The Sicilian Defence [Derek Hale]

Chapter Nine

Pushing open my eyes, my consciousness groaned as it tried to remember anything from the night before. My mind felt like a complete mess, a horrible side effect from the medication. But then it all hit me like a brick to the head: every word, every sound, every look, every person. Shit. No. Dammit. It was now torture.

Grabbing onto my , I tugged them onto my body, speeding through my morning routine and I didn't even bother with breakfast as I left the house. I had some serious apologising to do and I hated apologising because that meant I had lost and I didn't want to lose.

Making it to the Hale house, I now felt more terrified than I did the first time, except this time it wasn't for my life. I don't think I could fear my life in front of him again. Bringing my knuckles up to the door, I gave three short knocks. He probably already knew I was there, but I figured I'd be polite. When he didn't answer the door quick enough, I pressed my forehead to the door frame waiting for him to show up.

And then the door swung open quickly causing my body to jump. There was the smirk I knew would come. "Wipe that smirk off your face," I warned and Derek only crossed his arms raising one of his brows but the smirk remained on his face, "I just came to say... I'm sorry for calling you a dog. I didn't mean it in a bad way." I dragged out refusing to make eye contact.

"You seem like you're struggling with that," he mused stepping aside and deeper into the house and I followed after him rolling my eyes.

"Carry on and I'll take it all back. You can go back to being the dog again," I argued crossing my own arms.

"I think I prefer you drugged up," he scoffed mirroring my actions.

"You said you'd give answers." I cut in dropping my arms purely because he'd crossed his, "I worked it out, I did my side of the proposition, so you have to give me answers," I explained taking a step closer.

"I don't think you want to know," he said and I narrowed my eyes tilting my head slightly. I was pretty sure that I did.

"You don't think I want to know why when you get injured I get to feel all the pain? Because whatever that is... if you can... take it back. I don't want it. I don't want to feel your pain, I can barely handle my own pain never mind your pain," I pointed out.

"It's not something that you can just get rid off," he said and I didn't like the way his eyes shifted into a darkness and this time he was the one to step forward, "you wouldn't understand it because your human."

"Don't you dare," I whispered.

"Don't I dare what?"

"Go back on your word," I tested, "you're acting like your not going to tell me and you promised that you'd tell me, so for gods sake just tell me," I hissed out. He reached out his hand cupping the joint between the back of my neck and head and it took everything in me to ignore the safety it provided. Was it safe or did it just feel safe? Arguably he could snap my neck this very second.

"Grace, you won't understand and I'm not telling you for your own protection," he explained.

"Your not protecting me, you're just confusing me and your making it more difficult to do anything because I don't know when you're going to go and do something stupid."

"Like what?"

"Oh I don't know... maybe... get shot," I pointed out, "because that wasn't fun for me by the way. It hurt a hell of lot and where you heal and the pain goes away for you it doesn't for me. So I need to know what is happening," I explained and he sighed.

"It's a bond between a born werewolf and another... person. The other person could be anyone, a human, a werewolf, any other creature. They tend to favour wolves though," he explained and I looked at him annoyed. I already knew that. "It typically is something which is not chosen and no-one has any control over, and usually people don't find people they're bonded to."