Turned

Chapter Sixty Eight

He sat in the cage, dripping understandably with sweat. I gave him some water, pouring some on him to cool him off but he just panted softly. I didn't understand but I wanted to, I wanted to be there for him, no matter what he needed from me. I gave him some new clothes to keep him warm, a jumper as he shivered.

"You... you don't need to stay and watch me eat" Nick stated.

"I want to stay"

"What about...?"

"Let me take care of that, you need rest and a shower"

"I can't, soon I'll change again... you need to cuff me back up before I change, Jack, I'm not safe when I do"

"Eat and after, I will" I promised.

He and I didn't speak, I let him eat in peace. My own thirst didn't matter, only he mattered. I chained him back up at his request but this time, I stayed down in the basement with him, talking to him before the moon rose again. I was determined to stay with him, even during the change, I didn't care about my safety, I wanted to take care of him and other people, other friends and my family, Matt and Lena.

The pain sounded horrific, I turned my back, but I wanted to stay, protect him. He was a wolf, not a monster yet chained himself like one.

He screamed and howled in agony, his flesh ripping as it made way for his fur and bones to enlarge.

It wasn't quick, it wasn't painless. It wasn't like the TV show I watched with Lena or films I used to watch, it was worse.

I struggled to stay but I had to stay, I didn't want to leave him there, to make him believe I didn't care.

I cared. I cared enough to stay with him, close to him, even as a wolf, no matter what life threw at us, we'd stay together, friends at each other's sides, no matter what.

That's what I wanted from him, friendship, the chance to prove I deserve even that much.

"I don't know if you can understand me" I started. Inside, I was hoping he couldn't, my words were already tearing me apart. "All the secrets and the lies, they twisted me inside, they pulled me away, but I didn't want that and when we were together, I was so scared I'd wake up to find I hurt you, that I bit you or... or worse. I hid the truth, it's true but I'm not going to lie and say that if I could go back, I'd fix it, change it... I wouldn't"

It was hard to admit but even then, to a wolf, I couldn't lie, it was still him, I still saw Nick under all that fur, underneath the bright eyes and I couldn't turn away from him. I stayed because I wanted to, not because I was forced to.

He lay there silently, if I couldn't see him breathing, I'd have been convinced he'd died but after the hours of torment, he deserved his rest, he needed his rest.

"Rest, Nick, I'll stay here" I promised as I looked at him, into his eyes.

I felt him staring back at me, as if a part of him knew although he insisted that he wouldn't. 

I sat there in silence, even saying something to a wolf was hard, I didn't know what to say most of the time nor what to do about myself, the way I felt, it was all new to me, I'd never felt such a painful desire to be a friend yet something more, holding out hope for something more in my life. 

I stayed with him, hoping the sun would soon rise but we had a couple of hours left so I watched him silently, watching him breathe as if at any moment, he was going to stop breathing. Of course, I knew he wouldn't, I could see his chest moving, I could hear his heart beating but still, I panicked, afraid of him dying. 

Without warning, his ears pricked up. I listened to the sound of glass shattering, a sound I hoped I wouldn't hear. I left the cage locked, Nick locked in, growling and snarling but I didn't need to move very far. 

They walked down the steps, into the basement, an odd symbol on their coats, something I'd never seen before yet instinctively filled me with dread... and joy. 

"If you have come for the wolf, you will have to get through me" I warned in the fiercest voice that I could muster.

"Stand aside, vampire, let him go"

I knew what Nick would say but I couldn't, I wouldn't. I bared my fangs, ready to kill if I had to, I didn't care about the colour of my eyes, it didn't matter.

"He's not leaving" I snapped.

"He is a killer, he must be destroyed"

 I shook my head and threw a punch, deflected but I expected nothing less. I jumped over one of them, taking their blade, I stabbed them with it, watching the blood drip off it, falling to the ground like tiny red tear drops. The wolf growled, ripping itself out of its chains by breaking its mighty paws, healing them nearly instantly as it began working on the cage.

I knew it wouldn't take long for it to get loose, if I didn't keep it contained, innocent people were going to die. I hissed, deflecting blows as they came, returning them with some force. I had a hunter's skill, but they didn't have my strength, where they barely even cut me, I sliced their chest to ribbons. 

The wolf burst out, got the last one and howled as it planned its exit. I ran up the stairs faster than it could, searching frantically for the broken glass. I looked at the front door and found the pieces, shattered on the ground. I ran towards it, standing in the way of the wolf and the exit.

My body stiffened as it ran towards me, lunging at me, I thought I was going to die but it... stopped, dead in its tracks as it saw me, my eyes, human... human eyes.

It growled with uncertainty, lifting its paws to strike. "Wait!" I begged, softening its face a little. "Nick, wait, please... you know me... you know who I am!"

I growled, sharpening its claws on the wall.

"Listen to me, Nick, I don't want to hurt you... you're my friend and I'm sorry but I have to guard the door, you wouldn't want this, to hurt me, hurt others... please... you wouldn't want this"

The beast stopped growling and halted, lowering its paws, it just ran back downstairs, howling... my life flashed before my eyes, death smiled at me, then turned away... once again, I had cheated it, death.