Chapter Four
“The Thorned Chains of Madness and Time”
“Wolves are not our brothers; they are not our subordinates, either. They are another nation, caught up just like us in the complex web of time and life.”
~ Henry Beston
He had forgotten that Bran, a blond, short, geeky looking man one might mistake for a teenager who none the less command a wealth of power and strength, had the annoying ability to keep track of all the wolves in his territory that he knew about. It the pissed the wolf off, being reminded of that through Bran finding him at a house he knew nothing about, for he was as dominant if not more than Bran, and that meant that only Bran’s and his absolute control allowed them to stand before one another without trying to kill the other. “It’s been awhile. Come in.” He stepped aside as they both did their best to avoid each other’s gaze, which would prompt a bloody and deadly fight in his current condition.
“How are you holding out?” Bran asked as he walked into the living room and sat down on the couch by the fireplace.
“Not well.” It was pointless to lie to another wolf; they can smell the lie. “Some things have happened since I called you.”
Bran’s eyes narrowed, “What things?”
He shoved his hand through his hair before rubbing the back of his neck in apprehension, “It’s hard to explain…”
If it were possible, Bran’s eyes narrowed further. “Try.” He said dryly.
“Well, besides the spell wearing off, I…”
Bran interrupted him when he asked, “Spell? You mean the spell that makes you, in effect, human?”
“Yeah. You know, it’s one of my personal best if I do say so myself. It makes the werewolf the spell is casted on so human that the werewolf will even heal at a human rate, of course there are some side effects like not having the super strength and smell, but…”
“Drystan! What else beside the spell is giving you trouble?” Bran asked with exasperation.
“Sorry…You know, you remind me of my current boss.” Bran raised his eyebrows at him. “Yeah…Sorry. What can I say? I like acting out this new personality I invented. Anyway, the problem starts and ends with my wolf.”
Bran frowned at him. “What do you mean?”
“My wolf did something similar to what yours did with Leah, only mine took his time.” He flashed a humorless smile at the ruler of North American werewolves.
“It choose a mate for you?” Bran's surprise evident in his voice.
“Yes, and the one the wolf choose is facing a difficult time to say the least as his loved one was murdered.” He rubbed his face; his exhaustion seeping back into him at the memory.
Little escaped The Marrok’s notice, and what he heard had his eyebrows flying up to meet his hairline. “ ‘His’ loved one’? Your new mate is a HE?” Bran shouted the last word with disbelief on his face.
He winced at the trouble his slip had caused. There were very few gay wolves for a reason, and the reason being that most of them had been killed by the straight wolves. Wolves, who can smell arousal, don’t like it when another male wolf starts smelling that way because of them, but since The Marrok had never been one for prejudices, he assumed the shock he saw on Bran’s face was due to him knowing his last mate, who was female. “Yeah…He…I guess the wolf wanted someone who would be able to better protect themselves, and let me tell you, this guy has no problem in that area.”
Bran shook his head as he tried to wrap his mind around the whole idea. “Okay, okay…Let’s put aside the wolf for a moment.” Bran looked up at him without meeting his eyes, and said with all seriousness, “What about you, Drystan? How do you feel? I mean after Esyllt, I never thought you would ever truly love anyone again.”
He sighed and old sorrow surfaced in eyes for a moment before sinking back into the depths of his soul once more. “So did I, my old friend. So did I…But things change and time moves on.” Smiling slightly he continued, “His name is Jethro… Leroy Jethro Gibbs, and he’s one hell of a stubborn man…But I would die for him…and I…I love him.” He breathed out the last words as if he were afraid to admit them.
Bran hesitated because he feared he already knew the answer to what he was about to ask, “What about the man your wolf choose? How does he feel about all of this?”
He looked up at Bran, bewildered. “He doesn’t know anything. Not that I’m a werewolf. And not that I love him.”
Bran surged to his feet with the blinding speed of a wolf. A move that was, in hindsight, probably not a good idea with an unstable wolf in the room. “Why the HELL not?” Bran roared before realizing that the other wolf was growling and digging hands that were beginning to turn to claws into the couch. Bran quickly sat back down. “Sorry, sorry, but you need to talk to him. It’s no wonder your wolf is losing it.”
“I can’t talk to him. It would be pointless. Besides the fact that this is hardly the time as the man just lost his father, there are the small facts that he’s a marine, NCIS agent, and he’s had four wives. Now, you tell me…Does that sound like a gay man to you?” He asked with the wave of a hand and some sarcasm.
“Well…” Replied a very clam and laid back Bran, who was enjoying seeing his old friend so near hysterics over a possible lover. “It sounds like women aren’t working out too well for him. Who knows? Maybe he’ll welcome a change of venue.” As he spoke, his smile grew.
“You bastard. You’re enjoying this!” He accused with astonishment.
“Well, yes. It’s amusing to watch you struggle a little. After all, it is a rather rare occurrence.” Bran’s smile softened and faded as he continued in a more serious tone, “I know you’re afraid of being rejected by him not only because you’re afraid of what his reaction will be to finding out you’re a werewolf, but also because of the whole homosexual situation; however, if you want to regain control of your wolf, you need to tell this Gibbs person that you love him.”
He was about to reply when they both shot to their feet after they heard a sharp intake of breath from the direction of the stairs. Turning, he saw Gibbs standing at the top of the stairs with a mixture of shock and what seemed to be horror on his face.
“Gibbs!…I…I…Damn it!” He cursed and shoved his hand through his hair, at a loss as what to say.
“Oh my…Well this isn’t good. But I must say that the man moves quite silently for a human.” Bran said, impressed.
“ ‘Human’?...Who the hell are you?” Gibbs asked gruffly after a moment with only a slight shake to his voice.
“My name is Bran. Bran Cornick, and it is a pleasure to meet you.” Bran said while he acknowledged the agent with a slight incline of his head.
“DiNozzo?” Gibbs asked apprehensively. Apparently, Gibbs was more concerned about the stranger in his home than the information that said stranger revealed.
“He’s okay, Boss.” Gibbs visibly relaxed a fraction, but did not move from his position at the top of the stairs.
Bran turned an inquisitive look on his old friend, and asked with some amusement, “ ‘Boss’? You call him boss?”
“Yes, it’s part of my cover here. Besides, I rather like it.” He smiled mischievously at Bran.
“ ‘Cover’? What the hell is going on here, DiNozzo? Explain, damn it.” Gibbs demanded with more than a little frustration.
“Perhaps it would be easier to have this conversation when we are all down here? If you don’t mind?” Bran smiled knowingly at the other man when all Gibbs did in reply was grunt and walk calmly down the stairs to sit on the couch beside Bran’s old friend and rather far away from where Bran was perched on the arm of a chair, giving Bran the air of a harmless teenager.
“Well?” Gibbs said after a few moments of silence had passed between them. “Is someone going to tell me what’s going on?” He turned his head to look purposefully at the man beside him, but he was silent; contemplating what to say while the fear of the consequence of this conversation danced in the back of his mind.
Bran looked at his distraught friend and decided to help him out. “Where would you like us to begin, Gibbs?”
“How about you start at who you are and why you’re here?” Gibbs demanded, for he still did not trust the man. There was something about him that made Gibbs believe that he was more dangerous than he appeared, and until he figured out why, everything else could wait.
“Hmmm…Will to know who I am you must first know who the man beside you is.” Bran replied mystically.
Gibbs gave him an annoyed, incredulous look while snapping out, “What?”
“I am a werewolf and so is he.” The man Gibbs called DiNozzo bluntly stated as fast as he could without looking at Gibbs.
“You’re a what? Damn it, DiNozzo! I want the truth, not an excerpt from one of your damned movies.” Growled Gibbs while glaring hard at the other man. “Now, you had damn well better tell me the truth.”
“Today, DiNozzo!” Continued Gibbs when he received only silence.
Briefly, silver-blue flashed into his eyes, but was only seen by Bran, who remained silent. With a sigh, he stood up and began to shed his cloths to the bewilderment of Gibbs. “It is easier to just show you the truth than to tell you.”
“You try’n to say you’re a striper or something, Tony?”
He sneered at Gibbs as he finished undressing. “Very funny, Boss. But no, what I am trying to tell you is this…” Then without another word he began to change. Thanks to the fact that he had not been fully human before he was changed into a werewolf, but rather what might be called a sorcerer in the modern age, he could change much more quickly than other werewolves. Where it might take an average werewolf fifteen minutes to change, it only took him about three, but, unfortunately, it still hurt like a bitch.
As he changed, he watched Gibbs and saw as his mouth widen in shock as muscle and bone were reshaped, skin replaced with silver fur, and green eyes altered to silver-blue. He watched until the pain forced his eyes close. After his front paws touched the ground, he slowly looked up to where Gibbs still sat opened mouth.
“Tha…that…is just not possible.” Gibbs shook his head in disbelief at the sight before him.
“It is possible. The man you know as Tony is a werewolf…among other things.” Bran muttered the last three words, and they seemed to go unnoticed by Gibbs.
Gibbs frowned then slowly got up and walked the few steps toward the silver wolf before him. He knelt down, looked into the wolf’s eyes and sea met ice. “Tony? Is that really you?”
When he received a quickly dipped head and a soft bark as an answer, Gibbs fell back and sat down hard on the wooden floor. “Holy shit.” He breathed.
The wolf couldn’t blame the man. After all, he had just changed from a man to an impossibly large wolf that reached up to the man’s midriff. Not to mention the fact that is fur was not exactly normal either as his silver fur shimmered with an unearthly glow, almost as if the moon had been imprisoned within the depths of the wolf’s fur. The wolf sighed at the mess the whole thing was turning into before looking expectantly at Bran.
Bran nodded his head slightly in response before turning his attention to Gibbs. “Now do you believe we’re werewolves, or would you like me to change as well?”
Gibbs’s head shot up and his eyes fixated on Bran before he gasped out, “God, no. Just…just stay human. Better yet, Tony, you change back.”
Bran shook his head to the request even as the silver wolf whined at Gibbs. “He cannot. The change is quite excruciating. It will be at least a couple of more minutes before he can bare another one.”
Gibbs looked up at Bran in surprise before looking back at the wolf. “It hurts him?” He asked in a smaller voice than the wolf would’ve liked, for the wolf promptly rubbed his head against Gibbs’s chest in order to reassure him.
“The change is painful for all of us. Part of the price we pay, I suppose.” Replied Bran as he hid a knowing smile.
“The price you pay for what? What does it mean to be a werewolf? Is like the books or Tony’s movies?” Gibbs asked without taking his eyes off the wolf, a hand absently buried within the supernaturally soft fur.
“There are some things that are, well, mostly right. But the main affects you should beware of are increased strength, sight, smell, hearing, agility, and speed. Also, besides him being able to turn into an unnaturally large wolf, he is neigh impossible to kill due to the rapid regenerative powers that we possess. However, the main difference is that he is immortal and will never age so long as he lives.” Bran eyed Gibbs, waiting to see what his reaction would be.
“Immortal? Tony is immortal?” Suddenly his sea blue eyes sharpened. “Wait. How long has DiNozzo been a werewolf?” Gibbs looked piercingly at the wolf, who merely cocked his head inquiringly to the side, for a moment before turning his hard look on Bran.
“Hmmm…You’re rather good.” Bran said appreciatively before turning his gaze to the wolf. “Well, Drystan? Would you like to tell him, or would you rather I inform him of your age?” Bran raised a brow as the wolf began to turn human once more.
After he was fully human, his clothes, which he had thrown on the floor, vanished to reappear on his body. Gibbs watched the whole process wide eyed, but proved that his mind was still working when he asked with a frown, “Drystan? Why did he call you Drystan?”
“It was the name I used when I knew him back in the day although he is saying it in Welsh. The English version is Tristan.”
“Tristan?” Gibbs felt his gut clench in uneasiness as he continued, “Just how old are you, DiNozzo.” Gibbs's frown deepened as he grudgingly corrected himself. “I mean Tristan.”
Bran raised his eyebrows in mild surprise as his old friend, uncharacteristically, in regards to the man that he knew so long ago, responded to the human’s words hesitantly, “You can call me Tony. I like that name.” Then, taking a deep breath, which he released in a sigh as he said somewhat despondently, “I’m over six thousand years old.”
Tony watched as Gibbs blinked once then twice before he shouted at the top of his lungs, “You’re WHAT!”
Tony looked down and managed to look a little sheepish as he tapped his two index fingertips together while replying rather unnecessarily, “Over six thousand years old…”
“Tony.” Said an exasperated Gibbs. “How is that even possible?”
Sighing once more Tony said, “I don’t really know what to tell you Gibbs expect the facts...I’m the oldest of my kind. No one has lived to be my age. It’s just not done. I probably wouldn’t have accomplished it, but I have more…abilities…than the average wolf, and I haven’t lived in a pack for almost four thousand years.”
Gibbs surprised him when he frowned and choose to focus his questions not on the obscurely mentioned “abilities” but rather on…“A pack?” Tony suspected he would hear of it later when Gibbs was sure he would get a satisfactory answer.
“Werewolves are like real wolves in many ways. One of those ways being that we tend to live in packs. There is an alpha wolf who rules over and protects all the other wolves in the pack. There aren’t many wolves who choose to lone wolf it like me because lone wolves don’t have the support of the pack, which can offer healing, companionship, and an immortal family, which becomes more important as we grow older and all of our human friends and loved ones die.”
Bran nodded in agreement, “Pack is important, but it is not for some wolves. Drystan has been a lone wolf for a very long time, and is too stubborn and too dominant to become apart of a pack.”
Gibbs huffed out a breath in frustration, for it felt like he was in a different world and lacking in the control and knowledge that he prized so highly, “Too dominant?” he huffed. “What the hell does that mean?”
“It the reason most wolves don’t live very long despite being immortal.” Tony explained patiently if not somewhat cryptically. He continued in more detail when Gibbs gave him his infamous stare. “Two equally dominant wolves cannot live in the same territory. If two equally dominant wolves come into contact with each other, they will most likely end up fighting to the death. It is one of the reasons that alphas exist; they keep the battles to a minimum…most of the time anyway.” He shrugged before continuing. “It is our dominance that forces less dominant wolves to back down and obey us, but two equally dominant wolves in the same room is like two kings fighting to rule the same country, only the wolves tear each other apart instead of having other people fight for them…That make sense, Gibbs?” Tony said while cocking his head inquisitively in a wolfish manner.
“Yeah. Sure. Sounds screwed up if you ask me.” Tony grinned at the response as Gibbs heaved himself off the floor and got to his feet. “Frankly, I don’t care about you being a wolf although I’ll admit I didn’t see that one coming, and it’ll take some getting used to. The thing that matters is you’re one of my best agents, and I know you’ll always have my six.” Gibbs paused then glowered at Tony. “But don’t think for a second I’m letting you off the hook.” Gibbs walked over to Tony and slapped him upside the back of his head, a moved which deeply surprised and shocked Bran. After all, it’s not everyday that a werewolf lets himself be struck.
Gibbs was practically glowering as he continued. “I’m not happy that ya hid it from me. Ya should’ve told me, Tony.” Gibbs’s eyes softened. “But I understand why ya did it.” Tony’s eyes widened at Gibbs’s words. “What I do care about is what your friend there said earlier…” When Tony just frowned in confusion, he continued. “The part about you being in love with me.”
Tony knew his face had turned white then bright red as he tried to manage a response, “Boss, I…I…” Huffing out a breath, he shoved his hand once more through his hair. “Gibbs, what you have to understand is that I’ve been alone a very long time. And that time and loneliness eats at a person’s sanity, so my wolf tried to save mine and decided that you would be a good mate for me.”
Gibbs just stared at him blankly, so Tony tried to simplify it. “My wolf is like a separate spirit from mine while still being part of my soul. I don’t know how to say it expect we are one but two. Before I met you, I was wandering, looking for a place to die.” Surprise and horror lit into Gibbs’s face causing Tony to chuckle grimly. “I keep telling you, Gibbs, I am very old, and I had become very tried as well. However, my wolf did not and does not share my sentiments, and decided that I had been too long without a mate. The moment you crossed our paths my wolf decided you would be the prefect mate. The wolf thought that you might be strong enough to bring me back to life, so to speak.” Gibbs frowned causing Tony to smile slightly. “I know what you’re thinking, and you’re wrong. It’s true that at first I was pissed at my wolf. I won’t lie to you. Not only was my wolf trying to keep me from dying, but he also choose a male as a mate.” Tony’s smile suddenly grew into the one of the bright foolish ones that Gibbs was so familiar with. “However, as I came to know you, there was little else I could do besides love you.”
Silence followed Tony’s long confession until at last Gibbs finally spoke, “I’ll be honest with you, Tony. I don’t know how I feel about…” He waved a hand, at a loss for words. “About all of that. I’ve never considered it. But what I want to know is what will happen if I reject you.”
Tony felt his heart sink in his chest, but he managed to smile although it was an empty one, devoid of emotion, “Don’t worry about it, Gibbs.”
“Damn it, DiNozzo. That is not what I asked.” He snapped.
“He’ll die.” Said Bran, drawling attention back to him as the other two seemed to have forgotten his existence.
“Bran! Damn it. Why the hell did you tell him that?” Tony asked with fury and the wolf’s growl in his voice.
“It makes little difference whether he knows or not.” He said to Tony before turning his attention to Gibbs, who had grown pale and silent. “You cannot lie to him and tell him you except him when you don’t. He would be able to smell the lie, and I doubt he would forgive you for the attempted pity. If you do not think you can love him, tell him. He has lived a long time, and unlike you humans we can except death for the release that it is. Now, what say you, human?” As he spoke, Bran had shed the feeling of innocence and now emanated power and danger befitting a predator.
Gibbs backed away from Bran without even realizing it. “I…I don’t know. I just don’t know.” He muttered and closed his eyes in frustration and fear for Tony.
He opened them once more when he felt a gentle and familiar hand on his shoulder. “It’s alright, Jethro.” Tony said softly with a tender smile that was for him alone. “I understand, but I hope you will forgive me for this.”
“For wha…” Gibbs didn’t get to finish his question as his head was firmly and suddenly grasped by one hand while another griped his waist and lips pressed against his. It took only a moment for Tony’s tongue to slide into his mouth to caresses the inside in a way that caused his knees to buckle.
He didn’t know how long the kiss lasted, or when he had closed his eyes and completely surrendered to Tony, going slack in his arms. He just knew that he had never been kissed quite like that. When they parted, he was gasping from lack of air and from the desire suddenly growing in his stomach. Tony reluctantly released him causing him to almost fall from weakened knees.
Tony sighed and rubbed the back of his head, “Sorry, Boss. I’ll be out of here in a sec. I’ll send Ziva over to check on you a little later, and I’ll be out of the city by tonight.” Tony turned away from Gibbs, who’s mind was still trying to catch up, before suddenly pausing, “Oh, and I want you to know, I know who killed your father, and they’ll be dead before the morn…Goodbye, Gibbs.” He looked partly over his shoulder, but stopped before he could see Gibbs’s face, and instead looked up at Bran, who nodded sadly.
Side by side, they walked to the door, only to pause when they heard Gibbs mummer quietly, “Wait…”
Turning they saw a bleak look colored by a spot of hope. “How do you know who killed my father?” Had they been human, they would’ve been unable to hear Gibbs’s question.
Tony tapped his nose. “Came across her scent when I was in Mexico. It was pretty fresh at the crime scene, so it shouldn’t take to much time to hunt her down.”
Gibbs’s head shot up, “Her?”
Tony nodded. He knew the sex of the killer was all Gibbs would need to figure out who murder his father. “Yeah, her. The Mexican drug cartel woman.”
Rage and guilt flashed over Gibbs’s face before vanishing behind his marine visage. “Are you really going to kill her?” The Tony that he knew had always had extreme faith in the law although there were times, like when Ari killed Kate, that he, like Gibbs, was willing to bend the rules…into a pretzel. Some things were not forgivable, and some things only death could settle.
“Yeah. I’m going to kill her, and don’t worry I’ll make it painful.” A wolfish grin matched by a predatorily gleam in his eyes darkened his face.
“Idiot!” Gibbs snapped to the surprise of both the wolves. “What if they manage to link it back to you?”
“Gibbs.” Tony said as if he were speaking to a mentally challenged person. “For one thing, I’m leaving, and I’m pretty damn good at disappearing.” Gibbs knew that. It was one of the reasons Tony made such a good undercover agent; he could blend into any group. “But the main reason no one will ever find out who really killed her is…” The predator in him seeped into his face and changed his eyes to silver-blue ice as he said in a low growl, “because she’s going to be mauled by wolves.”
Gibbs frowned. “That’s not like you, Tony.”
Tony smiled without humor, “You’re forgetting something. I’m a wolf, and the spell that his been suppressing my killing rage and instinct is wearing off.” He paused, sorrow briefly clouded his face. “I have lived a long time, Gibbs, and I have killed many people…Sometimes it was in the name of war, or justice, or vengeance, or anger, or sometimes even madness…I have lived a long time.” He said once more with exhaustion in every inch of his being. “Too long…” He wasn’t looking at Gibbs anymore, but somewhere far away.
Suddenly, Gibbs was furious. “Bullshit!” He spat, startling Tony back into the present. “That’s bullshit, Tony! Stop it. Just stop it! Stop saying you want to die.” Gibbs shook his head and threw up his arms in rage. “What? You think that I haven’t been through enough loosing my father; you want me to loose my best friend too?” Gibbs had no idea that fresh tears were staining his face as he ranted at Tony.
Tony felt his heart break a little more, and he spoke softly with a sorrow laden voice, “Gibbs, I…”
He was interrupted by Bran who snapped, “This isn’t about you, you selfish human.” Tony stared at Bran, for it was rare for the usually collected wolf to loose it. “He cannot help dying. Try to wrap your minuscule intelligence around the situation. He is gradually becoming insane as he can no longer placate his wolf, which a mate could do, so he has no choice other than to die or risk going mad, which would result in many deaths. And just so you know, the older a wolf is, the more dangerous and powerful they become. His extreme age coupled with the fact that it is nigh impossible for him to be slain makes him a danger to all those who happen to be near him. When he looses control, he won’t just kill a couple of people; he’ll destroy hundreds if not stopped. He has no choice but to die since you refuse to open your pathetic heart to him.”
“Bran!” Growled Tony. “That is enough. You’re pissing me off.” He warned, for his wolf truly did not like the way Bran was speaking to the man chosen as their mate. “We should go now before my wolf decides to try and eat you.” Bran turned to look at Tony. Both of them had their wolves in their eyes, yet they managed to hold back on the bloodshed. Huffing out a breath, Bran turned and stormed out the front door, leaving it wide open.
“Wait!” Cried Gibbs gruffly at Tony’s retreating form. “Tony, I didn’t know…I didn’t understand. Don’t go.”
Tony just smiled, love for the other man making his eye shine. “Gibbs, what will happen to me is not your fault. Please, don’t worry about me.” Then in a more playful tone than he felt, Tony continued, “Adios, mi amigo.” Tony raised his hand in farewell before turning to head out the open door.
Tony was stopped from reaching the door by strong arms around his midriff. “I don’t want you to leave. Can’t ya hear or smell or whatever the hell it is ya do to tell the truth?”
Tony just sighed, his eyes on the sky as he did his best to restrain himself. “I sense the truth of your words, Gibbs, but they aren’t enough. The only way for me to be able to remain here and stay sane at the same time is for me to mate, and I will not and cannot ask that of you when you are unwilling. Now, please do not make this any harder than it already is, and let me go.”
“No.” He replied stubbornly. “When you kissed me, I felt something I had never felt before.” He paused and took another breath as hope began to grow in Tony. “I don’t know if I love you because I have never tried. Give me a chance. Please, Tony, don’t leave me. Not now. I…I need you…I need to know that you will be there on my six like always…Please stay.”
Much to Gibbs’s annoyance, Bran had come to stand near them having remained on the porch. “It’s too late, human. There isn’t time for you to take to fall in love. Drystan must be either be dead or mated before the next full moon, which is in three days.”
Gibbs’s face became overridden with shock and horror at Bran’s words. “Now, human, release him. We still have a hunt to complete before Drystan can die.”
Tony closed his eyes in the face of the reality in front of him before opening his eyes and saying in a flat tone, “He’s right, Gibbs. Let me go.”
Tony was mildly surprised when Gibbs wrenched him backwards and pointlessly pinned him against the wall. “I don’t accept that.” He growled.
Tony easily released himself from Gibbs’s hold, which caused Gibbs’s eyes to widen in astonishment. “Unfortunately, it doesn’t matter what you accept.”
Pushing himself off the wall, Tony almost fell over when Gibbs asked, “What does it take to mate?”
“Wha…what?” Tony sputtered.
“You heard me, DiNozzo.” Gibbs was rapidly turning red.
“Hmmm…I really am beginning to like you, human.” Bran said with renewed admiration before answering his question. “You have to mate with him, and bind your souls together.”
Gibbs blinked. “What?”
Bran raised his brows in question as Tony just stared in disbelief at the unfolding scene. “I sort of expected the sex thing.” Gibbs clarified. “But what do you mean by ‘bind our souls together?’”
Bran smiled cunningly, “You have to submit your soul and heart to him. Usually, it takes pack magic, but Drystan has both the skills and powers to create such a bond on his own. However, this bond will allow him to read your thoughts, know your feelings, and perhaps more. I can’t be certain as to what exactly as each bond forms differently, but the point is that this would be one way unless you decide to one day turn wolf because such abilities are beyond the capabilities of a human.”
Gibbs’s surprised countenance turned to one of determination as he rashly said, “I’ll do it.”
“Gibbs!” Tony exclaimed. “I already told you, I am not going to force you into this or accept this as an attempt to save me. It’s not your fau…”
“Tony!” Gibbs interrupted while staring hard at Tony. “I know you would die for me, but do you think I would do anything less for you?”
“Of course not.” He replied without hesitation. “But this isn’t the same as taking a bullet for a comrade. Do you really understand what you’re agreeing to?”
“Tony, would you do any different if our positions were reverse?” Gibbs asked with steel lining his voice.
“That’s not the point, and it’s hardly rele…”
“Tony!” Gibbs snapped with impatience.
Sighing, Tony shoved a hand through his hair. “No, of course not.” He replied with great reluctance. “I would do anything for you.”
“Then let me do this for you.” Gibbs paused before raising his eyes to Tony’s.
Tony smiled with love in his eyes, but he said, “No. I love you, Gibbs. I will not do this unless you feel the same, and we both know that you don’t…You can’t save me, Jethro. Not this time.”
“Damn it, Tony!” Gibbs shouted. “I will love you. Give me time.” When Tony turned his face away, Gibbs felt panic rise in his chest. “I’m begging you, Tony. Please…” Gibbs took a deep breath, and moment to wish they were alone. “Let me be your mate.” He said in a low gruff voice as his face turned bright red.
Bran smiled at the heartfelt words as well as at the marine’s embarrassment, and told his old friend in Welsh, “Mae'n amlwg y dyn wrth ei fodd i chi hyd yn oed os nad yw'n gwybod eto ei hun. Cymerwch ef fel eich ffrind.” (It is clear the man loves you even if he doesn't know it yet himself. Take him as your mate.)
Tony glanced at Bran before looking intently at Gibbs, who was beginning to hate the Welsh wolf. At last, he shook his head before saying, “I hope you know what you’re getting into. Very well, if you are willing to become my mate, who am I to refuse?” Tony smiled at the relief that flooded Gibbs’s face.
Bran smiled, “Yr wyf yn fodlon i chi, hen ffrind.” (I am happy for you, old friend.) With a wave of his hand, he turned to leave, but stopped to pause for a moment. “When you called me, I sent for Anna just in case, and despite your mate being what he is, I think I still send her over.” Tony nodded his head in agreement without looking at Bran. “She should be here in a day or so. I’ll be in touch.” And with that, he was gone.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Time wears like no other thing. It can destroy mountains and ruin kingdoms, but for an immortal time is a thief whom can steal their very sanity.
Chapter End Notes:
The Truth revealed!!
Enjoy...
Don't forget to review. I beg you.
Enjoy...
Don't forget to review. I beg you.