The Nosferatu Adventures
page 35, chapter 35
Our heroine grabbed Dagan's wrist and shoved it away from her shoulder getting up. She bolted out the door, not sure where she was needing to go. Harker started after her, but Dagan told him to leave her alone. "She's not going anywhere. Trust me." he made a noise as he ran his tongue over his teeth. "Do I have someone in my teeth cause it feels like I do."
She wandered to the kitchen, finding it empty, then back down the hallway till she came to a door that had a heat coming from it. Putting her palm on it, she pushed the door open to reveal a lit fireplace, with somebody sitting in front of it reading.
Bryon put the large hardcover volume down, when he saw her enter the room. Seeing the blood stain on the gown, he stood up asking if everything was alright?
"What? Oh yeah, fine. No you know it's not fine. I'm not with Harker. I mean, I'm with Harker here in this building but I'm not with Harker. Not his mate. No this wasn't anything to do with him, this was because of brother. But it's not what it looks like."
Bryon tilted his head his eyebrows raised. "It looks like he hurt you really bad." He pointed to her neck. "Are those teeth marks?"
"If you say they are sure. Look I need to leave. Not because of this." she pointed to her ruined outfit. "Well, yeah I suppose it is but not because...you know I could really use a drink. Maybe something to eat." she crossed to the fireplace and sat down in the leather armchair. "How did I ever get in this mess to begin with? I mean really?" she stared at Bryon, at the streak of redish-pink in his dark hair, at the white dress shirt and dark leather pants.
She was so absorbed in her thoughts, that she didn't hear the footfalls of the Seer as he came into the room, didn't hear him as he walked up behind her, or the sound he made when he crossed his arms leaning on the back of the chair. It wasn't until he leaned in and ran his hand across the back of her neck and shoulder, that she realized he was there. A soft wave of sleep washed through her then, causing the muscles in her shoulders to unknot. The Seer was using his spells again on her and this time, she just didn't care.
"There is a storm coming. We'll have to wait it out before we can leave." he said looking at Bryon.
"Yes, Dagan said that too when he arrived not that long ago." Bryon commented, his eyes flickering back and forth between the Seer and our heroine. A look of disapproval held firmly on his face. It didn't take a psychic to tell that Bryon didn't trust the Seer. Not yet anyways.
"Dagan's here?" his voice rose a notch. "So that's what I was smelling." he brought his hand up then, scratching at the back of his skull a short laugh escaping his perfectly pale lips. "I better help you back to your room before Harker gets worried."
"I need to eat. I didn't get a chance to have supper." she protested as he grabbed her elbow forcing her up from the chair.
"I'll take care of that when we get you to your room." the smile was slick.
"No, real food. I need real food right now."
"What does she mean real food? Have you been drinking all night or something?" Bryon asked, not looking at either of them.
"No." the Seer said. "Yes" our heroine said at the same time.
Meanwhile...
Rolf paced around the front lawn of the cabin, flexing and unflexing his fists, his jaw squared, nostrils flaring. The werewolf was so angry, his shirt had faded in and out a few times, as the magic mist rolled off him in silent tendrils.
"Are you okay?" Ash asked from the porch, a cup of coffee in hand.
"Reuben is missing now too. Something's not right." he shook his head, his mass of dark hair flying around his shoulders.
"Maybe he's just out hunting?"
"For two days? Two whole days. Reuben is the fastest of us, he can hunt down a grizzly in five minutes. No, something isn't right." the large werewolf threw his head back staring at the sky trying to get answers.
"Maybe he just shacked up with someone?" Ash spoke into his coffee cup as he slurped down half. "God knows we could all use a break from ourselves."
Rolf closed his eyes letting out a deep sigh. "You're probably right." he crossed to the porch and sat down beside Ash, leaning on his knees. "He just usually informs us when he's got his eye on someone new, after that incident with the druid few years ago..." he ran his hand through his hair pushing it out of his eyes.
"I don't understand why you aren't Alpha? The way you take care of everyone." Ash commented draining his cup. Rolf shrugged.
"I'm the oldest of seven. Alpha just isn't for me." Rolf shook his head his hair falling over his shoulder again forcing him to give in and tie it back.
"Eight if you count Dagan. Nine if you count Reuben. Ten if you count Nosferatu. You're a natural."
"Being Alpha would mean first challenging Dagan and surviving, then officially challenging you and surviving." the dark haired wolf replied picking at his shoe.
"Yeah, you're right. You wouldn't have to worry about surviving a challenge against me, Dagan would never let you get that far." he patted the larger man on the shoulder. "What incident with the druid?"
Rolf was about to tell him the story when both men heard the sound of someone approaching. There was no scent on the air. Rolf figured it must be some sort of cloaking spell, so he moved from the porch quietly, standing as if on guard in front of the cabin, ready to strike if needed. He relaxed as he spotted Reuben emerge from the woods just beyond the large tree where the leather hung to dry.
"Man you've had me thinking the worst." he moved towards his friend a half step, then stopped.
Reuben was ashen looking, his eyes wide and seemed to stare off into space not registering anything, his hair mangled in knots and filled with dirt, leaves and trash, his body covered in blood and scratches, and what looked like strange welts. He walked past Rolf slowly as if he didn't know what he was doing, as if he didn't know how to move. When he got to the stairs he stopped, lifted his foot as if to walk up them, but dropped it again. Bending down, his hands out in front of him like a little kid, he climbed the two porch steps like a baby would, hands then knees till he was standing on the porch just staring off into space.
"So much for my theory he meet someone." Ash responded. Hearing Ash's voice, Reuben turned to look at him, his eyes brightening, a smile on his face. He brought his hands up first to Ash's face, then his shoulders patting them as if to make sure he was real, then he hugged him. "Yeah love you too, just maybe you should think about a bath."
"Ash." Reuben's lips moved but no sound came from them. He turned and shuffled his way over to the door of the cabin, exposing his back to them. Rolf hadn't noticed it a moment before when Reuben had climbed up the stairs, but he did now. There were large purple marks over his shoulders and back in strange patterns.
"What the hell is going on with him?" Rolf asked scrunching up his nose, his eyebrows knitted together in worry.
tune in again for another installment of the Nosferatu Adventures starring your heroine...me (yes, straight up story. But you love it!)
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