51: Wanting More

I'm sorry for the huge delay to release this chapter. The original chapter 51 was Jeanine getting raped by Harvey. It's the most brutal rape scene I've ever written, and I couldn't bring myself to release it. So, you're hearing about what happened to her in this way.
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      "There must be a way to kill him!" Robert snapped as he and Marge arrived back at the house, talking about Gus.

      The house was deserted and quiet, the only faint sound being that of Desi's light nickering in her makeshift stall.

       Marge realized that someone should probably go and check up on Nate's other horse since it had been a number of days since anyone had fed him most likely.

       "Where is everyone?" she quietly asked.

       "I don't know, but we'd better wait here. It's possible, likely even, that my brother is taking a very detoured route returning."

       As if on cue, Derek showed up on the lawn of the house. He was injured and limping.

       Suddenly, a fairy appeared next to him.

       Arabella no longer cared about revealing herself to the terrifying she-vampire. Her Derek was hurt!

       "Where?" she asked him.

       "My knee, but don't worry. It's getting better every second," he explained with pain evident in his voice.

       "It will be better now because now is better," Arabella chirped in a sing-song voice laced with concern. She rubbed her hands together as if to warm them and placed both of them on Derek's knee. A small light emanated from her palms before disappearing into his flesh.

       Marge watched, fascinated, as Bella worked her magic. Her mother had always told her to believe in fairies, but Marge had scoffed at her, thinking she was looney. Of course, she'd known differently for a while now. Mothers had a way of being right.

       She'd never witnessed a fairy's healing magic before, and she filed what she saw in the back of her mind for possible use later.

       "Where are the others?" Rob asked his brother.

       "We split up. They should be here shortly," he answered with a calmer voice. His pain had vanished.

       With that, Rocky appeared from out of the trees. "Where's Jeanine?" he asked almost immediately.

       "She hasn't come back yet," Robert answered.
       "We have to find her!" Rocky exclaimed, worried. He turned and headed for the trees.
       "Stop," Derek ordered. "You will stay here and wait for her."
       "What?!" Rocky yelled, now appearing even more worried than before and agitated with Derek as well.
       The five of them argued back and forth about what they should do. Derek wanted to wait, but Rocky demanded they search for her right away since she should've been back by now.
       Just as Rocky was about to attack Derek in a challenge, something no one saw coming, Jeanine came bursting into the yard, naked.

       Rocky immediately threw his jacket around her while Arabella redoubled her calming aura. The three of them went into the house, not speaking.
       Robert stared at his older brother, upset that he told Rocky to not go after Jeanine. Since they weren't alone, he kept his angry, aggravated thoughts to himself.
       "Marge," Marge heard inside her head. Gus called her to him.

       "I have to go," she announced.
       "What?" Robert, forgetting his anger at his brother for the moment, looked stricken with the news. He had a feeling what his Rose really meant.
       "I'm sorry," she said quickly before she sped off.
       "No!" Rob called out as he started to chase after her. He guessed she was headed for Augustus, and he couldn't bear the thought. He knew the likelihood of this happening, but he didn't think it would happen so soon. Surely, he thought, we should be given more time than that!
       Derek's voice rang with authority. "Let her go."
        "But if nothing else, she'll lead us to him!" he tried to use an excuse to chase after her to keep the woman he cared for from her master.
        Derek looked wearily at his younger brother as Rob turned to him with a furious expression.

        "What is wrong with you? You refuse to go look for Jeanine, you offer up a false gem to rescue Gabriella, and you do nothing about our vendetta against the Ancient One!" Robert panted. "Have you lost your edge?"
       "I could not risk the rest of my pack-"
       "To save a quarter of it," Rob interrupted. "We are stronger than them. Yet you ... you order us to stay put!"
       "Tanner had no intention of handing her over. Thinking he would was my true mistake," Derek said, remaining calm in spite of his brother's outburst.
       "With Rose, we could have destroyed them tonight, not run away with our tails between our legs."
       "I didn't know she could do that." After a quick pause, he asked, "What did you call her?"
       "I called her Rose, a name that better suits her."

       Marge quickly arrived at the location of her maker before the pair of them sped off only to double back and check to see if she'd been followed.

        "You were exemplary tonight, my Marge," Gus said as he approached her once they realized they would remain alone. "I'm impressed and quite pleased." He smiled toothily at her in the moonlight. "How many do you think you killed? Tanner will be furious to have had his numbers decimated the way I hope they were."
      "About ten, I think. Five, I'm sure, at the beginning," she answered, not really sure if she should be proud of herself.
      "Yes, that wall of fire was a nice touch. You're improving."

      "And my daughter remains captured. Tell me you killed the rapist."
      "As you put it, it wasn't his time." Gus grinned.
      "We must free her!" she exclaimed in a pleading tone.
      "In good time. I'm afraid she'll most likely be there another month due to Derek's poor judgement."
      "No thanks to you! You're an amazing strategist! Why don't you help?"
      "Derek, first of all, would never accept my help. And second, I prefer to let the dogs fight their own battles. I sent you in only because it's Gabriella they have, and I want her."
       "Then maybe she'd be better with the rapist," Marge hissed all of a sudden.
       He swooped down upon her in an instant. "Watch what you say, witch. Need I remind you on whose side you are?"
       "I hate you," she snarled defiantly up to him.
       "I'd pity you if you loved me," he said solemnly. Then, he could no longer resist her and cradled her head in his hands before bringing his lips down upon hers in a pleading way.

        Marge fought against him. When his mouth finally left hers, he trailed light kisses down her throat.
      "No, August," she said in response to the way he pressed his hips against hers.
      "You've never said no to me. This is the thanks I get for letting you have a puppy? You're mine!" he snarled against her throat.
       She cried out when she felt his fangs pierce her skin, and although she knew her efforts were futile, she continued to try to get him off her as he took in her blood.
        When he'd taken a sufficient amount, he broke his own skin and commanded her to drink from him. When she'd finished, he ripped her panties from her hips and tackled her to the ground.

       "How... dare you .. try to resist me," he said as he undid his belt and pants.
       Marge prepared herself for what she knew was coming, and it happened fast.
       However, as soon as Gus joined their bodies, that euphoric, opiate-like feeling coursed through him. He looked down upon the woman below him and said, "Oh, my precious Marge, why did you wish to keep yourself from me when I need you so?" He knew later he would hate himself for everything he'd tell her, but the pair of them had grown somewhat used to his split-personality.
      "I'm not keeping myself from you, August."
      "But you said no. You love the puppy. How can you?" His voice sounded filled with sorrow as he made love to her.
       "I didn't set out to have that happen."
       "I must keep you from him," he stated resolutely.
       "No! They need me to defeat Tanner and rescue Gabriella," she begged and thought up a quick excuse.
       "You said you prefer for her to remain with the dog. You don't want me to use her power?"
       "Am I still not powerful enough for you?" she asked, hoping to distract him.

       "I always, always want more," he answered her before ceasing all conversation.

43: Blast

Warning! Contains scenes of a sensitive nature.

       A loud uproar was heard throughout the woods as Derek ordered Rocky to temporarily give up his bedroom to the visiting vampire guests. Nate also wasn't happy since that further proved that they weren't going after Gabriella immediately.

       "I can't stand it! How can he just sit around while that monster has her? How can he expect me to just accept his decision! I need their help! Now!" Nate complained to Marge.
        "He knows this."
      "Then why can't we just leave already!" he yelled. Then he actually stopped and looked at Marge's anxious expression, and he put his head in his hand. He knew Marge was just as worried, and he hated feeling helpless.
       "Nate, he's right. If we go in there now, it's suicide ... at least from everything August told me about them." Marge said. She'd confirmed his suspicions earlier when he asked her about their maker's whereabouts. Gus was hanging out in the woods surrounding the house, not wishing to join the temporary alliance, yet curious all the same.
         "I'm going to go stir crazy!" Nate exclaimed as he sped around the room while he 'paced'.

       He stopped for a few moments to say to her, "What am I going to do? I can hear everything, and no matter how much it tortures me, I can't tune it out. I told her I wouldn't, plus I miss her so damn much!" He paced around again, and a worn spot began to show on the carpet. "How can I just sit here? This is killing me!"
       "You'll do nobody any good if you show up, guns blazing, to that compound." she said, trying to calm him down just a little.
        "Guns.... that thing you do with your hand ... Marge! If we go in there together we can fight them all off. How often can you do that thing? We could kill or injure enough of them to get them to hand over Gabriella!"
     

        No matter how unhappy she was with him, she hated the look of desperation on his face. "I can do it over and over again. It's nothing but a spell."
        "Then we could..."
        "No."
        "What?!" he nearly yelled.
       "What would we do if they should find a way to stop me? And besides ... we can't get into the house."
      Nate reached up to try and pull his hair out by the roots, an impossible thing, but he tried nonetheless. "I can't just sit here!" he yelled. "I'll go crazy if I do!"
        "I have an idea." Marge offered.

         "What." Nate snapped his question.
        "You mentioning the blasting spell made me think of it. I can knock you out. Then, at least, you won't have to listen and time will seem faster." she explained.
         Nate looked at her, horrified. "That's the chicken shit way out." he said quickly. "No, I have to figure out a way to convince that alpha to go after her tonight!"
          "I'm sorry, Nate." Marge said, and before Nate could ask her what she meant exactly, she hit him with the spell again. Nate slammed onto the floor. "Sucks to have your choices taken from you, doesn't it?" he heard her say just before he passed out.

       Like a mother putting a child to bed, she pulled back the covers and lifted Nate onto the mattress. At least he'll be comfortable when he wakes up, which hopefully won't be for a while. He's going to be furious with me, but I'm not worried about him. I'm more worried about the mess he could make of everything.
        I hate that Gabriella's kidnapped, but Nate doesn't understand the force we're up against. Right now, they have the upper hand, and a huge one at that. He thinks he can just go in there and play Rambo until they hand-deliver him my daughter.
        Gabriella, please keep your head on your shoulders and do not do something stupid.

       Marge could smell her, hear her fluttering heartbeat, but she was more interested in the tome in her hands. Sure, the fairy smelled delicious, but she was here to make friends, not the other way around.
      However, Arabella had no idea of this. She'd let her guard down when she'd exited Derek's room a few minutes ago. She'd thought the vampires had gone home. She'd been asleep when they'd arrived, and she'd wakened when Derek hadn't returned to bed. Seeing the vampire witch lady sitting in the living room scared her out of her wits!
     "Hello." Marge said calmly as she placed the book on the coffee table for now. She'd found Derek's collection of books simply marvelous, and she wanted to glean as much new information as she could.
       "What are you doing here?!" Bella accused.
       "I'll be here a few days before we make an attempt at rescuing my daughter." Marge explained.
       "No! No no no! You can't be here!"
       "I'm not going to hurt you. I'm not going to get close to you, just in case, but I'm not going to hurt you."
       "Where is the other one?"
       "You mean Nathaniel?" Marge asked.
       "No! The other other one. The ancient one."
       "Not wishing to disturb our little party."
       "You mean he's afraid of Derek's pack! He should be."
       "I doubt that's the reason." Marge snapped.
       Sensing the vampiress's anger, Bella suddenly said, "I need to get out of here. Stay away from me!"
      "Fine." Marge said, her eyebrows raised as if to say that that's exactly what she'd planned on doing anyway.
         Arabella went outside to escape into her little house, listening out for Derek's return.

     Marge wandered the house some more. Jeanine snarled at her in the kitchen, so she went upstairs again to more closely study something she found earlier but didn't have a chance to peruse.
      This is fantastic! Who was this person that wrote this? She carefully turned to the back page to see if there was any inscription, signature, anything. She found a name: Claudius. No other description was available. Plus, the book appeared to stop in the middle of a recorded experiment. I guess it failed since he wasn't around to record his findings. Better not test that one.
      The book is so very old, I'm worried about turning the pages. Why has no one made a copy of it? She found a particularly interesting recipe and proceeded to try it out with the materials available to her.

      Robert returned home from his run, and on the way up to his room, his eye caught the sight of Marge's red hair in the candlelight near the window. He took a few steps in her direction and stopped to ponder the situation before him.
       He could kill her. Right now. Rip her head from her body. How is it that she was still around when his Caitlin wasn't? Just more proof of the old cliche "life's not fair". Well, neither is death.

       Marge spoke to his reflection in the glass, "What's it going to be, Robert?"
       He jumped a little at the sound of his name.
       "Are you going to attack me or not? I must warn you not to underestimate me." she continued.
      "I don't. I think I'm the only one around here that doesn't. You seem to have my brother fooled, but I'm not falling for it." he answered, irritated that she didn't even have the decency to turn around when he spoke to her.
      "I'm sure I have no idea what you mean." Marge quipped and rubbed the next ingredient on the list between her fingers to crush it as it fell into the cauldron.
       "Don't bullshit me." Rob snapped. "You're in league with the ancient one, sent to spy on us since he has a grudge against Derek."
        "His grudge isn't mine." she explained.
        "Doesn't matter since he controls you."
        She sighed, and her shoulders drooped a little. "And I hate that he does. He told me I could go and join in with Nate to rescue Gabby. I know that doesn't mean I'm eternally free. Of course, you could be right, and he could be sending me in as a spy, only to ask me questions afterwards. So, I'm learning as little as possible about all of you."
         "You already know too much."
         "I'm sure everything I know he already knows."

         "So, he just let you go. Does he know about your little plan to use and give the stone to us?" Robert asked.
          "Yes." she answered. "He's curious to watch it work. I don't know how he feels about my idea to give it to you afterwards. I came up with that part on the spot. The stone is of no use to me. It isn't even mine. My daughter died to protect it for you. Why would I go against her wishes?"
         "Because Gus will order you to." he answered her rhetorical question as he walked towards her.
        "You have no idea how I wish I could call him that." Marge said with a smile. Wary of him, she turned around. The cauldron had received all the ingredients it required. Now it needed to simmer for a few minutes.

        "Why are you here?" he asked point-blank.
      "To rescue my daughter. In the meantime, I'm thoroughly enjoying your brother's collection of books. There must have been someone to collect all this."
        "My step-mother. Most of it was handed down to her through her family." Robert told her, then he wished he hadn't. After all, she'd told him the less she knew, the better.
       "I was unaware of any other magical family in the vicinity other than my late husband's, and they've died out." she pointed out.
         "I'm not telling you any more." he said, clamming up.
         Marge nodded and took a step over to gather the vial of bliss she'd concocted.

        "Alright. Fair enough. I'd just wondered for a moment if I could've been related to her ... by marriage, of course." she said as she lightly smiled. She felt delighted at how uncomfortable she made him. I must say, Caitlin had good taste. I hate that she couldn't tell me she had a boyfriend.
          Robert's mind whirled around in circles. I should walk away. I'd told myself I'd avoid her. She's Caitlin's mom for Pete's sake. Ew. ... Even if I do have a good fifty or so years on her and she doesn't look the age she was when she was turned I'm guessing. Nope, in fact she looks damn good. ... I should walk away. ... Why can't I walk away? What the hell is wrong with me? This is so wrong on so many levels. My deceased girlfriend's mom.... well that's usually weird because of an age thing... but I'm actually the older one. So does that make that part not apply? ... Then there's the whole vampire verses werewolf thing. It ... is not ... in my nature ... to ...
         She interrupted his thoughts by saying, "You really should go to bed, Robert. Don't worry about me. I won't do something stupid to destroy our truce. I need you." Marge had chosen her words carefully, knowing instinctively just what to say to effect him just the way she intended to. I'm getting a little too good at this. It's almost unconsciously done. I suppose it couldn't hurt to have him support me should the need arise, and it might. I sense danger towards me from his brother. Not to mention he's cute. Like a little puppy.

           "Bed ... need you" Marge's words echoed in Robert's mind in a most cruel manner. He knew he had to break the momentary silence before he did something stupid. "I ... yes, need to go get some sleep. Even though someone should watch you. I don't trust you."

        Marge shrugged her delicate shoulders and said, "Fine. I'll go to bed too. I am a little tired after all. What harm can I cause while sleeping?" She watched him as he looked to be contemplating inviting her upstairs to his bed, and she wanted to see if he would. His eyes focused on her lips as a small smile formed on them.

         I should walk away, Robert thought quickly, but the notion lacked the strong conviction it had earlier.

         I don't need to overdo it, Marge thought before she said, "Goodnight, Robert."

       "Pleasant dreams." she continued as she walked towards the room she and Nate were allowed to borrow.

        She's a fucking vampire! Pull yourself together! Rob tried to snap himself out of it. "Marge." he said before he could stop himself. His head turned towards her as she spun around on one toe to see what he wanted. He quickly changed his mind on what to say. "Behave yourself."

       "Or what?" she asked coyly. Before he could choose whichever answer he stood there and debated giving her, she said, "Don't worry about me, Robert. I'm the one that needs you and your help. Remember that." She turned back towards the bedroom door and slowly walked towards it, wondering how far he'd allow himself to go.

       No, don't! Rob thought. What the hell is wrong with me? Damn it, woman! Walk faster! He turned his head away and walked over to the window to stare down at Arabella's little house, taking several deep breaths. This is not good. ... She closed the door, finally. He turned and made his way up to his room for a few hours of tortured sleep.

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        Arabella sensed Derek's return and dashed out of her house right towards him. Mildly surprised and a little confused at her exuberance, Derek opened his arms as she crashed into him. She was shaking.

        "Where did you go? Why didn't you tell me the vampires were staying? I have been so afraid." she accused him while laying her head on his shoulder.

        His arms curled around her shivering frame, and he held her to him, relishing the perfume of her hair. "If you missed me that much, why didn't you come and find me?" he asked. He'd not invited her to go with him on purpose. He wanted to go scout the area, and he didn't need a chatty fairy with glowing wings to follow him. He could smell Gus around the nearby hills and not near Gabriella's house. The vampire eluded him, however. He'd had no idea his absence would affect Bella like this, but then again he failed to think that he never told her of Nate and Marge.

       "I couldn't go with you! I can smell the ancient one that hates you. I'm terrified of him." she cried. "And what were you doing going out alone like that?!"

       "Robert had gone off to have a temper tantrum, and I had to leave Rocky and Jeanine here to keep an eye on Marge and Nate." he explained. He too had worried over his own safety, but he had to go searching for any trace he could find. It felt so nice to be back home with Arabella in his arms. He felt like it had been ages since he last held her.

         "How on earth would I be able to go on without you? Did you think of that?! Hm?" she snapped at him while clinging to him at the same time.

        He chuckled lightly and said, "Nothing's going to happen to me, my love."

        "Derek, you're not immortal. Almost. But you --"

       He shut her up the best way he knew how. She acted aggravated with him, but he refused to quit kissing her. I'm fine. You're fine. They won't hurt you, not if they want to stay on my good side. The sudden thought of Nathaniel using Bella as leverage to force him to leave for an attempt that would fail to rescue Gabriella ran through his mind, and he held onto her tighter.

        When she gently pulled away, she told him, "I won't go upstairs with you, but I'm so scared I can't stand it! They're all around me! I want to stay in my little house, but..."

         "Then do it to me." he said and watched her shocked yet happy expression. He knew she knew he hated it when she'd shrink him so that he could visit her in her little house. It made perfect sense to him why he hated it. His power came from physical strength, hers from her magic. Magic doesn't require a full-sized body. He hated feeling powerless.

         "You mean it?!" she asked happily. If he did, then he was definitely out of the doghouse for leaving her like he did.

        He gave her a true smile as he said, "Of course. You won't come up, and I don't want to be without you for what's left of the night."

     "You got new sheets." he said, pointing to her bed once they were inside.

     "Mhm. Silk. Do you like them?" she asked, a fist lightly resting on her cocked hip, one eyebrow raised suggestively.

     "They need breaking in." he said, grinning and picking her up before carrying her to the new sheets.

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     Warm. So warm, Gabriella dreamily thought as a very pleasant sensation made her moan in her almost-sleep. Warm... and rough... and... good. 

     She moaned again as she felt coarse hands sliding up and down her thighs, pulling them further apart as they did. As the rough warmth became more demanding of her attention, her whole body tensed in shock, causing her thighs to clamp together upon a large head between them. Those same hands reached up to pull her legs back apart with a little more strength as consciousness quickly returned to her.

     "No!" she gasped breathlessly as her eyes flew open and she found herself in Julian's bed. He said he wouldn't touch me tonight! she thought as she looked up and saw the first lights of the morning brighten the ceiling above her. Nighttime had ended.

     Realizing all of this only dimly went on in the back of her mind as she couldn't help but be more focused on what Julian did to her underneath the sheets. She tried to gather enough of herself to make an attempt to move away, but she was paralyzed with pleasure. Her body betrayed her, and it wanted the fantastic experience to continue. "No." she moaned, not sure if she told that to Julian or her own body. Julian ignored her.

     Gabriella realized her nakedness as she felt his very warm hands travel up her sides to her breasts, his merciless tongue never ceasing. How could it be that he got her this way without her waking up? "Oh!" she gasped as his thumbs and index fingers started to tweak and toy with her nipples. Her hands flew on top of the covers to where his were, hoping to stop this madness overtaking her.

     "Julian.... please." she whispered, and she herself couldn't tell if she asked him to stop or to give her more than what he gave her presently. His hands left her breasts for her hips, and, tilting them upwards, he switched his tongue's location further down. She gasped again as she felt him enter her occasionally as he stroked the front wall of her vagina with his coarse, dextrous tongue.

     Madness. It's all madness, she thought as she felt the never-ending tumult of sensations consume her. Her breathing sounded alarmingly shaky and ragged as she desperately tried to remember why it was that she wanted him to stop. A high-pitched whine escaped her as she could feel the pleasure mounting until she felt ready to scream.

     She wasn't given the chance to scream. Instead, her body convulsed as the world tilted on its axis. She felt Julian's fingers enter her and press upon her, making her experience her climax again and again until her body was spent. She lay limply on the bed, dimly aware of Julian's mouth slowly working its way up her stomach.

      When he'd traveled up to her neck, his body crouched over her and he said low into her ear, "I wanted to give you a feel," he chuckled lightly to himself, "of what it's like to have me for a lover." 

       He ran his tongue down her jaw and hovered over her mouth for a few seconds before lightly touching his lips to hers, causing Gabriella to become more aware of what happened around her again. Her hands shot up to push against his broad shoulders with all her strength. He rocked his body from side to side as first one of her hands was captured, then the other, before he laid his weight upon her. Both hands pinned now up at her ears, he pressed his jaw against hers and forced her mouth to open and accept his tongue.

     She could feel just how aroused he was as he lay on top of her.

     Nate. Nate Nate Nate.

     She angrily jerked her head to the side to separate their mouths. "No." she said sternly. "I don't want this."

       His deep voice echoed in her head as he responded, "You didn't seem to mind it a few minutes ago."

     She futilely struggled to get out from underneath him and get her hands free as he lazily kissed her neck. "I didn't have a choice!" she argued as she wiggled back and forth, hoping to find the right leverage. He seemed to instinctively know what she was up to because he was sure to intertwine his legs with hers.

     He sighed almost sadly and agreed, "No. You don't have a choice. Honestly, I wish I didn't have to do this this way, Gabriella, but I haven't time to do this the way it should be done."

      Gabriella didn't bother with asking him what he meant by 'should be'. He'd started working on parting her thighs with his legs, and she began to panic when she saw very little hope of her getting out of this.

     Her voice took on a desperate tone to it as she begged, "No. No no. Please don't. There has to be another way." She fought with all her strength to get free, but he held her down easily.

     "There isn't." he said plainly. "And try to relax. This will be easier for you if you do."

     "No!!!" she screamed as a familiar light shot out from her midsection and blasted Julian off of her. His dumbfounded expression as he slid down the wall into a crumpled heap was the last thing she saw before she passed out.

38: Something He Loves

     Once he calmed everyone down, Derek wearily made his way to the top floor of the house to his room. He closed his door and locked it, an indication that he wished to be left alone.

     He sighed and made his way over to the back window to stare out of it and ponder how they could possibly get the stone from Gus. A knock sounded on the door, interrupting his thoughts.

     "Not now, Arabella." he responded to the knock, knowing it must be her.

     "But... I brought you something." she chirped from the other side of the door.

    "Later. I'm thinking." he said, hoping he didn't sound overly brusque. He heard a slight chiming sound from behind him and he could see a tiny light slip under the door and then fly towards him in the reflection of the glass.

     She materialized behind him. I should've known she'd do that, he thought to himself.

     "Well then, maybe I can help you think." she said, her head tilting to the side curiously.
     Normally, Bella's quirky and slightly clueless behavior entertained him, not so tonight.
     "Bella, I don't think you can help." he said, resigned that he wasn't going to get rid of her easily.
    "You don't think. You're thinking I can't help you think, so I must be helping you think. Since you're thinking." she reasoned. She flitted over to the door, opened it, brought in fresh roses, and placed them on the top of the desk. "Besides, these might help you think. They're pretty." She turned and faced his reflection in the glass, tilted her head to the side and asked, "What are you thinking?"
     Derek resisted the urge to groan and put his head in his hand as he stared back at Arabella's reflection. She could be so frustrating sometimes! Oh, but then those other times... his body involuntarily remembered quite well those other, much less frustrating times.... But that isn't what he needed now. He was going up against an over two thousand year old vampire; he needed to think!
     "I'm thinking how I need to be alone so I can figure out what to do." he answered her in an even tone.
     "Okay. So be alone with me." she chirped.

     He couldn't help it now. He turned and gave her an 'are you crazy?' look. She ducked her head down shyly, but there was nothing 'shy' about the grin she gave once she peeked back up at him.
     "I mean alone alone. All by myself." He couldn't figure out a plainer way to say it without hurting her feelings - something he didn't want to do. She loved to twist his words to meet her own needs; she had a special talent for that.
     Arabella didn't want to leave Derek's room. She liked his room. It smelled like him, something like woods and dirt and sweat and fur and the wind. She remembered the first time she'd ever smelled it. She'd been out by the moonlight with her family to gather mushrooms and he'd crossed their path. Her father, when he saw Derek, attacked him out of fear, sending him crashing down into a ravine. She'd cried out to her father to stop; she'd seen no evil intent in Derek's eyes. Her father told her to leave Derek in the ravine and to follow him home before the were healed. She did, but then she sneaked out later to go and find him. Just like she'd expected, her father's attack had injured him more than his body could heal. He'd needed her help to heal, and she gladly gave it, bonding her to him, and him to her, in order to do so. Once her father discovered what she'd done, he'd disowned her, banishing her from the family's forest. When she'd shown up here at Derek's house, she knew he wouldn't be able to resist her desire to stay with him.
     Still, she knew he liked his solitude most of the time, so she created for herself a tiny house outside for those moments. Tonight, she felt afraid to stay out there since the vampire now knew where they lived. She didn't care how 'good' the vampire was purported to be, she knew vampires could rarely resist feeding off of fae, often unable to stop and killing them in the process. She wasn't about to let Derek convince her to leave.
     "I'm afraid." she whispered, knowing that would trigger his need to protect. She stuck out one leg, toe pointed, and took a step closer to him.

     "Have you not learned to not judge like your father judged me?" he asked her quietly, finding himself getting drawn into her emerald green eyes.
      "The vampire is an evil creature." she spat, really not understanding the question.
      Derek smiled a small smile at the irony of the situation and said, "As am I, to some. Why do you think I live in seclusion in the woods? To protect those around me from me."

     "No." she whispered. Then she spoke a tiny bit louder this time as she continued, "You could never be anything but good. You have absolutely no evil in you at all. That's why I love you." If only I could be as good as him, she thought to herself.
     Filled with self-hatred, he responded, "But Arabella, I'm a killer. That is my nature."
     "That was self defense, and you know it." she mildly scolded him. It angered her when he thought poorly of himself.
     "I will still never forget watching the light fade from their eyes as they breathed their last."
     "They would've killed you without a second thought. It is they who are the killers. You were very brave." Arabella spoke of a time when Derek had encountered a group of Hunters and survived, killing them all all by himself. She hated the thought of her Derek being killed. This had happened before she'd met him. If it had happened after, she would've tracked the location of the Hunters' nest. base, whatever they called it, and sealed the remaining members inside. She despised those that chose the life of hate, going after anything they deemed 'unnatural' and their efforts to eradicate what they found.
     She watched as Derek fought a mental battle, trying to find a good enough point to argue.

     "Shh! Stop it." she quickly whispered to him as she reached up to turn his face back to her. His skin felt so warm beneath her touch as she stroked his cheek. She wanted to be surrounded by that warmth.
     Derek marveled once more the feather-like touch of her hand. He couldn't resist closing his eyes for a moment as he leaned in towards her touch. Suddenly, she was again everything to him: mother, lover, sister, friend, mate. He knew he was insane for taking a fae for a mate as an alpha. All the same, he owed her his life. He felt his pants tighten in response to her continued ministrations, and he fought for focus.
      "But, what am I going to do about this new problem? How do I go up against him?" he rasped out as his breathing became more and more uneven. How can she do this to me with a simple touch? He hoped that at least he could get her insight while he fought against a very basic urge.
    "I think you're over-thinking." she said in an almost child-like voice. "Keep it simple. Draw him out by taking something he loves."
     He took in a deep breath before he asked, "And what might that be? I don't think he's capable of love."

     The hand on his cheek traveled down his arm as she made to walk past him. Forgetting that only minutes before he'd wished for her to leave, his arm shot out and stopped her from moving away any farther. Arabella only looked momentarily surprised before she reached up to pet his other cheek, her face inches from his.
     Arabella's face held a small smile as she said, "The good witch's mother. She's a newborn vampire. Weak. She has to be his weakness."
   "He could not care. He could be willing to discard her." Derek pointed out as he pulled Bella around in front of him.

      "I wish you didn't need the stone. I don't like it. I don't trust it. But I suppose it's better you have it than Tanner's pack."
     "You don't trust it because you don't understand it. It's power is ancient. Older than you. You know this." he tried to reassure her again, really not wanting to get into the same old pattern of the same old argument. He had other things on his mind now - mainly wanting to get his hands on as much of that feather-soft skin as he could. He swiftly brought his other hand around her waist, pulled her close, and claimed her lips with his.
      She's gone and done it again! She wiggles her way into my head until I'm ravenous for her, he thought with a groan. Almost angrily, he slammed her back against the nearby wall. She only just barely had time to fold her wings down.

     He released her mouth for a moment to taunt her. "Is this," he flicked his hips against her suggestively, "what you're after, Arabella? If it isn't, then too bad because you're about to get it anyway."
      "Yes, that's exactly what I'm after." Bella brazenly answered him, bringing her hand around to his butt so that she could press him even closer to her. Her other hand snaked its way up around his neck so that she could pull him back to her.
      Damn her, he thought. I needed to think, and this is what I end up doing because that's what she wants!

     He growled as he turned and lifted her to carry her to the bed. She eagerly wrapped her legs around his waist as she kissed him.
     "How quickly can you make new clothes again?" he asked her, wanting to clarify the thought in his mind.
     "Minutes." she answered impatiently as she pulled his shirt over his head.
     "Good." he said, confirming his memory to be correct. He proceeded to rip the leaves from her like a kid enthusiastically opening a Christmas present. Finally, he could satisfy his burning desire to touch her everywhere.

      The second she felt herself touch the bed, Arabella twisted them so that she could hover over him. My beautiful werewolf, she thought to herself as she ran her hands down his chest to work on undoing his belt. He kept trying to distract her by running his hands all over her like he couldn't get enough. He caught one of her hands and he pulled it to the side of them up against the mattress. As he reached up to touch her face, she stopped his hand. When he looked up at her in confusion, she merely smiled, freed her other hand, and finished removing his pants.
     As she moved to climb back on top of him. Derek decided he'd had enough of being underneath her frequently since this was her favorite position. Most of the time he didn't mind letting someone else take control for once, but that's not what he wanted tonight.
     Just as she was about to join their bodies, he said, "No." She stopped, looking down at him in confusion and surprise. He took that moment of surprise and easily rolled the two of them off of the bed, catching her before his feet touched the floor.
     Her beautiful emerald orbs gazed up at him with mild fear due to the rough way he hauled her up against him. Arabella had never seen this attitude directed at her before. He'd always treated her with mild amusement and tenderness. She couldn't figure out what to make of this.
     "You come in here and interrupt me when I made it plain I wished for my solitude. Then you don't stop until you've driven me mad with lust. Remember, you asked for it." He turned her around to where she faced the window and wrapped his arms around her, her wings on either side of him. He leaned forward and growled into her ear, "But tonight, we're doing this my way." He pushed on the back of her shoulder blades to cause her to lean forward, kicked her feet further apart, grabbed her hips and swiftly entered her from behind.

      They both cried out simultaneously, her from shock and mild pain, him from the pleasure of driving himself into her. He slowly pulled out a little before again rapidly pushing back into her over and over again.
     "Derek?" Arabella asked, unable to shake the feeling he was angry with her. She didn't like his anger. She didn't like how he seemed to want to hurt her. She wanted to get away from this or at least make him stop being so rough. She reached her hand back to try to push him off of her. He let out an angry sound and captured that hand. His tempo began to pick up.
     Derek began to wonder why this hadn't happened like this sooner. He loved having her petal-soft skin bare and open to his hands while simultaneously driving himself into her. Aggravated she would dare try to push him away with her hand, he caught it and held it. No, she wasn't about to get out of this. Her wings flapped in his face in an effort to try to escape, but he reached up and pushed her back to him by pressing down on her shoulder. He didn't relish the thought that he could be hurting her, but damn, this felt good.
     Arabella felt the hand on her shoulder brush down her back and wrap around her hip, holding her somewhat in place while he continued to ram himself into her. It was starting to hurt less. Derek slowed down again and the hand on her hip moved around in front of her to the apex of her thighs. She gasped as his fingers moved against her. Derek moaned, making Arabella think that what he was doing to her must be good for him too. This was very strange, but she found she liked it now. His blessed hand didn't stop as he picked up the tempo again. All she could do was cry out as the pleasure coursed through her body and caused her to start shivering.
     "Come for me, Bella." Derek ordered. That did it for her. She cried out again as he drove into her, hard, once again as she came around him.

     "Holy shit." Derek whispered in reaction to how deliciously tight she went around him. He didn't let her fully enjoy her orgasm before he sought his own, his hand returning to her shoulder. Crying out, he poured himself into her. He finally released her arm so that he could grab both her hips in one final thrust before he collapsed against her back, panting.
     Arabella still shook as his hands slowly traveled across her some more. She feared she was about to collapse, but even though Derek leaned into her, he also held her up against him.
     He slowly pulled himself out of her with a mild groan. She took a step and collapsed onto the bed, rolled onto her side and looking at him. She looked at him with a curiously perplexed expression that Derek found adorable. He had to lean down and kiss her.
     "Yes. She must be his weakness." Derek said, understanding how a woman could be a weakness. He'd be crushed if anything happened to Arabella. Yes, she may get annoying at times, but for some odd reason she loved him - the only creature in the world that loved him. He reached up to stroke her cheeks and trace the lines on her face.
     Her face jerked up to him and she curiously asked, "Why like that?"
     He knew she referred to what they just did, and he answered simply, "Because that's how I wanted to."
     "Are you angry?" she asked, blinking.
     "No." he answered. It was a truth that at that moment, he wasn't angry. He'd been angry before, but anger at her never stayed for long. "Are you?" he asked her in return.
     "No." she answered him. "I was scared, but then I ... liked it." She watched him as he tried to hide his smile with his hand over his mouth, but she could still see it in his eyes. "Is that wrong?" She didn't know what was funny.
     Derek couldn't believe that in her four hundred, thirty-seven years she'd never done anything like that, and he also couldn't figure out why that was funny. Maybe it was the bird-like, curious expression on her face.
     His smile faded as he remembered he probably should see if Robert was still awake so that he could get his thoughts on capturing the witch/vampire. Playtime was over. He got up to gather his clothes.

     "What are you doing?" Arabella asked.
     "I want to ask Rob what he thinks."
     "No!" she squeaked as she flew up from the bed. "Do it in the morning. Stay with me." She flew into his arms and kissed him.
     Derek sighed and just gave in. It could wait until morning.