Omega's Run (30 page)

“We might be able to save you,” I said, taking a deep breath before continuing. “Turning you wolf-kind. It could repair the damage done by the bullet. You’d heal like we do and...” I hesitated, “And you’d live longer. We’d have longer with each other than if you stayed human.”

“And a lot of people don’t survive being turned even when they’re in perfect health,” Gale snapped. “She’s weak and dying already, trying to turn her would just speed up the process and I’m not letting you kill the patient I just went through so much trouble trying to save.”

“But you haven’t saved her,” I shot back. “You said yourself that she might not have long as it is.”

“So you want to speed it up? Lose whatever time you
do
have with her on the off chance that this Hail Mary pass will work?”

“It’s worth the risk,” I growled and Ava grabbed my hand, squeezing weakly. All thoughts of the growing rage I felt for the Galen fled my mind and I focused on Ava.

“Let me see if I understand this correctly. If we do nothing, odds are good I’m going to die, right?” she asked and Gale nodded, somewhat reluctantly. “If we do this, then I’ll still die, and even faster than I already am now?” I nodded. “But I
might
survive, and if I do I’ll heal; I’ll be strong, and fast, like you.”

“You will,” William cut in. “Not
exactly
like us, each person is different, but you’ll be wolf-kind. Your life span will be measured in centuries and you’ll be able to keep up the fight against Mathias and the Hunters, if that’s what you want to do.”

She considered the situation carefully. Eyes darting from me to William to Gale and back as her mind worked over the situation.

“James would be pissed,” she whispered and I nodded.

“From what you’ve told me; I think James would understand. He went to his death, to protect you. He went to great measures to give you a fighting chance and I’m more than willing to fight beside you. We’ll help each other through this mess and we’ll take Mathias down with us for everything he’s done.”

“What do you think?” she asked me.

“I can’t tell you. You already know what I would choose, but it’s got to be your decision, Baby. I can’t have you getting pissed at me later because we made the choice for you. And besides, you’re not the type to let someone else decide your fate, are you? You never have been.”

“This is fucking stupid; you idiots are going to kill–”

“Do it.”

Even though Ava’s voice was barely a whisper, her words cut through the air like a knife and Gale fell instantly silent. She lifted her arm, holding it out to me. “Do it,” she said again. “I’ll take the chance.”

I shook my head but took her hand in mine, pressing a kiss to her palm. “I can’t do it. William will.”

“But I want you to,” she whimpered, “No offense, William.”

He smiled and waved her off. “None taken, but really, Remus can’t bite you. To wolf-kind that’d be disgusting. If you two are going to remain in a romantic relationship he would be your father, in a sense. Serious squick factor going on there.”

She still didn’t look like she liked it but she nodded her understanding and turned her attention back to William as Gale threw her hands up into the air in surrender.

“I give up. You people are fucking morons. If she dies, I won’t have you bitching to me. I’ve given you fair warning, I’m done with you.”

With that she made her way around the bed and left the room, shutting the door a touch forcefully behind her, though it wasn’t enough to crack the door itself or the frame.

“Give me a kiss goodbye?” she asked and I shook my head.

“I refuse to believe this is goodbye, you’ll just have to wait till you recover for a kiss.”

“Oh for fuck’s sake, just kiss her Remus,” William snapped at me. “If this doesn’t work, you don’t want to regret it.”

He had a point there, and I knew just how miserable that regret would make the rest of my centuries on this earth. I couldn’t even imagine trying to live through that weight on my shoulders.

I leaned in and pressed my lips to hers, being gentle out of fear for her injuries but I felt the fingers of one of her hands tangle in the hair at the back of my head as she pulled me insistently down, deepening the kiss. I did my best to pour my feelings into her through the kiss. Telling her without words just how much she meant to me, how much I needed her with me.

I have no idea if it worked, but when I leaned back her eyes were closed and a gentle smile curved her lips, her entire expression peaceful and content.

William quickly shed his jeans and jacket and shifted into his full wolf form. The cracking and snapping of his bones shifting didn’t seem to register to Ava as she held my eyes with her own. Her jade green gaze still held mine as William took her arm gently between his teeth and I wondered how they’d look, spotted with the tiny flecks of amber so prevalent amongst wolf-kind.

Then he bit down, and Ava screamed.

Chapter 26

Ava

That ticking was driving me crazy.

Tick.

Tick.

Tick.

Tick.

Only marginally more than the fact that I felt like I was just,
boiling
to death. I mean, I was hot, and I know medical facilities, hospitals and such, had crappy pillows but Jesus, my head was on a rock and I felt clammy from sweating so hard.

I winced, and tried to move but I was stiff as a board from laying in the same position for so long…

I froze for two reasons; one, the thought struck me,
just how long had I been out?
And two, a gentle hand was tangled in my hair, the fingers smoothing it gently out of my face and behind my ear. I opened my eyes and looked up into the sparkling obsidian depths of Remus’. He smiled, a sublimely pleased, slow spreading of lips and I felt an answering one of my own.

“When you made it through the first night, we knew you were going to make it, but I was still worried.”

The silence stretched between us, well, almost.

Tick.

Tick.

Tick.

“How long was I out?” I asked softly.

Tick.

Tick.

“
It’s been nearly five days,” he answered and smoothed more of my hair behind my ear.

Tick.

Tick.

Tick.

Tick.

Tick.

Tick.

“What is that ticking
!?”
I demanded, growing upset.

His generous lips split into a wide grin and he laughed, “The clock at the end of the hall.” I felt my brows crush down into a further frown and struggled to push myself into a sitting position.

“Easy, Baby. Don’t try to do too much yet.”

Voices overtook the ticking and it sounded like they were right outside the door, but it still took them time to get around to opening it. William was the first one through it and he had a plate of food in each hand. My stomach growled.

“Thought we heard you up.” He passed the plate to me and I dug in.

“Thanks for cutting it up for me,” I said between mouthfuls. I wasn’t typically a fan of such rare meat but this was
good.

“Easy, slow down, Pup.” Markus remarked, he’d come through the door behind William, Chloe leaned against the door frame and I snarled at him.

“Shut it, Snoopy.”

“Well, if I’m Snoopy that makes you Lassie, little girl.” I stared at him, swallowed my food and started laughing.

Everyone smiled and I looked down into my lap, covering my face with shaking hands.

“Everyone out,” William ordered quietly and Markus and Chloe slipped out the door. Remus made to slip out of the bed and I shot out a hand, wrapping fingers around his wrist. He looked to William who nodded. I stared at Remus, confused.

“William is basically your father now, for all intents and purposes, and you’re considered a minor. A parent tells you to get away from their seven year old, you do it.”

I blinked stupidly, and looked from one to the both of them, “I’m a grown ass adult,” I started to argue.

“To a certain extent, but you’re a newly Moon Forged wolf-kind now. We don’t know what kind of level of control, or what kind of relationship you’ll have with your wolf, not until after your first full moon. Until then, you’re my child, and even after, you may still be considered my child. It all depends on your level of control and if your wolf and you can cooperate with each other.”

“Is that what you’re in here to talk to me about?” I asked, my plate of steak and potatoes nearly forgotten in my lap with the reality of the changes I’d blithely volunteered to undergo.

Remus slid a comforting hand up my back and I looked over at him. No, not
blithely
anything. I sighed out and closed my eyes.

With him is where I belonged. Partners, but there was more to it than that. I don’t know. Maybe it was because we were both twin-less twins. Maybe it was because we could be so intimately familiar with one another’s pain. Or maybe it was that we both understood loneliness the way two people were never meant to, and in each other, we found we didn’t have to. All I knew, was that somewhere down the line on the crazy train we’d been riding, I’d fallen more than a little in love with him and didn’t want to imagine a life without his partnership.

“Eat,” William said, “Get cleaned up, I’ll leave you to take care of it.” He told Remus and Remus nodded.

“Thanks, Little Brother.”

“Just make sure she eats, you know how important that is. There’s more in the kitchen if she needs it.”

He left and I quietly, and a little less voraciously tucked into my food. Remus sat with the other plate in his lap and watched me.

“Aren’t you going to eat?” I asked.

“Did already, this one is for you too.”

“I don’t think I could possibly eat any more than this.” I scoffed, but before too long my first plate was clear, and with a shit eating grin, Remus passed me the second one.

“Asshole,” I muttered and he laughed.

“Yeah, but I’m
your
asshole.”

I froze and looked him in the eye, “I’m scared,” I whispered and he nodded, hooking a hand around the back of my head and drawing me forward, he pressed a kiss to my forehead.

“You think you kicked a lot of ass before, wait until you get used to this new body,” he reassured me. I swallowed hard and nodded silently.

“I both do and don’t feel any different.”

“Senses are heightened, but you feel like you?” I nodded, “That’s the way I understand it goes.”

“What, you don’t know?”

“I was Blood Born, Baby. I’ve been this way since my mamma popped both me and Romulus out. I’ve never known any other way.”

I nodded mutely, and tried to process through all these new and wild feelings while I dutifully cleaned the second plate. I had no idea where it was all going, but about two thirds of the way through it, I was finally full. Still, I finished it off anyways. Remus set the plates aside and I took in the room.

We weren’t in the medical suite anymore. This room was pretty sparse when it came to furniture, a bed, two nightstands and a battered but serviceable dresser.

I looked down at myself, dressed in an oversized tee and pulled the sheet pooling in my lap away, raising the shirt so I could see.

A scar, shaped like a perfectly arcing comet graced my lower belly, off to one side. I touched it with my fingers, a pale, shiny, pink, flat scar but there were no straight cutting scars like from surgery.

“It’s like nothing really happened.” I twitched my feet and legs just to be sure, and everything moved and felt completely normal, except for being stiff from lack of motion for what?
Five days.

“Take a shower with me.”

I looked up at Remus and nodded. I felt gross, and probably looked like hell to match. A shower sounded divine.

“Easy,” he reached out to steady me, having gotten out of the bed first and I grasped onto his forearms.

“Thought I was supposed to be better, stronger, faster, and all of that bullshit.”

“Babycakes, you are, and you will be, but you got shot; with silver might I add, then turned within the span of like two hours. You shouldn’t even
be
here.” The raw emotion in his voice had me looking up, quickly. I blinked.

“You didn’t think I would make it?”

The raw pain in his eyes was answer enough. I sighed out, and pulled myself in against his chest. I snorted a laugh and he asked me, “What’s so funny?”

“Never pictured myself having to comfort the Big Bad Wolf,” I murmured.

“Never thought the Big Bad Wolf would love the Hunter as much as I do. Not sure I was going to make it myself if I’d lost you, Ava.”

“Well you didn’t, I’m here, and I could really use that hot shower.”

Remus chuckled slightly, “As my lady wishes.”

I snorted, “Since when have I ever been a fucking lady?” He bent, and lifted me easily in his arms.

“Not
a
lady, Ava,
my
lady. My woman. You understand me?” I looked up into his deep, dark, and lovely gaze and nodded slowly.

“I… I think I do,” I stammered. I wasn’t used to these intense exchanges. I didn’t do these mushy, deep, emotionally charged professing of feelings out in the light and open air. Where I’d come from, that was a good way to get yourself manipulated, and the ones you loved, killed. Where I’d come from the word ‘love’ was synonymous with the word ‘slave’ and I shook, deep down inside with fear, over how easily he spoke these things aloud.

It’d been one thing when I lay dying, if I’d gone, and there had never been another chance… well I didn’t want to leave him with that, but now that I’d lived, I felt like these things needed to be put away. For our own safety.

“Talk to me, Baby,” he murmured, carrying me out the bedroom door and down a rather unremarkable cement corridor to what looked like a small, tiled locker room with a bank of three open showers on one end.

“I don’t know who might be listening.”

“Doesn’t matter, just talk to me.”

I touched the side of his handsome face, trailing light fingertips along the line of white scar I’d left with a bullet graze, what seemed like forever ago in Chicago. His eyes closed and he lowered us both gently onto one of the benches in front of the shower area, situating me so I sat in his lap.