CREED

Chapter 4

Hey guys :)  Another super long chapter for my super awesome readers :D

I do hope that you're all enjoying this story so far.  If there is anything that doesn't make sense or that doesn't sit well with you, please feel free to let me know.  I would really appreciate your input.  Votes and comments help too ;)  lol.

PS*  There's a lot of POV switches here....sorry if it annoys you :P

PPS* Unedited as it stands, so please point out any errors you find and I will fix them :)

Happy reading xxx

Nate:

"Suck it up! I'm staying." Creed folded his arms across his chest and glared stubbornly at Nate.

"Well, I'm older." Nate retorted, childishly.

"Too bad. You're also mortal." Creed smirked.

"You're as close to me as a brother! Let me handle it." His voice rose, exasperated.

"Come on, Nate." Creed persisted. "They're gonna see you with me and McKenna, so what difference will it make? I'll have to face them anyway. Besides, they're going to want to know why you didn't mention anything about that night when they asked and things could get rough. I don't want you getting hurt. Not because of me."

"Look, I know you own the club, and I only run it for you when you're unavailable. I get that I'm Human still and weaker than you all," he rolled his eyes as he said that, "but...I could claim I play that game every night and just didn't remember that one in particular. You know how us mortals are prone to Alzheimer's." Nate tried to joke.

It fell flat on Creed, who bit his lip in thought, unamused.

He knew that Angelo had spoken to Creed already. Had asked him what he planned to do once the wolves pitched, but Nate couldn't, in good faith, allow him to walk into this inferno alone. Angelo, to his utter relief, had agreed with his now not-so-subtle attempt at steering his best friend's direction.

Nate went on quickly, trying to gain ground on his argument while he was on a roll. "I could still use the 'he's my boss' card. That girl I took home..." Nate made a hand gesture trying to recall her name.

"Nicole." Creed stated, sitting down on the barstool, frustrated.

"Yeah, she. She's like me. Flesh and blood. No fur, no fangs and no magic. Plus, they bumped into us, courtesy of Brie. And McKenna wasn't forced. I saw the thing a dozen times already. Nothing untoward happened. You spoke to her, she nodded, happily, I might add, and the two of you left. It would be better this way. Trust me."

Creed sighed. "Until I came back without her. Mad as hell. I saw the damned tape too."

Nate thought back to Creed's first and only explanation of that dreaded night. Creed had been bubbling with rage afterwards. He'd had words with Brie. They usually had words, but not like this...

Creed had spent a lot of time trying to figure out what was happening to him while speaking to McKenna, and then with even more conflicted emotions running through him, after asking her to leave he'd said that he'd felt this searing pain tear through his chest. Even after Brie had confirmed her part in the slip-up, and Nate had gone back to that moment countless times recalling every detail that was told to him, one small part of Creed still refused to accept what he'd set in motion with McKenna. Creed couldn't comprehend how he had been so callous. So brutal, that he destroyed the one love he would ever know both inside and out. Nate felt for him. The guy couldn't understand how he could have been so stupid, so blind. He'd admitted that he'd felt a lot of things that night, but most of all, he knew his friend, his brother well. Creed felt lost. He'd shut off and stumbled headlong into the days that followed, never really caring that his feelings, his raw pain, was swallowing them all in its wake. Creed didn't even know that he was projecting it so loudly, being the deeply private friend among the three, and Nate, along with Hope had watched his spiral towards grief and loss, unable to do anything but wait for him at the bottom.