Paranormal Division: Awakening

by Ellie J Duck

  I feel their stares on me as I make my way back toward the table where Brody and Tobias sit, and I can’t help but smile a little at the sight they make. The trash from their burgers has all been shoved into a bag and they are both watching me weave through the human population converging on the food court.

  “Come on,” I tell them, urging them both up when I reach the table, not wanting to continue sitting there surrounded by people who are making them both edgy.

  “Where are we going?” Brody asks, looking like he’s mildly amused by my behavior.

  “Outside,” I tell them. “There’s a park off the edge of the mall that way.”

  I nod in the direction, giving Hilton a nudge with my foot when he continues to sit and stare at me rather than moving. He jolts a little before he gets to his feet. I lead them out of the food court noticing the way Hilton follows so close behind me that I feel his chest brush against my back as I weave through the crowd. I can tell Brody is right behind him. When we are free of the throng of people, they come up on either side of me and I chuckle softly when Brody throws an arm around my shoulders lazily, tucking me into his side.

  I glance sideways at Hilton when his hand brushes mine and I can see the warring emotion flitting across his face. I can tell that he doesn’t particularly like the idea of taking my hand, having already relieved me of the bag of sandwiches, but that he’s too close to losing it to avoid doing so. He meets my eyes for a moment, still looking torn and I choose to take the decision out of his hands. Slipping my hand inside his, I interlock my fingers with his, twining them together and giving his hand a little squeeze.

  He doesn’t return the squeeze, but he does curl his hand tightly around mine, looking away from me as though embarrassed by his lack of control in the presence of so many humans. I find it strangely endearing that they both need to touch me to keep it together and a warm glow of acceptance overtakes me to know that though I’m just a human too, they are obviously happy and safe in my presence. I’m not sure if I should be pleased or offended that they feel so reassured by me.

  “What time is the movie you wanted to see?” I ask Brody, choosing to ignore several women that I catch eyeing me in disgust, no doubt judging me and thinking that I’m probably dating both boys thanks to our touching.

  “Twelve thirty,” Brody answers, his hand toying with a lock of my loose blonde hair. “Mitch is going to miss it at this rate.”

  “He won’t miss it,” Tobias disagrees, and I follow his gaze to where I can see Mitch sauntering toward us with a big Cheshire cat smile on his face. He’s obviously already spotted us, and he makes a beeline toward us. He has an ‘I just got laid’ swagger to his gait and I can’t help but chuckle at the sight of him.

  “He’s going to be unbearable all afternoon,” Tobias grumbles quietly and I catch the way his thumb begins drawing patterns on the back of my hand as he holds it, as though he’s agitated.

  “He’s always unbearable,” Brody rumbles in agreement.

  “Don’t be grouchy because he got laid and you didn’t,” I tell the pair of them, unable to keep from laughing. “No one’s stopping you from chasing tail as well.”

  ∞ ∞ ∞

  An hour later I find myself seated in a dark cinema munching on popcorn. Mitch got bored with the movie while we were still in line buying tickets and somehow managed to flirt his way into the pants of the girl in the line behind us. I’m trying very hard indeed to ignore the breathy moans coming from the very back of the theatre. I’m also trying hard not to notice the fact that Brody clearly decided he also needed a hook up to take the edge off his sexual appetite, since he is on the other side of the theatre up the back with the twin sister of the girl Mitch chatted up.

  I’m beginning to think they must have superpowers that convinces these girls to want to sleep with them. It’s not natural that they are so capable of sweet-talking women into sleeping with them without the aid of alcohol.

  I glance sideways at Tobias when from somewhere up the back a loud moan can be heard, and I find him smirking sideways at me too.

  “I’ll bet you fifty bucks one of them screams before the movie’s over,” I tell him.

  “One of them already has,” Tobias tells me, his hearing picking up more than mine can. “Mitch had to smother her to keep anyone from hearing, so they won’t be thrown out of here.”

  “Oh, gross,” I wrinkle my nose, not at all wanting to know what they’re doing.

  “This is what happens when you encourage them,” Tobias informs me, reaching his hand into my popcorn bucket and snatching out a handful. He already finished his own monster sized bucket during the opening credits.

  “I didn’t encourage them,” I deny in a whisper. “I just didn’t want to see them lose it when Tara goes into heat. She said all of you have to keep things under wraps. To be honest I’m surprised you haven’t ditched me to get laid as well.”

  The very thought of him wandering off to shag some silly little fool makes me want to kill things and I hate myself for feeling possessive of a man who barely tolerates me. A knowing look passes over his face as he holds my gaze in the dark theatre.

  “I’m pretty sure I’ve been laid much more recently than them. Thoroughly, in fact,” he comments, and I feel a blush crawl up my neck. I can tell he thinks the same thing Tara does – that we had sex the night Novikov compelled us.

  “I wouldn’t know,” I say, looking away from his mesmerizing gaze in the hopes of keeping the truth to myself.

  “Uh huh,” he replies, sarcasm heavy in his tone.

  I jump when a security person with a torch suddenly shines the stupid little light at the pair of us. Hilton growls softly but the security guy moves on, clearly looking for the source of the moans coming from a few rows behind us.

  “They’re going to be thrown out of here,” I tell him, giggling a bit when I hear several expletives in Brody’s voice from the back of the theatre followed by strict instructions that they all get out of the cinema. I hear Tobias begin to chuckle when suddenly Mitch makes a break for it, dashing down the steps and out of the theatre, calling over his shoulder tauntingly that they’ll never take him alive.

  “They just threatened to have them all arrested for indecent exposure,” Tobias tells me, still laughing.

  “Idiots,” I mutter, still giggling too. “Should we follow them?”

  Tobias shakes his head.

  “You’ve gone and gotten them started now. This is all Tara’s fault, she’s been smelling like she’s going into heat for days and it drives them both wild. They’ll be long gone toward the nearest paranormal club a few streets over and they’ll probably be out all night,” he tells me.

  “Are you serious?” I ask him when he doesn’t even look like he’s joking.

  “It’s like a virus when they get started. Going to the club out of their heads will make all the other Shifters in the club horny too, and it will spread through the Shifter community in town like wildfire.”

  “I don’t understand,” I admit, confused.

  “Because of the job we do, Tara doesn’t get out enough, so when she does it’s because she feels the need to and by then it’s too late,” Tobias explains. “She and that tiger she went off with will be at it for days probably.”

  “So, what do we do?” I ask, frowning.

  “Watch the movie,” Hilton shrugs at me. “Got to get some stuff Greg wanted before we go back to the base, too.”

  I stare at him for a long moment in surprise when he turns back to watch the rest of the movie. The movie isn’t to my taste all that much, despite the action and the explosions, so I find myself much more interested in looking at Hilton than the big screen. I hand him my popcorn bucket when he keeps stealing handfuls out of it and he glances at me again, looking surprised.

  He quirks one eyebrow at me questioningly, but I don’t say anything. I just turn in my seat and focus back on the movie, trying to look past the crappy acting. A shiver races over me when the air condi
tioning in the cinema steps up a notch and I find myself regretting not having brought a jacket with me. The sleeveless dress I’ve paired with jeans is doing nothing to keep me warm and I kind of wish we could just get up and leave.

  I jump in surprise when Hilton pushes up the arm rest between us and loops his arm around my shoulders, tugging me toward him.

  “What are you doing?” I whisper, but he doesn’t answer. He just tugs me over until I’m pressed against him, soaking up his warmth.

  “Can’t give you my coat,” he mutters, and I recall that he’s got his guns concealed beneath it. He must’ve noticed my shivering. I get the feeling he’s only being so nice because I helped him keep it together in the food court, but I’m not about to complain about snuggling up with him for warmth.

  I can’t resist the urge to wiggle around until my cheek is pressed against his chest above his heart and bringing my arms around him, burrowing them under the fabric of his jacket and sighing contentedly at the warmth.

  He squirms just a little bit when I burrow my hands under his back and I fight the urge to dig my nails into his happy spot. He doesn’t say anything else, though he keeps one arm around me, his body heat keeping me warm in the cold theatre. I listen to the sound of his heart beating in his chest beneath my ear, lulled by the strong and steady beat of it. I soak up as much of his warmth as I can, breathing in his intoxicating scent and feeling happier than I have in days.

  I stay there cuddled up to him until the credits begin to roll and he stretches beneath me. He pauses mid-stretch and I feel the way he looks down at me snuggled against him in surprise, as though he’s almost forgotten I’m here.

  “You awake, little human?” he murmurs softly, and I hear the words from inside his chest more than I do from his mouth by my ear.

  “No,” I reply, smiling quietly when he chuckles just a little bit.

  Despite my reluctance to do so, I slowly begin to pull back from him, unable to keep from dragging my nails against his happy spot when I begin a stretch of my own. The sharp hiss of his indrawn breath at the contact makes me feel just a little bit powerful, but I pretend not to notice, choosing not to acknowledge it unless he intends to have his way with me – which is highly unlikely. I stretch some more instead, and I feel a little bit bad when what started as me mildly tormenting him ends up in me accidentally aggravating him, unable to resist gripping him even tighter as a full body stretch overtakes me.

  “Anna,” he warns in a low voice as my nails press none too gently against his happy spot.

  “Stretching,” I protest, feigning ignorance of his dilemma.

  “Damn it, Cane!” he growls huskily.

  “Sorry,” I mutter as I pull back once my stretch is over.

  He growls at me again in frustration, looking like he wants to hurt me and kiss me at the same time.

  “Do you have any idea how difficult it’s going to be to walk now?” he demands, looking pissed off.

  “It was an accident, Tobias,” I retort, getting to my feet and growing annoyed with him for his tone. I don’t wait for him to sort himself out before walking to the end of the row and beginning to descend the stairs out of the cinema. I feel him behind me a few moments later, simmering with annoyance.

  “What have you got to get for Greg?” I ask him without looking back at him.

  “It’s Tara’s birthday next week,” he tells me, clearly trying to keep the animosity from his voice so as to avoid starting a fight with me. “He gave me a list of stuff he wants us to get to celebrate it.”

  I nod my head.

  “Decorations and stuff?” I ask.

  “Yeah. Got to get her a present, too.”

  I realize that I will need to find a gift as well and I start scanning my brain for everything she’d showed me that morning that she liked. When I recall she was admiring an expensive gold watch in a window we passed, I know just what I’m going to get her.

  Tense silence follows as we go about buying everything on the list Greg gave Hilton and shopping for gifts for Tara.

  Chapter Thirteen

  It’s nearly nightfall by the time we get everything Greg wanted and make our way to the car.

  “Should we call them to see if they want a lift back?” I ask Hilton. We’ve not spoken beyond vague muttering about things for Tara since we left the cinema and he shoots me a questioning glance.

  “No point. They won’t pick up.”

  “They might,” I argue, not at all looking forward to spending an hour-long car ride alone with him. He’s been holding off on drilling me with questions thus far, but I get the feeling that won’t last much longer. Not when he can trap me in the car where we can’t be overheard, and I can’t storm off to keep from having to talk to him.

  “Would you?” he asks me sarcastically, knowing as well as I do that, they’re all probably in the middle of mind-blowing sex with strangers. I think about how it felt when I had mind-blowing sex with Tobias.

  “No,” I sigh, getting into the car without another word.

  Hilton gets in the driver seat and starts the car while I scroll through the playlist on Brody’s iPod again, searching for something to listen to. I’m surprised when he doesn’t speak for most of the drive. I expected that he was going to keep questioning me the way he’s been trying to for days since he wolfed-out after biting me again the other night.

  We are half-way there when I notice the shadows in the forest, moving swiftly among the trees.

  “Hilton…” I begin.

  “I see them,” he cuts me off. “This is about to get messy. Just go along with everything I say, alright. They’re going to stop us and we’re going to have to go with them. I wondered how long it would take.”

  “How long what would take?” I ask him, feeling uneasy as we enter the trees of the forest and the wolves melt out of the darkness, several of them standing on the road in front of the car.

  “The local Pack leader wants to meet you. After what happened at the gate the other day, Greg contacted the Council and they’ve probably sent out word that you’re not just a regular human. The Pack leader is going to want proof.”

  “Oh no,” I say, feeling a little bit frightened when I notice how big the wolves all are.

  “Just go along with what I say,” he tells me, pulling the car to a stop and climbing out, indicating that I should do the same.

  I copy him, noticing the way he quickly rounds the car to stand beside me. The wolves surround us quickly and I press myself against Hilton’s side when one of them lunges toward me, snapping at the air. My hand goes for the knife in the back of my jeans, burrowing under the fabric of my dress. I tense in surprise when I feel Hilton’s hand slide underneath as well, closing around mine and preventing me from pulling out my knife.

  “Alpha wants to see you two,” one of the wolves transforms into a man with black hair. I try very hard not to notice that he’s naked, though I do note that Hilton looks far better naked than this Lycan does.

  “He should’ve sent an envoy requesting a meeting at the base,” Hilton replies shortly. The wolves ignore his words.

  “Come on, this way,” the naked Lycan says before transforming back into a wolf. The whole Pack presses in on us from one side and I recognize that they’re herding us.

  “You sure this is a good idea?” I ask Hilton when he gives me a little shove in the direction that they want us to go. He shoots me a look that tells me not to argue and I do as I’m told despite the way it rankles my sensibilities.

  About a mile into the woods we come to a collection of cabins and buildings that remind me of a summer camp.

  “Inside that one,” Hilton nods toward what looks like a town hall. “Don’t threaten anyone, Cane.”

  “Stop bossing me around, Hilton,” I retort, unable to simply tolerate the way he’s begun barking orders at me. He growls at me in response and I curl my own lip away from my teeth in an equally threatening and animalistic manner. If I didn’t think the rest of these werewolves
would laugh at me, I’d have growled right back at him.

  When we are led inside, I immediately notice there is a man standing at the front of the hall with his back to us.

  “So, you’ve come without a fuss,” his voice is gravelly and low. I can’t tell by looking at his back what age he might be, though I suspect that to be leader of a Lycan Pack he must be much older than me or Hilton.

  “As if we had much of a choice?” I mutter skeptically to Hilton, unable to keep my smart mouth shut.

  “Mouthy, isn’t she?” the man who I presume to be the Alpha asks, his back still to us.

  “You have no idea,” Hilton replies darkly, and I shoot him a look when several of the wolves begin laughing as they shift back into human form. He returns my look with a fierce one of his own.

  “What can we do for you, Alpha?” Hilton asks when the laughter subsides.

  I gasp in surprise when the alpha turns around to look at us and I feel Hilton stiffen beside me in shock.

  “He…” I begin, unable to tear my eyes off the man.

  He looks identical to Hilton. He has the same coppery eyes; the same nose. His hair is a little shaggier than Tobias’s and he’s obviously a few years older. The only difference I can see between them is a long scar running the length of his jaw on the right-hand side that Tobias doesn’t have.

  “Denali?” Tobias breathes, clearly shocked and I glance at the man beside me.

  “Hello, little brother,” Denali’s smile is twisted and not at all reassuring.