Blood Relations Ch. 05

"I understand why Malcolm is so concerned about Serena," Piper continued. "But why are you? Is she your mate? I mean, I can't think of another reason you would turn against Lance so quickly."

"I don't know what's wrong with me," Adam said. "Sometimes I don't think I care about Serena at all, but then I picture her with someone else and it's like my mind doesn't belong to me. I can't control it. I want to take her and lock her up somewhere, where nobody else will ever touch her again."

Adam felt the ire in his chest grow. Just talking about her brought a fire to him. It was getting worse.

"That doesn't sound like a matebond," Thomas said.

Adam wanted to point out Thomas and his sister weren't mates, but he didn't have the energy to fight over that. In fact, he was starting to not care. If Serena wasn't his mate than whatever pull they were feeling towards each other had to be even stronger. He wondered if she was going as crazy without him.

"I want to see her," Adam said.

"First we need to figure out what is going on," Piper said. "Don't worry, she's safe."

"I told Lance to watch her," Adam said. "He could be trying something."

"Lance is your best friend," Piper said. "You sound insane. He would never do anything like that."

Thomas turned off the main road and into Malcolm's driveway. This was the second time in one day Adam had arrived here. Adam didn't think Malcolm would be able to help, but Piper insisted they start here. When the car came to a stop Adam jumped out, hoping to get this over with and back to Serena. The image of her small body withering under his was almost too much.

Piper didn't knock, she walked right inside and started yelling for Malcolm. Adam followed her inside, trailed by Thomas. He felt like they were flanking him, making sure he didn't run away again. When they found him he was in wolf form, and feeling pretty good, unable to figure out why the small human was anything important to him. But almost as soon as he shifted back all he could think of was finding her. The longer he was away from her the more his heart ached.

Malcolm was quick to meet them in the doorway. Adam watched him glance over the three younger wolves.

"Adam what are you doing here?" Malcolm asked. "Where is Serena? Did she agree to leave with you?"

"We need some answers," Piper said.

"Where is Serena?" Malcolm asked.

"Why is my brother going crazy over her?" Piper asked.

"He likes her," Malcolm said.

"If you actually listened to the way he is talking you would realize it's more than that," Piper said.

"Maybe they're mates," Malcolm said.

"No way," Thomas replied. "I wanted to protect and cherish Piper the second I saw her. Adam wants to dominate and sequester Serena."

Every time someone said her name Adam felt himself go crazy. He needed to get out of here and find her. He turned towards the front door, ready to bolt again. Thomas grabbed for him, but Adam lunged out of the way. He made it to the door and pulled it open, but someone was standing in the doorframe blocking his exit. Adam went to push him out of the way, but a hand was on his shoulder.

"Calm down," Hawkins said.

Adam looked up at his Alpha and he felt his breathing start to steady. Hawkins walked into the house and Adam hung his head, moving back inside with him.

"Jimmy," Malcolm said. "What are you doing here?"

"I called him," Piper said.

"Why?" Malcolm said. "This isn't important enough to involve you."

"I disagree," Hawkins said. "Why don't we all sit down and someone tell me what is going on?"

The need to find Serena evaporated and Adam again realized how crazy he was being. He just wished this cycle would end, detoxing was easier than this.

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

Hawkins sat on the couch in one of Malcolm's sitting rooms. Adam watched the older wolf take in all the news. Hawkins commanded authority, he appeared to be only in his thirties, but his warm brown eyes looked ancient. He was taller than any other wolf in the pack and his stature alone could intimidate anyone.

"I want to make sure I understand everything," Hawkins said. "Malcolm, let's start with you. You brought your great-great-granddaughter to town to work for the summer because she had nowhere else to go. You thought that Piper would keep an eye on her and she would just work without meeting anyone else then return to her studies in the fall?"

"Yes," Malcolm replied.

"I wish you would have ran this by me before making the offer," Hawkins said. "But if Piper had not met her mate and you and Adam had not shared your past than this situation probably would not have happened."

Adam watched as Malcolm looked relieved. Apparently the Beta would receive no punishment for his choices.

"Now Adam," Hawkins replied. "You were originally only interested in the girl because of you sensed she had a connection to Malcolm and you wanted to piss him off? But you find yourself struggling with whether or not your feelings are genuine, albeit a bit extreme at times?"

"Yes," Adam said.

"Now you both were able to put your differences aside once the vampire took an interest in her?" Hawkins asked. "But it appears that she is no longer interested in Adam and instead favors the vampire."

The idea that Serena could be interested in anyone other than him sent Adam into a rage.

"She wants to be with me," Adam yelled.

"Remain calm," Hawkins said.

Adam had to take a few breaths to calm himself.

"See," Piper said. "That reaction is not normal."

"I think it's best if I sent Serena away," Malcolm said. "Which is what I should have done from the beginning. Make her think she won some all expenses paid vacation or won the lottery or something."

"Wanting to be near relatives is not a fault," Hawkins said. "I don't think sending her away will solve Mr. Parrish's problem."

"What do you mean?" Piper asked.

"Malcolm, do you remember the year after Rose?"

"We were just getting started here," Malcolm said. "It was a long time ago."

"After we couldn't find her you were out of control," Hawkins said. "You wanted to comb the entire country searching for her. You were making a map of every human guest that came here that summer. You begged me to divert resources to find her. Sometimes you would go on crazy rants about how nobody else should touch her."

"That's a bit of an exaggeration," Malcolm said.

"I think I'm underplaying it," Hawkins said. "You were certain she was your mate, but your behavior was even more obsessive than any other separated pair I'd seen or heard of. She didn't seem that interested in you. She knew where you were, if you were actual mates human or not she would have felt the pull too. Then you suddenly stopped. We thought you just got over your first love. Two months later you saw her picture and made arrangements to go find her. When you came back you were heartbroken, but then you met Kay and it seemed like she became a distant memory."

"What are you saying?" Malcolm asked.

"The way that Adam is behaving is the same way you were with Rose," Hawkins said. "Random fits of clarity, particularly when you're in wolf form. An insane unexplainable obsession. It was like a spell had been put on you, one I think broke when Rose passed away."

Adam and Malcolm started yelling at the same time.

"Serena is not a witch," Adam said. "I need her. This is real."

"How dare you accuse my granddaughter of such a thing," Malcolm said.

"ENOUGH." Hawkins' voice boomed over both of them.

"Do other men find themselves obsessive with Serena?" Hawkins asked.

"No," Malcolm said. "John and his friends have been around her and nothing like this has happened."

"What about the vampire?" Hawkins asked.

"There's no reason to believe he has anything but friendly intentions towards her," Piper answered. "But nobody has really monitored their interactions."

He was happy his sister responded before Adam lost it again. The idea of Lance and Serena made him want to kill both of them.

"Adam were you and Serena intimate?"

"I don't think that's any of your business," Adam said.

He let out a growl, which Hawkins' matched. Adam pressed his lips and shook his head.

"We've kissed a few times," he said. "That's it."

"Interesting," Hawkins said. "Malcolm, go find the girl and bring her here. Someone needs to get ahold of Lance and warn him."

"Warn him?" Piper asked.

"To avoid any romantic entanglement with Serena," Hawkins said. "It appears even a kiss might be enough to drive him insane."

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

As soon as Serena had heard Lance mention biting her it was all she could think about. She turned her head even further to the side, feeling his restitution slipping.

"Please," she said.

His head moved so fast Serena didn't have time to register the action. When his fangs bit into her neck pure bliss exploded from her body. She saw her dream play out, the small boy going to defend his mother. Then it went to Lance as a young man, trying to fight for independence. Next he was on the battlefield, blodied and as good as dead. She felt his pain and fear turn into glorious wonderment as his savior loomed over him. He broke away and Serena felt like part of her heart was ripped out with him.

She had so many questions. Why had she been dreaming about his childhood for the past several days? During the dreams she was so focused on the abuse she forgot to pay attention to any of the details. Now it was obvious the family was from another time.

"You," Serena started.

Before she could get her question out Lance's mouth was on hers. She tasted the copper of her own blood on his tongue, but didn't care. A small sense of her earlier euphoria had returned. Lance sat down next to her and brought Serena into his lap, never breaking their kiss. She moved her hands to his back and ran them down to the bottom of his shirt. She gripped on to the hem and started yanking it upwards. She felt the zipper on the back of her dress come down.

She pulled her mouth away from his and he ripped his shirt off. Serena stared straight into his eyes, the gold was swirling. Her breathing was heavy, but she noticed his chest was still. He pulled the top of her dress down, she opted to forgo the bra earlier, and started kissing her collarbone. Serena arched her back. He brought one hand up and cupped her breast. His mouth slid down and started paying her other much needed attention. His tongue was swirling and his teeth were nipping while his fingers were caressing and pulling.

Serena felt an orgasm building just from his touch. She started grinding against him and then felt his fangs prick her again. More images and emotions danced through her. She couldn't focus on a single one, and it was too much. Her body exploded with pleasure and she let out an uncontrollable moan. Lance retracted his fangs and looked up at her. She could see him shaking and brought her mouth back down to his, needing more.

He flipped her over and she spread her legs, wishing she had forgone her underwear as well. The feel of his chest against hers was glorious as they continued to let their passion flow. Everything in the world was perfect. She brought her hands down to his pants and he lifted his hips as she worked his belt loose. Her fingers worked the button on his pants wanting to feel more of him.

Right when she was about to slide his pants off a boom sounded through the room. Lance jumped off of Serena and she brought her dress back up, trying to cover herself. Piper ran into the apartment and went straight for Serena. She ignored her friend and instead watched as Lance was holding Malcolm by the next pressed against the wall.

"Do something," Piper yelled.

"Lance put him down," Serena yelled.

Serena watched in horror as Lance ignored her. It looked like his grip on Malcolm's throat was tightening. Serena jumped up from the bed and ran to Lance. She pulled on his arm and he looked down on her. The gold swirls were replaced with darkness. He blinked and then his eyes were back to normal. Lance brought both of his arms against Serena and pulled her into his chest. She wrapped her arms around his waist, grabbing him as hard as she could. The change in situations happened too quickly and Serena couldn't process what was happening.

"You won't take her away from me," Lance said.

Serena couldn't begin to guess why Malcolm and Piper stormed her apartment at 2 am, but her head was thinking similar to Lance. Why she normally hated the overly macho attitude she echoed Lance's sentiment. Nobody would take him away from her either.

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

If Lance had his way he would have sprinted away with Serena safely in his arms, but she insisted on going back to Malcolm's and he was not about to leave her. The two of them sat in the back of Malcolm's car, while Piper and the man himself were in the front seat.

Sitting alone with the two of them was torture while Serena changed in the bathroom. If he hadn't been so distracted he would have sensed their arrival earlier and taken Serena away before she had the option of objecting. She cuddled closer to him, clearly upset with what was happening. He put a small kiss on the top of her head. She no longer had anything to worry about. He would die before harm came to her.

The drive continued in awkward silence. Lance wasn't about to break it. When they arrived at the mansion nobody said anything as they exited the car and went to the front door. Once they walked inside Lance saw Adam, Thomas, and James Hawkins sitting on couches. Adam rose first.

"Serena," he said. "Are you alright?"

Lance still had his arm around her and pulled her closer. Adam took in the situation and his face went to pure rage.

"What did you do to her?" Adam yelled.

He started at Lance, but Thomas and Hawkins each grabbed one of his arms.

"I'll kill you," Adam continued to yell. "I'll kill both of you. How could you do this to me?"

Lance took a small step forward, ready to attack Adam for his threat on Serena's life. He felt her hand on his chest and Lance stopped, knowing that wasn't what she wanted.

"Everyone calm down," Hawkins said. "Piper and Thomas, can you take Adam to another room? Adam you will remain there until I come for you."

Even as a vampire Lance could see the sense of power Hawkins carried with him. Piper went to her brother and walked away with Adam, who continued to look at Lance and Serena with a deadly stare as he was walked away.

"So you're the little human who has caused such a scuffle around here," Hawkins said. "My name is James Hawkins. You can call me Jimmy, please have a seat."

Lance walked with Serena to the couch. He had another three hours until sunrise and was more concerned with what to do with her during the daylight hours rather than what Hawkins had to say.

"Lance," Hawkins said.

"Hello James," Lance said.

"I was hoping to ask the two of you some questions individually," James said. "I can tell by the way you two are holding each other that may be problematic for you."

"It's fine," Serena said. "I think Malcolm and I have somethings to discuss anyway."

She started to stand up and Lance let her go. He was nervous she was too fragile, but since he'd bitten her if Malcolm tried anything Lance would be on them in a second. Serena gave his hand a squeeze before walking away with Malcolm.

"Care to enlighten me?" Lance asked.

"I take it you kissed Serena," James said.

"It would have been more if you're goons hadn't descended," Lance said.

"How long have we known each other?" James asked. "At least fifty years."

"Sixty four," Lance said.

"I have always known you to be reasonable and respectable," James said. "Are you feeling that way now?"

"Just get to the point," Lance said.

"I believe that Serena is some sort of Siren," James said.

"She's not supernatural," Lance said. "I can hypnotize her."

"Well maybe this isn't a supernatural force," James said.

"You're claiming that she's a Greek mythological creature who draws sailors to their deaths," Lance said. "That sounds supernatural to me."

"This is new territory for me," James said. "But I remember her ancestor's affect on Malcolm. Then there is her mother's death. You can see how crazy Adam is acting, and after tonight I think you're about to start the same journey."

"No," Lance said.

"Let's ignore your feelings for a moment then," James said.

"I can't comment on the former, but the latter I felt what she saw with her mother and father. There was no crazy obsession there."

"How?"

"When I drank from her," Lance said.

"Maybe it skips generations then," James said. "Either way a member of my pack who has already faced too many demons at a young age is currently entwined in all of this and I need it to stop."

"I will leave with her tomorrow night," Lance said.

"That won't do any good," James said. "Adam will be just as obsessed with her gone as if she were present."

Lance felt a pang of guilt. He never meant for this to happen. He fought his attraction to Serena for Adam's sake. The last thing he wanted was his friend to be tortured any longer.

"What is there to do then?" Lance asked.

"Malcolm's obsession with Rose stopped at her death," James said.

Lance hissed at James. She would not die.

"Don't worry," James said. "I am not in the business of killing innocent humans."

The idea of a world without Serena brought a pain to Lance's chest. If she were gone he would gladly walk into the sun and join her on the other side.

"I know this is hard to accept," James said. "But what you're feeling towards her likely isn't real."

"Trust me when I say it is more real than anything I've encountered in my incredibly long life," Lance said.

He watched as the Alpha gave a condescending nod.

"If only we could have gotten a hold of you prior to your time together," James said. "We tried to contact you."

Lance had been so distracted with Serena he hadn't paid much attention to his phone. He pulled it out and saw the missed calls and text messages urging his to avoid kissing her.

"This didn't start with a kiss," Lance said.

"What did it start with?" James asked.

"Last night," Lance said. "Being close to her, getting to know her. That is how it started."

"To this extreme?" James asked.

Lance thought about drinking her blood, the inexplicable euphoria and understanding of her past that came with it. No, Lance told himself. That had nothing to do with her being some sort of Siren. It was because she was meant for him. The idea was ludicrous. Vampires didn't have mates, or anything equivalent to them. Even as the idea entered his head his feelings for Serena didn't falter.

"Have you thought about turning her?" James asked. "Technically she would be dead that way and her hold over Adam would be broken."

"Never" Lance said, with no urge to elaborate on the subject.

"Either way, I hope there is a quick solution," James said. "But everyone is staying here. Including Serena. Malcolm has some vampire friendly rooms in the basement. I extend you an invitation to use one for the night."

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

Malcolm walked Serena out to the balcony. They stayed silent. Serena knew they had a lot of discuss, but all she wanted to do was get back to Lance.

"It's not everyday a great-great grandfather walks in on his granddaughter like that," Malcolm said.

Serena knew he was trying to make a joke, but it made her feel more awkward. She didn't want Malcolm to get the wrong impression of her.

"I love him," Serena said.

"I was not expecting to hear that," Malcolm said.

"It's true," Serena said. "When he bit me tonight I realized I've been dreaming about him since we met."

"Vampire bites can have strange effects on people," Malcolm said.