I heard Slade Carter answer, “Good. Let’s take the girl and get out of here. The last thing we need to have happen is getting caught by anyone. If we have to fight to take her there will be more questions, and it will all be for nothing.”
Robert gloated, “No one will question it. The Vampire is ready and waiting to glamor everyone once they are alone.” Slade snorted, “You can use his name.” Robert shook his head, “I’ve heard what happens to people who say his name. I’ll go with the Vampire.” I frowned. Who were they talking about? Was it Sherman? Was he alive?
I saw Warriors being dragged out of my house. Robert kicked Tank hard in the side then stomped on him. I snarled out loud. How dare he hurt Tank! Tank growled, “I’ll get you! Melanie can win this fight, and I’ll get off the damn ground.”
Slade raised an eyebrow. Robert snorted, “He made me run extra laps the other day. Tank’s an ass who the Vampire will need to compel.” Tank fought harder and it felt like my heart broke. Freya linked, “They fought for us.” They did. Tank was fighting so hard, and his ribs were broken. I could tell his lung was collapsing, and he was spelled.
Slade snorted, “More like he’s a Warrior doing his job, but kick him all you want. Your kind disgusts me.” Robert snorted, “Yet you work with us and need us.” Slade smiled at him, and Robert seemed to think that meant he won the argument. It didn’t.
Slade had plans to use the Ring and Wolves until it wasn’t beneficial for him. The problem with that was everyone involved in the Ring thought they were the smartest person around. If Slade thought he could outsmart the Vampire in charge, he wasn’t thinking deviously enough.
If I figured that out from a snide comment… a Vampire would already be anticipating his betrayal. Slade was a bad Hunter after all. He’d corrupted their group to hate all Supernatural’s… it would be silly to discount those that felt that way.
Freya said, “The Ring doesn’t know we know their real purpose, along with Royal family. They have no idea Anastasia is in the Resistance. Nor do they know we are working with her to restore Hunters and Huntresses to their true purpose.” Fair enough… but they had to know the Hunters true purpose… the Supernatural Council definitely did.
I shook myself when I heard fighting start inside. I quickly slipped into my old home using the back door. It was jarring to be back in this moment yet again. Then it hit me, unlike all the other times I was thrust into that illusion I could change this one…actually change it, not just try to. I could finally fix this.
I ran across the room and shoved the younger me down and took a shot to the hip. I gasped in pain, that feeling was just like I remembered it to be. It stung. The younger me asked, “We are in the Ribbon? Does Xander save us? That’s so cool!”
I heard Tristan’s voice behind me. Freya told me, “That’s not really Apollo.” I watched as my older brother barreled across the room to us. The younger me screamed, “LOOK OUT, T!” I didn’t think about anything other than saving my brother. I jumped up in front of him taking a bullet to the abdomen.
The younger me screamed, but I couldn’t take a breath to tell her it was ok. The man pretending to be my brother gaped at me. I whispered, “I couldn’t watch it happen again, T. I could finally change it. How about that?” The fake Tristan blinked at me rapidly.
Freya sighed, “It’s still not him. This man doesn’t even have a wolf.” I knew that… but it looked like him. The younger me was crying and I was dizzy. I was fading, but I knew my Xander was now here. He tried to heal me, but I knew I was being sent back.
Before I could tell him not to worry because my brothers would be waiting, I was back in the men’s bathroom at the school. Tristan saw me first. My oldest brother yelled, “WHAT THE FUCK?!” I touched his face, “It didn’t happen this time, T. I finally saved you.”
Tristan whispered, “You called me T.” I said, “I finally changed it.” My older brother gaped at me then shook himself. He pulled out his phone and Jason picked me up. He told Tristan, “I’ll get her to the nurse's office. There have to be supplies in there.”
I wheezed, “You’re not supposed to pick up people who have been injured or shot.” Jason ordered, “Zip it with your facts, Ladybug!” He started to run, and I bit my lip because the jostling hurt a lot. Freya told me, “He can smell the silver from the bullet. Not that makes it different from a regular bullet to us, but he’s panicked. So is Ajax.”
Jason set me down in the nurse's office. Tristan ran in announcing, “Eric is getting Haley. They will be here in a second.” My older brother looked worriedly at me. I tried to laugh but failed. I coughed then said, “Silver doesn’t hurt me like it does you guys. I’m fine.” Tears filled Tristan’s eyes.
A pop filled the room. Haley shouted, “What the actual flying fuck?! It’s a goddamn dance and someone is firing shots? Why didn’t ANY of my children pull or link us?! Where is my son?” I answered, “He’s still in the Ribbon… and I got shot in my old house… not here.”
Haley questioned, “What? Alexander took a fucking nap at the dance?!” I shook my head, “No… he just went down and said he had to close his eyes… then I went.” Haley muttered, “Motherfucking obnoxious goddesses and their fucked up timing.”
“I swear to god! They just want to piss me the fuck off, so I light their asses up. I will be better than them. They haven'teven set the standard high or anything.” What on earth was she talking about? A healing light appeared around me, and I was floating.
When I came to, everyone was staring at me with worried expressions except Haley. I looked down, “Hey, that’s cool. You even got the blood out of the dress and there are no bullet holes. Thanks! I really like this dress, it has pockets!” Haley smiled at me.
Jason shouted, “We are going to talk about pockets right now?!” I sighed, “No one wants me to talk about pockets apparently. Just because I make excellent points, that women’s pants makers are sexist jerks who won’t give women real pockets… everyone rolls their eyes… but I’m right… and I have research to show anyone who did give women appropriate pockets… would win the market.” Tristan snorted.
Before anyone could say anything else Xander popped in. He was annoyed that I'd taken a bullet for a fake Tristan, but I couldn’t help it. He was my big brother. Being back there… I knew how traumatizing that night was supposed to be for that version of myself. She didn’t deserve the nightmares I’d had.
Tristan linked me, “YOU TOOK A BULLET FOR THE FAKE ME?!” I replied, “That me will never have those nightmares that I do…. of seeing the bullet pierce your skin over and over.”
“I doubt the illusion continued for her to see our parents die, but it was all… awful… and I had to change it. You don’t know how much I tried to change it when I kept seeing it… and it was my chance. I couldn’t….not change it. It was everything I wanted to do that night.”
Tristan’s gaze softened. My big brother told me, “I’ll take a bullet for you any day ending in Y.” No, he would not because I would never let that happen. He would remain free of bullet holes… because he had to. I could not go through that again.
They all compared notes on how we ended up here. I couldn’t believe how thorough the Ring had been in their plans. Why me? Sure, Ezra had a vendetta against my dad. The higher ups in the Ring weren’t just agreeing to some massive plot like this without a reason though.
I knew they didn’t know I was the white wolf, or I’d have been locked up in a dungeon somewhere and experimented on. So why had they done this? Just because they could? It seemed like there had to be some other reason.
Addison linked me, “I would normally assume you were off having sex with your mate because you’ve been gone so long, except my mate disappeared too. So, that’s not what you’re doing. What’s going on?”
I replied, “We are heading back.” Addison said, “That doesn’t tell me what’s going on, but ok.” I replied, “That’s a tomorrow conversation. This has been a loving fun filled evening and goddesses being catty are not going to ruin it.” Addison agreed, “Afreakingmen.”
