The Michaels Twins [Book One in the Hard at Heart series]

Chapter Sixteen

You clapped.

• Grayson's pøv •

Drew and I ran inside the house frantically. DAD!" I screamed. "MATT!!" Drew screamed. "For fucks sake dad get down here now!" I cussed. He came down the stairs tiredly and gave me a deadly look. "Watch your mouth Grayson." "I don't care. Your brother, Chase.. Is it possible for him to have a son my age?" I asked. "I mean, yeah it's possible but he wanted your mother. She was his mate too I don't think he would've-" "But it's possible." I interrupted. "I guess why do you-" "Your guess isn't good enough! I need a straight answer damnit!" My dad gave me a death glare but I just turned towards the door in rage.

I opened it and ran out. "Let's go Drew!" Drew followed close behind and the anger running through my veins helped my shift go faster. My four brown feet thudded against the cold ground as I searched for a scent to follow.

"I don't smell a thing." Drew told me after an hour. I stopped in my tracks and turned towards the blonde and grey wolf. "Yeah, well I do." I started using my heightened senses to trace the small smell. "I smell Kit. Not Megan but I assume they're together." I told him through our link.

Suddenly a thunderclap sounded. Perfect time for a storm. I remarked to myself sarcastically. Really adds to the pathetic fallacy. There was a place on the ground that was covered in mud and leaves so I padded closer. I started to dig and found that there was a cellar door. "Of course. How cliché of them to be underground."

Drew and I shifted back to our human forms and climbed into the cellar quietly. We were hoping that they would have pants at least cause we didn't want to have to fight naked. We carefully crept around the large underground space. "It's just like a house." I whispered to Drew. "Except this one's underground." He responded quietly.

"In here." Drew said to me. I followed him into the room and we grabbed some pants. There was what looked like a bedroom and we raided it until we each got a pair of pants. I passed by a room and saw Kit tied up with rope. She was sitting on the ground looking drained.

I ran in and hugged her but the rope burned my skin. Aconitum. "Everything will be okay, Kitty. I'll get you out of here." I spoke in a gentle tone while trying to untie her. The rope burned my fingers but I refused to let it get to me. My sister needed to be freed from this torture. The rope slipped from around her wrists and upper body and she sighed in relief, tears still falling from her eyes.

Her face was covered in smudged glow the the dark paint and her hair was a mess. "C'mon, let's go." I ushered quietly. "Did you really think it would be that easy?" A sinister voice said from behind me. Crawford. The lights flickered out and before I could do anything something hit me and the darkness swallowed me whole.

Emily chuckled as the darkness faded from my vision and I could see light again. My wrists burned and I looked down to see that they were tied together tightly with rope that I assume was soaked in wolfsbane. I looked at my surroundings and saw Kit still sitting where she was before and Megan was now in the centre of the room with Emily.

She was propped up in a chair, unconscious and Emily was lightly trailing a knife along her body. "Megan." I whispered. Emily pressed the knife harder, cutting Megan's arm and she woke up instantly. "Stop!" I begged. "Why?" Emily smirked. "What do you want?" I demanded. "Your Alpha powers." Kit informed me. "News flash but I don't have any Alpha powers. That's my dad." I said sarcastically. Emily glared at me, "Don't get smart with me." And put the knife in Megan's thigh.

"Megan!" Kit and I screamed. She clenched her teeth tightly. "I'm fine." She said roughly. My anger started to increase and my wolf was getting closer to the surface. "Remember who's in control here." Emily commented, "You say you don't have Alpha powers but I think you know more than you say." I grit my teeth. "I don't have Alpha powers. Besides what do you want with them anyways? You're not a werewolf." 

Emily chuckled. "Oh sweety, that's where you're wrong. Me and Crawford just know how to cover our scent." She pulled the knife from Megan's left thigh and jammed it into her right. "Stop, stop, just stop it!" Megan cried. I pulled on my ropes and noticed they had begun to loosen. "You should just face the facts. None of you will leave here alive." I started to pull on my ropes although they left burns on my skin. Emily stood Megan up and thrusted the knife into her stomach repeatedly.

I watched as Megan stood there breathless, blood pooling on her abdomen and seeping through her shirt. "NO!" I yelled. I finally broke free and ran at Emily. Megan slipped to the floor holding her stomach and I grabbed the dagger from Emily while she watched Megan fall. Adrenaline was the only reason that we're going to leave here alive.

I took her off guard and I painted her neck with the thick, red liquid inside of her. Her hands grasped her throat as if it would help and she collapsed to the floor. I turned back to Megan who was gasping for breath. I dropped to my knees and shakily pulled her into my arms. "No.. Megan..." I whispered. I held her head in one hand and wiped tears from her face with the other.

I held her close to me, my eyes watering with the thought of her being gone forever. "I-I'm dying aren't I?" She asked me. "You're gonna be okay.. You're going to be fine." I smiled down at her as I painted our final moments in her mind. "You just- you can't die. Not now. Not yet.." 

Her dainty hand reached up and stroked my cheek, her breath getting more shaky than before. "You'll be fine." I repeated. "I won't." She whispered as a single tear escaped her cold eyes. She let out a long sigh before her breathing stopped and her hand fell from my face.

I wiped the stray tear from her face and I pulled her as close as I could while sobbing. Her blood stained my hands and clothes but I didn't have the mind to care. I just saw Drew helping Kit and I whispered the words that I wish I would have never had to say...

"You clapped."