Beasts of Pennsylvania - | The Nature of the Beast |
22

“Are you certain that you’re feeling alright?” Dean asked for what Davina believed was the thousandth time since she and Charlie arrived. Quickly after finding the symbol on the back of Jackson’s car, they ushered Davina inside. Dean called upon many of his beasts to stand guard over the compound throughout the night while he, Jackson, and Charlie accompanied Davina downstairs to the lab. Davina couldn’t understand why Dean was so urgent about her heading down to the lab but decided not to question it. She didn’t want the two of them to be on bad terms again. Besides, at this point, she knew he cared for her well-being a little and not just because he had to be in compliance with the alliance.

“Dean, if you ask me again, I’ll knee you in the dick.” Davina spoke. He was currently hovering over her as she sat on one of the metal beds. He didn’t bother leaving much space in between the two as he examined her. He figured since he’s literally been inside of her, being so close to her wouldn’t be much of an issue. Upon hearing her response, he realized it was. He backed up only a little to glance at her and raise his brows. She gave him an innocent smile, making it difficult for him to fight back one of his own. Jackson and Charlie watched the interaction between the two for only a moment before Jackson spoke up, slightly due to jealousy, but also because there was a more pressing matter at hand.

“How about the marks? Have they been giving you any pain recently?” Jackson asked. He realized he had never mentioned it before and hoped she wouldn’t get upset with him for acknowledging it. Fortunately for him, she didn’t. But his response still wasn’t something he wanted to hear.

“Nope, they haven’t.” Davina said as she shook her head. Dean and Jackson exchanged a glance, knowing what they saw in Jackson’s memory.

“Davina, are you certain? Because if you’ve had any at all, you need to let us know now.” Dean said a little firmly but remained using a kind tone. Davina shook her head once more.

“Honestly, guys. I haven’t.” Davina replied. Charlie then scoffed.

“Liar.” Charlie spat, making Davina turn to him with wide eyes. She then crossed her arms over her chest as she frowned at Charlie. In her eyes, Dean and Jackson could see that Charlie was working Davina up.

“Oh, really?! And how would you know? You’re not in my body experiencing my bodily pains and such!” Davina spoke in a slightly childish tone.

“Because, Vina! You have a tell!” Charlie exclaimed as he crossed his arms over his chest.

“Quit it, both of you.” Jackson said, looking in between the two before turning to face Davina. “This is serious. Davina, we know what happened at the bed and breakfast. The talon came out. Why are you trying to hide something like that?” Jackson asked in the same tone Dean used before. Davina stared up at Jackson for a moment before letting out a sigh. Her eyes glossed over ever so slightly, making her avert their gazes on her.

“Because it’s easier for me to leave you all in the dark than to scare myself.” Davina responded. Just then, Sasha and Brayden entered the lab. They were dressed in their coats and ready to assist Dean.

“We’re ready when you are.” Brayden spoke. Davina looked past the King and his co-leaders to both Sasha and Brayden. She let out a heavy sigh before nodding her head. She then returned her attention back to the beasts she now considered her friends.

“Could one of you stay with me?” Davina asked. The three looked in between each other to see who would stay. Charlie picked up on the tension between the two before. He took the time to observe the two of them around Davina. He realized long before both Dean and Jackson had that the two felt something for Davina. He didn’t know what went on previously in the day that made things so tense. But right now, he felt if one of them were to stay, the two would fight over it.

“I’ll stay.” Charlie spoke up as he reached forward to take Davina’s hand, giving her a comforting squeeze. He turned to his co-leaders to give them a reassuring smile but was met with their intense glares. He wasn’t sure if it was because he beat them to it or if it was because of the physical contact between him and Davina. Either way, he determined they were jealous. And that sent a shiver down his spine. He gulped before patting the back of Davina’s hand a couple of times, then letting it drop into her lap.

“I’ll see you two when we’re done.” Davina said, giving both Dean and Jackson a small smile. The two nodded at her with softened gazes before exiting the lab and leaving Sasha and Brayden to begin finding a way to stop her from transitioning. Almost two hours later, they finished running tests and Davina was free to leave. Afterward, she found herself exhausted and wanted to head upstairs to sleep. While Davina changed out of a gown given to her by Sasha and Brayden, Charlie waited outside and was soon approached by Lucian. After a moment, Davina exited the lab with a tired expression on her face.

“The King has asked me to escort you wherever you go.” Lucian spoke, resulting in Charlie letting out a whine.

“Why’s he having you do it? I’m right here!” Charlie exclaimed, stomping his foot on the ground as he did.

“As I said earlier when I first arrived downstairs, My Lord, you’re needed someplace else.” Lucian spoke. Charlie went to protest but stuttered on his words. Eventually he let out an annoyed groan before turning to Davina.

“Get some rest, okay?” Charlie asked as he wrapped his arms around Davina. She returned the hug and patted him a few times on the back before heading off to where he needed to be. Lucian then held his arm out to Davina.

“Where will I be taking you, miss?” Lucian asked. Davina mentally snickered to herself about his chivalry before linking her arm with his.

“My bedroom. I just want to sleep for hours and hours.” Davina said in an exaggerated tone of voice, making Lucian chuckle.

“I’ll inform the maid not to wake you too early, but Dean will want to check on you to make sure you’re alive and well.” Lucian spoke. Davina scoffed.

“Oh, but of course.” Davina said as the two made their way to one of the upper levels of the mansion. Once they reached her door, Davina quickly noticed a man guarding the outside. She frowned and turned to Lucian to see if he had any sort of explanation for it, but he didn’t. After a moment, Dean appeared at the other end of the hallway.

“What’s this about?” Davina asked as her and Lucian detached from one another.

“I wanted to make sure you’d be safe tonight. So, he’ll be joining you in there.” Dean spoke. Davina let out a laugh.

“Yeah, right. Quite frankly, I’m not fond of the idea of somebody watching over me while I sleep.” Davina replied. Dean tilted her head at her, giving her a serious expression. Davina put a hand on her hip, challenging him.

“Oh, I’d hate for the two of you to resume your childish and pointless bickering. There must be a better solution. If the young lady doesn’t want to be watched while she sleeps, then so be it!” Lucian said, defending her. They both turned to him with wide eyes. “And, My King. I do not mean to question your authourity, but, you’d have a man watch over her while she sleeps?” Lucian asked, making Dean click his tongue at the realization. Davina’s gaze met Dean. He watched her struggle to fight back a smile. He would’ve reprimanded Lucian for his outburst and for calling him out on a mistake he admittedly made, but upon seeing Davina, he realized he couldn’t. He was a little taken aback at how she could easily change his mood but pushed the thought out of his head.

“You could always share a room with Charlie or me.” Dean spoke. Davina went to agree, not minding at all sharing a room with either, but stopped when she realized he left Jackson out of it. She frowned.

“I can’t share a room with Jackson?” Davina asked. Davina watched Dean’s facial expression change ever so slightly. He seemed a little bit bothered but tried not to show it.

“Would you prefer it?” Dean asked.

“I’m fine with any of you three. I’m just wondering why it wasn’t offered, especially when I’ve done it before.” Davina responded. She wondered if it had to do with the tension she felt between Dean and Jackson before.Are they fighting because of me, Davina thought. Her mind became open to Dean, making him shift ever so slightly at her thought. Luckily, Jackson came down the hall carrying a suitcase with him. At this point, the guard took his leave, but Lucian remained.

“Because I won’t be residing here tonight. There’s a war upon us and I need to head back home to gather my beasts.” Jackson spoke, looking down at Davina. Davina didn’t bother to question him, though she wondered why some beasts remained with Jackson and not Dean. She also wondered if it was the same with Charlie, but pushed all thoughts out of her head.

“In that case, stay safe.” Davina said in a soft, caring tone she didn’t use often. Jackson’s breath hitched upon hearing it. He could feel his heart swelling in his chest at such simple words that wouldn’t have had any affect on him if it hadn’t been from her. Tension filled the room once more as Dean took three strides over to Jackson. Immediately, Davina noticed the stare down between the two and took a step forward.

“Hey, whatever the hell is going on between the two of you, knock it off.” Davina said, returning back to the snappy tone they knew best.

“You said so yourself. A war is upon us. I don’t know what the hell you two are fighting over, but you can’t let it get in the way at a time like this.” Davina spoke, now gaining the attention of the two of them. “The co-leaders need to be united now more than ever. When you come back, Jackson, the two of you have better gotten over whatever it is you’re upset over.” Davina said in a demanding tone. The two exchanged one more glare before Jackson took a step back.

“I will see you both when I get back.” Jackson said before exiting down the hall. Dean watched him as he went, glaring at him until he was out of sight.

“If you both allow it, I think I’ll accompany him to New Orleans.” Lucian spoke. Dean nodded his head at him in response, allowing Lucian to follow after Jackson and to New Orleans. When he turned his attention back to Davina, he found an upset look across her face, making his own once cold expression soften.

“What is it?” Dean asked. Davina stayed silent for a moment before shaking her head and letting out a sigh.

“I’m just confused, is all. I don’t imagine you’d tell me what’s going on?” Davina asked. Dean stared at her, biting down on his lip before shaking his head.

“I understand. I’m not upset with you, but I think I’ll just stay with Charlie tonight.” Davina said as she turned on her heel, starting to head in the direction of his room. However, Dean’s hand around her wrist stopped her. Dean parted his lips to speak but nothing came out.

“I am wondering if you’ll answer me this, though.” Davina said as she turned to face him.

“Yeah?” Dean asked in a quiet voice, loosening his grip around her wrist.

“Why don’t you use your beast form?” Davina asked. Dean bit down on his lip once more, eventually letting out a sigh. Davina realized it wasn’t something he was going to share with her, at least now now. She nodded her at him before turning back around.

“Night, Dean.” Davina said as she headed off down the hall and to Charlie’s bedroom on the other side of the mansion. When she entered, Charlie was busy showering after helping out with some things outside of the compound. She didn’t make her presence known and instead walked over to Charlie’s closet. She tossed her jeans and jacket before pulling a long t-shirt over her frame. She then headed over to one side of the bed, used a pillow as a divider between the two of them, and fell into a deep sleep. When she finally woke it was late in the afternoon. She couldn’t believe she slept that long despite being exhausted after the previous nights tests. She searched the room for Charlie but couldn’t find him and determined he was out doing some co-leader related things. She quickly realized how she looked wearing Charlie’s clothes and exiting his room. She didn’t want anyone to catch her an assume she was doing the infamous walk of shame, so she quickly sprinted to the other side of the mansion and to her room. When she reached it, she was met by Eloise who was currently carrying a basket of laundry.

“Shit.” Davina mumbled. Eloise lowered her basket to find Davina. Her eyes trailed down her legs, realizing she wasn’t wearing much clothes. She then looked up at Davina and gave her a small smile, winking afterwards.

“Hope you had fun. Dress warm, dear. It’s cold out today.” Eloise said before resuming as she was; doing her daily chores. Davina couldn’t help but laugh at the situation. When she made it inside her bedroom, she changed out of Charlie’s shirt and into her own clothes. As she pulled on her last article of clothing, a sleeveless jacket, she noticed something outside her window. It was pointed towards the forest, giving her a view of many tall trees. Closest to her, the side porch of the mansion could be seen. There stood an older woman with grey hair and clothed in a night gown, staring up into her window. Davina immediately became alert. She searched her room for some spare weapons, considering she left her bag in Jackson’s car, then left her bedroom and headed out of the mansion. She walked throughout the compound, finding it heavily guarded by beasts. Due to it being daytime, they were more likely to be out. She received some strange looks from some of the beasts, whom sensed that she was human. They however carried on with their day, knowing of her arrival at the compound. They knew she wasn’t to be touched, and was even ordered never to speak to her unless needed. Because, when she first arrived, Dean didn’t want to scare her. Once Davina reached the back of the compound where the forest began, she made her way over to where her window would be to find that woman. When she reached the area where the woman once stood, she found that she was now gone.

“Waste of my time.” Davina said under her breath as she rubbed her arms up and down, trying to warm herself up from the cold February air. She then heard footsteps, making her spin around to find the same older woman, now walking throughout the forest. She then started following the older woman, calling after her.

“Excuse me, miss? Are you lost?” Davina called out but received no response. Davina got an eerie feeling but continued to follow after her.

“Hey, lady! I don’t know if you should be here. This is kind of private property, you know.” Davina continued. Davina started to feel even more creeped out, but tried to convince herself to keep going. She figured that maybe the woman somehow managed to get out of a retirement home and didn’t know where to go. She didn’t want to think about how strange this was. She wanted to try to help this person if needed.

“Do you need help, miss?” Davina asked but once again received no response. Davina eventually let out a sigh and turned on her heel, deciding to just head back instead. As she began walking, she turned back only for a moment to see how far the woman had went. She found that the older woman hadn’t moved an inch and was now staring at her.

“Are you okay, miss?” Davina asked, turning slightly to face the woman. It wasn’t until Davina took a step in her direction that the woman turned back around and began heading away from her once more. Davina let out a scoff and walked at a much faster pace to reach the woman. When she finally reached her, she gently, but firmly, grabbed ahold of her wrist to get her to stop. Almost immediately, the woman turned back and screeched in the face of Davina. She immediately cried out in pain and covered her ears, dropping to her knees as the woman continued to screech. She couldn’t believe the lungs on the older woman or the effect the scream had on her ears. She kicked her boots on the ground, desperately crying out to the woman to stop screeching. For what seemed look only a minute longer, the woman stopped. Davina panted heavily as she removed her ears, finding that she couldn’t hear a single thing. She panicked, hearing nothing but ringing in both ears. She sat up on the dirt covered ground, taking deep breaths to calm herself. She then looked up to find the woman crouching down in front of her. Davina watched her mouth move but couldn’t make out any words, making panic continue to rise within her body.

“I can’t hear! I can’t hear you!” Davina screamed, hoping she’d hear her own voice, but didn’t. The woman began using her hands, gesturing for Davina to take deep breaths. Davina found it difficult but managed to do so. The ringing remained in her ears but she could just barely hear the wind rushing. When she looked up at the sky, she found that it had darkened tremendously. Panic began to fill up in her once more, not realizing how much time had past since she came outside. The woman in front of her quickly cupped both sides of her cheeks to gain her attention.

“I have a message.” The older woman spoke in a muffled voice.

“Y-you what?” Davina asked, wondering if she heard the woman right.

“I have a message for you, Davina.” The older woman said.

“How do you know my name?” Davina asked as her hearing slowly came back.

“Unimportant, dear. I have a message.” The older woman repeated once more. Davina panted a bit, still trying to catch her breath before finding the woman’s eyes.

“What’s your message?” Davina asked, unsure if she really wanted to know.

“Somebody’s going to die.” The older woman said. Davina’s breath hitched upon hearing those words.

“W-what?” Davina stuttered. The older woman did not repeat herself this time. She instead stood straight, glancing down at Davina. Davina’s held tilted to the side as she continued to stare at the woman, noticing her features. The woman wasn’t much shorter than herself, she was pale and bony, and her feet weren’t covered.

“You’re a banshee.” Davina said in a quiet, shaky voice once she came to the realization. Davina then turned to look back at the compound, realizing that much time had passed since she left. She didn’t think it was a coincidence. She turned back to the banshee to thank her for pulling her away, but found her no longer standing there. Instead of pondering too long, Davina began running throughout the forest to reach the compound. When she didn’t find beasts walking around and attending to their duties outside, she quickly panicked and searched for the nearest door. She found the same one she exited the night she chased after Jackson and entered it. She then ran down the long hallways of the first level of the mansion and eventually reached the main room of the mansion that was typically used as the ballroom. She tried to open the door but felt a hand on her shoulder, stopping her. She reacted quickly by taking the wrist of the unknown individual, twisting it around, placing it over her shoulder blade, and finally throwing them over her shoulder and to the ground. Catrice let out a pained groan once she hit the floor, letting Davina know who she was.

“Have you gotten stronger? I think you’ve gotten stronger since you last tossed me like a rag-doll.” Catrice grumbled. Davina let out a sigh of relief before helping Catrice up off of the floor.

“What the hell’s happened around here?” Davina asked.

“What do you think happened? There’s been an invasion. You think what you saw in there was bad? A lot of my friend’s guts are scattered along the walls of this place.” Catrice gritted through her teeth.

“Where’s Dean and Charlie?” Davina asked,

“Dean’s helping fight off some genetically mutated beasts and, well, I’m sure Charlie’s around here somewhere. Which reminds me, where the hell were you?” Catrice asked.

“I was led away from the compound by a banshee. She notified me that somebody is dying tonight.” Davina said, making Catrice let out a heavy sigh.

“Great, just great! And typically when banshee’s do that, they mean a human. How many of those do you think we have running around here?” Catrice asked, making Davina stand there and ponder for a moment. Davina huffed out as she fell back into the nearest wall, having come to the realization and felt immediate defeat.

“You know, I’ve been saying since I first arrived here and Dean found out what I was becoming that I wouldn’t transition. That I would instead let myself die because I preferred it over becoming a beast. Now that we’ve come to that point, I’ve realized I’m not accepting of death as I once was. In fact, I’m terrified.” Davina said, letting Catrice see a few tears drip down her face. The two stayed silent for a moment before Catrice approached Davina, placing her hand on the young woman’s shoulder.

“Hey, I don’t care what some creepy ass lady sensed about you. If you stick by my side, I promise I won’t let anything happen to you, alright?” Catrice assured her. Davina then looked up at her, sniffling a little.

“Thought you didn’t like me. Found me bratty and all that.” Davina spoke.

“Oh, I still think that. I also think you’re a bitch. But, I am too.” Catrice said, making Davina laugh a little.

“And you know, I can think of another bitch who can help us out.” Catrice said as the two began heading down the hall.

“Yeah? Who might that be?” Davina asked.

“You’ll see.” Catrice responded as they quietly and carefully searched throughout the mansion for the other individual that could help them.

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