Wolfblood: The Price of Loss Ch. 05

She shook her head, trying to clear the memories, but when they didn't go, she forced herself to complete them, remembering his harsh words of rejection and the look of pure disdain on his face. That was who Vincent was to her and she'd never accept him as her mate. Her wolf stirred within her in disagreement and she angrily ignored it, opening his shirt and dropping it unceremoniously to the floor before grabbing a towel and walking out of the bedroom into the one small bathroom in the house.

As small as it was, it was clean and had hot running water, which was enough for her. She eagerly stepped into the running shower, feeling the hot water wash away the tension in her body and the filth she'd picked up wrestling with Vincent in the woods. Her wolf really was insane, she thought as she ran her hands through her dreads, rinsing out the shampoo she'd lathered in. Valery had always loved showers, they were the one part of the day where she could be left alone to her thoughts and didn't have to worry about much in that moment. No matter what her problems were at any point, she could always find a little cocoon of relief as she showered and the fact held true for her even in that moment. She smiled to herself as she luxuriated in the hot water before deciding that she'd finally used up a lot of time for a simple shower and she turned the water off. Her time in the bathroom had given her a little relief and she felt ready enough to look at her situation with new eyes and a clear mind.

Valery knew exactly what she was going to do about it and grabbed her towel again, walking straight to the bedroom before drying herself off. She looked around the room, finally noting the shopping bags in the corner that Hector had probably left there. Grabbing them, she filtered through, finding a couple of jeans and sweats, a few tops and underwear?!

It really was underwear, she realized in shock and more than a little embarrassment. Nothing too lacy or revealing but still, Hector had bought her underwear and she wasn't exactly sure how she felt about that. Granted, she'd ripped the only pair she'd had apart after her impromptu change in his car and she'd felt practically naked without them for the next couple of weeks, it still was extremely embarrassing that he'd noticed enough to buy her a few pairs. Her face burning in embarrassment, she chose a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, grabbing the strangely proper-sized underwear and got dressed. She picked up the scarf she'd been using for her hair and quickly tied the locks back, knowing they'd drip despite her having toweled them vigorously. Feeling ready enough to do what she had to, she opened the small closet in the room to remove one of her purses, unzipping it to retrieve her phone.

Valery switched on the device, waiting for it to become fully functional before she quickly dialed a number. It was about time she got to calling her family and within a few rings, the other line became active.

"Valery, thank goodness! It's good to hear from you, I was getting very worried. Where are you? How are you? Are you hurt?! Valery?"

"It's nice to hear your voice too, Nicky," she responded with a chuckle, pointedly ignoring all his questions. "Sorry to worry you, I didn't mean to."

"Yeah, well, that's what everyone has been telling me; I accepted it a while ago."

"Huh? Everyone? What have they been saying?"

"That because you're with your mate you're bound to forget about the rest of us for a while and...it makes sense. Glad you called though," Nicholas responded, waiting for her to say something. "Valery?"

"Uh, yeah. H-how did you know I was with Vin-my mate?" she asked, anxiety starting to flow through her. Did they know something she didn't?

"Well, Richard tracked your scent the night you left and found that of a vampire's soon after. There was no sign of struggle and no reports of any such thing in the area, so we put two and two together and let you be."

"Oh," Valery sighed in relief; she hadn't even thought about that. Yes, it was Hector's scent they'd found and they wouldn't know the difference but she was glad that it had all come together somehow and they hadn't tracked her down. She knew she had been very selfish, but she'd make it up to them.

"We were correct, right? You are with your mate?" Nicholas asked after she'd been silent for a moment too long.

"Well...yes, but that's what I called to talk to you about."

"Ah, gone are the days when people just called to say, hello," he joked, chuckling a bit. "What can I do for you, Val?"

Valery paused for a bit, thinking her words through before she decided to go ahead with her plan.

"Well, I was thinking about coming back and thought I'd inform you, you know, so that it's clear."

"O...kay. Well, this is your home and you don't have to report when you want to come back, Val, though I'm happy to hear it. When do you want to come back? Will your vampire be with you?" Nicholas asked, a little excitement creeping into his tone. "Valery?"

For her part, Valery could barely speak as Vincent's scent had engulfed her halfway through Nicholas' response, his presence so close to her, she could feel his body heat radiating to her back. She'd stiffened in surprise and shivered when he'd bent slightly to place his head next to her free ear, his arm brushing lightly against her own.

"I have no problem with you returning, Valery, but remember that I will impose my presence upon you until you give me an audience. And while I have no qualms with being in a werewolf pack for some time, I'm not sure they'd be as welcoming about my presence on their land," Vincent whispered in her ear, his breath hot against her skin.

Valery shivered slightly, recognizing the veiled threat in his statement and tried to quickly recalculate her plan.

"Valery, are you there?" she heard Nicholas say on the other line and gave up trying to go down the road she'd originally chosen.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm here," she said shakily, feeling Vincent straighten but not back away from her.

"Are you alright?" Nicholas asked and she nodded in response before realizing he couldn't see her.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine. Stop worrying about me."

There was a pause before Nicholas spoke again.

"So, when will you be coming back?"

"I'm not sure, but hopefully soon; hopefully soon," she said, repeating herself wistfully.

"Hmm, well, I hope he's treating you well. Rumor has it the vampire matings tend to have some pretty intense sex."

"W-what?! Nicky!" she exclaimed, feeling a bit scandalized, even though her breathing had certainly become a touch faster and so had her heart beat.

"Oh come now, he must have made you scream for him by now," Nicholas responded and she flushed as she heard him laughing heartily on the other end, unable to find a response.

"Ok, ok, I'll keep it in check; it really is good to hear from you, Val. Do keep in touch," he said, after he was done laughing at her.

"I will. Goodnight, Nick."

"Goodnight," she heard him say before the line went dead.

Taking a deep breath, to calm herself, she turned slowly to face Vincent, finding herself unable to step away from him with the closet at her back and him, standing tall so close to her, she had to tilt her head at him. Valery found herself wishing she hadn't as she found his eyes twinkling in amusement and staring down at her, his mouth upturned to form an almost mocking smile. No doubt, he'd heard Nicholas' lewd comments and she felt herself almost wishing she hadn't made the phone call.

"May I help you?" she asked, raising an eyebrow questioningly.

Vincent's smile widened, now showing some teeth and Valery felt her irritation grow.

"Hector said you probably haven't eaten much since morning; I cooked something for you," he said, his voice deep.

She paused in surprise at his statement, nodding in response and sidestepping him to walk out of the room as he walked after her.

****

Hector sat back, closing the tome he'd been reading as he heard his brother descend the stairs after putting Valery in the bedroom; Russia's history would have to wait for now. He watched the change in Vincent's countenance as the other vampire walked into the small living room and almost smiled at how visibly relaxed his brother looked. The change was not much and he could still see how Vincent's lips tightened as a flurry of emotions passed across his face, but his brother did look calmer, more at peace and Hector was sure Valery's presence had a lot to do with it.

"May I ask what your plan is here?" Hector inquired, staring blankly at his brother.

Vincent glanced at him and walked over to sit in one of the other two sofas his brother wasn't seated in.

"I hope she'll hear me out. My actions are...regrettable but I am certain we can work this out despite everything."

"Regrettable?" Hector chuckled in turn, looking at his brother's impassive face. "What a polite term to use for your deplorable actions, Vincent; regrettable, indeed."

Hector paused, staring at his brother and watching him frown at his words. The situation Vincent had flung them all in was unpleasant and he wasn't willing to be a part of it anymore. One thing perturbed him however and he went ahead to voice his concerns.

"Tell me, Vincent, why did you reject her in the first place anyway? You know the importance of mating to our kind and have seen several vampires couple up in such liaisons, yourself. What is it about her that you found so unacceptable?"

Vincent's frown deepened and he raised his hand to massage his forehead slightly, letting out a heavy sigh. Hector sat back, waiting for the explanation; he wasn't going to let his brother off the hook on this one.

"We're of different species, her and I, Hector...I didn't think it was possible for-"

"For wolves to mate with vampires? That's a bloody excuse, Vincent and I won't accept it," Hector said, cutting his brother off and leaning forward in irritation. "For millennia, our kind has mated with humans, witches and the Fae. Shirley had given herself to a demon, you remember that and there were those twins that had mated with Dragon-kind! Why on earth would it be impossible for you to have a Were as a mate, then?"

"Because, Hector, I'd sworn to stay out of the affairs of Were-kind, nearly a century ago, especially wolves. After Ian died and I had to take care of his son...his entire family was nearly destroyed because of my interference, you know this," Vincent said, his voice heated and eyes narrowing. "How was I to think that I'd be fated to have a wolf as my mate? I was very reluctant to accept the idea..."

Vincent trailed off, lost in thought and Hector watched him, taken aback and rather regretful that he'd pushed the issue. Over the centuries, they'd lost many people they'd cared about and the pain was as excruciating each time as the very first time, when they'd lost the rest of their family. He watched his brother stand up and begin to pace, wincing at his own callousness at bringing up Vincent's most recent loss. Vincent had grown close with Ian over a century ago, getting involved with the werewolf's family and a few of the other packs had not appreciated that. Weres had fought numerous wars between themselves, killing each other off for the most inane of reasons and consorting with vampires was enough to get Ian and his family killed. Vincent had arrived in time to save their son but not the rest of them and after finding a suitable pack for the boy, he'd left the area to settle in Europe, not willing to let anyone else in. Hector finally understood and let the topic drop, changing the tone of the conversation.

"I'm leaving tonight, you know. I don't have much patience left for this drama between you and Valery."

Vincent turned to look at him and smiled ruefully, softly sighing in resignation.

"I think that's for the best. We'll need to sort the mess I've made of it alone."

"She'll fight you with everything she's got, you know," Hector said, standing up to walk away into the small kitchen.

"I know," Vincent said, his smile disappearing slowly.

There was a pause as Hector walked into the kitchen and Vincent turned away from him, looking up at the stairs while the sound of the shower filled their silence.

"I doubt she's eaten much today, there was very little left in the fridge when I left," Hector called from the kitchen, effectively breaking the silence and gaining his brother's attention. "I can hardly recall how to cook human food, but you've been proficient at it for years. Care to make her something?"

He heard Vincent chuckle and watched in amusement as his brother walked into the kitchen, quickly grabbing pans and knives, swiftly as he sorted through the recently purchased groceries. Silence settled over them as Vincent started making stir-fry for his little wolf and Hector stood back, simply looking on. They heard Valery step out of the shower some time later; she'd really taken her time in there and as Vincent switched off the gas, covering the freshly cooked meal to keep it warm, they heard Valery start to speak, no doubt on phone with someone.

Eavesdropping unabashedly, they both kept silent for a couple of minutes, hearing her conversation until she mentioned something about leaving to go back to her pack. Hector felt, more than saw, Vincent stiffen and in a flurry of movement, his brother left the kitchen and went up the stairs. He chuckled in amusement, shaking his head and moving back into the living room to take up his previous seat. There was definitely no way he was staying to watch the drama unfold between those two.

A few minutes later, he heard Valery descend the stairs, followed by Vincent's much more discreet footsteps and braced himself for what was coming. Sure enough, Valery entered the living room, her eyes narrowed and glaring at him as she sat down in the sofa opposite his and folded her arms across her chest. Hector held back a chuckle and stared at her in amusement; he always found her irresistibly adorable when she was all in a huff about something.

"Do I have to ask for an explanation, Hector?" she asked sourly, her mouth turned down in a small pout.

Vincent had walked in after her and had decided to lean against the wall behind her sofa, his eyes gleaming with the same amusement Hector felt at Valery's sulkiness. It wasn't fair that they were having fun at her expense but she really was adorable.

"Well, no, you don't have to, Valery. That's why I stayed here this long, so I could explain my actions to you," Hector responded, successfully managing to keep the humor from his voice.

"Stay here this long? What are you talking about; do you mean to leave?" she asked, surprise showing in her features.

"Yes, I don't want to get between you and Vincent after all...it's the reason I brought him here."

"I thought you said you were going to my pack; you said you'd consult with-"

"No, that's a theory you came up with on your own, Valery. I said no such thing, if you'd recall," Hector cut her off.

"But you let me believe it regardless," she snapped irritably. "I wouldn't be wrong in saying that you lied to me, would I?"

Hector looked at Valery's angry countenance and sighed, his humor was quickly evaporating and a quick glance at Vincent revealed the same about his brother.

"No, you wouldn't be wrong, I'll take responsibility for that," he said, watching her frown further at his nonchalance. "But think of it this way, would you have as easily agreed with my plan as you did if I'd told you that I was going to bring your mate to you? Heck would I even have found you here when I returned?"

He stared at her meaningfully, watching her shift uncomfortably under his gaze as he remembered the speed at which she'd turned and then fled the moment she'd scented Vincent on him. Hector glanced at his brother and found him frowning, gaze aimed at him. Granted he didn't want to anger Vincent by making Valery uncomfortable but she was asking for his honesty and that was what he'd give her, whether she was happy with it or not.

"H-how did you know that...how do you know him?" Valery asked, speaking about Vincent like he wasn't in the room.

"Oh, that's easy. Vincent and I are brothers," Hector responded nonchalantly, watching in amusement as Valery flinched, almost jumping in her seat and trying her best not to turn around and look at her mate.

"What?" she asked, her voice coming out strangled. "All these years you were...but...so, you've known we were mates for these past couple of weeks? But how could you have known?"

Hector watched her calculate the scenarios in her head, slowly putting each variable in its place and smiled when she asked her last question.

"Well, you'd told me your vampire mate had rejected you; judging from your sudden response, I assumed it had just happened and Vincent was the only other vampire in that house that day. I put two and two together."

"So why did you agree to help me get away only to bring him here later on?" Valery asked, still refusing to acknowledge Vincent's presence and Hector glanced at his brother, finding his face impassive. This was getting troublesome.

"It's complicated, Valery. I'll admit I don't know much about werewolves and when you told me you could reverse your beast's insanity, I believed you...for a while," he started, carefully choosing his words. "It soon became apparent however, that it wasn't working as we'd hoped and so I took matters into my own hands. Vincent...Vincent has suffered through this ordeal as well, more than you know. You should give him an audience at the very least."

He watched her pout again and had to fight another chuckle down; she was clearly struggling with his decision but judging from how calm she was, he was sure he had made the right one. It was nightfall already and whether she'd noticed it or not, her beast was not wrestling with her to let it out like it had on so many other occasions. He could only hope that Vincent's proximity had something to do with calming the beast.

"You were looking for a solution to peace and this is the easiest way. Don't turn down this opportunity, Valery, we already know that the consequences for doing so are inevitably horrific."

Hector watched Valery struggle with his words and stood up, heading towards her. It was about time he left, while she was subdued. He stood before her, smiling sincerely at her frowning face and leaned down to kiss her forehead.

"You'll be fine; I'll see you soon" he whispered in her ears before kneeling down and giving her a tight hug that she didn't return. Fair enough.

Hector stood up, clapped Vincent on his shoulder and took long strides towards the front door, opening it and stepping out quietly before closing it again. He had mixed feelings about the whole scenario and hoped he'd made the right decision and that Valery wouldn't be so stubborn in the end; it really was a dramatic situation. Shaking his head, Hector climbed into the SUV and started the engine, slowly backing up the car before he turned it around and started driving away from the cabin.

****

Vincent watched silently as Valery questioned Hector and fought down the occasional jealousy that rose up within him every time he noted how comfortable she was with his brother. The two had known each other for a decade or so and he really couldn't blame her for not wanting him around; this whole situation was his fault after all. He watched their exchanges silently, listening to the rise and fall of her enchanting voice and finally understanding why Hector liked her so much. Indeed, her quick-temperedness and propensity to sulk was reminiscent of Siobhan, Hector's sire for 2 centuries now and he found it endearing. That's where the similarities ended though, for while Siobhan was like a daughter to Vincent, Valery incited no such sentiments in him but instead her presence stoked a fire within him that had been at a low simmer but was now almost consuming him.