Chapter 17~

       The rest of the day p*censored*ed by in quiet peace.  Aaron knew that he should have talked to Danielle a bit more, but the day was filled with hurried preparations for the arrival of the rest of The Shifters.  Food needed to be cooked, rooms made, and supplies purchased.

          By the time night fell, Aaron was exhausted.  As he made his way towards his room, he heard a soft yawn come from the end of the hall, near the door leading into his room.  Curious, he pushed open the door and found Danielle, dressed casually in a long-sleeve shirt and some light pink sweat pants, stretching.

          “What are you doing in here?” he asked, almost accusingly.

          Danielle spun around—her blunt human senses hadn’t sensed him until he had spoken.  “This is my room,” she said, her tone guarded.

          “No, it’s mine,” corrected Aaron, his tone more annoyed than he had initially meant it to be.

          Danielle’s eyes narrowed.  “Really?  Because if I’m not mistaken, I’ve been sleeping in here since we arrived!” she practically spat.

          Aaron turned to exit.  “I’ll go ask Kita,” he said, his tone more gentle.  He hadn’t meant to make her angry.

          Danielle nodded.  “Do that.”

          He stalked down the hall, annoyed from lack of enough rest throughout the past few days.  “Kita?” he called when he reached the living room, looking around for his cousin.

          “Right here,” Kita said quietly in her silken tones.  She was sitting on the closest couch, her white hair blending in almost perfectly with the rest of the pale living room.

          “Has there been some kind of room mix-up?” Aaron asked, his tone sharp.

          Kita’s eyes widened in surprise, and then she moaned softly and put her head in her hands.  She was quiet for so long that Aaron began to think that she wasn’t going to answer.

          “I’m sorry,” she said quietly after a long moment.  “I totally forgot about it today, and—“

          “Wait,” interrupted Aaron, “What is ‘it?’”

          Kita looked up at him, her mismatched eyes troubled.  “Well, I didn’t plan on you and Danielle having separate rooms, and in the rush of preparing for The Shifter, I forgot to leave an extra room for you.  I can try—“

          “It’s fine, Kita,” Aaron sighed, “I’ll manage.  Good night.”

          He shifted form and trotted down the hall, nudging open the door.  Danielle was fast asleep on the bed, her features so calm and beautiful as she slept.  Aaron curled up on the ground and shut his eyes, willing sleep to come…

          Aaron woke up with a start, his mind a foggy blur from the sleep he had just been woken from.  Moonlight bathed the room, turning Danielle’s golden hair into silver fire.  A strong sense of déjà vu overwhelmed him until he noticed that Danielle was shivering.  Whether it was from cold or fear, he didn’t know, and he couldn’t bear to see her even the slightest bit uncomfortable.

          Leaping up onto the bed, Aaron lent her his warmth and protection, falling into the deep black oblivion of sleep as he listened to the gentle, soft sound of her breathing.

          Aaron awoke again as warm sunlight filtered into the room.  Danielle was just beginning to stir in his arms…Wait.  In his arms?  Aaron looked down and realized with confusion and self-directed anger that he had shifted back to his human form sometime during the night, and was now holding Danielle loosely in his arms as she slept.  Disgusted with himself, Aaron began to gently move out of the awkward position.  Danielle’s eyes fluttered open just then.

          “Good morning,” she said, her voice a bit slurred from the sleep she had just awoken from.  As she took in her surroundings, confusion clouded her eyes, but she made no move to leave.

          “Good morning,” said Aaron after a while, able to get up without disturbing her now.  After looking around wildly for a moment, Aaron said, “I should go talk to Kita.”

          Danielle nodded in agreement, allowing Aaron to slip into the hall.  As he shut the door behind him, he hissed out a curse and raked a hand through his hair.

          What had just happened?

Thanks Twilight.  ^o^

Lol, Pet.  The next chapter should be done in a little bit.  <3 

Lol, sorry for the late-ness.  x3   I'm a lazy bum.  ._.

Chapter 18~

       Aaron paced anxiously around the living room; ignoring the questioning looks Kita shot him.  Obviously he had to tell Danielle, otherwise things would progress between them, and…

          He broke off the thought as Danielle walked down the hall, her eyes still misty with sleep.

          “Hi,” he began anxiously, wondering how to break the news to her.

          Danielle yawned and smiled at Aaron.  “Good morning,” she said, blinking away the blurriness of sleep from her eyes.

          “Danielle…” trailed off Aaron, his voice anxious and eyes concerned, “We need to talk.”

          “Okay,” said Danielle, a bit confused.  “Can I have breakfast first, though?”  At his nod, she made her way into the kitchen, ready to have some cereal. 

Kita whisked a bowl to her, her long, graceful fingers sliding Danielle’s breakfast effortlessly across the table. She smiled at the wolf shifter, grateful.  The milk sloshes lazily up the sides of the bowl, but none spilled.  Danielle ate the cereal quickly, eager to see what Aaron had to tell her.  As she turned to stand up, Kita handed her a pair of black jeans and a green shirt.

“Thank you,” said Danielle, deciding quickly to change before consulting Aaron.

She slipped off into the adjacent bathroom from the kitchen and dressed quickly, too eager to hear what Aaron had to say to take her time.  As she ducked back into the kitchen, she realized Aaron was already there.  Blushing, she followed him into the living room.

“Danielle, we need to talk.”  The words were the same ones he had spoken before, but they were colder this time, filled with a foreboding.

“Okay,” she said, trying to uphold the atmosphere of happiness.  “What about?”

“Us,” said Aaron, seeming to choose his words carefully, “And the world I come from.  Decisions need to be made.”

“Okay,” Danielle murmured again, feeling off-balanced.   “Let’s start with, um…”

“How about my world,” suggested Aaron gently, sitting down on the couch.  Danielle followed suit as he continued, “As you know, I’m a shape-shifter.  As you also know, I’ve recently been needed as a member—the leader—of The Shifters.  The other members will be coming today, and we’ll be using Kita’s house as a temporary base.  I wanted to talk to you before they arrived.”

“Okay,” said Danielle, a bit more light-hearted.  “Shoot.”

Aaron smiled, though it looked forced.  “Well, you know me.  I’m Aaron Rockwell, dog shape-shifter, appointed leader of The Shifters.  I’m a telepath, too, like some others of my kind.”  He paused, watching her closely as she nodded.  Clearing his throat, Aaron continued, “There is also Grace DuClaire, a cat shifter, Xavier Amonte, tiger shifter, Molly Longley, the black bear shifter, Perenelle Vicardi, an owl shifter, Kole West, an Alpha wolf shifter, and Jesse Sullivan, a viper shifter.  And of course,” he added with a slight grin,” you know Kita Hails, the other resident wolf shifter.”

“Alpha wolf shifter?”  Questioned Danielle, feeling her eyebrows knit together into a frown.  “What do you mean?”

Aaron paused for a moment, looking thoughtful.  “Wolf shifters are one of the few types of shifters to follow their animal counterparts.  They often live in packs, and the position of Alpha is p*censored*ed down through pack bloodlines.  Kole would be an Alpha wolf, if he chose to live in a pack of his kind, but he does not.  That does not mean that he isn’t respected, though, so try to be on your best behavior around him.”

Danielle felt the blush creep up to her cheeks.  She didn’t like being treated like a child.  “Okay,” she said softly.  “Anything else you want to tell me, or should we move on?”

He blew out a breath.  “Let’s move on.”

Danielle nodded.  “Us…?” she asked tentatively.

Aaron nodded, seeming to brace himself.  “We need to talk about your future, Danielle.  If you want to go back to your home, to your old life, we can make that possible.  I can erase your memory, and things would go back to normal.  Or…” he hesitated.  “You can choose to remain in this world.  You can bind yourself to a mate, and live among those of our kind.”

Danielle gulped.  This was one of the biggest decisions of her life, yet the answer came so easily to her.  “I want to stay in this world, Aaron.”  She said quietly, though her voice was firm.

Aaron nodded.  “Okay,” he said.  “Xavier has some relatives that could find you a home among our race—“

“What?” asked Danielle, her voice raising a few notes.  “Find me a home?  But what about us, Aaron?  I know I turned you away, but I’ve reconsidered, Aaron, I love—“

“No, Danielle,” cur off Aaron, his eyes as hard as his voice.  “We can’t be together.  Ever.”

“W-what?” cried Danielle, her eyes lifting to search his face desperately for any of the warmth that was once there.  “You don’t want me?  Please tell me that you love me back.”  Her head bent downwards to rest on her knees.

“I…  Danielle, listen to me!  I wish we could be together, but we can’t.  It would be too dangerous for you to be my mate.”

“I don’t care!” Danielle cried, standing up.

Not daring to look back, she leapt off the couch, her legs pumping as she tried to run form the nightmarish scene.  She snatched a coat off of the coat rack blindly, pulling it on just as a warm hand fell onto her shoulder.

“Danielle.”  Aaron’s voice was softer this time, filled with regret.

“No.”  Danielle replied in turn, her stony voice even surprising herself.

With that said, she yanked open the door, running outside.  The morning was completely white, the familiar front yard of Kita’s house cloaked with mist.  With a torn sob, Danielle rushed around the corner, sinking into a crying ball as she leaned against the garage door.

He didn’t want her.  Aaron didn’t love her, and refused to have her for his mate.  The reality of it all crashed down around Danielle, along with her dreams of a happy future.  She suddenly didn’t want this; this world of magic and of shape-shifters.  She wanted to go home, to be free of this nightmare.  Danielle wanted to see Traci’s warm face again, to smell the rich scent of her house once more.  She longed for the nice walks in the park with James.  She wanted it all back.

She could have it all back, too.  Danielle could walk back into the house, to the man that didn’t want her love, and ask for it back.  He would, naturally give it to her, and everything would be fixed.  But deep down, Danielle didn’t want it all gone.  She wanted to remember this supernatural world, a world that could welcome her with open arms.

Talk about a dead end.  The tears began to come in fresh waves now, pouring down her cheeks in a relentless river.

“There, there,” cooed a voice suddenly.  Danielle jumped, searching the mist in front of her wildly.  “What does a pretty girl like you have to cry about?  Come here, dear, and it will all be better.”

A silhouette appeared, ghostly in the mist.  At first, it was a bird.  Then it shifted into a dog’s form.  And then, a human appeared out of the mist.  He approached her, his light brown hair tousled slightly, and his blue eyes warm.

“Now, what troubles you?” he asked gently, reaching out a hand to help her up.

Danielle ignored the gesture, looking out past the man.  “The love of my life doesn’t love me back,” she said softly.

“Oh now, that’s terrible.”  He said, his voice a little bit too patronizing for Danielle’s liking.  “Let me help you.”

Danielle looked at his outstretched hand again, and then clasped it.  As soon as they touched warning bells screamed in her head.  An evil grin spread across the man’s face.

Danielle shuddered.  “Who are you?”  She asked softly, horror pooling in her gut.

The man pulled her to her feet as he said, “Silas Finche at your service, miss.”

“Oh no,” moaned Danielle softly, her world beginning to fade into a calming darkness.

In the background, she heard Aaron open the doors and call her name.

And then, she was enveloped in the blackness once more.

Chapter 19~

“Danielle!” yelled Aaron into the mist, tearing up ground as he raced towards them

But it was too late.  Already, the four silhouettes were being swallowed up by the mist—Finche, with Danielle limp in his arms, and his two guards, who were just extra insurance, no doubt.  As the enveloping fog finally swallowed them up, Aaron crashed down onto his knees, weak with disbelief.  Not again.  Finche had ruined him once by taking Ella, and his life with him.  And now Danielle was gone, too.  All thanks to him.

In a rare show of weakness, a sob tore up his throat before he could stop it.  Then another one.  And another.  And, for a while, Aaron did something that he hadn’t done in a very long time.  He cried.  Aaron cried for himself, for Danielle, and for the life he had ruined by even showing up on her doorstep.  Regret spilled into soul with an acidic burning.  Why?  Why hi—

“Aaron.” Kita’s voice was calm as she put an arm around him.  He heard her bend down beside him, attempting to comfort him.  “It’s—It’s alright.  We’ll get her back, somehow.”  The smile that painted her lips was almost hearable.  “Anyways, the best recovery crew in the world is coming, right?  And look, here they are now.”

Aaron looked up, alarmed, as a sleek red convertible sidled to a stop at the curb.  He stood up, already slipping back into his composure as the door opened and two young women stepped out, both wearing designer sungl*censored*es, expensive-looking shirts, and tight-fitting jeans.

Grace DuClaire and Perenelle Vicardi were a pair, through and through.  They were sisters by minds, though not by blood.  Grace was in the lead, a faint smile painting her lips as she spotted him.  Her silver hair was pulled back in a sleek bun, as was Perenelle’s pale golden locks.  Grace’s blue eyes were hidden from view, but Perenelle’s green eyes were visible through her pale shades.

“Aaron,” greeted Grace warmly as they pulled to a stop in front of Kita and him.

“Grace, Perenelle, it’s good to see you,” said Aaron in return, hugging his old friends.

“Why the long face?” asked Perenelle, her brow furrowed.

“I…Uh…” Just before Aaron could come up with a plausible excuse, a black SUV pulled up at the curb, parking smoothly behind the car that Grace and Perenelle had driven.

Out hopped Jesse, Xavier, and Kole.  Kole was in the lead, his tawny brown hair carefully combed and gelled.  From behind him, Aaron heard Kita snort contemptuously.  Jesse and Xavier follow the Alpha wolf shifter, walking side by side.  Jesse’s black hair was in it’s signature style—slightly windblown, but it still had a clean look.  Xavier’s fiery red hair was tousled, but in the way that suggested that the tiger shifter had been sticking his head out of the window.

“Aaron!” yelled Jesse, the viper shifter pulling ahead to punch Aaron in the arm.  “Long time no see, bro.”

“I saw you just a few weeks ago,” said Aaron teasingly, though his heart was still heavy with guilt.

“Exactly,” replied Jesse, stepping back to let Kole and Xavier greet the Shifter’s new leader.

When the greetings were all over with, Kita looked around, her tone confused as she asked, “Where’s Molly?”

As if on cue, the bear shifter appeared, walking around the hedges that obscured Kita’s house and entering the property.  Her long black hair was damp, with bead of moisture rolled down the long, ramrod straight hairs.  Her eyes were an eerily pure shade of blue in the flat light.

“I parked on the next street over,” she said, eyeing the other cars disdainfully.  “I, at least, didn’t want to draw attention to the place.”

Aaron ignored the comment and went to shake hands with her.  “It’s good to see you again, Molly,” he said softly.

She just nodded, following behind everyone with Kita as Aaron led them inside.

Chapter 20~

“Aren’t you hungry, Danielle?”

Danielle ignored Finche’s insistent prodding, continuing to stare out the window.  Her face, she knew, was stony, but she wanted to betray none of the emotional turmoil she felt within.  It had been a full day since Finche had kidnapped her, and still no sign of Aaron.  She wondered if he was okay.  Maybe something had slashed their rescue plan.  Maybe they were coming to get her right this minute, or---

Or maybe, thought Danielle bitterly, they won’t come at all.

She balked at the though of Aaron seeing this as helpful, just one less thing to take care of.  Aaron wouldn’t do that…would he?

Her thoughts froze as she heard Finche come into the room.  Backing away from the window, she turned slowly to face him.

“Not just a little bite?  You can’t starve, you know.”  He said, continuing closer.

“No,” said Danielle tersely.  “I’m fine.  Just leave me alone.”

She whirled back to the window, her breath caught somewhere in her chest.  As the door snapped shut again, she let out the pent-up sigh.  Collapsing on the couch that face the window, Danielle studied her surroundings for the umpteenth time, seeing nothing better to do.

The window in front of her was actually an entire wall—several huge panels of gl*censored* stretching across to fill the gap between the walls in a big, bay-window style.  The seams between them were long, thin, strips of metal that were slightly rusted.

The floor was a warm, light brown hardwood floor.  It spanned the entirety of the floor, but several carpets scattered the floor.

The door was behind Danielle to the left.  When opened, one would be presented with a bed on a gray carpet on the opposite side of the room.  Between them was a coffee table, several chairs, a countertop with sinks, and cabinets stocked with gl*censored*es, plates, bowls, and silverware.  A half-wall in the middle of the room guarded a portion of the floor from a single step, which lead into the area where Danielle was sitting.  A desk was to her left, and a lamp to her right.  The couch was pushed up against part of the half-wall, but it was still by the windows.

A soft knock interrupted Danielle’s thought.  Silas walked in again, but this time his face looked different.  It was steeled with determination this time.

“So, Danielle, might I ask you a few questions?” he asked, casually strolling over to the couch and sitting beside her.

Her stomach swimming with uneasiness, Danielle scooted to the other side.

“Shoot.” She answered flatly.

Finche wasted no time in beginning.  “Well, for starters, where is Aaron?  He should have come for you right now.”

Danielle flinched at the question, feeling as if Finche had ripped a not-yet healed would wide open.  But instead of letting him know of her weakness, though, she said coldly, “Aaron wouldn’t be so stupid.  You took me to get to him, but he doesn’t want me.  He’s not coming.”  Danielle waited for the shock to register on Silas’s face, until she asked softly, “What will you do with me, though?”

Finche seemed to have rehearsed this in his head.  Narrowing his eyes he replied, “Well, if your precious Aaron doesn’t come to rescue you, I couldn’t be bothered to waste more time, energy, or food on you.  I suppose I could give you to one of my guards,” he paused thoughtfully, then looked her in the eye.  “Or, of course,” he said, his nonchalance belying his next words, “I could always keep you for myself.”

This time, Danielle couldn’t hide her shock—or her fear.  A small gasp rasped through her lips, and she sank back into the couch, the horror of what might become of her setting in.  Finche laughed cruelly, getting up.

“You better hope that Aaron does come to rescue you,” he tossed casually over his shoulder as he left her in the room.

Danielle nodded silently, stricken.  For once, she hoped that she had been wrong.