Werewolf Dreams (17 page)

She pushed her hair out of her eyes and looked up into Zoe’s surprised face.
Zoe’s surprise quickly faded though as blood lust set in. Zoe fisted her hands and breathing heavy, stalked toward Ava, her eyes red and filled with hate. Ava should have felt terrified, but instead all she wanted to do was tear Zoe apart. Before Zoe could react, Ava bared her teeth in fury and jumped up, twisting in mid-air as she aimed a round house kick at Zoe’s head. She hit her target dead on and watched in satisfaction as Zoe went flying backwards, hitting the pavement hard. Ava moved forward to finish her off, but was stopped as she heard her name.

“
Ava
. Holy freaking crap,” Cyrus said, standing at the corner, staring at her in shock.

“Oh,” she said, as she came back to herself, blanching when she saw Zoe was still lying on the ground, knocked out cold.

“Um, how much of that did you see?” she asked, wincing as she hurried to his side, groaning as she saw the bruises already forming on his face and the blood dripping from a cut on his lip.

Cyrus didn’t talk for a moment as he shook his head.
“I let Red and Kurt take care of Ben and the others, and by the time I got here, I saw you turning blue in the face and then all of a sudden, you’re flipping over her and doing some karate kick. Ava, next time, you don’t need to run for back up. You
are
the back up,” he said, pulling her into his arms, careful not to get blood on her.

“You got that right Cyrus.
I saw the whole thing from where I was standing,” a man said, walking over with his wife and two teenagers. “I would have never thought a tiny little thing like her could take down someone as tough as Zoe, but Zoe never stood a chance. Oh man, wait until I tell everyone,” he said and then wandered off.

Ava looked up at Cyrus with concerned eyes.
He shook his head. “No, that’s good. The more people who know what you’re capable of, means that it’s less likely someone will attack you again.”

Ava pushed out of Cyrus’s arms and ran to Kurt’s side as he carried Grayson’s still body over his shoulder.
“Is he okay? Did they kill him?” she asked, covering her mouth with her hands.

“No, they just wanted to get Cyrus to go to his rescue like always.
He’s been stabbed in the back, but he’ll heal fast enough. I’ll get him to his parents’ house and they’ll take care of him. He can change tonight when he wakes up and he’ll be good as new tomorrow,” he said as he continued walking down the street. People chased after him to ask him what had happened and he bluntly filled them in.

Big Red showed up next, dragging two men in one hand by the backs of their shirts and Ben in the other.
They’d all been knocked out obviously. Red threw them down in front of Cyrus and stood silently as he waited for Cyrus to say something.

Cyrus shared an understanding look with Red and then glanced down at Ava.
“Red, I’m going to go on home. We’ll just let these three sleep it off in the street for everyone to see. Please feel free to let everyone know what happened here tonight. I’ll be making a call on Titus tomorrow morning,” he said as he walked over to Zoe and picked her up out of the road as if she weighed nothing and laid her on the sidewalk.

“Wait,” Ava said, grimacing. “Are you just going to leave her
there, piled up with Ben, Jake and Tom?”

Cyrus stared at the purple bruises already forming around her neck and nodded his head tightly.
“She was in on it. You better believe I will.”

Big
Red, slapped Cyrus on the back and then ambled down the road toward the pub. Cyrus took one last disgusted look at the four people piled up like garbage and took her hand in his as they again, began their walk back to his house.

Ava shuddered as reaction began to set in.
Cyrus glanced at her worriedly and put his arm around her shoulders. “First fight, huh?”

Ava laughed sickly and nodded her head.
“Yeah, I guess I’ve been pretty sheltered.”

“Well, if it makes you feel any better, you look a lot better than me,” he said and then growled low in his throat as he caught sight of the bruises on her neck again.

Ava reached up and touched her throat gingerly, wincing as the adrenaline faded and the pain began to make itself known. “Why did Kurt say that Grayson would be fine by tomorrow?
He was stabbed.
Someone should call an ambulance at the very least.”

Cyrus blinked in surprise as they reached the park before his expression clear
ed. “Sorry, I keep forgetting you know practically nothing about us. When a man or woman changes into their wolf form, they can heal incredibly fast. We don’t even have a doctor in town. We don’t need one. My mom’s the closest thing we have to it. Nah, Kurt’s right. Gray will be okay. Poor guy. I bet he’s sick and tired of being a punching bag.”

Ava frowned and nodded in agreement.
“I hate bullies. Cyrus, when I got back and saw what they were doing to you . . .,” she said and then left her sentence unfinished.

“You were probably feeling the same thing I was when I looked over and saw Zoe dragging you around the corner.
My heart dropped to my stomach. I don’t know what I would have done if anything happened to you,” he said softly.

Ava smiled up at Cyrus’s worried face and shrugged.
“I’m tougher than I look,” she assured him.

Cyrus laughed softly as they finally reached the house. “That’s the understatement of the year.”

Patricia opened the door for them and squawked in horrified surprise. She ushered them inside and within seconds they were both sitting at the kitchen table as Patricia went back and forth, tending to cuts and bruises with furious efficiency. When she was done and after hearing the entire story, she ordered him to get to bed.

After Cyrus left the kitchen,
the two women stared at each other worriedly. Ava broke the silence. “What will happen to Zoe and Ben and his friends?”

Patricia closed her eyes
and thought for a moment before answering. “It’s not the typical justice system here Ava. It usually depends on Titus’s mood that day. I’ve seen him order a man’s death and I’ve seen him rap someone’s knuckles for a heinous crime that would have gotten him twenty years in jail anywhere else. But with so many witnesses and Trent’s and Kurt’s testimony too, it doesn’t look good for those boys.
Idiots
,” she said furiously.

Ava ran her hands through her hair and then looked up again.
“And Zoe?”

Patricia sat down at the table next to Ava and sighed tiredly.
“Women are usually banished for violent crimes. But in this instance, that might actually be a good thing. Zoe’s father rules his house with an iron fist. We all felt so bad for her and her mother that’s why I encouraged Cyrus to be her friend. I wanted her to know that there were good men in the world. Men not like her father. If she’s not banished, her father might very well kill her himself,” she said with disgust in her voice for the man. “She’s embarrassed her family and brought ridicule upon them. Especially since you’re smaller.”

Ava nodded.
“You mean because she tried to hurt me?”

Patricia looked at her soberly.
“No dear,
for failing
. A woman or man can challenge another. If they win, then they claim the victory. If they lose, then they’re shamed and either punished or banished. That’s why there aren’t that many challenges to be honest. Because you better win. If not, then you better be prepared for the consequences. It’s our way.”

Ava shook her head in disgust.
“So if Zoe had beaten me or even killed me, then that would have been okay?
Seriously
?”

Patricia
sighed and nodded. “It’s brutal and you’re right. Some things need to change. Your father and Cyrus’s belief that the animal inside of us needs to be controlled and that we need to submit our inner beast to a higher ideal would make life around here a lot better. For everyone,” she said.

Ava closed her eyes and nodded.
Her father and Cyrus had a lot in common. “They’ll have a lot to discuss when my dad gets back. I wonder how we’ll break the news to my father that I’ve chosen a mate,” she said biting her lip worriedly and closing her eyes.

Patricia surprised her and laughed.
“Honey, he already knows. Any werewolf watching you tear yourself practically in half could see you were mated. Don’t worry about Harry. Give him a few weeks to cool down and accept things and he and Cyrus might actually have a nice conversation when he gets back. That or he’ll just try to kill him,” she said worriedly.

Ava groaned and laid her head on her arms.
“That’s just what I need. My father killing the man I’m mated to. Then what? Do I have to challenge my own father?”

Patricia tilted her head back and laughed loudly, shaking her head back and forth.
“You’re funny Ava. No sweetie, I was mostly just kidding. Harry wouldn’t dare. If he did kill Cyrus, he knows it would hurt you immeasurably. No, Cyrus is safe from Harry.
Now
. Before?
Oh my
. I saw the way he watched Cyrus. He’s a very protective father
and
a good one. But he’s lost this battle. Poor guy,” she said not sounding sorry at all.

Ava smiled and lifted her head up tiredly.
“You’re just picturing future grandchildren.
Oh crap!
Let’s change the subject,” she said, blushing bright red.

Patricia laughed again and stood up.
“I’m going to go check on Tobias and then I have paperwork to do.”

Ava stood up too.
“I think I’ll soak in a bubble bath and go to bed early,” she said following Patricia up the stairs.

Ava filled the tub and sat down tiredly as she watched the bubbles form and multiply.
She closed her eyes as she thought back on the events of the day. The violence was something she wasn’t used to and she didn’t think she’d ever get used to. She absolutely knew that she never wanted to get to a point in her life where violence was normal. No one should.

Ava woke up the next morning, refreshed but apprehensive. She got ready for the day and wore her most conservative cream linen pants and a peasant top.
If her grandfather wanted to hear her side of things, she wanted to look as respectable as possible.

When she walked into the kitchen, all she found was a note from Patricia.

Went with Cyrus and Tobias to talk to

Titus. Stay inside!

Ava frowned and glanced at the clock. It was only 8:30 am.
Hmm
, it was almost as if they went early so she wouldn’t go with them. But why wouldn’t they want her to testify? Titus, misogynist that he was, was still her grandfather after all. Her being there could have only helped them.

She poured herself a bowl of cereal and sat at the breakfast table feeling dejected and left out.
And, she’d really wanted to see Cyrus this morning. She’d had to fight herself from going to check on him last night a few times but refused to wake him up. He had needed his rest so badly.

She rinsed her bowl out and put it in the dishwasher and then sighed as she looked around the immaculate home.
Her second day in a row and she was bored again. She walked outside to the back yard and wandered around the flowers and the garden again. She popped a ripe strawberry in her mouth and kept moving. And then she remembered Cyrus’s special spot. She paused as she remembered Patricia’s note. She probably just meant to stay close to home. Honestly, what did she expect her to do all day?
Knit?

She ran toward the fence and leaped over gracefully, feeling better and better as the beauty of the majestic and wild scenery enfolded her.
She went right to the boulder and hopped up, bringing her knees up to her chest as she rested her head on her knees. This almost made it all worth it, she thought to herself.

The boulder was large and flat enough to do a few yoga stretches so she decided to take advantage of her peaceful surroundings to bring peace to her body too.
She was determined to go running later that day though. If Cyrus went with her, she’d be perfectly safe. As she untwisted and lowered her knee, she caught a slight movement below her.

Her whole body went stiff and still as she stared at the spot she had seen the movement. She stared for over a minute and then saw it again.
She saw a dark shadow move through the trees, slowly. She frowned and stared harder, raising her hand to shade her eyes from the glare of the sun and to see better. She stood up slowly as a feeling of unease settled over her. And then she saw it again. It was a wolf. At least that’s what it looked like from this distance, although right now, that distance was shrinking. The wolf like creature was slowly moving toward her, up the ravine.

“Oh crap,” she whispered and turned to jump off the boulder.
Within moments she was over the fence and running for the door. She spared a second as she reached the garden path to glance over her shoulder and caught the movement of the animal leaping over the fence. She put on more speed and forgot about the pristine and winding pathways and made a bee line for the back patio.