All Is Fair Ch. 03

Helena did not wait for his reaction. He dropped her hand to grab his nose and she took off for the door. She made it three feet before she felt hands wrap around her waist. Her body was lifted in the air, she expected to hit a hard surface, but her body was thrown down on top of the plush bed.

Her moment of comfort vanished when he jumped on top of her. He had her hands pinned above her head and the weight of his frame pushed her on to the bed. His legs forced hers to spread. He responded by shoving himself against her core deeper.

Helena froze, not knowing how to respond. He dipped his head against her neck. She felt his warm breath run across her skin. His mouth stopped at her ear and he took a deep breath in. An automatic shiver made it's way through her body.

She forced her head back into the pillows until she was looking straight ahead. He brought his head up and looked into her eyes. They were bright red, brimmed with gold.

"Why in the world did you do that?" He asked.

She expected a little bit of blood to flow, but there was none. She felt his grip intensify on her wrists.

"Ow," she said. "You're hurting me."

He dropped her hands and moved his to her sides pushing himself up slightly. His body weight was off of her.

"This is not going as I expected," he said.

"What isn't going as you expected?" she asked.

He looked down at her. The red faded away from his eyes to show crystal clear blue orbs staring down at her. She turned her head to the side, his gaze was too much for her to handle. He pushed himself up off the bed and turned his body so he was sitting up with his legs on the floor. Helena did the same, but hers were too short to reach the ground. She glanced up at the door, knowing she had the perfect opportunity to run, but certain he would grab her again.

"What are you feeling towards me?" He asked.

His head turned towards her. She deliberately turned her head slowly until they made eye contact.

"I am not feeling anything," she said. "I think you might have stumbled upon an interesting looking situation and decided to save a damsel in distress, but I assure you I was fine."

"So you enjoyed the vampire sucking the life out of you?"

His eyes flashed red again, but quickly turned back to blue.

"How do you know about vampires?" she asked.

"I should ask you the same question," he said.

"I wouldn't answer."

"Then neither will I."

Helena broke eye contact.

"I would like to leave," she said.

"Not an option," he said.

"Why?"

In her peripheral vision she saw his head twist away.

"Don't leave this room," he said. "I will be right back."

He stood up from the bed. Helena remained still, not wanting to draw any attention from him at this point. She didn't know what he was, but humans didn't have eyes that glowed like that.

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Brooks couldn't contain his confusion. He thought one look at him and she would feel what he felt. Instead she seemed like a blank slate. He couldn't smell fear, or lust. It was like he was nothing to her. He was not surprised when he went into the hall to see his parents standing outside his door.

"Your mom said it wasn't going so well," his father said.

"I don't understand," Brooks said. "Everything I've ever known told me that once we meet out mates we are immediately connected, human or not. She tried to attack me and keeps talking about leaving."

Brooks took little comfort in the looks on his parents' faces. They didn't appear to have an answer either.

"Am I supposed to hold her hostage until she realizes she loves me?" Brooks asked.

That was the best option he could think of at this point.

"Do you think the vampire bite could have something to do with it?" Daphne asked.

"I've never heard of a human surviving one before," Brooks' father said.

Brooks had such little knowledge when it came to vampires. He didn't anticipate any issues after saving her from the attack.

"Is there an expert in the pack?" Brooks asked.

His father raised one side of his mouth.

"There are so few of them," he said. "I've never even met one in person. Maybe Donald knows something?"

"We need to find him right away," Brooks said.

He started following his father down the hall.

"Brooks," Daphne said. "Don't you think you should stay? Your mate is probably very confused. I doubt she wants to be held captive."

Brooks stopped. He couldn't face his mother.

"If I stay I think my wolf will win out," Brooks said. "I don't want to violate her."

Daphne stayed quiet for a moment.

"I can stay with her," she said.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Brooks said. "If you go in there I am scared that she will have questions I don't want you to answer. Make an excuse if she comes out."

"Then I will stay here and guard the door."

Brooks didn't turn around to acknowledge his mother. He couldn't face her. There was too much pain running through his body. He was mentally confused, but physically he couldn't handle not having a release.

~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*

The pain in Helena's stomach was making it difficult to focus on what just happened. She heard the door close and instead of getting up from the bed she brought her knees up and pushed her head into them, trying to distract herself from her hunger.

"How are you feeling?"

The voice was too familiar. Helena looked up to see Victor standing at the edge of the bed. He wore the same blazer with jeans. His hands were in his pockets. He wore a casual expression, there was no sense of genuine concern in his voice.

"Is this why I am here?" Helena asked. "So you can finish me off? Are these your workers?"

He took a seat on the bed next to her.

"Would you mind if I did?"

She thought back to the picture she had left on her dresser in the motel room. Her note saying goodbye to the world. She was ready last night, but now it seemed like a mistake.

"Yes," she said.

"Why are you afraid of asking questions?"

"I already told you," she said.

"Do you think I am going to force you to live in the light like your parents? Or abandon you like your sister?"

Helena broke eye contact with him. She starred at the floor.

"How do you know about Rebecca?"

"Let's focus on who took care of you after Rebecca," he said. "What was his name again?"

"Abe."

Helena was so certain she said the name so lightly he couldn't hear. He was the only true friend she ever had. Even mouthing his name brought her a sense of pain.

"Oh yes," Victor said. "Abraham. What a shame about him."

She knew she should be afraid, but no fear came to her. Instead she looked up at him with daggers for eyes.

"Is this some sort of torture then?" Helena asked.

Before Victor could answer there was a voice from outside the door.

"Darling are you alright?"

Helena recognized Daphne's voice.

"I am far from alright," Helena said.

"Leave this place," Victor said. "As soon as the opportunity presents itself. You are in great danger."

Helena wanted him to say more, but the door swung open. She turned her head to see Daphne walk into the room.

"Who were you talking to?" she asked.

Helena turned to see Victor's response, but the spot on the bed next to her was empty. There wasn't anyone there. The blankets didn't even show his body weight. She knew she should be afraid, but instead she just felt nothing. Helena turned back to look at Daphne.

"I am starving," she said. "Do you have any food in this place?"

Helena watched Daphne's concern melt away.

"Of course," she said. "Any requests?"

"I am the opposite of a picky eater," Helena said.

Daphne smiled. She paused as if she was going to say something, but instead nodded her head and closed the door.

Helena knew her life was far from average, but even in a situation like this she should be afraid, instead all she could focus on was Victor's words. Her eyes closed and she thought back to her last memory. The feel of his mouth on her neck sent shivers down her body. He was the person she knew best in the current situation and as dangerous as he was, she was going to follow his advice.

*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The eldest werewolf in the pack was not pleased to be woken up. Once he saw the Alpha and the next in line were calling on him he stopped complaining. The three sat comfortably in the sitting area of Donald's room.

"I am not used to visitors this late," he said.

"It's only 10 o'clock," Brooks said.

His father sent him an elbow in the ribs and Brooks shut his mouth.

"Alpha Benson," Donald said. "Alpha in training. How can I be of help?"

"Please," Brooks' father said. "Call me Hugh."

"Thank you for the honor sir," Donald said.

"What can you tell us about vampires?"

Brooks couldn't wait to dive right in.

"Vampires?" Donald asked. "Not as much as you would like."

"Whatever you can offer us is appreciated," Hugh said, eyeing his son.

"They're private creatures," Donald said. "They don't work well in groups. Basically the opposite of us."

"Anything about their..."

Before Brooks could get his question out his father sent another elbow into his gut. Brooks shut his mouth. Donald looked back and forth between them before continuing.

"Weres turn about five humans about every one hundred years," Donald said. "We find out mates and it has to be done, but there are about five new vampires created every one thousand years. It's very rare."

"So there aren't many of them?" Brooks asked.

"You need to watch your father's lead," Donald said.

Brooks kept his mouth shut. He wanted to defend his wounded pride, but it wasn't worth learning any information about what was happening with his mate.

"There are some vampires born into that life," Donald said. "They aren't barren like the myths say. But like I said before they are very private. I have no clue how many of them their are, I don't know how the govern themselves, if they do at all."

It as obvious Donald wasn't going to be much help.

"Can I ask what this is all about? I don't think there has been an instance of vampires and Weres interfering with each other in a very very very long time."

"Why is that?" Brooks asked.

He never even though to worry himself with concerns about vampires before.

"We want to live amongst humans," Donald said. "They want to eat them. We have nothing in common with them and they with us. There is not a reason to mix."

"What if they bit a human but didn't eat her?" Brooks asked.

"Well," Donald said. "Maybe she is one of the five."

Brooks felt his eyes turn red. He shut them not to intimidate Donald.

"Or maybe they wanted her as a feeder," Donald said.

"What is a feeder?" Hugh asked.

"It's a legend," Donald said. "Have you ever had a juicy steak that was mind blowing? Or stumbled upon a kill in the woods that tasted like ecstasy?"

Brooks looked to his father who was nodding his head.

"Well supposedly there are humans out there, whose blood is so pure, that vampires will keep them alive just to drain them to the point of death, then let them heal only to do it again."

"How would a vampire know someone has this ecstasy blood?" Brooks asked.

"You would have to ask a vampire," Donald said. "Like I said it is just a legend. Odds are they want to kill whoever you are hypothetically asking about."

Brooks leaned back in his chair. He ran his hands through his hair, unsure what to ask next. If his mate had this blood curse what did that mean for her?

"What if a human survives a vampire bite?" Hugh asked. "What would happen to them?"

Donald shrugged.

"I've never heard of such a thing happening before," he said. "But if you are willing to go against a vampire, and I mean no disrespect, good luck. One of them is about as powerful as ten of us."

"Thank you for your time Donald," Hugh said.

He stood up from his chair. Brooks followed his father's lead. They both shook his hand before turning to leave.

"One more thing about vampires," Donald said. "They have a lot of powers, the kind no person should poses, I hate to think what sort of trouble that could cause. Maybe even interfere with what is meant to be."

Brooks felt the blood drain from his face. Before he could ask another question his father grabbed his elbow and escorted him out of the room. They were in the hall before Brooks even noticed.

"Did he mean the mate bond?" Brooks asked. "Is that why she feels nothing for me?"

His father shook his head.

"I don't know," he said. "But I would bet this isn't a good situation for you. We will figure something out."

*~*~*~**~*~*~*~**~*~*~**~*~*~**~*~*~**~*~*~

Helena stripped the bed. She had tied all of the sheets together and was certain they were long enough to dangle out of the third story. She pushed open one of the floor to ceiling windows with ease. The end was securely tied around the closest couch to the windows. She looked down and regretted it. One false move would result in at least a broken leg, and at the worst death.

She knew there was a minimum time period for her to act. She had to move before Daphne came back with her food. Her instincts told her leaving through the hall wasn't an option. Even though Daphne was missing Helena was certain there would be more guards.

Wrapping part of the sheets around her waist Helena gave a final tug on her holding before propelling herself out the window. She let the sheets slacken as she dropped down ten feet before her feet slammed into the side of the building. Even though her curiosity told her to look inside the nearest window she didn't want to waste time.

It took faster to hit the ground than she predicted. She untied the sheet around her waist and knew she was free. Helena wished Victor had given her more instructions regarding her escape. The building she was held hostage in was designed to look like a gigantic log cabin. She was near the front of the building, but couldn't even see how long in extended in the rear. With little other options she took off running through the woods to her side. They had to end at a road eventually.

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When Brooks made it back to the hall his room was in he noticed his mother had abandoned her post. He took off running, almost starting to shift on instinct. He was unsure if his father was behind him and didn't care.

He almost knocked the door off its hinges when he threw it open. Part of him expected to see two women chatting on the couch, but his gaze stopped at the window. The sheets were hanging outside. All of a sudden his father's presence was all too noticeable.

"Call the pack," Brooks said. "We need everyone looking for her."

It wasn't necessary for Brooks to wait for his father's response. He ran right to the window and jumped down to the ground. It only took a moment to catch her scent before he took off through the woods.

*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The fear Helena was lacking suddenly over powered her. She ignored the hunger pains and the feeling of the twigs stabbing her under her feet. There was suddenly no time to waste. She propelled herself through the woods. At one point her legs gave out and she slammed her face onto a log. Helena didn't take the time to register the scrape that covered her face or the blood that was pooling around it. She needed to make it to freedom.

Suddenly there was noise behind her. Helena was being hunted. It only increased her desire to get away. She pushed her battered and starving body as hard as she could. A random branch caught her ankle and Helena was flung forward, landing on the hard ground. She could hear the rustle of leaves behind her. They were getting closer.

She tried to ignore the pain in her ankle and forced herself up. She limped through a few more trees until a wolf plotted itself right in front of her. It bared it's teeth and she froze. Helena turned around only to see four more wolves appear behind her.

This was it. They were going to eat her alive. She though back to admitting defeat last night, when she went to the bar and was face to face with Victor. Helena had survived that she would survive this. Vary slowly she bent down to pick up a fallen branch. Even if she died she would go down swinging.

In those few moments the wolves had tripled in number. Helena swung the branch in front of her, hoping some would disperse. One stepped closer towards her. He was all black, with bright orange eyes. Even through her fear Helena could recognize he had an intense presence. It shook her concentration. The moonlight made his fur shimmer. She made eye contact with him and felt a sense of calm wash over her. He howled and more than half of the wolves vanished.

She didn't have the time to focus on him for much longer before another wolf stepped forward. This one was much smaller, white with patches of brown. The two wolves started to argue with each other, barking and nipping. Helena looked behind her, the space was clear. She turned around and started to run through the trees again, at a much slower pace with an injured ankle.

"Wait," a voice said.

Even though her entire being was telling her to move forward Helena froze. She recognized the voice. Her brain couldn't decide whether to focus on the same voice telling her "I will always be here for you" while it said goodnight to Helena's fourteen year old self or saying "I will be right back" to Helena's sixteen year old self.

She spun back around to see Rebecca standing in the middle of the trees. Some mud and twigs were matted in her hair. Helena didn't know whether to run to her and hug her or slap her. That was when it clicked. The strange room, the weird man, the wolves, Victor visiting her, and now Rebecca. It was all clear. Helena was going insane.

With the clarity came the overwhelming need for food. Helena couldn't control it anymore. Her stomach made her body keel over and she collapsed into the ground, certain that if she wasn't already dead she was about to starve to death.