Silver Claws

8. Choose your battles carefully

Dedicated to @owyefamily

I feel myself awakening at a maddeningly slow pace, unable to reach full consciousness. I can feel the air shift as someone moves nearby, skin brushing against the fabric of their clothes, voices murmuring in agitation. Male and female, indistinct. The smell of spring so strong my face could have been pressed to blooming leaves. I go under and surface repeatedly until I am fully awake.

I jerk upright and on my knees, a biting pain rolls up from my shoulder and into the back of my skull, winding to my temples. It makes me flinch, I do not allow myself to give in further. My muscles are stiff from hours of stillness, I feel no other damage to my body than the bite on my neck. My teeth are bared viciously as my eyes scan my surroundings.

I'm in a bedroom, bamboo green walls. Pale exposed wood night stand, shelves and a dresser to my left. A jungle photo decorating the wall across from me. And in a chair directly in front of the ajar door, in the seat is the Adonis, the source of the scent of fresh grass, new moss, the sun bringing life.

He's smirking, amused at my show. "Easy tiger."

A hiss bubbles up from me. He raises one eyebrow, and I hear him in my head again, only his voice sounded layered, two people speaking in tandem. You may wanna lay back down. Your headache is giving me a headache.

I swallow hard, his eyes glowed that blue fire and saw too much of me. No doubt he could hear me too. Escaping would be more difficult now.

"You're not leaving." The soft smirk faded, and in its place a harder smile. Welcoming a challenge. "So you think I'm Adonis?" He was goading me.

"Oh yes, you will make a beautiful corpse." I sneer. I prepared to launch myself at his body, the green room would be red with his blood.

"Sheesh that's graphic. Calm down, I'm not going to fight you, you're barely awake anyway."

I refuse to respond, instead fighting the urge to plan my way out. I may as well tell him my route if I did it now. Instead I tried focusing on on the palm tree printed bed sheets. He chuckled, his mind was filled with nothing but me, taking note of every move I make. Wild, shining like a star. I try to ignore it.

"So...how do you feel?"

"I will relish in your death."

He forces a laugh, "Yeah, because that worked before. Why haven't you healed?"

Ignoring him, I think of how my teeth wouldn't close together, like my jaw had locked into place. Then he too bit me. I see his neck is scabbed over, appearing weeks old, even if it didn't kill him it was an impressive wound. If my teeth had touched together the way I had wanted he would be dead. Why did my body not cooperate?

"Because we can't kill each other. I told you. We are mates."

I snap, "Then your life shall be mine to take."

A woman appeared in the doorway, the mother of Ryan. She smiled with teeth but I didn't waver from the blue flames. Thank God.

"Great. Well, Mom wants to help you get cleaned up and I'll just be downstairs." I felt like he was laughing at me. He stood and left easily, appearing unaffected but I could hear his thoughts as he went, his feelings of relief. Not good definitely not good.

I examined the woman. She held nothing but a warm smile, her face so genuine it pulled at something inside me. "Hello Akela, I'm sorry about my son, I'm afraid you came as shock."

I nod once, acknowledging without comment. She continues, "He didn't think he would find a mate. But oh well, here you are! I'd like to help get you cleaned up, get you some fresh clothes..." I nod and rise, I was distracted from the headache that now came rushing back as my feet took my weight. I follow her to a bathroom connected to the room. I step inside without turning my back to her and shed the clothing. I kept my eyes on her, though I was sure I could easily end her life.