Chapter Twenty-Eight: Mate to the Rescue

Hudson:

Watching her at the party shattered me, her arms clutching her ribs. Grappy sulked next to her, his boyfriend attempting to comfort him. He didn't know how to share her just yet, the two of them wearing matching black dress shirts and gray trousers. Glancing back over at Evie, the dress fit her perfectly. Long black silk sleeves covered her stitches, the dress floating away from her bump. A black lace collar lining the sweetheart neckline, the bell sleeves covering her bruised hand. Refusing to look at me, silent tears of pain streamed down her cheeks. Her body couldn't really move, her lips pressed into a thin line. Selena and James sat in front of everybody, Evie struggling to stand, she limped towards the house. Rushing to her side, my arm wrapped around her waist. Shoving my arm off of her waist, everyone watched in disbelief.

"I had loads of fun." She chirped cheerfully, fooling everyone but me. "I am a little tired from carrying a pup." Swaying slightly, my strong arms caught her. Her body went limp in my arms the moment we crossed the threshold, her ribs moving around with every single touch of my hands. Shuddering with disgust, I chose to ignore it as I unzipped her dress. Horror widened my eyes, smooth stitches covered her arms and back. Guilt darkened my eyes, her bruised hand taunting me. Why did I have to be so jealous all of the time!

"I am sor-" I began to apologize, her hand grabbing mine. The touch felt cold, distant as far as she ever has been. Her next words shook me to my core, the iciness in her voice frightening me. Leaning against the headboard, breathing was proving difficult for her.

"I need you to leave me alone." She barked venomously, my wolf begging for her wolf to forgive me. "You hurt me and you couldn't stop. People are just annoying the shit out of me today. GO!" An invisible force knocked me back, Latia rushing in. Fright paled her face, a bunch of crashes echoed around our bedroom. Trying to break the door down, her magic prevented me from opening the door. The door swung open and she was gone. Only a black scale remained, the two of us looking confused. Grappy rushed back upstairs, his magic still glitching. Horror widened his eyes, the scale glistening on his fingers. The look on his face warned me of an enemy much stronger than us, my fingers drumming on the bed.

"We need to summon Gabrielle since my magic is out of whack. One of the most powerful demons just kidnapped her. What he does makes most serial killers look like kittens." He cursed severely, dialing a number into his phone. A flurry of white feathers flooded the room, Gabrielle standing in front of us. His white armor shimmered in the light, his hands touching Grappy's wings. A golden light blinded us, the light dying down. A fully healed Grappy stood in front of us, a grumpy Gabrielle tapping his foot impatiently.

"What do you need me for? I just healed you, so you c-" He began to criticize, Grappy pressing the scale onto his finger. The frightened expression on Gabrielle's face scared the shit out of me, nervous laughter escaping my lips.

"She is in real trouble and can't even fend for herself. Her ribs are shattered, and I am so scared for my friend." Grappy pleaded desperately, twiddling his thumbs. "Please help me and I will conclude that you are the better fighter or whatever." Chuckling to himself, a proud grin softened his stern face for just a moment. Ruffling the top of Grappy's head, he snapped his fingers. A white circle spun underneath us, strange symbols glowing on my walls, his gloved hands touching our shoulders.

"You have grown so much. I am proud of you brother. I will always be there to help you." He promised warmly, the room spinning around us. "You are officially an angel in my eyes. Let's go smoke a demon. Hudson, you will just grab her once you see her. Find the white circle, and wait by it. We can handle the fight, just protect her from all of the level demons that he will send after you two. Here is an ancient demon's blade." Pressing a black iron blade into my palm, salt charms danced around the worn brown leather hilt. Snapping his fingers one more time, snow crunched underneath my boots. Placing a warm black winter coat over my shoulders, Grappy shot me a thumbs up. An ice castle loomed in the distance, her screams echoing in the air. Several black shadow demons scurried on the ground, strange symbols glowing on my sword. All of them charged us, Grappy and Gabrielle brandishing their blades. The two of them mouthed silent words, black flames danced with white flames. Feeling useless, the two of them cut all but one down with ease. The biggest one charged at me, the branches creaking as I leapt into the trees. The demon chased after me, black lightning bouncing off of the blade. My whole body ached, the lightning burning my skin with every touch, a simple silver blade swung down towards me. Blocking the attack just in time, sparks danced aimlessly. The force of his blow knocked me to the ground, leaping to my feet. Swinging the blade towards the neck of the shadow demon, a crackling noise made me look straight ahead. Childlike wonder brightened my eyes, his head rolling to my feet. Yes! I did it!

"Stab the head or it will regenerate itself." Grappy advised happily, watching me stab the head. "You are the first person to be able to hold the Blade of the Wolf. Perhaps you are his descendant. Regardless, we will tattoo the symbol on you when you come back with her in your arms. This is going to hurt, my apologies now." Thanks for the warning, I thought sarcastically to myself. Her gentle voice snapped me out of my foul mood, the thought of her in my arms giving me the motivation I needed.

"I am sorry for being a bitch." She apologized through our mind connection. "I have two broken legs, and several ripped off fingernails. I am alive and our pup is fine. If you want to control that lightning you need to focus only on your enemy. Think about them dying and the control should be there. Judging by the sword that I can sense in your hands, you will need a tattoo for permanent control. Come get me. I love you Hud-" Panic gripped my head, our connection cutting out. Snow crunched as we crashed towards the castle, several demons launched themselves at us. Grappy and his brother cut them down in one fell swoop. Skidding to a stop, the blue ice doors were open waiting for us. Crossing the threshold carefully, no demon came at us. White robes danced in the breeze, a pale faced demon watched from the top of the stairs. Black scales shimmered on his hands and feet, his long white hair dancing in the blustery gusts plaguing this realm. Holding Evie by her hair, her broken body hung limply. Wanting to kill him now, Grappy held me back.

"If you try to kill him now, you will die." He warned shakily, Gabrielle resting on his shoulder. Blood dripped down their arms, the two of them crashing to the ground. Tossing Evie to the side, her whole body crunched as loud as the snow. Sauntering towards me, the scales scraped at the opulent ice steps. Evil laughter erupted from his lips, black lightning crackling around my blade. Brandishing dual silver curved blades from behind his back, her words coursed through my thoughts. Just think about him, and my attack will be stronger. Taking a deep breath, Grappy and Gabrielle were trapped in spinning black circles. Raising my blade in the attack position, the lightning slowed down to my speed. Swinging his blades towards my neck, ash drifted aimlessly as our blades clashed violently. Shock rounded my eyes, one of the blades sticking out of my stomach. Evie stirred behind me, green vines shooting from the ice floor. Wincing in pain, her lips moved at a speed which I had never seen. My own blood splattered onto my face as he ripped the blade out, her vines holding him back. The taste of blood poisoned my taste buds, a golden light bathing my wound. Gabrielle cried out, blood pouring from his nose. My wound sealed shut, her fingers reaching for me. Ice crept up her vines, a single fist smash shattering them into tiny pieces. Blood pooled underneath her, an icy spike sticking out of her chest. Choking on her blood, he was going to pay. Concentrating harder than ever, the heel of my boot smashed into both of his arms. The cracks of his arms breaking shattered the quietness in the castle, my blade slamming into his heart. Seizures trembled his body, the black lightning cooking him from the inside. The black scales decayed to ash, my chest huffing and puffing. I needed to get stronger, the lightning dying down. The spike receded into the ground, tears flooding from my eyes as I clutched her close to my chest. Grappy walked over to me, his hands hovering over body. A bright light enveloped her body, the castle beginning to crumble. The sound of her bones fusing together sickened me, her body floating back into my arms. She looked as good as new, her ribs even healed. Gentle snores told me that she was okay, teardrops crashing onto her face.

"We need to go!" Gabrielle ordered sharply, pointing to the quaking castle. "If we don't get out now, then we will be stuck here forever." Nothing more needed to be said, the three of us sprinting towards the white circle spinning in the distance. Trees crashed down in front of us, we all leapt over them with ease. Skidding to a stop, a large trunk blocked us from passing. A sea of blackness crashed towards us, an idea flashing in my thoughts.

"Can you fly us into the sky?" I asked urgently, hoping that we could make it in time. "Do you think that you can do that?" Lifting me up into the sky, the large log was consumed, the three of us crashing onto the circle. Snapping his fingers tiredly, the blackness crashing towards us faded to my bedroom. Collapsing to my knees, she hung limply in my arms. Coughing up blood, my new weapon clattered to the floor. Latia embraced me tightly, teardrops of relief soaking the top of my head. Laying the newly healed Evie on the bed, Latia feeling her forehead. Grappy and Gabrielle sat on the floor, staring straight ahead numbly.

"I think the demons are working with your hunters." Grappy uttered numbly, resting his hands on his knees. "Are you okay? You will feel like a train hit you. Who was your grandfather?" Gazing curiously over at him, his question threw me off. I never met him, and my parents never mentioned him. Rubbing my forehead, a migraine was beginning to throb. Although it felt as if a train had hit me, my pain was quelled by the fact that she was okay. Sitting on the corner of the bed, the scars all over her bare skin told me that I was a horrible mate. Her trembling hands reached for me, Latia telling Grappy and Gabrielle to leave with her. Singing about some kind of food or something of that sort, it must have worked. The two of them followed her out, a wink telling me that I was going to finally get some peace.

"Are they gone?" Her gentle voice whispered, a crooked grin dancing on my lips. "I just wanted to speak to you and didn't want too many people hovering over me. I wanted to tell you about the legend of the wolf with black lightning. It dates back to the origin of this village, and your grandfather. He was the founder, and his black lightning was his special skill. The story goes that he climbed up the mountain, and met with an ancient spirit. He was near his death, so the ancient spirit offered to give him its life. The one condition was that he had to carry the black lightning powers down the lineage. It must have skipped your mother and gone straight to you. It turns out you are just as magical as me." Leaping into my arms, a tender blush rose to my cheeks. Kissing my lips feverishly, she was like new while I was utterly destroyed. Pinning me to the bed, her fingers played with the hem of my shirt. Lifting it up with her teeth, her tongue licked my abs. Damn it! Why was she always so horny? My hand fell on her bruised hand, one touch on her shoulders stopping her.

"I am sorry for hurting your hand." I apologized sincerely, her real smile making my heart flutter. "I am such a m-" Her finger pressed against my lips, her head shaking. Sitting on top of me, my cock stiffened. Laying on top of me, her fingers played with my hair. The smile could be heard in her voice, her hair tickling my chin.

"I don't care what you did. You were just a bit jealous, and the full moon is coming up. Our tempers all flare around that time." She comforted me sweetly, sitting back up. "That just means that our pup will be extra powerful. There is nothing wrong with that. Hopefully by the time they grow up everyone will be more accepting of us. I can't wait to see the sword. I read about it once and thought his picture kind of looked like you. Did my advice help? Lightning can be hard to tame, but once you get that tattoo it will be easier to handle. Let's go to the shaman a few towns away. He knows the symbol that you need, and a tattoo will look so sexy on you. I love you, Hudson. Now hold me." Wrapping my arms around her shoulders, her head snuggled onto my chest.

"Why are you so calm and accepting?" I queried tiredly, flipping her over. "I don't understand how you can be so kind in hard situations." Clutching her close to my chest, a loving gaze met mine. Cupping her face, my lips kissed hers sensually. Our tongues danced in our mouths, her body melting into my arms. Wrapping her arms around my neck, her scent relaxed me. My heart skipped a beat, her lips kissing mine gently. Pinning me back, this was going to be fun.