Crazy

Chapter Eight: Control

Nikoli's POV

"Peter Hale?" I repeated, raising my eyebrow. "Hale, as in Derek Hale?" I ignored the stab of pain in my chest when I said his name. "I assume they're related, yes." Liz said, brushing a piece of her beautiful hair from her face with her scarred hand. "You haven't got gloves on." I noticed softly. She looked surprised and glanced down at her hands. "I haven't."

"Why not?"

"I don't know, I guess I just... well, I guess I just forgot." She sighed. "I keep forgetting things lately." I inclined my head. "Like what?" She have me a 'Look' that all women seemed to be equipped with- but it only seemed to work on men. "Like Stiles."

"Stiles?" I repeated. "What about him?"

"I've been here before. I don't know how I didn't remember when Elijah told us the name, but I have. And I remember very distinctly- Noah Stilinski. And his wife, Claudia Stilinski. And their little son-"

"Stiles Stilinski." I filled in. "Yeah. But I remember thinking it was weird- because in Poland, when surnames end with 'ski' then the male's surname ends with 'ski'. The female's end's in 'ska'. Claudia Stilinski should have been Claudia Stilinska." I frowned. "What else have you been forgetting?"

"Little things- my house keys, where I put them. Elijah's surname. I knew it, of course I did. Even back then, I knew everything about the people I interacted with. Their surnames, their family, their personality, their reputation. Anything and Everything." My frown deepened. "Well, you're an old vampire. It's fine that you're forgetting some things." She shook her head. "No, Nikoli, it's more than that. I can feel it. I've had insomnia lately."

"You slept just fine next to me."

"I know, but that's the first good sleep I've had in weeks." I swallowed. "Anything else unusual?" Liz nodded and pulled her sleeve back from her arm- there was black lines running over her skin. "Right." I stood up, pulling her with me. "What?" She asked. "Do you know what it is?"

"I know more than that." I said grimly. "I know that it'll kill you."

Derek's POV

I don't know why. But I'd let my legs take me wherever they wanted to, and I'd ended up at the animal clinic. I suppose my subconscious mind wanted help. I sighed and walked in, the bell ringing. "Deaton?" I called. "Are you here?" His head appeared, and he smiled at me. "Come in, Derek." I walked over to where he was. "What can I help you with?" He asked kindly. "I've found my mate." I blurted out. "What?" He asked. "Why do you look so surprised?" I asked. "Because I didn't think that you would have a mate. I thought it was-"

"Paige. Yes. I know." Deaton motioned for me to sit down, and I did so gladly. "What's her name?"

"Elizabeth. Lizbeth. Her boyfriend calls her Liz."

"Boyfriend?" Deaton inquired. I nodded. "That's not good. I don't recon you're feeling too well right now, are you Derek?" I shook my head. It felt like there was  a pit in my stomach. "How did you know?" 

"It's a classic symptom. When one finds their mate, their basic instinct is to stay with them. No nurture and love them. When- if- they find out that they already have someone doing that, then it's allegedly going against their primal instincts. They're in pain for as long as they can't... well, for as long as they're going against that instinct." I groaned. "And so I..."

"No, Derek, this wont stop until this happens." I put my hands to my head, and suddenly Deaton jerked my sleeve down. "What?" I asked. He looked closely at the black marks spanning my arm. "What are these?" He asked. "I don't know." I said, alarmed. "They weren't there before." He looked up. "Were they there before you met Lizbeth?" I shook my head. "Have you experienced any memory loss, fatigue, or insomnia lately?"

"No. Why?" I asked, shaking my head. "And they definitely weren't here before you met your mate?" I shook my head again. "Why? Deaton, what's going on?" He sighed. "I'm sure you're aware that when your mate is in pain, it's a general rule that you're in pain too?" I nodded. "Well, it's also true that when your mate is poisoned, you see the effects on their mate- despite not being poisoned or having the symptoms." I stood, alarmed. "So you think that Lizbeth's been poisoned?" A kind of irrational fear filled me- alongside the feeling, no, the need, to protect and keep safe. "No." Deaton said grimly, shaking his head. "Derek, I know she's poisoned."

Lizbeth's POV

Poisoned. Great. And now I sat in the back of the car, waiting for Nikoli as he called someone. He probably explained it, but I didn't exactly care and the by-product of that is that I wasn't listening. But I could see him, and he wasn't writhing around on the floor in pain and so I figured that he was okay. Left in solitude, I had nothing to do- and so my mind, my bloody treacherous mind, decided to wander back to Derek and Nikoli. Of course. Derek was my mate, we've established that, but aside from that I felt no great need to be with him. But I had a feeling that that might have something to do with the fact that I'm pretty sure- scarp that, I'm more than sure- that I'm in love with Nikoli. Gods. I'm never admitting that to his face. Can you imagine the humiliation? No. That is so not happening. Not ever. Not in a million years. I'd sooner stab out my own eye with a fork and eat it than admit that. I shuddered, closing my eyes. My phone beeped, and I pulled it out. Gods, it's Damon again.

Damon: Lizbeth, I need your help.

Hello there!

Now, before anyone panics I thought I might just add in that our friend Lizbeth does not end up with Derek. I repeat, she does not end up with Derek. If you want me to say that a third time, then tough luck. Just read the second time again. As always, if you would be so kind as to let me know if there are any spelling mistakes, and vote and comment. Have an amazing morning/afternoon/evening wherever in the world you are, and a Happy New Year!

-cody

Word Count: 1080