"Untamed"

Part Four

By Rose Marie Wolf

"Go!" Mallory screamed. The vampire ran ahead of her, his arms held over his face to shield him from the intense light of the sun. Behind her, Tony was bearing down. He would catch her. She knew she couldn't outrun him.

“Run to the car!” She yelled again. Her car was just in sight. Zach bore down upon it. She saw him wrench open the door and find the safety of the backseat, but her distraction cost her.

Tony threw his two hundred pounds at her petite body and tackled her to the ground. She landed hard on her stomach and for a moment she couldn’t breathe. Spots danced before her eyes. She was only vaguely aware when Tony yanked her roughly to her feet. Disoriented and stunned, she could do nothing but allow herself to be dragged across the yard.

When the spots faded, she found herself face to face with a furious Dean. His hand enclosed around her upper arm and pulled her forward with such force that she nearly fell.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" He bellowed. Tony broke away from her and headed for the car. She turned her head, caught a glimpse of Zach in her backseat before Dean pulled a handful of her hair and forced her to face him. "You helped him escape!"

"He's innocent!" She screamed back. The yellow of Dean's eyes blazed angrily at her. She knew he didn't believe her. "It was Carter!"

He drew his hand back before she knew it and slapped her hard across her face. Her jaw throbbed.

"You little bitch! You helped him escape!" He shoved her away from him. Mallory tripped over her feet and hit the ground. Sprawled on her back, she could see Tony reach for the door handle of her car. Zach was trapped. Dean's shadowed blocked out the powerfully bright sun above her.

She knew she couldn't explain herself, not without proof. She knew Dean would never listen to reason. She also knew that the vampire, her link to putting Carter away for good, was as good as dead. She had to think fast.

"You little bitch," Dean spat at her, "You're dead!"

"I don't think so, Dean." She said through clenched teeth. A good, solid kick to the knee sent Dean reeling. She didn't hesitate, but she was sorry she had to do it. His leg buckled and he feel forward. She moved out of the way just in time.

Dean clawed forward as she scrambled to her feet. He came inches from grabbed her ankle, but she moved out of the way just in time. She stared down at him only briefly before she ran toward her car. Dean wouldn't stay down for long.

Tony pulled open the door of the car and grabbed Zach by the collar of his shirt. He yanked him out of the backseat and into the sunlight. The vampire was strong and resisted. His fingernails dug into Tony's arm. Mallory could smell the blood.

"Let go of him, Tony, now!" She was surprised by the edge in her voice. Tony turned his head toward her. Zach took the opportunity to get a blow in. His fist connected with the side of Tony's jaw.

"Both of you, stop it!" She yelled. Tony lurched toward the vampire but she pulled him back with all her strength. She balled her hands into fists. Wetness dribbled down her knuckles. She could smell her own blood.

"Mallory, are you insane?" Tony yelled. Behind them, Dean was climbing to his feet. She didn't have much time.

"Step away from the car, Tony." The edge in her voice scared her. She had never felt such a strong surge of adrenaline rush through her body without undergoing a full-on shift. "I need him. Carter is the killer and he can help me prove it."

"You and I saw the same fucking thing!" Tony exploded. Though he was much taller than she and bulkier, there was something about her commanding presence that unsettled and intimidated him. The blazing look in her eyes made him take a few steps back.

"No, we didn't! You didn't see the paw prints in the blood! You didn't see Carter sweat when I asked questions! I know what I saw and I know this vampire is innocent!"

Tony stared at her as if he didn't believe her, but something changed on his face. She decided to push it further.

"Let me go. I have to do this." She said in a softer voice. Dean trudged toward them. "Please, Tony…" She pleaded. Zach watched in silence, once more in safety of the backseat.

"Fuck!" He cursed. "I'm going to hate myself for this. Dean will kill us both."

She couldn't believe it. Was he actually letting her go? She felt as if she had been hit in the stomach again. She touched his arm.

"Tony…"

"Get out of here, Mallory." He said. He glanced over his shoulder. Dean was getting closer. "But you better not come back…"

"Thank you, Tony." She resisted the urge to hug him. There was very little time to lose. Dean was closing in fast. She hurried to the driver's side of the car and climbed in. She started the engine, gunned it, and pulled away from the curb.

In the rearview mirror, she caught sight of Dean reaching the curb and turning on Tony. Mallory raced around a curb and they were out of sight.

The car was silent save for her panting breaths. She gripped the steering wheel tightly and felt the stinging pain in her palms. Blood oozed from the cuts and trickled down her wrist. She winced.

"You're bleeding," The vampire said from the backseat. He sat up, leaning into the front seat beside her.

"I know that," She answered, irritably.

"Can't you do something about it?"

"It's not that bad." She glanced in the mirror and caught sight of Zach's face. One half of it was red, with ugly blisters along the side of his temple and jaw. "Too bad I can't say the same about your face…"

"You can thank your little boyfriend for that," He answered, bitterly. "Do something about that wound."

"I don't think you are in any position to make demands," Mallory said. Her hand did hurt, but the bleeding was slowing, finally. "It'll heal."

"Not soon enough, I'm afraid," Zach sucked in a deep breath. "Do something about it, please?"

"Why? Is it bothering you?" She caught his eyes in the mirror again and saw something there she didn't like.

"Yes, it is." He said through clench teeth. "I'm a vampire, Mal." The emphasis on her name sounded hateful and bitter. "You know what that means."

"No, I don't." She slowed to a stop and tried to decide which way to turn. Should she go to Carter's and confront him again, or should she go someplace to wait it out? Her instinct told her that Dean would be after her. Carter's may the first place he'd go. She cursed silently and slammed her hand against the steering wheel. It sent horrible waves of pain through her and she immediately regretted it. "I don't know what it means. Enlighten me."

"It means…" He paused and took a deep breath. He closed his eyes and leaned back in his seat. "I'm a vampire and I haven't fed in a while…"

She stared at him in the mirror again and she understood. She wasn't the only one that could smell the scent of it. She felt foolish when she realized she should've thought of it much sooner.

"Sorry. I didn't know it had that affect on you." She rummaged around in the passenger seat and pulled a scarf from the mess there. She tore it in two and began wrapping it around her hands, steering carefully with one hand while tying the knot with her teeth.

"Of course you didn't know," The bitterness grew stronger in his voice.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" She shot back. She turned down the street that would take them out of town. They would have to find a place to rest for a few hours. The sun would be set by then and Zach would be able to venture out without getting burned. Once more she studied the burns on his face and she wondered how soon they would heal. His earlier words rang true. She didn't know anything about vampires.

"Never mind, don't answer that." She added hastily. Zach laughed softly behind her. It sent shivers up her spine.

"You really are a piece of work…"

"Oh, just shut up. I'm in enough hot water as it is. I don't need any more bullshit from you."

He continued to laugh and she tried to ignore it. She drove on in silence. The scarf around her hands was already soaked through. The scent of it was strong. She heard Zach sigh as he leaned back in his seat. She wasn't a hundred percent sure how the scent or sight of blood affected him, but she wasn't planning on doing anything to provoke his vampiric nature. She wasn't sure just what he was capable of.

She watched him for a few moments in the mirror again. He held a hand over his face, to block it from further damage from the bright sunshine that streamed through the window. Mallory tried to push thoughts of him out of her mind. She had enough to think about.

What was she thinking, going against Dean and the rest of her kind? Was putting Carter away really worth this? What was she trying to prove?

She couldn't answer her own questions, but she could only look forward now. What was done, was done. There was no going back. She knew, instinctively, that she had to do this.

"I must be crazy to do this. Dean is going to fucking kill me…" She finished out loud, under her breath. The town was quickly becoming a dot on the horizon in her rearview mirror and she didn't even know where she was going.

"That's your problem, not mine…"

"I wasn't talking to you." She responded, sharply.

"Is it common practice for werewolves to talk to themselves, or are you just special?"

Without hesitating, she slammed her foot on the brakes. The car lurched to a stop, sending Zach into the seat in front of him.

"What the fuck?" He started to say, but Mallory spun in her seat to face him.

"Listen to me, you little blood sucker." She pointed a bloody finger at him. Her hands shook with adrenaline and anger. "I did not bring you with me to listen to your insults. Like it or not, I am the only way you are going to get out of this mess alive."

Fire must've blazed in her eyes because Zach looked at her strangely and didn't respond. Her hand continued to tremble and she was aware of the wild buzzing in her ears. The vampires scent was stronger the closer she was to him, but she smelled no fear.

She leaned back, but kept her eyes fixed on him.

The tension was thick between them. For what seemed like ages, they stared at one another, hardly breathing. Only when a car behind her honked its horn for her to move did she turn back and resume driving. She sighed heavily. Zach continued to stay silent.

After a moment she spoke.

"Zach, about what I said…"

"I deserved it, you don't have to apologize."

She fell silent once again, the words taken right out of her mouth. She kept her focus on the road, driving without any direction. She was just about to turn the car down another road when Zach spoke again.

"You're not like the others I've met…"

"What do you mean?" She asked. Once more, she caught his stare in the mirror. His green eyes blazed with such brilliance, she almost hated to look away from him.

"The other werewolves I've met. You're not like them. You stand up for what you believe, and you don't let people push you around." He paused. "I admire that."

"Right." She said, not quite believing him. "Don't play games with me. I'm tired of that."

"I'm not playing games. I'm trying to be sincere. If you would just get your head out of your ass long enough, you'd see that."

"That's enough."

Zach scoffed slightly. "There I go again, opening my mouth."

Mallory sighed heavily again. "Just stop it, Zach. Arguing isn't going to get us anywhere."

"Agreed." He said and he went silent once more. Mallory watched him for a few moments longer. He turned his head to glance outside. Trees passed them on both sides as they went deeper and deeper into the country side. She still wasn't sure where they were going. Zach must've picked up on something because he turned back to her and spoke.

"Where are we going?" A moment of uncomfortable silence followed a few seconds longer. Mallory took a deep breath.

"I don't know." She shook her head. Her parent's old summer home was out this road, she remembered. They could go there for refuge if need be. She sighed heavily. "My parents had a house out in the country. It's not far from here. I'll take us there. We can wait until night fall and then head to Carter's. We have to find the evidence."

"Will we be safe there?" The vampire asked. She looked up at the mirror and into his eyes once again.

"I hope so," She answered and put her foot down on the gas.

Her parent's summer home was a large cabin, lakeside and secluded by trees. It would be the perfect place to hide until night fall.

Mallory pulled the car into the drive and set it into park. Zach, having remained silent for the rest of the drive, finally spoke up.

"This is it then?" he said. There was a faint note of disdain in his voice. Mallory shot him an annoyed glance but said nothing.

"Guess it'll have to do." He continued. "Can we go inside? The sun is killing me, literally."

"Yeah," She said softly. She opened the door and stepped out. She walked toward the house, breathing in the scent of the forest, of the water and once more she sighed. It had been so long since she had been here. Her parents were gone now. This was all she had left of them.

She hurried up the front steps and onto the deck. She faintly recalled a memory of the hiding place for the spare key. She searched, found the false rock with the key hidden beneath. She took it and opened the door.

The musty scent of dust hit her full on. She wrinkled her nose and turned her head. Zach watched her from the car. Now that the door was open, he hurried out of the car and into the house. She let him pass into the darkness, but lingered in the doorway.

It's been years since I've been here, she thought to herself. Can I really face it? She didn’t have much of a choice. She sucked in a huge breath and stepped over the threshold.

The windows were shut tightly, the blinds and curtains drawn so that everything was dark and shadowed. The musty smell became stronger as she entered the living room. It had not been cleaned since before her parent's death. Even Zach was looking around with a look of disgust.

"How long until sunset?" He asked.

Mallory looked toward the clock on the wall. The battery must've died because the hands didn't move, forever stuck on 12:15. She wasn't wearing a watch. She shook her head.

"I don't know." She answered. She walked into the small kitchenette and turned the faucet. Nothing came out. She cursed under her breath.

"You know, the lights don't work. Forgot to pay your bills?" Zach said from the living room. The click-click of the light switch flipping up and down annoyed her. She ignored the sarcasm in his voice.

"No," She answered, "No one's been here in five years." She turned to look at him. He lifted an eyebrow.

"Why so long?"

She didn't answer. She opened the cabinets, searching, but they were all bare. Hopefully, they wouldn't get too hungry.

Hunger…

Did vampires eat food? She wondered to herself. She blinked a few times. Zach sat on the couch and leaned back. His feet rested on the coffee table. For one brief moment, anger flared within her at the sight of his dirty feet on her parent's furniture—her furniture—but she quelled it with a deep breath.

If she was lucky, Zach wouldn't get hungry. How often did vampires feed? She was painfully reminded that she didn't know anything about vampires. Zach had been right. Maybe being alone with a possibly hungry vampire wasn't such a good idea. She remembered how he had acted in the car with her cut hand. She stared down at it now. The bandage was soaked through with her blood.

"It'll be a few hours until we can go out," Zach said. "We better rest until then."

"I was planning on it." Mallory crossed the floor and stepped over his outstretched legs. "But I'm not leaving you unattended."

Zach laughed loudly. "Afraid I'll run away?"

"I've given you a warning. I don't think you'll run. Besides, where will you go in the broad daylight?" At least she had that threat over him. Zach's laughing face became a scowl as he realized her words were true. She smirked a little as she sat in the armchair across from him.

"You can trust me," He tried again. For a moment, she heard a faint resemblance of the niceness he had expressed in the car. Mallory told herself she would fall for it. She would remain rigid. She wouldn't give in.

"If you say so," She said in one breath. Her eyes roamed over the room. Nothing had changed. Photographs of her, as a smiling child, seated between her mother and father still sat around the room. She closed her eyes to avoid looking at them.

"You never answered my question," Zach said. He changed his tactic, his voice once more became bitter. She reopened her eyes to look at him.

"What question?"

"Why has no one been here in five years?" He grabbed one of the photos from the table beside him and touched the smiling faces in the frame. Mallory felt a twinge of anger once more. "Why are these happy people no longer here?"

"Because they are dead." She said. She stood up quickly and yanked the frame from his hands. "And I would appreciate it if you kept your hands off my stuff."

A slow grin spread over his white face. "How did they die?"

She stared at him, hating the smile on his face. "What is this, some game to you?" She demanded. "No, I won't." She shook her head. "I am not telling you a goddamn thing."

She tore her eyes angrily from him and stared at the photo in her hand. She remembered the day it was taken. She touched her mother's face in the glass, then her father's. Now was not the time to get sentimental. She took a deep breath and sat the picture on the table once again.

Zach stared at her in silence for a long moment. When he finally spoke, Mallory detected just a bit of the old bitterness there.

"I understand you don't want to talk about it. That's fine by me. But if we are not going to rest, and we're not going to make small talk, then we need to come up with some plan for whatever it is you need me for."

Mallory bite on her tongue to keep from lashing out. She waited until she felt calm before she answered.

"Alright. I need you to tell me what happened the night…she was killed." She couldn't bring herself to say "Mary Sue" out loud. She sat down on the couch next to him, far enough away that there was no need for them to touch. She looked at him intently. "And I need the truth. I have to know what really happened."

Zach nodded slowly. He stretched out his arms over the back of the couch as if he were settling in for some relaxation.

"I was at the bar that night, where you, the girl and lover boy were –"

"He's not my lover boy." Mallory interrupted. "Tony is only a friend, nothing more."

"If you say so." Zach chuckled. "Do you want me to finish the story or not?"

Mallory's angry silence was enough of an answer for him. He went on.

"I saw the three of you there, and I knew immediately what you were. It's easy to tell werewolves from vampires. They are more…animalistic and…loud…" A grin spread over his face when Mallory's face took on an insulted look. "In any case, I found myself wondering why three werewolves were on territory that clearly belonged to the vampires.

"I was just about to get up to ask when another one walked in—"

"Carter," Mallory hissed.

"Yes, Carter. Anyway, he made a big scene—which I found rather funny—then stormed out. He seemed like a hotheaded little fellow, so I knew bothering him would be out of the question…"

"Wait," Mallory interrupted again. "What do you mean by that? Were you thinking of causing trouble with us?"

"Trouble? No, not really. I was just curious. After all, werewolves don't normally show up in the middle of vampire territory unless there's something going on. I thought I would check it out..."

"Why do I not believe you?" She asked with a shake of her head. Zacharias only grinned.

"You don't believe me because, according to everyone you've ever talked to, vampires are the bad guys."

"That's not true," She retorted, but realized a moment too late that he was right. Growing up, Dean had always talked about vampires in a negative light. He had never liked them and warned the pack to stay away from them, lest some sort of conflict broke out. She sighed.

"So maybe you're right…" She admitted, "but it's not because of that that I don't trust you…"

"Why don't you trust me?" He asked in a tone that suggestive something vulgar and Mallory felt heat rise into her face.

"You're a vampire…" She began, but knew immediately it sounded stupid. She quickly tried to change the subject. "What happened after you left the bar?"

Zach wasn't buying it. He moved closer to her on the couch. She narrowed her eyes at him, daring him without a word not to come any closer.

"You said so yourself that wasn't the reason…Tell me," Again, Mallory felt that wild buzzing in her head and felt her blood rushing as her heart beat faster.

"Zach," She started to protest, but at once fell silent. He was closer to her than he had ever been before. She could smell his scent. At once she realized what a dangerous situation she was in. She knew nothing of what he could do, and here she was, completely alone with him. Even with the confidence her natural abilities gave her, she was unsure if she could handle him or not.

"Mallory," He said in a voice that was hardly a whisper. His hand moved to brush a strand of hair away from her neck. She felt a delicious shiver run through her entire body. What was he doing to her? Hypnotizing her? She tried to fight it.

"Zach, tell me what happened…" She said. She turned her head and caught his eyes. His eyes were unnatural, gleaming green against his too white face. She felt his hand touch her own, felt him lift it gently and easily, though it felt heavy to her, like a dead weight. Without taking his eyes from her, he began to undo the knot, untying the scarf to her palm.

"What are you doing?" She whispered, but she already knew. The rational part of her wanted to make him stop. She knew she should resist this charm, this spell, but she could not.

He slipped the bloody cloth from her hand and let it fall to the couch. His cold fingertips trailed along the edges of the deep cut. She winced in pain.

"Shh," He whispered softly and broke his eyes from her. Mallory felt another shiver as he lifted her hand to his face. His lips touched her skin, and for a moment, his touch was like fire. It burned her flesh and she wanted to cry out, but she didn't. Instead, she found herself mesmerized by what he was doing.

He tasted the blood that stained her palm and wrist. His tongue was wet and moved expertly along her skin. She felt more heat rise into her face as her thoughts strayed to something more intimate and she felt embarrassed having thought of it.

Zach stared up at her face the whole time. She saw his eyes cloud over and roll back into his head in pleasure. She was aware that her heart was thumping heavily and she could feel it in her neck, her chest, her wrist…

His tongue probed at the wound and she felt the sting of pain as the cut, only partially healed, reopened and began to bleed once again. She smelled the blood heavy in the air. Zach curled his lips around it and began to draw upon it, sucking to coax more blood from it.

It was like nothing she had ever experienced before. She closed her eyes, heard him moan and tighten his grip upon her wrist and hand. He began to pull harder and faster, drawing the blood through the wound.

Something suddenly snapped awake within her and Mallory's eyes flew open. No, this wasn't supposed to be happening. She wasn't supposed to give into him. She was at his mercy now. He could very well kill her.

"No," She tried to say, but found her voice harsh and gritty. She cleared her throat. "No, stop…"

Her words meant little to him. Zach was already lost in the blood. His grip was painful on her arm. She could now feel the blood pumping toward the wound, toward him. She tried to pull back but he was fastened to her. Sharp pain held her steady.

"Stop it!" She said, louder this time. "Stop it, Zach."

He wouldn't stop. He continued to feed, using his incredible strength against her.

I cannot let him do this, she told herself. I have to fight. I have to…

She called upon the wolf, her inner strength. She growled her warning to the vampire, and when he didn't heed it, she used what strength she had to pry him away from her. Her fingers were like claws as she dug them under his fingers and tore them away. She grabbed a handful of his hair and jerked his head back.

Zach's green eyes were cloudy, like with drugs, but they soon cleared. Blood dripped down his chin. He looked at her blankly, as if seeing her for the first time, then recognition and realization crossed his face. When she released him, he shrank away, stumbling over the coffee table.

"No," He said, his voice wet. He touched his fingers to his lips and drew them away to stare at the red painted there.

Mallory clutched her bleeding hand to her body, her eyes narrowed and angry at him.

"That's why I don't trust you," She growled in a low voice. "I knew you would try something…"

"Mallory…it's not what you think," For a moment, Zacharias looked like a scared child, his eyes wide and face flushed with the blood he had consumed.

"Then what was it?" She said, her voice still angry.

"I couldn't help it…the blood—"

"Stop it!" She yelled. She was surprised that her voice echoed off the walls, but the effect was immediate. Zach shut up, and his eyes lost the scared child look. He once more looked like the vampire he was.

"I'll leave you alone then," He said, his voice cold suddenly. He spat what was left of the blood from his mouth, as if it disgusted him and wiped the last traces of it from his face. "Until you climb down off that high horse you're riding."

He turned away from her and headed for one of the downstairs rooms. He turned to look at her once more before disappearing into what had once been her father's study. "Don't for once pretend you had never been tempted before. Don't ever pretend you never made a mistake…"

"Oh, I've made mistakes before…" Mallory said. "My biggest mistake was ever thinking I could help you and be helped in return."

But Zach did not respond. He disappeared into the room and shut the door behind him. She wondered a moment, just how long he would stay there and tried to convince herself she didn't really care.

But she couldn't shake the scared and elated feeling she had experienced as he fed from her. It was as if she could total surrender herself to him, with complete trust. She knew it had to fabricated; she didn't feel that way for him. He was a vampire. He was probably using some mind trick on her or something.

Something deep inside of her told her otherwise, but she ignored it. Quickly, Mallory bandaged her bleeding hand once again and paced the floor the living room. With night fall coming within a few short hours, she had to think of a plan and she was at a loss for what to do.

There were more important things at hand than worrying about the vampire and what he had done to her, like catching the real murderer and bringing him to justice.

Her mind scrambled to come up with an idea.

---

Zacharias sat in the big armchair in the study, alone. His heart pounded, exhilarated from the blood. He could still taste her. Werewolf blood was different. It was bolder, stronger and he had come to find that he liked it…a lot.

It had been wrong to lull her into the trance, but the temptation had been too much for him. Her blood was hot, delicious, but it had become something else to him entirely…

It was an obsession and he wanted more…