Perpetual

Chapter 5

Tessa followed Tracy and Josh, Corey behind her as they crept silently through the deserted building. The four of them held their breath as they rounded the corner and saw a man standing with his back to them. Without making a sound, they approached him, preparing to attack.

"My, my, you are quite the sneaky little group aren't you?" the man chuckled without turning around, his British accent sounding sinister.

They froze, glancing around at each other in panic. This man had a reputation. They knew who he was and they hadn't been particularly excited when Theo told them he wanted them to kidnap him. A man who called himself Death, Destroyer of Worlds, couldn't be very easy to take by surprise. But Theo had insisted that they bring him back. And if Theo wanted Deucalion, he would get Deucalion. 

The man laughed. "I may be blind but I'm certainly not deaf," he turned to face them showing milky white eyes with blood pooled around them.

Tracy snarled, rushing forward and clawing at the man. He easily pushed her away and Josh took a turn next. Tessa sighed, this was the problem. They always attacked separately, not taking the time to make a plan and figure out how to best use their skills together.

Corey decided to try and sneak around the man to help the others but only succeeded in getting thrown to the ground himself. Tessa sighed, marching forward to face the man. His eyes glowed and he seemed to pause, sniffing the air.

"Amazing," he said, "I haven't seen one of your kind in many years. My dear, you don't even know the extent of your potential."

She scoffed at him, lunging forward to attack as Tracy crept up behind him. He slashed Tessa on the arm but she quickly regained her balance and lunged towards him. As Tracy came up behind him to paralyze him with her Kanima venom, Tessa distracted him by attacking again. This time, his claws pierced her abdomen, ripping upward as she gasped from the pain. Deucalion held Tessa up with his claws embedded in her stomach, her feet hanging inches above the ground, and brought her closer to his face.

"Don't worry, you'll heal," he whispered. "I wouldn't kill you, you're too rare. Maybe you'll come around and let me show you a thing or two, eh? You have so much untapped potential, it's astounding."

Tessa coughed, blood running from her mouth. Tracy took the opportunity to sneak up behind Deucalion, piercing the back of his neck with her claws. Almost immediately, the man went stiff, dropping Tessa to the ground before falling over beside her, paralyzed.

Tracy scowled at him before motioning the others over. "Corey, help me carry him. Josh get Tessa."

Tessa coughed up more blood as Josh carefully picked her up, holding her in his arms as Tracy and Corey dragged Deucalion out of the building.

~~~

Theo closed the door behind him, glancing around at the pathetic sight before him. His eyes lingered on Tessa as she clutched her stomach to stop the blood flow. She didn't heal as fast as the others.

Theo walked towards them. "All this to take down one blind werewolf."

A deep, British accent responded, "Recently re-blinded. Unfortunately, the healing of my eyes by a Dark Druid proved only temporary. A parting gift from my time with Scott McCall. Although, I dare say your little hybrid here could fix me up perfectly if she knew even half of what she's capable of," he motioned to where Tessa sat.

Theo snarled at him.

"Speaking of McCall, he a friend of yours?" Deucalion asked. 

"We're working through some issues," Theo said.

"He knows why he's here," Tracy spoke up. "He knows about the Beast."

Theo glanced at her as Deucalion hummed in agreement.

"The Beast of Gevaudan. History's most vicious, most famous werewolf." He glanced towards where Theo stood. "And you think I'm going to show you how to steal its power."

Theo walked closer to the man, crouching down in front of him. "I think you're open to negotiation. All you have to do is tell me what you want."

Deucalion snarled. Theo looked wary but held his ground.

"I want his eyes."

Theo waited.

"On the tips of my claws." Deucalion extended his clawed hand. "I want the eyes of Scott McCall."

Theo smirked, standing up and making his way over to Tessa. He crouched in front of her, taking in her pale face and bloody hands. Her eyes kept falling shut, her head dropping to the side before she jerked it back up, trying to stay awake despite the temptation of a painless sleep.

"She doesn't know how to heal herself yet," Deucalion spoke up, somehow sensing what was going on despite his lack of sight. "Take some of her pain, it will help her begin the process."

Theo glanced over at the man, hesitating before replying, "I don't know how to."

The blind man smirked, holding out his hand. "Bring her here. I will do it."

Theo growled under his breath. "And why would I trust you?"

The man laughed. "Trust me, my boy, a specimen as rare as her, I wouldn't dare harm her any more for fear of killing her. She is most likely the only of her kind. She is unheard of."

Theo hesitated but as Tessa's head fell to the side again, her eyes drooping, he made his decision. Carefully taking her into his arms, Theo carried Tessa over and set her gently down beside Deucalion. He placed his hands beneath her head, holding her up slightly so she wouldn't choke on her own blood.

Deucalion reached out but Theo grasped his arm. "If you pull anything, anything at all, you will suffer a fate so much worse than death you'll wish you were dead."

The blind wolf smirked, nodding in understanding. Theo released his arm and the man took Tessa's hand in his grasp. He clasped his large hands around her much smaller one and closed his eyes, leaning his head back.

Black veins began to travel up his arms and Tessa felt the pain begin to recede. Theo watched curiously as her breathing became easier and she slowly closed her eyes and fell into an easy sleep.

Deucalion let go of her hand, the black veins disappearing as he let out a deep breath, opening his eyes.

He stared directly at Theo, his blind eyes giving the boy an unsettling feeling. He smiled.

"You care about her, don't you?" he asked.

Theo frowned at him. "I'm her alpha. I care about everyone in my pack."

"No you don't," the man chuckled. "This one's different."

Theo was about to protest but Deucalion didn't give him the chance.

"She's an amazing creature. Truly one of a kind. Keep her close, my boy, keep her safe."

Theo was too stunned to speak. He scooped the unconscious girl into his arms, glancing one last time at the smug-looking werewolf before carrying her somewhere where she could rest comfortably.

He was conflicted. Did he really care about her? Deucalion must be mistaken. And yet, a certain warmth enveloped Theo's chest whenever he looked at Tessa. And he felt an almost instinctual need to protect her.

When Theo had seen her there, that night in the library, lying motionless with mercury dripping from her pale lips, he had almost faltered in his plan. He had nearly ruined everything, everything he had worked all these months, all these years to get. All because the sight of her laying there, not breathing made him stop in his tracks.

It was a strange sensation for Theo. And he wasn't sure he liked it. He had one goal and one goal only and he couldn't let anything get in the way of that. But he had the feeling that if he had a choice between carrying out his plan—years worth of sacrifices and hard work—or saving this girl, he would choose the latter despite the fact that a voice in his head told him that it was crazy. And yet, Theo knew deep down, that if it came to it, he wouldn't hesitate to make the decision that would save her life over his own.