Moonlit

Chapter Fifty-Seven

The wound hurt far more than it should. His blood flowed too freely and soon turned the snow around him red. Jrasic was mostly aware of the fire that coursed through his veins and burned at the wound's mouth.

As Camille suggested, he left the dagger embedded into his stomach. A ragged gasp escaped him as he watched the Hunter's truck peel away. Several of Aaron's wolves darted after it, but it was too late, they had gotten away. She got away.

He stared after them even when his vision blurred and the wolfsbane flared through his veins. Pain seized his body as someone hoisted him up. There was a moment when the world shifted, he heard his name on someone else's lips, then everything vanished.

The world reappeared in spots and gaps all accompanied by the never ending burn of wolfsbane. He was aware the dagger had been removed at some point and something bound his wound together, but otherwise it was left untreated, the poison to run freely.

When his mind began to clear, soft but strong hands cupped his head and tilted it up, long nails stretching back into his hair. A soft, feminine laugh sounded above him as Camille came back into focus. She smiled to him, her teeth showing between her lips. "Welcome back, Jrasic," she whispered.

He narrowed his eyes through the fog that slowly cleared and his gaze gradually focused on Camille. His eyes shifted gold and he growled in reply. She shushed him and leaned closer to press her lips to his forehead.

"None of that." Camille nodded to the chains that held both his wrists to the wall. "We've got you held tight."

Jrasic tried to pull from her and moved as if to test he really was chained. Even that flared the stab wound and made him wince though he let the partial shift sharpen his teeth in response.

"Not even a thank you for letting them patch the wound?" she asked though dropped her hands, her nails sliding against his cheek. Camille stepped back and looked around the basement. "I have to hand it to the Alpha-bitch for her style, though."

"And where is she?" Jrasic said through a growl. He leaned heavily against the wall, his head falling back though he watched Camille still.

"Oh, she's left you to me." Camille paused and smiled back at him. "Us, really. We have very simple instructions." She wandered over to a table and lifted a tool that looked like scissors. "Maybe I'll start with your toenails," she whispered, making the ends click together.

Jrasic simply ran his fingers along the wound on his stomach. "Why?" he said, the gold dying from his eyes. "If she only wants me dead..."

"Dead?" Camille gave a sharp laugh and sauntered closer, the tool still in her hands. She took his hand in hers and peered at the nails, as if considering those instead. "No, she wants you to suffer. She wants your pup to suffer. Wondering about you."

"Then she won't have much luck," Jrasic said and his claws grew free. "Terra knows what's important." He clutched one hand to his stomach and snatched Camille's arm with the other. "You won't get to them again."

Camille looked down at his claws and just smiled. "Oh, you would be surprised. I'm not scared of you, Jrasic, you can't do anything to me."

"That puts us at a standstill then, doesn't it?" He tried to push her away as he released her arm but simply didn't have the strength to do so.

With a small sigh, Camille tossed the tool carelessly behind her. She spun away and ran her hand along a whip as she went. "I think you'll be surprised, Jrasic. I know what hurts a wolf. I know what hurts them to the breaking point."

"And that's what you want to do?" His grip on his stomach slackened though he still managed to keep his focus on her. "Break me?"

"Oh, yes," Camille said as she faced him again. "You left us, Jrasic. Abandoned your brother. And now, you make the Alpha-bitch cash in our deal against you."

"I didn't abandon him," Jrasic said. "Aaron didn't need me. He never really did."

"We all needed you!" Camille snapped. "You don't know, Jrasic! You don't know!" She slammed her hand onto a table and sent it rattling.

Jrasic was quiet a while and his gaze finally wandered from her. "It didn't seem that way when Aaron first looked for me," he said at last. "Or all the times you both visited this place. Even when Terra was here."

Camille sucked in a slow breath and her fingers closed over the hilt of a blade. She stepped back to him slowly, the blade still holding dried blood and the scent of wolfsbane. "You hurt him by leaving. Everything that happened to us...you weren't there, Jrasic." She pointed the blade out at him, her hand shaking, but not in fear. "Now, we can hurt you back."

"Go on then," he said. His tired gaze found her again and he motioned with a hand. "Hurt me. Break me, Cami."

She pressed the blade against his neck and drew it down to his collarbone. "You don't get to call me that," she whispered and let the tip of the blade break his skin.

Jrasic sucked in a breath but forced himself to hold her gaze. "No? Does that bother you?" A harsh smile pricked one corner of his lips. "I always thought you were the strong one, Cami. I didn't realize how easy it would be to break you."

The assassin wolf let out a low growl and drew the blade down further. "You stupid wolf. Your pup sided with the Hunters. You might think you know what they can do, but you have no idea."

"She's never done anything to them," Jrasic said and ignored the burn of fresh wolfsbane. "They'll help her and then they'll take down this pack. And yours, too."

Camille let out a short laugh and swiped the blade down his chest before she drew back. "We can let that poison set," she whispered. "See how you do overnight."

Jrasic growled but it ended up cutting short as he winced instead. His blood oozed from the shallow wound and further stained the already torn shirt he wore. As a feeble hand come to his chest, he stared Camille down, unable to form anymore words.

Camille lifted the blade up before her, blood dripping down towards the hilt. She smiled and slid her tongue along it. She put the blade down, just out of his reach. "See you later, Jrasic. Looking forward to it." The wolf gave him a little wave and sauntered away.

Is it painful yet? Sadly, it only gets worse for Jrasic, but what's a good story without a little pain?

As always, thanks for reading Moonlit. We're drawing ever closer to the final battle! Who knows what could go wrong.

-Samantha and Runaja