Chapter 7 : Torn
2197 Words
*Sasha*
Splintered old wood flew everywhere, shrapnel from the useless ancient barn door. It was followed by another explosion of wood chips as the rogue bit down on Lucas's arm and smashed him into a listing horse stall.
Dust stung my eyes as their movements kicked up the thick layer of dirt that had settled on this place. When I lost sight of Lucas beneath the hulking black form of the rogue wolf, I thought for sure he'd been killed.
Feelings bubbled and popped all over me and I felt as though I might burst. What I felt most was rage. How dare this rogue asshole attack us out of nowhere and kill my Lucas?!
I looked around and grabbed a rusty pickaxe that was hanging precariously on a bent peg. No doubt I was next, and I had no intention of going down like a wilting flower. And even if the rogue was satisfied just with killing Lucas, well, I was not satisfied.
A shrill cry filled the air, and I didn't even know it was me until I brought the pickaxe down on the rogue's back paw.
Old it may have been, but it was still sharp enough to cut right through the paw and bury itself in the ground.
The rogue howled, but for some reason did not turn to look at me.
Then I saw Lucas still struggling beneath the beast, holding its jaws open, keeping its teeth away from his throat and its attention squarely on him.
“Run, Sasha. Try to get to town!" Lucas barked over the rogue's snarling.
The hell I would. “I'm not leaving you here to fight a rogue by yourself! You haven't even shifted!"
Lucas growled deep in his throat, though I wasn't sure if it was meant for me or the rogue. “I would love to, but I'm a little busy right now. It would take too long. And you don't have a wolf—“
The rogue clawed Lucas's chest, deep bloody tracks that made him bellow in pain.
I ignored Lucas's words, more concerned about his predicament. Surely there was something I could do that would buy Lucas enough time to shift.
A broken hoe peeked up at me through the hay in another stall. I grabbed the busted handle and ran back over to Lucas and the rogue, swinging the handle with all my might at the back of the rogue's head.
There was a crack, and the handle snapped in half.
It was enough to get the rogue's attention, though. He clawed Lucas across the face, then reared back to face me.
The pickaxe was still stuck through its paw, though, and it took the appendage nearly clean off when the rogue turned around.
Raw hatred was in those yellow eyes.
Well, back at you, buddy.
I wielded the little shard that was left of the hoe handle, just a little stick really, holding it out in front of me like a knife. It wasn't even pointy, but it was all I had.
Blood trickled down over the rogue's eye and I realized from his wet fur that I actually had made a dent.
“Now, we tried to be nice," I said, proud my voice didn't tremble one bit. “But now you're just being a d**k. Lucas is going to tear you apart."
The rogue snorted and turned his head back in Lucas's direction.
It was the last mistake he ever made. With a roar, a bloody but truly magnificent, powerful brown wolf came barreling into the rogue. Lucas had his teeth around the rogue's throat before it could even whimper.
There was an ominous crunch, and then all that was left of the black wolf was a blank, yellow stare.
Lucas's head came up and his wolf glared at me with those stunning silver-flecked gray eyes.
I dropped the stick and pushed my hair behind my ear, my hand only trembling a little.
It took a couple of minutes and several pops before Lucas was in human form again. He stalked over and grabbed me by the front of the shirt, giving me a shake.
“Are you out of your mind?!" he screamed in my face.
I thought of something flippant to say, but Lucas didn't seem to be in the mood. He was angry… scary angry–at me.
I dropped my eyes as he started using a very Alpha voice on me. I quickly wished I hadn't. Lucas was bleeding, but he was also naked–so beautifully, gloriously naked.
I snapped my eyes back up just as Lucas trailed off, catching me looking at him.
“Did you even hear a word I said?" he asked in exasperation.
“Maybe?" I tried, my voice husky.
“Uh huh." Lucas caught my chin in his hand, his fingers wrapping hard around my jaw. His lips were a hairsbreadth from mine. “There something you want, princess?" he breathed over my skin.
I didn't know how to answer, and before I could, Lucas groaned and held his side.
“We'd better try to catch that train," he said. “I'd rather see a city doctor than whatever sawbones they have out here."
I nodded, berating myself for getting so caught up in… whatever that was… that I completely forgot about his injuries. “Here, let me help you."
Lucas reluctantly let me duck under the arm he wasn't using to put pressure on his wounds.
There were three s***h marks down his cheek as well, and his hands were cut, knuckles bruised, I noted as we walked. At least it had stopped raining.
“We really should stop somewhere to get you patched up a bit so you don't bleed out on the way home. That and clothes–clothes might be a good thing," I said, after Lucas leaned more and more of his weight on me.
To my surprise, Lucas didn't argue. “Where do you suggest we go?"
“I don't know the local doctor or anything… but I do know someone," I said, starting to steer us in the direction of the Lakemeadow Bakery.
“You know someone. Already?" Lucas gave me the side eye.
“What? He's nice and I think he'll take us in for the night," I said defensively. “Do you have any better ideas?"
Lucas's eyes narrowed. “He?"
“Yeah, Jay–nice guy, great baker." I was nearly sagging under Lucas's weight by the time we got to the locked front door. But the fact the bakery had a second floor suggested to me that Jay might live above it.
“You sure are popular with the men," Lucas grumbled.
I rolled my eyes. “You're delirious." I banged on the bakery door. “Hey, Jay! We need some help."
A light came up on the upper level and, sure enough, Jay came to the door with an old gas lamp, which reminded me that electricity was still something of a luxury in the hinterlands. “Hey, cinnamon twist," Jay grinned. Then his attention turned to Lucas and his smile faded. “Oh no, another f*****g rogue attack?!"
“Yeah. We got a bit turned around in the hail storm...." I began.
Jay didn't need any further explanation. He handed me the lantern and replaced me under Lucas's arm.
“Gonna need to try to get you upstairs, big fella," Jay said, nodding at me to go ahead and light the way. “There's a staircase in the storeroom. You can't miss it."
I moved ahead of them, through stacked bags of flour and shelves of all kinds of ingredients in the back storeroom to the bottom of the stairs. I paused there and turned. “Do you really think you can get him up there?"
“Better than leaving him on the floor in a puddle of flour and blood," Jay pointed out.
He had a point. “Lucas?" I asked.
Lucas merely grunted and put his foot on the first step.
“That's the spirit," Jay said, stepping up beside him.
The stairs were wide enough, just, for Jay to maneuver sideways as he helped Lucas up the steps.
I made sure they had a circle of lamplight all the way up.
The second floor was a very modest and cozy two-room home. Jay nodded to the open door to the second room and I lit the way into a small bedroom.
“Let's get you on the bed," Jay said to Lucas. “Then I'll go fetch Doc."
Lucas groaned at the idea, probably thinking back to his sawbones comment, but let Jay maneuver him into bed. He winced as Jay quickly puttered around the upstairs, tearing up old sheets and pressing them to his wounds.
“Keep pressure here until Doc comes. Then he'll tell you what to do," Jay instructed me. Then he left us alone.
I sat on the edge of the bed, my heart pounding as blood seeped between my fingers, no matter how much pressure I applied.
“It… looks worse than it is," Lucas said, putting a hand over mine.
I stared into his eyes, praying to the Moon Goddess he didn't die. “You should save your strength."
Lucas chuckled. “Really, princess, I've had worse."
My forehead crinkled. “You have?"
“Sure," Lucas replied. “Not my first rogue attack."
“You're kidding me," I gaped.
Lucas squeezed my hand. “It never gets easier, but yeah, I've had to deal with rogues before."
“What never gets easier?" I asked, confused.
“Killing," Lucas said. “Killing never gets easier."
I pushed my hair behind my ear. “Makes sense," I said after a while. “But he was going to kill us."
Lucas shrugged slightly and winced. “Still doesn't make it any easier," he wheezed.
A few tendrils of hair that Lucas kept longish on top were sticking in the claw tracks the rogue had left on Lucas's face. Not knowing how to answer, I reached out one hand to free the hair from the blood trail.
Lucas looked up at me with soft eyes. “I'm still mad at you, you know. You could have been killed."
“So could you," I responded, not sure where this was going. He wasn't angry, but he wasn't entirely his teasing self, either.
“I could have lived with that as long as he didn't kill you," Lucas said.
I bit back a laugh. “You literally would not be living if he killed you."
“True, but I still could have lived with it." Lucas raised a palm to my cheek. “You're very precious to me, Sasha. I don't want you taking crazy risks like that with your life. Okay?"
Precious? “Lucas… I…"
Footsteps sounded on the staircase and Lucas and I both turned our heads to look as Jay appeared with an aging man carrying a doctor's bag.
“Young lady," the elderly man panted, clearly winded, “you were supposed to be keeping pressure on his wounds."
I blushed and quickly pressed both hands to Lucas's chest.
Lucas's hand dropped from my cheek and he grimaced as the doctor snapped open his bag.
“No help for it. Antiseptic, antibiotics, and a good number of stitches," the doctor said, loading up a syringe. “Not the worst case I've seen by far. With any luck, your werewolf healing will have you right as rain in a week."
Lucas groaned. “Please, don't mention rain."
Jay chuckled, but the doctor was nonplussed. “It's a very good thing you didn't get hurt, young lady, as you don't have your wolf yet. Wounds like this could have killed you."
Right on cue, Lucas raised an eyebrow at me, the doctor perfectly punctuating his point.
“Yeah, well, it did buy you time to shift, didn't it? Besides, you think I would have just gotten away after he killed you? You ought to be thanking me," I huffed.
Lucas's lips twitched as the doctor leaned over and gave him a shot of antibiotics. “So, what you're saying is we're even."
“Even?" I echoed. “What do you mean by that?"
“I saved you from near death, you helped get me out from under the rogue," Lucas said.
Pursing my lips, I thought about it. “I guess we are even."
“Good. Now, I expect we'll be able to have a better working relationship," Lucas continued.
I frowned at him. First I'm precious, now we were colleagues?
This guy was giving me whiplash.
“Young lady, you can take your hands off him now," the doctor said. “I suggest you get out of those wet clothes before you catch cold."
“I've got some clothes you can borrow," Jay offered.
A growl rolled out of Lucas, and I scowled at him. He was blowing hot and cold, and honestly, I had no idea what to make of him at this point.
“Thanks, Jay, that would be great," I replied, ignoring Lucas's warning rumble.
- Writer
