Dusk

Chapter 2

  Blinking away the darkness, I tried sitting up and gasped at the pain in my side.
  "Hey, slowly, slowly," I heard Jack's voice before I saw him.
I could barely move let alone breathe and he expected me to sit up by myself!?
He came up to the side of my bed and placed a tray of food on my night stand. He reached for my back gently and guided me up into a sitting position.
  I let out a sigh of relief as he propped up a pillow behind me and I leaned back against it, relaxing my tight muscles. I winced as I reached up to touch my sore jaw and knew it would be a while before I could talk without regretting it. Thankfully we could still communicate through the pack's mind-link.
     I asked for water and he set the tray on my lap, scooting a glass with a straw closer to my mouth.
  He was silent for a while, then angrily he spat out,"This was one of the worst ones! Why do you let him do this to you? You can do something about it! Hell, I could do something about it, but I'm too sure you'll hate me if I did. But letting you die would be worse! Do you think your mom would want this? You sacrificing your wellfare for the off chance she's still out there? Please, you staying here and taking this won't find her. We can take this to the Five's Council!" By the end of his tirade he was on his knees and pleading me.
     The Council was made up of a representative of each species of supernatural; Shifters, Vampires, Casters, Fae, and Demi-Fae. There are hundreds of Councils strategically placed around the world.
  "I don't know what to do! If I go out there and look for her, I might not like what I find! And that scares me, it was just the two of us for so long and losing the hope she's still alive would break me. Collin can beat me all he wants, but we both know it's only skin deep, he's tried to break me before, it never works and I won't let it," I mind-linked him, silent tears streaming down my face out of grief and anger.
"I know, I'm sorry, I just-" he paused, then "-I can't bare the thought of loosing you. You're all I have," he finished, wiping the tears off my face.
Jack's parents were rich and lived in their own mansion just outside the pack's community, near the human town. They were never home and Jake had practically raised himself. They were never on good terms and always passed like ships in the night.
At first, I'd hide out there, but Collin found out and threatened to hurt Jack. I'd never told him why, but I stopped staying at his house after that.
"You're right, I'm sorry. I promise when I've healed enough I'll look. I'll go see the council and ask for help in locating her." I told him, but still, doubt clouded my mind.
Would the Council honestly care about a domestic case? They had bigger problems to deal with, I'm sure. But maybe they'd send a scout to help me locate her. I had  to try and if they said no, I'd look by myself.
   "I'm going with you!" Jack insisted.
    "Are you sure, you don't have to?" I replied but silently thanked him for the support.
     "I'm sure," Jack smirked, "How else would you get there?"