Taken
The dog growled as I felt an arm wrap around my waist. Whoever had grabbed me, jumped into the air, getting a different kind of lift than flying. I squirmed, expecting to see Jack, considering the lack of warmth.
Leo held me as he used the wall to propel himself forward, jumping from tree to tree, away from the town.
"Leo, stop" I demanded.
He ignored me, moving farther and farther into the darkened woods. His arms were completely engulfed in shadow. He was so close to becoming like Mother.
"Leo. Please stop" I begged "Don't give up your humanity like this."
A minute passed of me pleading and clawing at his arms. Then he stopped, landing on a beach of what I guessed was Lake Sakakawea.
He pinned me against a tree near the shore, the shadows pouring from his arms to form a wall. He leaned in to kiss me and I turned my face away. I heard wood snapping on either side of me. He was pissed of.
"Why?!" he yelled "Why isn't it me?!"
"Leo, you need to calm down" I pleaded.
"Tell me!" he screamed.
"Nathan...he understands me on a deeper level than you ever tried to." I stated tensely "I had a crush on you, but what I liked in you, was just the mask you hid behind in school. Besides that, you never saw past my appearance."
"Kim. I've been in love with you since I first saw you in the 5th grade. The only reason I put on that shitty act was so that you would notice me. And, you did. You put on your own act of not caring, but I felt it every time you looked at me. Just admit it, you loved me than and you still love me now."
His right hand pulled away from the tree, but the shadow wall stayed in place. His darkened fingers grazed my chin, and, when I didn't say anything, he tightened to hold my face, forcing him to face me with the back of my head pressed against the tree.
He leaned in and kissed me forcefully, trying to worm his tongue past my sealed lips. I pushed, but he stayed firm, his shadow starting to crawl up my arms. I panicked, feeling the darkness begin to infect me. He was trying to make me part of him, where I would be just like the puppet that Mother had made us into. Ice exploded from my hands, sending him flying back into the water.
"Leo!" I screamed, running toward the water.
I stopped when the water around my feet froze. I may not have liked the way he was acting, but I didn't want him to freeze to death. To die because I lost control. Arms wrapped back around me and slammed back into the trees, the shadow binding me to a tree. Leo stepped out of the water, shadow covering all but his neck and head.
"Leo, please, don't do this" I cried.
"You belong to me" he said as he reached me.
His hand reached out and his fingers tightened around my throat. I tried to scream and fight him, but his shadow had me pinned and my longs couldn't get any air.
Ice fell from my eyes as I felt my strength fading. The edge of my vision blurred.
I stilled, preparing to accept my fate, when his hand was suddenly gone. I took air greedily as the shadow that had bound me disappeared. I fell to my knees, and immediately felt burn arms wrap around me.
"Kim!" Nathan's voice echoed in my ears, but all the strength was gone from my body. Unable to move, to speak, to do anything. He set me against the tree and I saw Leo a couple yards away, now completely engulfed in shadow. My ice dog stood between him and us.
"You bastard!" I heard Nathan yell.
He ran to stand next to the dog, both of them prepared to fight. I wanted to do something, to tell them not to fight, or to get between them myself, but my body barely even twitched.
Leo ran at them, being slammed back my Nathan's magma. He had completely lost his humanity, the mind that would logically know to plan, rather than run straight into the stronger threat. The dog launched at Leo, taking a chunk out of his left arm..
Ice fell at a constant flow as I worked each muscle in hope of moving.
Again, Leo launched himself, and Nathan side stepped, grabbing his arm, spun him, and threw him back against the tree. The dog snapped at Leo's leg, making him fall to his knees. Darkness oozed from the wound as his body tried to heal. A snap at his waist took another chunk, and a ball of magma was thrown, hitting the wound directly.
"No!" I cried, barely above a whisper.
Leo's good leg launched him at Nathan, but his bod stilled as me made contact. The shadow poured down his body like water, returning him to normal Leo. Nathan stepped back, and Leo fell to the ground, but not before I saw the hole in his chest.
The dog came to my side and licked my cheek. Nathan stepped in front of me and crouched.
"I'm sorry Kim. I didn't have choice" he said, looking like he was barely held together. Killing someone had probably never even passed his mind. Not with his pure heart.
"I know..." I rasped "I just...wish things could have been, I don't know...different?"
the cold inside of my stopped my tears, but I couldn't stop my hands from shaking.
Leo's body began fading, blowing away slowly with every blowing wind. Ice froze the grass around me, and I tried willing it to reach Leo, but my emotions were too jumbled to do anything that called for precision.
"Don't look" Nathan said as he grabbed my hands, ignoring my cold, forcing me to turn and pressing my face to his chest.
"Nathan" I squirmed.
"Kim" he whispered "I know that I should probably regret my choices, since this is pretty much all my fault. I mean, if I'd never told you how I felt, or pushed you to let me past your walls, you probably would have ended up with Leo, and none of this would have happened. But, I'm sorry, if I were given the choice again, I would still have done the same thing."
My fingers froze through what remained of Nathan's shirt as a gust of wind took away the last pieces of Leo.
I let Nathan's warmth surround me, and felt my body shut down.
I didn't know exactly what had happened, but I was suddenly in a large field, coated in thick fog. I stood alone, looking around in confusion. Then she appeared. Mother. Only, she looked human now. Pale with almost black eyes, long black hair, and a torn up dress. She started back at me and spoke to my mind.
'My-No, Kim. You've lost a lot." she smiled sympathetically. 'I lost a lot too. My family was killed because the people thought they'd intentionally created a demon. I had no sibling, but, if I did, I'm sure they would be just like us. The church raised me, though I think of it more as torture. Baptizing me over and over again, burning crosses into my flesh. As soon as I could, I ran away. However, anywhere I went, I was alone. I was feared by everyone who saw me. My first kitten, like your dog was my friend. Giving me a reason to live. But they took my friend away, just like your friend was just taken from you. What will you do now? That hole you're feeling will never go away. That man claims to love you, but he killed you friend. Can you really accept his actions?'
"Nathan did that to protect me" I argued "Leo was about to kill me."
'He wouldn't have if you'd accepted him, giving up the man who burns your skin with his magma. Didn't you feel for your shadowed friend? Was he not important enough to you?'
"Leo was my friend and I did have feelings for him, but I didn't love him."
'And you love the magma man?'
I paused, my mind taking in what she had suggested. Did I love Nathan? I felt intense emotions for him but I didn't know what it even meant to love someone. I just knew I couldn't stand to live in a world without him.
"Yes" I declared "I love Nathan."
'I see' she looked away. 'You'll have to be more careful, then. Protect him or you'll end up like me.'
The fog filled the field, blinding me, as my eyes opened. Slowly at first, then becoming fully alert. I could feel the wind in my face as the dog beneath me ran, with Nathan sitting behind me, keeping his temperature in check so as not to melt the ice.
"Kim" Nathan asked.
"Huh? Where are we?" I rubbed at my eyes.
"We're about 20 miles or so from the Appalachians. Spear here made great time, though I was a little worried since you've been sleeping for 2 days."
"S-spear?" I glanced over my shoulder at him.
"The dog. He moves far and fast, like a spear. Of course, you can change that name if you don't like it."
"No" I smiled at him "I love it."
"We'll be home soon" I felt him smile behind me.
I wondered if that place could really be home. But I wanted to be hopeful.
As Spear ran I explained everything that had happened in the time since I had left the community. Nathan hadn't been happy to hear how close Jack had been pushing to get, but he didn't say it out loud. When the community was back into view, Spear somehow knew exactly which house to go to. Of course, everyone gasped and backed away when they saw the massive ice wolf. Some even ran away, probably to tell Erin.
Nathan slid off of Spears back then helped me off. I hate to admit that I wobbled a little. Sleeping for 2 days then waking up on the back of an ice wolf hadn't been easy on my hands. Then I turned to face him, knowing my anxiety was clear on my face.
"That company that Jack works for may come after us" I stated.
"Why?" he asked, his body getting closer to mine.
"Between my power and the power that transferred to you when Leo died, They'll either want us as allies or kill us so we don't become enemies."
"Well, if they do come for us, I'll protect you" He smiled.
I turned to face him, his hands never completely leaving my skin.
I wrapped my arms around his neck, feeling only slightly hesitant as I said "I love you."
He leaned into a forceful kiss, earning gasps from everyone around who was still around us. I would have to talk to him about that later, but, for now, I would enjoy his love for me.