Dani and the Bull

Helen left the supermarket and headed for the car Jack had given her for their first anniversary. Jericho was kicking and she ran her hand over her stomach to calm him. She loved being pregnant so soon after getting married, and the fact that Jack was such a wonderful lover just made it all the better.

"Hello Helen, you're looking all pretty today..."

A wave of nausea crashed over her as she looked at the man who had recently been released from the mental hospital. He was more dangerous looking than ever and she felt a fear as he looked down at her swollen belly. "Leave me alone Nick, I don't want you coming near me, my husband..."

"I know all about your husband Helen and I could care less, you three, you screwed me up big time, and I just wanted to let you know, you three are going to pay. Not right now, I got other things to worry about, but remember this you little bitch; sooner or later I will get even..."

Helen ran to her car and behind her, he laughed in a way that sent chills through her. Chills that refused to go away until that night when Jack held her in his arms...

Chapter 8

Dani came awake and shivered. She felt chilled to the bone and once she was awake she knew it wasn't the actually the room temperature that had made her feel this way, if anything the air was stifling in the room. A heat wave had moved in the last week, and everyone was doing all they could to keep cool. Every window in the house was open trying to catch some hint of breeze, and her dad had ended up having an electrician come out to check the wiring when they kept blowing circuit breakers from all the fans running night and day. Now they were in the process of having all the electrical replaced and no one was very happy about it, least of all her folks.

It had been the nightmare that woke her, not a new experience, she had been having it since the day Nick Jensen had invaded her room and kissed her like she was some slut on the street. The dream always started out the same as that day had, but then it had changed, took on a darker life of its own, it was Nick, but he had changed, his breath was like the smell of something long dead, and his skin had scales like a lizard. His eyes had been filled with a bright red glow, and each place he touched her, he left a tail of slime and the smell of decay. What she had feared the most was his tongue, it wasn't human in the dream, it was like that of a snake, long and slithering down her throat, into her very body, as if it was searching for something. But then it wasn't just Nick, it was Jessie as well, his drug crazed eyes glowing just as red and he moved on her from behind, his lips and hands leaving behind the same slime and smell as his brother.

The first time she had been lucky to make it to her bathroom before she vomited all over the place, the dream had been so real that she had been sure she could feel the slime dripping down her skin, and she had spent almost an hour in the shower, under the hottest water she could stand trying to scrub it away. It was the same with her mouth; over and over she had brushed her teeth until her gums hurt and began to bleed.

Over time she had learned to control her reactions to the dreams, but tonight, tonight she had that same fear and feel of his slime all over her skin. As soon as she had reached the bathroom, she had stripped off the short gown she wore, turned on the light and looked at herself to make sure it wasn't there. Once that was done, she felt like she could breathe again and she flipped off the light so it wouldn't disturb Bull when she went back into their room.

Their room, not hers, not his, but theirs, she liked how that sounded. She understood now how her mother could look so contented each morning despite the way they lived; there was something special in having a man like her dad or her brothers in her life. A man with strong arms who could wrap them around her and make her feel safe and secure from the world outside. A man who touch her and feel as if each touch was a small blaze just waiting to erupt into a raging bonfire, and then put out the fire to both their satisfaction.

Not bothering to put the nightgown back on, she went back to their room and paused before the open window. A breeze was blowing and it felt good on her bare skin, off in the distance she could hear the thunder that the weatherman had been predicting, and flashes of light told her that the lightning was still several miles away. A big thunderstorm this time one like the one that had driven her and Bull off the hill.

Another crash of thunder, and she waited for the lightning, the storm was moving closer, and at a good rate, soon it would be over the town, and then come here. She loved thunder and lightning, she loved the feeling of the electricity in the air, and the sound of the thunder. As a little girl her mother had told her that the lightening were the weapons of good and evil, and the thunder was the clashing of the two. She had always wanted good to win, not because she was religious or believed totally in either side, but because it had sounded good to her.

Now she knew that evil did exist and you had to pick a side to believe in, it didn't make her as much a fanatic as Sue's father, or turn her back on scientific stuff that Annie's father taught at the high school, it just made her more aware of things and know that in the end, she was a true part of life, a human being.

The first feel of moisture in the air told Dani that the storm was almost there, she heard the rain begin to fall on the dried out ground and a crash of thunder seemed to come from right over her head, at the same time a feeling of something slamming into her from outside hit her so strong that she almost fell over. From inside her, she could feel her demon cowering in a dark corner, afraid to come out and there was something else, another force that was trying to get in, something not human, something slimy and smelling of death. Looking out the window, she saw him, directly below her; she could see him plainly as a flash of lightning lit up the entire back yard.

Another attempt to invade her and this time she bent over in physical pain. Going to the bed, she reached out to shake Bull awake, to beg him to help her. She didn't need to shake him, the minute she touched him he sat straight up in bed, and reached out for her. "Bull, he's here, out in the back, I saw him in the flash of lightening, he's trying to do something, trying to get inside of me..." She sat back on the bed and tried to calm her demon and herself. Bull was awake, Bull would handle it, and Bull would protect her.

Calm came over her and she smelled that strange perfume again. A soft scent of Lilies that she knew from her childhood when she had been scared or lonely. It had been there the day Nick had tried to kiss her also. As if something or someone was trying to protect her. Looking for Bull, she saw the room around her became hazy and a feel of soft hands and a gentle soul touching her to the extent of her demon felt it and stopped cowering.

Looking at Bull through the haze, she saw how tense he was, how he stood so tall and silent, he was fighting Nick's demon and she was fully aware now that Nick's was almost as strong as both Bull's and her father's. She also became aware of more happening around her; others were coming awake as well, her mother, her dad, even her brothers. All of them joining the battle with Bull to protect her, each one blazing red hot, she wasn't surprised when her own told her she wanted to join them, but something was holding her back, something she wasn't sure of.

The battle didn't rage for long once the Lazarus clan joined in and once it was over the last thing she heard was Nick screaming over the storm. "You won't be able to protect her all the time big man, she's mine, all three of them are mine, and the more their souls are soiled, the easier you make it for me to get to them." Then he was gone, only the all too familiar sound of his powerful Harley roaring off and then silence, even the storm had moved on, leaving only the sound of a gentle rain and the clearing of stagnant air. Even the perfume faded and the last touch of the shield was like a gentle kiss against her forehead.

"Are you okay?" Bull came to sit beside her, to gather her into his arms and kiss her as the shield had. She had stopped trembling and out of reflex she put her arm across his chest and up around his neck. She felt his fingers on her face and cup her cheek as she lifted her face to his, she suddenly needed him to kiss her, to hold her close and kiss away all the fear and loathing that Nick had left behind.

He gave her what she wanted, his mouth claiming hers over and over, his hands moving over her body, in soft, lazy caresses, not with intent of arousing, but one of comfort and understanding. Despite that though, she felt her body come alive under his touch, her nipples hard and the wetness flowing from between her legs. His kisses grew harder as she moved to fondle his growing erection, as if they were moving in slow motion she stood only long enough to push him back on the bed and bury him inside her body. As she rode him, she knew this was what she needed, what she wanted, and Bull let her take the lead willingly. His hands moved over her, squeezing and caressing her breasts, then moving to grip her hips and around to the full butt cheeks. Neither of them spoke, or cried out, it was a simple joining of their bodies and there was no need for words.

As she grew closer to the climax she so desperately sought, she reached down and gripped his shoulders, her nails pressing into his skin, and he gripped her ass harder, lifting and slamming her down. Sweat was pouring off both of them, the room filling with the musky scents of their sex. She felt as if she were a volcano waiting to erupt and when it started, she threw her head back and the cry that escaped her throat was more like an animalistic howl then a human cry of pleasure. At the same time she felt the power of Bull's own release enter her like a bullet and when it was over, she went down on his chest, feeling like a deflated balloon.

Awake, but not wanting to leave the bed or the safety of Bull's arms, Dani snuggled down and considered what had happened. What had Nick meant that she was his? It hadn't been like the other times he had come near here, tonight had been something entirely new and different in him. She tried to find a name for what she had felt, and it came to her as if she had been struck by a bold of lightning. Revenge, that was it, somehow he had come wanting revenge, but against whom? Bull, no, it was a feeling that this was older than the short time he had been in her life. She tried to think who might have done something to Nick in the past besides her or even Jericho.

Her grandfather, grandmother, no...but there was one person who had been born and raised in this town who seemed to hate Nick as badly as she did herself, and she knew that there was only one way to find out. Careful not to disturb Bull who had fallen back to sleep, she slid out of bed and dressed quickly. She had thought she heard someone go down stairs and she had an idea who it had been.

She found her mother in the kitchen, sitting at the table, drinking a cup of coffee and looking paler than Dani could ever remember seeing her before. "Mom, are you okay?"

Helen shook her head. "No, this is my fault, all my fault. I'm so sorry honey, if I had known it would happen..." She began to cry and Dani moved to comfort her.

"Mom, its okay, what do you mean this is your fault, what's your fault?"

Before Helen could answer, both her dad and Bull entered the room. Her dad sat down at the table and took Helen's hand in his while Bull filled coffee cups and handed one to her dad. Dani watched her dad take a drink, and look at his wife. "You need to tell her honey, I know you don't; want to but I think it's time this came out into the open."

Dani saw her mother shake her head, "I can't, not yet, I'm just not ready...but I will be soon, I know I can't keep it inside me much longer..." Helen stood up and put her cup in the sink, then looking at the time she began to get things ready for breakfast.

Bull left the shower and wrapped the towel around his hips. He stood for a moment, letting his body drain off the excess water, and then reached for the second to wrap around his hair. He had been considering cutting it, but Dani had threatened to cut hers as well if he did, and he had too much fun running his fingers through those long, silky stands, not to mention that it was a sexual experience when they let their hair fall over their bare bodies and feel it mingle.

It was funny to him, considering his heritage, he had been born with almost pure white hair that waved as it grew, and his bright blue eyes made it a killer combination. His mom had explained that he was probably a throwback to an earlier ancestor, and he should just enjoy it, besides, he wasn't the only one, Andre was just as blonde and had eyes just as blue as his were. The rest of his family had often teased him that he was probably the reincarnation of some Viking warrior who had ravished one of their distant ancestors. That would explain not only his hair and eyes, but his size as well; his sister had teased him that it was more likely to be some Bigfoot that had slipped in somewhere he shouldn't have. He wondered what his family would say if they saw him now, even taller and broader then he had been at fourteen.

A feeling of homesickness washed over him, and he remembered how good it had felt to talk to his father and the others. He still hadn't had a chance to talk to them about Nick and the trouble here, but he would and soon, after the scene at the shop and tonight he couldn't be distracted by how much he wished he was home.

Taking a deep breath, he pushed the feeling away, and went out into the bedroom. Dani was sitting on the bed, brushing out her hair and he could tell she was still upset from what had happened last night. He was still feeling a little overwhelmed from it as will, he had faced Nick head on and it had taken all he had in him to hold the man at bay, he had known that Nick was strong, but it was clear that he had been aware of his demon a lot longer than Bull had thought. Aware of it, how to control it and using it for warped reasons as yet unknown.

A knock on the door caught his attention and he went to open it without thinking. Thankfully it was Jack and not Helen or one of the girls who had been spending more time at the Lazarus home then their own lately. Jack did not look happy.

"Get your ass dressed, I already called the sheriff, but you need to see this for yourself, Dani, your momma wants to talk to you down stairs," When neither of them moved, the former Marine in Jack came to light. "I said get your ass dressed boy, and you do what I told you girl, now!"

Dani was too used to doing what her father said, she moved off the bed, and gave him a fast kiss before going off to talk to her mother. He pulled on a pair of jeans, button up shirt, and his boots. The shirt he left open, it was hot as hell again and the shirt had seen better days. His hair could wait until later.

He found Jack, Zach, Tom and the sheriff in the shed, the place had been trashed. Tool boxes broken into, parts pulled from their places on the shelves, smashed with a 50 pound sledge leaning against the wall. To make it worse, his ride looked like someone had taken a few swings at it as well, the gas tank bent and twisted, the rims smashed, and the frame was no longer straight. He was sorry to see it so messed up, he and the ride had been together since before he got locked up, payment for working for an old farmer who had it rusting in his barn. Unlike some riders, he had never cared about looks, instead he had put all his attention into the way it rode and sounded.

It was Zach who took him back outside and showed him where the words, "SHE'S MINE!" had been scrawled in bright white spray paint. There was no doubt in his mind that that the words were directed at Dani. Tom joined them and swallowed hard, "It was painted at Reverend West's church last night as well. Someone and I think we all know who, broke in, vandalized the place and left an upside down cross burning on their front lawn. Annie called a few minutes ago, said someone had painted it all over their garage, and the same upside down cross. The sheriff said there are broken windows, and doors kicked in all over town, as if a riot had broken out and no one told him."

"A riot of two men, Nick and Jessie Jensen," The sheriff appeared with Jack, "I've called the state police, they're coming out to take photos and look for fingerprints, they'll need to compare them to everyone in the house." His eyes flickered to Bull and held out his hand, "See you're still around, from what gossip I've heard, you will be staying around a while too."

Bull grinned. He had heard the gossip as well and the business at the repair shop tended to pick up when he was working. Mainly women Jack was quick to point out, but like he said their money was as good as a man's. The thing was, if they were going to do fingerprints, then what he hadn't told Jack and the boys was sure to come out and he might as well come clean now rather than later. He knew the sheriff suspected it anyway. "Look sheriff, you're going to find out anyway, and I know you suspected it when that incident happened at the mini mart. You were right, and I'll tell you now, you're going to get a record on me if you go nationwide. I just finished a five year stretch down in Georgia State."

Tom Sheridan nodded. "Thought you had the look and the way you were fighting, you mind telling me what you were sent up for?"

Before he could answer, Dani and her mom appeared. "Hey Sheriff, kinda hot out here, why don't you all come up to the house, mom just finished up a batch of her cookies and lemonade you like so well." She smiled at Bull and he wondered what she was up to.

He was sure of it when Helen slipped her arm through the Sheriff's arm, "Nice to see you Tom, how is Maggie doing these days? I been meaning to come visit, but it's been a real mad house around here. Jack honey, why don't you and the boys check around for any other damage while Dani, Bull and I go in the house..." Her voice held more than a suggestion. "Soon as the state troopers show up, come on in, I promise to save you some cookies..."

Jack frowned. "You better," his tone was also a warning that he wanted some answers when he did.

Once in the house, they gathered around the dining table and Sheriff Sheridan looked at Helen with a grin. "Okay Helen, what's going on, you know you and Maggie have never gotten along because of us dating in high school, and no offense, but I hate those cookies you make." He grinned and looked at Bull. "This is about you; Helen and Dani don't want Jack or the boys to hear what you did back in Georgia which tells me it had something to do with a woman."

Bull nodded. "I got drunk one night, and I am not a nice person when I get drunk, in fact, I get mean, and I get in need of a woman just as strongly as I get mean. There was this gal at the bar, a pro, she'd been looking at me all night, and I admit I looked back. To make a long story, we went to her place, got down to business that was a lot rough, and then I passed out, when I came to she was on the floor beat to crap, and the cops were breaking down the door along with her pimp. Slam bam thank you ma'am. I didn't remember a damn thing but I knew what I had done in the past, my attorney suggested I just plead guilty for a reduced sentence, and that's what I did. I had only been out a couple days when I met Zach in a bar, and we got along so when he told me about his family, I decided to come out and visit for a while, then I met Dani..."