Not A Mate

Aftermath

  I sit in the uncomfortable chair watching the unmoving body on the plain bed. I look over the room, really look it over for the first time since the young man was brought here. It was plain, and very sparse, the walls and floor were concrete. I imagine that is to make it easier to clean down if there is a lot of blood. The bed that Drake is laying on is metal with a firm mattress in case any of the people using the room have an injury it's best to not move the prisoners normally kept here. They hadn't removed the dog bed they had brought in for Shadow as yet, which seems silly to me seeing as how he won't be shifting till that silver wound is fully healed. They had a simple metal table with two chairs, the guards were discussing bringing in a radio or television for him to use while he healed. The vampires who know what blessed steel feels like are feeling a little sorry for the guy and know he'll be not getting off the bed without major assistance for at least one week.

There is a covered dish on the table, and I hope he wakes soon so I can feed it to him. I fell kinda bad since it was indirectly my fault that he got hurt. I see his hand twitch and I grab the dish taking the cover off, a hearty beef stew with some grains in it and lots of vegetables. The chef, yes this prison has an official chef; seeing as how supers generally have special food needs it's just easier. The chef had called Mr Lee for some advise in feeding a wolf while convalescing from a silver injury.

I see Drake slowly stir and I could tell he was in a great deal of pain and before he can try to sit up I gently place my hand on his forehead and say. "Don't move, that is a silver knife wound," his eyes fly open and he looks at me with a hurt expression. "S-she stabbed me? With a silver knife?" I nod my head slowly and I see his face turn horrified, "why; why would she do that?" I go to answer and he keeps going and I see him get animated so I set the food down and hold him still at the shoulders. Seamus send someone in with something for him to drink please he's not taking this well. "How could she even do that by accident?" He almost screams and I apply a little more pressure, "lie still Drake. Dr Peter, Jake's grandfather stitched you up. The knife thankfully missed your heart, but only just barely. As I have been trying to explain to you for the last few months, only wolf shifters feel like they do about their Mates. The other shifters it's just a genetic compatibility, sometimes those people mesh well together sometimes they do not."

Drake looks shocked and I hear the door open and Seamus himself walks in with a large amber colored bottle and three glasses and pulls the other chair over as well as the table. Then he places the bottle and glasses on it and sets drake's food back on the table near me so I can feed him. He then pours a decent sized amount in the glass of a clear liquid and passes it to me. I smell peaches, and Seamus slowly adjust the back of the bed so that Drake is elevated and sits down pouring himself and me a glass full. I hand Drake the glass and say, "Lift your arm slowly. You do not want to rip those stitches, take a drink; you need to calm down."

Drake gives me an incredulous look, and painfully slow he lifts his arm to take a decent drink from the glass. Seamus takes a drink and speaks, "home made peach schnapps; I have my own still out back. Mary picks me up a few bushels every year and I gift my friends a bottle for the gift giving season." Drake pauses and looks uncertain due to Seamus' friendly behavior. The cursed chuckles, "I don't dislike you boy. I want to help you, and right now you need a drinking buddy. I suggest you eat that food Nancy has, or the guards might come in and force feed you." Drake shudders, since it really wouldn't be a forced feeding, the vampires would just use their charming powers to get him to eat and no one like the way that feels. In between bites, even injured wold shifters eat like they are in starving mode; Drake asks. "How do I deal with this? I have no idea what to do." Seamus nods and waves at the one way glass, "well I have something for you to watch. It might help you decide or not, oh and the guards are going to leave the TV in here after so you have something to do while stuck in that bed." Drake nods and Seamus pours him another then gives me a look so I sip it. It was really nicely flavored, you can tell it is peach; with no alcohol kick to it. Though I imagine a human couldn't drink a water glass of it and stand. I smile, "nicely made Seamus;" he smiles back. I'm pretty sure I'll be getting at least a bottle of this.

The guards come in with a wheeled cart with a TV on it and they place it near a wall where they can connect some cables to it. The guards give Drake a sad look as they leave handing Seamus the remote. Seamus waits till Drake finishes his stew and I take it, then he turns it on to the recorded video of Drakes stabbing. Drake watches it in silence.

As it progresses I see his face slowly go white, and when Seamus turns it off then lays the remote on the table within Drake's reach. Seamus then just sits back in his chair and waits. I see Drake gripping the glass tightly, very glad the prison uses tempered glass for all of it's dishes. "She didn't even look horrified," Seamus nods then picks up the remote again and turns the TV on once more this time it's of a cell that June is currently in. The time stamp showing that it is an hour before Drake woke up.

In it June wakes up and gets an angry look on her face when she sees she is in a cell and starts pounding on the walls demanding to be let out. Screaming that it isn't right she got locked up for defending herself. Seamus turns off the TV again and Drake just stares at it, he lifts the glass as if to throw it at the wall and then thinks better of it and slowly lowers it to the table. I see a mixture of emotions cross over his face as if he were having an inner dialogue. Seamus says, "well what does he think boy?"

Drake turns to Seamus, "he thinks that woman is no Mate of ours. She wasn't even upset that she hurt us. There is something wrong with her," Seamus nods his head and pours Drake another glass. Drake sips this one and I see his fighting back tears, "how can someone deal with this?" He turns to Seamus, "how do I handle this? Do you even know what to tell me in this case?"

Seamus sighs and speaks slowly, "boy; I'm pretty old. I came to this country in the 1800's, I was the last of the wolf shifters of the British Isles. Of the wolf breed from there. I had to watch my family and friends slowly get hunted into extinction. Then I heard about Lobo and I emigrated to here, so I have seen my share of sadness to share." Drake nods and asks, "but have you found your Mate?" Seamus nods his head and Drake asks, "what did you do when you did?" Seamus sits back and appears to be thinking before he answers.

"I didn't do anything, me and my Mate are from vastly different species; and I only discovered them after I became cursed. If my Mate chooses to acknowledge that at some point I will be very happy, but I cannot expect them to fall at my feet in love. That isn't how real love works, real love takes some work to happen."

Drake thinks on what Seamus says and is about to answer when we all hear a loud bang followed by a voice shouting. "BLACKSTONE YOU GLUED TOGETHER PILE OF PEBBLES YOU HAD BETTER EXPLAIN WHY MY SOON TO BE DAUGHTER HAS A SILVER KNIFE WOUND." I see Seamus wince from the tone Mrs Smaten was using, "and there's Mary." He looks to me, "you might want to go attempt to get in her path or she might attempt to do what she suggested he is." I nod my head and I pat Drake's arm and rush out of the room to head off a very angry momma raccoon.