Cassy Ch. 04

sorry about the ridiculously long wait for this. hope it meets your standards. enjoy.

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I smile sadly as she gasps for air. Death, how it comes quickly. I would have my man draw it out and have fun with her, make a show for the men, but she told me all she knew and I was in a bit of a mood.

This chase was getting on my nerves. And now what do I hear? He's found his mate, oh great. He finds happiness while I'm stuck here to finish what my grandfather couldn't. Where's my happiness? Where's my life mate? Fuck.

"Master Mikhail?" I turn to face Greg then back down at the girl. She's dead. Good. She drops to the ground with a thud and I turn away. "What are your orders, sir?"

Ah Greg... my second in command. He thinks he's so handsome. Well, he'll have to ruin that perfect body of his tonight. He may have captured the female and she had useful information but he failed to capture the other one. She escaped and now I'm sure she's off to save them. Warn them that we're coming. Let them get ready, let them hide, I'm still coming for them whether they like it or not.

Do I want to punish Greg? No. He's always been good and loyal but if I don't the men will think I'm weak and they'll no longer follow me. That can't happen. Even for him.

So who's on my death list now? Let's see... #1. Ryan, then his stupid Mate Loki. Man I'm screwed up, why'd he have to let my mom die? I might actually be able to like him, let him live. Too bad. I guess he'll just have to die.

So my death list, right, Ivy, Victor, Rogue, his new mate, Cassy, and her new mate. So many people, so little time.

"Sir?" Greg, again.

"Let the men rest, we know where they are." I look at him and let the red fill my eyes. I know he sees the feral look in them when he flinches and looks away. My lust for blood and anger fills the room.

"Yes sir. I'll inform the men then wait for you in your tent." Ah, good boy. Maybe I won't hurt him quite so much, just a little blood.

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Shit shit shit shit shit. They got her, they got her. She's dead. Shit.

The tears stain my cheeks as I run. I've got to warn them, or they're going to die as well. But that can't happen. They're all each of them too important. But me, I'm just a pawn in all of this.

I trip and fall. Shit, I need to change; I'm not as clumsy as a wolf. I'm so tired. Too tired to change. But I must warn them. I must...

Darkness consumes me.

I dream of him. As I have many nights. He comes to me veiled in darkness. His silver hair cut to his shoulders, his long bangs covering his eyes. A cruel smile plays across his lips. That smile makes me shiver; it's so cruel, so full of hatred.

I reach out and push away some of his hair from his face. Exposing his eyes. Unlike his smile, his eyes are full of hurt, chaos, fear. Those eyes that are as black as midnight.

He's vulnerable, but only to me; I can see it in his eyes. He closes them and rubs his cheek into the palm of my hand. So like an animal, so gentle, so needy.

I sigh, "Please... tell me your name." He slowly moves away from me.

"Oh, Josephine. I can't, you would hate me. Reject me for who I am, what I can't change." He turns to me and takes my hand in his, kissing the palms. "You wouldn't be able to love me."

I gasp. Love? A man I didn't even know the name of?

Yes. He has to be real. Not just a figment of my imagination. This man, this beast is going to change my life some way. I just hope for the better. A tear slides down my cheek.

He spots it and leans in and kisses it from my cheek. I breathe in. He smells wonderful, like chocolate and pure sex.

I push my body against his. It's lean but hard with muscle. We both moan and I feel him harden against my hip. Roughly he takes possession of my mouth with his. We kiss like our lives depend on it. Taking and giving, our tongues dueling, when someone grabs me from behind and pulls.

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"Josephine!" I scream into the dark but she's gone. God, why do I keep having these dreams? And why do they seem so real?

To punish me. That must be it. To show me the perfect woman I can never have.

-Sigh- She's beautiful. Eyes as green as the forest, eyes full of love and lust for me, though I won't tell her my name. Her hair is as soft as silk and the same color as wood, with all the different shades of brown and blonde you could ever imagine.

Her lips are soft and gentle, tentative, new, until you awaken her desire and she is like a starved animal lusting for the meal that is my body.

Her body fits perfectly into mine. She is tall for our kind, still shorter than I. Her head only coming up to my chin. She has the perfect amount of curves, just enough for them to spill from my hands but not overwhelm me. Not thin like most of our kind due to our extremely overactive metabolisms. Thank god, I like a woman I can hold and not feel like I will break her any second if I lose myself in the passion of being with her. She's perfect.

Her soul just glows with kindness and purity, something I lack greatly in.

Some women would like the power and cruelty I show and possess but this one. Josephine would recoil from me. She must never know me. Which in turn I must never know her.

That thought makes me cringe. I thought the gods were denying me love, no; it is I and the expectancy to take revenge against those who killed my grandfather.

They all must die.

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"Miss? Miss, wake up. Are you alright?" I groan and swat at the hand that so cruelly took me from my prince, my prince of darkness.

I hear whispering. Shit. There's more than just one annoying person standing over me.

Wait. I'm on the run, there are people after me, I could die. I need to warn them!

My eyes fly open and I scramble back away from the group of people who had surrounded me while I slept.

There were too many. There was no way I was getting away without them letting me go. I closed up into myself, I was doomed, why not just give up now?

"Miss? Are you alright?" The same persistent female voice I heard before. I look up and stare into the face of a very small blonde woman with dark golden eyes. She had a kind face and her soul was pure, that I could see right away, if not marred by a few bumps along her long life. She was a mother of three. Happiness from them each finding a mate had her glowing brightly. Though what seemed to be on the foreground of her thoughts were me and why I looked like shit.

I looked down. I did look like shit. I was covered in leaves and dirt. I shifted through Ivy's mind until I saw myself. I had mud on my face, and in my hair. I looked like a wild beast.

I looked back up at Ivy and turned to look at the others with her. She was with two girls who looked like they could be sisters, her daughter-in-laws, April and Annabelle. Both were tiny little things with black hair, one cut short with green eyes and the other long with grey eyes.

I shifted through their thoughts. They were both worried about their new mother in law. Through their eyes it seemed as if Ivy was standing over a deranged lunatic that would attack them at any moment.

Their second thoughts consisted of wondering when their mates would return. Then they would feel safer around me.

I sniffed the air and found out why. April was only half 'Were' and didn't know how to shift...yet. And Annabelle, she had no way to protect herself, that she knew about...

What was I sensing? I listened harder and looked closer. There, in her belly, she was pregnant. I see now. That's where the power was coming from. To protect her child she would now be granted with the ability to take on anything that came her way.

I laughed, and they backed away, Ivy the only one remaining by my side to see if I was alright.

"I'm fine. I just..." I had almost forgotten again. What I needed to do. "... Oh god! I need to find The Prince! I must warn him!"

They all gave me a strange look. "The Prince?"

"Yes!" Why didn't these people understand? "The Prince! Ryan! I must find Prince Ryan!"

"Ryan?" They exchanged a strange look amongst each other. "What does Ryan look like?"

"I don't know! All I know is that he's in mortal danger! His Mate Loki and he need to get to hiding soon. His nephew Mikhail captured one of my comrades and I'm sure she told him everything. She was never very strong willed."

Both girls gasped. Why? Ivy just closed her eyes.

"I thought so." She spoke and looked at me. "Come. We can take you to him."

My mouth gaped open. "What?"

Her eyes twinkled. "After all, he is my new son-in-law." She winked then whispered in my ear. "It's nice to know I can still keep some thoughts locked away to myself."

"What? I..." She knew! Only extremely powerful beings could detect my shuffling. Who was this woman?

"Don't worry, just be careful, oh and we'll keep this little secret to ourselves. No use frightening my children, you see."

I nodded, thankful my secret was safe with her.

She took my arm and basically lifted me up into a standing position. She was small but man was she strong. Well, I guess that would be expected since she was a Were after all, but still...

"Come, we will bring you to my home, the others are there."

I nod and follow.

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When we reach her home I'm overwhelmed by the pure love and emotion that surrounds the place. Who would think that the home of werewolves would have such a strong love aura?

I shook myself. I had been into the mind and heart of Ivy, and if her children were anything like her, they were pretty decent people.

The front door opened and out stepped the perfect image of a highlander... a house broken highlander... I laughed to myself. He was tall and broad shouldered, long red hair flowing down his back, glowing golden eyes taking in the four of us. His eyes sparkled and his smile broadened when he saw his wife. I looked to Ivy and knew they were deeply in love by the way she glowed.

He stepped forward and embraced Ivy. When they separated Ivy was flushed and clinging to his arm. "Victor, honey, this is..." She looked expectantly back at me.

"Oh, sorry, my name is Josephine, Josephine Dumiere."

"Well nice to meet you Joe. I'm Victor. Welcome to our home. Come in, have a seat." He shook my hand. It was strong but not strong enough to injure me or cause me pain.

At the touch a shiver went down my spine. His eyes opened wide and I knew he felt it too. Crap, and I liked him too. These feelings never ended well for those I touched. This man was in danger and it was a sure thing he was going to be injured and it was going to happen soon. I only hoped it wouldn't kill him like it did Alice (my comrade).

'You felt nothing' I whisper into his head and he relaxes. I really didn't need more people to know about my talents.

"Sir, I'm sorry, but I really need to see Prince Ryan. You're all in danger and I need to speak to him so I can take him, and you to safety." Why didn't these people ever listen to me?

"Really? In danger? My girl, we already knew that. Unfortunately all the boys went out and promised they wouldn't be back without dinner." He smiled at me and I just stared at that huge unconcerned grin plastered across his face.

"What?! You let him go out alone when you knew there was a maniac on the loose trying to kill him?!" Were these people mad?!!!!

"Hey, boys will be boys, what did you expect? That I could stop four grown men and one very strong and willful woman from going out and fetching everyone food? I'm sorry but I didn't have a death wish at that moment in time."

Ivy laughed, "okay, ladies, honey, let's get inside and wait for the providers to return."

All I could do was follow everyone inside and wait...

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We were close. I could feel it. All the way down to my soul.

She was close. The wolf inside me growled lightly, knowing that she had been here. Her smell was intoxicating.

"Sir?"

"Yes?"

"What were your orders?"

Oh god. What DID I want to do? Just stand here and smell her. Just end this whole thing. Tell the boys to go fuck themselves. That my grandfather was a bastard that constantly took advantage of me and tried to corrupt me. Well to the outside world he succeeded. Inside? I was screaming. I just wanted to go and be with her. With my Josephine. My mate.

What was she even doing here? I shouldn't even be able to smell her scent. She should be miles away from me. Away from this danger. Away from me. Was I supposed to be with her? Now?

Yes. I knew it with every fiber of my being. Why couldn't I just claim her and be done with this stupid meaningless life.

"Sir?"

I must have been consumed in my own thoughts for too long. "We're close. We're going to stay here for the night. Tell the men to make camp."

"But..."

"Greg. That was a direct order." I growl for emphasis.

He bows his head in submission and leaves my side.

I close my eyes. She was so close. If I tried hard enough I would be able to track her tonight. Be with her for real. No more dreams. No more waiting. God. I needed her.

I quickly undressed and let the change from man to wolf consume me.

The cool night's air ruffles the fur along my back. It feels good. I haven't let loose since... since I don't know when. I sigh. I know when.

When SHE was alive. Before my grandfather had taken over my life and caused so much pain.

Only Josephine could make it all better. Only she could make my life whole again. I needed to find her.

I sat and lifted my face skyward towards the heavens. The moon was full and beautiful. I howled my appreciation and heard the critters around scurry away. Now that I thought about it, I was a bit hungry. A rabbit ran from a few trees away and I was off.

I had the whole night to stalk my prey... after I was done with dinner.

Don't worry Josephine, I'll see you soon.

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We sat there in the living room waiting for the all mighty providers to return. I was having difficulty just sitting around and waiting. My legs were jittery, and my mind was working a million miles an hour.

What was he like? Was he really as good as everyone said he was? A great leader? A visionary?

Then I was being bombarded by April's and Annabelle's thoughts. 'Who is she? Where is she from? What does she want to talk to Ryan for? She's cute. Man she's tall. When are we going to eat?'

That last thought made me want to laugh, since it came from Annabelle and she was hungry due to her pregnancy... that she didn't know about... yet.

I thought about telling her. Just for something to do. No. That wouldn't be right. She should at least be with her mate at the time or something like that... I guess.

What puzzled me the most was why Ivy had an all knowing smile on her face. And I dare not even shuffle through her thoughts again. She would know and that would make me feel awkward.

Finally the front door burst open and I could hear laughter and rough housing in the hall. I shot up and stood there how I should go about this.

Victor greeted them in the hall and I just waited and listened.

"So how was it? Catch anything nice for dinner?"

"Yeah. It was great. We haven't been hunting together for a long time." A female voice, which had to be Cassy, since she was the only woman who had gone along with the men. April visually perked up at her mate's voice.

"It was awesome; I took down a whole buck by myself!" A young male voice met my ears. Must be Loki.

"Really... all by yourself?" Victor's disbelief made me want to laugh.

"Yes, all by himself, I was so proud." A deep resonate voice met my ears, it made me think of dark nights and slow loving, I swear my toes curled just thinking about it. But the love that flowed from that tongue made me know that it had to be Ryan, his mate, our Prince.

"And they're at it again." Laughter, "They've been doing this since we left, I swear, they're like rabbits." Another deep voice reached my ears, Annabelle perked up and I knew I was right in thinking it was Rogue.

"Guys, get a room!" Cassy laughed.

"Come into the living room. Everyone's waiting for you there. I'll just take this into the kitchen and make dinner, I'm sure everyone's starving, I know I am."

With that I saw Victor pass by the door way with a large deer over his shoulder and two large turkeys in his hands. My mouth started to water and I heard virtually everyone's stomach growl in the entire room. Ivy laughed, while the rest of us blushed.

"April?" Cassy called from the hall, when she came into view through the door frame, she wasn't what I had expected, after seeing the small little blonde Ivy and the giant highlander with red hair, the tall brunette that met my eyes was unexpected. She was gorgeous and made me feel like a giant gangly creature that would do better just to crawl up into a ball and die in a corner somewhere. She wasn't quite as tall as me, maybe a good 5 inches shorter but still loomed over her mother and mate.

When April saw her she leapt up from the sofa and jumped into Cassy's arms. They both laughed as Cassy swung April around in her arms.

"I've missed you." April spoke shyly.

"Ditto." Cassy smiled and kissed April.

I blushed and looked away, feeling like I was intruding in on something special between the two mates.

Next in came Rogue, again he was an unexpected sight, he was tall, but only maybe a few inches taller than me, he had shoulder length black hair that matched his mate's, he was just as gorgeous as the other members of his family, again making me feel insignificant and the ugly duckling of the group.

Before Annabelle could even blink he had her in his arms. They just held each other as if they hadn't seen each other in an eternity. I wanted to look away but I just couldn't. Both couples just looked so perfect. So happy.

I envied them. They had the real thing and all I had were those dreams of a man I was sure I would never meet.

Why wouldn't he just tell me his name? I mean, seriously, what could be so wrong with him that me knowing his name would cause me to run from him and hate him that much.

I mean really, it's not like he was Mikhail, lord of death or something.

I laughed to myself as a bad feeling came over me. He couldn't, could he? No. Surely not.

I shook my head, barring all bad thoughts.

Victor brought me out of my disturbing thoughts.

"Now boys. Come on. You have a guest in the living room and she's been waiting quite patiently. There will be plenty of time for that later. Trust me."

With that he enters the room and sits down next to his respective mate. Ivy curls up along his side as he slides an arm around her waist.

I look towards the door and wait. It's not long before I'm rewarded with a tall blonde with a sexy surfer dude look. He was young. Younger than I had expected.

'19'. The thought hits me like a blow. It was a direct thought from Ivy. She sent it to me! Was she now reading my mind?! I looked to her and she just kept that knowing smile on her lips. How interesting...

Looking back to the door the blonde, Loki, I believed from the looks on the parents' faces, was closely followed by...

Oh my god! My jaw drops. It was him! My dream man... wait no. But... this man had longer hair. Tied back with a thong. And when his eyes lock with mine. I see that they are not a deep black but a light piercing blue that takes my breath away.

That's when I know. If this man entering the room was indeed our Prince. Our savior... then the man who plagues my dreams is our downfall. Mikhail. The man I have fallen in love with is our enemy.

God. What was I going to do? I feel myself slump on the sofa. I just want to cry and curl up in a corner. Why couldn't the man I loved be someone who wasn't a murderer?