Game Over (Book 2)

Chapter 10

We stayed like that for about thirty minutes before Anti pulls away, saying that he needed to change out the old bandages. I sigh.

"How do you know if this house has any?" I ask, leaning against the bathroom doorway, watching him rummage through drawers.

"Because," he says holding up two really thick rolls of gauze. "No matter where you live in the Underworld, danger happens to everyone." He stands up straight. "Sit!"

I roll my eyes, sitting down on the bed again. Anti sets the two rolls down next to me and starts gently tearing off the old gauze.

I stare at the three puffy red claw marks that ran from just above my hip to about half way up my lower back. Dark black and purple bruised already were forming around the marks. It was pretty nasty looking, dry blood and everything. It doesn't faze Anti whatsoever.

I sigh, staring out the window as faint sunlight starts shining through.

After about ten minutes and two thick rolls of gauze later, Anti stands up.

"Done," he announces, admiring his work. I glance up at him. His bright green eyes sparkling with pride. I laugh softly, shaking my head. Who would've thought that little over an hour ago that this demon was a crying mess against my chest.

My laughter was cut short as Cry suddenly appears in our room.

"Guys look! I can-" he takes in the whole scene around him. Me shirtless and Anti staring. "Am I interrupting something?"

"Yes! Me being proud of my handy work!" Cry's confusion fades when Anti points towards my now gauze wrapped torso.

"Oh." He says kind of relieved. "I thought... Well by the looks of it... I thought I teleported in on Mark and you... Never mind."

"So what's the... Wait you can teleport again?" Cry nods really fast.

"Yup! Whatever spell you were talking about last night that they cast must've worn off."

"So that means you can take Mark and the others back to safest part of the Underworld?"

"Wait, you're not coming with us?" Anti shakes his head.

"It's too dangerous. Whoever's spy that was sent last night most likely got a clear description of my face." I wince, standing up as my side screams in protest.

"If you stay then I'm staying!" Both of them shake their heads.

"Too risky."

"That's not how it works, Mark." Something inside of me snaps.

"I don't give a crap about how it works or doesn't work! I'm not leaving you!" My blood runs cold as I feel something sinister stir in the back of my mind. "You promised him." I growl. Anti narrows his eyes at my harsh words.

"Cry." He states blankly. Cry gives me a sad look as he grabs my arm. I struggle against his grasp.

"You promised him!" I screamed. "And now you're going to abandon us!"

"Some promises," he says sternly, but his eyes were filled with sorrow. "Were meant to be broken." And Cry teleports away, dragging me with him.

+++

I was in a sour mood for the rest of the day. Vinny and Tina had tried to cheer me up when I had arrived back at their hotel, but I just snapped at them.

Cry had said something on the lines of Anti swinging by later tonight to speak with us about something, but I didn't care. Screw Anti! That bastard was so rude after I was nice to him when he was crying!

I mutter under my breath a few choice words, ignoring my side, and turned into a wolf. It was the only animal that I could shape-shift into without it draining me of all my energy.

I pad along the street, not getting any weird looks from anyone when I past them. Why should I? When they were stranger creatures than a mere lone wolf in this part of the Underworld.

I walk by some lady selling glass and caught my reflection. I already knew black fur, so that didn't surprise me one bit. What caught my attention were my eyes.

I stop walking and stared at a small piece of glass lying on the ground. My brown eyes were laced with red around the edges. Was this blood lust?

I shake myself, snarling as the lady reached down to pet my head. She flinches back as if she were offended.

"Sorry!" She mutters, rolling her gray eyes.

I'm not some naive wolf lady! I'm a human! I thought, continuing on my way. No it definitely was not blood lust that was in my eyes, it was something else.

++++

The sun starts to set. I pant, laying down where I was. My paws were exhausted and my injured side was killing me. My ears prick as I heard someone walk up from behind me. Can't I just have small break?

In an instant, I stood up and whirl around growling.

"Calm down, Mark. It's only me." Anti says, raising his hands. My hackles raise as I growl once more. He sighs. "Mark, can you please switch back so we can talk? Cry told me everything that happened today and-" I didn't want to listen. He already hurt me once today and I wasn't about to get hurt again. I turn around and ran.