I woke up to the sound of movement outside of my house. I must have dozed off on the couch after I made sure Mary-Beth had drifted off. I pushed up slowly to my feet as I listened to the sound of the porch steps creaking under the weight of a body. My heart began to beat faster but I assured myself that it was probably the officers working at the Sheriff's department, come with more questions. I moved towards the front door ready to confidently tell them they would have to wait until the morning, after my sister had woken up. I wouldn't be disturbing her to be hounded by more people with questions.
I knew she had seen something awful out there tonight and the fact that I had been able to protect her from that was already eating at me. Instead of finding an officer like I had suspected when I opened my front door I found Callum standing naked and bloodied on my porch. I stared at him in shock, fear and worry warring for control. When he staggered forward with uncertain steps I moved forward to grab him, snaking my arm around his waist, "What the hell, Cal?" I hissed at him.
He leaned into me, becoming almost too heavy for me hold up on my own, "Your sister..." He mumbled with a hoarse voice as I moved him into the house.
I knew news must have traveled quickly that was small towns for you, though apparently, my thought that it would be safer than the city had been a huge miscalculation, "Mary-Beth is asleep in her room." I snipped out quickly, feeling protective of her contact with these people.
"Good."
I lowered him onto the couch, my lips pinching together at the groaned sound of pain as I settled all his weight down, "What are you doing here, Cal?" I stared down at his face which was still handsome even though it was covered with blood splatter. I honestly, had no idea if it was his blood or someone else's and I was too afraid to ask him for the truth. I knew as much as I wanted to know about the people of Twin Peaks.
"Looking for me. Needed alibi."
My eyes narrowed in suspicion as I brought my hands to my hips, "Why are they looking for you, Cal? What did you do?" There was no way that I was going to put my neck out for someone who was suspected of being a murderer. At the sight of him now, naked and covered in blood, it was hard to think that he wasn't some psycho killer. He cracked open an eye, peaking up at me from under thick lashes. I found myself ensnared by his heavy gaze, my skin prickling with awareness.
Callum let out a heavy breath as he tried to shift his position on the couch, which from the looks of it would have to be thrown out. I found myself reaching to help him as if it was a natural reaction, despite the unnatural situation. I hooked my arms under his arm pits, using my legs to help lift him. He stiffened under my touch, letting out a low growl, "What are you doing?"
"I'm helping your crazy ass. Now, move it." I hissed at him between my teeth as my legs began to tremble slightly under his weight. He let out another growl but settled into my hold, allowing me to move him a couple of inches before we both lost the strength to do anymore. He was much heavier than I had imagined. I pulled back, cheeks feeling flushed at having been up close and personal with him.
"Now..." I breathed out, "You're going to tell me what the hell is going on? Is this about that body they found in the woods...Did you kill someone?" I stared down at him. His breathing was labored and it looked like he was struggling with the pain. I knew that I probably had a good chance of getting away from him if he decided to try anything on me in his current state.
"Not tonight." His lips tugged upward in a dark grin that sent a chill through me. Callum obviously wanted to keep his secrets, secret. He had never been the most forthcoming person, so I don't know why I had expected anything from him but vague answers and riddles, "Need you to get out...buckshot..." He moved his hand up his side, turning his back to reveal the main cause of the blood. I sucked in a breath at the sight of the tiny holes.
"Oh, my god..." I whispered softly, reaching out my hand toward him again. Yet, another uncontrollable response. He caught hold of my wrist in his hand, stopping me from touching him.
Our gazes locked, "Silver...get gloves. Tweezers. Alcohol..." I felt my brows furrow at his words. I couldn't understand why he wouldn't want me to touch it, perhaps he was that worried about infection. He released his grip on me, closing his eyes with as he sucked in a pained breath while he shifted.
"I'll be right back." I mumbled to him in a rush as I moved out of the room.
I hurried to the downstairs bathroom, throwing open the cupboard under the sink. I wasn't sure if I even had a first aid kit, but I checked away. I found a bottle of hydroperoxide, and a pair of rubber gloves I had used to clean with when we had first moved in. I grabbed them both, setting them on the counter as I stood up. I opened up the medicine cabinet, hoping that I had an extra set of tweezers besides the one in my own bedroom that I used on my eyebrows. I didn't find any tweezer but I found an extra set of nail clippers with the nail file attached. I could use it to dig out the buckshot, not the easiest method but it would have to do.
I walked with a purpose down the hallway, looking cautiously toward the stairs. I sent out a silent prayer that Mary-Beth would remain sleeping, and never have to find out about our surprise guest. It would be a hard thing to gloss the naked man cover in blood, sitting on the couch. I moved past them on my tip-toes, doing well to avoid the floorboards that I knew were creaky. When I came back into the living room, Callum was practically hunched over. The sight sent my heart racing, "Please don't be dead..." I murmured as I moved towards him.
"Take more to kill me." He replied, voice full of gravel. I let out a silent thanks to the big man upstairs. I definitely was not prepared to deal with any dead bodies. Callum lifted his face to meet my gaze as I set the items down on the coffee table. He held my gaze for a tense moment, some unreadable expression passing over his face before his turned his attention to what had gathered, "Put on gloves...I'll lay out on the couch."
I watched as he struggled to shift his body around, "Do you need help?" I asked but got a growl in response, deciding that the man's pride would more than likely be the death of him. It took him a good three minutes to finally get himself laid out on the couch, his stomach pressed to the cushions. My eyes trekked down the length of him, first to assess the wounded area and the second time it was simply to admire his body.
"Don't have time to ogle, Luce..." He rasped out, clearly knowing exactly what I had been doing. My cheeks burned at his words, "The longer the silver stays in the more likely it will poison my blood."
That was all that he needed to say to have me turning to grab the gloves. I spilled them on over my hands and up my arms, snapping them into place. I turned to grab the nail clippers, sliding the hooked file from where it was tucked into the handle. I looked from file to his back, there was so many pieces, this was going to take a while. I leaned over, pinching at one of the nearest holes. Callum let out a low groan, body tensing, "I'll try to be as quick as possible but there is a lot."
"Don't worry about me. Just make sure to get it all." He commanded in a guttural voice. I sucked in a steady breath, doing my best to calm the slight shake in my hand as I lowered the file to the hole and began to dig out the tiny piece of metal embedded under his skin. It took a moment but I got out the sliver, dropping it onto the table behind me.
"One down, like a million more to go." This was seriously turning into a one long goddamn night.
*************
It had taken nearly two hours to dig all of the buckshot out of his back but I had gone over it thoroughly to make sure that I hadn't missed anything. After I had helped him to the bathroom so that he could clean himself. I was worried he would need my help so I had paced back and forth in the hallway the entire time he had been inside. Apparently, once the silver was removed he had regained enough of his strength to no longer really need my assistance. I had given him my bathrobe to cover himself with, which had been mildly amusing to see him wrapped up in the short, pink terry cloth that left barely anything to the imagination.
"Thank you for your help." Callum remarked as I set down the cup of fresh coffee in front of him, taking a seat across from him at the dining room table. I took a sip from my own cup, needing a little shot of caffeine to keep me from collapsing.
"Yes, it was a pleasure to have you show up at my house in the middle of the night to have me dig buckshot out of you." I replied sarcastically. It was as though he had given me the option of helping him or not. I knew the big town secret, and he knew that I knew. It was clear to me that if I didn't tread carefully he could out me to the people I was trying very hard to keep myself from.
His lips twitched, "Perhaps we can do again sometime." I leveled him with a heavy gaze, straightening up in my seat. It was a little too early for him to be making jokes, or perhaps I was really not in the mood to be joking around. The past twelve hours had been extremely stressful for me.
"Why are people shooting you, Cal?" I questioned.
He shifted in the seat, causing it to creak under his weight, "Got caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. I was tracking another wolf; the one I think is responsible for killing that man your sister found in the woods tonight."
"So, they shot you?" It seemed hard to believe, but my gut instinct was to trust Callum.
"Well, a wolf is a wolf to people who don't know different." He shrugged his shoulder. It didn't seem like he had hard feelings over the fact that someone had shot him. Maybe it was simply part of his life, being what he was and all.
"But they shot you with a silver bullet...wouldn't that mean they knew what they were hunting?"
His expression darkened a little at my question, "Not necessarily. Just might mean the people that gave the shooter the gun knew what they were hunting. Either way none of that matters. What matters is that there is someone out their murdering people in Twin Peaks...First Maggie and now, Gunther." I could tell from the tone of voice that this was personal to Callum. This was his town and he had probably known most of these people his whole life.
I felt slightly callous for wishing that I had never brought Mary-Beth to this town. It was supposed to be something good but it had turned straight into a nightmare. I dropped my face into my hands, shielding it from view, "I'm going to get myself and my sister killed...already almost did tonight..." Why had I thought that I could be a good guardian? Clearly the cards were stacked against me.
"Nobody is going to touch you or your sister, Lucinda." Callums word were full of confidence. I lifted my head, meeting his green eyes across the table. He didn't look as though there was a doubt in his mind whether or not he could keep us safe, "I promise."
I tilted my head, "Because you will be our Alpha?" I still remembered the deal he wanted to make with me. His eyes flashed amber for a moment, an otherness suddenly stirring in the air around us. I felt it creeping up my skin in a way that made my stomach twist into knots.
"Is that what you want?"
I wanted to keep my sister safe and alive. I couldn't be there all the time and there was no way I could stand a chance against mythical beasts that clouded the pages of books with horror. I was one human girl against a town of werewolves, the odds were not in my favor.
"I want you to promise you will protect, Mary-Beth with your life." I knew I was making a deal with the devil but sometimes that was what was required to survive.
"I promise, upon my own life that you and Mary-Beth will never have to fear anything or anyone, as long as I am around." I felt a strange stirring in my chest at the amount of certainty and promise that he put into his oath. It left me with little doubt that he wouldn't keep it. Of course, I knew I may have promised my soul to a man who very well could be a murderer. It didn't matter to me though. Mary-Beth came first, and I knew I would be willing to do a lot more than aid and abed a criminal if it meant keeping her happy, healthy, and safe.
"And if anyone asks, you were here, with me all night."
His gaze remained focused on me, "People will talk..." He was giving me a chance to change my mind.
"Let people talk. You just keep your promise and make sure I don't live to regret this." I watched a ghost of a smile skitter across his face at my sharp response.