12 Beauty's Beast
Ella
Ella stared at Wolf in a daze, as the van bumped over the road.
He's here. How is that possible? She'd watched as Wolf was repeatedly shot in the desert. She'd seen him die.
He's one of those beasts. That's how he survived. Ella recalled the image of the creature ghosting over Wolf's face, the long fangs, and clawed fingers.
Ella was so confused. She closed her eyes and attempted to gather her scattered thoughts. She couldn't concentrate on the words Wolf whispered into her hair, as he held her tight. But his deep voice, filled with reverence, worked its way into her, smoothing over her ragged edges. His scent, and comforting touch soothed her fears.
He came for you. He's alive. Nothing else matters.
"Wolf, you're bleeding again," Char said in dismay.
Ella snapped out of her haze and looked at Wolf. She'd been obliviously smearing his blood as she stroked his chest. Wolf's beastly nature might have kept him from instantly dying, but it hadn't prevented the horrific injuries she witnessed. He wasn't miraculously okay.
"You should be in a hospital," Ella cried.
She scrambled off Wolf's lap. He was incredibly pale. He grunted with a smirk, but continued to stare at her with glossy adoration.
"Hurry, get to Coso's," Char yelled to the driver.
Ella watched in trepidation as the blood spread, soaking Wolf's shirt. She tore it open to see the numerous holes in his flesh. The worst one was over his heart.
"He needs to go to a hospital," Ella insisted again.
"We can't go to Outsider hospitals, Ella. We have our own healers," Vick explained looking grim.
Ella cried as she pressed against the wound, desperately trying to halt the blood pumping from Wolf's body.
"You can fix him," Coso told her solemnly.
"What? I don't understand."
"You stopped the bullets before they ripped through him. You healed Wolf's flesh as you pulled them back out. You gave us enough time to reach him. You did it once. You can do it again."
Ella recalled the horror of watching Wolf get shot. She remembered wishing for the terrible act to be undone. But that was it. She hadn't done anything special.
Ella looked at the man she loved, her eyes blinded with tears. It didn't matter he was like the beasts who'd taken her. Wolf was nothing like those monsters. She had a second chance with him, and now it was slipping away.
"Smile for me, Princess," Wolf requested as he gave her a pained smile. "So glad you're safe," he coughed as his heartbeat faltered beneath her palm.
Ella wasn't sure what to do, but she had to try something, anything. She refused to lose him. Ella leaned into Wolf and pressed her lips against his ear.
"I wanted to tell you this so many times. I thought I'd never get the chance.," Ella whispered past the catch in her throat. "I love you, Wolf."
Rather than the anger and despair she'd felt in the casino, Ella let her overwhelming love fill her gift. As Ella poured everything she had left into Wolf, she pictured his blood vessels, muscles and skin sealing closed. She held on tight, when Wolf's back arched. Ella didn't dare let up, even as darkness closed in around her. This time the void that greeted her wasn't filled with nightmares, but hope, as she felt the rhythmic thud beneath her palm grow stronger.
Wolf
Wolf groaned with a yawn. He felt better than he recalled feeling in a long time, except for the crick in his neck. Wolf stretched and leaned back against the side of the cargo van. He smiled, feeling Ella draped over his lap. Wolf opened his eyes and looked down at the beauty. The sight of blood covering Ella, his chest, and the floor of the van brought everything that happened flooding back.
Wolf's eyes flew to the others riding in the back of the van. Char was kneeling close by, her eyes wide, and her mouth frozen half open. Vick, Tony, Jericho and Mark also looked dumbfounded.
"Welcome back - again," Coso managed to say, his eyes filled with awe.
Understanding quickly struck Wolf. He reached down and rolled Ella so he could look at her face.
"Ella. Princess," Wolf husked with mounting concern, when she didn't rouse. "Beautiful?"
Wolf's hands quickly roved over Ella. He released a loud relieved sigh when he felt the steady beat of her heart, and the way her chest moved with gentle breaths.
"I think she's exhausted," Coso offered. "Amazing, just amazing."
Wolf looked down at his chest and stomach. Even through the smeared blood he could see his wounds were completely gone. It was nothing less than a miracle.
"Don't do that to me again," Char suddenly hissed.
Wolf glanced up from Ella and gave his sister a lopsided smile.
"I'll try not to. And I love you too, Sis."
"Dammit, man. You had us worried." Tony's shoulders relaxed.
"We heard the story, but seeing Cotton Tail in action was … " Vick finished the statement with a confounded shake of his head.
"Here." Char handed Wolf a bottle of water, then stared at Ella. "Even after she passed out, her power wrapped around you. We couldn't get near you. It was amazing and frightening."
Wolf took a swig, then used some of the water to clean his chest. He studied what Ella had done for him, while leisurely stroking her back.
Everyone silently reflected on what they'd just witnessed as the van rumbled through the desert. Wolf understood how his pack felt. He could hardly wrap his head around it either.
Wolf recalled those moments where he wavered in and out of consciousness. He'd been desperate to hold on, but felt himself slipping. Then there was a dark-haired angel, whispering words of love into his ear. She enveloped him in a cocoon of bliss, and Wolf knew what heaven was like.
When the van finally came to a stop in front of Coso's ranch home, Wolf gathered Ella in his arms.
"You're going to carry her?" Char asked him incredulously.
"Sis, look at me." Wolf nodded to his side, just above his hip. "Even that scar from the knife wound a few years back is gone."
He was better than good. He felt like he could run a marathon if he had to. Wolf exited the van to find everyone but Iris looking worried.
Wolf gave Iris a broad smile and carried Ella past his friends, to the bedroom Coso lent him. He undressed himself and Ella, as he filled the tub. Wolf sat down in the warm water, with Ella cradled against him, her face tucked into his neck. He tenderly cleaned the dried blood from between her delicate fingers and everywhere else, before tending to himself. He took his time. There was no reason to rush. Having Ella pressed against him, eased the anxious beast within. There was no way he was letting her go ever again.
Ella
Ella snuggled into the warmth and comfort of Wolf's chest. The fine smattering of hair tickled her face as she ran her cheek over his peck.
His chest!
Ella tried to sit up, when she remembered what happened in the van.
"Uh, uh. You're not going anywhere," Wolf husked as his arms snared her.
Ella's hands fluttered over his chest, but found no lingering injury.
"I'm good as new, Princess." He took hold of her chin and angled her face so she could look into his dark smoldering eyes. "So, you love me, huh?"
"I do." Ella nodded. She couldn't believe he was here with her, and there wasn't a mark on him. "I do love you."
Wolf's eyes were bright. They were filled with love, even though he hadn't said it yet. Wolf didn't have to. Ella felt it, like she had when she healed him. In that moment, it was like their souls had touched, and that connection remained.
"Even with the whole Shifter thing going on?" Wolf asked, looking suddenly unsure.
Ella didn't understand how someone like Wolf was possible. But she knew if it hadn't been for his beast, he would've died in the desert, even with her help. Plus, it felt right. Ella wasn't the only odd one.
"Yeah," Ella replied. "Who else could withstand an Ice Princess."
"I don't know, you feel pretty hot to me," he growled wearing a broad rakish grin.
Wolf ran a hand below the blanket, along Ella's bare hip. A heated blush worked up Ella's chest and face, when she realized they were both naked. Her eyes widened when she felt Wolf's manhood poke her thigh.
Wolf paused with his large palm on her behind. His brows drew together, and something fierce entered his dark eyes.
"Did he hurt you?" Wolf growled.
"No," Ella insisted with an emphatic shake of her head.
She knew what Wolf meant. Drake had hinted at it, but never got that far.
"Good," he sighed, looking like a terrible weight had been lifted off his shoulders. "You are mine Ella," he insisted.