Out of Darkness Ch. 10

Kelly looked around and saw a box of Kleenex sitting on the nightstand. She handed it the woman sitting next to her. Tears were flowing freely down her cheeks.

"Thank you." Sheila tried to smile but just couldn't do it. She wiped her eyes and blew her nose before continuing. "Things got worse after that. Gary decided to take Jenna as his personal property. Then his friend, Paul, did the same with me." Her whole body shivered with the thoughts of him. "I wanted to die. He loved to listen to me scream." She stopped talking for a minute. Her fingers lingered at the hem of her t-shirt for a few moments before she pulled up it up, baring her midriff. Kelly glanced down with horror at a jagged scar across her stomach. "He did that with his claws."

Kelly covered her mouth in shock. "Oh my God!"

"And this," Sheila pulled her pants leg up and turned her leg to show the back of her calf. There was a large U-shaped scar, still bright red. "This was from his teeth. He said he was going to 'hamstring' me to keep me from running from him. Luckily, he got called away before he was able to finish."

"Oh Sheila, I'm so sorry." Kelly was just about speechless. How could anyone be so cruel?

"It got to the point that I was unconscious more than I was conscious. But that was a good thing. He didn't want to touch me if I couldn't scream." Sheila squared her shoulders. She'd made it through the worst parts. "But then, one day, I woke up, and I was here!" She managed a smile on her tear-streaked face.

"How did you get here?"

"The Baxter Pack along with help from some of the surrounding packs rescued us. I was so out of it I didn't notice. When I got here they put me into a coma, like they did with Drago. That way the patient doesn't feel all the pain. I was that way for a week. And when I woke up, there was this amazingly handsome man sitting next to me, stroking my hair. He smiled at me, and I knew right then and there that I loved him. I can't explain it. He had the most amazing eyes. I was lost in them whenever I looked at him. I still am."

Kelly saw her faraway dreamy look and knew she was telling the truth. She had found her soul-mate. "Who is he?"

"His name is Jeff. He's the head doctor here. I've never felt so loved in my entire life. And when I'm strong enough, he'll turn me into a werewolf, and we'll be together forever."

Kelly was taken aback. "You'd want to be a werewolf? After what they did to you?"

"Kelly, most werewolves are nothing like Gary and Paul. They had genetically altered themselves. A normal werewolf isn't like them. They aren't cruel. Everything they do is for their families. What they want most is to have cubs and live in peace." Kelly had asked her if she still wanted to be a werewolf. Maybe she believed her now.

"So what happened to the... men who hurt you? Did they get arrested?"

"Arrested? No, they're dead. They wouldn't give up. The ones who did were given the chance to re-join their families. A few refused. They were..." Sheila wasn't sure if she should tell her, but she guessed she shouldn't try to hide anything either. "They were executed for their crimes. But there were only a few. Most were just pawns."

Kelly sat quietly, stunned. What was there to say?

Sheila stood up and put out a hand. "C'mon, Drago needs you. He's going to wake up any time now. The best thing for him would be to see you there."

Kelly stared at the proffered hand, then up at Sheila's face. She flipped back the blankets and swung her legs off the edge of the bed. "No one will be waiting for me with a needle?"

Shelia laughed. "I promise, Trina and her needles will be on stand-down. She feels really badly by the way. She's the sweetest person on the planet. I've gotten to know her pretty well since she and Jeff are best friends."

Kelly took Sheila's hand and allowed herself to be dragged from the bed. Sheila handed her a robe and they went to the door. "It isn't locked?"

"No, it isn't." Sheila opened the door and they walked hand in hand down the hall to the door Kelly had been through before.

Kelly stopped in front of the door.

"It's okay, Kelly. Trust me." Sheila tugged gently on her arm.

The room was silent except for the rhythmic beeping from the EKG. Kelly noticed the ventilator was missing. She guessed since they'd stopped the sedation he was breathing on his own again.

Sheila walked her to the bed and left her standing there as she went to get some chairs. Kelly stood and stared down at the injured animal laying on the bed. She watched his chest rise and fall. She heard an alarm from one of the monitors and looked up, watching the interference on the EKG. She automatically started trouble-shooting to see if it was the monitor or if something was wrong. She found the lead that had fallen off the wolf's leg and deftly reattached it.

Sheila watched her fix the EKG and smiled. "Here's a chair for you." She pulled her own chair a few feet away and sat down to keep Kelly and Drago company.

Kelly took the chair and sat a little away from the bed. She stared at the wolf. It couldn't be Drago, could it? It was an animal. His ear was twitching.

"Talk to him, Kelly. He'll hear you."

Kelly looked from the woman to the wolf lying next to her. "I guess it won't be so weird to talk to a wolf. I talk to my patients all the time. They're dogs, same thing, right?"

The wolf coughed and shook its head.

Kelly jumped in her chair and Sheila giggled.

"Maybe he didn't like you comparing him to a dog."

Kelly looked back at the wolf and watched for any movement. "Sorry." The wolf was silent. "Drago, is that really you?" She tentatively reached out a hand and touched the edge of his ear. It was so soft. It twitched as she touched it.

"So you're a veterinary nurse, I hear."

"Yes." Kelly assessed his breathing. It was steady. She touched the corners of his eyes, the lids reacted. "He's close to waking up."

"Then talk to him. Tell him you miss him, or whatever you're feeling. He needs to know you're safe." She whispered, "He'll hear you, Kelly. I used to hear Jeff. I didn't even know who he was, but I heard him."

Kelly pursed her lips and took a deep breath. "Drago, I'm fine. I..I miss you. Come back to me, please!" She reached out and touched his paw. It was soft.

It seemed like she'd been sitting here for hours when the wolf's eyes fluttered open and looked at her.

Kelly saw the dark eyes watching her. They knew her. They were Drago's eyes. She whispered in his ear, "Drago, it really is you!" She put her head down next to his on the pillow and cried. Her hand stroked the soft fur on his head. She felt his tongue softly touch the side of her face.

{Papa, she knows.}

Silvano was startled. "Drago is awake, and Kelly is with him." He held Carla tightly. {Yes, she knows. She had to find you. We will give you time alone. But we will be there to see you later.}

{Kelly, I wish I could tell you how much I love you.} Drago's eyes never left her. She was crying. He wanted to comfort her, to hold her in his arms, but he couldn't.

"Don't worry, Drago. I'm not going anywhere. I love you! Once you're... more yourself, we'll talk." Kelly wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and smiled at the big shaggy head that watched her so closely.

Sheila was beginning to feel like a third wheel. "Kelly, if you're okay, I'm going to take off. If you need anything, just pick up the phone and call the nurse's station. And if you want to talk more, I'll be around. Trina usually knows where I am. That is, if you're willing to talk to her."

Kelly looked up at the woman who had bared her soul to her. "Thank you, Sheila. Thank you for telling me. And I'll give Trina another chance too."

Sheila slipped through the door and shut it quietly behind her. She found Jenna in the waiting room. She knew she'd be here when she was done. "Jenna, can we talk?" As her friend stood up, Sheila ran and threw her arms around her, sobbing. She felt Jenna's arms close around her and felt her hands stroke her hair.

"Shhh, it'll be okay, Sheila. It'll just take time." She kissed her on the forehead and held her tight.

"You're handling it great!" She sat down, wiping her eyes and sniffling.

"I had Alistair, even before I met him. You were alone! And then you had so much healing to do. And you were still alone. Once you and Jeff mate, you'll have someone to share everything with."

"Will he know... everything?"

"Only if you want him to. But trust me, Sheila, he'll only love you more. If you hide a part of yourself from him forever, you'll never know what unconditional love is. And that's all that werewolves know." Jenna could feel her friend shivering under the steady hand she held on her back. She leaned in close to her ear and whispered. "Go find him, Sheila. You won't regret letting him know what happened."

Sheila looked up at her friend. They'd shared something horrible, and it brought them closer together than most girlfriends. Jenna was right. If she hid the truth from Jeff forever she could never let him get too close, could never be the kind of mate he expected and deserved.

Sheila tracked down Trina who told her that Jeff had gone hunting with Carr and the Betas. They'd been gone for a few hours and would probably be back soon. She wandered the hospital hallway and saw Silvano and Carla with Kelly in Drago's room. Carla was sitting next to Kelly with an arm around her shoulders and a smile on her face. Kelly had eyes only for Drago. Sheila smiled. Kelly saw the man she loved, not the wolf. Just the way she felt when she saw Jeff's wolf. She wished she was seeing him now. She really needed him.

She sat outside the main house, watching the path that led to the forest. That was where the hunters would enter the compound. She gazed around the grounds, smiling as some of her friends waved on their way to dinner. There weren't many human women left at the compound. A huge group had gone to California last month. And more had traveled to some of the surrounding packs and had found mates. But her mate was waiting for her here. She closed her eyes and thought of Jeff, the way he watched her all the time, his devotion to her almost written on his forehead.

She opened her eyes when she heard the wolves baying as they ran back from the hunt. She recognized Jeff right away as he ran with the Betas. She always knew him by the waviness of his coat. He was the only black wolf with wavy fur.

He spotted her and immediately broke away from the pack and trotted up to her, his tongue lolling out of his mouth. It had been a great hunt. It'd been so long since he'd had the luxury of a good hunt. And he did love elk! He couldn't wait to share this part of his life with Sheila.

Sheila was a little taken aback with the blood that dripped from his muzzle. She knew she was going to have to get used to it someday, and her friends had reassured her that once she was turned, it wouldn't bother her at all. But for now, she just couldn't help but grimace at the sight. "I'm sorry, Jeff. Could you take a shower? I really need to talk to you, and I just can't look at you like that. Do you mind?"

The wolf shook his whole body, little droplets of blood flying everywhere. He didn't notice the expression on her face as she jumped back, her hand up to keep the droplets from hitting her in the face. He quickly shifted and grabbed her hand, leading her to their room.

Another thing she needed to get used to was the frequent nudity. It always caught her off guard when she saw wolves and panthers shifting and walking around naked. Jenna had told her she'd been a little self-conscious at first, but she'd gotten over it. Sheila guessed it was just another thing she'd need to get used to.

Jeff shut the door and turned around to face his beautiful mate. His mate! He loved thinking it. "What was it you wanted to talk about?" He stood nonchalantly, blood streaking his skin.

"Nothing until you get cleaned up. I just can't have a serious conversation with you while you're covered in animal blood." She tried to smile but it came out more like a grimace.

He grinned. "Then come take a shower with me." He grabbed hold of her hand again.

Sheila pulled her hand away. "No, get rid of the blood, then we'll talk." She saw his look of disappointment but tried to ignore it. They'd shared his room for the last few weeks, since he'd finally declared her well enough to leave the hospital. She slept in bed with him, but she always wore pajamas. She knew he'd seen all of her injuries, but she was so self-conscious about the scars, she just couldn't let him see her without clothing.

While she waited for him to come out of the bathroom she straightened up the room. She'd been so preoccupied this morning with Kelly she hadn't even made the bed. She was just putting the finishing pat-down on the comforter when he walked out of the bathroom.

"Clean as a whistle. Do I meet with your approval?" He stood in front of her, still drying his hair with a towel and not wearing anything else.

She blushed as she looked at him and nodded. He wasn't as massively built as the Alpha or the Betas, but he was perfect for her. She knew his official rank in the pack was Beta, but he was one of the smaller ones, being only about six feet tall. But he still had a muscular body, perfectly proportioned. She wondered if there were many human doctors in as good physical condition as he was. She suddenly realized she had no idea how old he was. But she wasn't sure she wanted to know. Maybe later.

He plopped down on the bed and patted a spot next to him. "Sit down. Tell me what's on that beautiful mind of yours."

She sat carefully next to him and felt his hand take hers. She had so much she wanted to say and wasn't sure she could get it all out without falling apart. She could see him looking at her sideways, trying to see her face as she looked down. She felt his hand take her chin and turn her face to look at him. She held her breath.

"Sheila, what's wrong? Did talking to Kelly upset you? Did everything go okay?"

"It went great. No, talking to her didn't upset me, it just got me thinking...about us."

His heart froze in his chest. He felt his expression go blank. "Do you want to..." He couldn't say it. If she wanted to leave, he wouldn't force her to stay. His wolf was baying in his head. Shut up and let me think! The wolf went to a corner of his mind and curled up in a ball.

Sheila saw the shocked look on his face and figured pretty quickly what he was thinking. "No, no, God no! I don't want to leave, Jeff. I want to stop waiting. I want to be your mate." The look of relief on his face made her want to cry that she had scared him so badly. "I'm so sorry I made you think that." She flung herself into his arms and her emotions, which had been so close to the surface all day, broke through in front of him for the first time.

She cried in his arms for the first time. She'd never let go in front of him before. She'd been afraid that if she let it out, she'd scare him away. "Oh geez, and now I can't stop crying."

"Sheila, baby, cry all you want. It's okay. I love you no matter how much you cry." He held her to his chest, brushing his lips on the top of her head. He'd never seen her cry. In fact, it'd worried him that she hadn't cried before this. He was glad that, for whatever reason, she felt at home enough with him to let go. "Believe me, you're stuck with me forever. A little crying isn't going to send me running with my tail between my legs." He bent his head down to inhale her scent; nutmeg and gardenia wafted its way to his brain and reassured his panicking wolf.

He kissed the side of her face, his lips sliding across her jaw to her ear, and flicked his tongue out to tease her earlobe. He felt her sudden intake of breath. Was she afraid? He'd been so careful with her. He held her at night in bed, but never pushed anything more. But then he smelled her wetness and smiled to himself. She was excited. He licked behind her neck and heard her moan.

He spoke with a husky voice. "Sheila, if you want me to stop, tell me." He kissed across the scars along her collarbone.

Her hands twined into his hair. Her body shivered but not with fear. She wanted him to touch her. She wanted to be his mate. She wanted him to make her into a werewolf. "Don't stop, Jeff. Don't ever stop." She gasped as his mouth found a particularly sensitive area of her neck. She remembered as a teenager she'd always loved it when her boyfriend kissed her neck and shoulders.

She couldn't help but notice his hard cock that brushed against her arm. She tentatively reached her hand to touch it. She heard his sudden gasp and moan as she stroked the soft, velvety head. It'd been so long since someone had made love to her. She'd forgotten what it was like. His lips felt so soft wherever they kissed her skin. She closed her eyes and, for the first time in months, didn't see Paul. All she saw was Jeff. All she felt was Jeff. All she wanted was Jeff.

Jeff gently pulled her t-shirt over her head and saw the jagged scars that crisscrossed her flesh. He hated Paul for what he'd done, but she was here now, with him. No one would harm her again. He knew how self-conscious she was about her scars and wanted to make sure she knew he loved every bit of her, even the scars. His fingers lightly traced each and every one. He felt her shiver beneath his touch but didn't slow his exploration. His lips followed, kissing every mark the Dire Wolf had left on her. He could sense her growing excitement, could smell it. His wolf was ready, but he held him back. {No, she's not ready. Give her time. Today is just for us. You'll have your turn another day.}

His lips traveled past her ribs to her breasts, so round and firm, the perfect size as far as he was concerned. He nuzzled each one, enjoying the feeling of the soft flesh on his face. He latched onto a hardening nipple and licked and nipped at it, until it was hard and ready for him to suck. She lifted up into his mouth, holding his head with both hands. The feeling of her body writhing underneath his was maddening. His wolf wanted to mate now, but the human half wouldn't allow it. {No, she's been through too much. She needs gentleness now, not you. Just wait. I promise, you will have your chance soon.} The wolf grumbled to himself and agreed to stand aside for now.

The scent coming from her pussy beckoned to him and he moved his way down her body, kissing the soft curve of her belly and down across the front of her pelvis. Jeff inhaled and was overcome by her sweet, intoxicating scent. His hands took hold of her thighs and spread them wide, watching as her swollen lips opened, ready for him. He could see the fluids flowing from her. He leaned in closely, his tongue flicking up her slit. He had to hold on tight to keep her from closing her knees around his head.

Sheila tried to control her breathing as she felt his tongue on her for the first time. Had she ever felt like this before? She lifted her hips to push his tongue harder on her clit. In seconds she felt so close to cumming. "Oh, fuck, yes. Jeff, don't stop." She started to buck against his amazing tongue. She felt like he was drinking from her, and sucking the air from her lungs through her pussy. "Ahhhh, oh God!" Her heart pounded in her chest. Her hands grabbed at the comforter she had so carefully put on the bed. She pulled at it, her knuckles white. "Ahhh, ahhh, ohhhhhhh fuckkkkkkkkk!" He never stopped licking until her body stopped its spasming.

She lay there, stunned. She was speechless as Jeff looked up at her from between her legs. His face was wet, from her this time! She giggled when he smiled at her. He moved over her body, kissing her skin as he climbed his way up to kiss her mouth. She could taste herself on his lips. His tongue twined with hers. His lips and his tongue felt so right.