Chapter 15
“Look who’s finally decided to join us.” Charlie said. Davina slowly opened her eyes, finding Charlie at the end of her bed, waving at her with a smile.
“Can you walk?” Dean asked, making himself known to Davina. She turned her head, finding him beside her bed in a chair.
“I just woke up. Can you give my body a minute to do the same?” Davina sassed him.
“We have somewhere to be, Davina. We can’t go until you’re dressed and in the car.” Jackson spoke, making Davina frown.
“Where are we going?” Davina asked as she began to sit up.
“Victor needs your help. Said you’re the only one he trusts with him on the field.” Dean replied. Davina sighed as she went to stand. She almost lost her footing. The three beasts noticed this and all stood but Jackson was quick to approach her and rest his hands on her hips, holding her still. Dean tried to hide the glare appearing on his face.
“You should be able to let go now.” Davina said once she felt steadied enough. Jackson did so, returning his hands to his jacket pockets.
“Good?” Jackson asked. Davina nodded in response. Dean watched as the two interacted, not liking what he saw in their eyes. He nudged Davina slightly over to her dresser. She would’ve scoffed at him if she hadn’t remembered what Lucian had said the previous day. She decided she’d try to act at least somewhat kind to him. She mentally sighed, thinking about how difficult he made it for her. She could be kind to Jackson and Charlie with ease at most times. Dean infuriates her with everything he does and she isn’t quite sure why.
“Victor said to bring all of the weapons you need. Eloise has breakfast downstairs ready for you. Go eat once you’re dressed.” Dean said as he began to exit the room with Jackson and Charlie following behind. Once Davina was dressed, she headed down to the kitchen to find Eloise running around, creating breakfast for the other beasts.
“Hello, dear! Breakfast is on the counter!” Eloise said.
“Would you like some help?” Davina asked as she entered the kitchen.
“Oh, no! You have somewhere you need to be. Besides, I overheard you hit your head last night. You should probably sit.” Eloise said.
“I hit my head?” Davina asked.
“Oh, yes. Mr. Charlie said you hit your head against one of the metal beds before hitting the ground.” Eloise said. Davina hummed and reached her hand back to her head, feeling the area she had gotten hit at.
“Ah, I see.” Davina said as she pressed lightly, feeling immense pain. Davina then noticed Eloise struggling to plate some of the trays. She made her way over to the stove, scooping whatever was in the large pot into smaller bowls set on the trays. Eloise turned to find Davina helping her out. A small smile formed on her face as she stood watching, feeling grateful.
“And where are we headed, my King?” Charlie asked from downstairs in one of the many hallways leading to the labs.
"Iam headed to the lab to check on the sample Sasha and Brayden worked on over the night.” Dean spoke.
“You know, they had to do it then because Davina foolishly drew her own blood and it didn’t get stored afterward.” Jackson replied.
“You say that like it’s my fault and it isn’t!” Charlie whined.
“Were you not fast enough to catch up to the human girl?” Jackson inquired.
“She is not entirely human! She is turning into a beast. Slowly, but it’s happening!” Charlie defended himself as they all headed down to the lab. Sasha and Brayden quickly turned with tubes in hand. Sasha set the tubes down carefully and took off her goggles.
“We haven’t found much. We’ve pulled research from previous beasts when they were in transition and nothing seemed odd about it. Please understand that we’re trying to find something in her blood that can keep her from transitioning completely.” Sasha spoke.
“I thought you gave up on that research years ago.” Charlie said, turning to Dean.
“I did. To confirm, she only hasn’t transitioned because she hasn’t gone through the ritual, correct?” Dean asked.
“It seems to be the case.” Brayden replied making Dean sigh tiredly.
“Dean, she has a while before she absolutely needs the ritual. Try to convince her to do it. We’ll keep searching for a way but, just in case...” Sasha said. Dean sighed once more, giving her a nod before heading out of the lab. Jackson and Charlie soon followed him upstairs and to the foyer, finding Davina waiting.
“Ooh, hot! Think I’m gonna have to ride with this pretty lady, here!” Charlie said as he looked Davina up and down. He noticed her tight, dark grey jeans before he noticed the black, leather jacket and light grey spaghetti strap that didn’t help with covering her chest entirely. Once he did, he found it difficult to look away. Both Dean and Jackson did as well but both tried to be respectful of her. Davina rolled her eyes playfully as Charlie took her by the hand, twirling her around.
“Sorry to disappoint you, Charlie. You’re stuck with me.” Jackson said as the guards opened the door and Jackson dragged Charlie out by the collar.
“But, wait! Vina!” Charlie yelled dramatically as he was dragged away by Jackson.
“Guess that means I’m stuck with you?” Davina asked as she turned to Dean.
“Unfortunately, yes.” Dean spoke as he pulled out his pack of cigarettes. The two then exited the mansion, waiting for Dean’s car to pull up. Soon, they were in Dean’s car beginning to head to their destination. Davina sat with her feet curled up in the seat as she looked out the window. Dean drove with one hand, his other being elsewhere as he smoked a cigarette. Davina turned to Dean after a moment, getting sick of the silence.
“I assume wherever we’re going it has to do with Vincent?” Davina asked. Dean stayed silent for a moment. Davina wondered if he wasn’t in a talking mood today. And she almost wished she hadn’t said anything if that were the case. Dean then spoke up.
“Vincent is out of town at some sort of club for some business-related things. We’re headed to him.” Dean said.
“How’d you guys find that out?” Davina asked.
“Niklaus offered up some information as his way of apologizing. As well as keeping tabs on Vincent.” Dean said. Davina stared at him, remembering what Lucian had told her the previous night. Guilt began to eat up at her. She felt she needed to apologize too. She didn’t know how to do that verbally though. Her mind began racing trying to think up of things she could do. She certainly didn’t want to obey him. But, she couldn’t think up of anything but that.
“You could start by giving an explanation as to why you didn’t tell me about the marks.” Dean’s voice rang in her ear. She immediately turned her head towards him.
“I thought you couldn’t read my mind!” Davina exclaimed. Dean chuckled only a little.
“I can only when you let me.” Dean replied, making Davina frown. I surely wouldn’t let you know about that, Davina thought.
“Consciously, you wouldn’t.” Dean said with a smirk. Davina narrowed her eyes at him and shook her head.
“If I had said something about the marks, it all would’ve made it more real to me. And it was easier for me to keep you guessing than to scare myself.” Davina confessed.
“That makes sense.” Dean replied. “What’s going on between you and Jackson?” Dean finally asked after a moment of silence. Davina snickered.
“Jackson and I?” Davina asked in disbelief, turning to him. Dean hummed in response, making Davina laugh.
“Are you jealous?” Davina teased. Dean however never responded, making Davina’s eyes widen slightly. That made Davina go quiet. She didn’t have anything else to say. She wanted to question him on it but decided against it. The two remained quiet until later in the day, they made it to their location along with all of the others. They exited the car and approached Victor, Aaron, and Elliot outside of the van. Victor sighed with relief when he saw Davina. He quickly walked up to her and hugged her. She was initially shocked at the sudden contact but slowly wrapped her arms around him.
“I didn’t get that same treatment when you didn’t know if I made it after falling out of a truck in motion.” Aaron commented.
“Only my favorite niece gets that treatment.” Victor replied as he pulled away. Davina smirked at Aaron, making him roll his eyes. Jackson and Charlie then pulled up in their car and approached them.
“Okay, so I figured if we went to the club now there’d be a more likely chance of Vincent finding out that we’re here. Which is why we’re at a bed and breakfast right outside the city.” Victor spoke.
“Hey, is there any chance I can run in a get breakfast before they stop serving it?” Elliot asked. Davina smirked at him.
“Go in, we’ll be in there soon.” Davina said. Elliot gave her a small, boyish smile before running inside. Davina turned back to find Charlie with his arms spread out as he spun around, inhaling deeply.
“Gotta love the vibes you get from this city.” Charlie spoke.
“What city are we in?” Davina asked.
“Scranton.” Jackson replied with a curled lip. Davina quirked a brow at him, wondering what the reason for his distaste of this town was.
“I have seven agents checking around town now but they will be there with us at the club tonight. It’d be best if anybody that could get recognized would wear a mask, so if you three would, please.” Victor said.
“Man, do you mean those cloth ones you guys wear with only holes for the eyes? ’Cause, I need to breathe man!” Charlie exclaimed.
“Would you rather go in with a costume mask?” Jackson teased, making Charlie gasp. Jackson then turned to him in disbelief at how unserious Charlie was. He turned and shook his head. How dare I forget, Jackson thought, rolling his eyes. Davina let out a hum of amusement, trying to hide her smirk when Jackson’s eyes landed on her. She turned away as he watched her, his eyes softening.
“Oh, can I?! I still have that mask I wore at the party! I carry it around in my jacket!” Charlie exclaimed as he went to feel for it.
“Oh..” Charlie said in disappointment once he realized it wasn’t there. “Perhaps we could just wear some sunglasses?” Charlie then asked.
“Nobody wears sunglasses inside, dude.” Aaron replied making Charlie scoff, feeling offended.
“Yes, you can wear sunglasses if you’d prefer. I think this goes without saying, but the purpose of tonight is not to attack unless it is needed. We’re mainly trying to figure out what business Vincent is tending to that makes him have to go here.” Victor replied. They all then headed inside.
“Elliot, slow down. You’re gonna choke.” Davina said when her little brother came into sight. He was munching on various items of food at a fast pace.
“Those fuckers didn’t let me eat this morning because we had to drive here! If I’m officially switching from office work to on the field, you’ve gotta let me eat!” Elliot said as he glared up at his brother and uncle. Davina smirked at her brother while Victor ignored him, turning to the others.
“We’ve rented out the place for the night, there are thirteen different rooms. You guys can have the first pick.” Victor said.
“You said you brought seven agents, Vic. That makes fourteen.” Davina said. Victor blinked before realizing his mistake, muttering some curse words under his breath.
“Oh, Dean and Vina can bunk. They have before.” Charlie said as he winked. When he saw the horror on Victor’s face he quickly retreated upstairs. He was certain this was an uncomfortable family situation he didn’t want to be around for.
“Oh, come on, Vic. We’re all adults here. The only child around has already run upstairs.” Davina joked as Victor shut his eyes, rubbing his forehead.
“Give him a minute. It took him a bit to get over Bianca sneaking out to sleep with a beast.” Aaron said.
“She told you too?” Davina asked. Aaron laughed.
“Everyone knew but Victor.” Aaron spoke. Victor only sighed before heading upstairs.
“How can you guys talk of sex so comfortably?” Elliot said in a quiet voice, indicating he was uncomfortable.
“Shut up, Elliot. So, you two..” Aaron said as he rested his head on his chin. Davina didn’t need to see Dean’s face to know he wasn’t happy with people discussing the two of them. She sighed.
“Jackson, do you mind if we share tonight so that nobody assumes anything?” Davina asked as she turned back to Jackson. She smiled, hoping it’d result in the answer she wanted. She really didn’t want anybody assuming anything considering it was nobody’s business. She hoped that sharing with Jackson would keep anyone from doing so.
“I don’t mind.” Jackson said as he began to head upstairs.
“Great, it’s settled.” Davina said as she headed up behind him, but not before glaring at her two brothers. As she went up the narrow stairs, Dean grabbed her wrist for a moment, making her turn and frown. Dean went to say something but it never came out. He let go of her wrist and slid past her before heading up, leaving her confused. She eventually shook it off and headed up to one of the rooms down the hall, finding Jackson inside of it. He had unbuttoned his jacket and thrown it over a chair, revealing his white button-up. Davina entered the room, setting her stuff down on the floor before examining the room. She figured the bed and breakfast was a bit older with the style of the room. The wallpaper was a little plain with flowers decorating it. A small brown dresser sat up against the wall with various picture frames and a few lamps. Above it hung a mirror with intricate designs. One chair sat beside the dresser and another sat in front of the bed. The bed sat in the middle of the room with a white and beige blanket on top. And a window lit up the room.
“Cute.” Davina commented on the room.
“I had a guest bedroom similar to this in my house back in the sixty’s.” Jackson said as he lowered himself down onto the chair and sat in front of the bed.
“Oh, really?” Davina asked with a smile, slightly shocked that Jackson was making conversation. She hoped he wouldn’t read that and shut down. He laughed, having read it and a small smile appeared on his own face. Davina’s eyes widened. She hadn’t ever seen Jackson smile. Charlie smiled occasionally, though it was a little more of a smirk than anything. She never thought she’d see Jackson smile, however.
“I imagine you lived somewhere else in the sixty’s.” Davina said, sounding more of a question as she sat down on the bed.
“I did. I lived in Georgia during that time. Dean prefers it if we’re more spread out along the country, saying it’s better for business, but what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.” Jackson replied making Davina giggle lightly.
“And what about now? What state do you spend your time in?” Davina asked as she leaned back into the pillows.
“Charlie and I have been switching back and forth. Before this, he stayed in one of my homes in California and I stayed in his in Colorado.” Jackson replied.
“One of? Do you have multiple in California?” Davina asked.
“I have two in California. I used to have more but I’ve had to sell them over the years so there aren’t any suspicions as to why I haven’t passed on.” Jackson replied.
“How old are you?” Davina asked. She then realized how many questions she had been asking and wondered if she should stop. Jackson laughed once more.
“I don’t mind, Davina. You remind me of someone I used to know. In November, I will be 345 years old.” Jackson said, making Davina sit up.
“345?!” Davina asked in disbelief, making Jackson nod.
“How old are the other two?” Davina asked.
“Dean is 378 and Charlie is 299.” Jackson replied. Davina muttered some words under her breath.
“Wait, I thought you and Charlie were co-leaders because you are some of the eldest.” Davina spoke.
“We are.” Jackson replied.
“But, you’re all decades apart.” Davina commented.
“Well, Dean chose not to turn anybody for decades despite his maker being entirely against it. He was a little too uncareful with feeding on someone and turned them which resulted in that person almost turning my entire village. All of the others were burned to death by the witches who didn’t want an abomination walking to Earth but Dean saved me in time. As for Charlie, well he is simply the third co-leader because he is beast royalty.” Jackson said.
“How so?” Davina asked.
“Charlie is a part of the only family in beast history that was a product of procreation. His family was already beyond rich and all of the immediate family were already turned. Nobody really knows how, but Charlie’s mother fell pregnant with him. In the 1740s, they were the most notorious group of beasts for all of their killing around the globe.” Jackson explained as Davina sat there processing all of the information he had given her.
“Mind if I ask you some questions now?” Jackson asked.
“Sure.” Davina replied with a small smile.
“It is to my understanding that you’re disgusted by my kind. Is that the only reason you do not want to become a beast?” Jackson asked, making Davina go pale. She began looking anywhere but Jackson, unsure of how to answer his question.
“I didn’t mean the question as something so serious, Davina. I’m just curious.” Jackson asked, making her eyes finally meet his. He didn’t understand why they were glassy yet beautiful.
“I don’t think I feel such way about your kind anymore. What I believed about your kind was nothing true from what I have learned recently.” Davina said, pausing for a moment. “I can’t imagine living forever. I can’t imagine giving up all of the things that make you human to become immortal. It seems sad to me. And I just simply don’t want it.” Davina said. Jackson stared at her for a minute with no words. His mind trailed back to the woman he once loved who was taken from her. He remembered asking if she wanted to become a beast. Despite loving her so, he didn’t want her to become a beast. He wanted her to have the experiences humans he didn’t get to have. He didn’t want her to give up those experiences for him. But, he still asked, letting her know he’d only turn her if she wanted it for herself. She told him she would if it meant the two could be together forever. Before her death, and during the time Jackson had just transitioned, he asked himself the same question. If he wanted to be a beast. Davina’s answer was similar to what Jackson had wanted in the beginning. And Jackson had hoped, deep down, his once beloved would have the same answer. She didn’t. And yet, despite her response, he was selfishly going to do it. Jackson hadn’t realized it, but Davina was now sitting in front of him on her knees. Jackson noticed tears threatening to spill over in his eyes.
“Where’d you go?” Davina asked in a soft, quiet voice, her hand resting on his own. Jackson blinked at her, having felt a feeling he hadn’t in years since his beloved was so cruelly taken from this world. Davina brought her hand up to press against his cheek, hoping it’d gain his attention. It didn’t. His eyes followed her. His skin burned at her soft touch. The look of concern on her face had him mesmerized. Her already large eyes were enlarged, she had soft creases on her forehead, and her dark, burgundy, painted lips were slightly parted. He felt a strong urge to lean into her touch. He wanted to. And he would’ve if his King didn’t come to mind. Dean never spoke of the girl in any way but business-related. He didn’t have to for Jackson to know what Dean felt. The look in his eye whenever she was too close to danger would tell him that Dean too cared deeply for Davina. And he could see the same for Davina, that she cared deeply for Dean too. Neither were in love. Hell, they’d both be too stubborn to admit it if they were. But, Jackson knew they’d get to that point. He had never known his King to love anyone or anything. He wouldn’t stop his King from finally finding someone to confide in emotionally, spiritually, and all.
“Jackson?” Davina called out once more. Jackson blinked once more, his eyes trailing away from her and over to the door. Davina frowned before turning to the door as well, finding Charlie standing there.
“Your uncle’s waiting downstairs for you.” Charlie spoke directly to Davina with a smirk. Davina sighed, realizing how this looked to Charlie. She was sure to hear him tease about it later. She stood up and walked over to her bag. She threw everything but her weapons out and threw them over her shoulder.
“See you two later.” Davina said with a sigh. She paused as she went to exit the room. She turned to Charlie, finding the smirk still plastered on his face. She then reached up and smacked him hard on the chest, making him whine, before exiting the room.
authors note : This is MY STORY- nobody elses! all rights are reserved to me!