The Bonding Chronicles Ch. 19

"This may still work, though you've done little to help my plan."

Victor looked his master in the face, emerald green eyes glaring down upon him with a ring of gold on their outer iris. Acheron's face was broad and inhuman in its construction, mostly covered in flesh, though patches of bone showed along the upper skull from previous battles. The proportion of the face seemed odd when compared to the tall and lanky body that supported it. There were long and slender appendages reaching down from the base of Acheron's neck, wrapping themselves over his chest and under his arms.

"Why did you not shield him from the pain?"

"Either it survives and proves its strength, or it dies and provides its body. Either way, you benefit, sir."

A deep and pronounced growl rumbled from Acheron as two thinner arms pulled away from his chest, anchored to his body just below the large and muscular arms that suspended the beast in the air. While they explored the ravaged remains of the wolf, poking and prodding at the various wounds that covered its upper body, Acheron continued to watch his disciple as he spoke.

"His survival had nothing to do with his pain, you sadist. I'm growing tired of having to tell you this; my plans are not furthered by unnecessary suffering. This beast already flirted with madness before your little stunt, and if you've driven him over that line, our partnership will end."

Victor felt the multitude of ribbons which made up his robe grow weak and limp at the conclusion of Acheron's warning, reminding him of everything he had gained from his master.

He considered why he hadn't just put the wolf into a dreamless slumber like he'd been asked. It would have been easy, and cost him nothing, but instead he had forced the creature to experience every moment of their journey in agonizing pain.

A smile crept across his face as he remembered the feeling of the wolf's suffering.

"A leopard can't change its spots."

He looked into Acheron's glowing green eyes, a calculating insanity burning within, and waited for his master to punish him. For a moment, the menacing giant closed his eyes and gripped the wolf's head with his smaller hands. Movement under his eyelids exposed the effort of what he was doing, and with a grin his gaze returned to Victor.

"You two are kindred spirits, little vampire. He's eager for revenge, and agreed to my terms. Now be gone, and leave me to my work."

Victor watched as Acheron carried the wolf towards one of the metal tanks, keeping one of his thin hands on the beast's head while reaching the other arm into the murky waters of the barrel. A tingling sensation filled the air as a spell was cast, lingering for many moments until the wolf's body went limp.

"Now I can begin my work," Acheron stated with a smile, his eyes glinting with excitement. Turning his gaze towards Victor, his demeanor darkened. "You've much work to do. A month is not much time to get Victoria where she needs to be."

The pale skinned man shook his head and basked in his own frustration, finding it sweet and bitter at the same time.

"Your plan is doomed. You know that, right? So many moving pieces, just to put her in his path, and for what?"

"It's all very..." Acheron grinned, his madness seeming to light his eyes afire with emerald glee. "Intricate."

Taking another couple of steps, he placed the wolf's body onto the slab, his large arms positioning the animal as his slender arms grabbed tools from nearby tables. Each limb worked with exacting purpose, creating perfect slices through the remaining flesh.

"It has taken more than you can comprehend to get here, Victor. If you disobey the intentions of my orders again, I will not be so kind to you as I am to our newest ally."

Just as those words left his mouth, the last of the cuts had been made. Setting the obsidian blades aside, thin fingers found their way to invisible seams that were concealed by Wildfang's fur. With unexpected ease, Acheron began to remove the flesh from the wolf's body, each segment coming away in perfect square patches.

Victor could feel the presence of magic as his master continued his bloody work, sensing the wolf's slow and relaxed heartbeat as the magical creature's body continued on as if nothing was happening.

"If you endanger what I've started, I won't transplant your consciousness before I do this to you." Turning his gaze back towards Victor, Acheron continued, "And so... so much more."

The scars on Victor's chest burned as he felt his masters excitement, being reminded that Acheron was not against suffering, when he felt it was deserved.

"Your will be done, master."

With those words still hanging in the air, Victor backed away, vanishing into the inky blackness from where he came.

Without distraction, Acheron turned his attention on the wolf's remains, eager to continue his work. It would be a long and difficult month.

***** Gathered Thoughts *****

Sweat dripped from Andrew's chin as he circled Mr Spencer.

"What's the matter?"

There was confidence in Andrew's voice, his eyes maintaining the same studying gaze he had leveled at his teacher since they had started their training session. He knew better than to wait for an answer, the large man breathing heavy while they sized each other up.

With a feinting step forward, Mr Spencer tried to lure Andrew into a trap, but his student was onto his game. Andrew took a quick jump to the side, measuring his teacher's movements and knowing that he had not committed his weight into an attack. Instead, Andrew found himself with a clear line on the broad and muscular side of his ex-military instructor.

It wasn't until Andrew dashed in, that he realized the depths of his teacher's treachery. A sideways glance after Andrew had committed himself into his assault revealed Mr Spencer's anticipation of Andrew's action. Before the small man could redirect his momentum, the massively built man dipped down and shifted over, allowing Andrew's punch to cross in front of him harmlessly.

What surprised Andrew most was how his teacher had not taken a single strike, not on his exposed side, or to kick out his leg. Instead, the older man moved in close. As Andrew's impressive intellect tried to divine what was about to happen, Mr Spencer made it clear as his thick arm wrapped around his neck from behind.

It was a simple hold, but effective, locked into place with ease by the large man who had obviously done that exact maneuver many times before.

For the first few seconds, Andrew maintained his resolve and fought back with limited strength, keeping himself from exposing just how strong he was. That did not last long though, as the pressure on his neck began to starve his brain of the oxygen it needed.

As if a switch had been flipped, something primal took over, and Andrew's desire to survive overrode any sense of discretion. He reached back and gripped his teacher's arm and hand, his sinewy muscles swelling with the force of his might. Both men released loud grunts as their struggle continued, Mr Spencer's huge arms straining as his knuckles went white, every ounce of concentration used to fight and keep the small man contained.

No matter how hard Andrew pulled, he couldn't dislodge his teacher's arms, which were locked in place, reminding him of what it was like to be helpless. The strength began to drain from his body, though unconsciousness took a long time to find him, and while Andrew knew he could tap out, he refused to give his teacher the satisfaction.

While he never truly blacked out, that didn't prevent his vision from going black as he felt his body go limp. Mr Spencer released him and stood, groaning as loud popping noises reached Andrew, who mumbled to himself as a tingling sensation coated his body while his vision slowly returned.

Once he could, Andrew stood and wiped a cold sweat from his brow, keeping it from dripping down into his eyes. His heart was racing at a frantic pace, memory of how helpless he had felt revisiting him as he tried to calm down. The more he thought about that sensation, the more he realized he should have elbowed his teacher in the side, or done anything that could have pained the older man into releasing him.

"That's some straight up cheating bull crap!" Andrew yelled.

Mr Spencer was rotating his arm, pain visible on his face as he stretched out his joints.

"What, did you think we were having a tea party?"

Mr Spencer almost spit his words at Andrew, a grimace breaking his statement long enough for him to take a deep breath and regather himself. Andrew could see the flesh on Mr Spencers wrist and arm darkening where he had been attempted to pull himself free.

Standing upright with one last deep breath, Mr Spencer looked at Andrew and said, "If you're just interested in that flashy shit from the movies, I've taught you everything I know that can help you in a practical way. But, if you want to learn how to survive a real fight, you need to improve your ground game."

As Andrew's heart rate settled, he was struck by how strange a situation he was in. Again, Mr Spencer had tricked Andrew into revealing just what he was capable of. Something the older man seemed infinitely gifted at, and yet never seemed to be surprised by. Andrew was no fool, and knew he had progressed faster than anyone had a right to. Picking up habits that would take months to develop through standard training.

"I'm so sick of this shit," Andrew blurted.

"If you don't want to train," Mr Spencer began, pointing his gloved fist towards the double doors that led out to the parking lot. "You know where the exit is."

"Not that, you insufferable bastard." Andrew took a deep breath, amazed to hear Sara's words leaving his lips. "What are you doing here, Mr Spencer? I know you aren't here by chance, but being here almost a year before I arrived? Seriously?"

Andrew could see the light coming on in the back of his teacher's eyes, realization hitting him like an unexpected guest. The last thing that Andrew anticipated was the laughter that erupted from the large man's mouth. It was deep and full of mirth, something he had never even thought Mr Spencer capable of.

It took almost a minute for the older man to settle his laughter down, and during that time he managed to calm the pain in his arms. Opening a bottle of water, he took a long drink and looked over at Andrew.

With a serious expression, he stated, "You'll figure it out, Andrew."

Turning away, and starting to walk towards the gymnasium office, he spoke back towards his young and annoyed student, "Let me know if you quit before Wednesday." A few steps later he added with a whisper, "I could use the break."

Andrew hated using his gift to pry into people's privacy, but was tired of the teacher's mystery, so he dove into the large man's phone. There was almost nothing on it. A couple of contacts, mostly local restaurants that delivered, and a single phone number associated to a woman's name; Jessica.

After packing up his bag and downing a full bottle of water, Andrew headed out of the building, wondering why that name sounded familiar. The frustration of Mr Spencer's enigmatic response clung to Andrew like a wet jacket, uncomfortable and cold in the worse kind of way. The woman's number was listed on the public registry.

"Jessica Samson, huh," Andrew mumbled to himself as he unlocked his parents' SUV. "Portland, OR... That can't be a coincidence."

Stretching his back against the seat, his eyes squinted as he continued to read the details of what he could find through his phone. The proxy service he had signed up with was keeping his data usage private, and The Monolith confirmed that his phone was still free from viruses or malware. It had taken him some time, but he had finally settled on the services he would use to solve his eavesdropping problem.

Sure enough, Jessica was on the employee page for a company called Information Security Services, and her title was no surprise; Assistant to Vivienne Mitchel.

It had taken Andrew a bit to track that down, and as he pulled into the field near Karen's house he confirmed what he already knew, right there on Jessica Samsons social network home page was a picture of the chipper and happy woman he had met in Portland all those days before. She was holding a carrier full of coffee, with an annoyed looking barista standing behind her. After looking at the annoyed man standing behind her in the photo, he laughed as he read her over the top status update: 'Aren't Mondays the best!!?"

Andrew's shirt was still clinging to his body by the time he arrived at Karen's, a strong masculine scent wafting off of him as he snuck in through the backdoor.

He could sense Karen and Sara's happiness as he entered the house, their joy filling the small space like a fog. They were leaning against the island in the center of the room, Karen was laughing like a crazy person, waving her arm towards Sara as she pleaded for her to stop.

"No, really! We must have been chewing it for like thirty minutes before we gave up. Who would have guessed that direwolf would be so tough?"

They turned their gaze towards Andrew, Karen wiping tears from her eyes while Sara took a deep whiff of her mate's strong aroma. He had never enjoyed the attention he received more, but even they failed to distract him from his chaotic thoughts.

"I'm gonna' pop into the shower real quick."

He gave them each a quick kiss and vanished as quickly as he had arrived.

"What the hell is Mr Spencer doing with Sara's mom's assistant? Is Jessi working for the government, too?"

All those thoughts and more swam through his mind as he stepped into the steaming hot shower, the heat piercing through his aching muscles and causing his skin to turn a slight shade of red as he stretched out his limbs. After doing a quick check, he confirmed that Jessi had been working with Sara's mom for a couple of years, and seemed to be a loyal and trustworthy woman — if a bit too happy all the time.

"Whatcha' thinking?"

It was a whisper from Sara, who slid her hand around Andrew's chest from behind, her fingers tracing the lines of his muscles as they descended down his abs. After only a moment of contact, she pulled back and yelped as she stepped away.

"What the hell, Andrew? You're not a lobster..."

Karen was studying Andrew closely, Sara's arm crossing her chest and keeping her from getting closer. He hadn't thought the water was that warm, but he always did like his showers hot, so he shook his head and grinned while he studied their worried looks.

"Ohh, sorry sweetie. Let me get that down to baby kitty temperatures."

Sara grimaced and stuck out her tongue with a playful jab to Andrew's chest. "I'm not the weird one here, bub."

They waited for Andrew to turn towards the knobs that controlled the temperature, but instead he grinned and reached out, pulling Sara in against him under the stream of scalding water. Sara screamed and cringed before realizing the water was nowhere near as hot as it had been, the steam coming off of their bodies in a gentle mist as opposed to the dense fog that had been there moments before.

She squirmed and giggled as Andrew held her against him, kissing her neck and shoulders, using her tensed up body against her. Sara was still laughing, but had given up trying to escape as Andrew reached out and grabbed Karen by the wrist, "You're not getting away either, young lady."

That time Andrew and Sara worked in unison to tickle and tease their older mate, her melodic laughter filling the room as she struggled to escape, and failed. French words neither of them had heard escaped her lips with a beauty that betrayed their meaning.

After a few more moments they all settled into a large hug, each of them sighing as they were able to fulfill a desire they had shared for most of the day. The moment they stirred, Sara asked, "So, what's up with you two?"

Andrew and Karen took turns looking at her with confused expressions.

"Ohh, come on," Sara exasperated as she took the body wash and began to lather up a loofa. "Andrew, you've been way more calm and mellow than I've ever seen you at school. And Karen, really? What was up with second period? That was intense and totally super amazing."

Sara's aloof and disinterested attitude made it easy to forget how smart and observant she was, but as she began to massage the sweat and dirt of the day off of her body, they admired her playful smile and remembered exactly how wrong that impression was. Karen looked at Andrew, the two lovers silently deciding who would go first, and with a roll of her eyes the older woman volunteered.

There was only one more sponge, which Karen took and applied a little oil and a small amount of body wash to. As she began to talk, she gently turned Andrew around and began to massage his body with the loofa and her soapy hands.

"Allow me to state the obvious; this is likely another effect of Andrew's ritual. It helped him to make you a full Therian, Sara. But, its designs seem somehow different with me. It granted you access to gifts you never had, but for me it seems to be strengthening all of my existing powers.

"We'd already figured out that my empathy and healing spells were changing... Or rather, I'm changing them as I cast them, manipulating the spell to ease and simplify what I'm doing. It's amazing, and wonderful, but something I'd never done before.

"For almost a century and a half my gifts remained static and unchanged. Neither growing nor dwindling. But now, now I'm having a hard time keeping up."

Her two young lovers were watching her with large doe eyes, enraptured by what she was saying.

"So, what happened in class had something to do with a change to your ability to influence people's emotions?"

Andrew's words were almost a statement more than a question, but within it she could feel his uncertainty.

"I think so, the spell was subtle and intricate, barely requiring as much energy as my old spell — which only influenced a single person. It's the only explanation that fits."

Karen had finished washing Andrew's body, the knots and aches in his muscles having vanished under her expert attentions. Returning the favor, Andrew mimicked her preparations and began to gently and patiently clean her body, Sara kissing his neck and body with short and distracting pecks.

"Is what Andrew is doing to you really that different than what he did to me?"

Again, they both turned towards Sara with surprise in their eyes.

"I know I don't get all this 'magic stuff', but for two smart people you sure seem to ignore the obvious sometimes.

"Andrew was improving the gifts that I had; allowing me to see further and clearer than ever before. He was forced to expedite the process thanks to Brandon..." She growled as she thought of the deceased kidnapper. "But before that, my changes were happening similar to yours. Everything I could do, was becoming better. I'm certain that if he hadn't needed to go into my mind and force the changes, they would have happened on their own with a few more sessions.

"Is that really so different from what you're going through? Personally, I think it's freakin' cool. Andrew is making us into something better than we ever could have been."

Andrew cleared his throat, drawing their attention before he stated, "I guess that leads to why I've been so different today."

The girls smiled as they waited for Andrew to continue.

"There's a couple of things that I think led me to be so withdrawn from the frustrations I normally feel. First, everything we went through, between Brandon and Mercedes, and that damn wolf... Well, it kinda put things in perspective.

"I mean, can I really consider Dr Blake my enemy after all that. We deserve better than someone who can give me a failing grade in a system that likely won't impact my future at all."