“Ah my dear Rana. I see that you have arrived to my home safely.” He had to bend down some in order to move through the door. Once inside the room he stood straight up again. His bat-like, wolf-like face looked brighter than before. His pointed ears stood tall, almost striking the ceiling some above him. His pale white skin lacked some of the tearing that she saw before. He still had some wounds on his chest but not as many as there were before. “I am pleased that you have come here finally.” He smiled. The whole that he still had in the right side of his face allowed her to see nearly every tooth along both jaws, and just above them, she could even see some of his skull.
Seeing the smile, smelling his reeking scent, she gasped some again. “You say that like I had a choice.” She crossed her arms over her chest. She sighed some for good measure.
His smiled vanished all too fast. “You must know by now that you were brought here for a good reason, my dear Rana. You must also know that I will not allow you to escape from here either. You cannot and will not escape from me.”
Hearing this, she swallowed hard and deep. In some ways she actually seemed to swallow everything that she just tried to do down her throat with it.
Seeing her reaction, as it was, it made him smile again.
She watched his face light up. Knowing that he knew—well everything that she was thinking—it made her pause. He must be able to read my thoughts. She looked up into his deep red eyes.
She even saw them wink.
“I can and am reading your thoughts me dear.” This time he did, in fact, wink. “I have always been able to read your thoughts when you let me. And right now, without you being you, I can see everything you think.” The smile grew larger again. “You will remember this soon enough.”
All of this made her gasp again. This time it almost seemed to burn inside her chest. She could even feel the burn creep up into her face, warming it with an intensity that was all of its own strength.
Seeing the blood flow through her face, his smile only grew larger and stronger. Confident with everything that he saw, he turned and headed back out through the door. He closed it gently when he left the room.
Watching him leave her, she took a deep breath, allowing the gentle coolness of the small room to fill her soul and replace his stench. It also helped her to clear her mind. He came in here just to make sure that I wouldn’t try to do it. This made sense. He read my mind. He wanted to stop me before I tried. This idea made her flinch. The fear of it raked her very mind.
Realizing everything, and having a deep darkness invade her thoughts, she turned from the door and walked over to the other side of the room. She found the wall and slid down it to the floor. She then brought her knees to her chest and hugged them tightly to her body.
She stayed just like that. She stayed quiet. She stayed alone, and stayed right where she was.
5
“Grandpa, are you sure of this? It has just been a few weeks since you were sick. Maybe you should rethink about doing this now.” Danny shut the door to the apartment and stepped into the living room. He stopped just by the arm of the sofa. He took care of everything that he was asked to do, but he still wasn’t quite sure if he should even be doing it. Why his Grandfather wanted to leave now was the only thing on his mind. He didn’t understand the rush. He didn’t understand the need to do this now.
“I told you that I have to Danny. I have to go and see him before it’s too late.” The old man stayed seated on the sofa. He faced directly ahead. He had only one thing on his mind. He had to get back to the city. He had to do it and soon. He knew that he was running out of time. It would take them two days to get to New York. If they waited any longer then he knew—he just knew—that he was going to be too late to stop any of this.
“If you would just tell me why—why do this now? Why can’t we just wait until you get better? The doctor said that after a coma of several months you’re going to need to get a lot of rest. This is too soon. You might get sick again.” Danny huffed some, showing his frustration. He tried to convince his grandfather all day, but now, he knew that he was running of time. His grandfather wasn’t listening to him. He wasn’t hearing a word that he said.
A frustration his grandfather completely understood. “I can’t say too much about this Danny. I just have to leave tonight. Tomorrow might be too late.”
Again Danny huffed.
And again he understood everything that his grandson felt. “Did you get everything together?” He changed the subject hoping that it would be enough to stop the questions from coming any more than they already had. If it wasn’t for his lack of sight he would do all of this himself. None the less, he couldn’t see so he needed his help. He just wished that he didn’t.
Danny nodded. He shrugged as well. It was all for himself. “Yes. I got the car gassed up and put everything in it. We can go whenever you want to.”
“Good.” He stood up and turned. “It’s time to go then.” He smiled.
Danny nodded. Feeling his lack of choice on the matter, he took his grandfather’s left arm and led him to the front door. He opened it for him.
He helped him outside.
He helped him get into the car.
He then headed to the driver’s side and climbed behind the wheel.
When he was ready, he started the car, put it in drive, and they were off.
6
Robert found everything that he felt that he was going to need. When he was ready, he took everything and headed back into the bedroom. In his right hand he carried the blade, and in his left he held a small handheld saw. Once inside the room he felt ready. In a way he also wasn’t.
Jimmy was still on the bed. He heard Robert return into the room but kept his eyes locked onto the ceiling instead. He could barely get himself to keep breathing right. Can I do this? Am I strong enough to make it through it? He didn’t know but he knew that he would soon find out.
Sasha and Brandon were now standing next to him on the bed.
Next to Sasha, who stood at the foot of the bed, stood a small table that she placed a pot of hot water on top of it. She also had to focus her thoughts as she watched Robert step inside the room. “Are you sure that we have to do this? Can’t we just give him something first?” She hated this. She knew about the pain. She feared it. She could only imagine what he must have been feeling, right at that moment. She didn’t want to think about what was coming next.
Robert shut the door. He placed the handheld saw to the top of the small dresser standing on his left against the wall and door, and with it safely there, he looked back to the bed. “I wish that I didn’t have to do this but I have to. There is no other way around any of this.”
Brandon took a deep breath, which sounded low and a little unforgiving. “Damn man this fucking sucks.” He looked to his friend. When they told him about what they were going to do he instantly grew restless because of it. He also grew angry. He knew how Jimmy was going to feel. He knew how this was going to hurt. This was his best friend after all, and because of that, he felt for him in more way than any of them could ever possibly know.
He’s going to be all right Brandon. You have to trust me about this.” Robert looked at the small knife in his hand. Seeing it, realizing that it was never made to do what he was about to do with it, it suddenly made him feel nervous. He was, quite frankly, not very sure that he wanted to do this himself. He just couldn’t tell any of them this. He just knew that he had to do it, and that he didn’t have the choice.
“It still fucking sucks.” Brandon looked at the knife too. Seeing it, his stomach clenched. He might be a vampire but he was also a friend. It just seemed like too much to bear all at once.
“All right.” Robert looked at Jimmy.
Jimmy lay there and listened to the banter of the room thinking quietly to his self, hearing them like this is like listening to them talking about a dead man. I am here you know. I’m right here and they’re talking about me like I’m not.
“Ar
e you ready?” Robert asked. Suddenly he could feel his hands starting to shake some. It appeared that he was more nervous than he thought he was at first.
Jimmy nodded—well maybe it was just a subtle twitch. Too much was going to happen and quite frankly he didn’t know what to think about any of it. Honestly, he wasn’t all that sure that he was ready or not. However, it was now or never. “Let’s do this thing.”
Robert pulled himself back together again. “All right then. Sasha, I need you to hold his legs to the bed. Brandon, I need you to take his arms and hold them over his head. Both of you cannot let him move. It will hurt more if he does.”
Sasha looked more than just concerned, she actually looked scared. Her mind now raced into a thousand different directions all at once. “Are you sure that this is a good idea? I don’t know if you know this or not but we wolves never liked it much being held down like this.” She looked at Brandon and then back to Robert again. “The wolf isn’t going to like it any more than he does.”
Brandon met her stare and turned with her back to Robert. “She’s right. What if he changes when you do this?” He didn’t like this idea much. He had never fought Jimmy before and wasn’t about to want to do it now. He just couldn’t take it, facing the wrath of a friend like that. It made him feel more than just a little nervous but it also made him feel scared. He knew now that he just might have to do it.
Robert shook his head. “He can’t change when he’s injured like this. He will not—cannot change.”
Sasha understood this and reached down with both hands and took Jimmy’s ankles into each grip. “He’s right.” She nodded and bowed her head.
Brandon was still not convinced. “Are you sure of that? He is the big bad black wolf you know. I don’t know about any of you but I sure as fuck don’t want to find out how big and bad he can be.”
Hearing this, while still knowing better, Sasha looked back up. She looked solidly at Robert.
He could see the fear in both of their eyes. He understood it but he also understood the truth. “Trust me. He cannot change like this.” He looked at both of them and then went down to Jimmy.
Jimmy saw the look in his eyes. What it told him was simple. Help me by explaining this for me, so he did. “He’s right. I can’t change when I’m wounded like this. The black wolf or not, I just can’t. It may kill me and the wolf won’t let that happen.”
Sasha held his legs tighter.
Brandon winced heavily, reached out and took Jimmy’s wrists in his hands. He then pulled them over his head and held them down to the bed. He even leaned on them with all of his weight.
Jimmy relaxed. At least he tried to. He didn’t have the choice.
Robert took the knife and held it out in front of him over Jimmy’s chest. He then went to his knees.
Brandon’s mind instantly switched gears as he watched this about to happen. “It’s a good thing that I don’t have neighbors in this building right now.” He looked whimsical as always. “God knows what they might thing about all of this.”
Jimmy looked up to him. “Why in the hell do you say that?” He couldn’t believe what he just heard.
Everyone else looked at Brandon too.
Brandon grinned with his typical little smirk. “The screams?” He felt rather dumb in just saying it. “They’re going to be loud don’t you think?”
Jimmy looked back to the knife. “Thanks for your concern.” Same old Brandon—he was never one to act concerned. Not even for a friend.
Brandon’s smirk left his face all too fast. “Sorry about this but it was just a thought.”
Jimmy nodded. He looked down to his chest and to the wound. With his arms over his head like this and with his feet held firmly down below him, he never before felt this exposed. It made him feel almost splayed. He felt almost like was nothing more than a turkey on Thanksgiving Day about to be carved up for the enjoyment of his guests.
Robert gathered himself, thinking. He nodded with the thought and looked over to Sasha. “Grab me two towels will you?” He looked back to Jimmy.
Sasha took two from the four she had on the table and handed both of them to Robert. She then retook Jimmy’s legs and with all of her strength she held him firmly to the bed.
Robert put one towel next to Jimmy and twisted the other one in his hands so that it now stretched out and looked like a rope. “Put this in your mouth Jimmy. Brandon does have a point about the noise thing. It might also help you with the pain.” He thought about the screams. Although Brandon didn’t have others living in the building with him, he did have houses all around him that might have people hearing this. In other words, he made a good point.
Jimmy opened his mouth and as soon as the towel was in it he bit down.
Robert nodded. “Here we go.” He brought the blade down to the wound. With a steady, as steady as he could get—with his hands still shaking some it was hard to do—downward motion he sliced from the top of the wound towards his belly.
Immediately blood oozed out from the wound. Some of it rolled down towards the nape of his neck and began pooling there.
Jimmy’s heavy moaning came next.
His body twitched as a burning sensation coursed through his flesh. At first it felt like a paper cut but that feeling didn’t last long, and quickly it turned into an outright agony of a shattering sharpness that wrapped around his chest. His own warm blood now rolled down the right side of his torso and he could even feel it as it drizzled down towards his back.
Watching for only a moment, Sasha had to close her eyes. She couldn’t watch anymore. It hurt her immensely that so much so she couldn’t help herself.
Jimmy clinched his eyes shut as Robert continued within the wound. The pain, that agonizing shattering of heat, increased inside him until he could almost feel it within his heart and lungs.
With the wound open, Robert went further inside the wound and slashed down to the bone. With his free left hand and using his thumb on one side and his fingers on the other, he held it open so he could see inside it clearly. The blood made it difficult to see anything but he did manage to see something. Seeing the hint of bone, he spread the wound open even more, and there, just as the left side of the sternum, he saw something shining back to him. He could see a hint of metal and it seemed to twinkle to his eyes. Seeing it, he put the knife down on top of Jimmy’s belly and with his now free right hand, and using his index finger and thumb, he stuck them both inside the hole. It took only seconds to feel it. When he did, he grabbed it firmly and pulled.
For Jimmy, the all shattering agony only increased once Robert stuck his fingers inside the hole. To him it felt rather odd, yet horrible. He could feel his fingers squeeze his flesh. He could almost feel the tips of his nails digging through his tender muscles. When Robert must have grabbed something inside him, he could feel his ribcage move. The pressure only increased as he pulled.
With one swift motion, he pulled at the bone. At first, it didn’t seem to want to move, but with a second good tug, it did.
When he pulled out his fingers he knew what he had. “I have it.” He now looked at what he found.
It looked small, maybe only about an inch long. It shined but still looked big enough to do what it did do.
Feeling his fingers gone, a sudden blaring coldness raced through Jimmy’s chest. Air flushed his lungs and a tingled mingling of numbing jolts raced through his heart. His head screamed and a very deep and heavy warmth overwhelmed his entire body all at once. Before he knew it, the eyes of Kalima flew to the front part of his mind.
Sasha felt it first as Jimmy’s legs twisted under her grip. She looked down in the time to watch his white skin turn to an ashen black. Black hair then ebbed out over his entire body just as fast.
Brandon felt the strength of a maddening heat flare beneath his hands. He watched as Jimmy’s face began to curl up and form into a snout. In all surprising essence, he watched the wound on Jimmy’s chest instantly close, almost looking like someone had just
zipped it up from within it.
Robert heard the growls. He heard the snarls. He looked back to Jimmy and instantly felt stunned by what he saw. “That’s impossible. He’s changing. My God, he’s changing even though he’s wounded.”
With all of her strength, Sasha did everything she could to keep him to the bed. With him changing she now knew that was hopeless. She couldn’t hold him down. She fought him with everything she had but failed. She knew that she was already too late.
“He’s fucking changing!” Brandon lost his grip as Jimmy sat up.
Robert stood to his feet and backed up towards the wall and ran into the small dresser behind him. Watching him, feeling him, wondering, he couldn’t believe it. Everything blew his mind.
Jimmy’s face turned to a deep and dark black as black fur flushed all over his face. His snout pushed out and his ears grew tall. His chest heaved and formed into a strong oval shape.
Before anyone could react further, Jimmy was now fully formed. With one swift motion the black wolf stood straight up on top of the bed. The sound of the bed breaking beneath him came next as the wolf then stepped to the floor. With another swift and sweeping motion, the wolf moved to Robert.
Sasha gasped. She knew that she had to get between them. She knew the wolf’s anger. She knew of the pain that he felt. She knew who he would blame for all of it. She moved to Robert but Brandon beat her to the spot in between them. All she did was run right into him with a solid thud.
“Jimmy? Buddy?” Brandon held out both hands to his friend. “He didn’t do it on purpose Jimmy. He had to do it, you know that. You have to calm down. You have to stop.”
Sasha regained her balance and stood beside her boyfriend. “He’s right Jimmy. Robert helped you. He had to do it.”
The black wolf looked down at both of them and tilted his head to his left shoulder, and then straightened it again. He was so tall that his ears were bent down some as the top of his head brushed the ceiling above him.
A Werewolf's Saga Books 4, 5, & 6 (A Werewolf's Saga Boxed Sets Book 2) Page 24