New Friends

"Fall, how long have you been awake?" Derik's voice brought me back to where I was instead of mindlessly staring out the window. When had the sun risen?

I wanted to lie and say that I'd just gotten up but I knew that Derik wouldn't like that I lied to him. He probably also wouldn't like that I'd woken up hours ago either.

"A while." My voice was quiet.

I didn't have to look at him to know he'd be scowling. I heard him get up and walk towards the closet.

"I guess that's to be expected, most pets don't sleep well." Choosing to stay silent I looked toward where he had disappeared.

He walked out with perfectly in place hair and a teal dress shirt. I'd never had a master I didn't plan to kill, *how the hell am I supposed to help them from here?

If Derik's a lord I'll probably meet some people but killing them from the outside will be so much harder.* *Well, as long as I'm never against more than two I should be fine but I've never had to worry about getting caught.*

"What the fuck, Fall?! What the hell happened?!" Jerking my eyes up to Derik's glowing ones I tasted sweet copper on my tongue.

*Fuck. I really should stop chewing on my lip, especially with my fang problem.*

*Well if the bastard rips my throat out, I won't have to feel bad about leaving.* Gently pulling my fang out of my lip I waited for him to approach me. If Derik bit me I would have no more control over my reaction than he does to the smell of my blood.

Turning to face him he trapped me with his arms. Well I wasn't really trapped but I refuse to hurt anyone innocent if I can help it. He leaned forward until we were nose to nose and I felt my face heat up despite my knowledge that there was no way this would go well.

Surprising me he leaned forward and licked the blood off my lip.

Still very red I waited for him to get more aggressive but the only sound in the room was the loud rumble in his chest that was both a growl and a purr.

He set his head on my shoulder but made no move to bite me despite the fact that everything in him must be screaming at him to.

The tiny taste of my blood would not be enough for him, there's no way he had enough control to only give in to the blood that was already there.

A gentle smell filled my nose along with the raspberry and mint smell of him, his blood. Straining my muscles to not inch towards his neck I sat perfectly still.

He'd always smelled good but my body was screaming at me that he was everything I wanted and more and that is a very hard thing to fight. A low possessive growl echoed in my throat without my permission and I hoped he was too out of it to notice it.

Vampires and werewolves were both very instinctively driven and there were some unpleasant things floating around in my mind with him so close.

*My self-control has really tanked since I left home.*

My lip was mostly healed causing Derik to visibly relax. But his heart still beat like a drum and my fangs ached with his heartbeat. Maybe how I'd been living for the past few years was the reason I had so little restraint, I'd become addicted to blood like a drug.

Derik took a shaky step back and I scowled in disapproval before correcting my expression. Small dents etched into the window seat where his hands were, moving my own hands I saw the same marks.

*Fuck, fuck, fuck! He's going to have me whipped! But it was going so well! I actually liked this master and now everything's going to go back to how it was.*

"Get dressed so we can go downstairs." Derik's voice was off and his slightly red face stared at the ground. Maybe he was mad.

"You're not going to punish me?" *Shut up, shut up.*

"What, what for?" His gaze met mine and his brows knitted together.

"The... incident, and um," I tapped where my fingers had been pointing out the small indents. *Idiot, he might not have noticed!"

"Neither of those were things you could help and I'm not concerned about the window." Not being able to help it hadn't stopped anyone else.

I threw on some jeans and a green t-shirt that accented my blue and green eyes. Walking into bathroom I brushed my hair and examined the partially healed holes in my lip. Had I healed so slow before because I'd been malnourished?

My back was already several weeks healed and my lip had closed so easily.

I gently handled the soft collar and wrapped it around my neck. Slipping on some shoes I looked up waiting for Derik to say it was okay for me to leave with him.

He stared at my lip with a guilty expression I didn't understand. He hadn't done anything wrong and nothing that had happened was his fault. He'd controlled himself much better than I expected.

"I hate those damn collars." He said it so lowly I almost missed it even with my hearing. Why would he hate the collars though?

Trailing behind Derik I walked to the dining room. The slaves fearfully inched around me while I tried to smother the light growl in my throat and hide my eyes.

Eventually a slave set a plate of delicious smelling food and a glass in front of me. I waited for the slaves to empty out of the room as to not scare them any more than I already had.

Crapes with little sausages inside them were on my plate and the glass had some kind of light red juice in it. It looked like something I would have eaten as a kid.

I happily ate my food and the small growl turned into a small purr. Flavor exploded on my tongue and I smiled.

"You have werewolf teeth. Your canines are pointy even without your fangs."

"Mhm," I said absently.

"I'd like to take you to a witch today, she could pass you off as a werewolf while we're at the Regional's."

"Ah, so that's how you plan to deal with it. I hope whatever witch you have in mind is truly talented." Hiding a hybrid's scent was incredibly hard not to mention exhausting.

Using peaceful magic on us is hard and any ill intent at all will keep magic from working on us.

"Of course." The rest of breakfast continued in silence. When we'd both finished eating Derik led me back up to his room and I followed.

"Fall, I'd like you to answer a few questions for me," Derik said as soon as we got into his room.

"Yes, what would you like to ask?" I walked past him to sit on my bed while I talked.

"Can you transform?"

"Yes."

"May I see?"

"Sure, but why?" I got up as I asked.

"Well if you don't look too abnormal then I could have you in wolf form which would hide your looks and explain why I wouldn't feed from you."

"Hm, very smart. As I'm sure you're aware werewolf shifts can be unsettling so please prepare yourself." As formal as I sounded, I was just trying to hide my embarrassment.

Ripping clothes was a reason I'd been punished for before and I didn't want to ruin how everything was happening.

Red faced and shaking I took off my collar and Derik's eyes shot to the ground. A bit relieved I undressed quickly and closed my eyes willing myself to change into a wolf. A familiar shudder ran up my spine and when I reopened my eyes I stared at midnight black paws.

Shaking out my fur I gently nudged Derik's hand with my nose. He took a step away from me and I lowered my head with a whine. It was normal for him to be scared, my shoulder came up to his waist after all, but that didn't make me feel better.

My eyes stung. *Stupid sensitive wolf feelings.*

Head still hung low I sat down and wrapped my tail around myself. Derik's heartbeat was fast and for some reason him being scared of me bothered me.

I felt the fur on top of my head move and realized something surprising. Derik was petting me. My tail gave a happy little twitch and annoyed at it I stepped on my tail with my paw. Derik laughed.

"You're a little big, even if I told them you are an alpha. Stupid question but, can you shrink?" He kneels down so I could look him in the eye.

Focusing I willed myself smaller and when I looked up at Derik I was a few inches smaller and less threatening. My tail waved a little bit at my success and I leaned more weight into the paw holding it down.

"This could work." He gave an approving nod before walking to his desk. "You can change back now."

I shifted back and quickly got dressed.

"For the record if you asked any other werewolf to stay as a wolf they'd attack you."

"I know."

I laid down on my bed waiting for Derik to decide to do something that required me. For about half an hour nothing happened but then I heard Derik's chair move and sat up to see what he was doing. He grabbed my leash and made a 'come here' motion.

Without hooking my leash to my collar he walked out of the room and I followed him. We got into the same fancy car as before and he drove us to a little cabin in the woods.

Even from the outside I could smell herbs and sense magic, though none of it seemed harmful. A little nervous I let Derik lead me to the cabin. Drying herbs hung from the ceiling and a blond woman with purple eyes was sweeping.

"Hello Derik, what can I do for you?" Her voice sounded gentle.

"Hey Cristy. I need a potion to make my pet smell like a werewolf." Derik smiled at her.

"Why on earth would you need that?" Confusion crossed her soft features.

"She's a hybrid and I'm taking her somewhere I need to be able to pass her off as a werewolf." He leaned against the wall and all the talking over my head was starting to irritate me.

"Using magic on hybrids is difficult, if she views hiding her scent as offensive or harmful her body will reject the potion. Are you sure she's okay with it?"

"She's right here." An ugly snarl appeared on my face as I spoke.

"Oh, I'm sorry dear. Most pets don't like talking in front of strangers so I assumed..."

Irritated I leaned on the door frame and growled.

"Anyways," Derik drew the word out, "can you do it or not?"

"I can when she's calmed down."

A little brunette girl stuck her head out from behind the blond lady. A smile touched my face despite my best efforts.

"Hello there, what's your name?" I kneeled down and motioned her over. She scurried over happily and I smiled at her.

"I'm Natalee." She smiled at me with pointy canines. I'm not sure if witches can have werewolves as kids but if she was adopted she was far luckier than most kids. It's too rude to ask so I let it go.

"What a beautiful name," I sat down and she sat in my lap as if it was natural to be so friendly with anyone.

"What's your name?" Big brown doe eyes stared at me and a small scattering of freckles kissed her cheeks.

"Fall."

"It's just as pretty as you are." The last thing I would call my undernourished self was pretty. Maybe if I was well.

"Well aren't you sweet?" I couldn't seem to stop smiling. *She is so adorable.*

"Mommy says that the best people are sweet even when other people aren't."

"She sounds like a very smart lady. Why don't you go and play so I can speak to her?"

"Okay," she squeaked out.

She disappeared from sight and only then did I hear the almost inaudible purr coming from Derik. Cristy and Natalee probably didn't even hear it.

I got up from the floor and looked at Cristy's shocked expression and Derik's happy one.

"I didn't know you liked kids," Derik said.

"There's a lot of things you don't know about me, yet," I answered mysteriously.

"I guess I should make the potion while you're in a good mood," Cristy said and I was glad she talked to me instead of over me.

Cristy dumped herbs into a pot she'd placed on the stove and Derik and I waited while she infused them with magic and let the leaves boil. Last she put in a piece of fur, presumably werewolf fur, and strained the green liquid into a cup.

"This will make it so you can smell like a werewolf or yourself at will, it should make it so you never have to drink this potion again because trust me you don't want to."

I let out a laugh. "I appreciate the honesty."

The drink smelled like herbs, werewolves, and magic, which isn't the best combination. I took a drink and got what she said about not wanting to drink it again, it tasted bitter and dirty. I grimaced.

I am drinking something I actually don't need that is so bad I almost prefer pet food. *The things I do to keep this damn secret. I wish I knew Derik enough to trust him with this instead of drinking this god forsaken thing.*

"If it's any consolation you only have to drink half of it," Cristy said kindly.

"It is actually." I plugged my nose and drank some more. When I finally drank enough it made me feel ill.

"I didn't know there were things worse than pet food." I set the 'drink' down.

Cristy and Derik both laughed and I gave them a weak smile in return.

"Hey Cristy, you sure she's fine?" Derik's voice warped.

Vision fuzzy I looked at the ground that responded by swaying. The air moved around me.

When I opened my eyes Derik was looking at me panicked and the ceiling was behind him. My vision blurred again and something smelt burnt.

"What the hell's happening Cristy!?" Even though I could tell Derik was yelling he seemed so far away.

***

When I woke up I was staring at Derik's ceiling. He sat on his bed looking stressed. My head throbbed painfully and sitting up seemed to be much harder than usual.

His hair was wet so apparently I'd been out long enough for Derik to drive us back here and then shower.

"What the hell happened?" My voice sounded scratchy.

"Apparently Cristy didn't take into account how severely underweight you are and the amount she gave you was too much for your system." I laid back in the bed and groaned.

"I feel like shit."

"I don't doubt that." A tiny smile showed up on his lips but it didn't quite reach his eyes.

Someone knocked on the door and I whimpered at the pain in my head. I hadn't realized it until now but Derik had been practically whispering.

Derik got up and answered the door and came back with a glass of blood.

He handed it to me and I sat up leaning against his bed. I took long, slow sips of the glass while holding my head. Derik watched me carefully like I was still in danger of passing out.

"Relax Derik, there are very few things that can kill a hybrid."

"Fall this is serious, there's practically poison in your system."

"Wouldn't be the first time." I set the empty glass down. Feeling the blood start to fix me up I relaxed a bit.

"What?" He sounded angry.

"Hybrids are perfect for target practice. We heal a week in a day, are magic resistant, and can run faster than normal vampires. So most hybrids that have been target practice even once have seen some things since our masters want to see how much it takes us to die."

"Some sick fuck poisoned you to see if you'd live?" He was growling and his fangs cut into his lips. Which made it very hard to focus around since it smelled heavenly.

Even the wonderful smell and the fact he was mad for me couldn't stop the gut reaction of shrinking into myself away from his anger.

"It's in the past now and so is he." I spoke slowly really hoping my answer would calm him down.

His hands twitched and it was pretty easy to see he was having a hard time controlling himself. I gently rubbed his arm and waited for him to calm down a bit.

Eventually he took a deep breath and calmed down a bit. He stopped growling even though he still looked very upset.

"You should go to sleep." He stood up and walked over to his desk.

"Alright, goodnight." Like I could sleep when he's angry.

"Goodnight, Fall."