Chapter 17: Save him
1773 Words
We parked up outside the milkshake place and searched for over an hour in the surrounding area before we finally found Nick in a, well, I’m not sure how to explain it, it was like the woods with lots of trees and dirt, but nowhere as big. It was behind the milkshake building, about ten minutes walking distance.
Following the smell of blood, we entered the trees and found Nick lying on the ground unconscious and bleeding.
Instinctively I ran and fell to my knees beside him, my hand going to his chest. I looked him over, I lifted his top up and had to be careful as it was wet and sticky with blood and clung to his wound underneath.
I slowly and carefully peeled it back and saw a big deep gash, no, three actually, and they were bleeding, thankfully not too heavily, or at least not anymore, blood was all over the floor.
I looked up at Romulus and saw a flare of jealousy when he saw my worried face, but he quickly became unreadable and came over to pick Nick up.
He carried him in his arms silently and we carefully snuck towards the car before anyone could see. Romulus laid him in the back seat and I sat back there with him, putting his head on my lap.
While we drove I looked at his handsome face, like my mates’ he was quite beautiful except maybe a little rougher round the edges. This close with him sleeping, I noticed he had a long thick jagged scar running down his neck and towards his left pec. It looked like a knife wound. The fresh wounds looked like knife wounds too, someone had stabbed him, tried to kill him.
I stroked his hair softly and didn’t realize I was crying until a tear hit his cheek. I quickly wiped it away and stopped touching him. I didn’t love him, I couldn’t.
If Romulus noticed he didn’t show it, he kept his eyes firmly on the road, but I could have sworn I saw him squeezing the steering wheel.
Fear engulfed me as we parked up outside the pack house, I knew I had no choice but to explain everything to Jax and Fenris now.
Romulus came around and picked Nick up, and we made our way inside. The pack members watched curiously, but no one said anything, they knew their alpha didn’t need to explain himself.
Jax was in the kitchen when he saw us, and then his eyes clocked Nick. “Is that f.ucking Nick Darke? What the f***k is he doing here?”
He came over and saw him still unconscious in Romulus’ arms. Frowning, Jax looked at me.
I took a deep breath and was about to open my mouth when he figured it out himself.
“Wait, ever since you’ve been back you’ve been struggling with this weird being in heat s.hit, and now you bring him here when he’s injured instead of turning him in. You weren’t going for f.ucking milkshakes, were you?”
When I didn’t answer he asked, “is he your second chance mate, Rose?”
I gulped and forced myself to nod, keeping my eyes firmly on the floor.
He tilted his head up and took in a big breath before looking at me. “I’m f.ucking p.issed, but not with you, it isn’t your fault, but seriously the f.ucking moon goddess or God or whoever the f***k, couldn’t have given you someone better than this evil f***k?”
“I’m so sorry, Jax, the bond just sort of forced the bond between us.”
“What! You’re f.ucking mated to him?”
I explained everything and added, “it won’t be complete until he mates with me. I’ll just keep being in heat until he does, and it could get worse.”
Jax growled and punched the wall with enough force it c.racked.
“I’m so sorry, I wish I could break it, I’m really sorry,” I cried.
His eyes were gold, but he pulled me in to his arms, surprising me and whispered. “I’m sorry darling, I’m not mad at you, you can’t help it.”
He kissed the top of my head and said, “what’s wrong with him, anyway?”
I knew he was purposely changing the subject for me, and I don’t think I’d ever loved him more than I did right then for that.
I reached up and kissed his lips. “I love you so much.”
“I know you do darling, and I love you too, nothing will ever change that even if you had to…marry this f.uck.” He forced himself to say it and shivered, making me giggle.
“Come on, let’s take him to one of the spare rooms.” He led us upstairs and then turning right, opened a door at the end.
It was a nice big room with a double bed and painted cream walls. Light wood flooring with a soft gray rug on top made it look bright and nice. The white bedsheets had a soft gray throw on top.
Romulus placed him down in the middle of the bed, and we all stood back and looked at him.
Romulus was the one who asked, “now what?”
Jax rolled his eyes. “Am I the only one who knows how to treat a f.ucking wound?”
Romulus gave him a dirty look and said, “well you are a f.ucking killer, you probably picked up a few tricks along the way.”
“Good f.ucking job or this guy would probably f.ucking die in your delicate little hands.”
Romulus punched him in the arm and Jax shoved him.
“Guys, stop!” I snapped.
Jax walked off to the adjoining bathroom and came back with a medical kit.
He got to work like a professional and looking in the box muttered, “it’s not perfect, but it will do.” He picked up some disinfectant wipes and started cleaning Nick first.
He wiped the blood and dirt off his chest and moved towards his stomach, being more careful when it was close to his wounds, then he got more wipes, and I was expecting him to be really gentle, but he quite firmly wiped and cleaned the wounds.
“That’s a bit rough, isn’t it?” I asked.
He frowned at me and answered, “it has to be, it needs to be properly cleaned, tickling it won’t f.ucking do jack s.hit.”
He carried on and when he was happy, he got some actual alcohol and poured it over the wounds making me wince and hide against Romulus’ chest. Romulus didn’t take his eyes off what Jax was doing and absentmindedly stroked my hair.
I peeked back and saw Jax pull out a thread and needle. “You can’t stitch him!”
He looked up at me as if I was being dramatic and said, “Rose, it’s not that difficult, I’ve done it quite a lot, my dad stitched you up, and you were fine, and that was his first time. Stop worrying.”
“Who else have you stitched up?” I asked.
He started stitching Nick when he answered, “myself and sometimes my victims.”
“Why your victims?”
He used to shut down or grow uncomfortable with such personal questions, but since I’d opened up about my own darkness and how I enjoyed his, he seemed more relaxed and happy to share, and he did, much to Romulus’ horror.
“Sometimes I damaged them too soon, cut too deep or made them bleed too much, if they’ve done something really horrific, I like to make them live longer and suffer through the t.orture before allowing them to die.”
He said it so calmly and my heart raced faster, I’d forgotten just how terrifying Jax was.
He looked up when he heard my heart rate change, and he snorted at Romulus’ stunned face. “You need to go splash yourself with some water, Rom? Don’t want you passing out.”
“f***k you, I’m not a killer, you make Nick sound like a f.ucking saint.”
Jax growled and snarled, “he isn’t a f.ucking saint, he r.apes and t.ortures females, I’m nothing like that.”
“Um, actually, he isn’t either,” I said, awkwardly.
They both looked at me and Jax asked, “what do you mean?”
“When I was captive, I learned he doesn’t r.ape females, and he doesn’t think they’re innocent, he called them skinwalkers or something, and said they killed people he knew and was close to.”
Jax frowned and said, “skin walkers? I’ve heard of them.” He stood up when he finished stitching the last wound, and looking at Romulus, said, “s.hit yeah! Aren’t those always f.ucking female too?”
Romulus thought about it and nodded, “I think so, wait no, they don’t have a gender, they usually wear a female form, but they don’t have a gender, they wear the form that most easily blends in or appears innocent to others.”
“Yeah, that’s right, creepy sounding f.ucks.”
“Nick said they wear the people they want to look like, literally,” I said.
Jax nodded, “yeah, they kill them, skin them and wear it like a f.ucking costume, they have to consume some of the flesh too.”
I shivered at that, and suddenly I didn’t feel so sorry for them anymore. “Are there any that don’t kill?” I asked hopefully.
“Nope, they all kill, they are probably the most animalistic and violent supernatural there is, they aren’t born as babies either, it’s f.ucking weird, I think they are born from something similar to eggs, but it’s gooey s.hit, and they just have a genderless and faceless adult form.”
“That’s so creepy, how do you know all this, and how can you tell who’s a skinwalker?”
“Me and Rom have read up on other supernaturals, we heard a few things, and you can tell by their smell, they can dress up as pretty as they like and spray themselves but they can’t get rid of the smell of rotting flesh, from humans sure but not us wereanimals. I might have also snooped through Matilda’s files once.”
“Jax!”
He grinned innocently at me and said, “love you, darling.”
I shook my head exasperated, and then we all looked down at Nick when he stirred.
- Writer
