Wolf Omega: Lykanos Chronicles 2

“Good evening, brother,” Duccio said in Italian.

I could sense Maximo’s mind fighting against the figure he stared at with disbelief. I held his hand and stroked his index finger with my thumb to reinforce what I’d already told him--that everything would be all right.

“I can see this is a surprise. I’m glad we could tell you together, and here, of all places.”

The fragments collected through the relaxed haze of the wine, and Maximo’s first response was outrage. His body went rigid, and he pulled from my hand to step in between us.

“Peace, brother,” Duccio said, raising his relaxed hand. “I mean you no harm. I’m here to welcome you and beg your forgiveness. We both want you to forgive us.”

I sensed Maximo’s heart racing, and with one giant leap, the meaning of it all triggered sharply in his mind. He looked back at me with disbelief. I saw the very moment when understanding stabbed him in the back. His eyes implored me with wounded disbelief, and then with accusation.

“Don’t forget what I just told you,” I implored, retaking his hand, “what we just promised each other.”

I saw the realization overtake Maximo’s face, ripping open his wound as if none of the day’s healing happened. And I knew the damage would never be genuinely repairable. Were there tears forming in his eyes?

With a start, he pulled away from me again.

“Get out,” Maximo returned angrily to Duccio.

“Please, friend. Allow me to speak with you. I meant what I said; you’re in no harm from me. Can’t we sit down, the three of us, and discuss this reasonably?”

“I will not,” he spat. “Get out, or I’ll cut you down where you stand.”

“Please, Maximo,” Duccio implored patiently. “I beg you to relax. Let me explain to you calmly what has happened.”

“Go!”

Duccio sighed heavily and stared at me with contention. “Gabriella and I love each other, and I’m not going anywhere. You must come to understand this.”

“It’s over, Duccio,” I said, stepping forward with resolve. “He didn’t know that it was you, but none of that matters now. He has forgiven me of my infidelity, and we’ve resumed our marriage. There really is nothing more to say. Please show yourself out.”

Duccio stared at me intensely. It was this moment when his demeanor turned.

“My sweet, you’re mistaken. You’ve abandoned your marriage for quite some time now, and I will not tolerate being discarded in the same way you threw away poor Maximo. Though, I’ll admit that I’m pleased that he’s here now. Your deception has gone on for far too long. It’s time for you to finally have this all out in the open. The least you can do is be honest with him.”

I scowled at his statement, and then I recognized his play.

“I must be blind. This was all your doing. I asked you to adjust Henry’s memories to protect our secret, and you promised to take care of it. But you didn’t, did you?”

“Oh, I took care of it. I made certain no question was left in the boy’s mind. I outright told him that I’d be spending the night in your bed, per usual, and to wake me before dawn.”

I couldn’t look at Duccio’s face in my anger and turned away to gather myself.

“I love you, Gabrielle. But I’ve had enough of your weakness—of your insults. This is all nothing but childish fear you cling to.”

“Be silent!” Maximo yelled.

“You needed help with your morality,” Duccio continued without notice, “so I have provided it. End this charade here and now. Have at least that decency. Allow this poor man some semblance of dignity after all you’ve done to him. Send him back to Washington and let him continue with his life. Has he not suffered enough of your lies and schemes?”

“I said, be silent!” Maximo roared. “Get out of my house at once!”

Duccio ignored him entirely.

I could hear footsteps outside the door and sensed both Michaelson and Elizabeth’s approach with concern for our yelling.

“Have you no shame, woman? Even now, with the truth laid out plainly for him to see? Have you no regard for his suffering? You would have me stand here, his mortal enemy, sealed by my actions and yours, and still you allow this to go on?”

“Don’t speak to her!” Maximo raged. He cast a vase to shatter against the wall behind Duccio’s head, but to no effect.

“I said it’s no more!” I screamed. “Get out! Get out! Get out of my house!”

I became almost hysterical, desperate for him to leave us, and I shook my fists like the same petulant child he accused me of being.

Michaelson entered, throwing back the drawing-room doors loudly.

“Sir, you will leave this house at once, or I shall call the police,” he said.

“Please, Michaelson,” I held up my palm to signal that he must stand back.

“I will kill you where you stand,” Maximo spat, approaching to within a foot from Duccio.

The bastard finally turned his eyes to Max with a dark look of warning.

“Stand back, boy,” he warned with a slow whisper.

“Enough!” I said, my anxiety bringing me near to tears. I walked up to wedge myself between them and pushed against Duccio to separate the two further apart. “I said enough!”

With a quick backhand, he slapped me off my feet to crash painfully against the ground.

Maximo struggled to tend to me, but only for a moment before his wolf overtook him and ripped at his silk tie and tales. I saw this in flashes as I struggled to gather my wits on the floor. The collective terror and anger in the minds of those all around me overwhelmed my focus.

I felt the explosion as Duccio transformed to meet the challenge. I heard their bodies fly at each other to land with a catastrophic shudder as they tumbled through the drawing-room.

Michaelson attempted to pull me up to my feet that we might escape the monsters who raged against each other. Instead, one of them knocked him violently to crash against the nearest wall, and I heard his body land with a sickening crunch.

Thrashing Maximo onto his back, Duccio leaped upon him to deliver a series of slashes that were too quick for my eyes to see. What I saw for sure was the final slash that severed Maximo’s head from his neck.

“No!!!” I screamed in horror.

Feeling paralyzed, I somehow overcame the hindrance of my skirt to wail upon Duccio with my fists. He hardly noticed in the crown of his triumph. Then I focused my mind on sending a crippling force against him, but what came was weak and barely significant. Still, it was enough to capture his attention, and the werewolf turned to grab me by the throat.

He growled savagely, pulling my face to his. I felt his furious breath on my face and his hand that squeezed my neck like a vise. His talons cut into the skin for a second before he slackened at my whimpering. Duccio eventually stopped his aggression and licked the tears that fell from my eyes with long, sensuous strokes of his tongue.

His eyes shifted to a sound from below our feet. The back door had opened, and it drew cries from my maid, who had fled to the kitchen to hide. Henry had returned from his night off, and Elizabeth squealed in terror that they must flee from the demons who had taken over the house.

I heard his footfall as he raced upstairs to see to what the crazed woman spoke of, waving off her pulling pleas to escape. He rounded into the drawing-room to find Duccio standing over me, his naked torso bloodied, and his lungs heavily drawing breath.

A flash of recognition seized Henry’s eyes. But they quickly calmed to the deathlike stare I had seen so many times before. When Elizabeth peered from around the corner to gauge the unexpected silence, she too relaxed and stood beside Henry.

“Go at once to the kitchen and heat water for a bath,” Duccio ordered the pair.

They moved away with a silent nod to carry out his command.

I felt like nothing was real, and I trembled with shock as Duccio returned his gaze to me, kneeling back down to whisper angrily.

“Clean our house of this mess you’ve made.”

With a last look of stark disappointment, he rose and left upstairs to take his bath.

Absorbed by this nightmare, I crawled across the room to Maximo’s body, now naked and laying mangled from the last throws of their battle.

I placed my useless hands on his bloodied chest and wailed helplessly over what I had done.