by Sara Snow
“I like to stretch my legs.” I kicked him in the gut, sending him staggering backward. At the same time I yanked on my arms, but only one came free. Before I knew it the two men had grabbed me again. This time one of them held my face, squeezing my cheeks.
The man before me started laughing and removed his hood, revealing a deep scar running down the side of his face. His skin was pale and his breath reeked of alcohol. I wanted to cry. My eyes were stinging and I knew what was coming next when he smiled at me.
“I love them feisty.”
My world started crumbling when he started grabbing at me, his cold fingers prying at my body until I felt them like ice cubes dip into my top and grab my breast. I screamed. I screamed for my life, for someone to save me, when suddenly the man to my left was yanked away.
I slapped my attacker in the face and pushed the other away, but they had already forgotten me because, behind us, their friend was suspended in the air.
His neck snapped to the side with a sickening sound that echoed in the darkness around us. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. What man has the strength to hold another off the ground like that?
The body was thrown to the side and I got my answer as Xavier stepped forward.
Chapter Two
Ruby
I think I've fallen into some alternate reality where there is a man who looks exactly like Xavier but can hold a grown man off the ground like he's a doll.
“What the fuck did you just do?” the man to my right yelled, but he made no move to his friend lying on the ground, his eyes open but lifeless.
I swallowed and backed up as my attacker, the sick piece of shit who had had his hand down my top, whipped out a knife. "You're going to pay for that! You're a dead fucking man!"
"Do you really think so?" Xavier asked. It was the first I'd ever heard his voice. It tickled my skin like a feather’s stroke, but it also made me feel faint. I narrowed my eyes, for his voice was also softer than I had expected. He sounded so calm, so collected, for a man who had just committed murder. "Leave."
The man to my right pulled his hoodie down, revealing a bald head, and he too whipped out a knife. “We’re not leaving, but you are. You’re going to the fucking afterlife for what you just did freak!”
Xavier’s head tilted to the side. “I wasn’t speaking to you.” His eyes drifted to me and my body went rigid. “Leave,” he repeated.
My eyes widened as his dark brown irises, almost black, began to bleed into the whites of his eyes. His eyeballs turned entirely black and a chill went down my spine that had nothing to do with the cold air. I started to sweat because he suddenly seemed taller and more muscular. But I wasn’t going to let him order me to leave.
“What the…”
“Go!” he barked at me, and my body jumped as I stepped back. His teeth had elongated so much that his canines were touching the bottom of his lower lip.
The men on either side of me started backing up as well, their eyes wide with fear, as Xavier took a step forward. I swallowed, suddenly feeling the urge to piss myself, as his fingers began to twitch before black nails pierced through his cuticles. On second thought, maybe I would follow that order.
"What the fuck are you?" the man to my right said, his voice shaking, and Xavier raised his head, his nostrils flaring.
“The man who’s going to make you wish you had picked another woman to fuck with.”
This wasn’t Xavier. I’ve really stepped into an alternate universe or a fucking horror show! The man before me was a demon, a creature, a beast! He wasn’t human, he wasn’t Xavier!
I screamed as Xavier rushed forward, a deep growl vibrating up from his chest. I pressed my back against the wall and watched as he held onto the man’s arm, the one that was holding the knife and the hand that had been down my shirt, and ripped it from his body.
I gagged, my nearly empty stomach wanting me to vomit the two cookies I had eaten, as I watched Xavier throw the man’s arm to the side, blood flying everywhere. He opened his mouth and sank his fangs into the man’s throat and my legs started moving.
I could hear the man’s horrible screams as I ran from the alleyway. I closed my eyes for just a second as I heard the other man start to scream as well. I could hear the sound of breaking bones. I don’t want to sound ungrateful for being saved, but I think I would have preferred being raped and left alone because now I’m about to be eaten alive!
What the hell kind of town did I move to?
I want to cry, scream, and curl up into a ball. I wanted an explanation for what I had just witnessed because, as terrified as I am, that was still the coolest thing I’ve ever seen in my life.
No, not the killing. That was surely going to scar me for life. But Xavier, what the hell is he?
The screaming abruptly stopped, but I kept pumping my legs, the mouth of the alleyway just before me. But I didn’t get far, oh how I didn’t get far, because the moment I screamed to hail a passing cab a hand made its way around my mouth and I was out cold in the next second.
◆◆◆
Ruby
I rolled onto my side and frowned, surprised I wasn’t greeted with a view of the sky. I got out of bed sluggishly and pulled my curtain back, the way I always keep it because I wasn’t a morning person. All I need is to see the sky to get me out of bed.
I sighed and rubbed at my eyes before looking down at the street below, my eyes following a couple as they strolled by hand in hand.
Cute couple, I thought to myself as my stomach began to growl loudly, like an animal was in there. I wasn't hungry, I was starving. I dragged myself to the bathroom to brush my teeth and tame my hair before making my way to the kitchen. I wasn't sure why I felt so tired or so hungry, but the sooner I had food in my system the better. I already felt like shit and didn't want to risk getting a headache.
“Oh my God!” I clutched at my chest as I walked in on Natalie sitting at my tiny island. “What the hell are you doing in my kitchen? How did you even get in?”
Natalie raised a brow. “Your door was open. I’ve been calling you all day. You missed class.”
“What?” I looked away and frowned. “What do you mean I missed class? It’s Sunday.”
Her eyes narrowed at me. “Ruby, it’s Monday. I’ve been calling you since yesterday, which was Sunday, and then all day today. I was worried about you, and your ass has been sleeping all this time.”
What the hell was she saying? There was no way I’d been sleeping for two days. I held my head and sat down and she slid her mug, rather my mug, toward me.
“Have some coffee. You look like shit. What happened to you?”
I sipped the coffee and sighed. I wish I had an answer for her, but I was busy trying to understand how I had slept for two days. Why was I still so tired then? I pressed my fingers to my temples and peeped at her from under my lashes.
“Sorry I missed your calls. I must have been more tired than I thought after work on Saturday.” My eyes widened. “Speaking of Saturday, your creepy ass cousin attacked me.”
Natalie blinked slowly. “Xavier attacked you? Attacked you how?”
"In the diner. And he didn't literally attack me. He was staring at me, so I asked him what his problem was, and he, I don't know, reacted. I thought he was going to hit me."
Natalie looked away, her brows furrowed in thought. "He would never do that. Do you remember anything else? What else did he do?"
I gripped my cup with both hands and took another sip of my coffee, already feeling my energy returning. “Nothing else. He left and I got back to work.”
That’s odd. Something tugged at my memory as I looked at my left wrist. Slowly I placed my cup down to swipe a finger across my wrist. It was smooth, with blue-colored veins showing beneath my skin.
"What's wrong?" Natalie asked. I looked up at her and then down at my wrist again. Something was wrong here; something was really wrong. First, my curtain was drawn at my window; my curtain is always open. And now my scar was gon
e. A thought occurred to me and I looked over at Natalie once more.
“How did you know where I live?”
She shrugged and puckered her lips. “I went to the admissions office. I told you, I was worried about you.”
I didn’t believe her.
My eyes widened as she faded, becoming almost transparent right before my eyes, and I got up, almost falling off my stool.
“Who the hell are you?” I reached behind me and grabbed a knife. “Who are you? What do you want from me?”
She tilted her head to the side and dared to look concerned when I was the one looking through her body. "Ruby, you need to calm down."
The wall to my right cracked and I lost it. “Are you fucking kidding me? Tell me who you are right now! What have you done with Natalie? Where is she? What the hell is going on here?”
The knife dropped out of my hand as more walls began to crack and Natalie started to flash in and out of existence. I hadn’t taken any drugs, I was sure of it. I’ve never even done drugs, not even once, so why was I tripping? I must be tripping, because none of this is possible.
My hand fell to my side as I looked into Natalie’s eyes. “This isn’t real.”
I sat up in bed with a start, my breathing shallow as I clutched at my chest. I was under sheets that weren't my own, black silk sheets at that. And when I looked to my left, I backed up so much I almost fell off the bed.
Natalie was sitting in a chair by my bed. No, not my bed. I wasn’t even in my room. She was holding her head, her face twisted in pain, with Xavier by her side. His hands were on her shoulders as he begged her to speak to him.
What the hell is going on?
I tried to get out of bed and away from them, but my focus was going in and out, my eyes blurry. Before my very eyes what I was seeing changed from the room with Xavier and Natalie to just Natalie and me in my kitchen.
“What the hell are the two of you doing to me?” My head felt like it was going to explode. There was a weight on my chest so heavy it was like something was sitting on me. “What’s going on!?”
Xavier looked my way, his jaws clenched tightly, and Natalie held her hand out to me, her face red. “Sleep.”
I wasn’t given the chance to fight it. I was hit with a wave of drowsiness that was so strong I was out cold before my head smacked against the cold hard floor.
◆◆◆
Ruby
The third time I woke up I felt like myself. I felt rested, but I was still in a room that wasn’t my own. I laid there unmoving, but my sleepy eyes were on the black ceiling. The rest of the room was shrouded in darkness, only illuminated by one lamp that was standing by the door. I waited patiently until I felt truly awake before untangling my hand from the sheet to wipe at the corners of my eyes.
I replayed the events that had led me to be in a bed that wasn’t my own and fisted my hands. How many days have even passed I wondered?
I wasn’t dead, so that was something, but how long would that last? What had happened in that alleyway hadn’t been a dream. Xavier had transformed before my eyes and killed three men. Natalie had then created some kind of world inside my head and had then magically put me to sleep.
I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply before exhaling and then repeating the act once more. I could easily imagine that everything that had happened was impossible, but I would be foolish to do that when I had seen it all with my own eyes. Maybe what had happened with Xavier was a dream.
I rolled onto my side and my heart skipped a beat as I looked into Xavier’s eyes. He was sitting in a chair at the far end of the room with one leg crossed over the other. I could only tell it was him when he leaned forward into the light. He was wearing a white T-shirt and washed-out jeans, and even in the light his face was unreadable as he stared back at me.
He placed his elbows on his knees before interlocking his fingers before him. All I could see as I looked at him was the creature I had seen the previous night, but I was surprised at myself for not feeling fear.
I should be screaming and banging on the door. I should be doing something other than staring at him.
“How are you feeling?”
I sat up and looked down at the white nightgown I was wearing. "You didn't change my clothes, did you?"
“Don’t flatter yourself.”
“I assure you there is nothing flat on my body except for my stomach.”
He combed his hand through his hair, and I watched as the silky strands jumped back into place. “How are you feeling?” he repeated.
“As good as anyone who’s been abducted.”
He reclined in the chair and his face was once again hidden. “Abducted?”
I sighed. I wasn’t in the mood to play around with Xavier. I was already calmer than I should be. If he was going to kill me, he would have already, right?
“What happened?”
“You already know. You saw something you shouldn’t have.”
Well, that confirmed that I wasn't dreaming, and I wished it wasn't so because now I had questions. A lot. “I don’t remember what I saw.”
Maybe if I pretended I hadn’t seen anything he’d let me go. I had a bad feeling about where this conversation was going, and considering that I knew he could rip me to shreds, I shouldn’t say anything to upset him. I shouldn’t even be thinking certain thoughts. What if he was reading my mind?
He got to his feet and walked over to the bed, his hands buried in his pockets, and my body went stiff. But what really got me was when he stepped into the light and his eyes were as black as they had been that night.
I swallowed hard and threw the covers off me. I stood and looked up at him, into his obsidian eyes, and slapped him across the face.
“You knocked me out.”
He reached up and touched his cheek, his head turned to the side. The side of his mouth twitched, and my eyes widened, shocked at what I had just done, but I stood my ground, my legs shaking. If I was going to die, I’d rather die bravely anyway.
“That’s what you’re worried about?” His head turned back to me. “When you know I could have done so much worse?”
“Are you going to kill me?”
He stepped closer and my heart started to hammer in my chest. He looked me up and down, as if he was sizing me up, and I clenched my fists so much my nails began to dig into my flesh. Was he checking if he could swallow me whole?
I crossed my arms over my chest and, to my surprise, a smirk found its way onto his lips. It was small, but it was there.
“You’re hiding your fear very well, but I can smell it.” I lifted my hand again to slap the smug prick and he caught my wrist. “Hit me again, Ruby, and I will hurt you.”
“Where am I? I want to go home, Xavier. I don’t care what you are, I’ll keep my mouth shut, just let me go home.”
He threw my hand down and I stepped back as I held onto my wrist. He hadn’t squeezed me, but he probably could have a muscle spasm and accidentally shatter the bone in my arm. I had slapped a werewolf. Me, Ruby Saunders.
The black in his eyes disappeared and he crossed his arms over his chest, causing his shirt to stretch taut over his bulging biceps. I turned away, my eyes scanning the room. "Just let me go."
“I can’t do that, and you know it.”
I spun on my heels, my temper getting the better of me. "I don't know shit! I don't know shit! I don't even know what you are! What I know is that three men died and I got knocked out, and now I'm here. And what the hell did you and Natalie do to me? You know what? I don’t want to know. I want to forget all of this, and that means you, her, and this entire mess. Now let me go!”
“Any human who learns about werewolves has to die.”
My heart stopped beating. I hated how calmly he had just said that. Did I even hear him correctly? I couldn't have.
“What?” I raised a shaky finger to his face as I forced all the bravado I had to the surface. “You’ve got to be kidding. You’re joking right? How does that make sense, X
avier? That was something you were aware of? And now you’re saying something like that so casually, as if you weren’t the one who chose to reveal yourself to me?”
We stood in silence for a moment, my angry eyes piercing into his. I watched his face shift from relaxed to furious within seconds. When he took a step toward me, I stepped back, tripped, and fell onto the bed.
“You humans are all the same.” His mouth was barely opening as he spoke, but his voice was projecting throughout the room. He was pissed, livid, and my fear pinned me to the bed as he leaned over me. “You humans are all ungrateful. You’re ungrateful. I saved you from being raped and murdered, but yes, that was my mistake.”
He stood up and stormed from the room and my body jerked as he slammed the door. I swallowed despite how dry my mouth was as tears began to roll down my cheeks. I wasn’t ungrateful. He had saved me from a horrible attack. But now I was going to be killed by werewolves?
Chapter Three
Xavier
Never before have I hated my exceptional hearing until now.
No, that wasn’t true. Every day of my life, having to live alongside humans has been a headache. They are loud, messy, and my only place of peace has been my home. Until now.
I rested my elbow on the marble island and pinched the bridge of my nose as Ruby continued to pound on her door on the fourth floor.
Is she going to get tired at any point? She’s been at it for an hour.
My hand slid to my cheek as I sat there, still shocked that she had slapped me. She’s brave, I’ll give her that. Or maybe she isn’t as smart as she looks. What human slaps a werewolf knowing that werewolf could rip them to shreds?
Images from the night I had killed those men flashed within my mind and my face morphed into a deep scowl. I took a deep breath, which was what I should have done that night instead of losing my cool. It was too late now anyway, what was done was done, and now there were consequences to accept.
I didn’t feel bad for those men; they got what they deserved. If their victim hadn't been Ruby, it would have been someone else who wouldn't have had someone like me to protect them.