Out of Darkness Ch. 11

She sniffed and tried to force a smile to prove she was okay. "It was nothing, really."

Lee cocked her head, knowing full well that it was something. But she knew the panthers would be able to get the answers. She smiled and patted her friend on the shoulder. "Then if you're okay, I need to get back to work. But call me if you need anything!" She continued to watch her until she gave her a nod. She gave her a quick hug and waved to Katy as she went back to her duties as Alpha Bitch.

"So, nothing, huh? Expect me to believe that?" Katy watched her friend reach for her ever-present notebook and busily write out line after line of text. Katy craned her neck to try to make out what she was writing but Jenna turned to block her line of sight. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't pry."

"No, no. I'll tell you, but not yet. First, I need to write down everything I remember, and then, I need to speak with Orsolya and Guillame." Her pencil flew across the page as she tried to jot down everything she remembered.

"Do you think they'll be able to interpret the dreams?" Katy was confused. Orsolya had enough trouble interpreting her own visions, much less someone else's.

"Not dreams, memories. I think they're memories. I have to find out!"

Jenna waited for Orsolya and Guillame to meet her in Carr's office. Lee had assured her that Carr was busy with Alistair and they wouldn't be disturbed. How was she going to ask them about this? She walked around the room, watching through the window for them. She caught a glimpse of a tall figure with brown hair holding the hand of a smaller female, red hair billowing around her shoulders. They looked the same as in the dream. It had to be them. It had to be a memory of the past, not a vision.

Orsolya went to her new friend and hugged her tightly. "Is this about what upset you earlier, Jenna?" She smoothed Jenna's black hair, just like she used to do with her beloved grandmother. It was so hard to look at Jenna and not see Leona.

"Yes, I'd like you and Guillame to read this." She quietly handed them her notebook and waited, watching their eyes move across the pages. She knew from their expressions what their answers were going to be. "It really happened, didn't it? Just the way I wrote it down?"

"Yes, it happened exactly that way." Orsolya looked at the woman who now she knew was the reincarnation of her grandmother. "You are Leona. She is a part of you. I knew it." She reached out a hand to grasp the younger woman's.

"Jenna, why do you seem so upset? You should be happy. Leona was much loved by her family. Everyone in my pack will be pleased to know their grandmother isn't dead. So what is bothering you?" Guillame could tell she was holding something back.

"Have either of you met Kelly? The human woman that came here with the injured Beta from the Sardinian Pack?"

Orsolya and Guillame exchanged confused looks before answering. "No."

"Then you should. Come with me. She's at the hospital." Jenna waited for the confused couple to follow her.

They sat quietly in Jeff's office, waiting for Kelly. Jenna couldn't look at them. What would their reaction be? Was this a good idea? Something inside her told her it was meant to be, and it was for the best. But she wasn't so sure she believed it. And why hadn't she noticed before. She kicked herself for not being more observant. Of course, no one else had noticed either.

Kelly was hesitant to enter the office but Trina gave her a gentle push. "They won't bite."

Kelly walked through the door and heard it shut behind her. Absent-mindedly she put her hand behind her to try the doorknob; it was unlocked. She stared at the three people in front of her. She remembered Jenna from when she'd first arrived here. She looked nervous. The couple with her looked like they'd seen a ghost. The shocked looks on their faces scared her. She didn't want to be here. She looked from one face to the other. "What did you need to speak with me about? I need to be with Drago, so the sooner you spit it out, the better."

It's Zsálya! Orsolya looked at the woman with a delighted smile on her face. But she was afraid of scaring her. She was human.

Guillame was stunned. She was the image of Orsolya's twin and by extension, Orsolya. "Kelly, my name is Guillame. And this.." He led his mate by the hand to Kelly's side. "This is Orsolya. Would you mind standing here in front of the mirror next to her?" He backed away and stood next to the silent Jenna.

Kelly was startled by his accent-French? She stood next to the woman he called Orsolya. She had the most beautiful red hair. She looked into the mirror and was speechless. Other than their hair, they were twins!

"What's going on here? You look like me!" She turned to look at the smiling woman.

"And you look like me. But more importantly, you look and sound like my sister, exactly like my sister. Do you believe in reincarnation, Kelly?"

"No, well, I don't no. My grandfather certainly does." She stopped speaking. She hadn't thought about her grandfather for years.

Jenna couldn't believe she hadn't noticed the resemblance sooner. But they'd been so preoccupied lately. None of them had noticed. "Kelly, where is your family?"

Kelly still stared into the mirror, at the reflection that looked so much like hers.

"My parents died in a plane crash a few years ago. My grandfather is still alive, but we don't talk." She couldn't stop looking. How bizarre.

Jenna could see that Kelly was trying to understand what was happening to her here. She'd been bombarded with so much strange information. Jenna had a feeling there would be more to come. She spoke softly. "Maybe it's time you spoke with him again."

Kelly spun around to face her. "He would have made me stay home forever. He didn't want me to ever leave. I had to get out, I was being smothered. Do you know I never met anyone who wasn't from our town until I went away to college? And grandpa was against that! It took my father to put his foot down to let me go. And they almost got into a fist fight about it. Grandpa is a bigot! He doesn't think anyone is as good as 'our own kind' as he says." Kelly was fuming.

Jenna and Guillame were intrigued.

"And he was always trying to set me up on dates with boys. And when I'd come home, he'd play forty questions. 'What did you think of him? Is there any chemistry? Do you see yourself with him forever? Your parents fell in love at first sight, so did grandma and I.' Yadda, yadda, yadda. Like he wanted to marry me off and get rid of me! I was sick of it. And when I did make it to college, I'd come home to visit and if I talked about my friends from school, I could hear grandpa in his chair, mumbling 'umani' and looking at me like I was dirt or something."

"What does 'umani' mean?" Guillame was more and more interested.

"I don't know. I guess it's something in Italian. Grandma and grandpa were from Italy. So was everyone from our town. They all came from some little village together. They didn't want to assimilate at all. Our little town never changed. If an outsider came in wanting to buy property, they were told nothing was for sale. Even when they had to lie. I'm glad I don't have to move back there."

Jenna had picked up the office phone and spoke quietly into it, setting it down before anyone noticed.

"Kelly, where does your grandfather live?" Jenna didn't want to shut her down by pressing too much about a grandfather she obviously hated. But they needed more answers than she could probably supply.

"Idaho. This is the closest I've been to home in ten years." Kelly didn't like talking about her grandfather. "Why do you care? What's grandpa got to do with anything?"

Jenna took a deep breath. "I think he will have a lot to explain to you. It may make your transition easier for you to know more about your family. Please, let us help you, Kelly. Call your grandfather. Tell him where you are. Invite him to come here and meet with you."

Kelly couldn't believe that a group of werewolves would want a stranger in their midst. "Why would you want grandpa here? Don't you want to keep your existence a secret?"

"You are more important. Call him. Tell him where you are." Jenna had a feeling Kelly's grandfather would be just as important to them as he would be to her. She pointed to the phone. "Call him."

Kelly eyed her suspiciously as she made her way to the phone. She picked it up slowly, not sure she could even remember the number. Maybe he'd changed it. She waited for it to ring. Maybe he wouldn't answer.

"Hello?"

It was the deep voice she remembered. She breathed deeply and bit her lip.

"Hello? Is anyone there?"

"Grandpa? Grandpa, it's Kelly." She spoke so quietly she barely could hear herself.

"Kelly! Io non ci credo. Kelly, it's so good to hear your voice! Are you alright? Is something wrong?"

Kelly listened to the concern in voice. He was worried about her. He missed her. "Grandpa." It was all she could get before she started to cry uncontrollably.

Jenna carefully took the phone from her. "Hello? My name is Jenna, I'm a friend of Kelly's. She needs you. Physically she's fine. But a lot has happened to her recently. She needs family around her. We can send a plane for you if you give us your location." She smiled as she jotted down the information. She looked up when Carr walked into the office.

Carr saw Orsolya comforting Kelly. Why hadn't he noticed the resemblance earlier? Too much going on I guess. He met Jenna's gaze and looked at the paper she held up for him while she mouthed the words 'how long to bring him here'. He spoke quietly, "Have him meet the plane at Boise Airport in 90 minutes."

Jenna relayed the message to the man who didn't sound like the uncaring bigot that Kelly had described. He sounded like a worried grandfather. She set the phone down. If things weren't interesting enough, she had a feeling it was going to heat up even more in the next few hours.

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Alistair was confused. "So she must be Vlkolak."

Guillame shook his head. "No, I don't think so. When Orsolya and I were reunited, the Vlkolak were drawn here. Orsolya said everyone was accounted for, either by appearing on our doorstep, or knowing they had died. There are no 'stray' Vlkolak out there."

"Well then what is she? Xylon hasn't gotten the DNA results yet."

"I think she's Sardinian." Jenna had been quiet as Alistair and Rhys were filled in on their latest surprise. She had hated keeping Alistair in the dark about her latest dream. She hadn't wanted to distract him from dealing with Erobos. But luckily for her, Alistair was confident enough in himself to not read anything into his mate's silence. He took it for what it was, her wanting to help as much as possible.

"Sardinian?" Rhys had been catching up on the history of the Italian and nearby island packs, including Sardinia. "So you think she's a member of Erobos' pack?" Maybe the family had run away from him years ago?

"No, I think her family is from the werepanther pack." Jenna watched as all eyes turned to her. "But I think we should wait for her grandfather to get here before we jump to conclusions. I think he will be able to answer most, if not all of our questions."

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Kelly had raced back to Drago's room after her unsettling meeting with her new twin and friends. She couldn't wait for Drago to be well, for them to get rid of Erobos, and then maybe she and Drago could disappear somewhere and never have to think about any of this again. When she opened the door she barely noticed who else was in the room. Her eyes were on the black wolf laying in the bed. She'd been gone less than an hour. but he looked stronger already. Was that even possible?

Carla moved away from Drago's side when Kelly entered. Kelly pulled her chair up and sat as close as she could, her hand on his closest paw. She smiled at him while she stroked the soft fur of his ears. The dark eyes that looked back at hers were Drago's. She didn't care that the outside was a wolf. He was in there, and he'd be back with her soon. She just knew it.

Carla moved next to Silvano and felt his arm close instinctively around her waist. She breathed in deeply, his scent calming her ever-present fears for her son. The Doctor had wanted to wait for Kelly's return before giving them the latest update on their son's condition. Now that she had returned, Carla was nervously awaiting the news.

Logan stood across the bed from Kelly and smiled at his patient's mate and parents. "I have good news."

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Island of Sardinia - 1052 A.D.

Erobos hadn't returned to the Vampire's castle since that night. It seemed so long ago but had only been weeks. He stopped at the door and stared up at the tall spires of the ancient castle. He looked at the door in front of him, the ornate piece of metal in the form of a dragon hanging, waiting for him to knock. He lifted it and let it swing, listening to the metallic sound as it hit the plate. He was about to repeat the process when he heard a sound on the other side of the door.

The air inside the castle smelled damp, musty, like fresh air never made its way inside the dark recesses of the building.

The Vampire stood in the doorway, a satisfied smile on its face. "Ah, my young wolf, I see you have returned to me. I have heard of your exploits; taking over your father's pack, and your hand in killing the panthers. Very good, my young wolf. You have done well." He saw the hunger in the wolf's eyes and knew what it was he'd come for. The Vampire was pleased. "And what may I do for you now?"

"I am looking for more Dire Wolves. I want the blood!"

"Of course you do. And you shall have it." He was suddenly at the side of the werewolf and held him by the shoulders. "Come with me, and you shall have all you want. I've been waiting for you. I knew that you would come."

They made their way down the winding stairwell, deeper into the bowels of the castle. Erobos could smell the Dire Wolves. His nostrils flared as he thought he could even smell their blood. His heart pounded in his chest. He'd never felt such strength as he did when he drank their blood. He needed to feel that way again.

They stopped in the room lined with cages. He saw the Dire Wolves waiting for him. They snarled and attacked the bars of their cages. They were wild and savage, no reason filling their minds, only instinct.

Erobos was mesmerized by the sight of them, there for him to kill. He slowly licked his lips, imagining the feel of their blood as it passed along his tongue. But another scent reached into his brain. His head whipped around to look behind him. He stared in disbelief. No, it couldn't be.

The Vampire stood behind him and laughed. "Dire wolves are different than werewolves my young wolf. They do not mate for life. She will mate with the strongest, with whatever male survives. She will not care if it is you, or any of the others. She will never care."

The werewolf was frozen, his mind confused. Her scent was deep in his brain. He had to have her. But she would take any male, not just him. He had been raised to believe that a werewolf mated for life. How could his own mate not recognize him as hers? He shuffled his feet until he stood immediately in front of her. He reached out his hand slowly and had to pull it back as her teeth just barely missed. He snarled when he heard the Vampire's laughter behind him.

"She is not one of your werewolf females, Erobos. She will not be submissive to the desires of her Alpha. She will only submit to the strongest of her kind. You will have to prove it to her."

In that moment, Erobos knew what he must do. He turned to face the first male and dropped his clothing, shifting immediately into the form of his wolf. His size matched that of the Dire Wolves now. He was a true match for them. The first Dire Wolves he'd killed had been starved for weeks in preparation. These wolves were strong and healthy.

The Vampire backed away to a safe place to watch, releasing the lever that opened the first cage.

Erobos was no different than the Dire Wolves at this moment, living by instinct alone. He was fighting to take a mate, to continue his species. The first Dire Wolf leapt from the cage towards Erobos. He was able to jump out of the way and came down on the back of the wolf, slashing at the muscles of his neck, disabling him quickly. He tore his throat, sucking the hot blood into his mouth, swallowing, feeling it burn as it traveled down his throat. He felt stronger already. He was barely breathing any harder when he moved away from the body to wait for the second male to be let loose.

The second male attacked blindly, trying to kill whatever male stood between him and a mate. Erobos easily out-maneuvered him, causing the male to flip over onto his back, leaving himself open to a killing blow as Erobos ripped out his entrails with one bite into his soft belly. The dying male roared with fear and pain and died as Erobos sank his teeth into his throat, sucking his life out of him.

Erobos felt a strong tingling in every limb, ever part of his body. He felt his senses were heightened. He could hear the heartbeat of the third wolf. He could smell the arousal of the female as she watched her prospective mates fight for her.

The last male was released from his cage. Although he'd seen two males die in front of him, it made no difference. He was a Dire Wolf. He didn't think; he reacted. He smelled the female. He would kill to get to her. He ran straight ahead, his large jaws ready to tear into this interloper. He didn't recognize the intelligence in the eyes of his adversary. He had no way to know his foe had already planned his death.

The Vampire enjoyed the spectacle taking place in front of him. He was proud of his young wolf. He had performed just as he had hoped. He smiled as Erobos stood over the third male, drinking what was left of the Dire Wolf's life's blood. The Vampire reached up, pulled the lever, and released the last wolf from the cage.

Erobos spun around when he heard the door open. His sides heaved as he breathed, waiting as the last wolf left the cage, walking towards him purposefully.

The female could smell the blood that coated the floor. She walked across the floor to the male that still stood. The urge to mate was strong. He was the victor; she belonged to him, this time. She licked the blood from his muzzle and turned to face away from him. The she-wolf put her head to the ground, lifting her hips, her tail moving to the side.

Erobos was stunned. She was presenting herself to him. She was his. He moved up close and licked her wet folds. She was ready for him. He rested his head on her back and lifted his body, wrapping his legs around her body, holding her tightly around the ribcage and thrusting deeply in one motion to bury himself in her ready passage. He began to furiously pound into her body, the urge to mate filling his brain. He could think of nothing else.

She braced herself as he thrust over and over into her. She howled when his knot seated, stretching her painfully.

Erobos was mindless as he bred his mate and felt compelled to bite her deeply in the neck as he flooded her with his seed. He attempted to pull her to her side while his knot receded but she resisted, remaining in a standing position. Erobos tried to shake his mind clear, but his confusion was overpowering. She should let him hold her until it was time for her to bite him. He felt his knot shrink and his cock slide out of her.

Erobos was being pulled away from her and clawed the ground frantically, trying to remain with his mate. The female was quickly returned to her cage before she regained her senses.

The Vampire secured the female's cage and turned to the dazed werewolf laying before him. "I will keep her here for you, Erobos. You may return at any time, but you can only breed her when she is in heat and I have males here for you to fight. She won't accept you otherwise."