Three Demons

I had the worst case of writer's block, you guys. I knew what I wanted to write, but I didn't know exactly how to go about it. I know it's been awfully long though, so for those of you who have stayed patient with me, I offer my thanks and I hope you enjoy. More to come soon. Or at least, sooner.

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Open.

I opened my eyes. It was as though a sudden panic had surged through me so that I'd wake with a start. My eyelids split open but no light entered my pupils; or rather, what did was very minimal. The lack of daylight led me to believe that it was night. I was hyperaware of my surroundings. My eyes adjusted to the darkness and I could see that I was in my room, laying in my bed. My head snapped to the right to look at the time displayed in neon blue on the digital clock, it was 12.43 AM. I looked straight forward and blinked a few times.

Then it all came rushing back - that weird moment with Everett and Erik breaking open the door to my room, the shadows, the glowing skin, and

you know.

"You know, Freya," Everett had said.

What had that meant? What did it mean? I didn't know jack shit.

You know, Freya. You knew all along.

Silent. It is eerily silent in the house. I get up off the bed, sliding out from under the covers and slip on a pair of pants and some socks. I sneak to the bedroom door. The door and its frame on the wall are splintered near the lock from when Everett's kicked it open, I needn't even twist the knob to open it, just pull; and I did, just a crack. I peered out with one eye down the hallway. There was a pale blue light flashing off the way and the quiet humming of the TV. I opened it wider and hesitantly stepped past, looking toward their rooms. There was no illumination at the bottom of their doors, they were either asleep or had vacated their chambers. I snuck down the hallway, taking cover by the walls, wobbling back and forth from dizziness. I peaked past the corner and saw Oliver slumped in his arm chair, head limp with his chin resting on his chest. It appeared he'd nodded off. Felix rested at his feet and didn't stir at my approach. I stayed put and observed them for a while.

He was awfully beautiful, in a curious way. His eyelashes fanned out over his cheeks and sparkled under the influence of the television's light, otherwise they were hard to see. His brow, usually somewhat tense from the worried or serious demeanor he often exhibited, now slack and peaceful. His lips were relaxed, he didn't seem to drool when he slept like I often did. But looking at him made me tense. Erik and Everett had been keeping secrets, Oliver most likely had as well. I didn't know if I should wake him.

The dizziness got worse. And if that wasn't bad enough, my stomach decided now would be an ideal time to get nauseous. I clutched my stomach and studied the back door. I didn't bother sneaking, they were both out cold. I rushed to the hall closet and put on my boots, jacket, scarf and hat, then put on my gloves. Then I walked out. And for some reason, I started to run. Run straight for the woods without worrying that I hadn't brought along my phone, or that they'd be worried when they found me missing; I just ran.

Then I fell. I'd made it about 100 feet past the tree line when I dived head first into the snow. It was soft, like snow ought to be, and it didn't hurt when my face hit it. I rolled onto my back slowly and looked at the dark sky. Tears started to pool in my eyes and spill out to run down into my hair. I didn't know why I was reacting the way I did, it didn't make any sense and it wasn't rational; it was purely emotional. "You know," I repeated to myself, my tone frustrated and overwhelmed. "No, I don't know. What would I know? Nothing." The words and phrases sounded drawn out as I spoke them even though they were bouncing off the walls of my cranium as I thought them.

I started to pant. My head was pounding now. I closed my eyes and tried to slow my breathing. I could feel the cold bite into my skin at my nose and cheeks. Why is it always so damn cold? Why did I feel so sick?

I felt a presence above me. Then I heard a huff and hot breath hit my face. I tensed and braced myself, looking up. The white wolf stood just above me, the one I'd spotted earlier that — day? I wasn't sure how much time had passed since I'd gone under. I whimper then quickly cover my mouth with my hands. What did we do when a wolf was nearby? Freeze, run, or challenge? I couldn't run. There was no way I could challenge it when its teeth were so close to my face and neck. I simply stayed put and looked into its beautiful gold eyes. The wolf lowered its muzzle down, closer to my face, and started to sniff at my hair before focusing its attention to my neck. It tentatively rubbed its face against my neck and jaw, greatly confusing me. It licked at the side of my face while I stayed absolutely still and internally freaked out.

It withdrew from me and sat on its hind legs patiently. I sat up slowly and looked at it. It stood and I did the same. The wolf slowly approached me, as thought trying not to spook me, and took hold of my coat's sleeve by its teeth. He then tugged and I was forced to follow as he led me deeper into the woods. I couldn't help but feel that the experience was collectively terrifying, endearing, and bizarre. A wild animal acting this way was so odd, I'd never heard of anything like it.

He led me further and further still with me contemplating my options. I didn't know when would be a good time to cut and run away from a beast who would have no problem catching up to me, as athletically challenged as I was.

Oh, why hadn't I taken Everett up on the offer to go running with him?

I thought. It didn't matter now, I wouldn't have improved enough to outrun a wolf after a my first go.

The sound of running water snapped me out of my head and back into the real world. We were standing in front of a relatively small waterfall that flooded into a pond, which in turn fed the stream we'd followed here. The pond was surrounded by snow-dusted evergreens. I looked up at the deep purple sky and all the stars twinkling down as a pleasant snow started to fall. The setting was lovely, peaceful even.

The wolf had purpose, however, without any time to stop and enjoy the scenery. It led me to a crevice just off the side of the rock of the waterfall, concealed by closely rooted trees and brush, that resembled a den of sorts. He pulled me by my sleeve to it until I tugged back in uncertainty. I didn't want to go down that hole. I didn't understand why any wolf in their right mind would take a human into their den in the first place.

The wolf gave a huff of what was alarmingly close to impatience, sending my mind into a frenzy of assuring myself that I was just imagining things. The wolf took languid steps to stand behind me. After a pause of silence, I turn to look at it, but am shoved into the hole as soon as I try. I fall into the hole on my hands and knees, having squealed when I hit the ground. I tried to crawl backwards out of the hole, but felt what I'm sure was the wolf's head against my ass pushing me forward. I scoffed at the nerve of the creature. There was no way I would entertain him any longer. I pushed my ass back in defiance, trying to force my way out of the den and back into the open. In response, I felt the wolf's nose press flush against the crotch of my pants, pushing the fabric almost past the opening of my cunt. I squealed and lurched forward, quickly crawling further into the den. I swear I heard the wolf bark a laugh at me.

"Buffoon," I cursed under my breath. The wolf sneezed.

If ever I stopped my crawling into a seemingly endless den, I wouldn't hear - or rather, feel - the end of it, with that stupid canine pressing his snout against my ass like he had the right to. At one point, I'd cut my hand on a rock embedded in the dirt of the tunnel to the den and he'd not only bumped his nose snug against my crotch, he also licked just under the spot where his nose was - which happened to be my lower lips, thankfully covered by two layers of clothing. I hate to admit it, but that sent shivers down my spine and I was getting the female equivalent of a confused boner.

I muddled on, unable to see a thing in the pitch black of the underground, and the wolf continued to impatiently head-butt me the whole way. By the end of it he'd be doing it even if I wasn't slowing down or at a stop. It annoyed me enough to throw a sharp kick his way, at which he yelped. When he started growling I'd had enough. "Oh don't start. With the way you've been hounding me," I paused and gave an awkward chuckle at my stupid pun. Then continued, "The point is, you could at least buy me dinner first." To which I outright laughed. After a cramp to the stomach shut me up, the wolf being surprisingly patient through my moment of comedic relief, I realized that I was talking to a wolf. I continued to crawl with a groan of, "God, I'm a fucking head case," before seeing a bit of light at the end of the tunnel. Literally.

I followed the light and the tunnel opened into a room that had stone floors in the place of dirt. A lantern with tinted glass, attributing to the green light flooding the room, hung on a nail beside an iron door. I walked through the hole and into the room, big enough to stand in and the wolf followed me. It bit into my sleeve and started tugging me toward the door, leading me up a few steps to it. It let go and nudged the door's knob with its nose then backed off a few steps, as if to give me room. I looked at it, my face probably one of startled confusion. The wolf watched me with its golden eyes that flickered, just like Everett, Oliver and Erik's eyes would sometimes.

It couldn't be the lighting in this room,

I thought. The wolf's tail swished slowly, as if he was patiently waiting while actively excited about me fulfilling his request.

I twisted the knob, expecting it to be locked, but it opened without a hitch. The corridor just beyond was pitch black; I couldn't see a thing. The wolf bit into the fabric of my coat's sleeve once again but I ripped it away. "No," I protested. The wolf paused for a moment and tried to grasp my sleeve between its teeth once again. I held my hands to my chest and half turned away from him. "No, it's dark!" I cried, "I'm not going in there, I can't see a thing!"

The wolf turned toward the darkness and huffed then looked at the lantern. It then excitedly turned to look at me, back at the lamp, then back at me. I whimpered and looked at the tunnel from where we'd come, wondering if escape was a realistic option. I felt the wolf's coat brushing up against me and looked down to see the wolf marking my legs and nudging my hand affectionately with its head. I sighed and politely walked past it to take hold of the green lantern and walk down the sketchy, dark hallway.

With the light, I could see that the corridor was relatively wide. The floor was covered in smooth stonework, resembling marble, and the walls were made up of wood panels. The ceiling had beautiful crafting to it, giving the hallway an air of renaissance, or perhaps baroque. Kind of like Everett's room had been.

Curiously, there were light fixtures lining the walls of the hallway but they had all been turned off. I could hear the click of their wolf's claws on the smooth stone of the floor as he followed me. The hallway opened into a room that had a chandelier, again the lights were off, but there was light exposing a great fountain sprouting water. I looked up and saw that the ceiling was made of glass and that the moon's light was pouring through, something I'd previously seen in Everett's room. The walls were paneled, just like in the hallway, but they were murals led with odd images that seemed to be some kind of mythology. I brought the lantern upon the walls, trying to find the beginning and end of the story. I looked back at the fountain and saw the white wolf sitting on its hind legs, watching me patiently.

I focused my attention back on the murals and found what I thought was the beginning; a painting of a woman with glowing white hair and skin, though her eyes lacked pupils and reminded me of a statue's. She was sitting beside a pond, playing with a white wolf pup, where she was being observed by a man hiding behind a tree with dark hair, green eyes, a beard, and, most noticeably, horns like that of a ram. In the next painting, the man had emerged from behind the tree, playing a pan flute with a fox kit at his heels. The painting after showed the pale, glowing girl fawning over the, I had to admit, handsome goat man while the wolf and fox chased each other a little ways off. The next painting was of the woman disappearing as the sun came out, wishing the man farewell. Further on, there was a small child left in place of where the woman had been standing, with glowing skin and pale eyes, but dark hair like the man. Then the man took the child to the door step of a what looked like a farm house in medieval Europe, where a small black cat came from the barn a ways off to observe the bundled child in a twig basket. The final painting was of the man ordering the animals - the wolf, fox and cat - to watch over the child.

I heard an awful growl coming from behind me and saw the wolf standing on all four paws, hunched over and heaving. I rushed to it, worried for its well-being, but stopped a few feet away, remembering that this was after all a wild animal. I heard what sounded like the sickening sound of bone crunching as the wolf's legs all simultaneously jerked and twisted forward unnaturally, sending my stomach into a nauseating frenzy. The wolf gave a painful grunt and lurched forward before looking right at me with crazed yellow eyes.

I started to slowly back away in shock, unsure of what was to happen. When my back hit the wall, I slumped to the floor, cradling my knees to my chest as I continued to watch in perverse shock while the wolf's body twisted in wicked ways before me. The fur seemed to shoot down into the wolf's skin and I could see the muscles of his limbs and chest much better, though his exposed physique didn't carry the sagging skin or the lanky bone of an animal, so much as that of a human. The yelps and growls progressively sounded similar to a human's grunts and screams and I shut my eyes to escape the horror of it.

"It's okay, Freya," I heard a voice say. So familiar it was. I opened my eyes in surprise, scanning the room for another person here. But then my eyes focused on the spot in front of the fountain where the wolf had been convulsing, and there sat Everett, naked as the day he was born, seated in a way that blocked any view of his nether bits. "It's me," he continued.

My eyebrows furrowed. "Yes," I agreed.

"I'm the wolf," he said. I simply stared at him, eyes hard and menacing. His mouth twisted in disappointment and he started to get up. I quickly looked away to give him some form of privacy. By the sound of his footsteps he was approaching me, but I stayed frozen still. He gripped me by my arms and pulled me up so that I was at level with him, I looked at him finally. "You know," he said, "don't you?"

I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat. "I don't," I started, exhaling frantically and shaking with nerves, "I don't know what you're—"

"Don't give me that crap, Freya," he cut me off, "You're smarter than that."

"You can't be a fucking werewolf, Everett! That's not how the world works!" I screamed, shoving at his chest though he didn't move an inch. "Get off me!" I continued hysterically, pushing at his chest hard enough to make my hands hurt but still not enough to make any progress regarding his position.

"No."

"Everett, I'm warning you."

"You're being ridiculous, Freya."

"How could I not be?! You're fucking part animal - I don't even - I'm - this is — "

He took hold of my face then and kissed me then. It was the first time I'd experienced this with him and I'd wanted it for so long. I began to relax, my body falling limp against his. I felt his hard chest against mine and felt my body reacting to his touch. I wanted him more than anything. He bit my lip with a canine and I felt a perfect intensity of stinging pain in my lip, just before his mouth was on mine again, his tongue in my mouth, twisting in the most pleasurable way with mine. It was bliss, but it was at the wrong time. I pushed him and he gave in, backing away only as much as he had to, with our bodies still flush against each other.

"No," I whimpered, my eyes pooling with tears, "This is all wrong." I didn't know what I was mournful over exactly, whether it be the loss of his taste or of finding out he wasn't human, that Erik and Oliver probably weren't either.

"It's right," he declared, trying to drown my words out with the volume and intensity of his tone. His lips were on mine again, kissing me with invigorated passion. He parted from me just long enough to say, "I've been waiting for you for so long, Freya," in the most soul-melting groan. He grabbed my thighs almost violently and jerked them around his waist. Then he grabbed my ass with both hands and crushed it to his front, the hardness of his stomach rubbing against my awakening cunt and resulting in a wispy gasp on my part. "Yes," he moaned in reaction, pressing me against the wall. I felt points of something sharp pricking into my rear and broke the kiss to look down at where he held me. Black, sharp claws were protruding. When I looked up at him to protest I saw that his canines had extended, his eyes were glowing in the darkness of the room and his hair was that same glowing white like the girl from the paintings.

"You're not human," I stated, as if coming to a final realization. Perhaps a part of me still wanted to deny it. But there was no point in doing so any longer. It all made sense. His demeanor, his behavior. It had always had a feral side that he had been forced to contain.

Now that he had exposed himself there was nothing more to hide. He was letting himself run wild. A part of me was frightened, but a part of me was also excited, though I'd be too ashamed to admit it. He'd be honest with me now, right? It was something I hoped for as he leaned in close to my neck. He sniffed at my hair and when he spoke it was right next to my ear with the heat of his breath hitting my neck. "Neither are you," he whispered.