Chapter 88 - Star - Artem To The Rescue
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Star
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Uncle Howard was pressed against me when I heard something slam into the door from the otherside at the top of those stairs. It was something large and raging, and for a second I thought that it might be Artem coming to save me. I was hopeful for the briefest of moments before I remembered how upset I had made him when I ruined things between us
Uncle Howard was completely ignoring the noise that came from the door. I don't know if it was that, if it was really there at all maybe I was just starting to imagine things now. But then the sound came again. Still he ignored it as he started to move his hand across my abdomen and down toward the top of my panties.
After the second time that the sound came from the door I saw from the corner of my eye that the door was falling forward, having been knocked completely off its hinges. As the door fell someone was jumping over the top of it, landing lithely and gracefully before sliding into a predatory crouch.
I wanted to cry out, to scream for the man that had just come through the door.
'IT'S ARTEM!' I screamed inside my head when I saw him. 'He came for me! I can't believe he actually came for me.' Why would he come for me at all? That's the question I couldn't figure out.
Artem grabbed Uncle Howard by the hair at the top of his head and yanked him off of me, hard. He had pulled so hard that I saw a line rip across Uncle Howard's forehead before he went soaring toward the wall where our clothes were.
Artem ran to my side and scooped me into his arms, he held me gently and cradled me carefully.
"Star? Sweetheart, are you OK? Come on Star, baby, please talk to me. Look at me. Do something honey, please."
'I'm here Artem! I'm here! I just can't move or talk. Please save me Artem, please.'
Artem set me down then as he turned to look at Uncle Howard, an angry look on his face.
"What did you do to her, you son of a bitch?" There was pain and anguish in his voice as he roared those words at the man he had thrown across the room. I couldn't see Uncle Howard, but I could imagine the sneer on his face.
"I'm afraid she won't respond to you at all. You see, she is completely mine now." Uncle Howard laughed.
"What the fuck are you talking about. And what the fuck are you?" I wanted to tell Artem everything that Uncle Howard had said, but I couldn't do anything so I just listened to him growl at Uncle Howard.
"I am the man that married your mate. And I am the great Edmond's son."
"Who the fuck is Edmond?"
"You are such a fucking nuissance. Do you not know the name of the warlock who rules this pack?" Both of them sounded so angry while they spoke, but Uncle Howard had a hint of laughter while he spoke and Artem's voice had an undertone of pain.
"He may have ruled it a long time ago but he doesn't now, this is my pack and I will not let Gannon back into it." That came out firm and strong and definitely sounded like the Artem I knew.
"So you do know my father's name?" Uncle Howard laughed. "That's good."
"So what, you're a half warlock half wolf?"
"Not exactly. My mother was something much further away from humanity."
"What the hell are you saying?"
'He's saying that he is a Demon, Artem. Please be careful. Don't get hurt because of me. This was why I had left Chay too, I didn't want her hurt.'
Something happened then, they were both quiet for about a minute, not talking or doing anything. I could hear Uncle Howard making noises as if he were in pain but Artem was still next to me so I knew he wasn't doing anything to him. And there was a stronger sense of the sulfur smell in the room. It made me want to gag and vomit again.
"Can you guess what I am now?" Uncle Howard's voice was the same but he sounded like the side of his face was swollen or something, like he couldn't move his lips or something.
"You look like a cliched version of a devil. Well half of one."
"Yoo dare to be condescending to me you assh. But you are not that far off. I am a demon."
"Great, then I get to tell everyone that I killed a demon, then I will take my mate home with me."
'Please take me home Artem, this place scares me.'
"She will never be yours again. She is my slave now."
"Slave? What do you mean slave?" I heard a renewed wave of fury enter Artem's voice.
"She has a special taliman. One that is unlike the others. You taking her almost ruined it for me, but I was able to reset it. She is now my slave and will only act if I tell her to. She would even kill you if I told her to. That is how strong the bond with us really is."
'NO! No I wouldn't. I would fight it every second until it killed me but I would never hurt Artem, never!'
"No, she wouldn't do that, she loves me." Artem screamed.
"She did not love you, it was all the talisman that made her accept you." Uncle Howard sneered.
'No I do love him. I love Artem and only him. I will never love anyone except for him.'
"Then I will stick by her side until she does love me. I will kill you, rescue her and stay by her side always." There was pain in the roaring voice that Artem spoke with. He wanted to stay by me? So he must still love me.
"You are a fool." Uncle Howard sounded angry now, like he couldn't stand what Artem was saying.