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“I’m not interested in your shit.” I hissed at the man in front of me on the sidewalk. He had stepped out of god knows where, blocking my way and irritatingly mimicking my movement every time I tried to go around him. He was with Blackclaw. Blackclaw knew about my abilities as a steinmacher; they knew my kind were rare, and how much of an advantage I could be to them.
“Think of the power you could have. You’re already quite the impressive creature, but you could be unstoppable with us. You would be unstoppable with us. When wesen can finally stop hiding-”
“Uh huh. Like I said, not interested.” I cut him off, sick of listening to his speech. I abruptly continued walking
“This is your last chance.” He warned, matching my pace.
“Last chance for what?” I stopped to laugh in his face “To join in on your whole world domination bullshit?”
“You will regret this.” He threatened lowly, breaking away and crossing the street quickly. He disappeared behind a passing bus, and I gazed curiously after where I had last seen him.
This was the third one of their people they had sent to recruit me. They had gotten a grimm working for HW on my ass, and I did not appreciate it. I had no alliances with anyone, nor did I plan to change that; I just wanted to live my life. Now, I was on the run from an underground government agency. I had kept close tabs on the grimm they sent to follow me. She didn’t appear too threatening, until one time she had caught me in an alley and beat me half to death before I managed to escape. A twinge in my side reminded me that I was still recovering; The ordeal hadn’t happened that long ago, and my wounds were still fresh.
She was well aware that I had control over my powers – and that I was very hesitant to use them–meaning she, or HW, had been keeping an eye on me for quite some time. Probably since that first Blackclaw agent, I thought bitterly. She had followed me through four cities at this point, and I was honestly surprised they had put this much effort into tracking someone who had merely been contacted by Blackclaw. It would have been impressive, if the one they were tracking wasn’t me.
I hailed a cab, asking them to drop me off at an address several blocks from the hotel I was staying at. I went around a couple of blocks several times, and made deliberate zigzags and even stopped at a coffee shop briefly to keep the grimm off of my tail. Or, at least, away from the hotel I was staying at. I had never really stayed in one place anyway, so this whole thing wasn’t exactly new to me, but it was still inconvenient. I preferred to move around on my own terms.
I entered my hotel room with a huff, cursing under my breath as I sunk into the couch and the wound on my side protested sharply. My head snapped around when I heard a knock at the door. I narrowed my eyes, sliding my hand into my jacket pocket and grasping my knife. Creeping up to the door silently, I checked through the peephole. Nobody.
I uttered a low growl under my breath, turning away. A gun suddenly clicked behind me, and I whipped around. I was met with the barrel of an unusual looking pistol to my forehead.
“I told you you’d regret it.” The man from earlier stared me down from behind the barrel. He woged into a Hundjäger. My eyes shone a bright orange in warning, my hair beginning to sway and rise like a hundred snakes.
“Don’t.” He growled, knocking the knife out of my grip and kicking it across the floor.
“I don’t need a knife, mutt.” I spat, lunging at him. We tumbled to the floor, and I hissed in pain as I landed on my still-healing shoulder. He swiftly pinned me to the floor, his elbow digging into my side. Even though being a steinmacher gave me an almost god-like ability to turn anyone but grimms into stone, it did not give me extra strength, or aid me in any other way. I suppose it would have made my kind much too powerful, I had mused once.
“Now, I suggest you do exactly as I say.” He muttered into my ear. “Understand?"
I nodded begrudgingly.
"Good.” His lips curled into an ugly smile as he pulled away. “Get up."
I glared at him, but did as he said. He motioned over to the door with his pistol. "Shall we take this outside? You first."
I walked in front of him, my entire body tensed. He shut the door behind us. The the lock clicked with finality, even though we were on the outside of the door. The barrel of the gun pressed into my back, though he made it appear to any passerby as if he simply had his arm around me. We walked passed the lobby, and out the double doors. My anxiety rose when he made me turn a corner, then another, leading us to a secluded alley behind the hotel.
He suddenly shoved me up against the brick wall of the building. I grunted, glaring at him.
"Now.” He started in a business-like tone, backing away. “You will join Blackclaw.”
“Over my dead body." I hissed.
"Hm, well alright.” He hummed, acting like he was thinking of a response, though it was clear he already had a script prepared.
“The thing is, you see, while you may not work for us, your head will.” I backed away, beginning to see where this was going.
"This is a very special gun, if you couldn’t already tell.“ He explained, unloading it. "It doesn’t shoot normal bullets. These bullets contain Sauver Sa Peau. I’m sure you know what that does.” He smiled viciously. I did.
“I know exactly why you don’t use your abilities. Why you don’t embrace your wesen side. You killed your father by accident, isn’t that right? And your mother died protecting you from the council. How pitiful.” His smile turned into a nasty grin when he saw the pain flash across my features.
“Now what do you say?” He questioned again, cooking his head to the side. The veins in his face crawled as he threatened to woge.
“I say..No.” I ground out, tackling him to the ground and knocking the gun out of his hand. It skidded across the pavement, coming to a stop under a dumpster.I initially caught him by surprise, but he reacted quickly, digging his hand into my injured side. I choked out a cry, my grip around his neck faltering. He flipped me onto my back and wasted no time pulling out a large knife, driving it into my side. He pulled it out before driving it in again and again and again, purposely avoiding areas that would prove to quickly be fatal. After the last strike, he left the blade in my abdomen.
I gasped, my hands feebly gripping the knife as all the energy drained from my body. He woged and I flinched away. I consciously shifted into my own woge, but before I had a chance to turn my gaze to him, he sunk his teeth into my shoulder, again purposely missing the vital artery. A strangled gasp clawed its way up my throat, and I kicked my legs weakly in defiance.
He rose to his feet abruptly, leaving my weak and bloodied form laying on the ground. My breaths were shallow and pained. I watched through steadily darkening vision as he retrieved his gun from underneath the dumpster, my eyes closing. The cool barrel pressed against my throat, causing my eyes to flutter open. I struggled weakly.
“Woge.” He ordered. I glared at him as angrily as I could. “Don’t make this harder than it needs to be.” He growled, pressed the barrel harder against my windpipe.
“You wouldn’t.” I coughed painfully.
“I would.”
“You wouldn’t.” A strangled laugh left my throat. “You need me.”
He growled again, but said nothing. He only glared at me with a malicious glint in his eyes. I knew he couldn’t kill me; not until I woged.
He stood abruptly, catching my attention. Panic rose in my chest. He stood back a few steps, casually looking down at me. Suddenly, he drew back his foot and it collided with my ribs. A sickening crack sounded to my ears before I felt the searing pain.
“I won’t.” I hissed out once the agony had passed enough for me to speak. “I told you, over my dead b-” Another kick, in the same place. I couldn’t help but to scream out. He bent down beside me, resting a clawed hand on my heaving side.
“Woge.” He demanded. I weakly shook my head, and he sunk his claws into my side. He stopped, giving me a chance to obey. When I didn’t, he slowly drug his claws over my stomach, leaving deep gashes that my blood flowed freely out of. I was too far out of it to cry out or even react. It was all I could do to suck in a sharp breath, my ribs protesting.
My closed eyes opened slightly in faint alarm as I heard the whizzing of an arrow through the air, before the hundjäger dropped onto the ground next to me, dead. A wooden arrow protruding from the side of his neck. I raised my head weakly, attempting to make out the new figure through my blurred vision. They had what appeared to be a female build–but short hair–and what looked like a crossbow dangling from their hand. I squinted, dark spots in my vision beginning to cover half of their silhouette. My hands still pressed to the stab wounds on my stomach, as if it would really help me. Against my will, my eyes shut.
“Did your buddies turn on you?” A voice asked. My eyes shot open. They struggled to focus at first, but once they did, I feebly shoved myself backwards. It was the grimm that had been following me. I shook uncontrollably as I pressed my back against the brick. My vision darkened even more dangerously around the edges and my breath came in short, pained pants.
“I’m not..Blackclaw.” I gasped out, forcing my eyes open again. When I did, the grimm was now crouched in front of me, her face studying mine.
“Yeah, sure. I definitely believe that.” She grunted, grabbing me by the collar of my jacket and hauling me into a sitting position. My strangled cry of pain turned into a pathetic whimper half-way through. I clutched my hands to my middle, my chest heaving. Blood flowed steadily through my fingers.
“So tell me,” She said, kneeling beside me. “Who do you work for then?” I was silent, my head slumping to the side. I still trembled. I couldn’t believe I was going to die for someone I didn’t even associate with or work for.
She slapped the side of my face, the sting bringing me just a little closer back to consciousness.
“No one.” I mumbled. I sucked in a wet breath, coughing. “I don’t work for anyone."
"Tell me, and you don’t die.” She threatened. I weakly lifted my head to meet her gaze. My eyes lagged behind, and I saw double momentarily as they struggled to adjust to the sudden motion, my head pounding.
“They keep trying to recruit me. That’s why…you keep seeing them around me.” I wheezed, falling back onto my side.
“That’s a weak excuse."
"I don’t know what else to…. to say.” My breath hitched in my throat and my arms came up to rest across my stomach. The knife shifted in my side with every movement, the serrated base of the blade still gnawing at the edges of my skin.
“Just kill me.” I pleaded, breaking off with several coughs. I had enough. I had fought my entire life to be where I was now, to feel some semblance of control over myself and my cursed abilities. Now, in the span of six months, it had all crumbled down around my feet; just like my own father I had turned to stone, and my mother who had sacrificed herself to give me a chance to run and have my own life.
The coughs turned into a coughing fit. I fought desperately for each breath that was more blood than air. My body convulsed with each cough that clawed its way up my throat.
“Please.” I begged again once I could speak. My face rested on the cool, rough pavement, my breaths labored. A hand touched my back tentatively, and I flinched, curling into myself more.
“Don’t make me suffer.” I whimpered out, though I knew I deserved whatever I had coming to me. I was a coward, despite my outward sarcastic and otherwise uncaring attitude.
“Don’t worry.” She said, softer this time. I almost thought I was imagining it; the tone of her voice had shifted drastically. “I’m not going to kill you.” Maybe I was hallucinating.
Despite the tone of her voice, the possible double meaning in her words sent a shiver down my spine.
“Don’t hurt me.” I mumbled shakily, cowering away from her. I squeezed my eyes shut when I saw her reach for me, anticipating pain that never came as I was enveloped in unconsciousness.
My eyes flickered open once. Twice. I opened them all the way. They adjusted quickly to the dimness of the room that I realized I didn’t recognize. I raised my head feebly, looking around the room. My vision was still blurry, and pain was all I could feel. I could make out what looked like the makings of an apartment, or perhaps a hotel room that had been stayed in for quite awhile with no room service. My head fell back onto the pillows. A wave of pain rushed through me at the small, abrupt movement, burning and stinging and stabbing agony. I whined quietly, instinctively bringing my arms up around my torso, which was bare save for the bandages that wound around most of my stomach and rib cage.
Now that my head was beginning to clear, a dozen thoughts ran through my head. Where was I? Why didn’t the grimm leave me there to die? Why didn’t she finish me off? The most frightening question: Why did she help me? What did she and her organization want in return?
I stared up at the ceiling, nearling falling back asleep, before I heard the door creak open. I turned my head weakly in that direction, eyeing her wearily as she settled down in a chair beside the bed.
“How are you feeling?” She asked. It seemed genuine enough, but did almost nothing to put me at ease.
“What-” I broke off with a fit of coughs. I curled onto my side, hugging my arms around my waist in an attempt to comfort myself through the agony. I shrank away when her hand rested lightly on my uninjured shoulder before starting to rub gently up and down my arm in a comforting gesture.
My body relaxed into the mattress with a wheeze, and I looked up at her defensively.
“You’re okay.” She reassured me, pulling her hand away. I unfurled from my defensive ball, weakly attempting to struggle into a sitting position. She watched for a moment, pursing her lips, before reaching to help me.
All I saw was hands reaching for me out of the corner of my eye. I immediately became scared and defensive, the action triggering something terrible in my brain. I jerked my head up, my eyes glowing a bright orange.
“Woah, would. Calm down.” She retracted her hands quickly, holding them up to show me she was no threat. I panted, suddenly lightheaded, and slumped back onto the bed.
“What do you want from me?” I mumbled out weakly, my eyes fluttering shut.
“Information.” She answered simply, leaning forward. “Answers.”
My brain wandered to what exactly she would do to get the information she wanted.
“You’ll let me go?” I asked.
“I’m not forcing you to stay here. You can leave right now if you want to.” She gestured to the door. “I don’t think you’re in the condition to be leaving, though.”
“I’ll take my chances.” I sighed, though my body said otherwise, relaxing into the mattress.
“And, it seems like you may have Blackclaw on your ass right now.” She continued.
“Whatever you think, I’m not with them. They keep trying to recruit me. I guess this was the last straw.” I cracked my eyes open.
“What do they want with you?”
“They want me because of what I am.” I paused, waiting for her to interrogate me further.
“If you knew what I was, you would’ve killed me already.” I told her quietly.
“You’re a steinmacher. I know that already.” My eyes darted up to hers when she said that. “I also know about your history, and your family.” She paused when she saw the pain in my eyes. “I’m not going to go into detail on that, don’t worry.”
“Why haven’t you killed me then?”
“I also know you don’t like to use your abilities, and you seem to have good control over them.“
"All this and you didn’t know if I was working with blackclaw or not?”
“I figured you weren’t. HW just wanted to make sure."
"Join me.” She offered suddenly.
“No. No, I don’t want to get involved in any of this. I just want to be left alone."
"You can use your abilities for good.” She urged.
“No.” I was adamant.
“Then join me.” She emphasized. “I’ll watch your back.”
“I don’t need anyone to watch my back. I’m fine.” I argued stubbornly. I winced as I propped myself onto the pillows and into a sitting position.
“Didn’t look like it out there.” She said sarcastically. Her eyes quickly glanced over my battered frame with a hint of concern. “Listen, I’ve been where you are. I’ve felt what you feel. don’t ask me how I know. all I know is… I don’t wanna hurt you. Let me protect you. Not as HW. As a friend.” She insisted.
“Friend? I don’t even know your name.”
“It’s Truble.” She smiled, knowing I was caving in.
“That doesn’t sound good.”
Truble’s smile widened. “Oh, I’m not.”