by D Wolfe
Darian nodded and looked at her. “We’re taking you to a safe place.” He told her quietly so that only she could hear him. He wanted to kiss her hand but they weren’t alone.
Denthro looked at the rear view mirror. “He’s following us.” He announced to his passengers.
The two boys and Danielle looked at Denthro. “What should we do?” Derek asked.
Denthro looked ahead. They were nearly there. “Call David and tell him to speed ahead. If Jared sees that, he’ll follow David, thinking that his car has Ellie in it. That will give us a bit more time.” He answered.
Ellie whimpered and cried out in pain. Darian looked at her. “Her bones are broken.” He told Denthro.
“If we’re to save her, we’ll have to use the medical room at the camp.” Denthro replied before shaking his head.
Darian looked up. He had a feeling that he knew what Denthro was suggesting. “Will that work?” He asked as Ellie cried out again in pain.
Denthro sighed. “It has to.” He answered.
Darian looked at Derek as Derek was making the call. He then looked ahead as the silver car sped ahead and turned sharply to the right as it continued to go faster. He looked over his shoulder at Jared’s car. Jared sped past them and followed the silver car. He was surprised that Jared didn’t look into their vehicle as he sped by. He guessed that Denthro was right. Jared would go after the car that was trying to get away faster. Denthro sighed with relief. “At least that worked.” He said. Darian looked down at Ellie. His heart sank when she saw that she was a bit paler. “We need to hurry.” He told Denthro She can’t last much longer.” Denthro nodded and sped up.
At the camp, they pulled up to the medical building. As Darian opened the door, he helped Denthro pick Ellie up off of his lap. Once he was out f the car, he took Ellie back from Denthro. Darian could hear Ellie’s heart. The pulse was getting weaker. “She doesn’t have much time left.” He told Denthro.
Derek’s phone rang. He answered it and listened to whoever it was on the other end before he hung up. He looked at the others. “David ended up losing Jared and they’re coming back here on the secret road.” He told them.
Denthro nodded and looked at Danielle. “Wait for them to get here and then bring them to this building.” He told her before he looked at Darian and Ellie. “Bring Ellie in.” He told Darian.
In the main medical room, Darian laid Ellie on a bed. She looked even paler than before. She was mainly gasping for air. Denthro sat down next to her. Darian looked at his father. “Are we going to have to do what I think we have to do?” He asked.
Denthro looked at Darian. He could tell that Darian was really worried. He had a feeling that Darian was regretting letting Ellie leave the camp at all to begin with. He nodded slowly. “The only thing that can save her right now without taking her to the hospital is to use a bit of our blood.” He answered, referring to the armored wolf blood that was in their family.
Darian looked at him. He knew that the might have to risk it but he hadn’t planned on it being their only option “Why?” He asked. “I know we have the ability to heal our broken bones but why is that our only option?”
Denthro did know that it was dangerous to do a blood transfusion but it was their only option at this point. Denthro looked at Ellie. “The right amount of our blood should do the trick in healing Ellie.” He told Darian. “Too much will turn her into one of us and we can’t force our lives on her like that. Too little of our blood will kill her”
Darian looked at Ellie as Ellie’s gasps were becoming light and faint. He gently took her hand in his. Ellie looked at him. Darian remembered what Ellie had told him the night before about her love for him. His heart ached for her He remembered how she kissed him with love. He looked at Denthro “Will it be painful?” He asked.
Denthro nodded. Darian needed to know that it would be worth the pain though. “Her blood will try to fight it since she wasn’t born with our blood but it should work. If it does work, she’ll recover.” Denthro replied.
Darian looked at Ellie. He couldn’t lose her. Even if it meant that it would be painful, it would be worth it in the long run. He wouldn't leave Ellie's side during the blood transfusion. “Let’s do it.” He said.
Chapter Eleven
Ellie couldn’t remember much after they had gone into the medical room. She had seen Mr. Wolfe and Darian talking but she couldn’t hear them all that well. She had a feeling that it was because of the pain. They seemed though to have come to a decision on something. Mr. Wolfe had a needle injector in his hand. “Darian. Hold her hand. She’ll need your support.” He had told him.
Ellie felt Darian's hand in hers before she felt a flare of pain coming from where it felt like a needle shot in her right arm. She screamed in pain. There were several worried voices. “What’s happening Denthro!” That was Darian. He was clearly freaking out.
Ellie grabbed his hand tightly as she screamed in more pain “She isn’t responding to it correctly. Her blood is more resistance to it than I thought.” Denthro answered.
Ellie screamed again as she felt the pain going through her body. She squirmed and turned as she felt the pain flying through her. “Ellie! Hang on!” She heard someone close to her shout. She couldn’t identify the voice. She was in too much pain.
“Should we give her more blood?” Someone, a female by the sound of it, asked.
“Yes. It might be the only way to save her.” Another voice answered.
Ellie just wanted the pain to end. She felt more pain though go into her right arm. She screamed more. She saw a bright light flash before her eyes before darkness overtook her. She felt her grip on Darian’s hand loosen. She wanted to tell him to stay but she lost consciousness.
Ellie didn’t know how long it was before she heard people talking. “Is she dead?” A female voice asked.
There was a growl. She recognized the growl as Darian’s growl. She wanted to tell him that she was alive but she felt so weak.
“I don’t know. Her bones and her wounds are healing.” Another voice, she thought it was Denthro, answered.
Ellie felt Darian’s hand in hers tighten it’s grip on her hand gently. She tried to squeeze it back but she couldn’t. “Darian.” She thought. She wondered if he could still hear her if he was in his human form. She wanted him to know that she was okay.
“Darian. You need to go to school. You’ve already missed nearly an entire week.” Someone, a female, said.
Ellie was surprised to hear that she had been there nearly an entire week and that Darian had stayed with her the entire time. She was happy though that he had stayed with her. “I can’t until I know that she’s recovered.” Darian answered.
Ellie wanted to smile because Darian was putting her first. She hoped that it meant that he loved her too.
Another person, it sounded like Mrs. Wolfe, sighed. “I need to get back to the police station. We’re still doing a man hunt for Jared.” There was the sound of the door opening and closing. Darkness then overtook Ellie and she lost consciousness again.
Ellie slowly woke up. She looked around. She was in some sort of medical room. It wasn’t like the ones at the hospital or the doctor’s. She slowly sat up and looked down at herself. Her bones were healed. She looked at her arms. The blood and the cuts were gone. She reached up and, with a trembling hand, touched her nose. It wasn’t smashed anymore. She looked around again. The room was mostly empty. She saw a chair against a wall. Darian was sitting in it. He was fast asleep. Ellie smiled a little. He must have tried to stay up to watch over her.
Ellie slowly got out of bed on shaky legs. She went to Darian and curled up on his lap. She took Darian’s hands and wrapped his arms around her. “Please don’t leave.” She whispered to him. She didn’t need any armored wolf. She needed her armored wolf. She needed her Darian.
Darian woke up and looked at Ellie. He smiled a little. “I’m never leaving you.” He told her. He held her closer to him. “How do you feel?” He
asked her.
Ellie smiled. “A lot better.” She answered. Darian stroked her hair back. “How long have I been unconscious?” Ellie then asked. She had no idea how long she had been there.
Darian sighed. “About two weeks.” He answered. “The blood injection took longer than it usually does to be accepted by your system. You nearly died.” He hugged her closer to him.
Ellie had a feeling that that had scared Darian. “What about Jared?” She asked in a small voice. “Has he been captured yet?”
Darian sighed once more and shook his head. He had hoped to skip that part until later when Ellie was feeling better. “He’s still on the loose last time I had talked to Demeter.” He told her.
Ellie looked down. “I’ll never be safe.” She whispered. “He’ll hunt me down until I’m dead.” Jared had killed her mother. There was no telling how long it would be before Jared found her. She had a target on her back that would never go away.
Darian put his arms around her. “Don’t worry. He won’t be coming here.” He told her in a comforting voice.
Ellie wanted to believe him but she couldn’t. “He’ll come here sooner or later to find me.” She told him. “He won’t give up until he’s hunted me down.” Jared had also seen Darian in his armored wolf form and had seen the armored wolf temple at the camp. It was just a matter of time before Jared arrived at the camp.
Darian lifted her face up so Ellie was looking at him. “He won’t be coming back here.” He told her. “He already came by here two days ago. We hid you in our home while he was searching the camp.” He explained. “Jared didn’t find you during the search so he left.”
Ellie sat up and looked at him. “He did?” She asked. She couldn’t believe that he had just left so willingly. She couldn't believe that Jared had done that. She was amazed that she was still alive.
Darian nodded. “He’ll have no reason to come back. We’ve called the police to let them know that he was here. If he does return, we’ll call them and try to stall him long enough for them to arrest him.” He told her. He wasn’t going to give up until Ellie was safe. Ellie sighed with relief. Darian then looked down. “I think it’s time to let you in on our secret.” He told her.
A few minutes later, the two of them were heading towards Darian’s home. “What secret?” Ellie was asking. She was holding Darian’s hand tightly and she wasn’t planning on letting go of him at all.
Darian smiled at her. “Remember how I told you there were ten armored wolves here including me?” He asked.
Ellie nodded. She then counted the Wolfe family members in her head. Her eyes widened. “Your family are armored wolves?” She asked.
Darian nodded. “We’re all armored wolves but we didn’t all live together when we started our journeys. Denthro and Demeter already had David, Derek and the triplets when they found out about me.” He told her.
Ellie then thought of something. “What happened to your real family then?” She asked. She had assumed that Denthro and Demeter were Darian’s real parents.
Darian shook his head as he thought back to that day. “I was five when I first changed into an armored wolf. I was at school when it happened. The police and the religious people called me a demon and took me to the best prison that they could find to keep me locked up.” He looked at Ellie. “When the first change happens, you can’t really control what you do as an armored wolf. The police were going to try to destroy me in an attempt to stop me from causing too much damage.” He told her.
Ellie looked down. Was being an armored wolf that dangerous? She looked at Darian. “What happened next?” She asked.
Darian smiled. “The six Wolfes found me. Demeter and Denthro actually shifted into their armored Wolfes’ forms and chased the guards away. The others convinced me to go with them to a safe place which was not easy to since I was still in my armored wolf form.” I’ve been with them for eight hundred years.”
Ellie’s eyes widened. Did he just say what she thought she heard him say? “You’re how old again?” She asked him.
Darian laughed. “I’m sixteen. Once an armored wolf turns into an armored wolf for the first time, they become immortal unless they fall in battle or are killed in their human forms.” He explained.
Ellie looked down. “So my feelings for you are worthless and a waste of time?” She asked him. She had really hoped that they had something special. If he was immortal, she’d be just someone who would be gone for him soon and he wouldn’t even remember her.
Darian sighed and stopped walking. He lifted Ellie’s chin back up. “Not entirely.” He told her. “Denthro said that there is a way to turn you into an armored wolf but it’s very dangerous.”
Ellie frowned as she realized what Darian was saying. “I can be turned into an armored wolf?” She asked. How was that even possible?
Darian lifted Ellie’s arm and looked at the place where the needle had gone in. Ellie looked as well. “If we gave you too much blood of an armored wolf, you would have become one of us.” He told her. “We only gave you enough to save your life from what Jared did to you.” He told her.
Before Ellie could say anything, the house came into view. “How old are the others in your family?” She asked.
Darian chuckled a little. “I’m not even sure how old some of the others really are.” He admitted.
Ellie looked at him. “Really?” She asked. “You guys don’t keep of your actual age?”
Darian shook his head. “No. It’s just easy to focus on the age we were when we first became armored wolves.” He told her.
They then reached the front of the house. “Will your family really be okay with me being in on the family secret?” Ellie asked Darian. They all did seem nice but she couldn’t help but wonder if that was before they had to deal with her stepdad.
Darian nodded and leaned down to Ellie. “They’re okay with this. They know that you’ve seen me as an armored wolf and that you can’t go back home.” He told her. The two of them hugged each other for a minute or two.
Ellie sighed. She guessed that it wouldn't hurt for her to meet Darian's family. “If you’re sure about this.” She said after they stopped hugging. Darian nodded and led Ellie into the house.
Chapter Twelve
As they went in, Ellie’s eyes widened as she took in everything. The room was so large there were five bookshelves along just two of the walls. She didn’t even bother with trying to count the books. There had to be thousands of them on the shelves. There were four large couches that formed a U around a giant flat screen television. The stairs had no railings and were in the middle of the room. Ellie went up to the books. They were all limited or first editions. She looked at Darian. “Collect much?” She asked sarcastically.
Darian nodded. “The older teens don’t always go to school at some of the places we live.” He explained. “We need the books to help blend in with knowing what jobs they’re going to do.”
Ellie looked at the stairs. “Why are there no hand railings?” She asked.
Darian laughed. “We only have the hand railings out if we have normal people here who aren’t armored wolves. We can jump from the second floor to the floor and up to the second floor from the main floor.
Derek appeared at the balcony. “So Sleeping Beauty is finally awake.” He said and smiled. Darian nodded. Ellie couldn’t help but laugh. Derek then jumped down to the main floor. As he landed, Ellie flinched at the sound of him landing on the ground. To her surprise though, there wasn’t a crack where Derek had landed. Derek laughed and sat on a couch. He turned the television on and began watching football.
Darian took Ellie’s hand and led her upstairs. Ellie looked at Derek as they walked up the stairs. “Why wasn’t there a crack where he landed?” She asked. With the way that Derek had landed, there should have been a crack.
Darian smiled. “The first time he did that, he destroyed the living room. That was a year after I came to them though. We were living in Florida at the time. After that exp
erience though, we make a special floor.” He explained to her. Darian then sniffed the air. “Demeter and Denthro are cooking something good.” He said. Ellie smiled. She then heard her stomach rumbling. Darian looked at her. “Sounds like you’re hungry.” He said. Ellie nodded. After two weeks of not eating, she was really hungry.
“Darian, you said that Denthro put your blood into me.” Ellie said. “So I take it though that he didn’t put enough into me to be an armored wolf.”
Darian nodded. “We only put enough into you to heal you.” He told her. “We didn’t want to turn you into one without giving you the chance to think it over.” The thing was, he did want Ellie to be an armored wolf. He wanted her to be immortal so they could be together forever. Before he said that though, they entered the kitchen.
Denthro and Demeter were cooking and at the counter. The two adults looked at Darian and Ellie. “Glad to see you’re better Ellie.” Denthro said.
Ellie nodded. “Thank you for saving my life.” She said.
Demeter went up to her. “I’m sure you’re hungry.” She said to Ellie. “We’re making Italian pasta and it should be ready soon.” She then looked at Ellie’s clothes. That was when Ellie realized that she had changed back into the clothes that she had worn when Jared had nearly killed her.
“I’m sure you would also like something else to wear instead of that.” Ellie nodded and blushed. She wasn’t sure what to say to that but it was true. She just didn’t know how to say it.
Luckily for her, Darine came in. “She can have some of my clothes.” Darine offered.
Ellie looked at Darian. Darian nodded. Ellie didn’t want to leave Darian but she knew that Darine wouldn’t let him in while Ellie tried on new clothes. “Okay.” Ellie said to Darine. She let go of Darian’s hand.