Fiction/Young Adult
Revelations — Chapter Twenty-Nine
When separate worlds collide
Zach stood there for a while, not knowing what to do or say. Finally, after several long seconds of silence, his voice decided to make an appearance. “You should probably go.” His wolf screamed at him, his conscious screamed at him, and even Emily’s eyes seemed to scream at him that this was the wrong decision for him to be making.
“Why?” Emily’s voice was shaking and her hands were trembling, but she was going to stand her ground.
“I can’t have anyone find you here.” He didn’t need Jacob or anyone else in the pack to pick up on the slight scent of vampire that she was giving off. She still smelled and looked like the same Emily he’d proclaimed his love for at one point, but she was supposed to be the enemy and not the one he wanted to take to his bedroom right now.
“Jacob said you’d be here by yourself for a while.” Emily just repeated the information that Madison had told her, who said that Alex had found out from Danny.
“I don’t think he would have told you to come over if he knew who you were.”
“Who I am.” Now she was starting to get a little pissed at him for assuming that she was something that she wasn’t. Emily put her hands on her hips and cocked her head to one side. “Who am I, Zach? Because I think I’m the same person as when you left.”
Let her in. It’s time to talk.
Zach’s wolf decided to take matters into his own paws and direct the dumb human on what he should be doing. Zach opened the door wider and ushered with his arm for her to come in.
After she was in the house, Zach led her down to the living room. He motioned for her to sit on the sofa while he took comfort on the large, pillowed sitting chair.
“I’m not who you think I am. Well, I am, but I’m not what you’re expecting me to be.” Emily knew she had to get her case out there before Zach either kicked her out, someone came back or killed her since he did have the ability and wanted to do so.
“All I know is that I was supposed to want to kill ones that are like you since the day I could hunt. Four years ago, when your father murdered my mother, I wanted to make you suffer as much as she did.” Zach looked away from Emily as the tears rolled down her face from his outburst of hateful emotions spilled out. “But,” he said more softly, “I know I can’t do that.” He ran his hands over his face and stood up to go sit beside her on the sofa.
“So, you’re not going to kill me?” Emily sniffled out while trying to regain her composure.
“I would probably die in the process if I tried. My wolf would sort of disappear or at least go into a deep depression with the thought of us killing our mate.” Zach still felt uncomfortable talking to Emily about all of this. When he’d left she knew nothing of his kind, but now it seemed she knew who they were and that they were supposed to be hunting her.
He couldn’t believe that the pack had it all wrong, especially the wise elders. They were all assuming that the dhampir was male, as they thought vampires could only produce like the shapeshifters. But it was the other way around, he’d learned that vampires could only produce females and all males had to be turned by these females.
“Can I see?” Emily knew this was a random question and could have many meanings, but she had wanted to see Zach in his wolf form since she’d found out what he was.
“See what?” Zach was confused by her request.
“You, your wolf, what you become.” She couldn’t think of the words to say to express her desire.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Zach didn’t know what his wolf would do in that type of situation.
Emily nodded but appeared to be disappointed with his answer. “Does it hurt when you change?”
“It’s pretty natural, so there's no pain involved.” Zach was surprised that she worried about him being hurt in the process.
Do it.
His wolf commanded him to shift. Zach stood and held up his finger, telling Emily he’d be back in a second.
Your wolf will never steer you in the wrong direction.
The words that the elders spoke so highly of floated through his head as he walked out to come back and show her what he could become.
Emily watched as Zach walked out of the living room and thirty seconds later, a huge gray wolf appeared. She sat more upright on the sofa and felt her heartbeat pick up tenfold as this beautiful, magnificent wolf walked toward her.
The wolf nuzzled against her legs and sniffed her from the tip of her toes to the top of her head. Without warning, a large wet tongue licked her from the temple, down the side of her cheek, and onto her neck.
Emily giggled as the touch tickled, but then hoped he wasn’t tasting before taking a bite. She softly touched the fur around his neck and stroked him gently. She didn’t want to make any rash moves that might cause him to become excited or anxious.
The wolf settled down on his hind end and a low rumble began to echo through his chest. It sounded more like a sound of pleasure than one of being annoyed. After about five minutes of this encounter, the wolf stood back up and Emily watched it walk out.
Zach came back into the living room without directly looking at Emily. He wasn’t sure what type of response to expect from her. While in his wolf form, he sensed her uneasiness when he’d first come in, but as soon as she touched him, both of them were at ease, like how it was supposed to be with mates. He sat on the far end of the sofa like he was afraid to get near her again. He could sense her stare, but he kept his eyes focused on whatever was playing on the TV.
“That was incredible.” Emily couldn’t think of another word to describe what had just happened. She noticed Zach hadn’t looked at her since he came back into the room as himself, but she based that reaction on maybe he was being reserved and didn’t know how she felt about him being able to shift like that.
Zach’s eyes shifted over to Emily, and he was still awed by her beauty. He knew he’d never be able to do anything to her except protect her with his own life. It didn’t matter who her father was or who her mother was, all that mattered was that she was his mate. He shrugged. “Shifting is nothing spectacular to me, just part of who I am.”
“I just think both of you are amazing.” Emily stood and walked over to where Zach sat on the far end, away from her. He still avoided direct eye contact and seemed to scrunch further into the back of the sofa when she neared. “Zach, can you please look at me?” His eyes slowly glanced up at her standing over him. “Why can’t you see it’s still me? I’m the same person I was before you found out who my father is.” Tears mounted in her eyes as she tried to ward off the anguish she felt.
Zach couldn’t sit there and just watch her crumble to pieces. It was his role as a mate to make sure no one hurt her and that included himself.
She’ll always be ours. She’s not what the others think she is.
His wolf seemed so adamant about who and what Emily was that he knew he couldn’t just leave her as heartbroken as she appeared right now.
Zach stood up next to her and for the first time, noticed how small she was in comparison to him. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. Emily buried her face in his chest, and he could feel the tears wetting his T-shirt. “I know you’re the same. I’m so sorry for leaving you like I did.” He rested his head on the top of her head and felt the comfort that he and his wolf had been missing since they’d left that day.
“What are we going to do? How can we make them see I’m nothing like they’re expecting me to be?” Emily leaned back and looked up at him. “I’m not ready to die yet. I just met you.”
“I’m not going to let anything happen to you.” Zach kissed her softly on the forehead. “Do you know anything about shifters having mates and how they’re lifelong partners?” He needed to find out how much she knew and what else needed to be explained.
“Sort of.” Emily had finally gotten her crying under control and she felt comforted knowing that Zach wasn’t going to break up with her or something like that. “Even though it has never happened between our two kinds, Aunt Maureen said it could be possible that you and I could be mates. Do you think so?” She knew she loved him and had never felt this way for another man ever before, but she wanted to hear what he thought about the whole matter.
“I think,” Zach kissed her cheek, “and my wolf thinks,” he kissed the other cheek, “that we are meant to be together.” His lips finally made their way down to hers and it felt like a bolt of electricity ran through him on first contact. Her lips responded to his with a ferocity that made him tremble. It was like she was as hungry for him as he was for her. Zach gripped her by the hair and pulled her face closer to his. They were both struggling to breathe but didn’t want to break the contact between them. Without a word, Zach broke the kiss, took Emily by the hand, and led her to his bedroom.
Zach knew what was probably going to happen was occurring for a reason that he’d thought of as the only solution to their dilemma. As much as he wanted to wait and have this be a special time between them and not break an elder law, the only way that the others in the pack wouldn’t try and harm Emily was if she was bonded as his mate.
Rational thinking had been tossed out the window once Emily felt these sensations that she’d been missing. All she wanted was for Zach to take her beyond the point of no return.
“Are you sure?” Zach whispered and kissed her softly on the ear.
“Do you still love me?” Emily’s voice sounded like she was terrified to hear the answer.
“Always.”
As they were both caught up in the highs of their climaxes, Zach pierced the skin on Emily’s shoulder with his now-sharp canine teeth. He tasted the sweetness of her blood on his lips and felt the blood trickle down the back of his throat. He knew from now on that the pack wouldn’t be able to touch her and she was safe from their wrath. This bold move they’d just made could get him kicked out of the pack, but to save his mate, it would be all worth it.
As Zach’s motions slowed and then finally stopped, Emily tried to regain her breathing. She had felt his teeth penetrate her skin and knew that it probably had to do with some type of bonding ritual unless Zach was into sadistic behavior. This experience was more breathtaking, yet exhilarating, than any physical activity she’d ever done in her life. She felt sore and sweaty but was ready to go for round two whenever he was physically able and would want to. “I didn’t get the chance to say that I love you,” she whispered in his ear as his head was nuzzled in her neck. She felt a slight shake in his back as he chuckled at her comment.
Zach lifted his head and looked at the beautiful face of his mate. Her eyes were shining brightly and she had a hint of red on her cheeks from their exhausting workout. His lips brushed against hers. “I love you too.” His hand caressed the softness of her cheek and trailed down to the small bite that was on her shoulder. “I’m sorry for missing your birthday, Christmas, and us celebrating New Year’s together.” He kissed her once again. “I promise that will never happen again.” He rolled off of her and laid on his side so that he wasn’t crushing her with his weight.
Emily reached for his hand and intertwined it with her own. “That’s all over now. We just have to concentrate on us now, not what happened before.”
Zach lifted her hand to his lips and kissed each one of her fingers. “I’m going to have to clean this up a little.” He motioned to the mess that was on the sheets and her stomach and legs. Emily nodded and glanced down. She saw the wet stains on the dark-colored sheets and the clear, thick liquid that was on her bikini line and the tops of her thighs. The blanket that had fallen to the floor was draped across her naked body and he leaned down one more time to kiss her again. “I’ll be right back.” Zach backed up, his eyes still locked with Emily's until he made it to the door of his room. He held up his index finger, indicating that he’d be back soon, and walked out.
Emily went through the events once again that led up to this moment. Even if she could go back in time, there wasn’t a single thing she would’ve done differently. No, there wasn’t soft music, wine, or a bed of rose petals, but the first time was with the one person she knew she’d be spending the rest of her life with. But after his family and pack found out who she was, she hoped that it would be a long life together and not one cut short by centuries-old rivalry.
In the bathroom, Zach grabbed a washcloth and towel. He first cleaned himself off and then put on the clean clothes that were still in the hamper when he brought up his laundry earlier. He grabbed Emily a long T-shirt of his and a pair of sweatpants that were guaranteed to be a mile too big.
Zach splashed cold water on his face and wiped back his hair with his fingers. It was then that he saw the two small puncture wounds on his shoulder that weren’t previously there before his and Emily’s little escapade. These small, pin-sized holes had some fresh blood spots on them and that could only mean that the wounds were done recently. This whole matter had just become more complicated. Not only had he claimed her, but they’d completed the whole bonding experience that wasn’t supposed to happen just yet.
How did she know to bite?
Did she know about the bonding between a shifter and their mate?
Was she craving blood now?
Zach picked up her towel and clothes and walked back to his room.
As soon as Zach walked back into his room carrying some needed supplies, Emily could tell by his expression that something just wasn’t right. “What’s wrong?” She sat more upright in the bed when he sat down on the edge.
“Um, did you know that you bit me?” He decided to be straightforward and ask her since she already sensed something was wrong. He could already tell by the feelings rolling off of her and the expression on her face that she had no clue as to what he was talking about.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do that. It was just…well, because of…I’m sorry.” She didn’t remember biting him but remembered the taste of blood in her mouth, which she thought of as her own from biting her lip so hard with all the new experiences.
Zach scooted beside her on the bed and pulled down the neck on his shirt and showed her the two small puncture marks on the lower side of his neck. He brushed back the hair that had fallen over her shoulder and kissed his bite mark softly. “Do you know what this means? Or how you even did this?”
Emily shook her head no and felt her teeth with her finger. They all seemed normal and not like they could make a wound such as the one on his neck. “I don’t know how I did that.” She ran her finger lightly over the mark, which made Zach groan and close his eyes. “Or what it all means. I’m sort of still in paranormal 101 when it comes to all this stuff.”
Zach shook his head and snickered at her comment. It was true that she probably did have a lot to learn, but the way she said it made her sound so innocent. “I’ll help you all that I can, but I’m not the famed expert of vampires or dhampirs.” Emily cocked her head to the side when he said the last word like she’d never heard that term before. “A dhampir is an offspring between a vampire and a human, which is what you are.”
A look of conflict crossed over Emily’s face. “I feel all human.” She looked back at Zach, hoping maybe he’d be able to help her better understand what was happening to her. Her Aunt Maureen explained as much as she could from the information she’d gathered from her clientele, but Zach had been through this whole changing thing before, so he had first-hand knowledge of the area. Not specifically in vampires, but in the whole general sense of becoming an adult as a supernatural being.
“And you look all human too, but it’s the other things you can do that make it clear what a part of you is.” Zach ran his hand over her bare thigh, up the side of her stomach and chest, and finally rested it on her cheek. He turned her head so that she was looking at him. “I especially love how you feel,” he waggled his eyebrows at her, which made her giggle, “but there are so many things that we have to talk about right now that I don’t even know where to begin.”
He watched as Emily got off the bed and cleaned herself up with the towel that he brought. She changed into the extra clothes he’d given her, and of course, seeing her in his clothes made him want to tear them back off and have his way with her again. After she got the ten sizes too big sweatpants all tightened up, she jumped back on the bed with him and snuggled in close.
Emily leaned her head on his shoulder. “Where should we start with the talk?”
They talked for about two hours about everything that they knew concerning the shifters and the vampires. Emily told him she found out who her aunt’s clients were and what she did for them. She explained why Orfeo, she refused to call him father, was coming for her and how her aunt had spent the last eighteen years trying to keep her hidden from his clan.
And she told him of how vampires could only produce female offspring. Orfeo was a rare exception and that was why he was so powerful, and that all male vampires had to be turned by their female leaders. Orfeo wanted Emily to lead a group of her own so they could dominate with power, but there was no way in hell that she was going to do anything of the sort. Now that she and Zach were bonded, Orfeo would have to realize that her changing sides would never happen.
Zach explained the whole bonding that they’d just done and what changes she needed to look out for. He told her the bite mark would heal, but would still be visible and a tattoo-like marking would circle it. He made it quite clear that they needed to keep this whole thing a secret until he could figure out what they were going to do regarding breaking shifter laws.
Emily agreed to keep the mark covered and not to tell anyone, especially Alex, Madison, and her aunt what had happened. Zach felt bad making her agree to these terms, but it was the only way for their survival right now. Emily was quite impressed by the whole reading of each other’s emotions and hearing the other’s thoughts later on as the bond became stronger. Zach shook his head at her when that evil smile appeared, knowing that she’d be able to sense most things about him. He knew he was in for a wild adventure with her as a mate.
The sound of a car door shutting outside made both of them jump up off the bed. Zach quickly walked over to see who it was and mouthed back to Emily that it was Jacob. She nodded, then gathered her clothes and stuffed them into Zach’s backpack. He gave her a strange look, wondering what she was doing that for.
“It’s the only inconspicuous alibi that we have right now. We were going over some notes that Mr. Warner had given us.” Emily swung the backpack over to Zach so he could carry it. “You can tell Jacob you’re coming over to my house and then just give me my clothes back outside.”
Zach was quite impressed with her ability to make up such a story in a short amount of time. “Seems like you’ve done this before.”
Emily winked at him. “I lost too many pairs of underwear, so I had to think of excuses to use to get them back out of the bedroom.” She heard a low growl come from her mate, who was looking quite pissed with the story she just fed him. Emily started to giggle. “I’m only kidding. I saw the backpack and it was the first thing that came to mind that Jacob might believe. You know since we are both big academic nerds.”
Zach still looked pissed off that there may have been others that she was with in some sort of way.
Emily walked back over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. “It’s only been you. There wasn’t anyone before you. There won’t be anyone after you. It’s just us, together forever.” She leaned up and kissed him softly on the lips. She felt him respond and knew just by that little touch that everything was all right between them.
They walked out of Zach’s room as Jacob came up the stairs. He looked up and saw the two of them together. “What’s going on?” he questioned as both of them looked a little paranoid.
“Nothing, just going over some notes for school.” Zach stood in between Emily and his brother. He felt he needed to protect her from him for some unknown reason. He glanced back over his shoulder and looked at her neck to make sure the mark was all covered. She rubbed her neck and nodded that she understood his concern.
“The bed’s a little messy for just studying to be going on.” Jacob nodded his head toward the messy bed in Zach’s room.
“Yeah, like your room’s any better.” Zach gripped a hold of Emily’s hand and nudged past his brother. “I’ll be back later.” He led Emily down the stairs so they could make their escape.
“I guess everything’s better between you two,” Jacob yelled over the banister to the couple who were walking out the front door. His answer was the door being slammed shut. He knew there was more to the story than Zach was letting known. He could smell Zach all over Emily when she’d walked past.
Jacob shut the door to his brother’s room and continued down the hall to his own mess. He knew he should be concerned about what kind of issues Zach may be having, after all, he was family and a pack member, but he had too many of his own problems to deal with right now.
Here’s where you can start at the beginning. Thank you for reading.
