Cruel and Unusual - serialised novel EXCLUSIVE to Steemit Part 7

Exclusive for Steemit - serialisation of Cruel and Unusual – my second novel

Episodes:
1
2
3
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6

“Make me Wolf!” Amelia blurted out between her tears.

“No. I cannot.”

“Of course you can.”

“No, I cannot and there are more than a few reasons,” as he said this, he stood and walked away from his human wife and listened at the door. Then he crossed to the window to watch the proceedings in the courtyard.

“David, you are naked, there are people down there that know I have come to visit you. They also think that you are my brother.”

“Oh yes, I forgot.” He moved away from the window but paced the floor of his room as he continued.

“You have reasons not to make me Wolf now?”

“Yes, first of all, if I were the one to make you Wolf, then we could not have any more children.”

“Why couldn’t we?”

“Because any more children we had would be Throwback too, but in a different way to Jack. He is a Hume - human - Throwback. These would be Wolf Throwback. Whilst there is a possible remedy for Jack’s condition, there would be none for the others.”

“Who would know?”

“Ah my darling, we would know. Any Sentinel worth his salt would know and the worst about it is that the child would know. Probably not that he is a Throwback, but that something was different, odd, strange, something that set him apart from everyone else. Eventually he or she would be driven insane and again, you would never forgive me.”

“And if we were to have no more children?”

“Even if we could say that we shall never have more children, if any other found out that I had made you, then Jack would be in danger still - for they would assume he was Throwback anyway, and he would be a legal kill.”

David sat upon his bed and gazed at his wife, trying to make her realise the importance of what he was trying to tell her.

“Another reason for not making you Wolf is that you would not be able to take care of Jack for three days in each twenty eight. You would be unable to even see him when the moon is full.”

“But he is my son, if nothing else, my instincts…”

“Would count for nothing. Your human instincts for your human child would not even scratch the surface of your Wolf instincts. You would see him as a tiny morsel - a tid-bit to whet your appetite. That is why we use such derision when we refer to humans. We call them Hume because they are less than us, not by a mere shade are they - you - weaker, but by a vast abyss.”

“So Jack’s fate looks grim whichever way we turn? And the only way is to make him Wolf when he is older and to have someone else make me Wolf at around the same time?”

David nodded. “Yes darling. Unfortunately, that is how it shall be. If something were to happen to me, I have left documents with our solicitor - a Hume. He is instructed to contact friends of mine - not family - who would be asked to make you and Jack Wolf - when he is old enough.”

“Do not talk that way. Nothing is going to happen to you. But I do wish that we could do this now.”

“I know. Hindsight is a wonderful thing. I would have had you made Wolf before we were married if I had even thought that it were possible that we could have a child before you were Wolf.”

David drew Amelia to him and kissed her to reassure her. Then his kisses began to take on urgency and his breathing became more ragged as his passion increased.

Amelia pulled away from him.

“David, stop! We are brother and sister here and I will not take the risk of anyone discovering us - neither to discover that we are lovers, nor not siblings. I will not be forced to move home again.”

“But Amelia, I want you so much.”

“Yes, I know and I want you, but not now and not here. I will not take chances. I like living here. It is so much easier for you; you have no ties, not even to me and Jack.”

David appeared wounded at that remark, but said nothing, not wanting to start an argument.

“I have a lot to think about, I must go. I would appreciate your help on the matter of Jack’s new found distraction, however. Please give it some thought.”

She kissed him fondly and left him to dress.

“I shall see you this evening, sister dear. May I come to dinner?”

“No, this evening is out of the question, brother dear,” she said, pausing in the doorway. “I am afraid that Florence is at her mother’s this evening and I am accepting an invitation to dinner.”

Quick as lightning, David was at the door, her wrist gripped in his hand, none too gentle, and he snarled a warning.

“Think hard before you play games with my affections, Amelia. Think very hard.”

Amelia was concerned at his outburst, for she shrank back from his grip as though frightened that he would strike her, but she answered him.

“There is nothing untoward in the invitation. In fact, you were also invited, but I had declined on your behalf as you were intending to go back into town. If you would like, I will ask if the invitation stands and I shall tell Mrs Broughton that you would like to accept.

“Do that!” David snapped at her.

“I will let you know of the outcome by messenger later. I shall ask Mrs Flint to watch Jack for the evening.”

Amelia went down the stairs in a less than good mood and remembered the bargain she had made with Jack.

“Oh dash it all!” she exclaimed.

The landlady was passing and was quite shocked to hear Amelia come so close to bad language.

“Is something wrong, Mrs Denton?”

“Oh no, it’s just something I had forgotten and my brother and I are going to dinner this evening. I apologise for my exclamation.”

“Oh never you mind, Mrs Denton, I’ve heard worse than that and from women who should know better too.”

Mrs. Flint was more than happy to watch Jack for the evening, even when Amelia told her of the bargain. Jack would be a good little boy in exchange for a short time playing Wolf and not forgetting his ‘den’ to be made instead of his bed for one night.

“Never you worry, ma’am, I can manage for one evening, I’m sure. I’ve had seven of my own you know. Off you go now, Mr. David is waiting.”