Naked in midwinter magic,
lies an angel in the snow.
The frozen figure is crossed by tracks of wolves,
an encounter symbolic, yet truthful.
With a hungry choir of wolves,
an agreement immemorial to be born.
'Why?', Emily asked again, once the wolves grabbed the chairs and brought them to sut surround her inattention. 'I won't let go until you tell me.', she remarked seriously.
'Do you even know what's happening in the world right now?', Raul asked, while Teddy began being uneasy again.
'Yes, I'm pretty much aware.', Emily gazed at the boys, with an exploration tone in her voice.
'We thought you were one of Greta's Hunters and I was planning on killing you after the questioning.', Teddy was candid, for the first time looking at her without any trace of disdain in his eyes. 'But you have no emblem, you're a nomad witch. That kept you alive. Your glamour didn't fade once we Chained you.'
'Why would the Hunters go after you? You are beyond this. You are protectors, our community's strength. It makes no sense.', Emily was in shock.
'The rumors have it that Greta is in her palace again.', Raul said. 'More vicious, more dangerous, and more impatient than before. She started killing wolfs for sacrifices. For her army. She needs pureborn's blood for this. Wolfs, of course, fired back protecting their Alphas and Leaders. And since then it has been a silent war.'
Emily's blood has been frozen. Her worst fear was brought back to life. How could she be unaware of these things? Those were the hot news in the supernatural world and she missed it!
'She's back?', Emily barely spoke, still being astonished.
'In flesh and bones.', Raul announced. 'We thought The Circle took her down, but it turns out they didn't.'
They knew far more than she realized.
She knew it.
She's about to blow the truth because she knew why they kept her.
They needed a witch protector. It wasn't such a rare thing, since they both belonged to the same tier. It was even normal for a witch or a witch family to choose a pack under their protection or likewise, but love has been forbidden since the Ultimate Justice set the law to prevent the creation of new species that couldn't be under the control of Greta's Watchers.
It has all been so messed up.
'And you want from me exactly what? The protection bond?'
'We thought you might want to hang out here for a while. Conspire with us against the Ultimate Law. I guess you're not without coven for nothing. You are not in that shape just like that. They're on the hunt for those like you, you know.", Raul suggested.
'It's not that simple. I can't just stay in one place. If they find me, you don't want to know the consequences we'll all suffer.', Emily said, again with wet eyes, actually, for the first time confessing to herself that she wants to stay somewhere and be safe more than anything in this world.
'Have you broken the Code?', Teddy asked, momentarily ready to attack her once again. He was impulsive. Hasty. And probably untrusty. And afraid. And unfair. And... Who knows what else.
'No.', Emily wiped her eyes.
'Why do you feed?', he implored again suspiciously, turning to her, looking very dangerous. 'I will ask you one single more time, have you broken the Code?', he threatened to explode once again.
He spoke about the Protector code. Once the protection tire creature outgrows 18 ys, it's supposed to visit the ancestral places, for the witch had their own, wolfs their own, to put the hand on the Protection statue and swear not to deliberately harm another being unless in self-defense.
Once sworn, if the Code was broken, which also now the Ultimate Justice had the grip on too, not only that the one suffers the consequences of various kinds of magical deformations, but also, if found, was sentenced to death. Or to whatever it is that Greta's Counsel deicides.
The stories were told about how the Hunters were the Damned ones who broke the Code. Their purpose in this world was now worldwide known. They were the spreaders of fear and terror.
'I did not.', she replied, looking at his angry eyes. 'But I can't tell you the truth. I'm an Outcast.'
'You little...', he tried to stand up, but Raul put him down, growling at him. Two wolf teeth are seen for one night, great she thought.
'Teddy, stop!', he shouted afterward, putting him down, which somehow steadied him. 'Emily, you can tell us the truth.', Raul turned to her, using the moment, afraid Teddy will lose it again. 'We can bind blood on it. We need a protector witch willing to step up to us, Greta can't kill the wolfs if they're under the protection of a witch.', Teddy behind him was still angry.
She looked one more time at heavy breathing Teddy and saw his desperation. He was probably dead worried over the pack. But converting that into resentment made him so much badass, or at least that's what he thought and Emily could roll her eyes over it forever.
'If I tell you the truth, you need to bound blood on it. And I will protect you as much as my powers allow me. I didn't break the Code, I swear.', she finally conceded, looking at Raul now, still a little panicking from Teddy.
'So, spit it out.', Teddy said, sitting behind Raul. 'Go. Now.'
Emily looked at him, knowing she is doing what may be the biggest thing or mistake ever. And that Andrea will kill her. But that was her only way out of this. They thought she did something unforgivable.
'You do know that the Circle had a mistake?', she asked.
'Yes. It caused the experiment to irreversible fail. Why?', Teddy suddenly woke up from his anger issue mood.
'I'm the mistake.', Emily simply said, which caused alpha's eyes too wide open and stare at her. Raul was surprised too.
'How?', Teddy asked stunned, eyeing her every move and listening to her heartbeat.
'Ler's say part of my vampire half is not here. However, the half I have still expected to be fed. Which can cause me to kill myself, but not to die by the hand of the other.', Emily answered, feeling the whole weight of the world leaving her back. 'You have no idea what problem you could have caused If you have sent me to the Justice court.'
'We would all got ourselves killed.', Raul said.
'Which we're doing anyways having a witch from the Circle.', said Teddy, still eyeing them both. 'Luckily, I love the risk.', he smiled afterward. He put a finger over his lips, eyeing her. 'May I be damned.', he couldn't believe his luck. Only he knew she was a saving anchor.
'How do you feed?', Raul asked, ignoring his bipolar vibes. 'On wolf territory, vampires aren't allowed to feed.'
Emily simply twisted her sleeve and at that moment her eyes changed to purple, like any time when she felt something strong. In this case, it was her thirst for blood. She sunk fangs into her skin and started sucking up the vein. Teddy still looked at her impressed, clinging to his hand, legs crossed.
'Mostly like this, animal blood sometimes.', she answered after quick and hard stopping. 'But, unfortunately, that means I'm not in my full power most of the time. I haven't been practicing much magic for years. It's draining me in this condition.', she said afterward, putting her sleeve back.
'Well, you are weird.', Raul concluded.
'Ok, then, it's done.', Teddy just stood up out of nothing and clapped his hands, stopping the conversation. 'We'll bound blood and you're staying with us.'
'What?', Emily rather yelled, since it caught her by surprise.
'You don't think I'm going to let you wander around the city like this?', Teddy lifted his eyebrow, looking at her.
'Well, I am not going to sit in the wolf den waiting for you to need me, are you out of your mind?', she narrowed her eyebrows instead, already pissed and ready to fight over him with him.
'Oh, but I think you will because you told us the truth.', he grinned.
'Oh, but I think I do not because you can't make me, I can't die.', Emily folded her hands, confronting him, clearly irked.
'Okay, go out to wander and I will keep killing you until I get bored. Now move, you need to pick up your stuff.', he clapped her by her shoulder, passing her by, already in the full of confidence state again. Oh, how irritable he was! Emily resented him, she wasn't used to falling behind someone. Life made her tough enough to win every race she has been thrown into. Except ...this wasn't a race anymore.
* * *
Emily was seated in the brand new black jeep. She was insecurely squeezing the nomad's small bag that looked like it went through Hell and back, and, truth to be told, with Emily on the run, it did. There was no doubt in it.
Boys in front of her chatted, being obviously in a better mood. Lighter, at least.
'Dean and Tomas weren't ready for this attack. I admit. Tomas 'till this very day isn't capable to handle nothing more than a single spoon.', Raul talked about some two boys from the pack, Emilly imagined, who weren't eligible to manage some problem with the vampires somewhere on the borderlines of wolf territory that Teddy asked about.
'I expected more of the pureborns. ", said Teddy and grabbed the bottle of Jack that was hanging in Rauls's han.
What a coincidence, they could all burn and go to Hell if he caused a crash.
'So did I, but they belong to the pack.', Raul admitted.
'Where is everybody?', Teddy asked, giving him back the bottle and turning right, not even looking around himself.
Why are they talking like they haven't met for a long while? Emily thought, carefully analyzing them. It didn't make any sense. She was going to the place where the pack was supposed to be hanging out. Packs stick together.
Alpha sticks there too.
Why talk like this?
Something felt off again. Bizarre, at least.
'Here and there. Hanging out. Trying to survive.', Raul said shortly, obviously trying not to piss off Teddy again, which wasn't a hard task.
'If they were trying, that's not enough.', Teddy said.
'Teddy, you know that...'
'I don't care.', Teddy interrupted him rudely from whatever they tried to say. 'You can't just try to be a wolf. Either you are or you're not. Why can't that get into their stupid heads?', he moaned in the complaint.
'Are we there yet? I'm tired of your pup-stuff.', Emily asked from behind, sounding weary.
Which she was, actually.
'Yes and we don't care.', Teddy said dashingly.
'Well, you should care if you don't want me to drop dead.'
'We already concluded that you can't drop dead, non-gorgeous.', Teddy rolled his eyes. Then he quickly pulled over the jeep. 'And yes, again, we're here.'
'If you cleaned your ears, you'd hear me say that I can drop dead if I don't feed, never-gorgeous.', Emily fired back at him without a trace of concern and was first to jump off the car.
Raul gaggled, trying hard not to laugh, and looked at Teddy who was not in the mood.
'If we cut off your tongue, will it grow back again?', Teddy asked, coming towards them.
'Erm, junk, no?', Emily was repulsed by his question. Like she already hasn't been feeling sick enough from the pup aroma and not feeding, Teddy's sincere thoughts now came to join the list.
'Good, now I know what to do if you don't shut up.'
'Go to Hell.', she mumbled, pulling the bag through the wet grounds and little stones. 'What about gentleman's help? Any hand here?', she yelled from behind, still barely pulling the bag.
'It's not the pup's problem.', Teddy replied, so delighted that he had a chance to throw it back at her.
'Nor are the pups my problem, but here I am, going to live like their pet.', she rolled her eyes. 'So I think that at least I deserve to be helped with this thing!', she demanded.
'Not that we care, witch. Come on already. Today.', Eric rolled his eyes too, feeling unamused already.
***
The old manor she went into after the boys was pretty much in good shape, but it was all dusty and dark. Like no one hasn't been here in a while.
Until Teddy turned the lights on. The welcoming hall was big, all in stone.
In front of her, she found the big, stone stairs leading to the guest rooms and the sleeping rooms of the household. She once knew a manor like this.
She lived in it.
Before her family moved to the cemetery.
This one brought so many memories.
She sighed sadly, still pulling the bag that rolled with interruptions beside her.
'Welcome to your new home.', Teddy said sarcastically, sighing too. He stood for a moment, looking around at everything. Emily knew, he was the one who hasn't been here in a while. 'Don't bother us if it isn't urgent, especially me. If you need anything, contact Raul, me only if someone dies. Even then, it would be wiser to send me a pigeon. Or the owl. Or nothing, even better.'
'With your hospitality, I prefer telepathy. It connects with empathy. Which you don't have and that's where our communication ends.', she declined to argue. She was tired and not in the mood.
'Come on.', Raul discretely interfered with the chat, picking her stuff. 'I'll show you to your room.', then walked after the gray stairs. Emily looked for a second at him.
He smiled. Somehow friendly, for the first time since they met. She liked it.
'C'mon, witch. All of us need some rest.', he hurried her, then turned and proceeded to walk upstairs.
Teddy looked for one mere second at them and after, without saying goodbye or anything, just left somewhere downstairs, leaving them behind.
What Emily saw, following Raul, was that the manor once used to be home. It had a lot of family portraits hanging down the walls, a lot of literature and bookshelves, also some statues and " hidden" vaults were all over the manor.
Everything was so nicely decorated, simple, and elegant. Easy to clean.
It was a good thing that Emily liked this place. Good for well-being. Down the hallway to the left, Raul picked up the keys from his pocket and separated one of them, directly putting it into the door to unlock it.
'This is your key and this is your apartment. I hope you'll like it. Like many of us, you have your bathroom and some of the kitchen stuff.', he explained, bringing her stuff in. 'Do you have any questions?'
'No, I'm fine.', Emily said, already feeling her eyes closing. She pulled a hand through her black hair, just to try to wake herself up.
Author's note:
She now has black hair, it will change later.
'Okay, then I'll leave you to it. Have a nice night.', Raul smirked and smoothly left her alone in the place she didn't even expect she'll end up in.
Nice one.
Pleasanter than the cheap model where she needed to hide.
The next moment, she threw herself on the big french bed and relaxed her muscles for a little bit.
She picked up her cellphone, just to see there is no battery left on it. She didn't mind.
She was too tired. The clock showed 6 AM or something. It was still dark outside.
She just hugged the pillow and, for the first time in her life, she felt safe somehow.
Too safe to even forget to lock the door.
Her eyes closed, sinking her mind into that calmness she suddenly felt. She liked that feeling so much.
This was a long day...