Arrow Inferno
Chapter 43: Stanley ‘STAN’ Norris vs. Ian ‘WILL’ Williams ~ Don’t do it!

***

Stan smelt Will before he saw him. He straightened away from the huge trunk that had been designed as a hanger of sorts where trainees could hang their face towels, and then waited. Immediately he saw his barefooted furious looking mate, he felt his stomach drop. But when he saw the gun in his hand, his entire body went cold. Stan couldn't take his eyes off him. He could tell the recruits hadn't noticed Will because they kept right on chatting. The training for that morning had just ended. He knew the exact moment Gaia noticed Will from her distinctive oh my god.

For some reason, Stan felt rooted to the spot. He saw the murderous look in Will's eyes and knew he had to meet him before he got to his side but he just couldn't move. When the recruits suddenly went quiet, Stan knew they'd also noticed their lieutenant. That wasn't good. Stan locked gazes with Will who had a Desert Eagle Mark XIX...one of the most powerful and sophisticated guns ever made, pointed at his chest. Will had stopped moving but he was close enough to Stan. He wasn't going to miss. But catching a bullet was not what worried Stan. He was more worried about the mess that Will pressing that trigger could bring.

If Will went ahead to shoot him, two major things were going to happen. Firstly, the supernatural world would be exposed as he wasn't going to die from Will's bullets. To solve that problem, everyone around was going to have to endure Gaia's compulsion. And that, to Stan, was a big deal. But those two, however, weren't as worrying as how Will was going to feel after he'd attempted to kill him. Stan willed Will not to do what he was about to do. The tension swirling in the air around them grew by the second, tenser than the tension usually felt in the air before a thunderstorm.

"Don't do this, Will," Stan said quietly. "Please."

Everyone waited with bated breath, their eyes trained on Will. Stan could feel the agitation from the recruits. But he could have readily bet his last cent that the sassy vampire and only female around, was having a field day. After all, she'd said this would happen. Well, neither of them had anticipated it being this serious but hey...people reacted differently to issues.

The sound of the release of the safety catch on the gun was loud in the quiet clearing, eliciting a collective gasp from the men watching. The tension in the air ratcheted up a notch.

"Will, don't." Stan growled low in his throat. For the first time in his life, he regretted having sex. And also for the very first time, he realized he more than cared for the soldier. He was totally in love with his mate. Fuck! All he wanted to do at that moment was hug the shit out of Will. He didn't want Will to go through the regret he was bound to go through after shooting him because he knew that Will cared for him in his own way. "You will regret it if you do this," he added softly. "Wanna bet?" Will muttered his first words since stepping into the clearing.

The sound of a gunshot had never been louder. And that also seemed to unfreeze the recruits. Even as shouts and gasps tore out of them, some ran towards Stan whilst others ran towards Will. But before those moving towards Will could reach him, he turned to go. And that was when they noticed that Stan was still standing. Will hadn't shot him after all. The bullet was lodged in the trunk hanger beside Stan. All the recruits gathered around Stan, their eyes filled with questions Stan couldn't answer.

"Alright boys," Gaia called out sternly from behind them. "Y'all failed." She crossed her arms on her chest and assumed a stance that showed just how let down she was. "I'm so disappointed."

"What?" One of the boys turned to look at her with a confused frown on his face.

"You all have your knives in your boots, right?" Her eyes shifted around, her expression stern. "Why didn't you used it?"

"You wanted us to throw a knife at Will?" Miller gasped.

"Not at him. At the fucking gun. All you had to do was aim and throw your knife at it to knock it out of his hand. But what did y'all do? Gawk as if you were watching an action movie," she smirked. "Aw shit!" Miller's yell echoed that of his colleagues.

"We thought Will was serious." One recruit groaned.

"I mean he looked like he was ready to kill." Another said.

"A soldier must always be prepared because sometimes the person you least suspect might be the enemy," Gaia said. "When you least expect it, another test will drop. Get prepared."

The recruits went away grumbling, groaning, and teasing each other. Stan had still not moved from where he stood. Gaia went to stand before him and looked up into the most misery-filled eyes she'd seen in a long while. "Hey, snap out of it," She said softly.

"I don't know how but I felt his pain." He whispered shakily.

"You did? Strange." Gaia frowned. She'd only felt the soldier's anger but not his pain. But why was Stan feeling his mate's emotions? "Stan, the mark... Isn't it supposed to take effect after he heals?"

"It doesn't make sense but I know what I felt." He breathed. He was already connected to his mate somehow. "Fuck!"

"But why is he in pain? Anger, I understand. But pain?"

Some supernatural beings could feel the emotions of other people when they were around them. Vampires generally sensed very strong emotions. Werewolves on the other hand usually felt the deepest emotions of their marked mates. And that was exactly what Stan was strangely feeling.

"I mean I expected him to get mad but not this mad." His breathing came out harshly. "There's more to it than anger, I can feel it. I need to go and speak to him."

"Not now." Gaia shook her head in disagreement. "Give him some time." At his nod, she asked, "Are you okay?"

"Of course, I'm not okay." Stan breathed. "My mate just tried to kill me. I don't think I'll ever be okay." Perspiration dotted his forehead. It was obvious he was hurting. "I need a run."

"Go," Gaia said softly and then stepped back as Stan sprinted off. "Will, what the fuck!" The shocked whisper left her lips even as her mind raced. That anger she'd felt was too intense. Something wasn't right. But what was it?