The Dawn of Wynter Ch. 04

"I beg to differ, I never tire of it," he grinned, giving her a suggestive glance, "And it's the only thing that seems to make you want to succeed."

"Fuck you Philippe!" she growled, her head snapping up to fix him with a glare, "You think I'm not trying here? That I like to feel powerless to control myself?"

"I think you have grown comfortable in this cocoon you have built for yourself," he began patiently; "You make too many excuses. It's time to stop wallowing in self pity and doubt, my dear. You are stronger than that."

"What is that supposed to mean?" she asked incredulously, struggling to get out of his grasp so she could rain down as much bodily harm on him as she was physically capable.

"It means you still doubt your ability!" he said irately, pushing her away from his body, "You must accept this is who you are; you cannot do anything about it! The sooner you accept that the better prepared you will be. You refuse to push yourself for fear of hurting anyone! Since we started this you have not truly let go once!" he yelled, holding up a finger to her face, "You don't seem to understand you are more dangerous when you refuse your abilities than when you accept them. I get it, you feel bad for hurting your brother and Xander, for trying to end your own existence because you didn't understand what you are, but that is in the past. Fuck them! Focus on yourself!" he bit out, poking her in the center of her chest.

There was a loud crack and before she realized what she was doing she slapped him so hard he staggered backwards.

"Don't you dare speak of them like that, do you understand?" her voice shook with fury, "And don't poke me!" she added in annoyance.

"Ahhh, there we go, finally letting go a little bit," he retorted, wiping a drop of blood from his mouth with the back of his hand.

She glared at him for a moment. She was growing tired of their constant battle; it was a tug of war, neither party yielding. She was feeling the results of it very heavily. She was tired, horny, confused but mostly she was just pissed off, especially after his accusation just now. He had hit a touchy subject with her when he mentioned the one time she had used her powers against herself. She had told him that in confidence and here he was throwing back in her face. The guilt she felt about that day, and how she had come very close to leaving behind everyone she cared for still weighed down on her.

"We're done here," she finally said, her voice low but hard, "As always Philippe, it's been such a pleasure!" Her eyes were wild, and she was truly a force to be reckoned with in that moment. She stormed out of the gym, tearing the door off its hinges with the force she pulled it open, leaving Philippe staring at her back. He was beginning to get used to that view.

She wanted to scream. The man was driving her mad, and she herself must have been mad to return to his torture everyday! Their sessions always ended like this, with one of them walking off. And yet, the next day they were both there, pretending as if nothing had happened. She was lost in her head imagining all the different ways she could maim Philippe and mumbling furiously to herself, walking straight past Stefâne, not even acknowledging his presence. He knew to give her a wide berth when she was in one of her moods, which was more often than not lately. As he passed her he was pretty sure he heard cut off his fucking balls one day, I swear fly out of her mouth like a whip, as she stomped off in the opposite direction. She didn't realize where she was going until a familiar voice brought her out of her imaginary torture session.

"Zara Wynters! Where the hell do you get off not calling me when you finally get back into town?!" a voice called from her right. Actually called was too nice of a term, it was more of a bark.

She looked up and realized she was in the grand hall. Standing in front of the door was a tall slender woman with midnight black hair running down her shoulders like a sheet of silk and the blackest eyes anyone had seen. Raine Wilson. Her dearest friend, who also happened to be a were. Raine and Zara had met through Stefâne years ago, instantly hitting it off.

"Raine? Oh my god, what the hell are you doing here?!" she yelled, running towards her in disbelief and hugging her with as much force as she could. A burst of laughter came bubbling out of her.

"Zara," she gasped, "Can't- breathe!" Immediately Zara let go, smiling sheepishly.

"Sorry! I forget how strong I am sometimes. I just...It's great to see you. You have no idea how good it is to have a friendly face nearby right now," she said, a genuine smile breaking across her face for the first time in months.

"I heard you were back in town, I wanted to see for myself. What the hell Zara, a whole two months and you didn't even call?"

"I'm sorry Rai, I have had a lot to deal with since I got back. It doesn't excuse that I didn't call you though," she added quickly at the look her friend gave her.

Raine was eyeing her up and down. She realized she must have looked a right mess in her sweat drenched clothes, her hair coming loose from its pony tail.

"Jesus, Zara, you look like shit," she chortled, lifting a strand of Zara's messy hair.

"I've missed your sweet talk, Raine," laughing with her.

"Look, I know this is a bit short notice, what with me just showing up but go take a quick shower get dressed and come out with me tonight. I called up everyone we knew when I heard you were back. There are so many people who want to see you, and frankly I want to hear what's going on with you!"

"That sounds...like a great idea," she said, relief washing over her. She needed a night away from this house and its occupants. Philippe was overbearing and her brother rarely had time for her lately, what with his preparations to join that damned council. Stefâne was, in her opinion, unreasonably furious with her over the various things she had destroyed around the home. Antoinette had left on a trip back to France for a few weeks to visit an old friend. As a result she had been left with her thoughts for company most nights. She was about to turn around and lead Raine back to her room to wait while she got ready when Philippe strode into the grand hall. She tried her best not to groan as his eyes lit up like a Christmas tree when they fell on Raine.

"Why hello, mademoiselle, I don't believe we have been properly introduced," he said walking right past Zara and taking Raine's hand in his planting a kiss on it. The fact that he was in gym attire didn't take away from his suave demeanor. Somehow, he was sexier than ever with his track pants clinging to his sculpted ass like a second skin, and the black tank top showed off his tanned broad shoulders and toned arms.

Rained looked at Zara in astonishment before replying, "Raine Wilson, and you are?" she asked an eyebrow cocked high.

"Philippe Desmarais, at your service."

His eyes were practically undressing Raine right there, as Zara looked on. It was nice to know he didn't dwell on rejection, she thought sourly. She didn't stop to think why she was so bothered by the fact he was taking an interest in Raine. She was just too irritated with him.

"Well Philippe, nice to meet you," she replied licking her lips. Zara had to roll her eyes; these two were mentally fucking already.

"Oh but the pleasure is mine, Raine. Tell me what are you doing this evening? I love to learn about weres, especially when they look as ravishing as you." His hand was still holding hers. She looked at him in surprise, wondering how he knew what she was.

"My dear, when you're as old as I am, you can sense these things. Now, plans tonight?"

"Well," she glanced at Zara quickly, "I'm taking Zara out to see some friends...you should come if you're free," she added slowly, unsure how Zara would react to the invitation.

That was all Zara had to hear to step in. There was no way Philippe was going to go out with them tonight, or touching any of her friends.

"Actually, I believe Philippe has some other plans already Raine," she began, trying to steer her friend towards the doors to her wing, "we should go get ready -- "

"As a matter of fact Zara, an appointment I had just cancelled," he said looking at her pointedly, and giving her a smug smile, "so I am, as you say free as a bird!"

She grew angry, which seemed to be the running emotion of the month, and grabbed Raine's hand out of his rather aggressively, much to the were's astonishment, and pulled her towards her room. The man was insistent on ruining her life in any way possible. He would not leave her alone for one minute!

"Find someone else to be your whore Philippe, and stay away from my friends or so help me..." she called over her shoulder. And just as every time before, Philippe was left staring at Zara's back as she walked away from him. And what a beautiful back it was.

---

"Was that Raine I just heard?" Stefâne called out from the balcony above the great doors.

"Yes," Philippe said looking up at him with a mischievous smile, "it was. What a delightful creature she is."

Stefâne was making his way down the stairs, when he said, "Philippe, do not even think about it. This is Zara's closest friend. She'll rip your head off if you fuck with her, trust me I've been in that triangle, it's not pretty."

"Well, I'm feeling adventurous tonight, Stefâne," he called out; slapping him on the shoulder, his eyes still on the door the girls had left through.

Stefâne sighed, "It's your funeral, my friend. A word of caution, which I'm sure you will absolutely ignore, but Zara is after your balls on a platter. I suggest if you don't want to part with them, you leave this one alone."

Philippe just let out a loud, boisterous laugh and clapped Stefâne on the back again. Apparently losing his balls was amusing, but Stefâne couldn't see the humour. He knew Zara well enough to know that hadn't been an idle threat. Philippe however didn't hear him as he walked off to his chambers to get ready for what promised to be an eventful night.

---

Zara pushed open the heavy wooden door that led to her chambers and began chatting away. She did not want to talk about anything concerning Philippe. Her friend had caught her off guard by just showing up, but she found herself craving female company. Too much testosterone around the home was driving her up the wall.

"So? Where is it you're taking me tonight to lose complete abandon and make the biggest fool of myself, hopefully with a lot of good alcohol involved?" If there was one thing vampires liked other than blood it was alcohol. That and a very fine cup of coffee.

Zara was walking around the room grabbing items of clothing as she went, not looking at Raine. When no answer came she turned and looked up. Raine was leaning against a large armoire staring at her with arms crossed and a raised eyebrow.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Because you have the sexiest piece of ass standing out there and you've barely even acknowledged his presence!"

"Yes, that's because I like to pretend he doesn't exist," she mumbled to herself, but she knew Raine could hear.

"Zara! That man," she let out a moan, "I mean...just looking at his ass could cause a girl to orgasm," she laughed.

"Seriously Raine, not happening. And I don't want you near him, I'm serious. He's trouble and that's the last thing you need in your life."

"I love trouble! Who is he? And where has he been all my life?"

Zara snorted, "A friend of Kai's, one I find myself hating more as the days go by."

"Are you telling me you're not even curious what he's like in bed?"

Zara immediately had a flashback to earlier that afternoon, the image of her entwined with Philippe; it was like a film reel playing in her mind. She didn't have to think about it, she practically knew what it would be like to bed Philippe; he never missed an opportunity to show her. She knew it would be even better than what he had dreamed up for her.

"No, I'm not," she lied, trying to sound all business, as she turned her back to her friend and began focusing on a dress laid out on her bed, "I have no interest in Monsieur Desmarais," she said in a mock French accent, her face scrunching up in distaste.

"Look Raine, I don't want to talk about him right now. I want to catch up with you, see our friends, and for once in the last two months I've been back, actually have a good time. Please?" she asked pleadingly, pouting her lips and giving her friend puppy eyes, hoping she would drop it. Thankfully, it worked.

"Okay, okay," she said her palms up, "we won't talk about it...tonight at least."

Zara rolled her eyes, and began asking her friend to fill her in on the last few years since she'd been away. This was what she enjoyed most about their friendship. No matter how long it had been since they had spoken or seen each other, they could pick up right where they left off. It was always so natural between them.

She listened to stories of Raine and her pack traveling to Europe and meeting their ancestors. It was something she had spoken of doing before, and Zara found she was happy to see her friend had gone through with it. She always spoke of learning about where she came from and how their pack had originally formed. It turned out Raine came from a pack of weres with a dominant panther gene in them, which explained her choice to settle on being a were-cougar. Cats ran through their blood.

Packs were incredibly interesting. While it was commonly believed weres were only wolves, it was not true. Today the term had come to refer to any one able to shift into animal form. This was commonly mistaken for shape shifters, but shifters could alter into other humans, while weres were strictly bound to the animal world. Were had simply been an old term for man, and there had been a time when werewolves ran wild and free across the world, their numbers vast, fuelling the belief that wolves were the only type of creatures men could shift into. Due to fighting in their ranks however and wars with other species their numbers dwindled.

Wolves were but a small part of the were world. You could have a wolf mother and panther father and end up being a tiger. What you became when you turned of age was determined by the mix of genes the parents donated and who the child would ultimately become as an adult. The human side and animal side were singular, separate, until they mated. When mated, they exchanged blood through a bite, much like vampires, and the two individuals genes would bind, essentially exchanging particular structures of their DNA and in turn a part of the animal within them. It was why the children were unique, having the ability to chose.

Usually, they stuck close to similar species. That said, it was never concrete, unless the child became one with the animal within. As children, they were capable of transforming into different animals, to test what strengths played best to their abilities. Zara envied them that; the choice to become who you wanted to be, the ability to try being so many things at once before settling on what you wanted. It was a freedom she would never have. She was simply thrust into her life and all the things that had come with it were non refundable.

"Anyways, some of them came back with us from Europe, to see how we lived here and meet the rest of our pack," she continued, "You'll meet them tonight!"

"Sounds great!" she called from the bathroom. She had just finished showering and stepped back into the room. Raine was standing with her back to her, holding something in her hands.

"What's that?"

"You tell me," she said turning around her palm open, at the centre sat Zara's ring, "Since when do you walk around without this?" she asked surprised, and a little worried.

"Oh," she stopped in front of Raine, taking the ring from her palm and turning it in her hands, "I've been practicing without it..." She hoped Raine wouldn't ask her to elaborate as she turned back around to get dressed, placing the ring on her bedside table. Unfortunately her friend wasn't letting her off the hook that easily.

"So you're just not wearing it now?" she asked a little hysterically. Zara squeezed her eyes shut and tensed at her tone. She sighed; there was nothing for it, her friend refused to let her get away with a simple answer. It seemed that some higher being had seen fit to surround her with people who just wouldn't let things go.

"No," she started slowly, continuing to get ready, pulling on some lace panties under her towel, "not since Philippe has been helping me practice to use my...abilities, without the ring." She turned around to find the were staring at her with her mouth open. The sight was a little comical and Zara had to roll her eyes.

"You and Philippe? Practicing? Together? For the past two months?" she asked, piecing things together.

"Well, one month, but yeah..." she paused wondering if she should tell her, "He's like me Raine," she said, a little excitedly, sitting on the edge of her bed with one leg tucked underneath her. As much as she didn't want to talk about Philippe before, she found she relished in being able to tell someone about how the past months events had unfolded.

"He's what?!"

"He's like me," she said in small voice, her friend's loud surprise causing her to flinch a bit.

"Zara Maribel Wynters, you found someone who is like you and you just happen to drop it casually into a conversation like its nothing? Oh hey, I've only been trying to figure out who and what I am for the past two thousand years," she said mimicking Zara's voice while pacing back and forth in front of her, her hands waving wildly in the air, "and hey I just happened to meet this absolutely hot man who would put a Greek God to tears and he just happens to be exactly like me, but hey it's no big deal. No, no why would it be a big deal? It's not like I've been traveling across the world my entire life looking for a SPEC of information," she finished wide eyed, her arms held up in the air.

"Are you finished?"

"No," she replied hysterically, flipping her long hair over her shoulder before resting her hands at her hips, "I'm not finished. How the hell are you so calm about this? Who is he and where did he come from? What did you find out? What are you? And how the hell did he just manage to magically end up in your home of all the places in the world and find you," she asked in one breath.

"Well," she began, but was cut short by another tirade of questions.

"And how has Kai not noticed that he's like you if they're so buddy buddy with each other?" she asked pacing again, practically burning a hole in the carpet.

"Are you going to let me speak or are you just going to keep rambling all day?" she was trying to hold back her laughter.

Her friend stopped and finally looked at her, slouching a bit, "I am rambling aren't I?" she asked sheepishly. The look on her face was comical, like a child being caught doing something naughty.

"It's ok, I'll admit I wasn't quite so calm when I found out," she said laughing, remembering how she showered Philippe with punches and slaps, yelling at him for not telling her sooner. To his credit, Philippe had stood his ground accepting all the abuse until she could hit him no more.

"The truth is Raine, I haven't learned much from him, other than that he is like me in many ways and just knowing that I'm no longer the worlds one and only freak has taken the largest weight off my shoulders. I feel like I can breathe again. As to how Kai didn't see the similarities, Philippe is a lot older than I am, and more skilled at hiding certain attributes."