Winter's Immortal (CWAC Book One)

Chapter 15: Colder

Selene pulls her blade from the brain of a Lycan and wipes it on her trousers before turning and sniffing, Natasha takes a spare clip from the back of Selene's suit and snaps it into her gun. Steve looks a little green.

"They're....they're..." Selene looks to him.

"Animals?" she asks, he nods.

"I thought they would be like the others..."

"Not during a full moon" she tells him before spinning her dagger. "I did warn you"

"You did..." Steve nods. "Are we any closer?" he asks.

"I don't know" Selene tells him. "All I can smell is wet dog" she grumbles. "Lets just go deeper, if he's here, he's not going to be near the entrance...." Steve nods.

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

Selene sets her foot on the chest of a lycan and shoots it in the head before stepping through a room divider, she pauses and sniffs.

"He was here....." She whispers moving to the medical bed set upright in the centre of the room, she sniffs again. "No...no....no, no, NO!!!" she kicks the side table away from her.

"Selene?" Natasha asks behind her.

"He was here" Selene tells her. "He was here" she touches the medical bed. "He was here...today....they must have known we were coming" Selene sighs and walks past Natasha, Natasha grabs her arm.

"Babushka....."

"I hate you for dragging me into this" Selene tells her, Natasha sighs.

"You could have said no...I didn't force this on you" Natasha follows Selene as she leaves the room and walks down the corridor.

"You knew how I felt about humans....."

"Well...they're not exactly human....."

"No...He's not anymore" Natasha frowns at the back of Selene's head.

"What?" Selene looks to her.

"Bucky is no longer human....." Selene stalks to Natasha. "What I smelt in there.....they changed him....they've done something to him....he's one of them now" Natasha stares a her.

"So....what now?"

"We find him" Selene tells her. "He's going to need you and Steve to get through this" she walks away passing Steve who frowns at Natasha.

"Through what?" he asks, Natasha places her hand on his chest as she reaches him.

"Steve...."

"Through what, Natasha?" he asks again, Natasha looks down and sighs.

"He's....one of them....they've changed him" she tells him, Steve looks away and hugs Natasha.

"What do we do?" he asks her as Selene stands away from them, she looks over a desk of papers, Steve looks to her. "Selene....what do we do?"

"We keep looking" she tells him. "We will find him" she tells him before she walks away.

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

Marius paces in front of the cell they've got Bucky locked away in.

"Keep him sedated...if he is to change now it will tear his arm apart" he states to the scientist at his side. Bucky lets out a pained howl. "And get working on some way of working with that....some sort of expansion to match his change in body" Marius looks to him. "Did she fall for it?"

"They've just left" the scientist answers. "You knew she'd find you there?"

"Selene has always been predictable...." Marius crouches to looks at Bucky who glares back at him. "Do we know where the other elders are?"

"David was spotted getting on a plane heading to Paris....we have a team awaiting for him....and Lena...she's proving difficult to track"

"Take down the elders and the rest will follow....." Marius smirks at Bucky. "I'm going to have fun destroying that death dealer....I'll tear her spine from her body....and watch the life drain from her eyes....and it will be glorious......the end of the vampire race.....once and for all....and it all starts with her....well it ends with her" Bucky lunges at the cell bars, Marius laughs and stands before walking away.

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

"Selene?" Steve walks towards her as she pulls on her jacket. "Is there a cure?" he asks, she looks to him.

"No" she tells him. "There is no cure.......I'm sorry" Steve sighs and sits on the armchair by her.

"What do I do?"

"He'll need you, again...." she touches his shoulder. "Full moons.....he'll be unable to control himself..."

"He'll be like those.....beasts...the ones we saw tonight?" she nods.

"Yes....I'm sorry" Steve nods, Selene crouches and touches his arm. "Steve...he will still be your Bucky.....just wilder.....and sometimes he may bark at the postman" Steve laughs and looks to her. "That was a joke....a very bad werewolf joke" he pats her hand.

"I know...."

"I have some books..." she tells him. "On lycanthropy....you can have them....they may help" he nods.

"Thank you" she stands.

"I'll be back at nightfall....try and get some sleep...."

"It's difficult...during the day...and worrying"

"I know...but you are no good to Bucky if you are burnt out" she tells him walking away. "I'll tell Natasha"

"I'll sleep" Steve tells her, they share a smirk as she leaves, Steve slumping into his seat with a sigh.