\[Elise’s POV\]
I continue to stare at the pile of ash in front of me while Jose’s words repeat themselves again and again in my head.
He’s gone.
He’s gone.
He’s gone.
Each time they appear, I feel something in me crack more and more, until I’m letting out a snarl of rage and turning my gaze toward my father.
“You!” I growl, watching him attempt to get up. “THIS IS ALL BECAUSE OF YOU!”
Shaking Jose’s hands off of me, I move, shifting back into my wolf form and attacking my father before he gets the chance to get up.
You! I snarl inwardly. EVERYTHING IS YOUR FUCKING FAULT!
As the words form themselves, I dig my teeth into his shoulder, earning myself a whine of pain from him, which just satisfies me even more.
All of this was his fault, from the day he gave me away to his trying to use Denali! Everything was due to his hunger for power! He didn’t deserve to live, and since the Ggoddess continued to let him roam this fucking earth, I would be the executioner who took his life.
JUST DIE!
JUST FUCKING DIE!
The mantra adds to my fury, causing me to see nothing but red while the world around me disappears.
In this moment, I feel just like I did the day I killed Alexander. Everything he did to me in the past just bubbled to the surface, and as it did, my need to kill just grew.
What was it about these fucking piece of shit men and being around me? Was this some type of punishment? Maybe a curse? Or maybe I just didn’t deserve any better. That had to be it, right? I didn’t deserve a bit of happiness. I didn’t deserve to live normally. As long as I was around shit like this was just going to continue to happen!
If I wasn’t attempting something stupid to take out that damned beast, Marty would still be here. If I hadn’t met Alexander, then maybe Denali would be happy now and wouldn’t be suffering.
No. Even if I didn’t appear, she would still be going through what she was going through because we shared the same blood. We both were nothing more than fucking pawns of my father’s.
Ripping the flesh in my mouth from his body and spitting it aside, I attack again, this time going for his neck, but before I can land the killing blow, an arm wraps around my throat.
Letting out a guttural growl of rage, I begin to fight against the one who is holding me.
“That’s enough.” Jose says, while Warren pulls my father from beneath me. “We need him alive,” he continues, holding tighter to me.
Need him alive. Why the fuck did they need him alive? What good did letting him live do last time? It got us attacked, and started this whole fucking thing.
As the words leave Jose’s lips, a laugh escapes my father, who is now in his human form.
“You hear that?” he chuckles, fixing me with a triumphant gaze. “You can’t kill me. Doesn’t it suck knowing that you went through all this for nothing?”
SHUT UP! I growl inwardly, knowing damn well that he couldn’t hear me. JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP AND DIE!
Feeling my anger spike due to his taunting, I begin to fight even harder, but Jose is much too strong for me.
“ThHat’s enough.” He snaps, tightening his hold. “If I have to knock your crazy ass out, I will.”
To prove his point, Jose tightens his hold just enough to make breathing difficult.
Understanding that there was no way he was going to let me achieve what it was I wanted, I look to my father once more before giving up.
Tsking in frustration, I shift back into my human form and reach up, grabbing Jose’s arm and pulling.
“I got it.” I snap. “I won’t kill him.”
For a moment, Jose doesn’t move as he tests whether or not I’m trying to catch him off guard to break free, and once he is sure that I’m not, he finally releases me.
Collapsing against the ground, I continue to glare down at my father while Warren holds him in place.
“We need to get him back to the van before he heals.” He murmurs.
“RiIght.” Jose agrees. However, he doesn’t move. Instead, he looks at the large pile of ash.
Following his gaze, I take the pile in, still expecting Marty to leap out of it, but he doesn’t.
Feeling my heart squeeze painfully, I tear my eyes away and begin to look around me.
“Wait,” I say, realizing that someone is missing. “Where is Charlie?”
As the question leaves my lips, both Jose and Warren begin to look around for him as well.
“What the hell?” Warren hisses, scratching his head. “Wasn’t he just behind us?”
“He was.” Jose agrees, continuing to search. “So where…”
He doesn’t get to finish his words before a horn blares around us and our van appears.
“Yo,” Charlie grins. “I thought we might need this.”
“You bastard.” Warren snaps. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing, just disappearing?”
Laughing, I fight the urge to say, Isn’t that what he does best since I was aware of him pretending to be dead?
“You gonna question me or get in?” Charlie asks. “I’m ready to go home, aren’t you?”
Home. Was that place truly my home, or was it just a temporary dwelling? Once we returned with my father in tow, my promise to Rosco and Denali would be complete. Did that mean that I would go back to my cell?
‘Of course not.’ Anna snaps. ‘We’ll go with William to Crystal Fang.’
Frowning, I let William’s face appear in my mind, causing my heart to do strange things. Was it really that easy? Even if I was helping Emerald Moon with their problem and was currently free, I was still a criminal awaiting her trial.
Sighing, I shake off any expectation and make my way to the van. Once inside, I pull some clothes out of the trunk and throw them on.
Whatever, I wouldn’t think about this for now. Whatever was going to happen would happen, and all I could do was go along with it.
Settling on this, I begin to get comfortable, but stop as the trunk opens behind me and my father is thrown in.
“So who is gonna sit with this bastard to make sure he behaves?” Warren asks, drawing my gaze to him.
“Not me,” Jose responds immediately. “This space is too damn small for two full grown men.”
“Then I can’t either.” Warren argues.
Rolling my eyes, I get up and flip into the trunk, then nestle into a corner.
“Leave him to me.” I say, fixing my attention on him.
I didn’t mind babysitting the bastard. Anyway, there was still a question that I needed answered, and since we had a bit of a drive, now seemed like the time to get the whole story out of him.