228. Inferno

Warning: nudity

Bridgeport, present day

For two days Eloise didn't go to work. She called in sick, claiming she had a cold. Her bosses, pleased with all the work she'd done on the Twinbrook audit were more than understanding, they told her to take all the time she needed.

So for two days, she sat by Devon's side and took care of him, not an easy task since her husband seemed determined to fight her at every turn. A healthy Devon could be impossible at times, but a changing Devon was a nightmare, and she was so afraid he'd only get worse once he'd completed his transformation. Yes, she was ninety-nine percent certain she'd changed him; he was showing all the signs, increased body temperature, heightened senses, restlessness, cravings for raw meat. She'd shown the same signs just before her first transformation.

She was just dozing off to sleep now in her arm chair when she heard Devon stir on the bed.

"What's happening to me?" He blinked at her, his eyes burned bright with the fever.

Eloise rushed to his side and took his hand. For a moment she didn't know what to say to him. She considered lying, but she knew in a few hours, he'd know the truth, so it was better to prepare him and face his change head on. She took a long deep breath before she explained to him as gently as she could, without overwhelming him with details, that when she bit him she must have changed him somehow.

She braced herself for his wrath. But it never came; instead he broke down and growled in his hands. And she couldn't stand it. She could handle their fighting, she could take his rage, but she couldn't stand his pain. It cut so deep, she found herself crying along with him, and knowing she was responsible for shattering his whole world filled her with shame she didn’t think she would ever get over.

She sat on the bed and held him. She was surprised when he didn't push her away.

"Dev, I’m so, so very sorry," she kissed his temple.

"No. I should have told you about my job, but I was so ashamed, I thought you'd think less of-" he shuddered violently in her arms before he'd finished what he wanted to say, and Eloise had to use all her strength to subdue him and push him back on the bed.

"You have to calm down, please," she pleaded with him as she held him tightly in her arms. His skin felt clammy and his pillowslip was sopping wet with perspiration, her T-shirt too. But she didn't notice. The only thing she was aware of  was the growling sound rumbling deep within his chest. She knew it wouldn't be long now.

She must have fallen asleep, because when she opened her eyes again, she noticed the sky had turned a pinkish-purple hue beyond the window, she guessed it was early evening.  She couldn't see Devon, but she could hear his restless pacing in the far corner of the room.

She turned over to look at him. Devon stopped pacing, and gave her a long hard look. 

“Do you want something to eat?” Eloise asked. 

Devon shook his head and mumbled something. She didn't catch what he said, though, it didn't sound human; it was more like a bark.

She abruptly jumped out of bed and approached him, if he was going to transform, it would be best if they were downstairs, with all exits opened, that way he wouldn’t hurt himself if he tried to break free.

The moment she touched him, Devon rounded on her like a wounded animal, gnashing his teeth at her.

“Dev, I just want to help you, please,” she pleaded with him. 

Devon’s features softened and he looked like he was considering her offer to help him.

Without warning, he clutched his head and let out a chilling growl. Eloise watched in horror as his face contorted with pain, blood dripped at the side of his lips, presumably from his elongated canines.

His finger nails grew longer, and gray-brown fur began to sprout from the bite mark, spreading to the rest of his body ferociously.

Falling on all fours, Devon tried to say something to her.

But only a howl emerged as he was wholly turned into a wolf.

He stared at her for one long moment, making whiny, whimpering sounds. He couldn’t talk, but his eyes spoke volumes. She’d broken him, made him something he didn’t want to be.

She took a step forward, and just as she was about to reach out to him and comfort him, Devon let out a pained bark before he threw himself at the window. Eloise blocked her face with her hands, trying to avoid the sharp shards from the glass.

His faint bark outside when he hit the ground, pulled her out of her daze, and she forced herself to phase out…

In spite of the rain, Eloise picked up Devon’s scent with no trouble at all, after all he was her mate, and now that she’d changed him, their bond would be unbreakable, and no matter how things turned out between them they’d always have a connection.

She caught up with him just as he reached the city center. The hustle and bustle of traffic and commuters rushing home for the night seemed to overwhelm him, and he stopped and searched for a clear path. When he didn’t see one, he ran on the road. Eloise just stood there, paralyzed by fear, almost certain that the red car approaching at a reckless speed would knock him over.

Surprisingly, though, the driver hit his brakes in time, stopping mere inches from Devon. The driver threw a few obscenities at Devon, who in turn barred his canines and howled back at him before he sprinted off. Eloise was on his trail once more, running through the busy streets, unfazed by the terrified screams following their every turn.

Her pursuit finally ended at the port, where she found Devon gazing off into the sea as if contemplating whether he should cross or not.

She approached him, making quiet, whining sounds. Devon turned around and met her half way. She slowly brought their muzzles together and touched his nose affectionately.

Before long they were chasing each other around the port, sometimes they’d stop and groom each other's coats.

And other times, they’d just lie there, with their bodies pressed close together.

As the evening faded,  making way for the night and the blanket of stars covered the sky, Devon grew increasingly restless, and his snarling and howls grew louder too. All at once, Eloise found herself sprinting after him again…

The first thing Eloise noticed when she opened her eyes was the drizzling rain. 

Then she saw Devon’s arm draped over her naked body and she guessed they must have phased back to their human forms at dawn.

She turned around slowly to look at her husband, and when she saw the blood on his face and neck, she was instantly on her feet.

Complete, undisguised horror washed over her when she saw the results of their blood frenzy last night. The carnage was incomprehensible…

Credits: the spoon feeding pose in the 2nd shot is from this set here, thank you Brooke for sharing it.