Crosshairs (closed)

[Sleepless_Dreamer]

As they approached the lake, Elise made it a point to keep close to James for both his protection and hers. This was where the scent had been so prominent before, which had to have meant something. Like the wolf had just appeared from the water or something. She circled about, but all she could smell was the very little bits that were lingering behind from before. As the sound of twigs breaking, she immediately turned her attention to the direction of the sound and snarled. Her muscles were taut, and her haunches were ready to launch herself at the buck when James firmly told her not to.


So, she followed him around the water's edge. Her head went up anytime the wind brought a scent to her. The air was cold and stale, now. The lower temperatures had a way of making every scent seem less potent. Even still, she couldn't catch anything out of the ordinary. She took a moment to lean over the water's edge. She caught her own reflection in the moonlight. Her golden eyes shone in bright contrast against her white gray fur. It was the first time she had really seen herself like that.


She lapped at the water, letting the cold liquid slide down her throat. Satisfied, she lifted her head and looked to James. She was beginning to feel a little antsy, and she made that known by pacing about back and forth in front of him. Seeing her anxiety might make him get a move on again. If he didn't get the hint, she would lower her front legs down in nip at the air just by his maw, not biting at him, but speaking her feelings.

 

[Soliloquy]

James' snout was up in the air, something catching his attention. It wasn't a wolf, but it wasn't present earlier that day. Ignoring Elise's attempts for his attention, he grunted, nudging her side with his head until she also stood.
 


He moved toward the edge of their territory, trying to get a better scent of it. It was something he couldn't place. Flowers? No, he knew all the plants within the forest and it wasn't one he was familiar with. It was almost metallic. He paced back and forth at the invisible line that marked the territory's end. He whimpered softly, wanting to know more.
 


He turned to Elise barking and looking back toward the manor. He couldn't go after and leave her unattended, he would need someone else, most likely Robert if they'd manage to wake him, go see what he was now picking up.

 

[Sleepless_Dreamer]

Elise begrudgingly got up and followed after James. She caught the same scent that he did. It was sweet, but somehow cold. Almost synthetic in a way. Perfume or cologne perhaps? She was trying to get a better feel for it when James got her attention again. She saw that they were at the edge of the line, and he was not happy about it. He wanted to go, just as she had wanted to go earlier that day. Something seemed to be out there, just beyond their territory. Elise didn't like that. She got the feeling that something was trying to draw them out.


Seeing James look toward the manor, she thought he was telling her to go fetch one of the others. A quiet rumble rolled in her throat, and she shook her head as if shaking something out of his ear. She was telling him no. No, she would not leave him out here alone so close to the territory line. She whimpered and approached him, Softly, she placed her head underneath of his and nudged him toward the manor. If she was going, he was coming to.


She lifted her head to see if he responded, then repeated the action. Her body was in between James and the territory line now, just as Anthony had stood between the line and Elise earlier that day. James himself had said it wasn't a good idea for any of them to be alone out here. The worst idea of all was for him to be alone. An open attack on the Alpha like that, with none of his pack mates around, was too good an opportunity for an enemy to pass up if they were out there.

 

[Soliloquy]

He pressed himself back against her pushing her to go. There wasn't time to argue, what if they lost the scent again? A low growl rumbled in his throat. She said she'd listen to him and she wasn't. After a few moments it grew apparent she was not budging. He snorted, nudging back against her before taking off back to the manor at full speed.
 


As they neared he began barking alerting the others. Anthony was the first to respond, coming out of the back house to see James jumping into the clearing, spinning in circles. He didn't need to speak for Anthony to know what was needed. He went into the house, shoving his brother over in an attempt to wake him up and calling for Marcus.

 

[Sleepless_Dreamer]

The Elise that was inside the wolf breathed a sigh of relief when James finally caved. She was glad to see her stubbornness pay off. She followed him back to the manor at full speed, easily keeping up with him. Her quick barks coupled James's circling movements. She watched as Anthony got the hint and roused his brother. Marcus came out from wherever in the house he had been. Seeing the situation, he changed immediately. He wasted no time in being proper, but pulled his clothes off hastily and changed barely before he'd kicked off his last pant leg.


Robert must have changed in the house, because the brown wolf came bounding out alongside his brother, always shifted. All together, they formed up in the same formation as before and followed James back to the border. They kept Elise in the middle, or at least they tried to. She was running so fast that she was just a foot or so behind James. She didn't dare pass him. It would be an intense sign of disrespect. So, they skidded to a halt at the edge line and tried to pick up whatever it was that James had been so caught up about. None of them seemed to understand. They had thought there was some imminent threat, but nobody could sense one.


Robert, knowing his role, broke the line and went out in search of whatever it was James had called them for.

 

[Soliloquy]

James paced back and forth, walking the invisible line that marked their land, whining in distress as Robert disappeared. Anthony and Marcus watched him, confused but uneasy with his response. Anthony was the first to notice the small scent. His ears perked up and he tilted his head to James who yipped to confirm his beliefs.
 


Throwing his head back, Anthony let out a deep howl, making sure that his brother knew what he was looking for. He also couldn't tell exactly what the scent was from. He laid down in the dirt, in an almost sighing manner, looking up at the ground at James and Elise. The unknown was the most concerning.

 

[Sleepless_Dreamer]

Robert was careful when he was outside of the territory. Rather than run, he kept a slow pace with his nose to the ground. He went this way and that, following whatever scent he picked up. That sweet metallic smell still hung in the air, but he found it was being over-ridden by something else. There was actually a lot going on. It seemed that, that camp they had smelled earlier in the day had moved to somewhere outside of the boundary.


While Robert was still trying to identify the scent, Elise had inched closer and closer to the edge line. Her head was tilted back, catching the wind again. Her nose twitched and her ears swiveled. She could smell tobacco. Camp fire. Then a very strong pheromone hit her nose. It was feminine in nature. Doe. But entirely too concentrated. Synthetic probably. Hunters!


To everyone's horror, Elise bounded outside of the territory lines, heading for Robert. She wished she had her voice so she could scream his name. Robert! Robert! She was yelling to herself in her head, but she knew he couldn't hear her. The Enforcer was caught up with trying to find the source of that strange flowery scent and had approached dangerously close to the small camp that the hunters had made up for themselves. One of them had spotted him before he spotted them.


Back at the territory line, the trio would be able to hear the sound of a gun cracking like a whip through the air. Birds flew up from their nightly nests in squabbling terror, dislodging loose leaves and twigs in their wake. Then, there was nothing but the sound of resounding silence. It seemed to stretch on for an eternity. Marcus whined and moaned at the edge line, feeling dread deep within his heart. Anthony did the same for his brother.


Then, the silence broke, and Robert and Elise came racing back together. They barked at the others, signaling them to follow as they ran all the way back to the manor. By the time they reached the safety of their home, they were all panting heavily. They collapsed on the back porch, but all in all they seemed fine. They both knew that everyone else was probably dying to shift and learn what happened out there, but they simply needed time to gather themselves. On the bright side, there had been no more gunfire, and nobody seemed to be after them. On the not so bright side, Robert worried that the hunters were the least of their problems.

 

[Soliloquy]

James had nearly taken off after Elise as she crossed the boundary line but Anthony literally knocked some sense into with a swift headbutt to the ribs. There were already too many in danger, he could not be risked. His breathing had stopped with the sound of the gunshot and relief poured over him as he felt both wolves, alive and well, approaching.
 


Once back, safe at the house, he was the first to switch back, hunched over for a moment until he caught his breath. "Can one of you please explain to me what in the hell just happened?" he asked, his bare body glistening with sweat. Anthony and Marcus shifted as well, the three having the benefit of not having ran quite as far as Elise and Robert, pulling on their lower body apparel, waiting for an explanation.

 

[Sleepless_Dreamer]

When everyone had finally shifted to their human forms and were dressed enough to be taken seriously, everything kind of blew up. Anthony had a mini blow up at Elise, yelling at her and telling her that she could have gotten herself killed. It was rare to hear the big guy raise his voice in anger. To everyone's surprise, Robert stepped in between his brother and Elise and actually shoved his brother back a bit.


"Hey, step off, man!" Robert said, staring defiantly up at his brother. He, too, was glistening with sweat and breathing heavily, but there was a new found fire in his eyes. "She pretty much just saved my ass back there!" Robert stepped back and looked at the others. "I was so focused on finding out what that damn scent was, I lost my edge. One of those fucking hunters shot at me. Elise... she pushed me out of the way. The shot missed but... but she didn't know it was going to." He looked at Elise as if seeing her for the first time. "You were gonna take a bullet for me."


Cheeks flushed, eyes alive, she held Robert's gaze. In that moment, the two of them seemed to form their bond, their imprint, upon one another. Elise felt it deep inside, in the wolf. It was the first time she had ever felt anything like it. She would have thought that Marcus, or even James, would be the first one she bonded with, but it was Robert. That moment back there, of just... not wanting him to die, showed that she actually, truly cared about the others.


"Still," Marcus said solemnly. "She could have gotten herself, or both of you, killed. She can't keep blatantly disobeying orders."


Elise was shocked to hear those words come from Marcus's mouth. Eyes on fire, she glared at them all. Except for Robert. "Fuck you! Fuck all of you!" Her hands were clenched into fists. "You say you care so damn much about this pack and keeping everyone alive? Then why the hell do you send him (meaning Robert) out there alone, every time?!"


There were so many other things she wanted to say, but she was so angry she couldn't formulate a single thought. Her eyes stung with hot, angry tears, and she turned around and stormed into the house, slamming the door behind her. Robert sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. He chose to not speak about Elise for the moment. Instead, he focused on the the other matter at hand.


"There was a sickly sweet feminine smell out there. Like a wolf trying to douse itself in perfume or something like that. It was close to the camp the last time we smelled it, too. That wolf, whoever he or she is, is using the hunters as a diversion. It was out there, just past them... I could feel it. It must have known that I'd run into the hunters first. Whoever it is... they aren't friendly."

 

[Soliloquy]

Anthony listened to his brother but was pacing on the porch the instant the door slammed. How dare she! She was here for all of two days and thought she knew anything about them? Every single time he was told Robert was sent off on some survey or mission, or if James sent himself away for the safety of distance, Anthony was at his wits end. He joked and laughed aloud, but within he was a mess. He'd discussed it many times since the pack had faulted down to the few it was, but there was no point. His younger brother was not just stubborn, but determined to fulfill the role he was given.
 


James placed an arm on his shoulder, nodding, understanding his frustration without words. He released his hold as Anthony stopped pacing, releasing a long breath. He had processed Robert's words but they did not calm him. He almost wished they hadn't found anything out.
 


"We can talk about it later," he brushed it aside, stepping up to examine Robert. "Are you both alright? She is right, it was foolish to send you and it will not be happening again." He ran his hand through his own hair, trying to wrap his head around everything that was happening.

 

[Sleepless_Dreamer]

Everyone's emotions seemed to be running very high. Marcus must have even been feeling agitated for him to speak against Elise like that. He usually kept his opinions to himself, but Marcus took it as a personal slight against him when someone defied James, regardless of the reason. He could not understand exactly what happened, as he had not been out there past the boundary, but still... it shouldn't have happened, either way. He rubbed his hands together while Robert spoke. In the back of his mind, he thought maybe he should go in and talk to Elise, but she had made it pretty clear that she didn't want to speak to any of them.


Robert nodded in response to James's question. "Yeah. Like I said, shot missed. At least I'm pretty sure it did. Didn't hit me, and Elise seemed to be fine. Hunters didn't come after us, either. I think the shot was to scare us away more than anything."


He folded his arms across his chest and switched his gaze between his brother and James for a moment. When James made his statement about changing things, Robert shook his head. "No, man. I volunteered for this. Nobody forced this upon me. It's okay, really." He could see his brother shaking his head angrily as he said that. He sighed and rubbed a hand over his shaven head for a moment. He didn't admit it, but he was actually a little rattled by everything. He couldn't believe he had lost focus, and he couldn't believe that he had gotten so lucky back there. But what was most unbelievable was that Elise, who had seemed to hate him from the get go, was about to take a bullet for him. That definitely changes a person's opinion.


"I think we should go inside," Marcus suggested. "Standing out here arguing isn't going to do anyone any good. Come on." He led the way back into the manor.

 

[Soliloquy]

Giving his brother a final look, Anthony followed Marcus, muttering incoherently under his breath clasped a hand on Robert's shoulder. "I'm glad you're alright," he said honestly, "And I'm glad she went after you." He couldn't say it out loud, but James already had it set in his mind that after the last disaster anyone died, it would be him. He would not live to bury another pack member.
 


Walking with Robert back into the house, he sighed. "You're going to have to be the one to speak to her," he pointed out to Robert, who undoubtedly already knew it. "She's too heated, I doubt she'll even listen to me."
 


Leaving him to the inevitable, he sat with Anthony and Marcus on the sectional and began discussing the newest information, surprisingly quiet.

 

[Sleepless_Dreamer]

Robert wiped a hand down his face. He was feeling pretty tired, not to mention tightly wound from all of the stress. He knew that he was the only one that Elise wasn't mad at right now (and honestly he still had a hard time processing that fact) but he just... didn't know what to say to her. He was not eloquent, at all. His heart to hearts with James came from a very long friendship, and from the fact that they were both men. Never in his life had he sat down and talked to a woman about feelings.


"I know," Robert sighed heavily. "I'll go talk to her."


Robert made his way upstairs. Without thinking, he knew that Elise would be locked away in her room. He went up and knocked on her door, turning his head to the side to listen for her. He could hear her in there, but she wasn't answering. He knocked again. Finally, he grabbed the door knob. "I'm coming in," he announced. "If you're naked, that is totally not my fault."


The big guy opened the door to find Elise hurriedly shoving her things into her bag. He stopped in the doorway and stared at her. "Elise... what are you doing?"


"I can't do this, Robert." She said. She refused to look at him, but he could tell she'd been crying those angry tears he had seen before. "I'm not cut out for it. This... this blind obedience that you're all supposed to have?"


"It's not blind, Elise. James doesn't force us to do anything. We want to do it."


"Yeah, well I don't!" She yelled, finally stopping and turning to look at him. "I don't want to watch you, or anyone for that matter, run off into danger. I don't want to watch anyone get killed!"


"So what, you're just going to leave?" Robert's tone got a little louder, but not terribly so. Still, they would be probably be able to hear their muffled shouts from downstairs and assume it wasn't going well. "You can't just keep running, Elise."


"You don't know shit about me, so don't pretend like you do." She grabbed a few more articles of clothing and shoved them in her duffel bag. She zipped it shut and slung it over her shoulder.


"It's not about you! You don't get to just leave! That's not how this works."


"I don't have to live here, either." She retorted. "I'm going back to town. If you guys absolutely need me, which you very clearly don't, then you know how to reach me. Otherwise... don't bother."


Elise stormed past Robert and out of the room. Her heavy footsteps could be heard falling upon the steps as she descended them two at a time. She didn't even look at the others as she passed the den and headed out the front door. Robert had followed her to the base of the stairs and simply watched. He had tried, he'd really tried, but he knew he wasn't the right man for the job and this was proof of that.

 

[Soliloquy]

As their voices could be heard through the floorboards, James stopped talking suddenly and they all attempted to hear it. He stood as she came down the stairs, catching her just leaving the door. Well...he tried. Sighing he knew it was his duty. Taking a deep breath, he took off after her at a light jog. She had gotten partway down the gravel driveway by the time he caught up to her. Instead of stopping though, he ran past her, stopping in her path, facing her with a solemn look on his face.
 


"Alexander Cortez, 30. Adrian Cortez, 24. Jacob Marshals, 26. Payton Johnson, 25. Jefferson Sinclaire, 32. Gabrielle Sinclaire, 28. Ava Sinclaire, 5. Jessica Matthews, 23. " He paused, swallowing a lump that had gotten lodged in his throat. "I can tell you every one of their's favorite band, ice cream, most embarrassing high school story...and I can tell you exactly what it was like to feel them die."
 


His eyes were glistening, but he stood strong before her. "This bond, isn't a light thing. You feel each other, you are linked to them. And I think of everyone of them each time Robert, Anthony, or Marcus leave my sight. And...when you do. When you came home last night, it took every bit of my self control not to go fists blazing into Clay's little hide out. We know exactly where it is and it would have been worth dying for."
 


He shifted nervously. "You may not feel it yet, but they would all die for you. Pack roles or not, Robert and no one else will be going alone. I promise." He looked directly into her eyes. "I will not tell you that you have to stay, but I will tell you I want you to stay. Please."

 

[Sleepless_Dreamer]

Elise came to a frustrated halt when James came to a stop in front of her. Emotion was written all over her face. She was mad and frustrated, but she was also feeling defeated. This whole thing had bee one, huge, stupid idea. She shouldn't have let James convince her to talk that night. She should have just stayed in Clay's territory. She would have been safe there. At least from the other wolves.


"James..."


She began, but was cut short by his words. She stopped, confused at first, and just listened to him. When she realized what he was doing, she sighed heavily and lowered her head. Her eyes just stared at the ground for several long moments. She couldn't do this. Not now. Probably not ever. Her blonde hair curtained her face, hiding her expression as he went on. When he mentioned that the others would die for her, she lifted her face and looked at him.


"They don't even know me."


She didn't feel a bond for any of them, except for Robert now, she she didn't understand how they could feel one for her. She thought it was a two-way street that had to happen at the same moment, but what did she know? Nothing. A whole lot of nothing. As he implored her to stay, she sighed and pulled her lower lip between her teeth a moment.


"I'm not cut out for all of this," she motioned a hand toward the manor when she said the word 'this'. "I don't think I can whatever it is you guys want me to be. I'm sorry I just... I just need some time."


She brushed past him and continued her walk down the gravel pathway. Soon, she disappeared from sight. Ultimately, she had returned to the city. To that same crappy motel she'd been staying in before the manor. Three days had passed with no sign of her. She hadn't returned to the manor once. She had only responded to messages to let them know that she was alive, but other than that her communication had been non-existent at best.

 

[Soliloquy]

While she hadn't been in their lives long, the wolves were all coping with the absence of Elise in their lives. James, the only one who currently lived full-time at the manor, noticed it the most. He walked about in a quiet stupor, barely speaking when any of the others stopped by or when he and Marcus did a territory sweep the next day. Robert had done his best to try and talk his friend out of the slump, but to no avail. It was clear to all of them, as new as she had been, there was now a gap where Elise had been. At his orders, the Marcus, Anthony, and Robert were all giving Elise space. They agreed with James that she needed space and if he hadn't been able to get through to them, none of them would be.
 


Daily checks were done of around the lake (never anyone alone) but there were hints of the scent or the hunters for the next three nights. They began to believe it was just a fluke that had them paranoid. Gradually, tension lifted a bit, Robert and Anthony doing their best to cheer James up. He'd give them his best smile and try to carry on, but his concern for their absent pack member was ever present.

 

[Sleepless_Dreamer]

Elise sat in her motel room with a bottle of whiskey in her hand. She lifted it to her mouth, took a swig, and hissed at the burn that slid down her throat. After setting the bottle down, lifted up the end of her shirt and held the fabric between her teeth to keep it from falling. On the right side of her abdomen was a gash about three inches long. Not terribly deep, but it hadn't been made with anything even remotely clean. She grabbed the bottle of peroxide, popped open the lid, and let 'er rip.


"Son of a bitch!" She hissed loudly as the wound burned and bubbled.


This had been the story of her life, it seemed. She'd ran into some trouble at the club tonight where she'd been making the drop. Clay's supplier had tried to skim some drugs off the top and hope it went unnoticed. It had come down to an issue where it was either his head or hers, and Elise opted for it not to be hers. So, she and the supplier had gotten into it. The gash on her side was the worst he'd been able to do to her. Club staff was probably still sweeping him up off the floor, so she felt like she got a better end of the deal. What's more, she had managed to get a sample of whatever drug that Clay was pushing. Only problem was she needed a way to test it, and Marcus was rightfully ignoring her messages.


.........


The morning of the fifth day since her absence, Elise arrived at the manor. No bags packed, just her current clothes and the small vial of drugs in her coat pocket. She didn't even know if Marcus would be there, but she thought it would be worth a try. Standing on the front doorstep, she sighed heavily. She had been feeling incredibly alone lately, moreso than she had before she joined the pack, but she hadn't allowed herself to delve too far into the meaning of any of it.


"Just business," she told herself as she closed the distance between herself and the door. "Just business." Lifting her hand, she rapped on the door with her knuckles and awaited a response.

 

[Soliloquy]

Dutifully, the cold vampiress had followed Elise each night, on her assigned tasks by Clay. The she-wolf had been behaving distant it seemed, even as Ambrosia watched her from afar. The escalation during a drop off was thrilling, and she had to fight to contain herself, pointed tongue sliding over her elongated fangs. Sadly, it wasn't the end of the mutt's life and she continued on that night, although she had been clearly injured. It was the first night there was anything out of the ordinary and she delightfully returned to the high rise to report.
 


Awaiting Clay's now-regular approach to her room, Ambrosia sat perched on the end of her silken red bed, slim pale legs crossed. A sadistic smirk was plastered on her face and an eerily excited look resonated in her eyes. As soon as the calm, cool vampire entered her chambers she began to give details of the events that evening and the resulting wound to his errand girl. She only stopped speaking once the story had been told, eyes weighing him, eager for a response.


THUD THUD THUD
 


The knocking had tossed James from his sleep, and he had to shake his head to realize what had happened. The past few days James had been staying up later and later in the evenings, as a result sleeping til nearly noon unless one of the others had dared to wake him. Grumbling, he climbed awkwardly out of the covers, pulling on a pair of sweat pants before trekking down the stairs. Rubbing his eyes, he opened the door, only to see Elise. In doubt of his own vision, he rubbed his eyes again, looking around her.
 


"Elise?" he asked, clearly in a state of disbelief. He then registered she had come, not with intentions of returning due to her lack of a bag. He struggled with words in his half-sleep trance. "What...Um... Did something... Come in?"

 

[Sleepless_Dreamer]

Clay's other eyes and ears had informed him of a little mishap at one of the clubs tonight that had resulted in the ashing of one of his men. Granted, the vamp had been so low on the totem pole he really didn't matter, but still... Clay didn't enjoy hearing that his people were being slayed. The details were vague, but he knew that Ambrosia had eyes and ears closer to the scene. So, unsurprisingly, he had gone to her as soon as she'd arrived back.


Tonight, like other nights, he had brought a decanter of blood infused with alcohol. Along with it were two crystal flutes for drinking. He had been softening the deal, so to speak, and giving Ambrosia more incentive to stay completely focused on tracking Elise and not being distracted by her prior habits. So far, she had been doing well.


Elise's absence from her motel for a couple of days had been worrisome, but Ambrosia reported that she'd been staying there the past several nights. It looked like the only interaction she'd been having was with a bottle of whiskey. The coven leader was quite intrigued to hear of the details of the fight at the club.


"Little bitch didn't even tell me she ashed one of my men," Clay huffed. "I mean, I'm glad she did. Saved me the trouble of making some phone calls, but still. What did they fight about again? He'd been trying to take some off the top?" Clay rubbed his chin. "Ambrosia, what else did you see? Anything else strange about our little wolf? Ulterior motives perhaps?"


---------------


Elise was running a hand through her long blonde hair when the door opened. James, in all of his shirtless glory, stood there looking at her like he was staring at a unicorn or something. She canted her head to the side and offered up a small smile.


"Good morning," she said, though it was after noon.


All signs of her previous injuries were gone, and her new stomach wound was covered enough to hopefully not be sending out too strong of a blood smell. The vial that was in her coat pocket, however, had a very distinctively unpleasant scent to it. Very strong chemicals with what could have possibly been blood mixed in. She reached into her coat and retrieved the vial of blue liquid.


"Found this little goose egg last night. I was hoping could use one of his connections in the medial field to see just exactly what's in it."


When he offered her to come inside, she stood there for a moment. She supposed it couldn't hurt. So, she stepped past him and into the manor and all of its strong, earthy smells. So different from the city. Much warmer; much homier. Once inside, she put the vial back in her coat and slid her hands into the back pockets of her jeans.


"Buuuut, he's not been answering my calls Which was probably his ploy to get me to come here. And he's clearly not here, so...."


She let the words hang and just kind of stood there awkwardly, not sure what to say next.

 

[Soliloquy]

Ambrosia slowly sipped the sweet drink he had provided her with, nodding, eyes glued to his face and reactions. "Other than her stomach being split, I wasn't able to see anything else from the fight. Just Eduardo being greedy and trying to snatch some for his own personal use." She used a slender finger to catch a droplet of the bloody drink, sliding it into her mouth, suckling the sweetness in silent ecstasy.
 


"Although..." she admitted, thinking aloud but offering the information also to her liege. "I think it's oddly curious. You are paying her a handsome fee for these deliveries, but she's living in no better than a whore house. The closest thing to a luxury purchase I've seen is her trips to pick up alcohol to drown herself in. However...every night she will watch her phone for payment. If she isn't spending the money, why is she so anxious for it? "
 


While the young vampire had not an inkling of what the reason could be, she had been watching every night until the thought had formed in her own head. She assumed that Clay would be more than capable of finding the answer if given the question.


He scrunched his face up in disgust as he caught wind of the vial, listening to her explanation. "That smells raunchy," he grunted, pinching his nostrils briefly in an attempt to be rid of the scent. Closing the door behind her, he shrugged his shoulders.
 


"Marcus is rarely here unless told to be, most of them haven't since-" he stopped short, not wanting to make her feel like she was being guilt tripped. "Give me a minute and I'll call him over. Feel free to raid the refrigerator in the mean time?"
 


He gave her a smile that was now more awake before turning to the stairs. "Glad to see you again, Elise."
 


James journeyed back to his room, snatching his phone to alert Marcus of the need of his services. He also took advantage of the opportunity to dress himself, washing his face to return downstairs feeling refreshed. "He'll be here after work. Typical Marcus, said he had some prior commitments he couldn't get out of."

 

[Sleepless_Dreamer]

Ambrosia brought up a very good point. Clay had never paid much attention to what Elise was doing with the money before. He hadn't really given a damn to tell the truth. But if she was still living in squalor and not spending the money on anything obvious, what in the hell was she using it for? Clay rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand, locked in deep thought for a moment. He leaned against the young vampire's dresser and crossed one ankle over the other.


"Hmm..." He wondered aloud. "Perhaps she has some sort of debts she owes. She obviously isn't using the money for herself. So, then what for?"


He remembered Michael saying that she had been a police officer in her previous life. Clay wondered if she was paying someone in law enforcement to keep some sort of secret for her. A secret like she was dead, perhaps. She clearly didn't want to be on the grid if she was coming to the vampires, of all places, to earn money. Still, something didn't seem right.


"The wolf has secrets," Clay said at last. "I don't like secrets, Ambrosia. At least not ones that I don't know about."


------------------------------


He didn't have to elaborate. She could have filled in the blanks for him. No one had been around much since she left. Why? Why did they all give such a damn about whether she was there or not? It didn't make sense. She wasn't important. She was brand new to the pack, and still relatively new to being a wolf. There was no logical reason why she would be something that held them all together.


Elise knitted her brow in thought. When James returned downstairs, he would find that she hadn't moved from her original spot. She still stood there in the large foyer with her hands stuffed in her pockets. No fridge raiding today, it seemed. Her eyes lifted to meet his face as he explained to her that Marcus wouldn't be over until he got off work. That was still several hours away.


"Oh... Uhm, alright. Well, I can just go and come back later or something."

 

[Soliloquy]

Rising to her feet, she placed her self boldly directly in front of Clay, more than pleased with herself and where this was going. She smiled, her canines, peeking out under her upper lip. She was, to say the very least, ecstatic with his interest that seemed to be leading to the possibility of them rifling through that good-for-nothing broad's life.
 


"Well, let's drag her skeletons out," she offered, a dastardly wicked look in her eyes. "If she wants to claim your protection, then don't you have the right to know what she's hiding?"
 


She hadn't moved, which wasn't encouraging as he stood awkwardly before her. Reaching up, he rubbed the back of his neck. She wasn't planning on sticking around, it was clear. He sighed. He held himself responsible for her departure and refusal to return, the primary cause of his unusual sleeping habits and behavior.
 


"Well, do you want to tell me what it is and I can just give it to him?" he offered, feeling exhausted of his options. "I'm sure you have a lot of things you need to do."

 

[Sleepless_Dreamer]

Clay looked down at the shorter female that stood before him. There was that wickedness in her eyes that he had come to know so well. He knew that part of her drive to do the work she was currently doing was because she aimed to please and to ascend among the ranks. But he also knew a much larger part of it was because she wished personal ill-will on the werewolf. Clay didn't understand it, but he didn't object to it either. He just didn't allow Ambrosia to do anything while Elise was still technically in his employ. If he learned that she was up to something, then all bets would be off.


"Yes, I suppose that would be wise." He looked to the side, a thought passing through his mind. "Work your charm with one of our new bloods in accounting. They should be able to follow the money trail. If not... make them."


He looked at Ambrosia again. His usually stern mouth pulled upward at the corner into the slightest hint of a half-smirk. Oh, the things he would do to Elise if she were trying to make a fool out of him. Finishing his glass, he set it down on the dresser beside him. His hand gently pushed away some of Ambrosia's dark hair, revealing the soft white flesh of her neck.


"We'll just have to see who Elise was before becoming the wolf, I suppose..."


--------------------------------


"No," she shook her head. "I don't want anyone else to be responsible for this. I... well I stole it. And I can't have that on any of you guys."


Elise turned and took a few steps for the door. She wanted to leave, but there was a small, quiet voice of reason in her head that told her not to. It told her that there was a reason why she'd been holing up in her motel room every night with a bottle of whiskey. It wasn't because she was happy, that was for damn sure. Standing there, staring at the door that she knew she wasn't going to walk out of, Elise sighed. She turned around to face James again.


"Do you... wanna get dinner? Or lunch? Or whatever it's called after one o'clock?"

 

[Soliloquy]

As his hand brushed her skin, she looked at him, a fire glowing in her eyes with pride. She had successfully proven herself to him and was now being rewarded with a significantly more specific task. She was delighted.
 


"I will not let you down," she purred, delighted. And she had no intention to do anything but please.


James had been braced for rejection, as she already done so on multiple occasions, and her offer of a friendly meal caught him off guard. Ruffling his hair he nodded.
 


"O-of course," he slightly stuttered, collecting himself. "Is there anything specific you want?"
 


He eyed her up and down as he awaited a response, trying to determine what suddenly changed her mind. Less than a minute prior, she was determined to leave and had clearly not come to stay. Now she wanted to bond? He wasn't going to say no, at all. He was pleased with her change of mind, but also curious as to what had prompted it.

 

[Sleepless_Dreamer]

The coven leader pressed his fingertips into the side of Ambrosia's neck with just enough pressure to draw some blood. The wounds were small, and sealed up as soon as he took his hand away. His now red-tipped fingers came to his mouth, and he idly tasted her fresh vampire blood while thinking to himself. He found that he was excited at this new prospect of possible betrayal. The idea of being able to torture that stupid little wolf was appealing to him. She needed to be shown where her place was.


"I know you won't," he responded. "I know."


With that, he left his young vampire in peace.


----------------------


"No," she shook her head. "Anything's fine, really."


She was still a bit shifty, but she was holding her ground when it came to her decision. Honestly, Elise wasn't quite sure what prompted her to ask James out to a meal. It had just kind of some out. When she made her decision to stick around, it could have been just that. Just hanging around the manor. But instead, her mind had come up with this. Maybe it felt a little more relaxed. Who knew?


They ultimately ended up at a casual cafe that doubled as a diner. It was warm and cozy in that annoying hipster way, but the coffee was great and the food was even better. Elise had ordered herself a cup of java and a sandwich piled high with bacon and turkey and minimal vegetables. It hadn't taken long for her to work through it, of course. Her appetite was unchanging. After, when it was just her and her coffee, she canted her head to the side and observed James.


"I... need to apologize," she said a bit shyly. "For how I acted that night. I... I had a lot of emotions going on inside of me, what with everything that happened, almost getting shot, bonding for the first time... and I didn't know what to do with them all. So, I went to my default. Which, in case you haven't noticed, is to slap up these mile high walls and yell at people from the inside."


She looked down, gripping her cup of coffee.


"There are a lot of things I don't do well. And a lot of things I do even worse now that I'm... you know. I meant what I said when I told you I didn't think I was cut out for this. I guess I just don't understand why you brought me in, in the first place. Why you took the risk when I am so not worth it."