The Divergence

Lavinia shifted aside as the gray wolf lunged past her, then bounced backward several steps and rubbed her forearm. 

Four deep gashes ran through the skin, dark blood coating her fingers when she touched them, but the wounds were already drawing themselves closed. 

Within seconds, the deepest cuts had become narrow red lines, and those too began disappearing.

Her clothes were considerably less cooperative.

She looked down at herself, then sighed.

Her shirt was splattered with blood, some of it nearly black and unmistakably her own, while brighter red streaks belonged to the werewolf. 

One side had been shredded almost entirely, and several other tears ran across the fabric from claws that had come much too close for comfort.

"I knew I shouldn't have listened to all of you," Lavinia complained as she walked toward the bags they'd abandoned near the remains of their table. 

She crouched, rummaged through one, and carefully retrieved her black dress. "My dress was perfectly fine. My dress fixed itself. My dress never betrayed me like this."

The fight was still going behind her, furniture cracking and claws scraping against tile, but Lavinia wasn't especially eager to immediately throw herself back into it. 

The situation had already gone this far, and if nothing else, she was learning quite a lot about werewolves.

That seemed fair.

They'd met werewolves before, but meeting one and fighting one were very different experiences. 

In their human forms, they were dangerous but manageable. 

Slightly weaker, slightly slower, and while their regeneration made putting them down difficult, vampires still possessed enough of a physical advantage that Lavinia hadn't felt particularly threatened.

The wolf form was different.

It didn't suddenly make a werewolf overwhelmingly stronger than a vampire, but it let them use what strength they had much more effectively. 

They were faster on four legs, their bodies weren't constrained by humanoid proportions, and their teeth and claws could tear through vampire flesh in ways an ordinary weapon struggled to replicate.

More importantly, they were messy.

Lavinia didn't like messy.

A familiar blur appeared beside her, and tangerine and honey washed over her senses before Valerie reached around Lavinia's waist and shoved one hand into the bag.

"Move."

"There's an entire other side."

"I want this side."

Valerie found her dress and pulled it free. Her own shirt had fared even worse than Lavinia's, hanging from her in bloodstained tatters that were barely serving their original purpose anymore. 

She grabbed one of the loose pieces, ripped it free, and used it to wipe blood from her stomach and shoulder before tossing the ruined fabric onto the floor.

"I'm going to break something on that wolf," Valerie muttered as she ducked behind Lavinia and started pulling on her dress.

Lavinia snorted. "Which one?"

"The gray one."

"Very specific."

"The gray one that bit Evelyn."

"Ah. That gray one."

Valerie leaned against Lavinia's back while working one arm into a sleeve, her long orange hair spilling over Lavinia's shoulder. 

Lavinia spread her arms slightly but otherwise didn't move, allowing Valerie to use her as cover while changing. 

A moment later, Valerie leaned forward and lightly caught the tip of Lavinia's right ear between her teeth.

Lavinia's head immediately jerked. "Stop that."

Valerie released her with a soft laugh. "Sensitive?"

"You know they're sensitive."

"That's why I did it."

Lavinia shook her head to free her ear completely, shooting Valerie an unimpressed look over her shoulder. 

Valerie merely smiled and finished pulling on her sleeves before turning around and presenting her back.

"Tie me."

Lavinia stared at her.

"My dress," Valerie clarified innocently.

"I know what you meant." Lavinia caught the ties and began fastening them. "The fact that yours ties in the back proves mine is better. My clasps are in front. I don't need assistance getting dressed."

"I don't mind having someone dress me."

Lavinia's empty red eyes focused on Valerie for a second.

Valerie smiled.

Lavinia's gaze darted away. "Whatever."

A crash across the restaurant gave her something else to focus on.

Three of the five werewolves had transformed now, and the difference was obvious. 

One launched itself at Cordelia, catching her squarely in the chest before she could fully evade. 

Cordelia's feet left the floor as the wolf drove her backward, jaws snapping toward her throat.

Cordelia shoved her forearm between its jaws.

Teeth sank deeply into flesh.

Dark blood splashed across the wolf's muzzle as Cordelia hit the floor beneath it, and its claws raked her arm from shoulder to wrist while she used her other hand to keep its head away from her neck.

Evelyn appeared beside them.

Her blonde hair swept behind her as she planted one foot and drew the other leg almost completely backward.

The wolf barely had time to turn before Evelyn's leg swept forward.

The kick landed against its ribs with a thunderous impact.

The floor trembled faintly beneath Evelyn's planted foot as the wolf was torn away from Cordelia and launched across the restaurant. 

It struck the wall hard enough to crater it, bounced once, and collapsed into a heap on the floor. 

Dust and fragments of plaster rained around its body while its chest rose faintly.

Cordelia sat up and stared at her ruined arm. "Thank you."

Evelyn gave her a small smile. "You're welcome."

On the opposite side of the restaurant, Evangeline had apparently found a weapon.

A fork.

Lavinia paused while tying the last section of Valerie's dress and stared.

Evangeline stepped sideways as the mottled-brown wolf snapped at her, then jabbed the fork into its shoulder.

The wolf snarled.

Evangeline withdrew the fork and poked it again.

"What are you doing?" Celestine asked.

"I found a fork."

"That doesn't answer the question."

The wolf lunged, and Evangeline slipped aside before slamming her palm against the side of its head. 

The impact snapped its head sideways and left it visibly disoriented, but rather than following with something devastating, Evangeline immediately stabbed the fork into its flank again.

"Can I just kill it?" she asked conversationally.

Rosaline was sitting on the edge of an overturned table nearby, one leg crossed over the other. 

Somehow, she remained almost completely untouched, her red hair still neat and her clothes showing little evidence that a fight had erupted around her.

"I think killing them would make things worse," Rosaline replied.

"Everything already got worse."

"There's worse, and then there's dead."

Celestine glanced around at the ruined restaurant, her blue hair fluttering from the displaced air as another exchange occurred nearby. "They did start it. We are defending ourselves."

"See?" Evangeline jabbed the wolf with the fork again. "Celestine agrees with me."

"I didn't say kill them."

"Close enough."

Lavinia laughed under her breath before looking across the restaurant.

The imbalance between the groups had become increasingly obvious. 

There were eight vampires and only five wolves, which meant the vampires could rotate whenever they wanted. 

Someone could fight for a minute, disengage, and another vampire could immediately take her place.

The wolves couldn't.

Every one of them was constantly occupied.

Was that unfair?

Lavinia considered the question for perhaps half a second before dismissing it. If anything, they were being nice. 

If all eight vampires had attacked seriously at the same time, the werewolves wouldn't have been able to meaningfully resist for long.

She glanced down at her destroyed clothes.

Enough of this.

Lavinia stepped behind Valerie. "Cover me."

Valerie immediately spread her arms with an exaggerated flourish. "Your modesty is safe with me."

"My modesty doesn't care."

"Everyone else's modesty, then."

"Fair."

Lavinia extended her nails and simply shredded what remained of her clothes rather than bothering to remove them normally.

Torn fabric fell around her feet before she pulled her familiar black gothic dress from the bag and stepped into it.

It felt strangely reassuring.

The material settled against her body as though it had never left. 

Lavinia slipped her arms through the sleeves, adjusted the bodice, and began fastening the golden clasps running up the front. 

One after another clicked into place until she reached the highest at her neck, fastening the structured collar before smoothing her hands down the dress.

Better.

Much better.

She stepped around Valerie and walked toward the fight.

"I think that's enough."

Her voice wasn't especially loud, but every vampire heard her.

Lavinia stopped several yards from the wolves and folded her hands loosely in front of herself. "If you keep going, we're regrettably going to have to kill you, because this is getting ridiculous."

The effect was immediate.

Cordelia disengaged first, stepping away from the wolf she'd been fighting and returning toward the bags. 

Evelyn followed her. Adelaide ducked beneath an attack, shoved the werewolf away, then simply walked off while Celestine blurred out of reach of another.

Evangeline gave her opponent one final poke with the fork.

"Ow," she said on the wolf's behalf before retreating.

"Evangeline," Lavinia muttered.

"What?"

The vampires returned to the bags, some beginning to change while others merely retrieved their dresses and folded them over their arms. 

Since the wolves were no longer occupied, there was no need for everyone to immediately dress. 

Valerie and Lavinia remained near the front while the others waited to see what the werewolves would do.

The restaurant looked terrible.

Tables were shattered, chairs broken, dishes scattered everywhere, and one entire pane of glass was missing. 

Blood stained the floor in several places, although much of it belonged to people who would heal from the injuries that had produced it.

The property bill was going to be painful.

But nobody had died.

That mattered.

The situation could still be salvaged.

Lavinia's gaze settled on the gray wolf Evangeline had subjected to her bizarre series of fork attacks. 

Several tiny spots of blood dotted its fur, and Lavinia felt an odd mixture of pity and amusement.

Who thought to stab someone with a fork in the middle of a supernatural brawl?

Evangeline, apparently.

From everything Lavinia had observed, the gray wolf appeared to be the leader. 

Not an Alpha, she'd met an Alpha before, and this certainly wasn't that, but the others seemed to follow his cues.

He wasn't very good at it.

Hotheaded, prideful, impulsive, and apparently incapable of letting an insult die.

Lavinia wasn't going to pretend she was some flawlessly logical mastermind. She acted on emotion all the time. 

She teased people because she felt like it, got irritated when someone annoyed her, and had made more than a few decisions since becoming a vampire because they simply felt right in the moment.

But usually she didn't destroy a restaurant over a few words.

Behind her, Evelyn released a long breath and picked up a napkin, trying to wipe a streak of blood from her blonde hair.

Celestine immediately took it from her.

Evelyn blinked. "I can do it."

"I know."

Celestine moved behind her and gently dabbed the blood away herself. Evelyn's expression softened, and she stood still while Celestine worked.

Lavinia looked back toward the wolves.

The female werewolf who'd been kicked through the window had returned at some point. 

Lavinia had honestly expected a two-story fall after being kicked through reinforced glass to leave her unconscious for longer, but apparently werewolves were every bit as durable as advertised. 

She looked battered and angry, but she was standing.

That made five.

The wolves exchanged looks.

One of the two who hadn't transformed finally spoke. "You're letting us go?"

Adelaide shook her head. "No."

The werewolf's expression tightened.

"No one is leaving yet," Adelaide continued. "How exactly do you think we're supposed to explain this if half the people involved disappear?"

Evangeline tossed the fork onto a table. "Actions have consequences. Nobody died, so this isn't the absolute worst thing that could've happened, but you definitely made a mess."

The gray wolf moved.

For an instant, Lavinia expected another attack.

Instead, he turned and sprinted in the opposite direction.

"What—"

The wolf launched himself through the already broken window.

Everyone stared.

Lavinia looked at Valerie.

Valerie looked at Lavinia.

They both turned toward the remaining wolves.

One of the female wolves actually seemed embarrassed.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," Lavinia muttered.

She and Valerie moved simultaneously.

Both ran toward the opening and jumped.

Lavinia's stomach gave the faintest flutter as empty air replaced the floor beneath her.

Her black skirt billowed outward while Valerie's dress fluttered beside her, their hair streaming upward as they dropped two stories.

Their feet struck the lower floor almost together.

Neither stumbled.

Ahead of them, the gray wolf was already running through the mall.

Lavinia stared after him. "Is this guy serious?"

Valerie laughed incredulously as they started after him. "Maybe he thinks he'll make it."

"We saw his face!"

"Maybe he thinks we forgot."

"It was five minutes ago!"

They accelerated.

Humans screamed and scattered as the huge gray wolf barreled through the corridor.

A man ahead of him turned, saw what was coming, and tried to run, but his foot slipped as he pushed away.

He fell.

Lavinia expected the wolf to jump over him.

There was plenty of room.

Instead, the wolf's head dipped.

His jaws opened.

Lavinia froze for a fraction of a second.

The jaws snapped shut.

Blood splashed across the floor.

Valerie stopped.

Her face went blank with surprise, empty red eyes widening as she stared at the scene. Lavinia felt something much hotter rise through her.

"What the fuck?"

She moved.

The mall blurred.

The wolf had barely released the man before Lavinia caught him. Her hand drove into his side, nails sinking through fur, skin, and muscle before she closed her fingers and ripped backward.

A wet tearing sound accompanied the movement.

The wolf howled as Lavinia tore a handful of muscle and sinew free, then she pivoted and kicked him.

His body left the ground and flew roughly ten feet before crashing across the polished floor.

Lavinia flicked her hand.

The mangled flesh struck the ground beside him.

"Why the hell would you do that?!"

The wolf struggled upright, blood pouring from the hole in his side. The injury was already beginning to close, but not quickly enough to hide what Lavinia had done.

He growled at her.

Lavinia stared.

Then laughed.

It wasn't amusement.

"Are you seriously threatening me now?"

Valerie had gone to the human.

She crouched beside him, looked for only a moment, then slowly stood and shook her head.

"Apparently werewolves can be really dumb too."

Lavinia didn't need to check.

She could smell it.

The blood was fresh and overwhelming, but there was no heartbeat beneath it. No movement. No breathing.

Humans were fragile.

A werewolf's bite could tear deeply into a vampire, even grind against bone, but a vampire could survive that. 

The wound would close, the blood would stop, and minutes later it might barely matter.

A human didn't have that luxury.

The man's body had been caught between jaws powerful enough to crush bone.

He'd died before the wolf released him.

Valerie looked around. Humans were peeking from behind storefronts, pillars, benches, and anything else they'd found when the chase began. Some held phones. Others simply stared.

Valerie sighed. "Nothing can ever go right when it counts."

Lavinia's hands curled.

Her nails extended fully.

She was pissed.

Not mildly annoyed. Not irritated in the way Valerie could make her when she refused to stop teasing. Actually pissed.

None of the vampires had killed anyone. They'd fought the wolves, certainly, and they'd hurt them, but everyone involved had regeneration. They'd deliberately kept things from becoming lethal.

And now someone was dead anyway.

Worse, Lavinia could already imagine how it would spread. Vampires and werewolves fight in mall. Human killed during supernatural brawl. 

There would be footage without context, arguments, accusations, politicians speaking before they knew anything, and people somehow finding a way to blame everyone present.

All because this idiot apparently possessed one brain cell and had misplaced it while running.

"This could've been avoided," Lavinia muttered.

The gray wolf bared his teeth.

"I tried talking to you."

Another growl.

"We all tried stopping."

Her nails scraped against one another with a crisp click.

"You ran."

Lavinia took one slow step forward.

"And then you killed someone for absolutely no reason."

The wolf lowered itself.

Lavinia felt her anger sharpen.

She had tried being cordial. She had tried dismissing the insults. She'd stopped Valerie from escalating things. 

She'd even stopped a human from getting shoved earlier because she hadn't wanted the wolf to make everything worse for himself.

And where had that gotten her?

A ruined restaurant, injured wolves, shredded clothes, terrified humans, and now a corpse on the floor.

Apparently words weren't enough.

Fine.

Violence it was.

A faint smile began forming on Lavinia's face.

She noticed it.

Her expression faltered.

Why was she smiling?

She wasn't happy.

There was nothing enjoyable about this. A man was dead several yards behind her, and Lavinia was furious enough that she wanted to rip the wolf apart with her bare hands.

Yet the anger itself carried something beneath it, some strange anticipation that made her body feel lighter as she prepared to move.

Her smile returned despite herself.

Lavinia frowned.

No.

It didn't matter.

She could think about that later.

Deal with the wolf. Make sure nobody else got hurt. Figure out everything else afterward.

Behind her, Valerie stepped away from the body.

"Lavinia."

"I know."

The gray wolf snarled.

Lavinia lowered her body slightly, one foot sliding backward beneath the hem of her dress. 

Her fingers spread, nails fully extended, while her empty red eyes locked onto his gold-green ones.

For a moment, neither moved.

The mall around them had gone strangely quiet. 

Lavinia could hear the terrified hearts of the humans hiding nearby, the faint electrical hum of the lights, Valerie's dress shifting behind her, and the wolf's breathing as his lungs worked faster.

Blood dripped from his side.

His muscles tensed.

Lavinia's smile widened by the smallest amount.

"If you run again," she said softly, "I'm breaking your legs."

The wolf lunged.

Lavinia vanished forward to meet him.

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