Of Wolf & Man

Chapter Five

Walking across the hot sand Liam spotted him. His boss. His leader. Jonathan.
How was he going to explain Rachel's sudden disappearance? His steps although steady and slow kept closing the gap between them faster than he anticipated, and he saw the expression on Jonathan's face.
Jonathan stood with his arms crossed over his broad chest. Being over 6 feet tall Jonathan was huge; his muscles in his arms and shoulders bulged and make him look as though he could kill a man with his bare hands. His legs were full of muscle as well and looked as if he'd be a slow runner but that wasn't the case. In wolf and human form Jonathan was lightning fast.
They looked like wannabe bodybuilders and were the same height, but Jonathan was still larger than Liam. He had light blonde hair that looked white in the sun and dark black eyes that made his scowl even more menacing. His teeth were pointed as with all supernatural beings and Liam was careful to stay far away from them. His final steps left a foot of sand between them when Jonathan finally spoke.
"Where is the girl Liam?" His deep bass voice made Liam flinch after listening to Rachel's soprano. The voice of a weak bird that needed his help. Liam tried to play it off and looked around him and said, "What girl?" Jonathan's expression went from irritation to anger and Liam decided it wasn't the best idea. No jokes. Keep a poker face.
"Don't play games with me Liam! I know you saved the girl from Roman."
Jonathan's voice boomed and made Liam flinch again. Liam took a deep breath and looked out at the ocean and said, "She escaped from me. Ran into the woods when I changed forms and I chased after her, but her scent went cold."
Liam turned his head toward the wooded area down the beach where he pulled Rachel away after she had fainted. The memory was all too clear in his head, but it wasn't something he was willing to share with Jonathan. "How did you lose the girl Liam? You're the best tracker in the pack!" Jonathan was shaking with fury now. "How am I going to explain this to Helene? Roman came with their final warning Liam. If we don't hand over the girl they're going to use force."
"We can't! I'll fight to the death to keep Rachel safe Jonathan! The Russian coven won't have her. They've already taken her parents. If we could just change her it could save her..." Liam's voice broke off at the last words he spoke.
"We will not! She has vampire blood in her body. Not enough to make her one of them but enough to kill her if we were to infect her with the lycovirus! Your methods are too radical Liam. We promised Helene we'd protect her not sentence the girl to death!" Jonathan's arm came up and Liam flinched backwards.
"You don't know for sure that it'll kill her Jonathan. The lycovirus could make her stronger than the blood did. It could turn her into a werewolf hybrid. Think of the power she'll have. If her blood bonds with the lycovirus it will make her stronger than any other werewolf in history. She'd also be immune to vampire bites." Liam's voice sounded stronger as he told
Jonathan his theory of what Rachel could be.
"These are all theories! Theories that have been tested throughout our history and every time the result is the same. Death to the werewolf involved. You're hiding something from me Liam. Did you bite the girl?" Jonathan's voice was full of suspicion as he glared at Liam.
Using all his strength Liam forced himself to keep eye contact with Jonathan.
"I didn't touch her. While Xavier and Russell were fighting with Roman she ran off and I phased to get her to come back but she was gone." Liam kept his voice as even as he could.
Jonathan started to get suspicious. "Xavier and Russell told me you got too close to the girl and Roman took a swipe at you before they attacked him. You put yourself in extreme danger Liam. He could have bit you, and where would you be now? You'd be in the ground. Use your damn head. This pack is small enough without you endangering your life and the lives of your brothers. We come first." Jonathan's voice echoed with the truth of the situation, but Liam didn't want to hear it.
"She needed me Jonathan! My priority is keeping Rachel safe. I will die to keep her alive!" Liam's emotions came over him and his eyes dropped to the sand at his feet.
"You have interfered Liam! Your orders were to take down Roman and now I have to tell Helene you've lost the girl. Russell's been injured and Roman escaped because of you!"
"I didn't know he escaped Jonathan..." Liam's voice broke and worry filled his features. "I didn't catch his scent when I was searching for hers."
"Remember your mission Liam. You are Rachel's protector and nothing else. If you keep letting your emotions cloud your judgment, if she is harmed you will lose your life."
Jonathan closed his eyes and sighed. "Find the girl. When you do, bring her to Salem. Helene is expecting you both. Do not stray from your mission Liam."
Before Liam could say anything, else Jonathan walked away from him. Liam started to worry. Not about his own safety but Rachel's. He'd lied to Jonathan and put his pack in danger with the coven of vampires that have been hunting her since she was a child. He felt the urge to take Rachel and run but he knew that he'd be hunted not only by vampires but by werewolves as well. The vampires could kill him easily and the werewolves that were his brothers of sorts knew him better than anyone.
Liam sighed and walked back down the beach to his cabin. He prayed that Rachel was still there. He also hoped she wouldn't ask what happened to her arm. Liam didn't want to have to explain to Rachel how he accidentally scratched her while trying to avoid Roman's attacks. If Rachel found out, he was a werewolf she would definitely run away. If Helene found out about the scratches on her niece's arm she'd have the pack rip him to shreds.
Liam wasn't ready for his life to end. He was too worried about protecting Rachel from Roman and his coven. Not to mention that Roman's coven is responsible for her parent's murders and for the vampire blood that flows through her veins and is in her body.
He wasn't even sure that his method for saving her life would work. The thought of her lifeless body in his arms haunted him on a regular basis. The risk of infecting her with the lycovirus and her staying alive was slim but he felt in his heart that it would work. She could be the strongest werewolf in existence. Even the elders didn't know of the power that she could have. Nobody in history has ever succeeded in bonding the lycovirus with vampire blood or their venom.
Every thought made Liam cringe and his heart hurt. His love for Rachel was so strong that he'd do anything to keep her safe. The thought of her dying ripped him apart inside.
He was getting closer to the beach house and seeing Rachel would make his heart swell and at the same time he was worried what she'd say to him about her arm. He didn't want to tell her that he was the wolf she saw hours ago. The one she thinks killed her friends...
Liam reached the door and slowly unlocked it. His heart was pounding when he turned the knob and opened the door. The house seemed deathly quiet. Not a good sign at all...
"Rachel? Rachel, are you still here?" No answer.
Liam ran down the hall to the bedroom. Empty. Running back down the hall Liam turned and saw Rachel's body on the kitchen floor with a small pool of blood by her right arm.
Worry surged through Liam's body and he rushed to Rachel's side. He put his fingers on her throat to check for a pulse but there was no need. Rachel was breathing. He picked her up and moved her to the bed and took off her bandages. The wounds were still deep, and he knew that it'd be impossible to sew them shut with how wide they were. Liam grabbed the bowl of bandages off the bedside table and went into the bathroom.
The bathroom was small and had cupboards behind the door. Liam opened a cupboard and pulled out gauze and a dark green bottle of some unknown liquid. He turned back to the sink and filled the bowl with hot water and went back to the bedroom to tend to Rachel's arm. He soaked the gauze with water and wiped the gashes. Rachel winced in her sleep and tried to pull her arm away from him. He restrained her and kept wiping. He knew it hurt her, but they needed to be cleaned. After the blood stopped flowing Liam put the liquid on her arm and Rachel started to thrash in her sleep. It was hard to keep her restrained without touching her arm.
After about five minutes Rachel calmed down and Liam felt exhausted. He was finally able to put new bandages on her arm. With a sigh Liam leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes. There was so much to process he didn't know what he was going to do or say to her when she woke up. His head was throbbing, and his eyes hurt. Liam's eyes opened, and he took in Rachel's sleeping form, she looked so peaceful. There were so many parts of her life she had no clue about. To be damned and left in the dark. Liam put his head into his hands and closed his eyes.