Rose: Briar's Thorn (18 page)

I think I caught a hint of satisfaction in the Captain's voice when he glanced back at us and said, “I have orders.”

I snorted and everyone looked at me for a moment.  What?  Wasn't it funny?  I thought it was.  Maybe it wasn't.  I didn't know and my mind was swimming for an answer.  Swimming, diving, below the surface, emotions like snapping sharks, backstroke.

I went with what worked for Ella and gave a toothy grin which I hoped didn't look menacing or inhuman.  The other women snorted at it and I felt vindicated when Nicole squeezed my hand and laid her blood soaked head on my shoulder.  I whispered to my girl, “It was humorous wasn't it?”

She patted my shoulder.“Yes.  Yes, it was Rose.  It was just unexpected from you, you took us off guard.”  I smiled at that and laid my head on top of hers.

Detective King stepped forward. “Here take my cruiser, just bring it back to the station in the morning.  I'll ride with Mendez tonight.”  She pointed back at a vehicle, looked around, and shook her head with profound sadness in her eyes.  “Clean up is going to take weeks.  She looked at the damaged roads and buildings.  “Maybe months.”  Then sighed.  “Then reintegrating of the evacuees.  Things are about to get busy around here.”

Before any of us could say anything she looked at Nicole.  “You... I don't know.  What are your abilities?”

Nicole smiled and inclined her head slightly.  “I have the ability to speak more eloquently than most in this new world.  Is poignant and passionate articulation a lost art in these times?”  It was so very hard not to snort again.

Parker said, “She's human.  The first female Wolf Hunter.”

King blinked, stunned.  “Human?  And she was able to stand with you, battling that horde of creatures?”

Nicole pointed out like it was obvious, “I had my blades.”

King nodded. “Ahhh... enchanted?”

Nicole gave a crooked smile to the woman like she would a young child.  “No, just silver plated, like my armor.”

King looked around and when none of us corrected Nicole, she just shook her head and wandered off toward the Chief, mumbling, “Crazy, they're all batshit crazy.”  Then she paused and looked at the straggler humans who were wandering about, the former cursed.  I heard her telling Mendez, “The world just got a little more complicated.  They freed the world of werewolves.”

Ella was pushing rubble off of her motorcycle repeating like a chant, “My baby, my baby, my baby.”  She pulled it upright like it weighed no more than a kitchen chair and dusted the scratched, dented and bent up metal.

She swung her leg over the seat.  “Come on, start for momma.” She kicked down on the starter and the beast roared to life.  A smile twinkled around in her eyes and she held one arm out toward Parker.  Who was partially flesh and blood now.  She stepped up and gave Ella a kiss.  Then Ella Deathbringer was wheelieing north as her girl giggled in an odd crystal tone.

We piled into King's vehicle and followed after her, under the watchful gaze of all the agents in suits behind us.  A block or two later, there was no sign of the death and destruction we had left behind us.  We roared past where I had created the immense barrier wall of briars and thorns, I had collapsed it when I collapsed all the others.

We started passing by crowds of law enforcement personnel and evacuees who had started coming out from behind the safety of the FMBs.  The word of the end of the werewolf curse must already be spreading.  They all cheered as we roared past.  Odd, the same people who want us dead, were cheering us.  I keep trying to remember what it was like to be human, but I don't remember being that contradictory or confusing.

Ella started honking the horn on her bike and yelling, “Open the bloody gates you, wankers!”  As she bore down on the immense barred barrier.  With a creaking moan, the gates started opening.  Again she just barely squeezed through the opening without slowing.

We followed her through and slowed down appreciatively as we had to drive off the road in front of the gates to avoid all the bodies of the dead ferals that attacked the gates during the night.

We passed many confused, naked people who were walking aimlessly, looking at their hands and up at the full moon.  Some were crying, most looked stunned.  Then we arrived at Mort's.  Ella was already off her bike and standing at the door of the second room.  She had a look of bewilderment on her face as she looked at the door then back at us.

I could hear it from there, the sound of wolves slamming themselves against the silvered cages inside.  But that didn't make sense.  Then I turned my gaze to the Unity Needle, which mirrored the Space Needle inside the walls, and thought of Cristian, and understood.

Sirens and klaxons started going off in short bursts.  I realized they were signaling and end to the danger.  The occupants of the city would be coming back soon.  I wondered how the humans now freed from their curse would handle it, and how they would reintegrate with the Clean Bloods.

The commotion worked the wolves inside into a frenzy.  Perchta went quickly inside, followed by the rest of us.  I stayed in the back though I could see the enraged wolves wore the charms and I was no danger to them.

The larger wolf had a brilliant red pelt, with gleaming amber eyes, I had never seen that color of wolf before.  The smaller wolf in the other cage calmed a little at the sight of Perchta.  Then the insane woman did the last thing I would have suspected.  She reached for the emergency override on the lock on the cage of the big red wolf as she made shushing sounds and murmured, “It's alright love.  I am here.  Your mate.  Pack.”

Daria echoed her in a soft voice that rippled with power,  “Pack.  Safe.  Calm down.”  The two wolves settled a little but were still growling and snapping, but not throwing themselves at the walls of the cage and burning their fur on the cages.  We all backed slowly and Perchta knelt by the cage as she opened the door.

The beast dove on her, huge clawed paws pinning her to the ground, jaws snapping threateningly as the beast growled.  Rachel was a powerful werewolf.  Perchta made mewling noises as she smiled without showing her teeth to the werewolf.  I had never seen a wolf not just shred their prey like this.  Then Snow said, “Fine, be a bitch about it.  Here.”  And she turned her head to her side, actually offering her porcelain neck to the wolf.

It growled and slowly, but more carefully than I would have thought possible, placed its jaws around her throat, fangs pressing in just shy of breaking skin.  Perchta had... submitted... to her?  Then the wolf released her neck and swatted at her with a paw.  Knocking Snow behind her and she lunged a step toward us.  Perchta laid a hand on the wolf's back and said, “Pack.”  The wolf turned and snapped at her, and Perchta kept her eyes down.

Then Rachel snapped back in our direction and stood between us.  Snow reached over and unlocked the other cage.  The smaller Amanda was a dark streak as she dove into the air toward us, snarling with her fangs bared.  Rachel slammed into her and a quick two-second fight ensued with Rachel on top of Amada with her fangs sunk deeply into the throat.

Amanda whimpered and made herself small.  Rachel snapped her head to the side throwing Amanda back against the wall, where the smaller wolf slid to the ground and licked at her rapidly healing wounds.  Then the great red wolf snapped at us one last time and then growled at Perchta, who moved slowly back to Amanda.

Rachel slowly backed, her fangs bared until she was with her pack and she curled protectively around her mate.  Perchta smiled and curled in running her fingers through Rachel's fur.  “That's it, love.”

I could see the feather cloak start to recede and her great antlers begin to shrink as they lay together with their beta beside them.  Gretta was finding herself again.  Rachel... her pack... helped make her who she was.  I couldn't help smiling at the insane woman laying among werewolves.

She turned her gaze to us and said in soothing tones, as not to excite her mate, “You should all retire next door.  This is what I need to be me once again.”  Daria nodded and the rest of us backed out the door slowly with her and shut it behind us.

Ella spoke with a French accent, “That was bracing, non?”  She confused me, switching speech patterns so easily.  We all laughed nervously as Ella said in her Cockney accent now, “That bird is off her bloody trolly.”  We hustled next door at the sinister growl coming from the room.

Nicole pulled me past the door to the next room, shooing the others away.  She herded me in toward a bed as she shed her armor as she went, leaving a trail of silver from the door to where I stood backed up to the bed.  My heart was hammering in my chest.

She gave a seductive smile and pushed me bodily backward onto the bed and straddled me as she pulled off her shirt.  I was mesmerized by her beauty and not sure how to proceed.  She placed a hand on my burns, they were mostly healed already, my curse saw to that.

Then she lowered her head and kissed my lips gently.  The heat level in the room shot up as my body felt as though it was on fire.  She pulled back, gasped and said, “You are wearing too many clothes entirely,”  as she clawed at my black cloak.  I sat up the best I could without disturbing her perch over me, and hurriedly started undressing.

Craving, heat, passion inside, ever-present, relentless... love.

I'm not entirely sure what happened after that. I was in complete bliss as she owned me, mumbling sweet nothings into my ear and groaning that she had wanted to do the since the moment she met me, all those years ago.  She showed me over and over that I was a woman, not a monster.  I hope I reciprocated well.

The next day I awoke to a cocoon of green flowering vines around the warrior of my heart and me.  I giggled when I saw she was already awake and watching me as she blew a loose flower off her nose.  She gave me a toothy grin then leaned in with a seductive swagger and gave me a quick peck on the lips.  “Morning, my Rose.”

I grinned back. “Morning, my Nikki.”

I exhaled and almost jumped at Ella pounding on the wall, calling out, “Bloody hell you two, give it a rest.  Those vines thrashing around all over, hitting the walls all night kept us up.”

Parker chimed in, “And the moaning and squeaking.  Don't forget the moaning and squeaking.”

My face was warm and I realized I was blushing.  Really blushing.  My skin was so pink and healthy looking.  I blurted, “I do not squeak!”

I cupped Nicole's shapely buttocks and gave it a little squeeze, and she squeaked.  She joined me in the blushing as we heard the other evil woman laughing on the other side of the wall.  I muttered, “I will hurt you.”  In their direction and their laughing doubled.  This was clearly a no win situation.

I heard a wolf growling and Mari said, “Yes, you're right Daria.”  Then she addressed us.  “Get cleaned up, we have a debriefing to go to in an hour.  The sun just came up a few minutes ago, I'm surprised Daria's screams didn't wake you.”

Parker said, “I made a run to my apartment and brought fresh clothing for you two.  They are outside the door.”  I parted the cocoon so I could see the door, and snaked a green vine over and wrapped it around the handle and opened the door, retrieving the bag from outside and shutting the door again.

Nicole whispered, “Show off.”  I stuck my tongue out at her.

I noted no pain as I pulled all the vines back inside me.  That was a first. Then we headed for the shower, as she ran her hands along my arm. Smiling at me.  I paused and almost tripped when I noticed my reflection in the bathroom mirror.  Green flowered vines steadied me.

I raised a hand to my face, the healthy woman in the reflection, with the pink skin, red lips did the same.  My violet eyes were blue and I whispered, “I look... human.”

Nicole chuckled and lightly slapped the back of my head as she turned to start the shower.  “Because you are human you silly woman.”

I smiled at the woman in the mirror who did look awfully similar to Maireni.  Our Damaschin heritage marking us most likely as relatives.  I wondered if she was a descendant of my aunt Illionia's line.  As I looked on, my lips started to take on a slightly green pallor as my eyes started to glow violet.  I sighed knowing that it was Nicole's touch that reversed the evil inside of me.

She seemed to read that and clasped my hand, halting the progression of the paleness of my skin.  “Come.  Let me wash you.”

Then we shared a new kind of closeness I could only have dreamed of, as we washed each other like the lovers we now were.  I felt something stirring in the blackness that served as my heart.  I... belonged.  I... loved.  I'm glad the water from the shower hid my tears.

We retrieved the clothing from the other room and if I were a wolf, I would have growled.  There were two t-shirts with writing on them.  On read, “I'm with stupid.” The other, “Stupid”  I may have growled anyway as I heard chuckling from the other room.  Who would have thought that sweet, shy, Parker, had a mean streak.

I almost died when Nicole looked over my shoulder, grinned, then snatched the “I'm with stupid.” shirt from my grasp.  The little....  oh nevermind, she's smiling at me.  I put on the “Stupid” shirt, which fit a little loosely on me.  I bit my lower lip in anticipation as I looked at how snugly the other shirt fit on Nicole, showing off her tantalizing physique.

We put on matching sweat pants and our shoes and exited the room to go to Red's.  Gretta, with a little more white antler than normal, poking out of her silky white hair, and her now very human pack grinned at us as they exited their room on the other side.  We knocked loudly and continually until Red opened the door, rolling her eyes at us.  “Okay, okay, the door is open!”

They filed out.  Then Rachel asked,  “Ummm... where's my truck?”  We all started shuffling around nervously and she exhaled. “God damn it, that was my baby.”

Mari said, “The CSCLD will cover it.  This was Alpha fighting so it falls under the purview of my Wolf Hunter contract.”

She fake winced at Rachel, who just growled as Gretta grabbed her hand.  “Settle down Wolfie.”

Rach growled out playfully, “Watch it bird, girl.”