Seethe: First Draft

Seethe: Chapter 18

Chapter 18

I try my best to ignore Xavier's gaze from across the field. We've gone back to avoiding each other, though today he asked me to come back and help his 'Wolves learn to try to fight off a Siren attack. A little more seriously this time. I suspect the entire thing is his way of trying to get me to feed, because the scales and gills seem to be getting worse.

I noticed in the mirror this morning that my skin was starting to take on a somewhat blue undertone. I'm starting to resemble the nymphs my mother always trash talked.

I remember how much my mother hated nymphs. She said they were Sirens that didn't have the good graces to feed. Some Sirens became nymphs, returning to the nature their souls were tied to at birth. Some Sirens take to the sea, becoming mermaids as they return to water. Sirens have to be tied to some form of nature, whether it's a body of water or a certain type of tree or flower. All of us, when we allow ourselves to fade, return to nature. Humans and Werewolves decay in the earth or turn to ashes, like most Vampires do.

I seem to come back to reality at the same moment someone decided to throw a punch my way. I block it instinctively, my Siren and Werewolf rising to the surface. They swirl just behind the bars of the cage I've stuck them in. I can feel my eyes fading back and forth between the glowing blue and wolfish yellow. My small hand is wrapped around the much larger fist, as I try to focus on the owner's face. Eventually, my wolf seems to say, "I got this" to my Siren and she falls back, letting my Wolf take over.

Once they settle, I look into the eyes of some young Werewolf that I don't recognize. He's frozen, waiting for me to decide what to do with his fist in my hand. I tilt my head ever so slightly and he takes the tiny movement as a sign to swing his other arm.

At this moment, instinct takes over. I use my grip on his hand to pull him toward me, ducking under the outstretched arm and sending an elbow into his exposed side. I make sure to angle the elbow upwards so that it'll hit him in the armpit. The armpit is some of the most delicate bundles of nerves and I hear him yelp in pain. I let go of his arm and turn, already sending a kick to the back of his knees. He crumbles to the ground.

I take a few steps away from him, giving him enough room to get up and enough space for me to avoid being grabbed and dragged to the ground. My stance is wide and my sense are working overtime. I can feel everyone on the field, enough to know that Xavier had started to make his way over when the fight started.

Now, he walks up to us. Everyone else had gotten as far from us as possible. Xavier stops beside me, giving me enough space to maneuver and to keep my wolf from feeling crowded. He stares down at the boy on the ground.

The boy in question groans and starts to rise to his feet.

"I'd stay there, if I were you, Kevin."

I raise an eyebrow, trying to straighten so that I didn't appear as on edge. "What the hell was that?"

The boy on the ground ignores his Alpha and starts to rise to his feet. Xavier growls lowly. "Kevin."

The boy laughs under his breath as he gets his feet under him. "I thought we were supposed to be learning how to fight a Siren."

"That doesn't mean that you try to sneak attack her before we've even started."

He raises his eyes and meets Xavier's gaze head on. I stop mid breath as I watch what is bound to become a bloodbath. I may not be all too schooled on Werewolves, but I know enough to know that you should never make prolonged eye contact with someone above you.

Xavier starts to chuckle and I want to be as far away as possible. It's the most sinister sound and it sends goosebumps dancing across my skin. Suddenly, he turns to look at me. "You know, Lorelai, I really hate when overambitious pups think they've got what it takes to challenge me. It puts me in the awkward position of having to possibly kill the young of my pack. A very unfortunate thing to happen since they usually show the most promise."