TO LIE WITH MIDNIGHT ROSES

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XAVIER

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Evening came and the air was no longer cool against my skin as the misty rain turned to flakes of snow, It became thick and heavy with anger as I made my way down the other side of Port Alice heading straight into Wolf territory.

This side of the Island was sunnier most days, closer to the water and the tree's always looked a little bit greener during the warmer months and yet even with the wet snow and dark skies above, it still seemed beautiful to me.

The wind grew stronger as the wet flakes of snow-kissed my skin with sharp edges and it reminded me of her. Kissing her was like a double-edged dagger, it only continued to hurt us both but hell, it was thrilling.

I could practically envision her in front of me now, her lips parted and her eyes creasing as a smile forms on her face. Her dimples indenting her cheeks as she laughs, a soft laugh that reminds me of the night she finally let me hear it, her real laugh. I envision her before me, as she spins around, her hair blowing in the breeze as flecks of snow bounce off her chocolate waves. It felt too real, I could see it all in slow motion, a slowed-down blur, almost like a hazed dream.

A version of a world I wish I could hold onto instead of mine that moves all too fast. She was so close and yet so far away, just inches out of reach but nothing I could do now would let our timelines meet even for a split second just for me to grasp it and hold onto it for as long as I could. 

As the vision I created of Renessa fades, her presence all too fleeting, I'm hit with the musty smell of wet dogs and I know I'm getting closer to where I needed to be. Answers awaited me and so did a pack of angry Wolves. Assuming they knew what killed some of their clan that October night, I'd be interrogated as soon as I set foot on their side. They knew better than to approach us, to seek us out as we'd only be much stronger but now that I'd be the one to approach them and alone... I knew I had to prepare for anything.

I can hear them now, glimpses of voices as the trees wisp past me and before I know it I've arrived. Shadowed silhouettes dance behind soft beige curtains with a warm glow in the window of the large wooden house and just as my body slows, the ground beneath my feet halting, there's a sharp silence. They know I'm here. Voices, hushed and angry filter in with the brisk breeze against my ears before both men and women barrelled down the slick wooden steps of their front porch, door slamming behind them as they pool outside. Large, gray and brown-furred Wolves revealed themselves from behind branches both to my left and right. Heavy paws crunched against the cold, crisp ground beneath them as lips raised with a snarl exposing sharp, rigid teeth. Soft growls and huffs were made but I just smile making eye contact with the man who now stood before me, the rest of the men and women standstill behind him.

"Long time no see." I hum.

"What do you think you're doing here, Xavier?"  The man's voice was deep and rumbled against his throat, his narrow amber-toned eyes glistened beneath the yellow-hued lights that hung on either side of the porch. His lips pressed into a flat line. The man before me looked the same as he used to the last time I saw him many years ago, except now a tinge of sadness hung across his face. Thick brown hair was pulled back into a bun, stray hairs sticking out in the front that brushed down along his thick eyebrows. Strong, scar-covered arms crossed against his chest as he let out a deep and anger-filled breath.

"Nice to see you again too, Lester." I take a step forward, gesturing with my hand to the area around me, "I don't really enjoy being here myself but I thought I'd grace you with my presence. It seems it was needed."

"You dare come here?" Lester snapped back, "After what your kind did to ours?"

"You mean after I killed three of your men?"

    There's more growling, the people behind Lester start to bicker, paws stomping against the ground and then Lester yells, demanding them to stop. They do and so he speaks again, clearly they didn't enjoy my humour but they know why I'm here and the fact that no one charged at me yet tells me they have something to hide.

    " We knew it was your kind but... you?" He snapped, stepping towards me, "You killed Aleksander and-"

    "They almost killed a woman, she was bleeding out to death and they tortured her!" I cut Lester off, as anger replaced my snarkiness rather quickly as memories of that night flood back and I find myself in front of him now, maybe a foot away, looking down at his eyes.

"They were looking for someone else, but they tortured her anyway, what's that say about you all, huh?" I tilt my head, looking around at those surrounding us, "but I'm not here to talk badly about the dead, I'm here for answers."

    The many faces behind Lester are frozen with wide eyes and parted lips, some with furrowed brows and others with drooped heads as he lets out a shaky breath. There's a younger girl standing close next to him now, maybe in her late teens and a young man who stands to his right, both of which share a striking resemblance to him. Thick brown hair,  warm, tanned skin and very dominant facial bone structure gave them a strong and powerful demeanour as they glared at me. The girl places her hand on Lester's arm and he shoots her a glare just as she begins to part her lips but before she even has a chance to speak he cuts her off.

"What is it, Rowen?" Lester asks, rather annoyed.

"Tell him about Mother."

Inside their house was warm as the fireplace crackled, and the soft yellow glow of the lights reflected off the glossed interior wooden walls. It was a large house built of logs, notched at the ends and laid upon one another, like a Chateau cabin only much much larger.

It looked like a cottage inside, with everything you would expect to see and if I didn't know they were Wolves, this would look like a normal vacation home but as I sat on the soft beige couch across from Lester it was anything but that.  The others remained outside or made their way upstairs but not without a few choice words, some whispered others mumbled but I heard them all nonetheless.

We always left each other alone, Vampires and Wolves. We had our side, they had theirs and that was that. We both understood what one another was, there were bigger, more frightful things out there besides our kind to worry about and so until now we never had an issue.

"I swore I'd never let a Vampire set foot in my house, " Lester grumbled, "So, don't make yourself too comfortable."

I sit idly on the edge of the couch as I lean forward, "I don't plan on it."

Lester swallows, sucking in a breath as he slides a newspaper towards me, across the coffee table. I look down, eyes scanning the page, then I read the headline: "Women found stabbed to death - local RCMP continue to investigate the tragic case." And for a moment it doesn't make any sense until he speaks and for the first time tonight, his voice is soft.

"Melissa," He says, "My wife."

"Your wife?"

"They killed her. They wanted us to know they killed her." 

At that moment there was an unspoken understanding of who had done it, but there was still the question of why. He didn't know and neither did I. It didn't make any sense at all and that fact was scarier than any answer he could've had. There was much left unknown but there is one thing I do know for certain; I would do anything to protect Renessa.

"You sent your wolves looking for them that night because they killed your wife."

He nods and as I meet his gaze I couldn't help but feel something, something so unusual. What is it called again... an understanding of someone else's pain, empathy? I don't think too much about it. Whatever it was, it rippled inside me, up my veins and somewhere deep in my chest I swear I feel it ache.

"Your men almost killed someone," I clear my throat, "Someone I've grown rather fond of but I'm willing to look past that," I pause for a moment, wondering if he'll let me entertain him with an idea, one that lets us both have what we want.

"Let me make you a deal."

Lester's eyes widen as I explain what it is, then he reaches out his hand across the table and as we shake on it, he smirks.

"You got yourself a deal, Augustine."