Winter's Immortal (CWAC Book One)

Chapter 14: Getting Warm

Bucky thrashes against his bonds, a fire cursing through his veins, he groans and growls as Marius watches, arms crossed over his chest, a finger on his chin which he taps, counting.

"You can fight it all you want, Barnes.....but it is now part of who you are.....and tonight...." Marius smirks. "Tonight is a full moon.....there will be no escaping it" Marius walks away. "Oh you will learn to love it"

"No, don't do this...." Bucky yells after him before screaming in pain, an inhuman roar leaving his lips as he strains against his bonds.

.........................

Selene shudders where she stands, her arms wrapped around herself, Steve changes the tire on the car behind her as Natasha watches her oldest friend, such a mortal thing, changing the tires on a car, Selene could go on alone and on foot, but she knows how much this means to the others. Something has changed, she thinks looking up at the moon, full, shining, gleaming, but there is something else on the air.

"Selene?" Steve asks standing. "Ready to go?" she glances around, her eyes glowing blue as she searches the distance, the road empty save them, no cars, no buildings, just emptiness....but still she feels something. She turns and walks back to the car. Natasha raises an eyebrow at the vampire, who had actually been rather quiet since she'd met up with them. Selene had slept at all, kept awake with worry, she should never have gotten involved with these humans and not....she should have not have gotten attached to Bucky. Selene climbs into the back of the car. Natasha looks to Steve who gives her a small smile. "She's pretty attached, right?"

"SHE can hear you" Selene answers, Steve blushes and looks away. Natasha smirks and squeezes his hand.

"Come on" she nods to the car, the pair climbing in. Selene stares out the window, catching movement.

"How far are we from the next lead?" she asks without looking away. Natasha grabs the map from the dashboard. Steve watches Selene in the rear view mirror.

"Selene?" he asks.

"We're being watched" she whispers. Steve goes to look out the window. "Don't" Selene hisses. "It's not anything human...." Steve glances to the rear view mirror.

"Guessing it's not one of yours" Selene shoots him a look.

"No" she answers. "Just...drive...but don't make it look like your running" Steve nods and starts the car. "If they were going to do something...they would have when we were stranded" Natasha nods in agreement. "They're waiting for something" Selene whispers more to herself then to them, her mind working on a reason, lycan's don't normally let the opportunity to kill a vampire go. Steve drives them away.

..............

Bucky's felt pain in his life, he remembers the pain of them sawing at his arm, the pain of them welding the metal onto his shoulder, the pain of losing his memories, but somehow this, the fire cursing through his veins, his bones aching, moving and shifting under his skin, his gums and teeth are aching and his skin itches. He's not stupid, he can guess, he can guess what they've done to him, activated in him, another beast for him to try and control. He growls and screams as more shudders rack his body, something snaps and he throws his head back and actually lets loose a howl.

...............

Selena shudders again and pulls her coat tighter around herself. Natasha looks back to her.

"Are you cold?" she asks concerned.

"No" Selene answers looking out the window. "How far?"

"An hour" Natasha answers.

"If you let me drive...." Selene mumbles.

"We don't want to die" Natasha responds with a small smirk.

"We're more likely to die with grandma America here" Selene nods to Steve. "Driving"

"Hey" Steve whines. "I'm sticking to the speed limits"

"What exactly did you fall for, Spider?" Selene teases, Natasha smirks at the vampire.

"Sometimes I wonder myself" Natasha teases back, Steve shoots her a look. "I'm joking" she squeezes Steve's arm. Selene watches them sadly before looking back out the window. Natasha looks back at her friend before giving Steve a look. Steve takes her hand and squeezes.

....................

"Here" Steve pulls over the car as Natasha instructs him. "All right....the intercepted text came from here...."

"It's a trap" Selene states shooting them both a look.

"What?" Steve asks. "How can you be so sure.....?" he draws off as the car is surrounded by lycans. "It's a trap....Oh God, I'd forgotten how big they are" Selene sweeps her coat aside and pulls her pistols from her thighs.

"Stay in the car" Selene states kicking the door open.

"Selene..." Natasha hisses but the vampire is already gone.

.................

Steve jumps as the driver's side door is ripped from it's frame, Selene grabs his arm and pulls him out.

"We have to be quick" she hisses at him, she's covered in blood, her eyes glowing blue. She shoves a gun at him and holds the other out for Natasha as she joins them. "It's a full moon, so they are going to be faster, stronger....you have to be ready to kill" she tells Steve. "Tonight...they are as far from human as they can get" Steve takes the gun and nods. Natasha takes the other, Selene grabs two daggers from under the back of her coat.

"What is this place?" Steve asks.

"An old Antigen facility" Selene answers. "This is where Hydra used to hold me...." she looks up at Steve.

"Antigen?" Steve frowns. "I've head of them....."

"They are....were a biotech pharmaceutical company employed by world governments to contain and experiment on Vampires and Lycans after they'd been captured" Selene tells him.

"Oh....Sorry" Selene shrugs and spins her blades.

"Lets go" she walks away. Steve and Natasha share a look before following.