(Take Away This) Ball and Chain 5/6
Part Four
Jess met them outside the bed and breakfast around nine. Once again she did not look at Stiles and focused all of her attention on Derek. Derek wanted to say something but she knew this town and where the victims had died. The tension was getting annoying because Stiles was watching Jess like she was going to turn on them at any given time. Derek figured that Stiles had trust issues when it came to other supernatural beings after it became apparent that Saul was actively trying to kill both of them. Derek was not exactly comfortable around Jess either but he was a beta and he could beat an omega in a fight.
The three of them spent the entirety of the day looking over the locations where the victims had been found. Stiles decided that it was more than likely not the work of a demon because there were no signs and no other evidence pointing in that direction. Even with the the most recent kill happening a week ago there was a curious smell at the scene. It was familiar and something that was completely foreign at the same time. If pressed Derek could not have placed words to the smell. A full eight hours later and they had nothing to go on.
“We need to look at those police records,” Stiles said as the three of them ate dinner in a small diner.
“The local papers kept most of the details under wraps because they think it’s an animal and they don’t want people going out into the woods looking for it,” Jess said drinking her coffee. It was one the few times it looked like the two of them were actually having a conversation.
“I can pass as many things, but no cop is going to let a stranger walk in and look at their records,” Derek said. Stiles hummed in agreement again but said nothing. Jess glared at him like she knew that Stiles was hiding something, but Derek was not about to tell a stranger what Stiles was capable of. “I’ll try to figure out a way to get in though.” Jess did not look convinced but paid for their dinners nevertheless. It was dark by the time they made their way to the bed and breakfast. Stiles was already wandering through the door when Jess took Derek’s arm to stop him.
“Can I ask you something, in private?” she said. Derek glanced at Stiles who shrugged and sat down on the front porch.
“Sure,” Derek replied and let Jess lead him away from the bed and breakfast and Stiles’ hard stare. “Do you know something about this case?”
“This thing has me really nervous,” Jess explained softly. “I don’t feel safe here alone anymore. I need a pack.”
“I can put a good word into the Reading pack if you want,” Derek replied and Jess smiled at him.
“I’m thinking of a smaller pack, something where I’m free to roam a little and still feel safe, do you understand what I mean?” Jess did not give Derek time to reply before she leaned in and kissed him. It took him completely by surprise and then reminded him far too much of the first time Kate had kissed him. She had not waited for his permission, for him to reach for her, she simply took, and Jess was doing the exact same thing. It took a lot more self control than Derek realized to ease her gently away and not shove.
“I think there has been a misunderstanding,” he said. “My sister and I aren’t looking for a pack right now and I’m not looking for anyone.”
“I smell it though,” Jess said. “I smell your arousal every time I’ve seen you. You can’t tell me that it’s for--” She cut herself off and looked back where Stiles was sitting. He was staring directly at them with a dangerous look in his eyes that Derek really did not like. The last thing he needed was for there to be some sort of supernatural showdown. “I see. I was wondering what I had interrupted the other day. I thought I was seeing things. Are you insane? Do you understand what you’re getting involved in?”
“I’d appreciate if you didn’t judge me until you know the entire story. We’ll continue this tomorrow.” Derek snapped. He turned on heel and walked away from her ignoring the anger that was hitting his back. Stiles had that strangely blank expression on his face when Derek joined him and said nothing as they walked back to their room. Derek did not spare a second glance to Jess.
“I can get into the police station no problem,” Stiles said once the door to their room was closed. “Though I appreciate you not mentioning that fact to our employer.” Derek wondered if he had to tell Stiles that it meant nothing, that she kissed him, but the words got lost on his tongue. If he looked carefully the edges of Stiles’ eyes were rimmed red and Derek had enough survival instinct to know when not to push something.
“The sooner the better,” Derek replied. Apparently ‘sooner’ meant ‘right now’ because Stiles vanished from sight. Derek sighed and began to compile what they knew so far and waited patiently for Stiles to join him. Less than an hour later Stiles reappeared with several folders in hand. His eyes were the familiar amber and he looked significantly calmer than he did earlier. They spread the files out onto the bed and began to look over every gruesome picture. They were shoulder to shoulder looking over every detail of each file. “There doesn’t seem to be any link between these people. It really just looks like they were in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“Jogging at night, alone in a parking lot and camping,” Stiles said pointing to each of the victims. “If they are just opportunity killings than we’re dealing with something that’s either getting off on the killing or acting on instinct.”
“I want to say instinct,” Derek said holding up a picture of the most recent victim. “Someone getting off on the killing would take their time, make it slow, these people were just torn apart.”
“Our employer has no idea what she’s let into her town,” Stiles grumbled.
“You really don’t like her, do you.” Derek said making it a statement and not a question as it slotted into place. “Ah, I get it, okay.”
“What do you get?” Stiles asked without looking up from the files.
“I think you’re jealous.” Derek smiled to himself when he saw the way Stiles froze. “You’re allowed to admit it.” Stiles had Derek’s shirt fisted in his hand and yanked him forward without wasting a second. To anyone else his glare would have been terrifying but Derek was fairly confident that Stiles was not going to kill him. Stiles did not deny or confirm what Derek said, he just stared for a moment, until Derek closed the distance between them. If he needed to tell Stiles that he was not going anywhere until Saul was dead to prevent Stiles from killing anyone that looked at Derek funny then that was what he was going to do.
The smell of another wolf was enough that Derek pulled away from the kiss and looked out the window. Jess was standing on the sidewalk and making no move to hide her golden eyes. She ran off after baring her fangs to him.
“Derek, we have a problem,” Stiles said as he picked up a piece of paper. “There is a reason they think these are animal attacks besides the obvious.” Derek frowned deeply as he sat down next to Stiles and picked up the paper. There were animal hairs on all of the bodies and the animal made his stomach drop.
“That makes no sense,” Derek said slowly.
“I know, I agree, but they ran tests and the results were conclusive; there were wolf hairs on the body.” Stiles began to chew on the tip of his thumb and fidgeting the way that he did when there was something he wanted to say.
“What I smelled at the scene, I know what it was. It’s a wolf that’s gone feral.” Derek clenched his fists tightly. “There’s a wolf out there that is completely out of control.”
“Derek,” Stiles said after a moment of silence. “Don’t you think if there was another wolf in this very small town you would have noticed?” It took a minute for the implications of that statement to sink in but when it did it felt like someone had punched Derek in the throat.
“We just spent the day with her, if she was feral we would have noticed.” The words felt like a lie on his tongue and he was about to argue more when he heard a very faint scream. If Stiles was right and Jess was feral then he had just made her very angry. Derek glanced at Stiles, who did not seem to have heard the scream, as he continued to look over the papers. “We need to move, now.”
“What’s going on?” Stiles asked but he was on his feet. Derek took Stiles’ arm and pulled him out of the room not even bothering to lock the door behind them. It took a moment for him to find wolfsbane shells in his car and Stiles was staring as he loaded them. He took a bag full of rope laced with wolfsbane sealed in plastic bags and threw it over his shoulder. Derek did not wait for another moment because there was another scream. This time Stiles seemed to hear it and he took Derek by the arm. The entire world tilted and Derek found himself standing on the edge of the woods with a massacre in front of him.
The person, whoever they were, was in pieces on the ground torn up with blood and gore sinking into the dirt. The smell of blood was overwhelming but not enough that Derek was able to ignore the wolf standing in front of him. Jess was transformed, her eyes glowing, and salivating in a way that he only saw in house pets.
“Jess, can you hear me?” Stiles asked taking a step forward slowly. “You need to let us know if you’re in there somewhere.” Jess did not hesitate as she lunged forward at Stiles. He managed to dodge the attack but she still managed to sink her teeth deep into his arm. Stiles crying out in pain shook Derek from the trance he had been in and he hit Jess hard enough with the butt of his gun that she fell to the ground.
“Are you okay?” Derek asked looking at the wound on Stiles’ arm.
“We need to tie her up before she wakes up,” Stiles said through his teeth. Derek helped Stiles move her to a small tree but Stiles had to do with work with the actual rope. The wolfsbane would keep her from breaking the rope and she was just waking up when Stiles finished.
“What happened?” she asked clearly disoriented as her eyes seemed to focus on the torn up body before her. “Oh my god what did you do?”
“What do you mean ‘what did he do?’” Stiles asked.
“I mean there’s a fucking body over there, what did you do to it? Are you the ones killing people?” Jess began to struggle against the rope and hissed when she touched it.
“You don’t remember anything?” Derek asked but he knew exactly where this conversation was going.
“Of course not, why would I?” There was no skip to her heartbeat, no extra sweat on her brow, flush on her cheeks, Jess was not lying. The wolfsbane seemed to be effecting her as she slowly passed out again. Derek took Stiles by his uninjured arm and pulled him away from the scene.
“Stiles, she isn’t lying, she has no idea what she’s been doing,” he said quietly. “Her wolf is feral but her human side is still in control.”
“Is there anyway we can ‘fix’ the wolf?” Stiles asked.
“Even if there was I’m not an alpha.” Derek clenched the gun in his hand a little tighter. It was filled with potent wolfsbane rounds, ones that could and would kill, and the thought of using them on someone who had no idea they were killing made him sick. “I don’t know if I can kill her, Stiles.” It was probably the most honest thing he had ever said to Stiles and he hated himself for this weakness. Jess was dangerous, she would kill again, but it felt a lot like the execution of an innocent. He was not a mindless killer because it would have made him no different from a feral wolf. Stiles touched his hand so gently that Derek was not sure it even happened and pulled the gun away.
“Go back to the room. Get some sleep and in the morning we’ll leave.” Stiles did not need to say ‘I will kill her’ because Derek knew that he would. He also knew that he was being saved from a terrible burden. Jess was beginning to wake up again and Derek could not bare the sight of seeing her. He said nothing, he turned and ran as fast as he could, but Derek could hear the sound of the gunshot and it was deafening.
He would not sleep tonight.
+++
Derek must have fallen asleep at some point because the next thing he knew the sun was shining bright through the windows and he was lying on his back. His jacket and boots were still on and his stomach twisted. Right now there was a girl lying dead somewhere, that died not knowing she had lost her grip on her sanity, and all he could feel was this sense of responsibility. It was not his fault, Jess was feral before he even got there, but that did not stop the fact that she was dead now. Derek knew that Stiles was next to him and their hands were close enough that Derek could feel the heat coming off of his skin. Their pinky fingers were barely touching and it felt grounding in a way that he had not experienced since Laura clenched his hands hard enough that bones creaked in protest.
“Did you do something to make me fall asleep?” Derek asked instinctively knowing that Stiles was awake next to him.
“No, you were asleep when I got in,” Stiles replied leaving out the fact that he was probably out burying a body. Derek moved his hand and clenched his fists until his knuckles were white.
“I’ve killed monsters, I kill them all the time, why was she so different? Why did I choke?” he asked.
“She didn’t know. In the barest sense she was innocent and that should bother you.” Stiles moved so he was hovering over Derek. “Do you think I’m going to think less of you or something because you couldn’t pull the trigger?”
“I don’t know, do you?” Derek asked not sure if he wanted to hear the answer. “You hired me as muscle and if I can’t do my job what use am I?”
“Please I could have gotten something much stronger if I actually wanted you just for your body,” Stiles said scoffing. “What I need is someone who will pull the trigger against someone that deserves it. When we catch Saul you’ll pull the trigger.” Stiles moved back to he was sitting next to Derek. “Besides if I wanted something that killed blindly I would have made you kill her.” There was more to what Stiles was saying, something about how he would have forced Derek to kill Jess because that was what demons did, but Derek did not say anything. He was not even sure if he was supposed to thank Stiles for that.
“Thank you,” he said taking a risk. There was more to say, so much more, but Stiles glanced over his shoulder and smiled brightly. Derek knew that everything he wanted to say came across in those two words. “Let’s get out of here.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
+++
Derek drove without direction for three days. He needed to make sure his head was clear before he went looking for more jobs and ‘clear’ was the last way he would describe himself. So he drove and drove, not really going anywhere, and not looking for anything. Stiles did not seem to mind because he was still looking at the majority of the world like it was brand new. They talked, because Stiles seemed to know that the silence let Derek’s mind wander, but there was almost no substance behind any of it. They crossed state borders and slept in shady motel rooms. They ate terrible fast food, Derek did, Stiles mostly just made faces, and did small things like go on hikes deep in the woods. Stiles made fun of him when Derek took off into the woods to kill a wild wolf.
Derek was not sure where they were, but it was the late evening on the third day when he pulled off at a gas station in the middle of some unnamed town. He was tired and he had hardly slept in the last three days. Saul was on the coast somewhere and they needed to start looking for him again even if Stiles did not seem to be pushing the issue.
“I need to close my eyes for a second, why don’t you go look in the papers and see if there have been any signs?” Derek said. Stiles tilted his head and looked out at the gas station.
“Of course. I’m sure electrical storms will be in the New York Times,” Stiles said flatly.
“Just give me thirty minutes,” Derek said. Stiles rolled his eyes and climbed out of the car. Derek turned off the engine, switched to the passenger seat, put the seat back and closed his eyes. There was no way to drown out the sounds of the rest stop, the people around him talking and moving, but if he let his mind wander enough it dulled into a hum. Minutes rolled by and while he did not sleep it felt a lot like rest. He was still aware enough of his surroundings to hear Stiles walking toward him, the faint smell of sulfur that never really went away, and how much he smelled like Derek now. What he was not expecting was the passenger door to open and Stiles to climb into his lap. He cracked his eye open and raised an eyebrow. “Hi to you too.”
“You’ve been moping,” Stiles said like they were not having this conversation in the car with Stiles on his lap.
“Obviously, are you here to talk me out of it?” Derek asked and Stiles rolled his eyes shifting on his lap that was anything but innocent.
“God no. The only person more emotionally stunted than you is probably me. I was thinking of something else to yank you out of your head.” Stiles got that gleam in his eye that either meant very good things or very bad things were going to happen.
“In my car? Really? You’re such a cliche. Do you want to take me to prom first?” Derek said but he was wrapping his arms around Stiles’ waist.
“I’m a cheap date.” Stiles grinned and slotted their mouths together. It was still hard and demanding but Stiles was also compliant in a way he was not usually. He was letting Derek lead their kisses, responding to the way Derek touched him, as if he knew that this was something that Derek needed. It was also incredibly hilarious that they were making out in his car like a couple of horny teenagers and that made him smile against Stiles’ lips. He pulled Stiles so he flushed against him and Derek’s hands slipped beneath Stiles’ shirt to get to skin. Derek bit at Stiles’ jawline and moved to suck a bruise into his neck. It would fade and Derek really did not care. “I swear to god you’re going to give me a neck kink, is this a werewolf thing or a Derek thing?”
“You make it sound like a bad thing,” Derek replied biting a little harder than necessary causing Stiles to gasp. “It’s not like anyone is going to see anything.” Stiles laughed and Derek pulled away so they were looking at each other. He was smiling and did not even realize it. Derek pulled Stiles down into another kiss and was about to slip his hands beneath Stiles’ waistband when a knock on the window scared the shit out of him. There were very few people that could sneak up on Derek and the thought that he was so wrapped up in Stiles that he did not notice a cop walking up to his door was terrifying.
“Gentlemen,” the cop said behind aviator sunglasses like a giant cliche and this entire situation made Derek want to pinch himself to see if he was dreaming in the form of some romantic comedy movie or some teen television show.
“Officer, how can I help you?” Stiles asked the first to recover.
"Are you aware that you are in public where anyone could see you?" the cop asked. Stiles was tense to the point that it felt like his back would snap like a wire. He was staring at the cop like something was wrong. There was a smell in the air that did not feel right. He dug his nails into Stiles' side to tell him that he felt it too.
"We're very sorry officer. It won't happen again." Stiles was speaking slowly as if he was thinking of every word he was saying before he said them. In all of the time that Derek had known Stiles it always seemed like his brain to mouth filter was almost zero and the fact that he was being so careful worried him. The cop was staring them down and Derek could not see his eyes through his sunglasses. He was carrying himself oddly and every instinct he had said run run run. There was no way he could run from a cop though because being wanted by the state was not something he could exactly deal with.
“I’ll need both of you to get out of the car,” the cop said and Derek wished he was surprised that this was happening. Stiles could have the two of them out of here in a second, but the cop had his license plate. There was no escaping this without causing more problems. Stiles opened the door and climbed out of the car. Derek followed and did his best to keep his hands where the cop could see them. “Do you realize what you were doing in there could constitute as public indecency?” Derek glanced at Stiles who raised an eyebrow.
“I suppose it could,” Stiles said narrowing his eyes.
“And that is illegal.” The cop looked a little too smug like he knew something that the two of them didn’t. It made the hairs on the back of Derek’s neck stand on end and the desire to put himself between this cop and Stiles was overwhelming. Stiles must have noticed because he took Derek’s wrist and held on tight. It was grounding but it kept Derek from the instinct to shove or push. The cop looked at their hands and raised an eyebrow.
“We’re just passing through on our way to New York,” Stiles said because that was kind of true. It was one of the places Derek had suggested because he still had a few friends that would help them look for Saul. It was apparently the wrong thing to say because the cop’s face changed so dramatically it was like they had just confessed to a murder.
“I ran your plates and it looks like you might be under suspicion of a few things that are a little shady. I’m afraid I’m going to have to take you both in.” The cop reached into belt and pulled out two sets of handcuffs. “And considering I just caught both of you in compromising positions I don’t think you want to make things worse for yourselves by resisting arrest.” The name on the badge said Officer Smith. Derek wanted to flee from this man, but he was right. So he did not fight when Smith put the cuffs on a little too tight and shoved him into the car. Fortunately Smith did not check the entire car and find his weapons stash but he did take the demon killing knife from Derek’s hip. Judging by the way Stiles was staring Smith down Derek was sure he was going to do something completely stupid and try to fight. Instead he turned and let Smith handcuff him. Smith left them alone as he called something in on a radio.
“Those plates are clean,” Derek said.
“I know they are,” Stiles replied.
“And he feels wrong. He smells wrong.” Derek shifted and ignored the way the cuffs bit into his wrists.
“Correct though I can’t tell what is wrong yet. We need to get out of here as soon as possible. I’ll work on it as soon as we get to the station. I got this.” Stiles glanced at Derek and nodded. “I know you trust me so you don’t need to say it. I know it physically pains you to say it.”
“You’re hysterical,” Derek replied knocking his shoulder against Stiles’. Smith got into the cruiser and they both fell silent because there was no way they were going to talk to this man. The station was small and practically empty when they got there and something about it did not feel right. Another deputy came in and lead Derek to a small holding cell. It was not the first time he had been in a cell but it still made him feel trapped in a way that was purely animal. He rubbed his wrists and blinked in confusion when they lead Stiles to a different cell. Smith took the cuffs off and shoved Stiles into the cell. Stiles jerked and it was like all of the air was sucked from his lungs.
“What the fuck is this?” Stiles sounded winded and furious. His eyes were locked on the ceiling and Derek followed his gaze to a devil’s trap that was spray painted above him. Smith was the only person in the room and he smiled.
“Don’t like my artwork? I think I’ve got real talent,” Smith said. He reached into his pocket and walked over to Derek’s cell. The jar was black ash and Derek noticed the ring of ash that lined his entire cell save for the entrance. Smith pulled out his gun and pointed it at Derek’s head. “Wolfsbane bullets and if you take one step toward me I’ll put one in your head.” Derek clenched his jaw and backed away from the entrance to the cell. Smith opened the door and dumped a bit of the ash closing the circle. Derek could feel it and it was worse than being in a cell. In a cell he could rip the door off and escape. This was different. “Mountain ash. It’ll keep you right where I need you Derek.”
“How do you know who I am?” Derek demanded and Smith laughed.
“Oh everyone knows about you and Stiles. They’re calling you two Peter and the Wolf. You’re becoming infamous in most circles and with reputation comes the problem of making enemies. There are a lot of people out there not happy that both of you are hunting your own kind.” Smith picked up the knife from the table. “This is quite a nice piece. I imagine I’ll get quite the reputation for taking care of you two. We can’t do this with others in the building so if you’ll excuse me.” Smith turned and within minutes the smell of blood filled the station.
“Dead,” Derek said as he tried to touch the ring of ash around his cell. “I realized what he smells like and he smells like death.”
“He’s a ghoul. Officer Smith is long dead because he was eaten.” Stiles said and he was shaking he looked so angry. “They love blood and fresh meat because they usually eat the dead. The two of us would be so delicious he probably can hardly wait to sink his teeth in.”
“How do we kill it?” Derek walked over to the edge of the circle. Their cells were next to each other but Stiles was completely out of reach. The devil’s trap was small, meant to keep him enclosed, and he could not get close enough to break the circle.
“We don’t do anything Derek because I don’t know how we’re getting out of this one.” Stiles laughed and it sounded bitter. “That thing is going to eat us and there isn’t anything I can do to stop it.” Stiles crossed his arms across his chest and stared straight ahead. He looked resigned like he knew this was the moment he was going to die. It bothered Derek because that was a look that he never wanted to see on Stiles again.
“Tell me how to kill it,” Derek repeated because he was not giving in. There is no he was going to roll over for something like a ghoul. If he was going to die Derek wanted to go down fighting against Saul or something worthy of killing the two of them. Stiles glanced at him and sighed.
“Cut off the head,” he said finally. The smell of blood in the station was stifling and it made Derek want to gag. Judging by the smell the ghoul had killed at least three people in horrifying ways. Derek was not looking forward to going out and seeing those bodies. They would not be dead if he and Stiles had not gotten careless in the car like that. The familiar smell of wolfsbane followed Smith as he walked through the door. There was a syringe of it that made Derek want to vomit. He was also licking blood from his hands and making these disgustingly pleased sounds.
“See, boys, when I said you have a reputation I wasn’t lying, but there’s more to it than that. See, word is that you two pissed off someone really scary and they want you dead. In exchange for your heads on a platter this scary person will issue protection to who or whatever does the two of you in,” Smith said turning the syringe in hand. Stiles froze and Derek felt his blood turn to ice. It was one thing for Saul to send out his minions but now there was a full bounty on both of their heads. “I had a feeling you would know exactly what I’m talking about. So I want that protection, you’d be surprised how safety is such a rare thing for us monsters these days, so I think I’m going to take that bounty. I kill you and keep you from getting to New York and I’m safe.” Smith turned his focus toward Derek and the needle looked terrifying when something in the air changed so suddenly that Smith stopped dead in his tracks.
“You don’t touch him,” Stiles warned that dangerous edge to his voice again. For the first time Smith looked nervous as he stared at Stiles.
“You’re in a devil’s trap. You can’t stop me,” Smith said but he did not sound so sure. Stiles’ eyes were a burning red and the smell of his anger was enough to knock the air out of Derek’s lungs.
“He is mine and you will not touch him,” Stiles said walking to the edge of the trap. “If you think this will hold me forever then you are wrong. You touch him, you hurt him, and I will rain torment down like you have never known. I’ve been to hell you vile creature, I thrived there, and if you think I don’t know how to make it hurt then you’re wrong. He is mine. Do not touch him.” The only one’s who had ever said that Derek’s was theirs were his parents and Laura. It was an alpha thing, something that was deeper than family, it was pack, and it was something that no one but wolves understood. But Stiles understood wolves, he had lived with one as a human, studied them as a demon, and Derek knew that without a doubt that Stiles knew the implications of what he was saying. Smith stared at Stiles like he was seeing him for the first time.
“So the rumors are true,” Smith said setting the syringe down and picking up the knife. “I wonder, Stiles, are the rumors about demon blood true too?” Stiles looked disgusted and like he was about to issue another threat but Smith pointed the gun with wolfsbane bullets at Derek. “Give me your arm or I’m going to shoot him in the foot and let him die slowly.”
“Stiles, don’t do it,” Derek said because he saw the way that Smith was licking up the blood earlier. He knows bloodlust when he sees it and that was bloodlust.
“Shut up Derek,” Stiles snapped. He rolled up the sleeve of his over-shirt and bared his arm for Smith to see. Smith unlocked the door to Stiles’ cell and tossed the knife into the trap while keeping the gun on Derek. There was a metal bowl on the table that he threw as well.
“Cut your arm and give me your blood. I can’t wait to see how it tastes.” There was a leer that made Derek see red and he hated the way Smith was looking at Stiles. Like he was something to eat, something insignificant, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Stiles picked up the knife and hissed in pain as he dragged it along his forearm. Blood oozed from the wound and began to drip to the ground. “Give the knife back to me.” Stiles did as he was told, tossed the knife to Smith’s feet, and knelt down so the blood flowed freely into the bowel. There was so much of it and Stiles looked like he was starting to pale. When the wound closed and healed Smith tossed the blade back and made him do it again. The entire bowel was filled with blood and Stiles looked ill.
“I’m going to tear your head off myself,” Stiles said conversationally and Smith grinned as took the bowl from the circle.
“Not before I bleed you dry,” Smith replied. “But you’re too dangerous to keep around. I think I’ll be fine if I tell him I sent you back and turn in the wolf.”
“Don’t you dare,” Derek warned as Smith looked at the bowl greedily.
“I’ll take care of you too wolf don’t worry. For now I’m just going to kick this guy back to hell for awhile. He won’t bother anyone there for a good long time.” Stiles was on his knees and he glanced at Derek. Hie eyes were no longer red and his clothes were splattered with blood. Derek tried to pass the line of mountain ash again but there was nothing he could do. It hurt every time he tried and he pushed through the pain.
Smith picked up Derek’s book and began to flip through the pages. Derek fought against the line, straining muscles and feeling bones crack, and Stiles was staring at him as if seeing him for the first time. “Ah, here we go, just what I need.” Smith began to read the Latin from the book and Stiles fell onto his back twitching. It hurt more than trying to cross the line the first time Stiles screamed in pain. Smith was grinning and he stopped for a moment to laugh. “So you have been in this body a while. I’ve heard it hurts more the longer you’re in the meat suit.” Stiles screamed again as Smith began to read more of the Latin and Derek was truly starting to panic when he heard another heartbeat in the station. He looked around and saw Stiles’ second, Lydia, standing in the shadows and she looked worried.
“Please, break the circle, let me help him,” Derek said soft enough that only she could hear. “I know you give a shit and you don’t want to be involved but just break the circle.” Derek barely recognized the sound of his own voice. It almost sounded he was begging and he never begged for anything besides family.
“Don’t tell him it was me or Saul will be the least of your worries,” Lydia whispered as she knelt in front of the circle.
“I won’t, I promise, just let me help him.” Derek clenched his fists as Stiles screamed again and it was terrible, it sounded like it hurt so much, and Lydia flinched as she broke the circle of mountain ash. She was gone in seconds but Derek wasted no time. Smith looked shocked to see Derek kicking the cell door open and charging toward him and if he was more violent than he needed to be when he ripped the ghouls head off. There was blood on his claws, on his clothes, and Derek did not care as he dragged Stiles from the devil’s trap. His face was ashen pale and he was not breathing. There was a panic that settled in Derek’s stomach that physically hurt as he shook Stiles to try and wake him up. He did not care that he was yelling and he sounded desperate, there was no one here to judge him for it, and there was no one else to see his relief when Stiles gasped for air.
“Oh my holy shit that hurt,” Stiles said as he gasped for breath and Derek had to laugh before he put a fist through the wall. “You got out, how?”
“I don’t know. I guess it just failed,” Derek said. “You scared the shit out of me you idiot. I thought I was going to have go kill Saul by myself.”
“No, you can’t get rid of me,” Stiles replied. He was smiling and it only confirmed how he trusted Stiles that he would not let Derek face Saul by himself. He trusted Stiles as much as he trusted his parents, Laura, and it was a terrifying realization. As Derek stared down at him he could have sworn he saw something similar pass through Stiles expression. Derek knew, instinctively, that Stiles was coming to the same conclusion. After all this time and everything they had been through they really and truly trusted each other. Yet Derek did not voice any of these epiphanies nor did he pressure Stiles to do the same. Derek helped Stiles to his feet and squeezed his arm. They gathered their things, Stiles disposed of his blood saying it was too dangerous to keep around, and they left the death and blood back at the station.
+++
The Camaro was still in the same parking lot when they got back and they drove without hesitation. Derek drove until he was sure he was going to fall asleep at the wheel and stopped at a motel off of the New Jersey turnpike. Derek managed to not look too shady as he got a room and they leaned heavily on each other as they stumbled into the room. Derek was exhausted and all he wanted to do was sleep but he was covered in dirt, sweat and blood.
“Take the first shower,” Stiles said after Derek had stared longingly at the bathroom for a bit too long.
“Thanks,” he replied. Derek let the hot water ease the stress from his shoulders as he thought about what Smith had said. They were not supposed to go to New York which meant that was where Saul was. The state was big but it was still more than they had to go on before. They were finally getting somewhere and it made Derek ache with relief. After twenty minutes he decided that he should probably let Stiles have a shower as well since he was covered in blood. They hardly said anything to each other as Stiles vanished into the bathroom and Derek changed for bed. He collapsed onto the bed listening to Stiles move around in the bathroom and decided to just rest his eyes for just a moment.
Just a moment turned out to be several hours because Derek blinked and realized he had fallen asleep. It was early morning but the drapes were pulled tightly to keep the sun out. He had not slept much and he did not feel rested, but Derek sat up and rubbed his eyes nevertheless.
“Go back to sleep,” Stiles said. He was sitting next to Derek in bed looking much better than he had a few hours earlier. His hair was a mess of spikes where it had air dried and he had changed into comfortable clothes. To anyone he would have looked tired but Derek knew him well enough that he was not physically tired like most people got. “Or are you going to tell me how you really got out of the circle?”
“I already did,” Derek replied. He did not like lying and judging by the way Stiles sighed he did not like it either. “I can’t tell you now, but I will after all of this is done.”
“Fine,” Stiles replied smiling softly. It was a smile Derek liked seeing on him and before he could really think it over he was pulling Stiles down into a kiss. They were both tired in one way or another so the kiss was soft, almost lazy, as Stiles settled next to him. Derek was really too tired to do anything else but kiss Stiles breathless but it was still nice. His lips were still impossibly soft and it made Derek shiver whenever Stiles would run those long fingers through his hair. He was not sure how long they kissed until Derek pulled away and felt tired enough to sleep again.
“He wanted to keep us out of New York,” Derek said his lips brushing against Stiles’. “There is only one reason they would be trying to keep us out of New York.”
“We have a solid lead,” Stiles said.
“We have a solid lead.” Derek replied and they grinned at each other.
+++
Derek slept for a few more hours before they decided that it was time to head for New York. There was no telling where Saul could be and if he would even still be there when they arrived but it was the first solid lead that had had in weeks. Stiles kept a running commentary on New Jersey and they did not stop driving until they hit the state line. Derek pulled over at a gas station and they both sat out on the hood of the car. Derek was leeching off of the free wifi in the gas station trying to find some sort of hint about where they were going. Stiles was looking around the station like it was the most interesting thing in the world.
“How are we supposed to find one demon a state that has one city with 8 million people in it?” Derek asked when there were exactly zero signs. “Small storms roll through New York City all the time because it’s on the water and the same thing for upstate because it’s near the mountains. If animals are dying no one is saying anything and people die in the city all the time. “
“You seem to know a lot about the city, have you been there?” Stiles asked frowning. He was thinking something but was trying to connect all of the dots before he said anything.
“Laura and I lived there for a few months before she realized that it was really hard to be a wolf in a major city. What are you thinking?” Derek closed the laptop and watched Stiles carefully.
“I’m going to assume your apartment was not in uptown.” Stiles leaned back on his hands and looked at the sky. “I know Saul and I know how much he loves being dramatic. Like most serial killers, he’s obsessed with being the center of attention and he has a fucked up sense of humor. He’s drawing us out. He’s been doing this since the beginning. As much as people are saying that he’s trying to have others kill us he wants to do the deed himself. The ‘bounty’ against us is crap. There’s no way he would offer protection to anyone.”
“You think you know where he is,” Derek said carefully.
“Yeah, I do, and therein lies the problem, Derek. He’s in your old apartment. If I can figure it out, it’s not because I’m clever despite the fact that I am indeed clever.” Stiles looked at Derek his face solemn. “If I can figure it out it’s because he made it obvious enough for me to figure it out.”
“So a trap then,” Derek said after a moment of silence.
“Oh my yes, without a doubt, I would put money on it.” Stiles waved his hand in the air as if he could flick all of this knowledge away. There was something deeply off about the way he was sitting even if they did just realize that they were going to walk into a trap. There was a rough line to his shoulders that Derek only saw when Stiles was trying not to say something.
“You’re going to tell me that I don’t have to come.” Derek said and he smirked when Stiles glared at him. “I want him dead too and you might not want to admit it, but you need me. So let’s go and walk into a trap.” Stiles raised an eyebrow and stared as if he could not believe what he was saying. Then he laughed, a big and loud belly laugh, to the point where Derek could have sworn he saw tears in Stiles’ eyes.
“Your hero complex is really something else,” Stiles said gasping for breath.
“There is nothing heroic about revenge.” Derek said.
“Then let’s go get revenge,” Stiles said and he grinned wickedly.
+++
The drive into the city was horrible. They ran into traffic. There was an accident and when they passed the wreckage, Derek saw a body bag being lifted into an ambulance. Idly he wondered if anyone would find his body. If someone would deliver it to Laura so she could mourn him. He wondered what they would think when they found Stiles’ body. He wondered if he would be labeled as a John Doe and no one would ever claim him. He would be cremated and the ashes spread where no one could find him. Perhaps their bodies would not be found at all, perhaps Saul would make it like they never existed, and no one would remember them. It should have bothered him much more that he was more than likely going to die. Derek should have wanted to talk to Laura one last time but as he drove through the familiar streets he did not want to talk to her again. He would lose his conviction.
It was dark by the time Derek pulled up to the old apartment building. They had lived in almost poverty to make sure that they would not be found by anyone else. Laura was paranoid since the fire and she wanted to make sure that Derek was safe above all else. The building was abandoned now and Derek knew that was going to be the case. Stiles was right; Saul seemed to love the drama. They both sat in the car for what felt like a long time. The streetlights turned on and still neither of them moved. There was something in the air, the smell of sulfur and ash, much stronger than normal.
Derek took a deep breath, released it and was the first one to finally get out of the car. He opened the trunk and filled the shotgun full of rock salt. He put a flask of holy water in his back pocket. The other knife they had acquired sat in the middle of his trunk. Derek had one at his hip already and he needed to give the other to Stiles. He stared at it for a moment because that and the one on his hip were the things that could kill Saul. One of them was going to have to stab him through the heart. Derek felt more than he saw Stiles move next to him and take the knife. He twirled in his hand with ease and smiled to himself.
“Let’s go,” Stiles said. Derek slammed the trunk to his car and they walked slowly up the stairs into the building. Derek could hear a single heartbeat in the building and it was in his old apartment. He raised the gun and kept his finger on the trigger. The rock salt would slow him down enough to make a killing strike, that was his plan, but it meant he would somehow be able to get a shot off in time. Stiles did not seem to care much about creeping up the stairs or taking it quietly. He walked up as if he was going up to have a cup of coffee with someone. Saul must have known they were there and was waiting. Derek nodded to the door and Stiles pointed to himself raising a finger. He wanted to go first and that made sense. Stiles pushed the door open and rushed in. Derek followed ready to fire at the first sign of movement.
The sheer degree to how fast everything went to hell was almost mind boggling. Derek saw Stiles move toward a person in the shadows, but he was thrown across the room and into a wall faster than Derek could react. Derek raised his gun and fired but the body was gone in seconds. An older gentlemen with light black hair and red eyes was in front of Derek and grinning.
“Hello Derek,” he said. Saul knocked the gun out of Derek’s hand so hard that several of his fingers snapped and that invisible punch to the chest that Stiles had done a few times pinned him to the wall hard enough that it was hard to breath. “I’m assuming you know who I am so I’m not going to bother with introductions.” Stiles was struggling to get back to his feet but Saul flicked his wrist and slammed Stiles’ head back down to the floor hard enough that Derek heard a crack. “Now let’s see what you’ve got here.” Derek struggled to move his arms as Saul approached. He tsked at him as he removed the holy water flask and tossed it over his shoulder. “Ah, I see you have one of these.” Saul removed the knife and looked it over.
“Get away from him,” Stiles said struggling to get to his feet. There was a considerable amount of blood on the side of his head but he looked unharmed.
“That’s adorable that you’re protecting your pet Stiles. We all know how much you love the wolves,” Saul replied and he flicked his wrist again. Stiles was forced upright and against the wall and seemed to be pinned just like Derek. Saul knelt down and picked up the other knife looking them both over. “So, Derek, how much has Stiles actually told you?”
“The only thing I need to know is that you murdered my family,” Derek growled and he made sure his eyes flashed blue.
“Yeah, sorry about that, I was bored, but when I heard you were out looking for Stiles I just had to draw you out. How is Laura by the way?” Saul asked grinning as he snapped the second knife in half. Derek struggled against the force that was holding him back. “Ah, that’s right, she’s okay because you made a deal with Stiles here.” Saul strolled over to Stiles and looked at him fondly. “I’m sure he told you all about how I tricked him but I’m sure he didn’t tell you about what happened after.”
“You son of a bitch that’s not important,” Stiles said. “This is between me and you so just let Derek go and we’ll finish this.”
“You dragged him back into this, Stiles, you could have let him just walk around with the ticking clock, but you wanted a pet.”
“Yeah, I dragged him, so just do what you want to me and let him go. He’s another stupid kid who gave into grief. Let him walk away.” Stiles said and he grunted when Saul punched him hard in the stomach.
“All of it is important, so why don’t you keep that smart mouth of yours shut before I cut out your tongue, again. You see, Derek, when you make a deal with a demon and you die you’re tied to that demon. So when little Stiles got sent down to hell he ended up on my table.” Saul touched Stiles’ face gently stroking the fragile bones of his cheek. “Has he told you how long he lasted on that table before he decided to start torturing people on his own? Not even five years. There are good people in hell who go centuries without touching another soul and he barely lasted five.”
“He was a kid,” Derek snapped. Stiles was flinching every time Saul got near him.
“Has he told you all of the gory details yet? What about the things he did to become ‘King of the Crossroads’? His road to power was not just paved with blood, it’s soaked with it.” Saul sneered and pressed one of the knives to Stiles’ neck. “And then he comes after me like he’s some righteous man. The irony is the funniest thing I’ve seen in centuries.”
“Don’t kill him,” Derek said when he saw a little blood on Stiles’ neck. Saul narrowed his eyes but surprised Derek by taking a step back.
“No, I don’t think I will.” Saul put his hand out and Stiles crashed to the floor again. “I think you should, Derek.”
“You’re the one I want to kill, not him,” Derek said. He kept his gaze on Stiles. He was breathing hard and beads of sweat were appearing on his brow. Saul had done something and it was beginning to take effect. Stiles flinched and clenched his fists tightly as his hands began to shake.
“You have a deal with him though, right?” Saul patted Stiles on the head and began to walk toward Derek. “See, here’s the thing, if you kill him your deal is off the table. In ten years you won’t get torn apart by hell hounds and you won’t go to hell. Maybe if you keep helping people you might even stand a chance of going to heaven.” The compressions on his chest seemed to lessen as Saul walked closer to him but a pain was beginning to spread in his chest. Derek coughed and there was some blood in his mouth. “Don’t worry I’m just hurting you a little. I’m hurting him a lot though.” Derek collapsed to his knees and Saul knelt in front of him. His claws emerged but he was not able to move forward to attack.
“Here’s the thing Derek,” Saul said as he played with the knife. “One of you is going to die so you can either kill Stiles and walk away from this with your life or I’ll just kill both of you. You get to keep your life and hell you can even come after me again if you want.”
“Then why don’t you kill him?” Derek asked. The blood in his lungs felt like it was choking him and when he glanced over at Stiles he saw blood running out of his mouth. It looked like he was going to drown.
“Because he has this weird attachment to you and it’ll be poetic.” Saul held the knife, Derek’s original knife, in front of him. “Do you know how this ended up in that body the night you almost died? Stiles here left it for you. He knew that I was going to go after Laura the second you went looking for him and he didn’t do anything. He wanted you to be his because he has a thing for wolves.” Saul held the knife hilt out for Derek to take. “Did he make you think he cares about you? He doesn’t. He’s a demon, Derek, and we don’t care about anyone. He used you so you would kill me. Kill him and walk away. Kill him and you can even avenge the family he was too weak to raise.”
Derek’s hand shook as he reached forward and took the knife. Saul was barely letting him walk but Derek was able to stand and walk toward Stiles. He was still on his back, coughing up blood, and his eyes were glowing red. Derek knelt down next to him and stared. He did not look afraid, he looked resigned, like he expected this. For some reason that was like a punch to the gut. Derek was willing to do so much to protect Stiles and he knew that Stiles was willing to do the same. He had suffered more here than him because he had directed Saul’s fury at him and away from Derek. He knew Stiles’ reasons for not raising his family that night and he understood them. Derek’s eyes flicked over to Saul who was standing behind Derek with a hand on his shoulder. He tried to ask if Stiles trusted him without words and he was not sure if it worked because Stiles relaxed the moment the knife hit his skin.
Derek threw his elbow back as hard as he could and knocked Saul off of his feet. He felt organs crush beneath the force of his elbow and all of the pressure was released. Stiles moved faster than Derek could see and he was holding Saul down as he thrashed.
“I can’t hold him long,” Stiles said as he struggled. “Kill him.” That stunned Derek because this was Stiles’ vendetta, this was the most important thing to him, and he was giving it to Derek. Stiles must have read the indecision on his face because he glanced at Derek. “Get your closure.” Derek nodded and did not hesitate as he slit Saul’s throat. Any lingering sense of power in the air faded and Stiles fell back against the floor. Derek eased away from the growing pool of blood and fell back against the wall. “Shit.”
“What happens now?” Derek asked.
“I’m going to pass out now and that just isn’t going to end well for me,” Stiles replied. Derek was about to ask why, but Stiles was already unconscious. Derek closed his eyes, rested his head against the wall and tried to will his hands to stop shaking.
+++
Derek found them a motel room and proceeded to watch Stiles sleep for almost twelve hours straight. He was not exactly comfortable with the idea of leaving him alone even more so after he coughed a few times in his sleep and something that looked like a piece of an internal organ ended up on the bed.
Derek called in for pizza, used the free wifi and kept an eye out for anything in the news mentioning the body in the apartment complex. So far they seemed to be in the clear, but he wanted to get away from the area sooner than later. He was in the middle of surfing the internet with Stiles asleep next to him on the bed when Stiles finally stirred. He blinked lazily as he stared up at Derek like he could not believe something.
“Holy shit I’m still alive,” he said.
“You looked like you were going to cough up a lung for a little while but you heal fast. Why wouldn’t you be?” Derek asked raising an eyebrow.
“Saul told you that if you killed me you would break our deal so I figured that you would, you know,” Stiles trailed off.
“You thought I was going to kill you in your sleep, really, after all of that.” Derek sighed and shut his computer. “You’re an idiot.”
“You’re right; he is,” Lydia said from where she appeared in the middle of the room. Stiles groaned and ran his fingers roughly through his hair.
“Hi Lydia, great to see you again, so glad you came running when I actually needed help,” Stiles said with mock enthusiasm as he sat up.
“Please, I was just waiting for this little social experiment to end,” Lydia replied rolling her eyes. “I’m ready to stop doing two jobs at once so let’s go,” Stiles sighed and got to his feet stretching like he was about to just up and leave which made no sense.
“Stiles, I helped you kill Saul, you said you would end my deal if I did that,” Derek said slowly. Stiles did that thing where he went eerily still while Lydia burst out laughing.
“Oh, honey, you didn’t really think that was true, did you? Demon’s lie, it’s what we do, so let’s get going Stiles,” Lydia said.
“You promised to me. We made a deal. You told me that no demon under you backs out from a deal,” Derek said standing slowly. Stiles still had his back to him but Lydia’s smile was starting to fade.
“Stiles, we need to go, come on.” Lydia offered out a hand but Stiles did not take. Instead he clenched his fist tight enough that Derek could smell blood.
“We had a deal.” Derek wanted to take a step toward Stiles but it felt like that would be a bad idea. Lydia was starting to look a little pale. She looked like she was about to say something when Stiles suddenly turned around. He pulled Derek into a hard, but passionate kiss. Derek barely had time to react before Stiles broke away.
“Deal is off,” he whispered, but Stiles stayed close.
“We really need to go,” Lydia said resigned.
“See ya,” Stiles against his lips and they both vanished.
<-- back forward -->
Jess met them outside the bed and breakfast around nine. Once again she did not look at Stiles and focused all of her attention on Derek. Derek wanted to say something but she knew this town and where the victims had died. The tension was getting annoying because Stiles was watching Jess like she was going to turn on them at any given time. Derek figured that Stiles had trust issues when it came to other supernatural beings after it became apparent that Saul was actively trying to kill both of them. Derek was not exactly comfortable around Jess either but he was a beta and he could beat an omega in a fight.
The three of them spent the entirety of the day looking over the locations where the victims had been found. Stiles decided that it was more than likely not the work of a demon because there were no signs and no other evidence pointing in that direction. Even with the the most recent kill happening a week ago there was a curious smell at the scene. It was familiar and something that was completely foreign at the same time. If pressed Derek could not have placed words to the smell. A full eight hours later and they had nothing to go on.
“We need to look at those police records,” Stiles said as the three of them ate dinner in a small diner.
“The local papers kept most of the details under wraps because they think it’s an animal and they don’t want people going out into the woods looking for it,” Jess said drinking her coffee. It was one the few times it looked like the two of them were actually having a conversation.
“I can pass as many things, but no cop is going to let a stranger walk in and look at their records,” Derek said. Stiles hummed in agreement again but said nothing. Jess glared at him like she knew that Stiles was hiding something, but Derek was not about to tell a stranger what Stiles was capable of. “I’ll try to figure out a way to get in though.” Jess did not look convinced but paid for their dinners nevertheless. It was dark by the time they made their way to the bed and breakfast. Stiles was already wandering through the door when Jess took Derek’s arm to stop him.
“Can I ask you something, in private?” she said. Derek glanced at Stiles who shrugged and sat down on the front porch.
“Sure,” Derek replied and let Jess lead him away from the bed and breakfast and Stiles’ hard stare. “Do you know something about this case?”
“This thing has me really nervous,” Jess explained softly. “I don’t feel safe here alone anymore. I need a pack.”
“I can put a good word into the Reading pack if you want,” Derek replied and Jess smiled at him.
“I’m thinking of a smaller pack, something where I’m free to roam a little and still feel safe, do you understand what I mean?” Jess did not give Derek time to reply before she leaned in and kissed him. It took him completely by surprise and then reminded him far too much of the first time Kate had kissed him. She had not waited for his permission, for him to reach for her, she simply took, and Jess was doing the exact same thing. It took a lot more self control than Derek realized to ease her gently away and not shove.
“I think there has been a misunderstanding,” he said. “My sister and I aren’t looking for a pack right now and I’m not looking for anyone.”
“I smell it though,” Jess said. “I smell your arousal every time I’ve seen you. You can’t tell me that it’s for--” She cut herself off and looked back where Stiles was sitting. He was staring directly at them with a dangerous look in his eyes that Derek really did not like. The last thing he needed was for there to be some sort of supernatural showdown. “I see. I was wondering what I had interrupted the other day. I thought I was seeing things. Are you insane? Do you understand what you’re getting involved in?”
“I’d appreciate if you didn’t judge me until you know the entire story. We’ll continue this tomorrow.” Derek snapped. He turned on heel and walked away from her ignoring the anger that was hitting his back. Stiles had that strangely blank expression on his face when Derek joined him and said nothing as they walked back to their room. Derek did not spare a second glance to Jess.
“I can get into the police station no problem,” Stiles said once the door to their room was closed. “Though I appreciate you not mentioning that fact to our employer.” Derek wondered if he had to tell Stiles that it meant nothing, that she kissed him, but the words got lost on his tongue. If he looked carefully the edges of Stiles’ eyes were rimmed red and Derek had enough survival instinct to know when not to push something.
“The sooner the better,” Derek replied. Apparently ‘sooner’ meant ‘right now’ because Stiles vanished from sight. Derek sighed and began to compile what they knew so far and waited patiently for Stiles to join him. Less than an hour later Stiles reappeared with several folders in hand. His eyes were the familiar amber and he looked significantly calmer than he did earlier. They spread the files out onto the bed and began to look over every gruesome picture. They were shoulder to shoulder looking over every detail of each file. “There doesn’t seem to be any link between these people. It really just looks like they were in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“Jogging at night, alone in a parking lot and camping,” Stiles said pointing to each of the victims. “If they are just opportunity killings than we’re dealing with something that’s either getting off on the killing or acting on instinct.”
“I want to say instinct,” Derek said holding up a picture of the most recent victim. “Someone getting off on the killing would take their time, make it slow, these people were just torn apart.”
“Our employer has no idea what she’s let into her town,” Stiles grumbled.
“You really don’t like her, do you.” Derek said making it a statement and not a question as it slotted into place. “Ah, I get it, okay.”
“What do you get?” Stiles asked without looking up from the files.
“I think you’re jealous.” Derek smiled to himself when he saw the way Stiles froze. “You’re allowed to admit it.” Stiles had Derek’s shirt fisted in his hand and yanked him forward without wasting a second. To anyone else his glare would have been terrifying but Derek was fairly confident that Stiles was not going to kill him. Stiles did not deny or confirm what Derek said, he just stared for a moment, until Derek closed the distance between them. If he needed to tell Stiles that he was not going anywhere until Saul was dead to prevent Stiles from killing anyone that looked at Derek funny then that was what he was going to do.
The smell of another wolf was enough that Derek pulled away from the kiss and looked out the window. Jess was standing on the sidewalk and making no move to hide her golden eyes. She ran off after baring her fangs to him.
“Derek, we have a problem,” Stiles said as he picked up a piece of paper. “There is a reason they think these are animal attacks besides the obvious.” Derek frowned deeply as he sat down next to Stiles and picked up the paper. There were animal hairs on all of the bodies and the animal made his stomach drop.
“That makes no sense,” Derek said slowly.
“I know, I agree, but they ran tests and the results were conclusive; there were wolf hairs on the body.” Stiles began to chew on the tip of his thumb and fidgeting the way that he did when there was something he wanted to say.
“What I smelled at the scene, I know what it was. It’s a wolf that’s gone feral.” Derek clenched his fists tightly. “There’s a wolf out there that is completely out of control.”
“Derek,” Stiles said after a moment of silence. “Don’t you think if there was another wolf in this very small town you would have noticed?” It took a minute for the implications of that statement to sink in but when it did it felt like someone had punched Derek in the throat.
“We just spent the day with her, if she was feral we would have noticed.” The words felt like a lie on his tongue and he was about to argue more when he heard a very faint scream. If Stiles was right and Jess was feral then he had just made her very angry. Derek glanced at Stiles, who did not seem to have heard the scream, as he continued to look over the papers. “We need to move, now.”
“What’s going on?” Stiles asked but he was on his feet. Derek took Stiles’ arm and pulled him out of the room not even bothering to lock the door behind them. It took a moment for him to find wolfsbane shells in his car and Stiles was staring as he loaded them. He took a bag full of rope laced with wolfsbane sealed in plastic bags and threw it over his shoulder. Derek did not wait for another moment because there was another scream. This time Stiles seemed to hear it and he took Derek by the arm. The entire world tilted and Derek found himself standing on the edge of the woods with a massacre in front of him.
The person, whoever they were, was in pieces on the ground torn up with blood and gore sinking into the dirt. The smell of blood was overwhelming but not enough that Derek was able to ignore the wolf standing in front of him. Jess was transformed, her eyes glowing, and salivating in a way that he only saw in house pets.
“Jess, can you hear me?” Stiles asked taking a step forward slowly. “You need to let us know if you’re in there somewhere.” Jess did not hesitate as she lunged forward at Stiles. He managed to dodge the attack but she still managed to sink her teeth deep into his arm. Stiles crying out in pain shook Derek from the trance he had been in and he hit Jess hard enough with the butt of his gun that she fell to the ground.
“Are you okay?” Derek asked looking at the wound on Stiles’ arm.
“We need to tie her up before she wakes up,” Stiles said through his teeth. Derek helped Stiles move her to a small tree but Stiles had to do with work with the actual rope. The wolfsbane would keep her from breaking the rope and she was just waking up when Stiles finished.
“What happened?” she asked clearly disoriented as her eyes seemed to focus on the torn up body before her. “Oh my god what did you do?”
“What do you mean ‘what did he do?’” Stiles asked.
“I mean there’s a fucking body over there, what did you do to it? Are you the ones killing people?” Jess began to struggle against the rope and hissed when she touched it.
“You don’t remember anything?” Derek asked but he knew exactly where this conversation was going.
“Of course not, why would I?” There was no skip to her heartbeat, no extra sweat on her brow, flush on her cheeks, Jess was not lying. The wolfsbane seemed to be effecting her as she slowly passed out again. Derek took Stiles by his uninjured arm and pulled him away from the scene.
“Stiles, she isn’t lying, she has no idea what she’s been doing,” he said quietly. “Her wolf is feral but her human side is still in control.”
“Is there anyway we can ‘fix’ the wolf?” Stiles asked.
“Even if there was I’m not an alpha.” Derek clenched the gun in his hand a little tighter. It was filled with potent wolfsbane rounds, ones that could and would kill, and the thought of using them on someone who had no idea they were killing made him sick. “I don’t know if I can kill her, Stiles.” It was probably the most honest thing he had ever said to Stiles and he hated himself for this weakness. Jess was dangerous, she would kill again, but it felt a lot like the execution of an innocent. He was not a mindless killer because it would have made him no different from a feral wolf. Stiles touched his hand so gently that Derek was not sure it even happened and pulled the gun away.
“Go back to the room. Get some sleep and in the morning we’ll leave.” Stiles did not need to say ‘I will kill her’ because Derek knew that he would. He also knew that he was being saved from a terrible burden. Jess was beginning to wake up again and Derek could not bare the sight of seeing her. He said nothing, he turned and ran as fast as he could, but Derek could hear the sound of the gunshot and it was deafening.
He would not sleep tonight.
+++
Derek must have fallen asleep at some point because the next thing he knew the sun was shining bright through the windows and he was lying on his back. His jacket and boots were still on and his stomach twisted. Right now there was a girl lying dead somewhere, that died not knowing she had lost her grip on her sanity, and all he could feel was this sense of responsibility. It was not his fault, Jess was feral before he even got there, but that did not stop the fact that she was dead now. Derek knew that Stiles was next to him and their hands were close enough that Derek could feel the heat coming off of his skin. Their pinky fingers were barely touching and it felt grounding in a way that he had not experienced since Laura clenched his hands hard enough that bones creaked in protest.
“Did you do something to make me fall asleep?” Derek asked instinctively knowing that Stiles was awake next to him.
“No, you were asleep when I got in,” Stiles replied leaving out the fact that he was probably out burying a body. Derek moved his hand and clenched his fists until his knuckles were white.
“I’ve killed monsters, I kill them all the time, why was she so different? Why did I choke?” he asked.
“She didn’t know. In the barest sense she was innocent and that should bother you.” Stiles moved so he was hovering over Derek. “Do you think I’m going to think less of you or something because you couldn’t pull the trigger?”
“I don’t know, do you?” Derek asked not sure if he wanted to hear the answer. “You hired me as muscle and if I can’t do my job what use am I?”
“Please I could have gotten something much stronger if I actually wanted you just for your body,” Stiles said scoffing. “What I need is someone who will pull the trigger against someone that deserves it. When we catch Saul you’ll pull the trigger.” Stiles moved back to he was sitting next to Derek. “Besides if I wanted something that killed blindly I would have made you kill her.” There was more to what Stiles was saying, something about how he would have forced Derek to kill Jess because that was what demons did, but Derek did not say anything. He was not even sure if he was supposed to thank Stiles for that.
“Thank you,” he said taking a risk. There was more to say, so much more, but Stiles glanced over his shoulder and smiled brightly. Derek knew that everything he wanted to say came across in those two words. “Let’s get out of here.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
+++
Derek drove without direction for three days. He needed to make sure his head was clear before he went looking for more jobs and ‘clear’ was the last way he would describe himself. So he drove and drove, not really going anywhere, and not looking for anything. Stiles did not seem to mind because he was still looking at the majority of the world like it was brand new. They talked, because Stiles seemed to know that the silence let Derek’s mind wander, but there was almost no substance behind any of it. They crossed state borders and slept in shady motel rooms. They ate terrible fast food, Derek did, Stiles mostly just made faces, and did small things like go on hikes deep in the woods. Stiles made fun of him when Derek took off into the woods to kill a wild wolf.
Derek was not sure where they were, but it was the late evening on the third day when he pulled off at a gas station in the middle of some unnamed town. He was tired and he had hardly slept in the last three days. Saul was on the coast somewhere and they needed to start looking for him again even if Stiles did not seem to be pushing the issue.
“I need to close my eyes for a second, why don’t you go look in the papers and see if there have been any signs?” Derek said. Stiles tilted his head and looked out at the gas station.
“Of course. I’m sure electrical storms will be in the New York Times,” Stiles said flatly.
“Just give me thirty minutes,” Derek said. Stiles rolled his eyes and climbed out of the car. Derek turned off the engine, switched to the passenger seat, put the seat back and closed his eyes. There was no way to drown out the sounds of the rest stop, the people around him talking and moving, but if he let his mind wander enough it dulled into a hum. Minutes rolled by and while he did not sleep it felt a lot like rest. He was still aware enough of his surroundings to hear Stiles walking toward him, the faint smell of sulfur that never really went away, and how much he smelled like Derek now. What he was not expecting was the passenger door to open and Stiles to climb into his lap. He cracked his eye open and raised an eyebrow. “Hi to you too.”
“You’ve been moping,” Stiles said like they were not having this conversation in the car with Stiles on his lap.
“Obviously, are you here to talk me out of it?” Derek asked and Stiles rolled his eyes shifting on his lap that was anything but innocent.
“God no. The only person more emotionally stunted than you is probably me. I was thinking of something else to yank you out of your head.” Stiles got that gleam in his eye that either meant very good things or very bad things were going to happen.
“In my car? Really? You’re such a cliche. Do you want to take me to prom first?” Derek said but he was wrapping his arms around Stiles’ waist.
“I’m a cheap date.” Stiles grinned and slotted their mouths together. It was still hard and demanding but Stiles was also compliant in a way he was not usually. He was letting Derek lead their kisses, responding to the way Derek touched him, as if he knew that this was something that Derek needed. It was also incredibly hilarious that they were making out in his car like a couple of horny teenagers and that made him smile against Stiles’ lips. He pulled Stiles so he flushed against him and Derek’s hands slipped beneath Stiles’ shirt to get to skin. Derek bit at Stiles’ jawline and moved to suck a bruise into his neck. It would fade and Derek really did not care. “I swear to god you’re going to give me a neck kink, is this a werewolf thing or a Derek thing?”
“You make it sound like a bad thing,” Derek replied biting a little harder than necessary causing Stiles to gasp. “It’s not like anyone is going to see anything.” Stiles laughed and Derek pulled away so they were looking at each other. He was smiling and did not even realize it. Derek pulled Stiles down into another kiss and was about to slip his hands beneath Stiles’ waistband when a knock on the window scared the shit out of him. There were very few people that could sneak up on Derek and the thought that he was so wrapped up in Stiles that he did not notice a cop walking up to his door was terrifying.
“Gentlemen,” the cop said behind aviator sunglasses like a giant cliche and this entire situation made Derek want to pinch himself to see if he was dreaming in the form of some romantic comedy movie or some teen television show.
“Officer, how can I help you?” Stiles asked the first to recover.
"Are you aware that you are in public where anyone could see you?" the cop asked. Stiles was tense to the point that it felt like his back would snap like a wire. He was staring at the cop like something was wrong. There was a smell in the air that did not feel right. He dug his nails into Stiles' side to tell him that he felt it too.
"We're very sorry officer. It won't happen again." Stiles was speaking slowly as if he was thinking of every word he was saying before he said them. In all of the time that Derek had known Stiles it always seemed like his brain to mouth filter was almost zero and the fact that he was being so careful worried him. The cop was staring them down and Derek could not see his eyes through his sunglasses. He was carrying himself oddly and every instinct he had said run run run. There was no way he could run from a cop though because being wanted by the state was not something he could exactly deal with.
“I’ll need both of you to get out of the car,” the cop said and Derek wished he was surprised that this was happening. Stiles could have the two of them out of here in a second, but the cop had his license plate. There was no escaping this without causing more problems. Stiles opened the door and climbed out of the car. Derek followed and did his best to keep his hands where the cop could see them. “Do you realize what you were doing in there could constitute as public indecency?” Derek glanced at Stiles who raised an eyebrow.
“I suppose it could,” Stiles said narrowing his eyes.
“And that is illegal.” The cop looked a little too smug like he knew something that the two of them didn’t. It made the hairs on the back of Derek’s neck stand on end and the desire to put himself between this cop and Stiles was overwhelming. Stiles must have noticed because he took Derek’s wrist and held on tight. It was grounding but it kept Derek from the instinct to shove or push. The cop looked at their hands and raised an eyebrow.
“We’re just passing through on our way to New York,” Stiles said because that was kind of true. It was one of the places Derek had suggested because he still had a few friends that would help them look for Saul. It was apparently the wrong thing to say because the cop’s face changed so dramatically it was like they had just confessed to a murder.
“I ran your plates and it looks like you might be under suspicion of a few things that are a little shady. I’m afraid I’m going to have to take you both in.” The cop reached into belt and pulled out two sets of handcuffs. “And considering I just caught both of you in compromising positions I don’t think you want to make things worse for yourselves by resisting arrest.” The name on the badge said Officer Smith. Derek wanted to flee from this man, but he was right. So he did not fight when Smith put the cuffs on a little too tight and shoved him into the car. Fortunately Smith did not check the entire car and find his weapons stash but he did take the demon killing knife from Derek’s hip. Judging by the way Stiles was staring Smith down Derek was sure he was going to do something completely stupid and try to fight. Instead he turned and let Smith handcuff him. Smith left them alone as he called something in on a radio.
“Those plates are clean,” Derek said.
“I know they are,” Stiles replied.
“And he feels wrong. He smells wrong.” Derek shifted and ignored the way the cuffs bit into his wrists.
“Correct though I can’t tell what is wrong yet. We need to get out of here as soon as possible. I’ll work on it as soon as we get to the station. I got this.” Stiles glanced at Derek and nodded. “I know you trust me so you don’t need to say it. I know it physically pains you to say it.”
“You’re hysterical,” Derek replied knocking his shoulder against Stiles’. Smith got into the cruiser and they both fell silent because there was no way they were going to talk to this man. The station was small and practically empty when they got there and something about it did not feel right. Another deputy came in and lead Derek to a small holding cell. It was not the first time he had been in a cell but it still made him feel trapped in a way that was purely animal. He rubbed his wrists and blinked in confusion when they lead Stiles to a different cell. Smith took the cuffs off and shoved Stiles into the cell. Stiles jerked and it was like all of the air was sucked from his lungs.
“What the fuck is this?” Stiles sounded winded and furious. His eyes were locked on the ceiling and Derek followed his gaze to a devil’s trap that was spray painted above him. Smith was the only person in the room and he smiled.
“Don’t like my artwork? I think I’ve got real talent,” Smith said. He reached into his pocket and walked over to Derek’s cell. The jar was black ash and Derek noticed the ring of ash that lined his entire cell save for the entrance. Smith pulled out his gun and pointed it at Derek’s head. “Wolfsbane bullets and if you take one step toward me I’ll put one in your head.” Derek clenched his jaw and backed away from the entrance to the cell. Smith opened the door and dumped a bit of the ash closing the circle. Derek could feel it and it was worse than being in a cell. In a cell he could rip the door off and escape. This was different. “Mountain ash. It’ll keep you right where I need you Derek.”
“How do you know who I am?” Derek demanded and Smith laughed.
“Oh everyone knows about you and Stiles. They’re calling you two Peter and the Wolf. You’re becoming infamous in most circles and with reputation comes the problem of making enemies. There are a lot of people out there not happy that both of you are hunting your own kind.” Smith picked up the knife from the table. “This is quite a nice piece. I imagine I’ll get quite the reputation for taking care of you two. We can’t do this with others in the building so if you’ll excuse me.” Smith turned and within minutes the smell of blood filled the station.
“Dead,” Derek said as he tried to touch the ring of ash around his cell. “I realized what he smells like and he smells like death.”
“He’s a ghoul. Officer Smith is long dead because he was eaten.” Stiles said and he was shaking he looked so angry. “They love blood and fresh meat because they usually eat the dead. The two of us would be so delicious he probably can hardly wait to sink his teeth in.”
“How do we kill it?” Derek walked over to the edge of the circle. Their cells were next to each other but Stiles was completely out of reach. The devil’s trap was small, meant to keep him enclosed, and he could not get close enough to break the circle.
“We don’t do anything Derek because I don’t know how we’re getting out of this one.” Stiles laughed and it sounded bitter. “That thing is going to eat us and there isn’t anything I can do to stop it.” Stiles crossed his arms across his chest and stared straight ahead. He looked resigned like he knew this was the moment he was going to die. It bothered Derek because that was a look that he never wanted to see on Stiles again.
“Tell me how to kill it,” Derek repeated because he was not giving in. There is no he was going to roll over for something like a ghoul. If he was going to die Derek wanted to go down fighting against Saul or something worthy of killing the two of them. Stiles glanced at him and sighed.
“Cut off the head,” he said finally. The smell of blood in the station was stifling and it made Derek want to gag. Judging by the smell the ghoul had killed at least three people in horrifying ways. Derek was not looking forward to going out and seeing those bodies. They would not be dead if he and Stiles had not gotten careless in the car like that. The familiar smell of wolfsbane followed Smith as he walked through the door. There was a syringe of it that made Derek want to vomit. He was also licking blood from his hands and making these disgustingly pleased sounds.
“See, boys, when I said you have a reputation I wasn’t lying, but there’s more to it than that. See, word is that you two pissed off someone really scary and they want you dead. In exchange for your heads on a platter this scary person will issue protection to who or whatever does the two of you in,” Smith said turning the syringe in hand. Stiles froze and Derek felt his blood turn to ice. It was one thing for Saul to send out his minions but now there was a full bounty on both of their heads. “I had a feeling you would know exactly what I’m talking about. So I want that protection, you’d be surprised how safety is such a rare thing for us monsters these days, so I think I’m going to take that bounty. I kill you and keep you from getting to New York and I’m safe.” Smith turned his focus toward Derek and the needle looked terrifying when something in the air changed so suddenly that Smith stopped dead in his tracks.
“You don’t touch him,” Stiles warned that dangerous edge to his voice again. For the first time Smith looked nervous as he stared at Stiles.
“You’re in a devil’s trap. You can’t stop me,” Smith said but he did not sound so sure. Stiles’ eyes were a burning red and the smell of his anger was enough to knock the air out of Derek’s lungs.
“He is mine and you will not touch him,” Stiles said walking to the edge of the trap. “If you think this will hold me forever then you are wrong. You touch him, you hurt him, and I will rain torment down like you have never known. I’ve been to hell you vile creature, I thrived there, and if you think I don’t know how to make it hurt then you’re wrong. He is mine. Do not touch him.” The only one’s who had ever said that Derek’s was theirs were his parents and Laura. It was an alpha thing, something that was deeper than family, it was pack, and it was something that no one but wolves understood. But Stiles understood wolves, he had lived with one as a human, studied them as a demon, and Derek knew that without a doubt that Stiles knew the implications of what he was saying. Smith stared at Stiles like he was seeing him for the first time.
“So the rumors are true,” Smith said setting the syringe down and picking up the knife. “I wonder, Stiles, are the rumors about demon blood true too?” Stiles looked disgusted and like he was about to issue another threat but Smith pointed the gun with wolfsbane bullets at Derek. “Give me your arm or I’m going to shoot him in the foot and let him die slowly.”
“Stiles, don’t do it,” Derek said because he saw the way that Smith was licking up the blood earlier. He knows bloodlust when he sees it and that was bloodlust.
“Shut up Derek,” Stiles snapped. He rolled up the sleeve of his over-shirt and bared his arm for Smith to see. Smith unlocked the door to Stiles’ cell and tossed the knife into the trap while keeping the gun on Derek. There was a metal bowl on the table that he threw as well.
“Cut your arm and give me your blood. I can’t wait to see how it tastes.” There was a leer that made Derek see red and he hated the way Smith was looking at Stiles. Like he was something to eat, something insignificant, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Stiles picked up the knife and hissed in pain as he dragged it along his forearm. Blood oozed from the wound and began to drip to the ground. “Give the knife back to me.” Stiles did as he was told, tossed the knife to Smith’s feet, and knelt down so the blood flowed freely into the bowel. There was so much of it and Stiles looked like he was starting to pale. When the wound closed and healed Smith tossed the blade back and made him do it again. The entire bowel was filled with blood and Stiles looked ill.
“I’m going to tear your head off myself,” Stiles said conversationally and Smith grinned as took the bowl from the circle.
“Not before I bleed you dry,” Smith replied. “But you’re too dangerous to keep around. I think I’ll be fine if I tell him I sent you back and turn in the wolf.”
“Don’t you dare,” Derek warned as Smith looked at the bowl greedily.
“I’ll take care of you too wolf don’t worry. For now I’m just going to kick this guy back to hell for awhile. He won’t bother anyone there for a good long time.” Stiles was on his knees and he glanced at Derek. Hie eyes were no longer red and his clothes were splattered with blood. Derek tried to pass the line of mountain ash again but there was nothing he could do. It hurt every time he tried and he pushed through the pain.
Smith picked up Derek’s book and began to flip through the pages. Derek fought against the line, straining muscles and feeling bones crack, and Stiles was staring at him as if seeing him for the first time. “Ah, here we go, just what I need.” Smith began to read the Latin from the book and Stiles fell onto his back twitching. It hurt more than trying to cross the line the first time Stiles screamed in pain. Smith was grinning and he stopped for a moment to laugh. “So you have been in this body a while. I’ve heard it hurts more the longer you’re in the meat suit.” Stiles screamed again as Smith began to read more of the Latin and Derek was truly starting to panic when he heard another heartbeat in the station. He looked around and saw Stiles’ second, Lydia, standing in the shadows and she looked worried.
“Please, break the circle, let me help him,” Derek said soft enough that only she could hear. “I know you give a shit and you don’t want to be involved but just break the circle.” Derek barely recognized the sound of his own voice. It almost sounded he was begging and he never begged for anything besides family.
“Don’t tell him it was me or Saul will be the least of your worries,” Lydia whispered as she knelt in front of the circle.
“I won’t, I promise, just let me help him.” Derek clenched his fists as Stiles screamed again and it was terrible, it sounded like it hurt so much, and Lydia flinched as she broke the circle of mountain ash. She was gone in seconds but Derek wasted no time. Smith looked shocked to see Derek kicking the cell door open and charging toward him and if he was more violent than he needed to be when he ripped the ghouls head off. There was blood on his claws, on his clothes, and Derek did not care as he dragged Stiles from the devil’s trap. His face was ashen pale and he was not breathing. There was a panic that settled in Derek’s stomach that physically hurt as he shook Stiles to try and wake him up. He did not care that he was yelling and he sounded desperate, there was no one here to judge him for it, and there was no one else to see his relief when Stiles gasped for air.
“Oh my holy shit that hurt,” Stiles said as he gasped for breath and Derek had to laugh before he put a fist through the wall. “You got out, how?”
“I don’t know. I guess it just failed,” Derek said. “You scared the shit out of me you idiot. I thought I was going to have go kill Saul by myself.”
“No, you can’t get rid of me,” Stiles replied. He was smiling and it only confirmed how he trusted Stiles that he would not let Derek face Saul by himself. He trusted Stiles as much as he trusted his parents, Laura, and it was a terrifying realization. As Derek stared down at him he could have sworn he saw something similar pass through Stiles expression. Derek knew, instinctively, that Stiles was coming to the same conclusion. After all this time and everything they had been through they really and truly trusted each other. Yet Derek did not voice any of these epiphanies nor did he pressure Stiles to do the same. Derek helped Stiles to his feet and squeezed his arm. They gathered their things, Stiles disposed of his blood saying it was too dangerous to keep around, and they left the death and blood back at the station.
+++
The Camaro was still in the same parking lot when they got back and they drove without hesitation. Derek drove until he was sure he was going to fall asleep at the wheel and stopped at a motel off of the New Jersey turnpike. Derek managed to not look too shady as he got a room and they leaned heavily on each other as they stumbled into the room. Derek was exhausted and all he wanted to do was sleep but he was covered in dirt, sweat and blood.
“Take the first shower,” Stiles said after Derek had stared longingly at the bathroom for a bit too long.
“Thanks,” he replied. Derek let the hot water ease the stress from his shoulders as he thought about what Smith had said. They were not supposed to go to New York which meant that was where Saul was. The state was big but it was still more than they had to go on before. They were finally getting somewhere and it made Derek ache with relief. After twenty minutes he decided that he should probably let Stiles have a shower as well since he was covered in blood. They hardly said anything to each other as Stiles vanished into the bathroom and Derek changed for bed. He collapsed onto the bed listening to Stiles move around in the bathroom and decided to just rest his eyes for just a moment.
Just a moment turned out to be several hours because Derek blinked and realized he had fallen asleep. It was early morning but the drapes were pulled tightly to keep the sun out. He had not slept much and he did not feel rested, but Derek sat up and rubbed his eyes nevertheless.
“Go back to sleep,” Stiles said. He was sitting next to Derek in bed looking much better than he had a few hours earlier. His hair was a mess of spikes where it had air dried and he had changed into comfortable clothes. To anyone he would have looked tired but Derek knew him well enough that he was not physically tired like most people got. “Or are you going to tell me how you really got out of the circle?”
“I already did,” Derek replied. He did not like lying and judging by the way Stiles sighed he did not like it either. “I can’t tell you now, but I will after all of this is done.”
“Fine,” Stiles replied smiling softly. It was a smile Derek liked seeing on him and before he could really think it over he was pulling Stiles down into a kiss. They were both tired in one way or another so the kiss was soft, almost lazy, as Stiles settled next to him. Derek was really too tired to do anything else but kiss Stiles breathless but it was still nice. His lips were still impossibly soft and it made Derek shiver whenever Stiles would run those long fingers through his hair. He was not sure how long they kissed until Derek pulled away and felt tired enough to sleep again.
“He wanted to keep us out of New York,” Derek said his lips brushing against Stiles’. “There is only one reason they would be trying to keep us out of New York.”
“We have a solid lead,” Stiles said.
“We have a solid lead.” Derek replied and they grinned at each other.
+++
Derek slept for a few more hours before they decided that it was time to head for New York. There was no telling where Saul could be and if he would even still be there when they arrived but it was the first solid lead that had had in weeks. Stiles kept a running commentary on New Jersey and they did not stop driving until they hit the state line. Derek pulled over at a gas station and they both sat out on the hood of the car. Derek was leeching off of the free wifi in the gas station trying to find some sort of hint about where they were going. Stiles was looking around the station like it was the most interesting thing in the world.
“How are we supposed to find one demon a state that has one city with 8 million people in it?” Derek asked when there were exactly zero signs. “Small storms roll through New York City all the time because it’s on the water and the same thing for upstate because it’s near the mountains. If animals are dying no one is saying anything and people die in the city all the time. “
“You seem to know a lot about the city, have you been there?” Stiles asked frowning. He was thinking something but was trying to connect all of the dots before he said anything.
“Laura and I lived there for a few months before she realized that it was really hard to be a wolf in a major city. What are you thinking?” Derek closed the laptop and watched Stiles carefully.
“I’m going to assume your apartment was not in uptown.” Stiles leaned back on his hands and looked at the sky. “I know Saul and I know how much he loves being dramatic. Like most serial killers, he’s obsessed with being the center of attention and he has a fucked up sense of humor. He’s drawing us out. He’s been doing this since the beginning. As much as people are saying that he’s trying to have others kill us he wants to do the deed himself. The ‘bounty’ against us is crap. There’s no way he would offer protection to anyone.”
“You think you know where he is,” Derek said carefully.
“Yeah, I do, and therein lies the problem, Derek. He’s in your old apartment. If I can figure it out, it’s not because I’m clever despite the fact that I am indeed clever.” Stiles looked at Derek his face solemn. “If I can figure it out it’s because he made it obvious enough for me to figure it out.”
“So a trap then,” Derek said after a moment of silence.
“Oh my yes, without a doubt, I would put money on it.” Stiles waved his hand in the air as if he could flick all of this knowledge away. There was something deeply off about the way he was sitting even if they did just realize that they were going to walk into a trap. There was a rough line to his shoulders that Derek only saw when Stiles was trying not to say something.
“You’re going to tell me that I don’t have to come.” Derek said and he smirked when Stiles glared at him. “I want him dead too and you might not want to admit it, but you need me. So let’s go and walk into a trap.” Stiles raised an eyebrow and stared as if he could not believe what he was saying. Then he laughed, a big and loud belly laugh, to the point where Derek could have sworn he saw tears in Stiles’ eyes.
“Your hero complex is really something else,” Stiles said gasping for breath.
“There is nothing heroic about revenge.” Derek said.
“Then let’s go get revenge,” Stiles said and he grinned wickedly.
+++
The drive into the city was horrible. They ran into traffic. There was an accident and when they passed the wreckage, Derek saw a body bag being lifted into an ambulance. Idly he wondered if anyone would find his body. If someone would deliver it to Laura so she could mourn him. He wondered what they would think when they found Stiles’ body. He wondered if he would be labeled as a John Doe and no one would ever claim him. He would be cremated and the ashes spread where no one could find him. Perhaps their bodies would not be found at all, perhaps Saul would make it like they never existed, and no one would remember them. It should have bothered him much more that he was more than likely going to die. Derek should have wanted to talk to Laura one last time but as he drove through the familiar streets he did not want to talk to her again. He would lose his conviction.
It was dark by the time Derek pulled up to the old apartment building. They had lived in almost poverty to make sure that they would not be found by anyone else. Laura was paranoid since the fire and she wanted to make sure that Derek was safe above all else. The building was abandoned now and Derek knew that was going to be the case. Stiles was right; Saul seemed to love the drama. They both sat in the car for what felt like a long time. The streetlights turned on and still neither of them moved. There was something in the air, the smell of sulfur and ash, much stronger than normal.
Derek took a deep breath, released it and was the first one to finally get out of the car. He opened the trunk and filled the shotgun full of rock salt. He put a flask of holy water in his back pocket. The other knife they had acquired sat in the middle of his trunk. Derek had one at his hip already and he needed to give the other to Stiles. He stared at it for a moment because that and the one on his hip were the things that could kill Saul. One of them was going to have to stab him through the heart. Derek felt more than he saw Stiles move next to him and take the knife. He twirled in his hand with ease and smiled to himself.
“Let’s go,” Stiles said. Derek slammed the trunk to his car and they walked slowly up the stairs into the building. Derek could hear a single heartbeat in the building and it was in his old apartment. He raised the gun and kept his finger on the trigger. The rock salt would slow him down enough to make a killing strike, that was his plan, but it meant he would somehow be able to get a shot off in time. Stiles did not seem to care much about creeping up the stairs or taking it quietly. He walked up as if he was going up to have a cup of coffee with someone. Saul must have known they were there and was waiting. Derek nodded to the door and Stiles pointed to himself raising a finger. He wanted to go first and that made sense. Stiles pushed the door open and rushed in. Derek followed ready to fire at the first sign of movement.
The sheer degree to how fast everything went to hell was almost mind boggling. Derek saw Stiles move toward a person in the shadows, but he was thrown across the room and into a wall faster than Derek could react. Derek raised his gun and fired but the body was gone in seconds. An older gentlemen with light black hair and red eyes was in front of Derek and grinning.
“Hello Derek,” he said. Saul knocked the gun out of Derek’s hand so hard that several of his fingers snapped and that invisible punch to the chest that Stiles had done a few times pinned him to the wall hard enough that it was hard to breath. “I’m assuming you know who I am so I’m not going to bother with introductions.” Stiles was struggling to get back to his feet but Saul flicked his wrist and slammed Stiles’ head back down to the floor hard enough that Derek heard a crack. “Now let’s see what you’ve got here.” Derek struggled to move his arms as Saul approached. He tsked at him as he removed the holy water flask and tossed it over his shoulder. “Ah, I see you have one of these.” Saul removed the knife and looked it over.
“Get away from him,” Stiles said struggling to get to his feet. There was a considerable amount of blood on the side of his head but he looked unharmed.
“That’s adorable that you’re protecting your pet Stiles. We all know how much you love the wolves,” Saul replied and he flicked his wrist again. Stiles was forced upright and against the wall and seemed to be pinned just like Derek. Saul knelt down and picked up the other knife looking them both over. “So, Derek, how much has Stiles actually told you?”
“The only thing I need to know is that you murdered my family,” Derek growled and he made sure his eyes flashed blue.
“Yeah, sorry about that, I was bored, but when I heard you were out looking for Stiles I just had to draw you out. How is Laura by the way?” Saul asked grinning as he snapped the second knife in half. Derek struggled against the force that was holding him back. “Ah, that’s right, she’s okay because you made a deal with Stiles here.” Saul strolled over to Stiles and looked at him fondly. “I’m sure he told you all about how I tricked him but I’m sure he didn’t tell you about what happened after.”
“You son of a bitch that’s not important,” Stiles said. “This is between me and you so just let Derek go and we’ll finish this.”
“You dragged him back into this, Stiles, you could have let him just walk around with the ticking clock, but you wanted a pet.”
“Yeah, I dragged him, so just do what you want to me and let him go. He’s another stupid kid who gave into grief. Let him walk away.” Stiles said and he grunted when Saul punched him hard in the stomach.
“All of it is important, so why don’t you keep that smart mouth of yours shut before I cut out your tongue, again. You see, Derek, when you make a deal with a demon and you die you’re tied to that demon. So when little Stiles got sent down to hell he ended up on my table.” Saul touched Stiles’ face gently stroking the fragile bones of his cheek. “Has he told you how long he lasted on that table before he decided to start torturing people on his own? Not even five years. There are good people in hell who go centuries without touching another soul and he barely lasted five.”
“He was a kid,” Derek snapped. Stiles was flinching every time Saul got near him.
“Has he told you all of the gory details yet? What about the things he did to become ‘King of the Crossroads’? His road to power was not just paved with blood, it’s soaked with it.” Saul sneered and pressed one of the knives to Stiles’ neck. “And then he comes after me like he’s some righteous man. The irony is the funniest thing I’ve seen in centuries.”
“Don’t kill him,” Derek said when he saw a little blood on Stiles’ neck. Saul narrowed his eyes but surprised Derek by taking a step back.
“No, I don’t think I will.” Saul put his hand out and Stiles crashed to the floor again. “I think you should, Derek.”
“You’re the one I want to kill, not him,” Derek said. He kept his gaze on Stiles. He was breathing hard and beads of sweat were appearing on his brow. Saul had done something and it was beginning to take effect. Stiles flinched and clenched his fists tightly as his hands began to shake.
“You have a deal with him though, right?” Saul patted Stiles on the head and began to walk toward Derek. “See, here’s the thing, if you kill him your deal is off the table. In ten years you won’t get torn apart by hell hounds and you won’t go to hell. Maybe if you keep helping people you might even stand a chance of going to heaven.” The compressions on his chest seemed to lessen as Saul walked closer to him but a pain was beginning to spread in his chest. Derek coughed and there was some blood in his mouth. “Don’t worry I’m just hurting you a little. I’m hurting him a lot though.” Derek collapsed to his knees and Saul knelt in front of him. His claws emerged but he was not able to move forward to attack.
“Here’s the thing Derek,” Saul said as he played with the knife. “One of you is going to die so you can either kill Stiles and walk away from this with your life or I’ll just kill both of you. You get to keep your life and hell you can even come after me again if you want.”
“Then why don’t you kill him?” Derek asked. The blood in his lungs felt like it was choking him and when he glanced over at Stiles he saw blood running out of his mouth. It looked like he was going to drown.
“Because he has this weird attachment to you and it’ll be poetic.” Saul held the knife, Derek’s original knife, in front of him. “Do you know how this ended up in that body the night you almost died? Stiles here left it for you. He knew that I was going to go after Laura the second you went looking for him and he didn’t do anything. He wanted you to be his because he has a thing for wolves.” Saul held the knife hilt out for Derek to take. “Did he make you think he cares about you? He doesn’t. He’s a demon, Derek, and we don’t care about anyone. He used you so you would kill me. Kill him and walk away. Kill him and you can even avenge the family he was too weak to raise.”
Derek’s hand shook as he reached forward and took the knife. Saul was barely letting him walk but Derek was able to stand and walk toward Stiles. He was still on his back, coughing up blood, and his eyes were glowing red. Derek knelt down next to him and stared. He did not look afraid, he looked resigned, like he expected this. For some reason that was like a punch to the gut. Derek was willing to do so much to protect Stiles and he knew that Stiles was willing to do the same. He had suffered more here than him because he had directed Saul’s fury at him and away from Derek. He knew Stiles’ reasons for not raising his family that night and he understood them. Derek’s eyes flicked over to Saul who was standing behind Derek with a hand on his shoulder. He tried to ask if Stiles trusted him without words and he was not sure if it worked because Stiles relaxed the moment the knife hit his skin.
Derek threw his elbow back as hard as he could and knocked Saul off of his feet. He felt organs crush beneath the force of his elbow and all of the pressure was released. Stiles moved faster than Derek could see and he was holding Saul down as he thrashed.
“I can’t hold him long,” Stiles said as he struggled. “Kill him.” That stunned Derek because this was Stiles’ vendetta, this was the most important thing to him, and he was giving it to Derek. Stiles must have read the indecision on his face because he glanced at Derek. “Get your closure.” Derek nodded and did not hesitate as he slit Saul’s throat. Any lingering sense of power in the air faded and Stiles fell back against the floor. Derek eased away from the growing pool of blood and fell back against the wall. “Shit.”
“What happens now?” Derek asked.
“I’m going to pass out now and that just isn’t going to end well for me,” Stiles replied. Derek was about to ask why, but Stiles was already unconscious. Derek closed his eyes, rested his head against the wall and tried to will his hands to stop shaking.
+++
Derek found them a motel room and proceeded to watch Stiles sleep for almost twelve hours straight. He was not exactly comfortable with the idea of leaving him alone even more so after he coughed a few times in his sleep and something that looked like a piece of an internal organ ended up on the bed.
Derek called in for pizza, used the free wifi and kept an eye out for anything in the news mentioning the body in the apartment complex. So far they seemed to be in the clear, but he wanted to get away from the area sooner than later. He was in the middle of surfing the internet with Stiles asleep next to him on the bed when Stiles finally stirred. He blinked lazily as he stared up at Derek like he could not believe something.
“Holy shit I’m still alive,” he said.
“You looked like you were going to cough up a lung for a little while but you heal fast. Why wouldn’t you be?” Derek asked raising an eyebrow.
“Saul told you that if you killed me you would break our deal so I figured that you would, you know,” Stiles trailed off.
“You thought I was going to kill you in your sleep, really, after all of that.” Derek sighed and shut his computer. “You’re an idiot.”
“You’re right; he is,” Lydia said from where she appeared in the middle of the room. Stiles groaned and ran his fingers roughly through his hair.
“Hi Lydia, great to see you again, so glad you came running when I actually needed help,” Stiles said with mock enthusiasm as he sat up.
“Please, I was just waiting for this little social experiment to end,” Lydia replied rolling her eyes. “I’m ready to stop doing two jobs at once so let’s go,” Stiles sighed and got to his feet stretching like he was about to just up and leave which made no sense.
“Stiles, I helped you kill Saul, you said you would end my deal if I did that,” Derek said slowly. Stiles did that thing where he went eerily still while Lydia burst out laughing.
“Oh, honey, you didn’t really think that was true, did you? Demon’s lie, it’s what we do, so let’s get going Stiles,” Lydia said.
“You promised to me. We made a deal. You told me that no demon under you backs out from a deal,” Derek said standing slowly. Stiles still had his back to him but Lydia’s smile was starting to fade.
“Stiles, we need to go, come on.” Lydia offered out a hand but Stiles did not take. Instead he clenched his fist tight enough that Derek could smell blood.
“We had a deal.” Derek wanted to take a step toward Stiles but it felt like that would be a bad idea. Lydia was starting to look a little pale. She looked like she was about to say something when Stiles suddenly turned around. He pulled Derek into a hard, but passionate kiss. Derek barely had time to react before Stiles broke away.
“Deal is off,” he whispered, but Stiles stayed close.
“We really need to go,” Lydia said resigned.
“See ya,” Stiles against his lips and they both vanished.
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