A Second At Love (Derek Hale)

Chapter 24: Insatiable

Skylar POV:

"Got it, thanks." I spoke, ending the call with Scott before putting my phone back in my pocket. "That was Scott. He said they think that the real Stiles is back, and this entire thing-" I gestured to the still knocked-out Derek "-was part of a distraction tactic. Isaac, Aiden, and Ethan were hit too."

"Are they okay?" Chris asked.

"Yeah, Allison and Kira kept them from killing each other." I sighed. "I'm going to go take a shower and clean up. Tell Derek when he wakes up that he has a high chance of actually getting shot if he comes near me for the next couple of hours."

"I'll be sure to pass that along." Chris nodded. "Try to get some rest too, Sky. The way this thing is shaping up, we're going to need you at your best."

"I don't know what you're talking about, I'm always at my best." I joked, earning a chuckle in return. "But will do. You try to rest too, you need it just as much as I do." Chris nodded again, but I would be very surprised if he actually listened. To be fair, I wasn't going to either. If the hunting business didn't kill me, an overdose on caffeine would. Wait...is that even possible?

Once I got out of the shower and into some better I took off the bandana to take a better look at the bruising around my neck. Grabbing some Arnica and spreading it around my neck, my nose scrunched at the funky smell. However, I couldn't focus on it very long before my instincts (read: Fire) started warning (read: screaming) me about possible danger. Grabbing my gun from behind the toilet, I began to make my way through the apartment, rounding a corner to see Derek. "I ought to shoot you just for good measure." I growled, taking note of how he seemed set on studying the marks the rope had left.

"That would be completely reasonable." Derek admitted, nodding to the marks. "They hurt?"

"Not more than anything else I've gone through." I shrugged, clenching and unclenching my jaw before lowering my gun. "What are you doing here?"

"Coming to apologize." Derek answered.

"Apology not accepted." I went back into the bathroom, putting the gun back in its place before continuing to apply the Arnica. "Because it's not needed."

"Sky-" Derek started, following me and leaning against the door frame.

"Derek, shush." I ordered, pressing a finger to his lips. "You were being controlled, bud, it wasn't your conscious decision to dangle me off the side of a balcony. Besides, I got lucky. Most people who go through that and survive end up having a big scar. Bruises though? They'll heal pretty damn quick."

"You never cease to amaze me, you know that?" Derek chuckled, watching as I tied the bandana back around my neck.

"I'm sorry." I spoke quietly, putting the Arnica back into the medicine cabinet and closing it.

"For what?" Derek asked, confused.

"For leaving you." I answered. "And not just the move, for every time I've left this place when it got too hard for me. And I'm sorry for not keeping in contact with you after I started hunting. I wanted to, and I know that I promised to, but every time I sat down to write you or call you or even just send a fucking email letting you know I was still alive, I just got paralyzed with fear. And I know that I should've not acted like a wimp and just fucking-"

I was cut off by Derek kissing me, pulling away with a smile. "You talk too much." He repeated the very words I had told him the first time we kissed, tracing my cheekbone with his thumb. "That's nothing to apologize for, Cielo. You were trying to get revenge for your family, and you were training to hunt people like me. It's understandable that you didn't ever contact me. Plus, the fire happened in that time, you wouldn't've been able to call my old cell."