Whispers

"If I have to kill him, I will," Kiaran said, with the absolute unruffled calm of someone who had absolutely made someone disappear before. There were a lot of empty shafts, down in the mines - a lot of unstable pathways, that no one would go looking down, especially after things caved in. It wasn't something he preferred to do, because a reign of terror just made things harder for everyone else, but if someone else was causing the terror, then he would end it, however that ended up happening.

"I won't let him kill you. Whatever that takes." His eyes glinted, gold in the moonlight. His power might have been a quiet one, but it would be there, if he called. He wouldn'thave held his position, otherwise. "Come on. You'll feel better once it's done with." She had a meeting with him, after all, and he would be expecting her.

Actually, Kiaran thought that what William was about to get wasn't going to be at all what he expected. He wasn't exactly looking forward to the fight, but the feeling of having solved a problem, and watched one of his people stand up and grow? That, he was looking forward to.
 
The breath she hadn't realized she had been holding was released at his words and she felt her shoulders relaxing almost immediately. She knew he would do it and while she hoped it wouldn't come to that, Will had threatened her to keep her mouth shut about the beatings, so it might. Sweeping her hair out of her eyes, she spotted the glinting of Kiaran's eyes and shifted from one foot to the other as she remained as calm as possible considering what they were talking about. It was a good thing no one was around or they might've had a lot of explaining to do.

"Thanks, Kiaran... you're right, let's go." Emma hoped he was right that she would feel better after confronting William. Something would be felt, that was for sure. Deciding to lead the way, Emma headed back to where they came from, knowing that her presence had probably been missed, but that's okay. Her stomach was clenching up and the urge to throw up was pretty intense, but somehow the woman pushed it out of her mind and focused instead on what she was about to do.

"Oh, William, just who I was looking for." Smiling him that winning grin, Emma led him up the stairs, heading toward the room that she always utilized with Kiaran hopefully close behind the two of them.
 
So.

That was William.

Kiaran had seen him around, of course. It wasn't a large town; he'd pretty much seen everyone in it. 'William' was a common enough name even in Dubhcarrick, though, that it hadn't been enough to identify the man without more information. Once Emma had tagged him, though, Kiaran committed his image - and his scent - to memory, just in case he needed to do any followups on whatever happened here tonight.

It might not come to that, but he wanted William to know that it could, if it needed to. Emma changed herself almost immediately, all smiles and reassurance. She really was very good at it, he thought. William wouldn't suspect a thing.

She was wasting her potential, Kiaran thought, but it was too early to tell her that. The problem wasn't even that she was wasting it, not really - the problem was that first, she had to learn that she had potential. Maybe she'd figure that out, tonight. Or maybe she knew already, and just was afraid to admit it, because admitting it might mean knowing that she could do so much more.

She glided off up the stairs as Kiaran turned towards the bar, as if to get a drink. He wanted William to go with her, after all. He waited until he was sure the man was following, and then gave a few chosen individuals in the room a rather significant look that suggested they weren't going to interfere, and they'd see to it that no one else did either, and then started up the stairs as well.

Someone moved, briefly, as if to tell him not to, but she was quieted before she'd even gotten the words out, and all Kiaran received from his motion was a few glances that quickly turned away as people realized that they were going to be better off not seeing anything.

Emma's footsteps paused, outside her door, and he stopped as well, lingering on the stairs out of view but not out of reach, waiting.
 
It was so easy, becoming the person that the guys came to even with Kiaran in the vicinity. Emma was at first afraid she wouldn't be able to because she didn't like him seeing her like this, but it was necessary today. Letting Will guide his hand down to the small of her back as she walked, the female did her best to keep relaxed just like always. Opening the door, she stepped inside and let him enter as well before she turned to face him. He was angry about something and she exhaled deeply before flashing him another smile, her fingers deftly touching his chest and then his cheek.

"I'm sorry for keeping you waiting, William." Emma apologized though she knew he wasn't angry just at her. No, work probably went bad and he wanted to take it out on her like always. He didn't have a woman, so he couldn't beat her at home, which was probably a good thing.

"You know I hate waiting, Emma, and you know what happens when you make me wait." William's voice was full of rage despite it being quiet. He reached out a hand to snag her arms and shoved her against the wall. She gasped as the air was knocked out of her from the force and for a moment her head was roaring and her heart was beating loud enough that she was certain it could be heard downstairs.

"Let.Me.Go." She snarled, bringing up her lower arms to press against his chest. She went to push him backward only to have him shove hard on her again. It was clear that he was much stronger than her, so she started to panic, unable to see if Kiaran was in the room yet. Not giving him another warning, she rammed her knee up into his groin, bringing him down to his knees. William grabbed his groin with one hand while crying out in pain and cursing her name. His free hand was brought up into her gut, the only thing he could reach and he nailed it hard enough to hurt.
 
Kiaran was patient. He let Emma start it, listening in with sharpened senses. If William had been smart, he would have noticed that the door wasn't closed, but he wasn't. He probably enjoyed it open, liked the feeling of power, the knowing that no one was going to stop him.

He was wrong about the last. Emma was going to stop him. Not on her own, because she shouldn't have to do this alone, but yes, the first move was hers. He got one hit in, after she'd given him the promised adjustment to the nether regions, but one was all Kiaran was willing to allow. He flowed into the room like a shadow, closing one hand over the man's upper arm before he could draw it back for a second strike, and placing fingertips - clawed, furred, just like the hand around his arm - at the man's throat. He didn't draw blood, because Kiaran knew how to control himself, which made precisely one of them.

"We don't do that, in this town." The door was still open, and Kiaran's growled warning wasn't for William - it was for the eavesdroppers, the others downstairs who were undoubtedly listening in and needed the reminder. This one, this one was past the point where Kiaran cared to remind him. If anyone had anything to say to him, it was going to be the woman in front of him, not the wolf behind.

Although, perhaps she wasn't interested in talking. Kiaran wasn't going to object, if she hit him again.
 
Having no room, Emma bent over at her waist and waited for him to sock her in the face or the gut again. When no other blow came, she slid open her eyes and spotted Kiaran. Her chest fluttered and she rubbed her stomach with a slight grimace. It had been a while since she was nailed there and she was glad Wiliam had been stopped before he did anything further. Her body wasn't quite suited for all-out brawls.

"Release me, you bastard!" William's dark brown eyes flashed and started to glow while his neck and his arm. He was far too enraged that he had been stopped from beating the whore to notice the claws wrapped around both areas. Eyes snapped toward her and he glowered dangerously. "Make him release me or you're going to be very disappointed at what comes at you." He added, starting to lose control over his beast. He expected her to be scared and was thinking about all the ways he was going to hurt her once the nuisance was gone. He just hoped it happened before he turned furry and killed them both. That was messy... death.

Growling low in her throat, pissed that she hadn't been able to stop him, the lithe female rammed her fist into William's face hard enough to break his nose. She was petrified by his words, but with Kiaran in the room, she felt a courage that hadn't been part of her for a very long time. He brought it out and she was thankful for it, despite the uncertainty that was swelling up inside of her.

"I'm not your toy to beat and abuse! I don't deserve you hitting me and no one else deserves it either! You're going to stop or else...!" Her voice shook but at least she got her words out before breaking down.

"Or else what?" William snapped, eyes glowing brighter as he turned his rageful glare towards Emma who immediately backed up and cowered.
 
"You won't ever know," Kiaran answered the question, very softly, in the man's ear. His claws were still at William's throat, but he was completely in control, because he was the beast the town needed. "Other people might. They will speak of it, in taverns, in brothels - in hushed voices and disbelief. Your story will be known in sideways glances, in shivers in the darkness, in terrors in the night from stories told to children too young. But you, William? You will never know."

His breath would be warm, he knew, as would the presence of his body behind the man - a threat, imminent, reminding him that one of them had already shifted and that if William dared to try that, Kiaran had the upper hand and had no problem using it.

"Your blood smells of salt. Perhaps you should find a new home, by the ocean, far away from here. My town is no longer yours to call home. I will allow you to leave, for my own sake." Kiaran's voice never rose, nor did his anger - yet it was entirely clear that allowing William to escape the situation was not an act of softness, merely one of convenience. "If you refuse, or if you return, my life will become complicated."

"Yours, I assure you, will not."
 
Emma grew silent at Kiaran's words, but she didn't show any discomfort or fear. If anything, she smirked, especially at the uncomfortableness that was evident on William's face. He had finally noticed the claws and knew that he was screwed. While he was certain he could take the bastard, he was quite aware that he was out-matched at the moment. Kiaran had already shifted and he would easily be mauled before he managed to get into his wolf form. This wasn't over by any means though. He would pretend to leave and would come back and kill her and leave her body parts on Kiaran's doorstep before he killed the intruder.

"Fine. I will leave and let the whore be. But know this, this is NOT your town and it never will be. Our kind isn't wanted her and they're going to ensure all are eradicated." I was going to leave anyway. William's voice oozed with maliciousness and Emma glared before quickly retorting her own insult.

"I'm better than an ignorant buffoon like you. You'll never get a woman and anyone that runs across you will stand up to you. They will stand up to garbage like you and you're going to be forever alone." Her voice although soft, was full of vigor and courage.

"You're nothing more than dirt on the bottom of a horse's shoe and that's all you'll always be." He retorted, jerking just a little in Kiaran's grasp in an attempt to get to her and smack her for her smart mouth.
 
"Carefully," Kiaran advised, when the man jerked against him. He didn't drive his claws in, because he didn't have to. He also didn't bother to respond to the insult, because it wasn't worth it. Emma had done all the speaking that needed to be done, and he wasn't here to negotiate on her behalf. He was only here to make sure that things were settled in a way she could live with.

"I'm going to let you go now, and you're going to leave town." This was spoken as a statement of fact: The sky is blue, the coal dust is black, and you are leaving. There was no room for argument, nor for emotion. "Make it quick, and don't return. I'll know."

He didn't smile, as he let go, nudging the man a little bit towards the doorway, making sure that he was in position to get between William and Emma, if it came to that.

"Don't forget. I know the scent of your fear."
 
It took a lot, but somehow Emma managed to keep from flinching when William tried to get to her. She knew that Kiaran would keep him from hurting her, but it was still difficult to fight instinct. Her eyes narrowed toward him and for a brief moment, she thought about hitting him again. Instead, she crossed her arms against her chest, shoulders squared in defiance of the look he was shooting her. He was nothing and would never know what it was like to have someone care for him because he would never amount to anything more than trash.

"You're a lucky girl, Emma. If he wouldn't have shown up, who knows what might have happened to your pretty face? I'll leave and not return, but you're going to find out the hard way what it is like to be tortured painfully. Both of you are going to pay for this even if it's not by my hands. Like I said, they want to eradicate were's and I hope they are ruthless with you both." William's voice was cold and as he was let go, the male made his way toward the doorway, knowing he couldn't get to Emma. No, this wasn't over, not by a long shot. Snarling, he stormed out of the room, making his way downstairs and out of the building.

"...thank you..." Her words were spoken softly and she kept both eyes on the doorway, expecting William to storm back in again. So much for sleeping at night or walking without care to and from different places in the town.
 
"Hm." Kiaran had reverted back to his human self, shrugging off the otherness like a coat. His gaze followed the man downstairs, knowing he would leave, but concerned with whatever was yet to come.

"So. He has friends, then." Auspicious, and not something that Kiaran had been hoping to hear. His original intention had been to follow the man outside, quietly, and ensure that he was no longer a problem regardless of his threats. Kiaran didn't like leaving things unfinished.

If William was part of a group, though, that meant there was trouble, and that meant it was Kiaran's problem to sort out what was happening, and see to it that it did not, in fact, happen. "I'll need to find out who they are."

That meant William had to live, and Kiaran was going to have to spend time following after him until he made a mistake. There would always be a mistake - he just had to be patient, and wait for it.
 
"I'm sure I'll be getting a visit from his friends. He's pissed off and he'll make sure we both pay. I'm more worried about you than I am myself." Emma has always thought Kiaran was more important than her and of course, she was crushing on him too and that didn't help. Sweeping her red hair over her shoulders, she squared her shoulders and turned to face him, frowning just as little.

"Don't do anything stupid. I know you'll try to find out who his friends are, but maybe you should just let it be. Watch your back of course, but don't go out of your way to hunt them down, mm?" Emma stepped over to him as she spoke, resting a hand on his shoulder.

"If I get any visits, I will tell you but... only if they try to hurt me. I can't..." She trailed off and looked away from him as she continued softly. "I can't let anyone hurt me anymore, but I can't have you get hurt because of me. I'm worth more than that and I have you to thank for making me realize that." If only he realized just how much she cared for him and how much she wanted to be with him.

"The town needs you." There, blame the town for wanting him to be safe.
 
"The town needs a lot of people," Kiaran said. He didn't deny that he was one of them, but he wasn't the only one. "Take care of yourself. Ask for help, if you want it. It will be there for you. Keep me informed, as much as you can."

It probably wasn't what she was hoping for - Kiaran wouldn't have gotten to the place he had if he'd been stupid or unobservant, and he'd certainly noticed the little glances she kept giving him, the way she hung on every word. For a while he'd hoped it was just professional, but it seemed likely that it wasn't. He'd just have to hope she grew out of it, or found someone who could appreciate her for what she was.

She was young yet. She had plenty of time. He'd make sure of that.
 
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