Feral Passion

by Avery Duncan

  But... “Why were you even out there?” he asked into the sweetness of her hair, starting to frown.

  “Uh... I... Uh, well, I...”

  He pulled her head back gently by her hair to see her face, to narrow in on the sudden blush that was consuming her face, all the way down to under her shirt. Eyes trailing down farther, to the cleft of her breasts, he stared openly at the full curves that were displayed across his view.

  Slap.

  “The hell...” he exclaimed, rubbing his temple. He swore, the hit that her fist dealt to his head was going to cause a migraine to dangerous proportions. “What was that for?” he asked, growling.

  “What do you think?” she asked, astonished. Mary motioned towards her chest. “You ogled!”

  “Ogled? What? Alright, woman. Let’s get something straight--Raffaele Atono Jacques does not ogle,” he said pompously, giving her a look.

  Mary just stared at him blankly, still pulled away from his chest--the exact opposite of what he wanted. He reached for her again, but she pulled back, giving him a look that suggested confusion.

  “What?” he asked, grabbing her arm and dragging her next to him, happy that she didn’t give that much of a fight. After worrying for hours, almost crying, then beating someone’s ass, then coming close to murdering someone, he was so...grateful that she was there, next to him, pressed against him.

  He forgot all about the business boundaries, the things that should have kept them apart from each other. Raff forgot about their stations, their prohibitions, the danger, and only focused on the fact that his woman--his fated female, was safe and next to him.

  Mary didn’t answer him that question, but she answered the most important one. “I had to take a break,” she said simply, seeming to unknowingly lean on his shoulder.

  Raffaele glowered. “You risked your life to take a break?” he demanded, arm tightening around her.

  Mary rubbed her eyes, head nodding her consent to her statement. “Stressed,” she said, sighing. “I felt like the world was falling around me.” He wondered at the faint ironic tone in her voice.

  He was about to ask “why”, when Mary looked up at him with intense eyes.

  Then, Mary asked a question.

  One that would damn them both.

  “Do you know who Kevin is?”

  Chapter 30

  Mary stared up at Jacques, awaiting his answer. It didn’t seem like she would be getting one anytime soon though; his eyes were set hard, lips pressed tight, and eyes...emotionless. She twisted her hands, frightened by his reaction of her question.

  “Kevin.”

  That one word, uttered word was so full of hate, so...pact with emotion that it made her blink. “Do you know who, then?” she asked, unsure.

  Jaques nodded shortly, extracting himself from her as quickly as he had gotten close to her. He stood slowly, like a panther waiting to attack, waiting for the perfect moment to leap.

  Mary backed away from him.

  She was shocked, worried, her emotions scattered. At any other time, she wouldn’t feel so...vulnerable. The coldness in her body was slowly leaving, replaced with a shallow warmth that barely reached her soul. Of course, right when she finds a moment of something...warm, it turns around, leaves as if it were never there.

  “Kevin, the weak mongrel who can’t take care of his own race properly,” Jacques said, expelling all doubt that they might be talking about a different Kevin completely. Mary grimaced, but nodded.

  His final words before awakening her came back to haunt her, and her face paled. Staring up at Jacques, she realized that she couldn’t go through with that Kevin had told her, couldn’t hold down Jacques by the abused power of Kevin.

  She just couldn’t. It would be like taming a wild animal, a lethal panther which would fight it’s way for freedom.

  Binding with Jacques would hurt them both. No matter the words that Jacques had said moments ago, words so sweet and tender, so unexpected of him, that she felt as if she had been made to listen to that voice.

  “I’ve known Kevin most of my life,” she started awkwardly, running a hand through her hair. “When I was a kid, I would go to sleep and he would be there, telling me things. Like, things about the future and what I had to do. Who I would meet, who I had to look out for, things that I would have to do. A lot of the time, I had just thought that it was normal for him to be there. Then he had said pacchetto, I can remember that,” Mary said, looking at her lap. “I asked my mom what it meant--I was only ten, I didn’t pay attention to things that didn’t concern my dolls or nail polish...

  “She wanted to know why, and I had just mentioned Kevin. Her reaction had been a lot like yours, all tensed up and stuff. But she hadn’t known who or what I was talking about. Later, I asked Kevin why she had gotten like that... The words he said scared me. Sometimes, remembering what he’d said, I still get scared. It’s not often that a child of ten is told that she is a Chosen, that the death of thousands would be on her hands if she didn’t do things properly.

  “Thinking back, I understand why he put such a heavy load on me when I was just so little. A couple of years after I got out of college, the old leader died.”

  Mary paused, not looking at Jacques, who hadn’t said a word since she had started talking. The silence was tense, quiet.

  “Kevin told me... He told me I was a Chosen?” she said, more like asked. Kevin had never explained that to her, never even answered her questions about if there were more like her.

  She looked up nervously, wondering what he was thinking. He was a leader too, surely he would know what she was talking about. Pressing her hands together, trying to still her nerves, she watched as his eyes hardened even more.

  The room was tense, the silence blaring in her ears, as he stared at her with what looked to be an angry expression. “Stuart, another Creator, said just the same thing to me.”

  For a second, she barely registered what he was saying. When she did though, her eyes widened, mouth opening slightly. “You are...”

  Jacques nodded, lips pressing tightly together, a look of displeasure on his face. “Yes.”

  Had the revelation not been so astounding, she would have realized that he was distancing himself from her, pulling back from her as quickly as he had inserted himself into her life. She didn’t realize that his thoughts were ranging from shock, panic and...something close to rage.

  “Is that how you know Kevin?” she asked, brows scrunching.

  Raffaele shook his head. “I know him from Stuart, another Creator.”

  Mary’s eyes popped wide. “There are more of them?”

  His head nodded, but he didn’t say anything. For the first time, Mary saw that Jacques was distancing himself from hr--quite a lot, in fact. He was almost on the other side of the room, arms crossed over his chest, face unreadable.

  She felt like she had been slapped. Or punched--or, wait, gutted.

  Mary strode to the door, wishing her mother were here for her. Pushing it open, not looking at Jacques for a second, she walked out into the plane hallway, searching for a familiar face.

  Jacques followed, but didn’t try to talk to her.

  Her heart was pounding with not only hurt, but with a sick relief that at least she would have a way to spare him any holdings--with hate, or whatever he was feeling for her. Why was it so hard for someone to decide their emotion and stick with it?

  It would have saved them a whole lot of hurt, had he just figured out what was going on internally.

  “Mary?” a loud voice asked, drawing her attention to the woman who was practically flying down the hall to meet her. “Oh, my precious baby!” her mother exclaimed, grabbing Mary up in a tight hug.

  She tried to laugh, to be cheerful with her mother, but failed and ended up just hugging her back. “I’m fine... The most that happened was me falling asleep by the river and freezing my feet off.”

  Her father came up to them, fierce disapproval etched into his expression. “Mary,�
� he said in greeting, watching her pull away from her mother.

  “Daddy...”

  “I was so worried,” he said, then pulled her into his arms tightly. She clung to him, thought of Jacques hugging her back in the hospital room, and almost started crying on his shoulder. “If you ever do anything like that, I will ground you for the rest of your life! You had your mother crying and--hell, I almost did too.”

  She flushed guiltily, moving out of his grip even though his arms tightened.

  Alicia tutted, shaking her head. “Samuel, don’t lie. I saw you run to the other room, eyes all puffy.”

  Her father turned a quieting glare towards Alicia. “I could say the same.”

  “Well,” she started, sticking her tongue out at him, “I can do that; I am a woman.”

  His cheeks darkened.

  “You guys are horrible,” she said, distraught as she watched her parents and their light arguing.

  “We’re only kidding, hun. How are you feeling?” Alicia asked, taking her from her father and pulling Mary into her arms.

  “Headache, legs are sore... I’m fine though,” she rushed to say when her father started to get worried.

  “Ulrich here?” Mary asked, looking around, barely glancing at Jaques--and on purpose. She couldn’t bare to look at him after the moment in the room, then the harsh reprisal he had given her by acting as if she were no more than a stranger.

  “Talking to Romero and the coroner,” Samuel said from behind Alicia, nodding his head a round the corner.

  Mary tensed. “There was another murder?”

  “Talk to Ulrich about it. He won’t tell me anything, and neither will Jackson. We go way back, Jackson and I. It must be pretty serious that he isn’t telling me anything. Ulrich was practically dragging the old brute in here by the collar when we pulled up. Your brother called us right when they found you, and we rushed over here immediately.”

  “Oh, you didn’t have to...” Mary worried her hands together, feeling guilty for causing so much trouble for one act of carelessness.

  “You’re our daughter. Of course we had to!” Alicia exclaimed, outraged that her daughter would suggest something otherwise.

  Mary rolled her eyes. “I’m just going to limp my way over to Ulrich,” she said, grimacing.

  “Here, I’ll--”

  “Dad.” She stared at him earnestly. “I’m fine.”

  “Are you--”

  “Oh my gosh!” she groaned dramatically, throwing up her hands. Leaving them with that, she stalked away and tried to scope out her brother, shoving Jacques out of her mind completely. Just thinking about him brought pains to her chest that hurt enough to stop her breathing.

  “...late to the site,” Jackson was saying when she found the two, huddled in a corner a couple of halls over from her parents. He stopped when he saw her. “Mary!” he exclaimed pleasantly and with relief.

  Ulrich looked up, eyes alert.

  “How are you feeling, and what the fuck were you doing out there?” he demanded, stomping to her.

  Mary narrowed her eyes on him, refusing to let him take over her life like he had been trying to for the past week. She had let herself become vulnerable to Jaques, and look where that had gotten her. Nothing but heartache and feeling like an inept little girl.

  She was so not going there again.

  “I was taking a break,” she said shortly, eyeing the coroner. “What are you doing here?” she asked conversationally, ignoring the faint ache in her bones. At that moment, Mary was grateful that she was immune to half of the shit that humans had to go threw.

  “Well, your brother dragged me here,” he said drolly, casting a mean glare at Ulrich, who didn’t even notice. “Just came from the Maddison site. Had some problems with the prosecutor and the new attorney, but it’s all good. The man that you talked to, he got let go.”

  Mary smiled at that. Then realized what he had said... “There hasn’t been a Maddison site yet, though,” she said uneasily, crossing her arms over her chest against the sudden chills spreading over her arms.

  “As of about three hours ago, there was,” Jackson said, a scowl on his face as he looked at Ulrich. “And while we were all getting together there, Ulrich here was going insane and making half of us search for you.”

  She flushed, feeling horrible. “I really am so sorry... I should have said something.”

  Ulrich growled, looking like he wanted to claw Jackson’s face off. “Don’t make it all her fault, she’s had enough trauma this night.”

  Jackson held up his hands, not looking worried at all. “Sorry, just stating facts. The woman was pregnant, a friend of my brother’s. My old high school sweat heart,” he said, dropping his eyes. Clearly, the man had still felt feelings for the woman. Mary ached for him, walking closer to give him a hesitant hug.

  “I’m really sorry, Jack. If you want to go to the site now, I’m fine enough and I can hold Ulrich off your back for a bit,” she offered half heartily, feeling him return her brief hug.

  Behind them, Ulrich glowered.

  And also behind them, a short snarl ripped through the hall way, and then Jacques came striding forward, eyes blazing and looking murderous. Mary rolled her eyes, dropping her arms from Jackson in exasperation. “Is that all you males do? Growl and piss on what’s yours? Honestly, I thought you were all better than this.”

  She gave a hard glare toward Jacques, who stopped just short of pressing against her. Huge hands were clenching at his sides, he looked like he was going to murder any one who laid a hand on her. Earlier, she would have been fine with it. But after his coldness and retreat, she found it annoying.

  “And you,” she snapped, stabbing a finger at Jacques. “I don’t want to see or hear you growl or get pissy again. I swear, you act like more of a mutt than a feline male does. One second, you’re all nice. The next? You act like I’m not even alive and then you think you have the right to get angry that I’m consoling a hurt friend?”

  All threw her raging, he stayed silent, eyes not leaving Jackson’s, who was returning Jaques exactly what he was giving.

  Mary stamped her foot. “Fine! I’m going. I’m going to go walking alone,” she snapped, emphasizing the word alone, hoping to get his attention, “in the dark, helpless and awaiting my death at the hands of a freaking serial killer!”

  Then she stomped off, not noticing the shocked look from her brother and the sudden comprehension on Jacques’s face. Her feet thudding against the ground echoed, along with several heavier sounds, indicating that they were following after her.

  Shoving the door open, not listening to the objections of the nurses and the men following after her. Reveling in the coldness of the air, the ache in her leg settling as the familiar chill covered her, she walked aimlessly, focused on getting away from overbearing men that had a problem with control.

  “Mary, get your ass back here!” Ulrich shouted, and she looked behind her long enough to see him shove Jaqcues out of the way as he came after her.

  “Why? So I can put up with all of this crap?” she asked, outraged. Finally, the dam that had been holding back her emotions, her stress, broke.

  “No!” he replied back, jogging up to her angrily. The air was brisk around them all, the men not having broken a sweat after having to chase her. Her arms crossed over her chest, eyes blazing.

  “Then tell me, dear brother, the reason that you want me to go back there?” she spat, finally standing up to him as she had always subconsciously had dreamed she would.

  He paused, eyes indecisive.

  Mary narrowed her eyes, then shook her head. “I want you to leave me alone. I want everyone to just lay the hell off.”

  Jacques stepped up from behind her brother, shock laying subtly in the depths of his eyes.

  “I’m tired, sick, my head hurts, my fucking leg is aching like hell right now, and I still have to deal with the same old shit from all of you!” she screamed, a car passing in front of them, lights flashing in the dark. />
  “Just...” Ulrich started, casting a worried look at Jackson. The older man stood back, eyes calm, watching the scene as someone examining a crime would.

  “No,” Mary snarled, slashing her arms in the air. “Get mom to take me home. I could care less about those damn doctors right now, I just want to get away from you all. Actually, I don’t even want just that. I hate being a leader,” she confessed, her voice breaking. “I hate having all this responsibilty over a broken race, and doing this all alone.”

  Silence.

  Nothing but the cool air, the soft whir of tires in the distance, and crackling leaves dancing around them. Her heavy, hitched breathing was the only thing the confused men noticed.

  “You can’t bond with someone lesser than you, Mary. You know you can’t...”

  “I know that!” she snapped, glaring at Ulrich. The others wisely stayed back.

  “You can bond with me, though.”

  At first, Mary thought she had heard them wrong. Not until her gaze landed on a man that looked as if he were doomed did she realize what had just been said.

  “Bond with me,” said Raffaele Jacques, eyes hard with determination.

  Chapter 31

  Raffaele was a dead man, that was for sure. The minute the words were spoken clearly, everyone within hearing range digesting the damning words that would change the fate of thousands, he realized that he had just tied himself into a situation that he might never get out of.

  The silent plea that she had emitted ever since she had started out of the hospital had called to him, made him realize that although she wasn’t like him...she was. In so many ways that just staring at him made him realize that only with her could he save his people, her people, themselves.

  Desperation was clouding his senses, all coming from her. Raffaele knew her brother and the Acutos male, Jackson, could sense it.

  And maybe that was the only thing that was stopping them from ripping him to shreds.

  Mary stood there, eyes dead, unthinking, unrealizing of the fact that he had, ultimately, pledged his life to her, his very soul. The only thing that could stop what he had set in motion would be an untrue bonding, and even if that happened, he doubt it would affect what he had done.