8. Chapter Eight
Chapter Eight
Finn
I stared at my reflection in my bar’s murky mirror, running my hands through my hair as the weight of tomorrow settled in my chest like a stone.
"I'm telling her," I said finally, my voice barely above a murmur.
Damon stopped swirling his whiskey, his keen brown eyes locking onto mine. He studied me in that unreadable way that always meant he thought I was making a mistake.
"About damn time," he smirked.
"So, you think I should?" I exhaled a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding.
Damon set his glass down with a dull clink and leaned forward, resting his arms on the table.
"You really think lying to her forever is an option? Look, man, if you care about her and I know you do then she deserves the truth."
I nodded, gripping the edge of the table.
"Yeah… yeah, I know. But what if…" I hesitated, swallowing hard. "What if I lose her?"
Damon let out a low chuckle, shaking his head.
"You mean after you just threw Aidan under the bus and exposed his little undead secret?" He leaned back, smirking. "Yeah, that’s a real possibility."
"I didn’t have a choice, Damon. Amelia needed to know what she was dealing with," I clenched my jaw.
"Sure," Damon shrugged, but his gaze was piercing. "But from where I’m sitting, Aidan didn’t exactly attack her, did he? And now, after exposing his secret, you’re about to drop another supernatural bomb on her. Think she can handle it?" He tilted his head.
I sighed, rubbing my hands over my face.
"I don’t know, man. I just… I can’t keep lying to her. She’s already confused, already trying to process Aidan being a vampire. If I keep pretending to be just some normal guy while knowing damn well, I’m not…" I shook my head. "It’s going to destroy whatever trust she has left in me."
Damon studied me for a long moment, then nodded slowly.
"Then you tell her. You take her to dinner, look her in the eyes, and lay it all out. No games, no half-truths. You give her the full story."
"Yeah. That’s the plan, I exhaled, the tension in my chest loosening just a little.
"Good. Because if you didn’t, I was going to slap some sense into you myself," Damon smirked.
"Thanks for the support, man," I let out a tired chuckle, shaking my head.
"Always," he said simply, taking another sip of his drink. Then, after a beat, he narrowed his eyes. "There’s just one thing I still don’t get."
"What?" I raised an eyebrow.
Damon leaned in slightly.
"How the hell did you find out Aidan was a vampire in the first place?"
My grip tightened around my glass. I had known this question was coming eventually. With a slow inhale, I set my drink down and met his gaze.
"It was the night of the fire."
"Go on," Damon’s smirk faded, replaced by a look of intrigue.
“When I saved Aidan, remember I told you that his wounds healed rapidly”
“Yeah, I remember and then …”
“The day he came to the hospital to see the victims of the fire incident; he walked into Amelia and I in the cafeteria and then I noticed the ring he was wearing.”
“Ring?” Damon asked, clearly intrigued.
"It was made of dark polished metal, almost black, but when the light hit it, you could see faint streaks of deep red running through it like veins beneath the surface. At first, I thought it was just a design, but something about it felt alive, like the ring itself was pulsing. The centerpiece was a round, glassy stone, too smooth to be a gem, too deep in color to be just decoration. It had this strange glow, like the embers of a dying fire."
"And you recognized it?" Damon narrowed his eyes.
"Not immediately," I admitted. "But something about it gnawed at me. I knew I’d seen it before, I just couldn’t remember where."
"So, what did you do?"
"What I do best. I started digging," I smirked slightly.
"You really couldn’t let it go, huh?" Damon let out a chuckle.
"Would you?" I shot back. "Something about it didn’t sit right with me. So, I spent hours looking through old records, museum archives, and historical symbols, anything that might give me a lead. And then I found it."
"And?" Damon exhaled slowly.
"It wasn’t just any ring. It was the Heritage Ring," I met his gaze.
Damon's smirk disappeared.
"The ring is passed down through vampire bloodlines," I said. "Not just any vampires but vampire leaders. It’s a symbol of power, a mark of their legacy. Every vampire ruler has worn that ring, from one generation to the next." I exhaled sharply. "And Aidan? He had it."
"Well, damn. That’s some next-level detective work," Damon let out a low whistle, shaking his head.
"I wasn’t done," I huffed out a humorless laugh.
"Oh, this should be good," Damon grinned.
"I had my suspicions, but I needed proof. Real proof." I clenched my jaw, staring at the ice melting in my drink. "I had to be sure before I said anything to Amelia."
"And how exactly did you plan on proving something like that? Stakeout? Hidden cameras? A full-on vampire intervention?" Damon raised an eyebrow.
"I disguised myself, nothing major, just enough to blend in. Hoodie, glasses, fake name in the visitor log. I waited outside his office, acting like I had an appointment." I exhaled, shaking my head. "Didn’t take long.” Aidan showed up right on time, walking in like he owned the place. Completely unaware."
"And then?" Damon leaned forward, intrigued.
"Then I tested him," I glanced up, meeting his gaze.
"Tested him how?" Damon arched a brow.
I reached into my pocket and pulled out a silver chain, letting it dangle between my fingers. "Silver."
"No way." Damon let out a low chuckle.
"As he walked past me, I moved like I was adjusting my sleeve, just enough for the chain to brush against the back of his hand."
"And?" Damon’s smirk faltered.
"It burned him," I said simply. "Not much, just a quick, faint welt. It was small, barely noticeable, but I saw it. For a split second, his skin reacted. Then, just as fast, it was gone. Completely healed like it never happened."
"Damn…" Damon let out a low whistle.
"He barely reacted," I continued. "Maybe he noticed, maybe he didn’t. Either way, he didn’t put much meaning into it. Just frowned at his hand for a second before moving on like nothing happened."
Damon shook his head, grinning.
"I gotta say, Finn, this is some Sherlock Holmes level shit. The disguise? The trap? The silver test? If this whole thing with Amelia doesn’t work out, maybe consider a career in private investigation."
"Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up," I rolled my eyes.
"Nah, man, I mean it," Damon chuckled. "Most people would’ve brushed off their suspicions, maybe written Aidan off as a freak of nature. But you? You set up a whole damn experiment like a scientist testing a hypothesis. That’s impressive."
“Yeah right …”
I stared at my drink, feeling the weight of the truth pressing down on me.
The next morning, I stepped into the crisp air, letting myself believe the day would go smoothly.
Then I felt it.
A sharp sting at the base of my neck.
“What the…” I muttered.
My vision blurred, limbs heavy as my knees buckled and my hand fumbled for support before the world spun into darkness.
A dull throb pulsed in my skull as I woke, wrists aching from the ropes, eyes blinking at the dim, dusty warehouse filled with eerie silence.
“Where the hell am I?” I whispered.
Aidan walked in, cool and unreadable, his sharp gaze calculating as I exhaled and leaned back in the chair.
"I should have suspected that this was your doing from the beginning," I muttered, my voice laced with irritation.
"What can I say, Finn? You’ve been a pain in my ass for far too long," Aidan smirked, shoving his hands into his pockets.
"So, what now? You gonna kill me? Seems a little dramatic, even for you," I pulled at the restraints again, flexing my wrists.
"If I wanted you dead, you wouldn’t have woken up," Aidan chuckled, tilting his head slightly.
"Comforting," I deadpanned.
“Oh Finn…” Aidan sighed and reached for the knife tucked into his belt.
In one swift motion, he sliced through the ropes binding me. The moment my arms were free, I rolled my shoulders, rubbing at the raw skin where the restraints were.
I stood up slowly, eyes locked onto Aidan.
"Alright," I said cautiously. "What’s the deal? Because I doubt you brought me here just to practice your kidnapping skills."
Aidan smirked, stepping back and cracking his knuckles.
"We’ve been circling each other for too long, Finn. You don’t like me. I sure as hell don’t like you. So, let’s settle this. Man to man. Right here. Right now."
"You want to fight me?" I scoffed.
"Unless you’d rather sit down for tea and talk about our feelings?" Aidan shrugged.
"Fine. You want to hash this out once and for all? Let’s do this." I rolled my neck, loosening my muscles.
"Good answer," Aidan grinned.
I clenched my fists, heart pounding in my chest.
Aidan didn’t hesitate.
His fist slammed into my jaw like a sledgehammer, knocking me to the ground. Pain erupted, the sharp taste of blood filling my mouth. I groaned, rolling onto my side as stars blurred my vision.
"Damn," I muttered, wiping my lips and checking for blood. "Didn’t know we were skipping the warm-up."
"Figured you could use a wake-up call," Aidan smirked down at me, cracking his knuckles.
I pushed to my feet, ignoring the pain, and swung at Aidan. He was too fast, dodging effortlessly, my punches hitting nothing but air. Frustration burned in my chest.
"Stand still and fight me, you coward," I snarled, swinging harder.
Aidan only chuckled, sidestepping another punch.
"What, and make it easy for you? Where's the fun in that?"
He struck again. This time, he didn't hold back.
Aidan's blows hit like a truck, but I refused to fall. Rage burned as he dodged, struck, and taunted relentlessly.
"Come on, Finn," he sneered. "Is that all you’ve got?"
Something inside me snapped.
A guttural growl ripped from my throat as my vision burned red. Pain faded into something hotter, something raw, as my body cracked and stretched, bones shifting, muscles tearing only to knit back stronger. My wolf surged forward, clawing at the edges of my control, a primal force demanding release.
“Now you see what I’ve got,” I growled.
My nails thickened into claws, my jaw ached, stretching, reshaping, the taste of blood sharp on my tongue.
Aidan barely had time to react before I lunged.
My claws struck, tearing through his sleeve and leaving deep gashes as he dodged a second too late.
"Well, that’s new," Aidan hissed, his expression darkening.
I growled, baring my teeth. The alpha had awoken.
Aidan wiped the blood from his arm, looking almost impressed as his wound healed.
"Guess I pushed you harder than I thought," he smirked.
I didn't give him a chance to say more.
I sprang faster and stronger now. Aidan dodged left but I was there. He ducked but I caught him, slamming him into the wall.
"Not bad, Finn. Finally fighting like a beast," he grunted, eyes narrowing.
"You haven’t seen anything yet," I bared my teeth.
Aidan grunted, shaking off the blow, but I could tell he was feeling it. His cocky demeanor was gone, replaced by something colder, more focused.
Then a voice cut through the chaos like a knife.
"Finn?"
I froze, chest heaving as my glowing eyes met Amelia's, her pale, wide-eyed face filled with fear while adrenaline surged and the beast inside clawed for control.
"Amelia," I rasped, my voice rougher, deeper.
She took a hesitant step forward, her gaze flickering between me and Aidan. Her lips parted slightly, as if struggling to process what she was seeing.
"You’re a..." She swallowed hard. "You’re a werewolf?"