Wolfblood: The Price of Loss Ch. 05

The vision of her standing bare before him came unbidden into his mind and he closed his eyes quickly, trying to get rid of it. He could remember clearly her dark skin practically glowing in the fading light of the sunset and her breasts seated proudly on her chest, the nipples hard. Vincent could never forget the feel of them in his mouth, his fingers on her curvy hips as she'd arched into him. He suppressed a groan and opened his eyes again, fixing his attention on Valery's anger and Hector's occasionally sardonic responses. Thankfully, the vision cleared and he felt the adrenaline in his system subside even as his blood stopped rushing to his nether regions.

Before long, Valery's questions were done and Hector was standing up to leave. Vincent studied her subdued form and his heart lurched as he exchanged a look with Hector before his brother walked out of the door and he realized that the ball was in his court then. As the car engine started up outside the cabin, he swiftly moved into the kitchen and prepped Valery's dinner, putting it on a plate and pouring her a glass of wine. Hector really did know how to stock a human kitchen, he thought in amusement. Vincent moved back to the living room with the food and glass on a small tray, moving slowly as he felt Valery's eyes on him, and placed the food before her.

"Your dinner, my lady," he said with a small smile, watching her.

She didn't respond, her face rather impassive with her full lips turned down at the edges as she stared at him while he took the seat Hector had previously occupied. Vincent stared back at her, his smile disappearing as he studied her face. He could feel her resistance through the bond he'd created with her, but none of the insanity that they'd shared in the past couple of weeks. There were a few other emotions he could feel from her, fear and heartbreak being a little more prominent but still, her scorn for him was foremost and he smiled ruefully, knowing that his work was cut out for him.

"You have to eat, you know. Your metabolism is higher than that of humans and that means-"

"I know what it means," she snapped back at him, her brow knit in a frown. "But I can also make my own food; I don't need you to do it for me. Besides, how do I know you didn't put something in it?"

Vincent laughed then, truly just leaned back and laughed for a few seconds before suppressing his amusement as he let a few chuckles out. This woman just managed to surprise him at every turn...where on earth had she gotten such a ridiculous idea from?

"You think that I came all this way, carrying some poison on me just so I could put it in your food?" he asked, pausing to suppress another chuckle. He didn't want to upset her any more than she already was, since her irritation was already flowing strongly along their one-sided bond. "Trust me, my dear; I have no intention of harming you. Besides, I wanted to cook for you; taste it at the very least, I'd like to know how you find it."

Valery looked at the meal before her disdainfully for a while, before she hesitantly picked up the plate and fork before her. Vincent watched her carefully, hoping she didn't change her mind. His eyes followed her as she used the fork to pick up a portion of the stir-fry before raising it and placing it in between her delicious-looking lips as she started to chew. He continued to watch with a little satisfaction as the frown between her brow faded away and her eyebrows raised slightly in poorly veiled surprise.

"So, what do you think?" he asked, leaning forward with a little smile.

"Where did you learn to cook?" she asked before she took another forkful as he continued to watch her, unable to tear his eyes away. "Why did you learn to?"

Vincent continued to watch Valery, her questions registering faintly with him as he studied all her features, his eyes feasting on her. It had been a while and the peace he'd felt since he'd been in her presence increased as he took in her beautiful face even while she chewed away at his food, ignoring the fact that he hadn't responded to her inquiries. She was so very far away from him and he itched to hold her close to him, breathe in her scent endlessly and untie that scarf that was holding back her hair so that he could touch it and massage her scalp. He sighed, leaning back and accepting his place at the moment.

"It was in an Italian kitchen, sometime around 1973 or 74, I forget which. I was...well...I was bored," he said, smirking as Valery raised an eyebrow at him questioningly. "It was a boring decade for me, truthfully and I happened upon a young woman who was giving weekly classes. Food preparation has changed a lot since I was human and at that point, I was curious, really. This girl had quite the experience in preparing diverse meals and I took the chance."

Valery stared at him, her facial expression blank and while he was glad she was no longer frowning at him, he could still sense the rise in her curiosity. Vincent sat back and waited for her to ask her questions.

"Did you...use her?"

That was unexpected. Vincent frowned slightly as he studied Valery, feeling out her emotions acutely and identifying a sadness he hadn't felt before, bringing an ache into his chest. She probably thought him a monster.

"No. I am not in the habit of...using people, especially humans," he responded gravelly, capturing her eyes with his and not looking away. "Her father had just passed and she'd been learning her culinary skills from him. She didn't have much money to do anything for herself and started the classes as a way to change that. I had time...and money."

Valery looked at him a moment longer before she looked down at her plate, slowly eating a little more of the meal.

"It was also around the time that I tried my hand at being a writer," Vincent said, trying to take away from the somber mood that had suddenly engulfed them.

Valery's face lightened up suddenly and he felt the ache in his chest ease as the beginnings of a smile played on her lips.

"Really? What did you write? Did you get published?"

Vincent chuckled lightly, remembering the ridiculousness of the entire encounter.

"Yes, actually and it caused quite a stir. I don't know what I was thinking..." he paused, shaking his head in wonder at the memories. "It was a trilogy of books about a nanny who killed a number of children in different homes that-"

"The Bloody Aprons Trilogy," Valery said abruptly and Vincent raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"You've read it?"

"Of course! Short but incredibly dark books and the way the deaths were described..." she said, staring at him in wonder. "What inspired them?"

Vincent paused for a second, studying her closely before he responded quietly.

"I've seen a lot of death, Valery. The idea just occurred to me and I went with it...I suppose my experiences leaked into the writing."

Valery looked back at him, nodding briefly, her countenance becoming subdued again. She glanced away from him a while and turned back, fixing him with a small glare. He knew what was coming next but wasn't sure he was ready for it.

"Vincent, what are you doing here?" she asked firmly, her look demanding a quick response.

"I'm here to stop your pain...your suffering," he said simply. This was going to be a battle, he knew, but he was not going to back down.

"That's a lie; you don't care about that, after all you're the one that caused it in the first place. You did it deliberately I'm sure."

"I'm truly sorry for that, Valery, I really am. I know it's hard to believe me but I really thought my actions would..." Vincent paused, unsure whether he should continue before deciding to go with the whole truth. "I thought you'd give up your claim on me once you saw I wasn't interested."

"I didn't just see it, I know it deep down; you are not interested," she said, placing her plate on the table before standing up, the wine forgotten. "So tell me the truth, Vincent, why are you really here?"

He blinked at her slightly raised tone and the aggression in her decision to stand up. She wasn't one to back down either.

"I am telling you the truth, Valery. Hector explained what you've been going through and even if he hadn't, I knew it, felt it in my very being," Vincent responded quietly but firmly. He stood up as well and rounded the table, approaching her. "You have no idea what it did to me, feeling the pain you went through...the madness. I was sure I was going insane myself."

"Ah, that explains it then," Valery said, a sad smile on her face and Vincent paused in his advance as he felt her pain increase. "You came here because you couldn't block out the insanity my wolf was sending your way. You're not here to stop my suffering or pain, this is about you and your-"

Vincent covered the remaining distance between them swiftly, making her pause her tirade in surprise as he stood towering before her, a frown firmly settled on his brow. He couldn't bear to hear her breaking voice anymore and her heartache was stirring deep within him, awakening his beast which tugged at his control. This woman had a way of looking at all the possible interpretations of a situation and choosing to believe the most unlikely one.

"That is not true, Valery," he emphasized, reaching out for one of her hands, which she tried to wrest from his grasp almost immediately but he wouldn't let her go. "I would gladly bear your pain daily and go insane too, if it meant that you were spared from that suffering. But you were in anguish and even though I could feel it, I was helpless to try and save you from it because the same torment rendered me powerless as it travelled through the bond I share with you. That's why I asked Hector to bring me here when I saw him; I couldn't venture the journey on my own."

He was being rather forceful, he knew, and could see Valery responding to his intensity, stepping away from him, still trying to tug her hand free. Vincent instead pulled at her slightly, letting go of her wrist and almost instantly taking ahold of her upper arm. He stepped forward, reducing the distance between them and he could feel Valery's frustration as she sighed, her resistance against him still resolute.

"Ok, so I forced my agony on you, I know, and I'm sorry about that. I didn't know that would happen...I didn't think my wolf's insanity would radiate to you," she said, looking anywhere but at him. "I didn't want it to be forced upon you...I mean, I know you don't want me as your mate but I didn't ask for this either, you know."

Vincent's heart sank as he heard the quiver in her voice and he raised his other hand to tilt her chin, feeling his beast give a growl within him at the tears he found in her eyes which she closed subsequently, refusing to look at him. A single tear flowed down her cheek and he sighed in regret.

"Valery," he said softly, waiting for her to open her eyes and look at him before he continued. "I feel the mating pull calling me to you, but that's not what I'm talking about. When I drank from you, a bond was formed, one that flows strictly from you to me and it's through that that I feel your woes. But of all the things I've done to you that I say I regret, forming this bond is not one of them."

Valery stared at him and he saw more tears gather in her eyes. Surely he couldn't be making the situation worse.

"But you said you didn't want to be bound to m-me," she said, her voice breaking at the end and he blindly grabbed her, holding her tightly against him as if he could protect her from the pain.

"I know...I was such a fool," he said, knowing his explanation was truly weak. "I didn't mean it."

"Then why did you say it?" her voice sounded even as he felt her struggle against him. With a sigh, he loosened his hold slightly and she braced her hands against his chest, tilting her head to glare up at him. "You were angry that I'd identified you as my mate; you acted like it was beneath you to bond with me. Why?"

Vincent sighed heavily, knowing that she would not let that go.

"About a century back, my involvement with a wolf pack got them killed," he started, his voice heavy and the pain anchored in his chest making his breathing harder. "I swore then that I'd never interfere with werewolves again and I hadn't, until you walked into my office. I found it...disturbing that you should claim me as a mate when I had sworn off the affairs of werewolves."

Vincent felt Valery's sadness increase steadily and he continued quickly.

"But that was before I understood just how much you mean to me, Valery, and what I'd do to ensure your happiness. Even as I tried to deter you...I really thought...I wanted you to release your claim on me and the pain I caused you almost drove me insane. You cannot be classified amongst the masses...you're here and you're mine as much as I am yours. Now that I have seen you, I will fight for you for as long as it takes; do as much as I can to gain your trust." Vincent paused, sighing again before he continued. "I refuse to let you go."

He looked down at her, feeling relief that her tears had stopped and that her sorrow had reduced, even if he could still feel her resistance. Vincent felt an urge to kiss her pain away and he bent his head slightly, moving slowly so that she could stop him if she wanted to and going ahead to place his lips lightly over hers when she didn't resist. His wish was granted for a few brief seconds before Valery stiffened in his arms and pulled her head back, looking away from him.

"I...I should go sleep," she said, pushing against his chest slightly.

Vincent considered it for a moment before opening his arms and letting her slip out, with a heavy sigh. Valery hesitated, glancing briefly at him before she turned around and quickly climbed the stairs, finally disappearing out of his view. He glanced at her half-eaten food and ran his hands through his hair before picking the glass and drinking the wine, approving of Hector's choice. Picking up the tray, he cleared the room, taking the dishes back into the small kitchen as he heard Valery's footsteps padding in the bedroom. She'd been more receptive to him that he had assumed she'd be and while she wasn't comfortable with his presence yet, at the very least, she'd listened to his reasons and had even endured a slight kiss.

It wasn't much, but it was progress and he wasn't about to back down any time soon.

****

Valery walked through the woods surrounding Hector's cabin and admired the evening light streaming through the trees, giving her surroundings an almost ethereal look. The setting suited her mood as she felt like she'd been cast into yet another world she didn't want to exist in and this time, Richard and Lyn were not around to help her. Granted she'd spoken to them a couple of times after she'd switched on her phone, but she'd been vague about how her mating with Vincent was going and they'd not pushed for details. She wasn't sure she was ready to tell them everything that was going on between her and the vampire.

Vincent; his name echoed through her head and like always, she felt her wolf stir in satisfaction. Valery wasn't certain how she felt about him anymore and was thoroughly confused. How she could go from lusting after him to loathing him and now whatever she was feeling for him, in a month, she didn't know. It had been 3 days since Hector had driven up with him; 3 days since she'd wrestled with him in those very woods and then argued with him later that night. 3 days since she'd let him kiss her. She'd have liked to believe that her emotions were not so easily overturned and that 72 hours was barely enough time to take away from the hate she'd felt for Vincent, but that was clearly not true. Her wolf had settled down a whole lot and while their relationship was still rather broken, the animal had not tried to take over their form since the vampire had arrived. It seemed satisfied with him and Valery fought down a blush as she remembered the sudden desire that had engulfed her and the wolf's urging for them to take Vincent, when she'd woken up in his arms that morning.

The whole situation was surreal and it felt like there was a force of some sort steadily working against her. The 3 days had passed by painstakingly slowly as Vincent had involved her in conversation after conversation, steadily finding ways to overcome her sullenness, even when she willed it. He was intelligent and a good conversationalist, almost constantly calling to her curious nature and giving her quick answers to every question she asked, no matter how inappropriate. She was left with little to do after he had insisted in doing every chore in the house, including cooking for her variously ingenuous meals with the available ingredients and she had slowly found herself noticing him. Valery shivered slightly, remembering the light touches he constantly left on her arms, face and back, the timbre of his voice as he complimented her on one thing or the other and the heated looks he sometimes sent her way when she caught him looking at her and found she couldn't look away.

It was all enough to slowly begin to undo her hatred for him and she found herself uncertain as to how she should feel. The mating pull was growing stronger each day and that contributed to how she responded to his scent and nearness. Valery was sure he'd noticed her arousal that morning when she'd found his arms around her, holding her body tightly against him with her night gown bunched up around her waist, exposing her butt and legs. She'd felt rather dizzied, like the first time she'd scented him in that elevator and had tried to get out of his grip, but he'd refused to let her go, waking up and sleepily explaining that he slept better when she was close to him before dropping off. Her heart had been racing and she had a sneaking suspicion he hadn't really gone back to sleep as his hands kept ghosting over her lower abdomen and once at the rim of her panties, making her stifle a moan.

"He's positively insufferable," she muttered underneath her breath, before turning sharply around at the sound of a twig snapping.

Valery stood still, using her senses and scenting the area carefully to find any intruders on her evening walk. A sudden scent engulfed her senses and it was all she could do to shift before a large brown wolf leaped at her, its jaw opened in a vicious snarl. Her transformation had been slower than normal and awkward, making her realize just how deeply damaged her bond with her wolf was. Thankfully though, her wolf was in control at the moment and it used the momentum of the attacking wolf against it, quickly getting away from the attacker.

She turned back to growl at the intruder; one wolf, she could handle, Richard had trained her well. Pausing for a moment to gauge the size of the wolf, she leaped at it, clawing at its eyes to distract it before sinking her teeth into the flesh. Vile tasting blood rushed into her mouth as the other animal whimpered in pain and one thought flashed through her mind; rogue wolf! She had to be very careful with this wolf and her guard went up, ready to counter any move the other animal might make as she tore through its flesh, quickly moving away to give it a chance to flee. Instead, the wounded animal growled and let out a short howl, before Valery heard more growling and snarling.

He heart started racing, adrenaline increasing in her system as she counted two, four...five wolves at the moment, including the one she'd wounded. Vincent, she called mentally, knowing that her odds were poor; she needed help and she wasn't too proud to call for it, hoping even then that he'd be able to hear her through the bond he'd talked about. Moving as one unit, the animals launched towards her and she turned on her tail, running away from them. She was built for speed and knew the woods better than they did, but rogue wolves tended to be stronger and faster than normal Weres, their inhibitions cast aside. A wolf got close and snapped at one of her hind legs, trying to crush the paw in its jaw. She growled in turn and tried to increase her pace but the wolves gained on her steadily, eventually one leaping ahead to block her path as they quickly surrounded her.