Red Roses - (FCRAs 2016 Winner)

Scarred

~~~ Bulk upload: Please make sure you have read the chapter before this ~~~ 

 

Lorelie and Jean stared at their grandmother for a long moment, caught in stunned silence as they waited for her to take another breath. To open her eyes. To laugh and say it was some sort of bizarre, cruel joke.

But she didn't.

Nana May lay still, the colour already starting to drain from her face, matching that of the wolves who hadn't made it out alive.

"Nana," Lorelie muttered, slowly gripping her grandmother's arms, "Granny, wake up."

"Lorelie," Jean said, his voice low.

"My... my bag, I must have something in my bag. I should—"

"Lorelie," Jean repeated, catching her hands as they started to shake, "You're only human. You can't bring back the dead."

Lorelie pulled away from him, eyes wide. "You don't think... she really died... died for..."

Jean looked at her, then looked behind him, back to the clearing where everyone who was conscious was staring at Nana May, in a dazed shock.

"What do we tell everyone back home?" Lorelie said, her voice shaking, looking at Jean, "What do we... how do we explain this...."

Jean shrugged as he looked away, his hair falling across his face, hiding the sheen that was starting to bloom across his eyes. "She was killed by a wolf," he said simply, his voice thin and weak.

"Jean," Lorelie cried, looking at him, "What have I done? I shouldn't have got involved!"

"You shouldn't have got involved."

Lorelie whirled around as all eyes spun towards one of the wolves. The huge brown wolf with greying fur around the pale blue eyes slowly twisted his head back to look at her and she stumbled to her feet, stepping back.

"You should never have got involved," he hissed, his muscles bunching up and loosening as he tried to move. "You should have died the first time. I should have made sure I killed you when you were a child. The only damn witch who ever escaped me."

"I am not a witch," Lorelie said, breathing hard, staring at him. Jean shot to his feet but she pushed him aside, staring down at Sullivan as he looked back up at her, a sneer starting to twist his new face.

"I remember that look," he muttered, grinning, revealing hideous fangs, "I remember those eyes that stared at me like she had all the power in the world. You think a monster who can stare down a man the way you stare down me isn't somehow different? Isn't a witch?"

"You killed my grandmother," Lorelie muttered, her trembling hands curling into fists.

"Good goddamn riddance then," Sullivan spat. "I hope I was the one who killed her!"

"You didn't kill her," Jean said. Sullivan looked at him and Jean sneered back at him. "You only just woke, didn't you? I suppose you didn't hear why she died."

"What?" Sullivan growled.

"Your bullet didn't kill her," Jean said, "You do not get that satisfaction. As if someone as powerful as her could be killed by the likes of you. She chose to in order to save that last wolf."

And, right on que, at that second, a hand appeared at the bottom of the hollow, nails digging into the dirt right before it hauled it's body out after it and Grey collapsed to the ground; his original, real, human body breathing hard, coughing as he sucked in air, his hair across his face and Lorelie's cape still tangled across his body as everyone stared at him.