Light from Shadows - Part Six
Fic title:Light From Shadows
Author name: youaredriving
Artist name: apieceofcake
Genre: RPS
Pairing: Jared/Jensen
Rating: R
Word count: ~22,100
Warnings:Slash, supernatural elements (Vampires, werewolves, and others), violence, language
Summary: The madness of the Region’s King slowly drives Jared from his home Region of Houston to the Region of New Orleans. As one of the rarest weres, Jared knows to tread lightly around other supernaturals, especially vampires.
In New Orleans, Jared finds out he’s sharing home with the resident protector and vampire: Jensen Ackles. Through his first moons and the helpful hand of a few rowdy werewolves Jared learns that not all vampires are the same and family can from the strangest of places
Link to art: Here
Jared stared up at the darkening sky. Every nerve felt like it had been flayed open as he waited for the change to begin. He closed his eyes and he could feel Chad, Chris and Steve all standing next to him. He could feel the pulse of energy along his skin as he waited. He could smell the wolves and the rats in the air. Every second the sky turned to night, the smells intensified. Beneath it all his smelled something so mouthwatering, so tempting it pushed his beast further to the surface.
The first growls came from the back of the pack. Then he heard a muffled squeak before Jared slipped beneath the beast. His knees gave out and his fingers dug into the soil. His jaw popped and his gums burned. His spine arched as he threw his head back towards the sky and the pain soaring across his body turned into pleasure.
Black paws stretched against the warm dirt as he tipped his head back and scented the air. His ears cocking back when he heard movement that was far too ahead of the pack. His claws dug into the ground as he started to run. Heavy movements turned light as he bounded through the brush and a tree, trying to find what was ahead of them. The closer he got, the more the scent brushed along his face.
It wasn’t just smell that had the panther chasing, the sound of footsteps too light to be human had him pushing harder. Wind whistled in his ears, moved like fingers dragging through his fur. Bright flashes of light caught his attention from the corner of his eye. His paws sliding to a stop in the dirt as he tilted his head back a fraction, his nostrils flaring and his ears tracking the slowing steps. A low growl rumbled in the back of his throat, searching for whatever was keeping pace with him. Everything had gone quiet except for the buzz of mosquitoes and the hail of an owl from trees above him.
The sound of paws padding along the ground, crunching dead leaves and branches beneath their uncared movements had stolen his attention from current prey. Bright yellow eyes spotted three wolves running up behind him. They were nipping at each other but keeping a watchful eye on him. The panther ignored the sound of soft footsteps as he ran along side the wolves.
~*~
“Hey,” A soft hand pressed against the over sensitized skin of Jared’s shoulder. He let out a small groan. Everything always smelled so differently after a shift. Things were crisper, more alive and taking a deep breath steeling himself for opening his eyes and actually waking up sent his body into overdrive. That scent. Licking his lips, Jared tried to put any kind of identifiers to it. He just wanted to bottle it up. Keep it all to himself.
“Wake up man,” Something heavy landed on the ground next to him sending dirt crawling up towards his nose.
Sputtering at the taste, Jared looked at the pile of his clothes from last night that were stashed in a plastic Winn-Dixie bag before following a pair of jeans up to a grinning Jensen. “What?”
“You,” Jensen shook his head. “I’d get dressed if you don’t want to be dragged along to get beignets this morning with the rest of the Region. And if you don’t want me to turn to ash, I figure we’ve got about an hour before the sun’s fully up. ”
“Good idea,” Jared sat up and started digging through the clothes. “You went and found these for me?”
“I don’t see anyone else with plastic bags full of their clothes,” Jensen rolled his eyes. “Now hurry the hell up before the wolves see the special treatment you’re getting and get jealous.”
Jared felt laughter bubbling up in his chest as he pulled on a shirt and frowned at his torn boxers and went for his shorts instead. He stood up and stretched the kinks out of his back. They were tromping through the woods and almost to Jared’s truck when the panther wrapped a hand around Jensen’s wrist. “You’re okay right?”
Jensen stared at Jared’s hand and nodded, “Yeah.”
Jared let go of the vampire and unlocked the truck. Once they were buckled in and heading back to the house he took a deep breath. “It’s just, when I freaking out and then you had to leave, well I thought, it doesn’t matter I was just worried about you.”
“Dude,” Jensen snorted, “There wasn’t a reason to be worried. Everything is okay now. I just didn’t know what to do for you.”
“Chris said something,” Jared whispered knowing that Jensen would hear him across the cab of the truck.
“Of course Chris said something.” Jensen rolled his eyes. “What did he say?”
“That you were afraid.” Jared answered and Jensen let out a frustrated groan and closed his eyes when Jared continued, “That you might hurt me.”
“Jared,” Jensen whispered staring at the steadily brightening sky as they pulled into the drive way. He made a quick run for the house and sighed in relief at being inside before he faced the panther and all his questions. “I just, can’t talk about this right now.”
Jared watched at Jensen disappeared behind the door of his room. A sharp snick of the lock before something was placed at the crack of the door to block out all light. Jared took quiet steps down the hallway a few minutes after Jensen and placed his hand on the vampire’s door. He took a few quiet breaths before whispering, “Thank you.”
~*~
National Geographic was on when Jensen made his way from his room feeling guilty as hell from not answering Jared’s questions. He should have. Jared was dozing across the couch and there was an empty thermos sitting out on the counter waiting for Jensen to use proclaiming, ‘my fangs are bigger’ and the vampire had to snort at that. He had a thermos full of blood by the time Jared shuffled into the kitchen. He seemed to be waiting for Jensen to say something but Jensen was at a loss as what to say to the man.
Jared finally broke the silence, blurting out, “Do you fall asleep or do you die during the day?”
Jensen choked on a mouthful of blood and he had to wipe a dribble of it from the corner of his mouth as he watched Jared. “What?”
“You know what I’m like when I shift and I know hardly anything about you.” Jared turned away from Jensen and headed back into the living room clicking the television off. “You saw me when I was most vulnerable and you didn’t attack me. You followed me the entire night to make sure I was safe. I think it’s time I give you the benefit of the doubt, to stop being afraid of what might happen. You’re not going to eat me if I sleep at night and I can trust you. So do you die or do you sleep?”
“Sleep,” Jensen answered automatically. “The sun just makes me extremely tired and I have to sleep.”
“I like the night better,” Jared answered with a shrug. He turned the television back on and scrolled through the TiVo menu and picked a rerun of Alaska State Troopers, “You’re not missing out on much. The sun causes cancer and makes humans do some real crazy shit.”
Jensen snorted and watched as a guy walked down the street in his underwear and a pair of boots. “Please tell me he’s drunk?”
Jensen nudged Jared over and ignored the heat of the panther’s skin against his as he leaned back against the couch cushions. “Oh god, please tell me he’s drunk Jared. No sane man, even here in Louisiana would walk down the side of a road in a pair of boots and a pink bathrobe.”
“He’s drunk,” Jared grinned at Jensen’s mock horror. “Completely tossed.”
“Thank god,” Jensen mumbled as he set his empty thermos on the coffee table. He looked over at Jared and frowned. He had been so careful not to be seen last night during the moon and Jared had known he was there. “How’d you know I was there last night?”
Jared tapped his nose, “The nose knows best.”
“So I smell,” Jensen frowned and looked at Jared.
“I didn’t say you smelled bad,” Jared shrugged, “I just, I could smell something and I had to find it. I barely caught a glimpse of you, just your skin or maybe a shirt, but this morning when you woke me up I knew for sure what I was chasing after.”
“Huh,” Jensen watched Jared out the corner of his eye. The panther shifted uncomfortable where he sat before giving up and sprawling along his end of the couch and leaning on Jensen for support. Jensen chuckled, “Make your self comfortable.”
“That was the plan,” Jared answered.
“The guys will probably be by to check on you tomorrow.”
“I figured,” Jared shrugged but smirked remembering the way he had three wolves chasing him around the woods last night. The three wolves teased him with loud yips and darting around him in tandem until he climbed up a tree and settled on branch. His tail swished teasingly at them below him saying he was the better were. “They’re really good people.”
“Who? Chris, Steve and Chad?” Jensen turned to face Jared on the couch.
“Yeah,” Jared ran his fingers through his hair. ‘They’re crazy as hell when they’re wolves but they’re something else.”
“Eh, I don’t know about Chad,” Jensen threw up his hands when Jared swatted at him. “Okay, they’re all pretty awesome.”
“You too,” Jared whispered just low enough Jensen had to strain to hear the panther as he stood up and disappeared into the kitchen and to his laptop to write. He wasn’t sure what to think of that but he really wanted to tell Jared he thought the same of him.
Part Seven