Greykin Mountain

| 72 | To Silverlake City

⥐ ⋞ ☽ ⋟ ⥐

There was blood everywhere.

          A shiver of dread spiralled through Jackson as he examined the horrified looks on everyone's faces. It was like they were looking at a monster...but they were looking at him.

          It took a moment for him to make sense of everything: the dead wolves, his racing heart, and the taste of blood in his mouth. He knew that he'd done this. The amulet he found behind the steel door had wrapped itself around his neck and awakened something inside him.

          When he killed those wolves, that heavy, burning desire for revenge consumed him—the same desperation he'd felt while battling for control of his wolf. Just as he'd wanted revenge for what The Holy Grail had done to his parents—to him—he wanted revenge for what Kane's pack had done. And the rage...the anger. He knew what it was. But he was too afraid to admit it to himself.

          "Demon ethos..." Tokala breathed, his eyes wide and his jaw dropped.

          "What the hell, man?" Julian stammered.

          That was it, wasn't it? The amulet wrapped around his neck was filled with demon ethos, and somehow, in his time of need, the amulet did something to him. But he wasn't sure what. Did the power he'd just used belong to the amulet...or was it his?

          Was the demon part of him waking up? Was it going to fight for control of his body like his wolf?

          Was the rage burning inside him going to consume him?

          "Jackson?" Damon asked slowly, taking a step towards him.

          Jackson set his eyes on the Alpha. "Y...yeah," he responded, his voice shaky, and his body trembling.

          "Dude, that was awesome!" Julian exclaimed, jumping up and down. "You just totally annihilated them!"

          "N-no," Jackson stuttered, shaking his head. "I...didn't...I—"

          "It's okay," Damon said as he reached him. "Are you hurt?"

          Jackson shuddered as he anxiously looked himself over.

          "Chief, we should get out of here. Kane's Gamma is going to feel that those Epsilons are dead," Tokala said.

          Damon didn't respond. He kept his honey-brown eyes on Jackson. "Jackson," he said, and when Jackson stopped looking for wounds on his body and stared into his eyes, the Alpha said, "Calm down. It's over. You did what you had to do, okay? Just relax...like I taught you. Ground yourself, focus on your ethos, and maintain control of yourself."

          Gazing at him, Jackson did as he was told. He focused on the pulsating organ behind his heart; he concentrated on the ethos burning through his veins and took a deep, shaky breath.

          He wouldn't give in to the anger. He might be a demon, but he wasn't a monster. He wasn't like Ridge.

          But all that blood.... He could smell it...and the demon inside him wanted it.

          He gritted his teeth and shook his head.

          No.

          He was stronger than this. Stronger than the furious ethos which resided inside the amulet. And he was stronger than the asmodi blood which ran through his veins.