No Better Than The Beasts

Chapter 6- The Clearing

Prince Derrick felt the pain before he even opened his eyes. Actually, pain was an understatement on so many levels.

The prince started breathing fast and short, hyperventilating, and his mind seemed to shut down, giving him the feeling of suffocation. Instead of opening his eyes, he clenched them tighter, hoping that this was one of those moments when you are sleeping in bed and you are given the impression that you are drowning on air.

But after a few minutes, it didn't go away.

His eyes flew open, already stinging with tears, and he began to take in deep breaths, gulping air up faster than he could process where he was or what was happening.

And then it hit him like a brick to Jason Grace's face: Jake.

Just the name filtering through his thoughts brought tears to his eyes. And no, it wasn't because of the emotional pain from being away from his soulmate for too long. No, it was because of the literal physical pain from staying away from Jake Freaking Pierce.

Such a classic werewolf-y last name. It made him sick.

But of course thinking that made his already-busted heart to pang painfully with guilt.

                "Derrick?" the prince heard faintly, "Derrick, are you okay?!"

Nothing is like waking up, choking on pain, and hearing the distressed call of your charming cousin who-is-a-barely-tolerable-person in the morning.

Now all he needed was some black cats and broken mirrors and his wake-up call would be almost perfect.

At the sound of his cousin's voice, Derrick painfully remembered last night when he told Nathan about Jake's...abnormal, unwanted quality.

He remembered Nathan's disbelief and the prince's desperate attempts to convince him that he was not going insane.

               "You're crazy," he remembered Nathan claiming, pointing a finger at him, "You are insane. Are you sure you haven't been having morning jogs in the Labyrinth or have somehow gotten the case of the Dancing Plague? If that's the case, I'll be leaving now."

Derrick remembered grabbing Nathan's arm before Nathan could take a step towards the door.

                "You don't have to listen to me. You don't have to believe me. But please, look at me. Do I look insane, sick, or dying?"

                "Um, no, not really," Nathan had said then smirked, "You actually look quite handsome in your own grumpy, anti-social way."

                "Not the time for flirting, idiot," Derrick growled.

                "Okay okay," Nathan said, holding his hands up in surrender, "I won't believe that your soulmate is something straight out of a young girl's daydream until I see it for myself, okay? But until then, I won't think you're crazy. Deal?"

                "As long as I don't get burned at the stake for being mentally ill," Derrick huffed.

They had then gone to sleep (Derrick made sure to make Nathan sleep on the floor) and now, here Derrick was, at four o'clock in the morning.

Writhing in pain.

Panicked.

And being ripped apart by his heart.

                "Jake," Derrick gasped, "The clearing- Ollie- I need- hurts-"

                "So you are insane," Nathan concluded, "If you expect me to understand any of what you just said, you clearly have lost your mind."