Red Rum
Alexus found Demetri in the greenhouse with the pruning shears, assaulting the tulips. "Hey man…what did those ever do to you?”
He gruffed, "The new servants keep messing them up. They’re a fucking eyesore now.” As she drew closer, she heard him mutter. "They don’t look like when Little One did it.”
Crouching down beside him, she placed her small hand over his. "You’re being too rough Demetri.” She felt him still as the electricity flowed from her hands to her chest. She guided his hand. “You know, I get that you’re rough natured, but some things like tulips require a gentle touch.”
He turned to her. "I-I’ll try to keep that in mind.” His comment seemed to say so much more than just talking about flowers.
She smiled. "Even though tonight didn’t go the way you wanted, I really did like to see you trying.”
His face reddened and he looked away from her. "I told you I don’t need friends. I don’t need anyone.”
“Everyone needs someone Demetri, even you. Can I ask you something”
He rolled his eyes. "You’re going to anyway.” She laughed. He liked her laugh, the way it brightened her eyes.
"Are you happy?”
"Wha-?”
"Happy?”
"I don’t understand.”
She chuckled again. "Okay, how about this. Outside of killing, what brings you joy?” She watched the wheels turn in his head then he huffed in frustration. “You should find things that bring you joy, that way you can be happy.”
He sat in thought. "Well, what about you? What makes you happy?”
"Oh, that’s easy. My sisters, my parents, che-“ She stopped and averted her eyes. "I like chemistry. I’m really good at it. Making the serum was the first time, I’d made something since I changed my major.” She paused as he looked at her confused and she muttered. "Sorry…I know I’m not making sense.”
"Why do you say that so much?”
"What?”
"Sorry. You say it a lot even when you have nothing to be sorry about. Why?”
She fidgeted with her fingers. "I-I guess because I mess up a lot. I mess up all the time, and my mess ups inconvenience a lot of people. My parents, my sisters, you.” She saw his eyes widen, but he remained silent. "Two years ago, I messed up real bad, I hurt Rachel-I-” She could feel the tears in her eyes, but she needed to tell him. "She was in school at the time, and she was doing an all-nighter, so she asked me if I could drive her to her test in the morning, that way she wouldn’t fall asleep behind the wheel. I was so mad…because there was a party that night and I didn’t want to stay in to have to take her.”
"So I went anyway and I got drunk-really drunk. I came home about 5:00 A.M and I was still drunk, but she needed to get to school by eight. I got behind the wheel, and I fell asleep, and I hit a pole.” Her lip quivered as the first tear fell. "And I looked over to Rachel, and she…she wasn’t breathing. There was so much blood. I hurt my sister because she asked me for help-asked me to do ONE thing and I couldn’t be mature enough to do it even though she’d literally walk over hot coals for me.”
Alexus quickly wiped her eyes. "That why I went to California…It was an impulsive decision but I didn’t want to keep messing up and burdening my family…but I-I was so lonely without them. I made friends, but it wasn’t the same, but I couldn’t tell them that because I knew they would find a way to bail me out again. But I was so lonely, and I started partying a lot and getting drunk. I just wanted to feel SOMETHING instead of being lonely. One night I saw a familiar face in the crowd. He was nice and he offered to buy me a drink, and I-I wasn’t paying attention. I got dizzy…he-“ Alexus couldn’t stop her tears. She’d never told anyone, not even her sisters. “He said he would take me home, and I was afraid to get behind the wheel after what I did to Rachel so I said yes. I was so dizzy, I couldn’t fight back and-“ She paused. Looking up at Demetri, her face lined with fear. His eyes were a glaring red, his breath ragged, his face hardened into stone.
“Who was it?” He said deadly.
"Demetri I-“
"WHO WAS IT?!” His tone made her jump.
"M-my chemistry professor. Johnathan Daniels. I changed majors shortly after.”
"FUCK!” Demetri seethed, tossing the pruning shears so hard they smashed the side of the greenhouse. He stood. "I’ll be back.”
“Demetri-“
"I.WILL.BE.BACK" Saying nothing else, he vanished into the night.
"Are you hiding from Little Red too?” Sterling asked his brother and Jordan nodded his head.
"Her pregnancy hormones are wearing me out.”
"Me too! I thought because it was two of us, we could put up a battlefront, but I’m exhausted. She’s insatiable. You know she attacked me at work the other day? Walked in my office to tits and ass…and you know Little Red has A LOT of ass. I got confused!” The smell of apples hit their nose at the same time. Staring at the door in fear, they watched as Morgan opened it. "WE WASN’T HIDING FROM YOU!” Sterling screamed.
Jordan just shook his head. "What my idiotic brother is trying to say, Mrs. Wolf we love you, but we’re exhausted.”
Her face flushed. "Yeah…I’m sorry about that BUT I went and got one of Sterling’s toys, so I’m good.”
Sterling arched his brow. "Which one?”
"The vibrating jackhammer.”
"OH HELL NO!” He fumed. "NO, ABSOLUTELY NOT! THATS DICK ON WHEELS!” He turned to Jordan. "I MADE THAT FOR SINGLE CAT LADIES. I CAN’T KEEP UP WITH THAT AND I KNOW YOUR OLD ASS CAN’T KEEP UP WITH IT!”
"I’M TWO MINUTES OLDER THAN YOU!” A knock on the door interrupted the brother's quarrel. “Who would be here this late?” The three walked to the door.
Furious, Demetri stood outside. He locked eyes with Morgan. "You and the other psycho need to get to Alexus now, she needs you.”
"What’s wrong?”
He seethed. "I'll let her tell you, but you need to get there. I have something to take care of.”
Professor Johnathan Daniels finished his lecture. Exhausted, he retired to his room where he saw a strange man in the corner. "Who are you?”
The man grinned, "Does it matter?” His smile sent a chill up the professor’s spine.
"What are you-“
"Do you remember Alexus Pierce?”
"Yes, bright girl. Shame she changed majors. Now, what’s this all about?”
The man stood, his large figure towering over the professor. "It’s about you drugging her, about you touching her, ABOUT YOU FUCKING RAP-“ The professor saw the man's eyes redden. "I’m going to kill you but before I do, I want you to know something. Alexus is mine and I don’t take kindly to people touching what’s mine.” His body seemed to levitate towards the professor, who frozen watched in horror.
Though no one besides the professor and the man knew exactly what happened in the room, they did know that the screams heard would forever bore themselves in their minds. The room was covered in so much blood and so many pieces of the professor, they would never be able to fully put him back together again.
Morgan and Rachel wiped the tears from their eyes. “I’m so sorry that happened to you Alexus. I’m so sorry we weren’t there when you needed us.”
She shook her head violently. "I-It was my fault. If I was paying attention, if I was smarter I-“
Morgan clasped her face. "This is NOT your fault. You hear me? This is NOT your fault.”
She looked from one sister to the other. "I’m sorry I keep interrupting your lives. I can’t get anything right! I wanted so badly to be a wolf like you guys…or at least go back to Baltimore, but I even messed that up.”
Looking at Rachel, Morgan heart tore in two. "Hey, do you know that Rachel hid that she’d been scratched, and it got infected? She almost lost Elijah because of it, not to mention she put the pack and herself in danger.”
Alexus stared at her wide eyed. "Really?”
Rachel nodded. "And Morgan lost it when Jordan and Sterling were in the coma. She turned her back on the pack, and even clawed my husband. I had to beat some sense in her.” The three sisters laughed. "The point we’re trying to make Lexy, is that everyone messes up, including us. But you are NOT a burden, we love you, and we’re so happy to have you as a sister.” Alexus eyes teared. "I love that you wanted to be a wolf, but you know the funny thing about life…sometimes it steers you in the direction you’re truly needed, and I have a feeling here is where you’re needed.”
Alexus pulled her legs to her chest. "It doesn’t feel that way.”
"Make it feel that way. Do it with your own flair, not the way you think everyone expects you too, not that way Morgan and I do it. Do it your way. Spend time with the clan, spend time with Demetri because for some strange reason, I think he needs you most of all.” What could he need from her? He was the Primus, he was rich, he literally had women throwing themselves at his feet. Yet, the idea that he could possibly need her, did make her feel warm inside. "He was the one who came and got us, he said you needed us, and he needed to be somewhere.”
"Yeah, he said that to me too.”
"Where do you think-“ The sisters faces paled. "Oh no…”
After her sisters left, Alexus went to find Demetri, hoping he’d returned. Finding him, in his room, her bottom lip dropped at the sight of him. Shirtless, his back to her, his muscles taunt. He leaned against a table. Breath ragged he called over his shoulder.
"What is it that you need?”
She walked into the room. "Y-you killed him, didn’t you?”
He turned to face her. "Yes.”
His hardened face softened as her small hand caressed it. Pulling him to her, she kissed him, his body responding.
"Thank you.” She whispered softly, leaving him confused and dazed.