Chapter 13 - Sanctuary

WARNING: This chapter contains strong language, very graphic/explicit sexual content, and nudity (pictures included!).

They’d been driving for hours and the sky was already dark. Allanna was beginning to go stir-crazy.

“Where are we going?” she demanded.

“I know where we can hide out. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before.”

“Well I have to pee. Can’t we pull over for a minute? I’m dying.”

“Don’t say you’re dying, it’s not funny.”

“Well seriously, I’m about to burst. Please pull over into those bushes or something.”

Xavier sighed before giving in. He hoped they were far enough away from Vegas by now. Still, he hadn’t wanted to stop until they’d reached his destination.

“All right,” he said as he pulled off to the side of the road. “Go, but be quick.”

Allanna hastily opened the door and bolted for the bushes. As he waited, Xavier thought about what all had transpired in the past 24 hours. Allanna’s birthday had been a success, and she’d thoroughly enjoyed it. He was glad for that.

And last night. Never before had he experienced such a steamy love-making session. It made him want to do it again.

But most importantly was Mortius’s arrival. He’d obviously teleported himself into their hotel suite, and who knows what all he’d witnessed. He hadn’t said anything about Xavier’s and Allanna’s rambunctious night together, but he’d seen it clearly in his mind. And he was now destined to suffer the same fate as his mother. Because he’d gone against his orders and taken the vampires’ prisoner of his own volition, and then slept with her and left with her again, the punishment would be death.

And yet, he didn’t care. He’d known that eventually he would have to get both of them out of that hotel suite – they couldn’t stay there forever and the concierge was getting suspicious – but he’d hoped for a better plan than having to hastily escape because Mortius showed up.

Finally, just as Xavier began to think Allanna had taken off, she came back to the car and got back in the front seat. She barely got her seatbelt on before Xavier began driving again.

“Better?” he asked her.

“Much. Now, where are we going? You never told me.”

“I originally planned to take you home where you’d be safe. But I’m afraid you won’t be safe there.”

“What? Why not?”

“I read Mortius’s thoughts. He’s ready to storm your territory in Duskwood. Since he doesn’t have you as leverage anymore, and he realized that it wouldn’t work anyway, he’s going to lead an army right through.”

“What?! Xavier, I have to warn the pack!”

“I can’t take you there, it’s too dangerous.”

“I don’t care! I’m tired of being on the run all the time. I haven’t seen my family and friends in months, and now I may never see them again because of your fucked in the head leader! You can’t tell me I can’t warn them!”

“Allanna, please try to understand. Even if you did warn your pack, what would happen? I’m sorry, but they don’t stand a chance against Mortius and his underlings. They’re greatly outnumbered.”

“That’s where you’re wrong. We’re not the only pack around. If one pack’s in danger, all the other ones will show up. I guarantee my dad’s sent word to the other packs and they’re going to help.”

“I don’t want to risk it.”

“Damn it, what’s there to risk? They’re my family! They’re all I have!”

Xavier glanced sideways at Allanna, who was on the verge of tears. Images of her pack flashed through her mind, but still Xavier didn’t give in. His original plan to take her back home was thwarted.

It wasn’t about getting her home anymore. It was about protecting her. Taking her home would only hasten her demise, and he refused to lose Allanna.

He wondered why he felt so compelled to protect her. She was still, after all, the enemy, but he was so used to having her around that he couldn’t imagine living in a world where she didn’t exist. Mortius would be pursuing them relentlessly in addition to storming the wolves’ territory. He wouldn’t rest until they were both dead.

At last, Xavier pulled onto a dirt road and followed it to the front of an abandoned-looking house. Shingles were falling off and it was in desperate need of a paint job.

“What is this place?” Allanna wanted to know.

“This is where my mother and Savek would meet. I find it pretty appropriate, don’t you?”

“This is on wolf territory.”

“Not quite. This area is abandoned. Savek lived in this house, and this area is known as Shadow Grove. No one’s lived here for years.”

“Oh, great. So I get to be isolated even more. I’m so excited.”

“Look around, Allanna. There’s a vast amount of running space for you.”

Allanna looked past the house and saw open fields decorated with wildflowers. A few critters scampered by, and she heard the familiar serenade of crickets.

“Fine,” she said, “but I’m going for a run first thing.”

“I’ll search the house and see if there are any clothes or supplies that can be salvaged.”

The two vacated the car and Xavier trudged up the front steps of the porch. Allanna went to the side of the house and peeled off her clothes before transforming.

It felt like such a relief to be able to run on all fours again. Her paws padded against the terrain as she embraced the sweetness of the night. She looked around as she ran and saw that Xavier seemed to be right – Shadow Grove appeared to be abandoned. This was their sanctuary, their safe haven, at least for now. Here, they could come and go as they pleased for the most part and not have to worry about being hunted.

Still, with Mortius’s powers, it was possible that he’d find them yet again.

At last, after she felt she’d exercised enough for a while, Allanna headed back to the cabin. She transformed again and put her clothes back on before going inside.

The place didn’t look too impressive. Stains dotted the furniture and some of the wood looked warped and chipped. The paint had faded over time and nothing looked modern. There was no TV, no radio, and probably, once again, not even indoor plumbing. At least it would be easier for her to relieve herself here than in her bar cage underground – she could transform into a wolf and use the grass. And Xavier, being a male, wouldn’t have any issues either.

“I know it’s not much,” Xavier said apologetically, “but it’ll do to keep us safe, at least for the time being.”

“I hope so.”

“But we do have one problem I forgot to compensate for.”

“Which is? No indoor plumbing?”

“Actually, my mother was here when indoor plumbing was available, so there is a bathroom. But I’m very thirsty. And I don’t know of anywhere where I can obtain blood or plasma around here.”

Allanna bit her lip. Now he was probably going to feed from her. But she did have one other idea.

“I’ll go hunt for us.”

“Allanna, there aren’t any humans here, and you don’t eat human meat anyway.”

“No, I’m going to get us some animals. I know you won’t like it as much, but it’s better than nothing."

“I guess I have no choice."

"You don't have to live on human blood, do you?"

"No, but human blood tastes better and makes us stronger."

"How's that?"

"It quenches our thirst better than animal blood, therefore making us more resilient."

"Uh huh. Well, tonight you're getting animal blood. That's all there is anyway."

"All right, but be careful.”

Allanna scooted out the door once again, and Xavier saw her strip off her clothes before shifting. He couldn't help thinking that, safe as they might be now, Mortius had found them once, and he’d probably find them again.

Still, he hoped this wouldn't be the case, because Malik had given him something to go on regarding their whereabouts in Vegas. Hopefully Mortius didn't consider this location, or he was too busy working on his impending Duskwood invasion to look into it.

Allanna returned after about 20 minutes carrying the carcasses of a rabbit, raccoon, and squirrel.

“Sorry there were no deer,” she said as she sat the meal on the counter. “It’s the wrong time of night for them, really. They tend to be out around dusk.”

“It’s all right. Now, how should we do this?”

“Easy. You drink the blood and I’ll eat the meat. I hope these things didn’t have to be alive for you to drink their blood.”

“No, the blood’s just warmer when they are. But don’t worry about it.”

Xavier grabbed onto a raccoon and sunk his incisors into its neck. There was a hint of garbage in the creature’s blood, but at least his thirst was being quenched.

When he was finished, Allanna finished the varmint off by skinning it and ingesting its pink flesh. The two were somewhat disgusted with each other’s eating habits, but that was to be expected since they were different species.

When they’d finished their meal, they realized that it was almost 11pm.

“Too bad there’s no TV in this place,” Allanna commented as she looked around.

“You forget, this was before such novelties existed. But there is one form of entertainment in the bedroom.”

“Wow, really? Again?”

“Not that. I was referring to the phonograph.”

“Oh, right.”

Xavier chuckled before asking, “Would you like to try it out? It might still work.”

“I suppose so.”

So the two migrated to the bedroom where an ancient phonograph was nestled in the corner. Xavier, being much more familiar with the thing than Allanna, approached it and placed a record on it before setting the needle on top of it.

Instrumental music floated through the bedroom. The phonograph was a little dusty, so Xavier wiped it off, and it somewhat helped the sound quality. He then approached Allanna and asked, “May I have this dance?”

Allanna found herself giggling like a giddy schoolgirl before taking Xavier’s hand.

“I’m sorry I got you into this mess,” Xavier stated as they sashayed to the music. “If I had never kidnapped you, none of this would have happened.”

“I don’t know about that. Mortius probably would have figured out some other way to get what he wanted. I think we would have had a war no matter what.”

“We’re not having a war yet, but I can feel a storm brewing.”

“So can I. My animal instincts are kicking in.”

As they danced, Xavier began to realize something. He knew what he’d felt for Scarlet, and he was feeling it now for Allanna, except even stronger. There was no denying it. But how could he tell her? Her mind didn’t indicate that she felt the same way.

Still, he didn’t want to keep it bottled up inside. He looked down into her beautiful eyes and said, “Allanna, I have a confession to make.”

Allanna looked up at him in bewilderment. “What?”

“I thought I’d known love before, but what I feel with you…it’s much stronger than that. I’ve told you before that you’ve intrigued me, and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you for quite some time. Allanna, I’m in love with you.”

Allanna let go of Xavier’s hand and just gaped up at him. Unsure of what else to do, she vacated the bedroom and returned to the living room. Xavier followed her closely.

"I know you probably don't believe me," he was saying in an effort to console her, "but it's the truth. I haven't felt this way in such a long time, and I never thought I would again. I'm as confused as you are as to why. But love is something that no one can control. You yourself said that not so long ago, when I told you about my mother’s fate."

Countless thoughts were flashing through Allanna's mind, none of which made any sense. Her first instinct was to express how impossible such an emotion was. A vampire in love with a werewolf? Yeah, right.

But she couldn’t deny the own sensations she’d felt before. Xavier had saved her life, ensured her safety, and she felt genuinely happy and secure. And that wasn’t even counting the pleasure he’d given her last night. And she had made that assessment about his mother and her werewolf lover.

“So it’s safe to assume the feeling is mutual?” Xavier finally asked with a grin.

Allanna turned around and stuck her tongue out at him playfully before pulling his face down toward hers. Her tongue served a different purpose then as Xavier's brute strength pinned her against the wall, causing her to grasp the front of his shirt.

The kisses became more urgent and more dominating. Their clothes were practically ripped off as though Xavier and Allanna couldn’t stand to have them on a second longer. They didn’t even make it to the bedroom.

Their hands were exploring as much as their tongues, though Allanna did break away long enough to say, “I want to thank you for saving me again.”

“How else can you thank me?”

Allanna just winked before she got down to her knees. Then, her mouth went to work somewhere else. Xavier inhaled sharply as he grabbed the wall for support. Scarlet had never done this.

Allanna stood up then and Xavier grabbed her arms before spinning her around and ripping off her panties and tearing off her bra. He reached one hand around and cupped an ample breast as he parted her thighs.

Allanna gripped the back of the sofa for support as Xavier entered her from behind. He began digging his nails into her shoulders as he moved in and out. Any more pressure would cause him to break her bones. He then transferred one hand to her most sensitive area, causing her to moan loudly.

Forget that he didn’t have any canine genes in his rock-hard body – this guy was an expert at doggy style. He really knew what he was doing in bed (or, in this case, on the couch). Never before had Allanna experienced such great pleasure from a lover. The contrast of her hot skin with his ice cold skin made the sensation even more pleasurable, and the fact that this was forbidden was making the experience even hotter.

She spread her legs to allow him deeper entry, and she soon found herself sliding down the couch so that her butt was protruding.

Xavier stared at her nicely taught, round ass and went harder, much to her delight. She was screaming again, begging for it, wanting it harder. He happily obliged until they simultaneously found their release.

“Holy shit,” she gasped.

“I’m just giving the lady what she wants. I thought you might appreciate me doing you from behind.”

“You can take me however you want.”

“How about whenever I want?”

“If you think you can handle it.”

The two laughed out loud before they headed for the bedroom. Xavier remained sitting up while Allanna rested her delicate body on his chest, and he came to a realization – not only was he in love with this beautiful creature, but he never wanted to be apart from her. She was his essence, his new purpose in life. She was his soul mate.