The Rose On His Grave

Note: Ok, this is only a short story, so I uploaded these 3 chapters, and I only have 2 chapters left to do. There will be a sequel to this story, and other ones linked to it because I'm doing a series. Some of you may have read my first story Children of the Night, and will recognize the character Ray in this. Some of you may not. It was on here but all my stories except my latest one, got deleted from here (no idea why, this site in my opinion has gone downhill in the last few years but that's just me) and I have to rewrite it because my computer crashed and I can't find the disc I saved it on anywhere *sigh* I was hoping it would still be on here so I wouldn't have to rewrite it but was sorely disappointed. Anyways, hope you enjoy this story, two more chapters to go after this one and it's finished, thanks for your support. Please rate/review if you enjoy, thanks :D

 

“You two patrol here, keep a sharp eye out for that damn Vampire” John said quietly, glancing around warily. Thom and Mike exchanged glances and then turned back to John, “Where are you going?” Mike asked curiously, folding his arms across his large chest. John eyed them both, wondering whether they would believe him if he told them anything. He decided not to just yet, instead he replied, “I’m going to find Skulli, he was planning on finding the Vampire’s lair soon, I want to go over a few things”. They both seemed to perk up with excitement. Thom even cracked his knuckles and licked his lips to emphasise his eagerness.

John left his two friends in the woods on patrol, in case the Vampire decided to be brave and show his face. He decided to take a walk and pick up Skulli’s trail, and follow it. Skulli disappeared a lot lately, though the others didn’t really notice, John did. He had no right to question his Alpha on where he disappeared to, he had no reason to be suspicious when Skulli told them he was going patrolling or hunting alone.

He was suspicious though. Skulli’s disappearances, always glancing at his phone, getting angry at Thom so much more than he would usually get. The holding back of finding the Vampire’s lair. Why were they waiting? Why couldn’t they follow the trail until they were sure where it stopped and attack the Vampires with the element of surprise? It was something that made no sense to him, and he was determined to find out exactly what Skulli was up to.

When he picked up a recent scent of Skulli’s, he followed and found himself in front of a small hotel on the edge of Birmingham, in quite a run-down little area. John stopped across the street and hid down an alleyway between two closed shops. It wasn’t long until a window opened on the side of the hotel, and though it was too dark for a human to see much, John’s wolfish eyes watched the small figure climb out of the window with ease. The figure jumped down and he caught a faint scent of Vampire on the wind, making his lips curl up in disgust. He watched the small figure rush away down the street, and caught a flash of gold from within the shadows of the Vampire’s hood. So it was the little guy that lied to them, the one they captured along with the silver-eyed one not too long ago. John growled and shrank back into the shadows when Skulli appeared at the doors and ran off in the opposite direction, too distracted to notice his presence.

*

Skulli didn’t return home straight away, he strolled through the streets until the early hours of morning, to be alone and think things through. He felt so bad, he owed Seth so much after what had happened between them. He finally returned as it was getting lighter outside, and opened the door to quietly slip inside, freezing when he heard hushed voices in the living room.

“Yes, Skulli said he was going to plan to attack their lair, so why don’t we go ahead and do it while he’s sorting out other things? We’ll go out now and pinpoint the location, we’ll check every possible place to find them! I‘m sure he won’t mind if we go  ahead without him. It’s daylight, they’re vulnerable , we need to search now” John was saying, and Skulli froze, caught between surprise, fear and anger. How dare his own friend and right-hand man go against his orders!  Skulli reached into his pocket and took out his mobile, quickly typing a text to Seth. He just managed to shove his phone back in his pocket and turn to shut the front door as John came out of the living room. “Hey Skulli, where have you been all night? You’ve had us worried” he said casually, though he seemed very down. Skulli resisted the urge to snarl at his so-called friend and forced a smile, “Just went for a long walk, I needed to clear my head a little. You guys have a good night?”

“No…we lost Thom” Mike said from the doorway of the living room, eyes glistening with unshed tears for his fallen friend. John nodded and bowed his head a little. Skulli gaped at them and then asked how it happened. “We were patrolling the woods. That silver-eyed bastard turned up and Thom….he stomped on his head until nothing was left. A human appeared so I ran, but when I came back the Vampire was gone and so was Thom’s body”.

Skulli closed his eyes and leaned against he door, really wishing he had been able to help. Could he have killed the half-brother of the one he loved so much? Could he have prevented anyone getting killed so he wouldn’t have to make that choice? He looked up to find John watching him closely, but his blonde friend looked away and patted Mike’s shoulder, “Let’s take a leaf out of Skulli’s book and go for a stroll to clear our heads huh?” he suggested, and guided Mike out the front door, glancing back at Skulli who stared after them knowing full well what they were going out to do. He knew he had to get to Seth. He couldn’t lose him again.

He got out his mobile to check for a reply, since it was always on silent. He was relieved to see Seth had text him back with a ‘Thank you’ and nothing more. He guessed he deserved the cold shoulder. Skulli pressed the call button on Seth’s number and waited as it rang and rang, and he almost hung up but was stopped by Seth’s soft timid voice answering. “Seth, John and Mike are on their way to sniff you out. You need to get out of there and go far away, right now” he warned, heart sinking when he thought about what he would have to do. “It’s light out and we have nowhere safer to go that’s close enough. Skulli…I’m sorry I tried to make you choose. I love you” Seth replied, sounding tearful but resigned to the fact that he was going to die, for those three words sounded so much like goodbye.  “I love you too, but I won’t let you get hurt. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe. I’m going to stop them before they reach you, everything will be fine”.  He hung up as Seth began to protest and chucked his mobile on the little table down the hallway, making his way outside and sprinting after his friends.

*

“What shall we do Zack? We’re stuck here, defenceless , what if they do find this place? Skulli’s kept them away for as long as he could. What if he can’t this time?”  Seth said, anxious and fearing for Skulli as he paced the living room floor. Zack glanced at Scarlett, who just shrugged as she sat slumped, looking exhausted. “We’ll barricade the doors with the furniture, we’ll block the windows as best we can but there’s little else we can do. Surely they won’t attack in daylight hours, there’d be too many witnesses”.

“We don’t have many neighbours and most of them will be at work by now, unless we get lucky and the wolves don’t find us straight away” Scarlett murmured from her spot on the sofa. Seth nodded and sank to the floor, trembling slightly. His brother cursed and knocked a lamp flying so it shattered, glass scattering across the floor. He then stood still and closed his eyes, concentrating on finding his father with his mind, something he wasn’t very used to doing. It took a few minutes before he managed to ‘feel out’ his father’s mind and will him to hear his plea for help. He hated having to call for aid but he knew they stood no chance when the sun was climbing higher into the sky. His limbs were tingling and heavy.

“Father will come as soon as he’s able, we’ll have to deal with them ourselves if worst comes to worst” Zack announced after receiving a clear and powerful telepathic message from his father. Scarlett just sighed while Seth whimpered and put his head in hands, tears spilling down his cheeks. “Stop crying! If one whiff of your blood manages to get through a crack and outside, those mutts will find us!” Zack snapped, kneeling down to wipe the blood tears from Seth’s small, startled face.

“I’m sorry Zack, I’m just so scared…and worried about Skulli” Seth muttered, sniffling. His brother sighed and pulled Seth into his arms to try and offer some comfort. “I know, I know” he muttered back, secretly praying that they wouldn’t be found and his father would find a way to get to them in time. 

They decided to take it turns to stay awake on watch, and then they got to work at barricading the house as best as they could with what they had,  though they knew it would make little difference in the end.

*

Skulli caught up with John and Mike as they cut through the woods, shouting for them to stop. They did, and he could tell from John’s face that he knew what Skulli wanted of them, and that was exactly why John had led them into the woods. “It will be dangerous to go straight into their lair, don’t go searching for it, that’s an order. Let’s get back home and catch some shut eye huh?” he said, keeping his face expressionless, but John wasn’t falling for it. “I saw you, at the hotel. That little gold-eyed Vampire came out and then you did. Are you fucking a Vampire, Skulli? Don’t you care about us? The ones who have stuck by you all these years and followed your every order unquestioningly?”

“How dare you spy on me! I’m the Alpha, you had no right to follow me and presume things about my actions” Skulli snarled, but John just smiled almost sadly and glanced at Mike, who was staring hard at his Alpha with hurt and anger blazing in his eyes. John nudged his friend and turned to walk off but Skulli called out again, “I’m ordering you, as your Alpha, to stop and go home!”

He stumbled back when John and Mike suddenly turned and dived on him, already shifting into their wolfish forms. They pinned him to the ground and bit and clawed at him until he was left lying bloody and quivering with pain. “We no longer recognise you as Alpha. I’m taking over now, even though there is no pack to take charge of at the moment. Your betrayal is something we should kill you for, but since we used to be such good friends, I’ll let you live” John growled out in Skulli’s ear before biting into his neck hard to show he was the one in charge. They then shifted back, clothes tattered and bloody, and hurried away back onto the Vampire’s trail, leaving Skulli to lie there, fighting to stay conscious.

*

Zack was thankful the days were shorter, that the sun would be setting early in the afternoon and it was only an hour before darkness set in completely. Faint, weak light still highlighted the sky, keeping them still feeling sluggish, though not as bad as they had been earlier on. He knew it would take time for the Werewolves to find them, for they had been many places throughout the town, leaving their scent everywhere, but he also knew they would find them sooner or later.

Seth gave a little scream when the back door thudded against it’s frame. The sound penetrating the tense silence and making them all jump into action. Zack pulled Seth to his feet and shoved him into the farthest corner away from the door and the windows, while he stood next to Scarlett, waiting for the intruders.

The door continued to thud, glass was smashed, the boards on the windows being snapped impatiently. Seth listened, hands gripping the sides of his coat tightly to stop them from shaking too much. One more loud crash and then it was silent for a moment, until the sound of heavy footsteps came slowly down the hallway. The door was shoved open, banging against the wall and swinging on its hinges, two huge hulking figures appearing in the doorway. Zack had already been tensed, ready to spring, and he did so, landing on John and wrapping his hands around the thick furry throat.

Scarlett yanked the other into the living room before he could react to the attack on his friend and tried to get her arms around him, but was thrown aside, tipping over into the glass coffee table with a pain-filled cry. Mike’s gaze whipped over to Seth when he whimpered from the corner at seeing his sister hurt, but he didn’t have the strength to get up and help. Staying up almost all day had worn him out, he was the weakest of his family and wished he had their years of gained experience and strength.

Scarlett grabbed Mike by the leg as he passed by her, stopping him from advancing on her younger half-brother, and then yanked him down onto the floor. Seth watched in horror at the scene, knowing it was a losing battle as Zack was slammed into the wall repeatedly until blood gushed from the back of his head. Scarlett was finally overcome in her fight and was knocked back behind the sofa, snapping her neck in the process.

Mike stomped over towards Seth, clawed hand raised ready to strike as the little Vampire cowered in the corner and closed his eyes, accepting his fate. The blow never came however, for Ray had taken hold of the Werewolf’s arm and flung him away like a rag doll. Seth looked to see John standing up, a little dazed as he looked for the person who had interrupted his fight. His snout went up as he sniffed the Vampire’s powerful scent, and he sensed the ancient strength of the new one.

Ray stood in front of his youngest son protectively, silver eyes flashing, daring them to come forwards and fight him. His skin was slightly red and his eyes were leaking blood but he still managed to look invincible as he stood tall and fearless. John growled at Mike to follow and ran off as fast he could out the way they’d came, but Mike stood his ground defiantly, wanting to end it all and get his revenge, too stupid to take note of how strong Ray was, and how easily he could crush him. Mike snarled and pounced, only to find the Vampire’s hand go straight through his chest, grabbing hold of his heart and ripping it out as his hand emerged from his back. He managed to gasp out a few garbled words of disbelief before death took him away.

With an angry hiss, Ray pulled out his hand so the Werewolf slumped to the floor in a heap, and bit into the heart to drain it of every drop. He then chucked it away and turned to Scarlett, who had managed to sit up and was twisting her head back into place with a grimace of pain screwing up her pretty face. Zack shakily got to his feet and trudged over to her, as Seth ran to his father to cling to him tightly.

“Why is it when I leave you for just a few days you always manage to get into trouble in some way or another?” Ray snapped at Zack, who averted his eyes and shrugged silently. Scarlett was too busy rolling her head around on her healing neck to pay attention to her father’s anger and disapproving stare. “I’m sorry father, things got out of hand” Seth sobbed, face buried in Ray’s shirt. His father sighed and held him close, leaning down to kiss the top of his son’s head, “I don’t blame you Seth, I know whose fault it is” he replied, glancing at Zack with his sharp silver gaze.

Zack squirmed a little and busied himself by helping his sister to her feet and dusting off his ruined clothes. “Look at my living room, you will clean this up immediately, and bury that damn wolf in the back garden tonight” Ray scolded, eyeing his two children who nodded without complaint and instantly got to work, while Seth still clung to his father.

He then slipped out of the house when his father was distracted, and made his way to the woods, which was the only place he could think of to go and check where Skulli might be, if he’d had a run in with his old pack mates. His chest felt tight as he worried about the state of his Werewolf lover. He pulled his coat tight around his small frame and bit his lip until it bled a little. He wandered through the shadows, weaving through the trees, until he finally heard groaning. He hurried over in the direction of the noise and found Skulli sitting up, leaves stuck in his spiky black hair. His clothes were shredded and blood caked most of the skin that was visible. Seth knelt beside him and picked the leaves away, grabbing hold of him when he swayed and almost slumped backwards. Skulli hissed in pain and said, “I’ve lost a lot of blood, I’ll heal soon enough”.

Seth frowned in concern and then scooped Skulli up as best he could with his short arms. His supernatural strength made it easy to carry his weight, it was just awkward when Skulli was so much taller than him, with long limbs getting in the way. He carried him back to his house, uncaring of what his family would think. All he could care about was making sure Skulli was alright.

He came in through the back and made his way into the living room, that was almost spotless now after his siblings’ fast-paced cleaning.  “What the hell is he doing here?” Zack asked just as Seth settled Skulli down on the sofa. He turned and glanced from his brother to his sister with sad eyes, and almost backed away when his father came down stairs and caught scent and sight of the unconscious Werewolf in his living room. “Get that thing out of my house this instant!” Ray commanded, silver eyes seeming to give off sparks, but Seth stood his ground and said, “No father, he’s hurt! He’s kept me from getting hurt all this time, he’s the one that stopped the pack from finding us until it was out of his hands, he’s the one that warned me of the attack so we weren’t lying vulnerable ready to be killed!”

There was a stunned silence for a moment, and then Ray sighed in frustration. “Fine, but you keep him away from me” he snapped and stormed off back upstairs to his study. Seth felt relief flooding through him as he hurried away to find some spare towels. Zack watched him go, and glanced at his sister who just shrugged and trudged back out to carry on removing the boards from the windows. He then went to stand over Skulli, who blinked awake and looked up at him with narrowed amber eyes, wary and tired. “If you ever hurt Seth in any way, I’ll kill you myself, understand?” Zack said very quietly, smirking when Skulli rolled his eyes and nodded, closing his eyes again to make a point that he wanted to be left alone.

Seth then hurried back in, eyeing his brother who was backing away from the sofa casually, but the little Vampire knew he’d been saying something and it annoyed the hell out of him. Seth glared at him and knelt beside Skulli with some towels in one hand and a bowl of warm water in the other, to start cleaning the blood from his skin. “Welcome to the family” he murmured, and smiled tenderly when Skulli reached out and stroked cold fingertips down his nose to his pouty lips. “Thank you” he murmured back.