Strange Love 108 Carried Away

The hours of traveling had felt like days. If the fatigue of being so far inland hadn't been enough the awkward silence of the car had been. Sh.e.l.ly, still refusing to leave wolf form hopped out of the car the second the door on her side had opened, but Jos remained planted in the seat. Her legs felt like wet noodles ready to give the second she even considered putting pressure on them. She nearly tumbled from the back seat when her door suddenly opened and Arei towered over her. He held out a hand to stable her.

"Do you need help getting out?" He asked.

She shook her head but took his hand anyways. "I'm still feeling a bit car sick is all."

He nodded, "I'll have a room prepared for you. Will you be able to make it up the steps?" He nodded toward the large Cape built home sitting atop a large cliff over looking the frigid north Atlantic sea and the lovely lighthouse that sat on the very edge of the jagged sh.o.r.es below. there was a steep set of stairs leading up to a ma.s.sive gate branded with two large tridents.

"Isn't there a closer entrance?" Russ asked as he studied the area seeing no sign of a second road.

Arei laughed, "Sorry pup, but this is it. You should probably get used to it. Your homelands are very much the same." He nodded to the ma.s.sive gates. "Your castle has similar gates as these, situated on the side of a cliff as well. I believe Jos could probably tell you more about it." He nodded toward her. "She and Raven were the ones to save you and your sister," He glanced down at Jos who was leaning against the car on wobbly legs. "Were you not?"

She nodded. "We were, but the vampires who attacked had already broken through the gates." The memories of that day didn't do her stomach any good. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut against the gut wrenching sadness of that day. She'd tried very hard to shove those memories as deep down as she could and keep them locked away tight, but when she opened her eyes and saw the surprised, questioning eyes of not only Russ but Sh.e.l.ly too, she knew she'd not be able to keep it buried for much longer. She glared up at Arei, "Thanks, I needed the images of one of my few friends horrible death right now." She clutched her stomach tight as it rolled beneath her grip. "I'm going to be-" She barely had time to get fully turned when the meager contents of her stomach came rushing up and splattered across the pavement. Arei rushed to her side and held her steady. "You need to get in the water as soon as we go inside. Don't worry my brother has a heated salt water pool inside." He laughed, "He'll it's about the only thing inside other than beds and the minimal amounts of furniture." He shrugged when Russ and Sh.e.l.ly both gave him a strange look, "What do you expect for a man that spends the vast majority of his life in merman form." He motioned Russ over with a flick of his head. "Do you think you could help her to the house without being too big of an a.s.shole?"

Russ's shoulders dropped and he looked down at his shoes. "If she'll allow me." He gazed longingly up at her from beneath lash hooded eyes.

Jos didn't even bother looking his direction and simply nodded as she struggled to keep down what was left of her stomach's contents. "I doubt I'm in any shape to refuse help no matter who it's from." She mumbled under her breath.

Arei snickered at her remark releasing her as Russ came up to her side. "Alright then, I'll get the bags and met you up there. I've already called ahead, but I'll let them know we are here and better explain the circ.u.mstances." He popped open the trunk and took out all the bags. Nodding toward Sh.e.l.ly, added. "Come on, you can go on up with me. Though I'm sure it would be amusing to see your brother get puked on, I could do without seeing anymore the rest of the night, how about you?" He winked down at her and she gave him a wolfish grin and nodded her large furry head. Russ braced her hips as she through up once again. He rubbed her back as she continued to dry heave, clutching her stomach in pain. "Here let me carry you've. Even if you could possibly still have anything left in there, it would only be far if you puked on me for a change."

She couldn't help a slight laugh, "You wouldn't be lying there." She teased as she struggled to straighten. She leaned her body weight against the side of the car still holding her stomach. "Ugh... At least there could have been some good rum involved in all this..." She whined.

Russ chuckled as he bent to scoop her up. "Believe me, there's no glory in throwing up alcohol either."

She arched her brows at him as he lifted her into his arms with ease. "Oh really? As often as were had there for a while, I figured there must be some fun to be had by it."

Russ winced, giving her a one eyed crocked smile, "Not my finest hours." He frowned, "And neither was last night. I'm sorry Jos. I shouldn't have said those things. I know you're only concerned for my future; but you have to realize that's what it is, MY future. Shouldn't I get some say in it?"

The last bit of irritation faded away as Jos met his stubborn gaze. She stroked her palm across his stubbled jaw. "Russ, I know you feel that way, and it would be the fair way of things... but the sad reality of life is things aren't fair. We don't always get to choose what we are and how we live. I can't choose what I am any more than you can. It has been a daily struggle for me, my entire life just to hold bad enough to live some fraction of a normal life. I've killed people, Russ... innocent people. Is that really the type of queen you want by your side? Do you really expect your people to approve?" She shook her head as tears began to build in the back of her eyes. "I would love nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with you, but the reality is even if we can get them to see past the fact that I'm not a full-blooded werewolf they will not look past the fact of what I am."

Russ frowned, "As their ruler I-"

Jos interrupted him. "As their ruler, you will be held to a higher standard than the rest. They will expect you to carry the burden of producing a heir of n.o.ble blood. I know these things because your mother and I had discussed it all before." She cupped his cheek and he leaned his face into her palm. "It's not only the council we'd be going against, but your own parents' wishes for you as well."

Russ stopped walking and gazed down into her eyes. "Then f.u.c.k them all. Maybe a good son would want to honor his parents' memory by marrying someone he doesn't love and ruling a land he doesn't know..." He shrugged with her still in his arms. "But I have no loyalty to them or their land. You and Raven were the ones that were always there for me. You are my home, my one true love, the only thing I hold loyalty to."

Jos frowned. "And what of your people? They will be looking to you for guidance and hope of some day getting back to the great people they were before the attacks." He shrugged again, "They have my uncle. He's brought them this far hasn't he?"She shook her head. "Trust me, your uncle may have been a great warrior, but he is no leader. They wouldn't be so despite to have you back this soon if that had changed over these years."

Russ let out a heavy sigh. "It seems, we have a lot to talk about." He arched his brows at her. "Maybe this time you could start from the beginning and not leave anything out?" He said in mild irritation.

She nodded, "Yes, but it's probably best if Sh.e.l.ly and Raven are both there. Sh.e.l.ly deserves to hear the whole story as well and Raven can fill in bits that I can't." He smiled down at her. "Thank you, and maybe afterwards you can let me make up for my bad behavior last night."

Her brows furrowed, "Russ, I don't think that's a good idea. Everything else aside, we're not good for each other as lovers."

It was his turn to look confused and irritated. "How so?"

She let out a long sigh. "Russ all we do is f.u.c.k and fight... What kind of relationship is that?"

His lips turned up into a mischievous grin. "A d.a.m.n good one, if you ask me." He leaned in to kiss her lips but she turned away.

"We should head for the house. I think Arei was right, a swim will do me good." Her eyes trailed up to the ma.s.sive gates as he pushed them open. His eyes met hers as he bent to get the bags, holding them for a second before nodding toward her and turning away.

Russ followed her eyes and watched their wordless interaction. A sad reality struck him. They knew each other well enough where words were not required. He'd noticed over the past two days that the large man was very entuned with Jos's needs and was able to read her expressions just as well if not better than he could. "What about him?"

Jos turned surprised eyes back to Russ. "What about him?" She asked.

He nodded in Arei's direction. "You're the same... both part G.o.ds, capable of shifting, around the same age more or less... He has no ties to man or G.o.d from what I can tell." He shrugged in irritation. "Every reason you've given me as to why we can't be together, there isn't any of that when it comes to him... is there?" He waited for her to say something, but her eyes only burned into his a wave of unsaid words written in their depths. "Orion told quite a bit about your time together, the three of you. I'd originally thought he'd made the biggest majority of it up just to irritate me and use it as a way to force my shifts... but I can see the truth in some of the things now. The two of you obviously had something together once, and I can tell he still loves you." Russ took a deep breath glaring down at her as he waited for a response. When she squeezed her eyes tightly shut, instead, he continued. "You see, I'm not so much bothered by the fact he still has feelings for you; but more by the fact that you still have feelings for him."

Her eyes popped open wide. "Russ that was 500 YEARS ago! Yes, I'll admit it's been strange these last two weeks with him, but-"

"G.o.d dammit Jos," He growled, "I'm tired of the lies and the half truths, just f.u.c.king say it already. I can read it all over your face. You're cold feet right now has very little to do with my situation and more to do with the fact you can't decide who you want to be with!" He growled harshly.

Surprise and anger collided and Jos's hand was flying through the air and connecting with a loud pop against his cheek before she ever realized what was happening. "f.u.c.k you! You have no right to say that to me!" She struggled to get out of his arms. "You can't imagine what h.e.l.l the past several weeks have been for me!"

Russ set her feet on the ground but held on tightly to her refusing to let her go. "Oh I'm sure it was unbearable going from one man's bed to another. Tell me, is that what prompted you to eat the f.u.c.king vampire? Was he that bad of a lay?" He gripped her wrists tighter as she tried to pull away from him.

Jos kicked out and made contact with his shin. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she cried out, "How can you claim to love me so much but constantly do and say such harsh things?"

Russ released her hands, but before he could apologize a firm left hook shot out over Jos's shoulder and landed directly into his already sore and broken nose. "f.u.c.k..." He shouted as he clung to his bleeding nose.

"Did I not hit you hard enough last night? Did your little 'I'm not healing as a reminder to myself' bulls.h.i.t wear off already?" Arei stepped in front of Jos and pressed her behind him with his free hand.

She fell to the cold hard concrete stairs and came face to face with the concerned eyes of Sh.e.l.ly. When the wolf nudged the hands that covered her eyes, she wrapped her arms around the wolf and buried her face in its soft fur as Arei and Russ continued to fight and argue. Jos was still sobbing when Arei lowered beside her and scooped her up. "Come on let's get the two of you inside."

Russ watched in disappointed irritation as Arei carried Jos the rest of the way up the stairs with his sister following close behind. His heart dropped when Sh.e.l.ly turned back toward him at the gate and bared her fangs. He sank to the stair an rested his head in his hands. "What the f.u.c.k was that... I've got to get my s.h.i.t together..."

"Agreed!" Raven called out from the base of the stairs.

He glanced up to see Orion following close behind, his arms loaded down with luggage and supplies. "You saw that?"

She shrugged sarcastically, "Only the part where you were being an a.s.s again." She laughed as she made her way up the stairs. "How's that nose doing? You should probably go ahead and shift so ya don't end up with sleep apnea or something." She shrugged again as she walked by him. "Don't worry I'm sure it'll be broken again for you soon enough."

Russ let out a heavy sigh. "What am I going to do? Everything I do and say is only driving her farther away." He buried his face in his hands again.

It was Orion's turn to shrug, "I'm not the best with the fairer s.e.x, but typically it's best to avoid p.i.s.sing off the ones you want to keep around. I personally only p.i.s.s them off as a way to get them to leave." He laughed as Russ glared at him. "What? I tried to warn you didn't I?" He nodded toward his brother's departing back. "He's an advocate for those in need of help. Don't think for a minute, he wouldn't break my nose for saying something half as offensive to a stranger... let a lone to someone he cares strongly for."

Russ gritted his teeth. "So he is in love with her then?"

Orion chuckled. "We both care strongly for her kid." He narrowed his eyes toward the departing backs ahead of them. "Though you may be right about his feelings being a bit different than mine." His eyes traveled back down to Russ as he stepped past the boy. "You see, I've only ever thought of her as a daughter or younger sister... Arei on the other hand," He watched as Arei set Jos on her feet at the large door while he talked to their older brother, his hand wrapped around her shoulders holding her firmly to his side. "He's never seen her that way, that's for sure. If he isn't still in love with her, I do believe he was back then."