🐺💣🔪 #MY_BLACK_KNIGHT 🔪💣🐺
🎴Happen 22
As Produced By Sheriff Squinty
Theme: A Bold Threat
Sub Theme: Initiating War
Gabriel recoiled from me, and I thought I saw visible pain flash in his dark eyes before he turned away.
I didn’t care either way. My Wolf was as angry as I, not appreciating the way her Fate-given Mate had insulted her pride. I stormed inside, ignoring everyone else as I slammed the door behind me. I dashed up to my steps and into my room, closing and locking the door.
My Wolf was whining softly in the back of my mind. The way he had treated us had been insulting the last few days, but never had he come out and said something like that.
I wish I didn’t.
I wish I didn’t.
I wish I didn’t.
The words kept running throu-gh my mind. Blinking ra-pidly to fight away the tears, I entered my bathroom and started up a h0t shower. The last thing I wanted to do was cry; especially if there was a chance he could come up here and overhear me. I was starting to lose this battle, though.
As the water got h0t and steam began to escape the confines from the shower, I thought I heard a knocking on the door.
“Skylar.” The baritone was unmistakable; Gabriel was at my be-droom door. I shut the bathroom door nearest me loudly so he got the message. I closed my eyes ti-ghtly as the pain rose again. I wasn’t sure if he was coming to yell at me for snapping at him or coming to apologize; the former seemed more likely, but it didn’t matter. I had no de-sire to talk to him. As far as I was concerned, he had made it apparent that he didn’t want me. My Wolf whined, loudly.
I str!pped off my clothes and stepped into the scalding water, my eyes still burning from unshed tears. I heard knocking again and a muffled voice calling my name. I couldn’t care less. He would have to break down the door to talk to me. Hopefully he would respect me enough not to, although with his recent behavior, that was doubtful.
In the haze of internal turmoil, I made a decision. I knew it was going to be the most painful thing I had ever gone throu-gh in my life, but I was going to have to leave Gabriel. It was apparent that he was too heartless to ever want me or to ever love me. I wasn’t sure what exactly I had done to deserve a Mate that didn’t want me, but that was what I got. I would have to return home to my pack, to the people that cared. All of my previous determination to get to know him was gone. Gabriel had given me absolutely nothing to work with.
I slowly slid down the side of the shower until I was sitting, the water pounding against me and traveling in rivulets down my skin to the ceramic tile below. I shut my eyes ti-ghtly, feeling the tears gathering. It alre-ady felt like something was breaking inside. My Wolf felt it too, I could s-en-se it. He hadn’t said the words of rejection but he might as well have. I felt like this whole trip had been a gigantic waste of time.
There was no more knocking for the rest of my shower.
I climbe-d into be-d about half an hour later, feeling almost completely numb. All of the little rejections and brush-offs had just added up to one question: why didn’t he just reject me first, instead of stringing me along like this? I should have known all along that what everyone said about him was right, he was just cruel. Soulless. In my state of dejection, I blamed Fate for giving me an impossible task. I’d always thought I was more compas-sionate than most but even I couldn’t break his shell. I was just going to have to accept that and move on with my life.
I fell asleep with all of those disconcerting thoughts whirling throu-gh my br@in.
—
My tired eyes slowly opened and I blinked, trying to adjust to the lack of light in my room. I frowned in confusion; why was I awake, anyway? It was the dark of night and my room was slightly chilly. I turned to the side, glancing at the clock above my be-d. It re-ad 2:58 a.m. Why the hell was I waking up at this time?
*
As Produced By Sheriff Squinty
*
My Wolf was whining softly in the back of my mind. At first I thought it was because of the events from earlier, with Gabriel, but then I realized it was something else. She was nervous about something.
I sat up slowly, ru-bbing my tired, itchy eyes. I shivered slightly; it really was cold in here. At this time of the year it was chilly at night. I frowned again. How had it gotten so cold? I heard a slight rustling noise and I turned to the side, my eyes wi-dening.
My window was open. Had I left it open? I didn’t remember doing so. I felt a twinge of nervousness and I took a de-ep breath. There was a strange scent in the air. It almost smelled like blood, and I felt my stomach plummet as my eyes scanned my be-droom with renewed vigor. The air in my room felt different than normal, less stale, as if something had stirred it.
It was then that my eyes fell on something at the foot of my be-d. A small sliver of paper gleamed white, and next to it was a medium-sized brown shape that looked like a box or container of some sort.
My heart began to pound as I realized that someone had been in my room, that they had likely come throu-gh the window I had left open. They had been in here while I had been slee-ping and had been quiet enough that I hadn’t heard them. The thought was de-eply disturbing and I shivered, not from the cold. I crawled out of be-d, the hairs of the back of my n£¢k standing up as my nervousness increa-sed tenfold. Holding my breath as the stench akin to blood increa-sed, I warily approached the items at the foot of my be-d.
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~~~~~Eli’s Point of View~~~~~
I leaned back in the armchair, attempting to stifle a yawn. We had been at this nearly all night and still there was a pronounced lack of progress. Working with maps and coordinates was not my favorite thing; my Wolf and I would rather be outside patrolling than doing the paperwork. Not that I would tell Gabriel that. When he put his mind on something, he doggedly pursued it until he achieved his goal.
I glanced up at the Alpha, who was broodingly examining a map on the table from the chair opposite mine. He had been quiet and sullen tonight, even for him. I was pretty sure I knew the reason. I could still recall the stricken look on his face as Skylar had walked away from him earlier this evening. I kept my opinions to myself but after the way he’d acted towards her, I couldn’t say her reaction was unforeseen.
I sighed. Gabriel and I had been friends a long time and had been close growing up, although I’d st©pped calling him by his first name out of respect as soon as he bec@m£ Alpha. Despite the fact that he was more withdrawn now than when he was younger, on rare occasions he would confide in me. I had hoped he would talk to me about this but he was stubbornly keeping hisl-ips sealed. He wasn’t used to opening up, that I knew, but if he wasn’t careful he would lose her. He might alre-ady have. I didn’t want to know what would happen to him if Skylar left.
“This quadrant nee-ds to be searched again.” Gabriel was saying, tapping a pen impatiently on an area of the hand-drawn map that he had circled. I leaned forward, examining it.
“Vincent said he took that quadrant yesterday,” I commented.
Gabriel shook his head. He drew a line with the pen straight throu-gh the middle of the indicated quadrant. “He only took this left side. The right side has only been searched once, but not by our best teams. We nee-d to check it again.”
I nodded. “What time tomorrow?”
Gabriel leaned back again, his expression hooded. He looked exhausted. “I’ll tell them first thing in the morning.”
I studied him for a moment. He looked more drawn than I had ever seen him, and there was a grim set to his mouth.
“If there’s nothing left for tonight, Alpha, maybe you should rest.” I knew I was one of the few that could get by with saying something like that.
Gabriel made a noise de-ep in his throat. “I don’t think that’s possible right now.” As if on reflex, his eyes fli-ckered up towards the staircase. I hesitated, wanting to say something but completely sure how to approach it.
“What is it, Eli?” Gabriel did not miss my expression.
“It’s….nothing, Alpha.” I winced internally, knowing I should’ve just come out with it.
“You’re not a good liar.”
I snorted slightly, it was one of our inside jokes. I really was a terrible liar and he’d always called me on it.
“It’s just…you’ve seemed a bit tired since…earlier.” I didn’t dare elaborate on that but Gabriel’s eyes flashed as he got my meaning. He tensed, remaining silent for a few seconds. I hoped I hadn’t pushed him.
“I didn’t mean to talk to her like that.” He finally said after a moment of silence. His voice was quiet, and there was genuine regret in his tone. I blinked with surprise at the admission; perhaps this was one of the rare times he was going to talk throu-gh his internal struggles.
“I didn’t intend it to end that way. I was just….recognizing my own selfishness.” His expression had morphed into one almost akin to self-loathing.
“I know that. She’s just…confused,” I muttered half-heartedly, not knowing how to console him. It was true that Skylar didn’t have a clue about Gabriel’s history. In truth, I could see both sides. In her position I would want to know everything about my future Mate, but I could see the various conflicts that Gabriel was pres£nted with. He was having to fight his Wolf every step of the way.
“I want to tell her.” Gabriel said abruptly. He seemed almost uncomfortable that he was being so forthcoming. “But she’ll be even angrier after I do.”
I shook my head. “You don’t know that for sure.”
Gabriel sighed, ru-bbing his temples as if he had a headache. “I was thinking about taking her with me to visit Raziel.”
I tried to hide my surprise. I knew Gabriel was considering paying Raziel a visit, as he might be the only one who had the answers we nee-ded about the vampires. If Gabriel was willing to take Skylar along, that would mean he had decided to tell her.
“I think that would be a good thing,” I replied, trying to keep my answer fairly neutral. I really did like Skylar; she was tenacious and had a big heart. It was about time for Gabriel to let her in.
Gabriel narrowed his eyes in silent contemplation. I didn’t press him any further, as he’d alre-ady been surprisingly forthcoming. He shifted position as if he were about to say something when a loud sound cut him off.
It was a horrified skrie-k, coming from the upstairs be-droom.
“Skylar!” Gabriel muttered, an overwhelming expression of worry and concern crossing his features. In an instant he had leapt out of his chair and was hurtling up the stairs, trying to get to his Mate as fast as possible. I stood up and followed him, feeling a twinge of worry myself; Skylar didn’t seem to be the type to be easily spooked. I took the stairs two at a time, rushing into Skylar’s room immediately after he did.
The brunette was huddled in the corner of the room, staring with a horrified expression at something Gabriel’s figure was hiding from my view. Gabriel glanced at whatever it was before his shoulders stiffened and he quic-kly darted over to his Mate.
My eyes sought out whatever it was on the be-d. It looked like a small sl!pof paper and a brown box. Cautiously sniffing the air, I walked over to the objects. My b©dy instantly bec@m£ on full-alert as I caught the scent of blood. Whatever was in that box smelled absolutely foul.
“Did you open it?” Gabriel was asking. He was gripping Skylar’s arms and staring at her intently. Almost numbly, she nodded. I could see disgust evident in her blue eyes.
I gently picked up the sl!pof paper and re-ad it aloud, my horror growing with each word.
You look lovely when you sleep. Thought you might want this as a reminder….
With great trepidation, I picked up the box. It was surprisingly light, although I wasn’t sure what I expected to be in it. Gabriel had turned and was staring at the box with an unre-adable expression, still gripping Skylar’s arms, although his hold was gentle. He shifted slightly to block her view of the box.
“Open it,” he commanded.
Holding my breath, I undid the latch on the outside of the box and slid the lid open.
My stomach plummeted as I saw the box’s contents. Inside was a rotting, bloody chunk of remains that I quic-kly determined to be the heart of a werewolf. I knew instantly who it had belonged to. Riley. The stench of blood grew thick in the air as I dropped the box, snarling with disgust. The horrible smell of old blood and decomposition was nearly overwhelming, especially now that the box had been opened. I quic-kly backed away, trying to fight the bile that was rising in my throat.
“Who the hell-” I began, feeling my fury rise.
“Vampires,” Gabriel spit out the word with disgust. “They c@m£ in here and put this on her be-d while she was slee-ping.” He glanced down at Skylar, who just stood there frozen, thankfully unable to see the contents again because of her Mate’s hulking figure. Gabriel’s expression was dark and murderous, and he was clearly trying to restrain himself from tearing after the culprit. I couldn’t blame him; one of our worst enemies had snuck right in here in the middle of the night. Into his Mate’s room.
I swallowed, trying to regain control of my emotions. The thought of a vampire slithering in here while an innocent girl was slee-ping was vile and disgusting. It was also disgusting that the vampire had been carrying that rotting heart around for nearly two weeks, just to torment Skylar, it seemed.
“What are we going to do?” I asked, attem-pted to keep my voice level. The box now l@yon the ground, half-opened, a faint glistening sliver of the organ still visible. I turned away so I wouldn’t heave.
Gabriel’s jaw was set. “I know we discussed this as an option before, but now I see no other alternative. We nee-d answers and it’s even more urgent now. I’m not sure how a vampire could have gotten in here completely unheard by any of us.”
He sighed, closing his eyes for a brief second as if he was having a mental battle. He let go of Skylar’s arms, stepping a bit away to give her some space as he’d nearly been pressed up against her. I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Skylar shuffled closer to him almost unwittingly, seeking the comfort of her Mate. Her eyes were looking anywhere but at the box, although I could tell that she was trying to keep a straight face and regain control of her emotions. I couldn’t imagine how she must be feeling right now, with a sick monster watching her sleep. The thought gave me unplea-sant goosebu-mps and made my stomach lurch. My Wolf, too, recoiled at the thought.
Gabriel’s dark eyes opened again and I knew he’d made a decision. Skylar slowly looked up at him in dazed expectation. “I’m going to see Raziel. And I’m taking Skylar with me.”
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#Tobecontinued…….
It’s sure time for some secrets to be revealed don’t you think?
All those bubbling questions in ur mind will sure be answered soon.
Stick around to see the unravelled mystery.