The three females stared at each other, the moment tensed by Razilee's furied outburst. Two looked upon each other with eyes of hatred, and the last with eyes of sadness and regret. Zelas did not know what to say. Her mind was completely shocked by the harsh words that had come from the violet-haired girl's mouth. I know what you did, she'd said. I know the whole story.
So she did. The Beastmaster hadn't known Amelia had kept a diary during her stay on Wolf Pack Island. It must have been one of the few possessions she had brought there. And she must have written in it about Razilee's supposed kidnapping. But Amelia had known nothing of Zelas's mistake, so Razilee must have put it together on her own. Which meant...
You are an impertinent brat. The mother wolf's harsh voice cut through the silence like an axe. How dare you barge in here and make threats to me! Show some respect to your elders!
"Respect?" A choked-sounding laugh burst forth from Razilee's throat, the wild look in her eyes growing ever more reckless. "You want me to show respect to a murdering piece of filth and a useless bitch?"
"Razilee - "
"Don't even talk to me! I wish to hear nothing from you!" Her fingers tightened around her mother's diary, tears of anger glittering in her blue eyes. "My parents would still be here if it weren't for you. They wouldn't have died!" The tears fell from her eyes, dribbling down her cheeks and onto the book she carried. "They wouldn't have left me alone," she whispered, her face crumbling.
They deserved to die.
Both Razilee's and Zelas's heads snapped up and they stared at the female wolf for a fraction of a second. Razilee took a few infuriated steps forward. "What did you say?" she demanded.
Siraye might have shrugged, if wolves could. They deserved to die. That's what they get for mixing races that weren't intended to be mixed. That's what they get for such sick behavior. If you don't watch out, it might happen to you, too.
The Beastmaster barely had time to throw a wall of protection over the mother wolf before Razilee's anger-fueled attack spell exploded from her fingertips. "You...you...you harlot," she hissed through clenched teeth. "How dare you. How dare you say that about them. You know nothing of their suffering! You know nothing of what they had to go through to be together!"
The wolf's eyes flashed angrily; she knew how close to death she had come. You'll be through worse before I see you with my son again. Juuou-sama and I will not allow this to go on.
"I hate you," Razilee seethed, drenched in her own tears. "I hate you both!" Letting out an incoherent wail of despair, she turned and fled from the room, her father's cloak billowing out behind her.
Siraye snorted and turned her nose up, unruffled. You simply must do something about that unruly child, Zelas. She's completely out of contr -
The Beastmaster held up her hand for silence. "I think you'd better leave."
But -
"I will take care of this," the blond Mazoku told her, eyes stern. "You are presumptuous. Do not take it upon yourself to interfere in this affair."
The violet-haired girl was sobbing by the time she reached her bedroom door, feeling angry and lost and betrayed all at the same time. Fumbling with the lock, she threw open the door and slammed it behind her with a resounding boom. Then she sank to her knees and sobbed harder.
Razilee? What's the matter? Daertal's familiar voice called to her from the far corner of the room, and she caught a glimpse of his silvery fur through tear-filled eyes.
"Daertal!" she wailed, launching herself into his furry form. "It's horrible, everything's horrible!"
What is? What happened?
Her reply was muffled by his fur. "Mommy and Daddy are dead! It's Juuou-sama! They went off and died because she lied to them! They were talking, I heard them! You and I might never see each other again!"
...what? His mate's voice was bordering on hysteria. He couldn't make sense of anything she was saying. She only continued crying, her shoulders shaking with every sob. Slowly, Daertal shifted into his human form so that he could put his arms around her in that comforting way humans did to others. The girl whimpered and cried alternately for some time, pressed tightly against his bare chest.
After a while she slowed to a quiet sniffling, and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Daertal?"
"What is it?"
"Will you...make love to me?" Her eyes were wide and pleading, shimmering with a combination of pain and love. "Please?"
Daertal swallowed hard. "Don't...you want to tell me what's wrong first?"
"Please," she whispered, her voice taking on a begging tone. "We may never get this chance again."
"What do you mean?" he asked, but she was already unclasping her cape and taking the ribbons from her hair.
Outside the door, the Beastmaster stood with her hand raised to knock. Slowly she put it down at her side, listening with sadness to the sounds of lovemaking coming from within. How long ago had she heard the same coming from her Trickster's quarters? She leaned heavily against the wall, guilt forming in her chest.
Oh, she was unwilling to interrupt them. Much as she wanted to run right in there and explain that it wasn't her fault, she couldn't bring herself to deny them the brief happiness they could glean from their hasty union. In a way, she kind of envied them. Though they weren't free to express their emotion for each other, still they found happiness in secret. That hadn't been so for Zelas herself. For her, love was nothing but lies. And what little of true love she had seen, that of her favorite servant and his chosen bride, had been killed upon its awakening. And so she was scared, so scared for her little Razilee. If truly it was love that she shared with the young wolf, then she was in grave, grave danger. If not, then a broken heart waited in her future.
They would never be able to stay together. Something would happen to ruin what they had, Zelas knew. Perhaps betrayal. Perhaps an ambush, like with Razilee's parents. Perhaps sudden death. And then there was Siraye...
Siraye. The Beastmaster's eyes narrowed. The mother wolf truly irritated her. Who was she to meddle in the affairs of the Mazoku? Although her wolves and her Mazoku coexisted peacefully on the island, they did not have the same rights. Who did Siraye think she was to question the actions of a favored servant, even if the matter did involve her own son? Besides that, why did the she-wolf care so much? It was not as though the relationship would hurt her in any way.
Zelas flinched as an incoherent cry came from the bedroom, and she moved off down the corridor. There was no use standing and waiting. She would speak with Razilee later.
The purple-haired young woman clung to her mate with all her strength, her arms in a death grip around his slender human form. Daertal shifted uncomfortably in this hold. Never before had he seen her act in such a fashion. She held on to him as though he might slip away at any moment. "Razilee," he managed to yelp out, "you're hurting me."
Her arms only tightened around him. "Oh, Daer! Everything's falling apart right before my eyes!"
"What in the world are you talking about, Razilee?" He eased himself out of her embrace, putting his gentle, yet firm, hands over her own. "I have never seen you so upset. Not so eager to risk discovery of our little secret," he added tenderly. "Has Juuou-sama found us out?"
"Well, yes," she sniffled, trying to stop the newly formed tears from leaving her eyes. "But that's not what's bothering me most." And she told him the whole story, the entire content of her mother's diary and the suspicions she held regarding Juuou-sama's involvement in her parents' deaths. Daertal's reactions were calm as usual; when she repeated her father's role in her own conception, he merely arched an eyebrow. That was a trait he'd picked up from her, and it made her heart thump to know they were that close.
When she finished, he lay there quietly for a few moments, slowly stroking her hair while he thought. "Perhaps all is not as it seems," he finally said. The young wolf smiled down at her, his eyes filled with a softness she could find only in him. "It is not fair to Juuou-sama that you make assumptions of her. You do not know for certain that she meant for them to die, any more than you know who killed them."
"That's true, but..."
A hand caressed her cheek, and Daertal shook his head. "You know in your heart that the story is unwhole." He was still gazing at her with those incredible loyal eyes, affection thick in his voice. "Promise me you'll speak with her?"
Razilee couldn't help but smile up at him. "I will try." She watched him with her own blue eyes, returning the gaze with fervor. "I love you," she said simply.
He reached for her, pulling the bedsheets snugly over them. "As I love you."
The day had almost turned into night, and it was easy to hide in the nooks and crannies of Wolf Pack Island. Especially when the more important inhabitants of the island were otherwise occupied. And especially when one was being helped. A sharp hiss came from the shadows, feral and full of bloodlust. "So you say she will come looking for him?"
Yes. She is certain to come to the aid of her mate.
"Then this is the day my master has been waiting for. He will give no resistance?"
Little, if any. Even so, a Mazoku of your ranking should have no problems capturing a mere animal. There was a pause. He will leave by the rear of the castle when he is through with her. He will not be thinking of danger, that I can assure you.
The Mazoku chuckled, a dark sneer spreading over her hidden features. "You have been of much use, little wolf. Dynast-sama will be pleased with you."
Siraye bowed her head in acquiescence. I live but to serve him, my Lady Sherra.