Eloise wasn't surprised to see him. In fact, from the calm way she held the door and invited him inside, Thornton was sure she'd been expecting him.
She showed him to the living-room, K-Infinity’s So Epic It Hurts was on the stereo, the mournful lyrics and the acoustic guitar in the background added to the gloomy weather outside, it had been raining nonstop since last night.
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Eloise turned down the volume; Krisis' raspy voice vanished into the tension surrounding them. She offered Thornton a seat and something to drink. He refused both, this wasn't a social call and he didn't plan on staying long.
"You don't mind if I sit?" Eloise tried to smile, but it came out more like a grimace.
Before he could even reply, she plopped her lithe frame on the armchair next to the roaring fire in the fireplace.
Thornton didn't give her time to get comfortable though. He placed the file on the coffee table in front of her; she stared at it with a look of dread and apprehension in her eyes.
"Open it," he ordered her.
Eloise shook her head.
"I don't recall giving you a choice,” Thornton regarded her coldly.Eloise stared back at him in stony silence. Her stubbornness, her quiet defiance was eating away at his last resolve. He couldn't believe that after everything he'd done for her, after he'd begged and pleaded for her life this was how she'd chosen to repay him.
"Open it!" He bellowed again in a slightly sharper tone.
This time Eloise obeyed without hesitation; something in his eyes must have scared the shit out of her.
"No!" A small barking sound rumbled in her throat as she glanced at the contents of the file.
"Explain yourself," Thornton clasped his hands, his eyes fixed on her form.
"I- eh-uh" Eloise stammered.
"I know it was you. But if you're going to lie to me, you'd better come up with something good!" He drawled softly, but there was nothing soft in the icy glare he threw her way.
"What makes you think it was me?" she tried to match his stare, but she couldn't keep up with the cold disdain in his eyes, she looked away.
"Because we've been here before, Eloise. I suppose we should be grateful your victims this time were not human?" Thornton continued in the same tone.
“I honestly don't remember," Eloise tried again to back out of the mess without implicating herself.
Thornton could barely hold on to his temper now. In a blink of an eye, he'd crossed the room and he had her throat in his hand, squeezing her trachea. "Let's try this again, shall we?" He growled in her ear. Eloise nodded her head; she couldn't talk since his deathly cold fingers were blocking her airways.
Thornton let go of her. She fell back in her seat in a messy heap and burst into tears, loud, heart-wrenching sobs filled the room. He had no patience for tears, but he gave her time to compose herself, and he took the seat she'd offered earlier, it seemed he was going to be there for a while.
"Can I get you anything to drink?" Eloise asked again after a long stretch of silence.
And once again, Thornton shook his head. He doubted she had his brand of whiskey. "Cut the bullshit Eloise!"
"Okay," she nodded her head and told him everything. Or most of it at least. The last thing she remembered was transforming in her bedroom the previous night and waking up to the rain this morning in the farm field, surrounded by dead sheep.
From the way she looked at everything but him, he could tell she wasn't being completely truthful with him. She was holding back. Protecting someone. His money was on her maker.
"Who were you with?" He decided to stop dancing around the issue, he had a lunch date with Katie, and the sooner he cleared this shit up with Eloise, the sooner he could leave.
"I was alone," she lied. Blatantly. And it made him furious.
"Bullshit! You expect me to believe you alone are responsible for all that carnage?" He roared at her, the sound matched the sudden clapping thunder outside, and Eloise jumped in her seat. She was about to dissolve into tears again. But the quick warning look from him put a stop to the waterworks.
He couldn't believe how much she'd changed in such a few months. The last time he saw her, she was vulnerable, confused and afraid. But now, every time he looked at her, all he saw was a dangerous predator, one who'd stop at nothing to protect herself and her own.
"Who were you with?" He rasped again as he yanked her off her seat faster than the speed of light. He almost had her in his death grip again, but she quickly rounded on him and bared her canines, her eyes flashing yellow.
"I don't answer to you!" She hissed through her teeth.
"Oh, but you do! We had a deal, remember? Your life for your maker's?"
"I did nothing wrong. I didn't kill anyone!" Eloise cried adamantly.
"But you committed a crime!. And my people are getting the brunt of it!"
"Those sheep would have been slaughtered anyway!" She screamed right back at him.
Thornton shook his head in disbelief, they were going nowhere fast. He should never have trusted a wolf. He grabbed his briefcase from the table and rushed towards the door.
"The VIA will be here-" he didn't get to finish what he wanted to say. Devon, looking like he'd been through hell and back, walked into the room then. And all the proverbial puzzle pieces fell into place.
"What have you done?" Thornton closed his eyes, silently wishing he’d never walked into this never ending nightmare.
"It was an accident. I didn't mean to change him-" Eloise was in tears again, and Devon took over and filled in the blanks for him.
The longer Thornton stayed and listened to him, the more convinced he was, he didn't want to hear any more of their shit.
"Please, I know we don't have a right to ask, but you have to help us," Eloise tried to say but he turned on her faster than she could blink.
"I don't have to do shit for you!"
On the outside, he looked as calm as ever, but on the inside he was a mess. He could have taken care of Eloise, no questions asked. But Leigh's brother. Jesus. Leigh would never forgive him if he went after her brother. He could kiss his relationship with his children goodbye.
"Like it or not, we're family. And family sticks together." Devon was right of course.
But Thornton wouldn't be backed into a corner. "I am done protecting you both,” He told Devon as he rose from his seat,
"If I were you, I’d start running!" He added before he stalked out of the room.
Credits: Special thanks to Karima for cleaning up some of the images.
AN: Thanks to everyone who still reads Krisis and for all your comments, the story would not have made it this far if it wasn't for you all.
Bi-weekly updates will commence shortly. I'm estimating Krisis should be wrapped up end of March if I stick to the schedule. Latest early April.
Vampires live forever, so the story won't end.... *wishwish*
ReplyDeleteWhat an explosive scene... The pictures were really awesome, really excellent. The opening pictures are gorgeous.
Oh what a mess Eloise is in, and Thornton. He is probably the one with the most to lose. I do hope that they run, from a distance they can still maintain contact with family, and they will be safe from any hunters, or vampires. It's too early for the wolves to be part of society I think, sadly. But then, the vampires are also unpredictable when they are first turned, look at the mess Michaela went through. I hope they do go to a safe place though. If they move because of Devon's work, then Leigh won't be suspicious, and they will be protected. Loved it.
Lol, IKR! I'd love for them to live on forever. And I'd love to keep writing but it't becoming harder and harder to juggle RL and work and I have less and less free time now. That said thank you for wanting to see more of Krisis,
DeleteEloise and Thornton never really got off to a good start, and her playing hide and seek didn't help matters. Their meeting was bound to get a little heated. I'm very happy you liked the opening shots, they were a pain to shoot and I didn't really get the picture that I had in mind. But it means a lot to me to know you liked them.
You are right, Thornton does have a lot more to lose. Either way, whatever he does he's screwed. If he doesn't bring Eloise in, he'll likely have a fallout with the VC, and if he does, his kids won't want to have anything to do with him.
Running seems like the best option right now, but with their strong ties to Bridgeport, it will be very difficult for Eloise and Devon to leave everything and everyone behind and start over.
Thanks for reading and all your encouraging words.
So explain something to me. Somehow the vamps think they are better than wolves because why? The wolves have less control over themselves when in wolf form? Yet a vamp can be just as bad. Both can look at humans as food so...yeah I'm not understanding. Thornton can so easily think about killing off Eloise even knowing she's related to Leigh. Did he not think that Leigh would be upset that her sister in-law went missing or dead and would be upset to learn her father-in-law had something to do with it?
ReplyDeleteI am rightly confused at the moment because Thornton has come off as a pompous ass thinking he can fucking dictate to her or anyone. Are the vamps in control of all society? They are the only supernaturals allowed? I don't get why he's on the high horse of being superior.
No, Thornton and the other vampires don't think they are better than wolves, but each race will go to extreme lengths to protect their own.
DeleteThe politics in Krisis and the societal structure were covered in earlier updates. But to recap, humans are the superior race, and Vampires are the sub-citizens, with their own laws, and government structures. As the head of the Vampire Council in Bridgeport, Thornton is responsible for keeping the peace between humans and Vampires, and since the Human Preservation Act was passed in Volume 5, Vampires are no longer free to hunt and turn humans as they please, and Eloise's bloodbath could very well be blamed on the Vampire community because at this point, other than MorcuCorp, very few senior officials in the human command know of the shapeshifter's existence.
In Volume 5 when Eloise killed a man outside Waylon's Haunt, Thornton protected her, he went as far as go against the Vampire Council's wishes, they wanted to turn her over to the humans, but he wagered a deal on her behalf which she gladly took. He didn't have to help her, he doesn't owe Eloise anything as much as he doesn't owe Leigh either. He's a politician and his job and the wellbeing of his people come first, and that's how it's always been. His kids know this, Leigh knows this too, and it would be unfair to expect him to keep bailing Eloise out when she's been nothing but evasive and untruthful.
Eloise was supposed to inform Thornton and the Vampire Council the minute she heard from Cruz, but instead she kept his reappearance a secret. Had she done what she should have to uphold her end of the deal, she might never have turned Devon and they all wouldn't be in this mess. Thornton's frustrated with her more than anything else, but I can see how his attitude might come across as pompous. That said though, Eloise can't keep messing up and expect Thornton to help her out just because they have Leigh as a common denominator.
Thornton is not in the business of killing people, and he would never do anything to intentionally hurt Leigh if it can be avoided. But he has a responsibility to inform the Vampire Council of any rogue citizen, and because Eloise took the deal with the Vampire Council she's their responsibility now.
She might not think about or acknowledge it, but she's still alive and living her life in peace because of Thornton. He could have easily turned her over to the human government and MorcuCorp but he didn't because he knows how much she means to Leigh. All Thornton wants from Eloise is the truth, and so far she hasn't been completely truthful, and if Devon hadn't walked in when he did, she would have kept the fact that she's changed him from Thornton. He can't keep protecting Eloise, and helping her when she refuses to meet him halfway.
Phew, what a mouthful to read. Let me know if anything is still unclear.
Thanks for reading!
Ah...cool. Thanks for clearing that up! Makes perfect sense now that you explained it all again. Hell I side with Thornton now too! I've been pissed at Eloise since she had Leigh use the compulsion to get her out of a jam. She's been sneaky, and deceitful, and expects everyone to help her out and she's not done anything to earn it. At this point I agree that Thornton needs to wash his hands of her. I think once Leigh finds out Eloise lost her shit and turned her brother, she'll be pissed at her too. She is out of control and protecting Cruz is not helping matters. She has burned bridges in doing so and it keeps getting worse. Now you have her, out of control, Dev who is adjusting, and they have a child to think about in all of this. Yep so not a fan of hers at this moment now! LOL She's lied to her friends and family all of a guy who hasn't done anything to earn her loyalty. It makes no sense.
DeleteI'm glad it makes more sense now. And I applaud you for coming back to read this super long explanation.
DeleteTrue, her loyalty to Cruz doesn't make sense to a lot of people, especially to those closest to her. But to explain, Cruz is the only person (other than Devon now of course) who is just like her, and he's the only person who understands what she's going through and could possibly give her the answers she needs. If she hands him over to the Vampire Council, and they harm him somehow or she loses contact with him, she'll likely never get the closure she needs from him. In a world full of humans and Vampires, Cruz is the only thing that makes sense to her, more so because he's just like her and he's her maker. And letting go of him would be like giving up on a part of herself she's just found. She doesn't like it, but it's a part of her all the same, and she's trying to deal with it the only way she can. Leigh's fortunate in the sense that she has a clan who can help her through her transition, and Eloise literally has no one other than Cruz of course who's wanted by the VC.
I'm very happy that you are updating this story. I absolutely love reading about this family.
ReplyDeleteI'm very happy you still enjoy reading Krisis updates. Thanks for stopping by.
DeleteOmg... Thornton is right. They should have asked for help right away instead of hiding and lying...
ReplyDeleteExactly. Eloise should have gone to Thornton the minute Cruz resurfaced, but she chose to play hide and seek and now things have escalated well beyond her control. Thanks for reading.
DeleteOk here is my comment.... Thornton should get off his petal stool and help because they are family. However Eloise must also take responsibility for what she has done. Devon now a werewolf omg poor him but again he needs to take responsibility too. What about their son if they go on the run and keep running what happens to him. He would be devastated.
ReplyDeleteI hope nothing happens to them as I love these two but I have a bad feeling :(
Just because people are family it doesn't mean they have to be taken for granted and taken advantage of. Eloise gave her word to the Vampire Council to hand Cruz over the minute he resurfaced in exchange for her freedom. But she went back on her word and in the process got herself and her family into more trouble. You're right she does need to take responsibility, and as for Thornton, he's just doing his job. He doesn't like it or enjoy it, but he has to treat Eloise like any other member of his community who's committed two serious crimes.
DeleteTheir story arc will be resolved over the next few updates. Thanks for reading.
~ I totally understand what position Thornton is in,as he carries the fate of all Vampires,(And other supernaturals,that the humans know nothing about,well the general public,that is.)being in a high position in the VC & has to see them represented in the best light to the humans,but with the Shapeshifters running a muck,the Vampires will naturally get blamed for it as the Humans(I think MorcuCorp is the only human branch that knows anything about the Shapeshifters or as they are well known to the company,Werewolves!) only know that the Vampires exist,So Thornton has to keep the peace!
ReplyDelete~ I also do understand the change that Eloise is going through,& I think things would have been much worse for everyone,if she had handed Cruz over straight away,but even so it does not excuse her actions, I think if she was upfront with Thornton from the beginning,he could have & would have helped any way he could,as he is trying to keep the peace on all fronts, & he would have understood that she could only get help to understand what she is going through from Cruz, the only one available to teach her what to expect,just as many Vampires that were turned (in the past)or naturally born Vampires,were/are guided through the processes, otherwise there would be more messes to clean up,before the Humans got wind of them!
~ And how exactly do they explain that the Vampires had nothing to do with any of it???
~ Poor Thornton is trying to juggle every thing, & trying to keep every one happy,but at the end of the day,some one will lose, as this is an impossible situation,one that needs careful thinking,to sort out,so I do understand Thornton's frustration,he knows it will not end well,if not handled......just,right!
~ I also agree with Zhippidy,you pictures never get enough credit, they always complement the story perfectly, I love the angles you take,so each part of the same picture is a new experience,to the viewer, not the exact same picture over & over,but pictures that shows what is actually happening with the story, & not just saying such & such is happening,in words,but showing a totally unrelated picture view, that doesn't support the story line,or does not show the right actions as in the poses, as to support the story! I know I am gushing & rambling at the same time,someone stop me!!! But what I said is all true about your pictures!
~ I am so glad this story is back, I love it! (",)
PS-Always very happy to help,with anything I can for you! <3
I don't think there's really much else to add to this because we are both on the same page on Thornton, Cruz and Eloise.
Delete~But I really like what you said about Eloise, about going to Thornton sooner. She can't cry for help when the shit hits the fans. Thornton has been more than generous and kind to her, and she's done nothing to repay that kindness.
~And your comment about the pictures, it made me smile and laugh and cry all at once. Tears of laughter, if you know what I mean. But on a serious note, thank you, I appreciate the love, it really means a lot to me that after almost five years, you still enjoy my story pics. You more, than anyone, understand my frustration when it comes to taking screenshots.
~Yep, we are in the final stretch now.
Thanks for all your support, and feedback, and craziness over the years.
Damn. Thornton the bully. Well, not totally. He's doing his job. I have mixed feelings about this. I guess I can see all sides.
ReplyDelete