.”
I found myself trying to find reason as to why Vaughn would do the things he did. I guess deep down inside I wished that he was still the man I thought he was, even if he wasn’t completely human. All I wanted was to fall in love with him and part of me still believed that was possible.
“We have to get you out of here,” Irvine said to me. “The Rucai know where you are. The new moon has passed. A new full moon is approaching.”
“What does that mean?”
“The wolves draw strength from the rays of the moonlight. I fear what might be possible when the moon is full. The last full moon, the amount of murders in the city was double. What they have planned now may be much worse.”
“I can’t just leave. All of my things are here. All of this stuff is mine. I—”
“Ariel, you’re in danger. What’s more important to you? What’s in this apartment or your life?”
I didn’t have to think long about what the right answer was.
“Now go ahead and pack the things you need. I’ll be waiting right here. Go on.”
“Where are you taking me?”
“Somewhere safe. Now hurry.”
Irvine stood just outside of my apartment as I started to pack. I couldn’t fit everything into my bags. Even though I had moved here several months ago, I wasn’t completely settled. But I still couldn’t take everything. I regretted having to leave some of the stu
ff behind. Packing my bags to the brim, I lugged them over to the front door where Irvine was waiting. He grabbed them and shoved them into his car. When he did, I looked down at the ground where pieces of Vaughn’s torn clothes rested.
His jeans were ripped to shreds on the ground. Something caught my eye. There was something shining. It dangled from the end of the pocket. I bent down and picked it up. It was May’s switchblade. The one I had dropped when I was attacked by those men.
Why did Vaughn have May’s switchblade on him? Did he have an exact replica of it? No, it was too unique and distinct.
“He was there,” I muttered to myself. “He was the one who saved me.”
I didn’t have time to think about the revelation that had suddenly dawn upon me. Irvine shouted at me and I rushed into his car.
“Do you have everything you need?” he asked me.
I nodded my head. The car sped off into the city. I looked at the switchblade in my hand for a few moments, wondering if it really was Vaughn that was there in that alley that night. Then I place the switchblade in my pocket and watched as my apartment complex grew smaller in the distance.
Chapter 16
“Where are you taking me?”
I looked over at Irvine in the driver’s seat. He had a determined look on his face as his foot pressed down against the gas pedal.
“Somewhere safe.”
“You’re not taking me back to Phoenix’s, are you?”
“No. The moon is rising. The trinkets in Phoenix’s shop won’t be enough to stop them.”
“Vaughn said that they were coming for me. He said that they had something planned but he couldn’t tell me because he was bound by an oath. Do you know what he’s talking about?”
“Every wolf in a clan is blood bound. They’re all connected by the laws of their people. It’s not just an arbitrary rule. Every fiber in their beings prevents them from breaking the oaths they make. One of them is secrecy and privacy.”
“How do you know so much about them?”
“I spent a lot of time around them. I know them. Maybe even more than I know myself. When you’ve been around them as long as I have, that tends to happen.”
“How long have you been doing this?”
