Chapter 26: T W E N T Y - S I X
"Uumph," Bex landed on his back with a thud, "damnit Kai." I smiled down at him, my knees pinning his arms and a blade at his throat. I put the blade back in its sheath and got up. Reia's full return had me at my strongest.
"That's enough for today," my father walked in, "I think he's had enough jabs to his ego."
Bex huffed, standing up, "no sir," he dusted his shoulders off like he was caught red handed.
"Kai why don't you spar with your brother," my father raised a brow at me, "don't you think that's more fair."
"Why are you throwing Bex under the bus like that," I gave him a furrowed brow and look of disappointment.
"He's not competing in your Ritual Kai, train with someone who is."
"Did Gabriel put you up to this?!" I snarled at him and he averted his gaze, "he did, didn't he."
My Father nodded, "he wants you home Kai, to train wit-"
"THEY are weak." I shouted back, cutting him off. He huffed. "I can't go, every time I'm around him I can't think straight, which means I won't be training as hard, and he will make me take it easy."
Bex scratched the back of his head, "well you have been really rough on yourself.."
"Oh shush, if I can't take a beating, I can't win."
They both shook their heads but held their tongues.
"Dad, you can tell him I'm not coming."
--
I locked myself in my room. Obviously, I wanted to go to home to Gabriel. I needed him. I cried silently to myself. I thought about all of the time we haven't had together because I refused to go see him. That's when it dawned on me, I was starting my fourth haze. I gulped, this was going to be a long twenty four hours.
I grabbed my phone and text Fern immediately.
It's starting.
Two minutes later I got multiple text messages. Fern, Gabriel, my Mom.
Honey, unlock you door please, just incase you need me <3 -M
I'm coming over asap, Bayne is bringing me. xoxo hang in there.
Fern is on her way, love. I'm locking myself down to keep me here.
The haze was starting to get so bad that even Gabriel had to take extra precautions. Bayne, Bex and my Dad would make sure nobody was able to enter my house unless it was Fern. I got up and unlocked my bedroom door.
I was dressed in a loose shirt and comfy shorts, my room was spinning. Images of Gabriel flashing through my head. Those gorgeous green eyes that fit perfectly with his curls. The way he studied me at the coffee shop. Him holding me when Blair and I got into a fight. Me laying in his lap and him talking to Reia.
I hadn't ever seen his wolf, fuck, that was my trigger thought. Instantly I found myself curling into the fetal position, my fingers scrunching the sheets on my bed. Pain. Pain was all that came. I felt like I was being slowly stabbed, and then the blade was being twisted. The past three hazes I hadn't had my wolf fully.
It made it worse. Reia's presence kicked my ass. We were only minutes in and my body was shaking, I was nearly seizing. The pain lasted for five to seven minutes. The first wave was gone. By the time it finished, I was panting, I walked to my bathroom and grabbed a wash cloth, pouring cold water on it.
Again I text Fern,
please bring lots and lots of ice :(
I washed my face, and dried it off. Then stared at my self in the mirror. My eyes were a light blue, a darker blue ring on the outside of them, and a ring of yellow fire around my pupils. I went and crawled back in to my bed.
Reia is back in full swing..
I linked Gabriel. I had no energy to text anymore.
I know love,
and I felt a small wave of assurance
I want you here,
I could feel the tears running down my face again, soaking my pillow. Fern got here right as the second wave was starting. She didn't say a word, just took my hand and let me squeeze hers as hard as I could. I realized I was holding my breath in with my screams and she pressed an ice pack across my entire back. Again, I curled up in into a ball.
--
Hours had passed and the waves intensified. We were probably ten hours in at this point, but I had lost track of time. The ice packs were no longer helping and I was sitting in the bathtub, in freezing cold water, still dressed. Fern still at my side, holding my hand. She tried to make light jokes during the moments my mind was clear, but I was so tired.
Suddenly Bex burst through the door, "we gotta go, he broke free."
"Just let him in, he makes it go away," I whined.
"Sorry sweetheart, he told us to start driving, Zak will be here in a moment," and with that Bex swooped me up, out of the tub, soaking himself, and my floor.
"I'll get the towels!!" Fern was frantically grabbing towels and sweatshirts and phones.
My body felt like a noodle in Bex's arms, my head was limply laid back over his arm. He walked me down the stairs and out the front door. I could hear Zak's Tahoe coming to a halt in the drive way.
"Leave me here, he's going to find us, its only a matter of time..." I sat my head up and pulled my arms to his chest, "plus then you can make sure I don't pee my pants," I tried to giggle but it flared up the excruciating pain, this time all the way through my legs.
"Hey hey hey, be careful, don't laugh" Bex's was talking through his teeth as my claws started to extend through my fingers and dig into his chest.
I buried my face into his chest, holding back my screams. Bex stopped walking, he had to kneel to keep holding me. Fern rushed to us and poured ice cold water right on my face. I coughed, nearly choking on it, but it made it stop, it made my body have to think about living first.
"Wait that worked," I smiled with my eyes still shut, and they both laughed. Bex got up and loaded me into the back of the car, Bree, Zak's wife, was upfront. I had only met her a couple times. My mom slid in and Bex put my legs over her, as soon as Fern got in I laid my head over her.
"Sorry about your seats Zak," I laughed.
"My Queen, you should be more worried about you right now." He backed out of the driveway, leaving all the other men to get in their own car.
"Someone should have thrown my sweatshirt in their car, to make my scent more prominent." I was sweating, my eyes rolled back in my head and my body convulsed. This time I was seizing. Fern made sure I was turned on my side, so I wouldn't choke.
"I already did," she wiped my hair back and whispered to me. I smiled after my body stopped shaking. I was so exhausted I was able to fall asleep in-between the seizure and next wave.
This time I screamed. I couldn't hold it in, I pictured this being somewhat like labor, but ten times worse. My legs tensed and my pelvis cracked, like it was forcing me to shift. I started growling to myself to hold Reia in. My bones started snapping against my will, "let me out, let me out right now."
Panic was setting in, my breathing was becoming faster, "I can't do that Kai, King's orders." Zak's words, trying to calm me down, "breathe Kai, think about your coffee dates.." I had never heard this side of him but it was helping the slightest bit. More snarls erupted from my lips as Reia tried her hardest to shift. My left fingernails all turned to claws and I sliced through the floor mats of the Tahoe. Pain was all that came, until I blacked out.
Another couple hours went by and we ended up back home, my twenty four hours were almost over. I was back in the tub, my mother and Fern continued to poor ice into it. Then there was commotion, arguing, and the sound of a door breaking. Gabriel.
He knocked on my bedroom door, "my love, let me in.." he cooed. I looked at Fern, and then my mom, they were both exhausted.
"Let him in.."
"But what if-"
"He has it under control, let him in, trust me," I whispered. I couldn't tell if that was the haze lying to them, or if I fully believed he could do it.
Fern nodded and got up leaving the bathroom. She opened the door and I heard him thank her, he rushed into the bathroom and kicked his shoes off. He removed his shirt and items from his pants pockets, and got right in the tub behind me.
"Goddess you smell like him again," he snarled.
"Well if someone wouldn't have made me leave on a wild run for your life drive, I would have stayed in this tub the whole time."
Gabriel nuzzled his face into my neck, his arms wrapped around me. For a moment I questioned how we both managed to fit in my bathtub but I didn't care.
"I'm sorry love," he whispered, "but I would have lost myself had you not left."
His breath was hot on my neck and my hands tightened around the edge of the tub again. I held my breath and pressed against him. He squeezed me against his chest and whimpered. My head rested against his shoulder and Fern patted my forehead with a wash cloth again. I couldn't describe the wave of excruciating pain that came next. I squeezed the tub so hard it cracked beneath my grip.
I screamed.
I was in agony, my body was shaking again, "somebody knock me out." At first my voice was almost a whisper, but it turned into a blood churning scream, "SOMEBODY KNOCK ME THE FUCK OUT."
Gabriel squeezed me tighter, "fuck, I'm so sorry."
His voice sounded as hurt as I was. He moved his hand to my inner thigh and started trailing his fingers, hoping the beginning stages of foreplay could ease the burning knives stabbing into my pelvis. Gabriel started kissing and sucking on my back, trailing hickies along it, hardly subsiding my pain but anything helped at this point. This time the pain was so intense I started seeing black and after fifteen minutes, I passed out again.
--
The last hour.
We had sat in a drained tub with the shower pouring on us for the past couple hours, I was too weak to stand. Especially after passing out. Gabriel had help from Fern, to dry me off, and change my clothes. After that, she went to bed, along with the rest of them. He had started some slow, relaxing music and let me lay in bed again. He was on the edge of my bed, rubbing my legs, giving a deep massage.
"Tomorrow, we announce it to everyone. Or the next day, after you get your beauty sleep." He traced my hamstring with one finger, "what do you think.."
I nodded to him, I wanted him. I wanted him to be mine, all the time. Now that my face was healed, and I had gone through four hazes, I needed him. I needed everyone to know he was mine. I couldn't let a fight break out again because someone wished he was theirs.
I was about to open my mouth when the haze started again, instantly I curled into the fetal position again, shrieks escaping my mouth and into my pillow. I could feel Gabriel tense up, but he must have been in much more control than I thought. He pressed his hand into my back, massaging into the muscles.
"Come here love," this time his deep voice was nearly commanding me, not compassionate like it had been. He forced me to my back and pushed himself onto me, between my legs. He kissed me, he kissed my neck, and down to my marking spot. He sucked on it, and kissed it, and just like that the pain was replaced with pure bliss. He didn't need to do anything else. I moaned a little and pulled his face closer to me, for once I didn't feel like a sex addict, just someone madly in love.
This wave lasted three minutes, and one giant hickey later I was able to relax. Gabriel was still between my legs, and I made him get up for one second just to throw covers over us. I asked him to sleep there, it was one of the most comforting ways to sleep. Both of us exhausted, he looked up at me, but I interrupted before he could say anything, "I think that I'm proud to be yours and I don't care who knows anymore, we're stronger together..."
He brushed hair off of my face again, "I'm so proud of you, you, my love, are so strong. I love you." A smile crept across my face, his voice was so sleepy and he was so vulnerable.
"I love you too," I sat up the best I could and pulled his face to me, kissing him good night.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone