Through the Woods

by Cassandra Johnson

  “And?”

  “They’re dead.” Gallen finished for his sons before either of them could retake the reins. “There will be more. The council is building an army, and they are sending the weakest of that arm after us not because they'll win that way, but because they’re trying to weaken us.”

  “They are pitting these new wolves against you,” Elle said, her chin dipping into her chest as she thought. “They want to see how strong they are, but at the same time use them to weaken our ranks, not that we really have any. And in that way, when they really come for us, they know that they will win.”

  “Basically,” Gaerik said glancing at her.

  “So, what is the plan?”

  “Thus far? We’ve been holding things down here until you woke up, we need to leave. Get somewhere we know is safe and form a plan that is going to work. Obviously, the council isn’t going to stop until we’re all dead. That includes you too Elle.”

  Running her tongue over her lips she slowly got up, moving to take her plate to the sink while she was thinking.

  “Well, that isn’t going to happen so easily.” She said rinsing her plate and washing it before placing it into the dish drain before turning back to them. “I know where we can go.” She sighed reaching up and scrubbing her hands through her hair. “We can go to my home. It’s safe there. Lucian had wolves and other guardians watching the place night and day for years. There might still be some of his old allies around that we can count on. It’s worth a shot, and it beats staying here and waiting for the next attack.”

  “You might be right.” Gallen nodded.

  “I know that I am right,” Elle said firmly. “You’re all my family now, and I know that we will be safe there. If the council is building an army, then we need to build an army too.”

  “Build an army.” Gaerik barked with laughter as his palm came down onto the counter. “Would you listen to her? Barely two weeks after being nearly killed and she wants to build an army.” He shook his head getting to his feet and pulling her under his arm. “I’m with Elle. Playing the nice guy and calling a vote isn’t going to work in this arena, Dad. We’re going to have to fight.”

  Inhaling, slowly Marik stood as well, his nostrils flaring once more as he moved around his brother. One arm protectively draping around her waist.

  “I’m with Elle, too.”

  “It’s decided then.” Gallen nodded. “We have no other options. We fight.”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  One by one the Chaliceman clan drifted up the stairs to their respective bedrooms leaving Elle alone with her thoughts.

  Currently, there was so much they needed to accomplish in a short amount of time. As Elle stirred sugar into her coffee, she found herself making a mental checklist and found the itemized tasks almost daunting.

  Their plan? Get out of Connecticut was number one, but how? Elle knew that their plan was a flimsy one at best and she couldn’t rest until the details were fleshed out.

  Finally, Elle made her way into the living room with Gregory accompanying her.

  “I know that all of this has been very difficult for you, but at least we are going home,” Elle spoke softly, laying her hand on top of the dog’s head, hearing him whine sweetly in response to her comforting words.

  In such a short amount of time, she’d gone from being a decently successful writer who was able to live off her writing, to this. Her home had probably been picked cleaning of anything of value –her laptop was null and void, so she wouldn’t be writing much less checking her e-mails. Her publicist Julie was probably going crazy, she didn’t have her cell phone.

  Christ, as she thought of it, she knew that she had about a million and one errands to run in the morning, one of which was buying new clothes.

  Elle couldn’t be sure that her house wasn’t being watched by the council’s goons. ‘There’s one word I never thought that I would be using in context to my own real life.’ So, going back to her house didn’t feel like it was an option.

  She also knew that she couldn’t keep wearing Marik’s clothes even though his shirts were so comfortable, and they smelled amazing. Like him. ‘No. Stop that. You will not think about how good Marik smells,’ That stern voice spoke, wagging a finger at herself mentally.

  Geez, she didn’t even have her wallet, but she didn’t have her laptop either so trying to book flights for everyone was pointless.

  Elle needed to make a list to hit the ground running in the morning, or she would be lost in urgency with no organization.

  Going into Gallen’s study, there wasn’t a computer in sight that she could see but he was sure to have some paper somewhere.

  Turning on the desk lamp, the surface was littered with old journals. Gallen, bless him, must have been going through them with a fine-tooth comb looking for anything in his father's old journals that could potentially help them out of this situation, some person that they could turn to for help that was once a close ally to his father.

  “Snooping?” A thick base rumbled from the doorway making her jump and almost knock the lamp over as she whirled around. Admittedly, Elle still felt a little jumpy after Jamal and Marik immediately looked regretful as he saw the fear in her eyes as they found his face.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.” He held his hands up in a show of defeat as his bare feet moved off the hardwood flooring onto the rug that was beneath his father's desk.

  “I was looking for a notepad and a pen,” Elle told him, taking deep breathes to calm herself.

  “He keeps them in the second drawer there.” Marik motioned.

  Nodding quickly, she looked away from him as she opened the second drawer and sure enough there was a package of legal notepads inside of the drawer. Taking one, she grabbed a pen from his desk. Occupying herself, making herself busy. She wouldn’t look at him right now because standing just on the other side of the desk was this large, six-foot four mass of bone and muscle that didn’t have a shirt on. That had perfect chest hair in the capital T formation that she liked, that she gave to almost all the male werewolves in her novels. His abdomen was chiseled and before she could stop herself because her eyes had decided to drift up and she was staring at him.

  “You look bigger.” Elle blurted out.

  Marik coughed slightly looking down at himself. “I am. Bigger.” He told her. “There’s more you should probably know about the night that Jamal took you.”

  “Oh, God. What?” Elle asked him, looking pale.

  “Let’s go into the living room.” Reaching up he scratched his head slightly as he lumbered into the living room and collapsed onto the couch looking at the television for a moment.

  Elle followed him, Gregory had decided to move from the couch and stood beside the coffee table staring at them both, as if assessing that it was safe to leave them alone together before he turned and headed for the hallway before she heard him hopping up the stairs. Elle wondered which bedroom he was going to. Curling up on the couch facing him she set the legal pad down between them, holding the ballpoint pen in her hand nervously.

  “What is it?” She repeated her question.

  “The reason I’m bigger is I’m an Alpha.”

  “An Alpha?” Elle’s brows slowly rose. “When did that happen?”

  “The night Jamal took you. I was so desperate to try to find you before you were hurt. My father is an Alpha, but his strengths are getting weaker. It’s just what happens when we grow older it only makes sense that one of his sons would carry the trait, but it’s because of you.”

  “So, it’s my fault.” Elle looked down into her lap.

  “No, that isn’t what I am saying.” Marik rubbed the back of his neck slowly. “What I am trying to say is that none of this would be happening if it weren’t for you. If you hadn’t come along, I would have killed my brother. I have a lot to be thankful to you for.”

  “Marik, you don’t need to thank me for anything. I feel like fate was pulling all of us together this whole
time. I’m supposed to be with you.” That came out entirely wrong. No! —No! And now she couldn’t take it back, it sounded like she was telling him she was supposed to be with him in a physical sense. Elle wasn’t ready for that, wasn’t prepared for it. Not after everything with Jamal. She just meant the Chaliceman’s. She was supposed to be with them. Why was she fumbling around him so much? It hadn’t been like this before.

  He could feel waves of anxiety coming from her after her last statement. Marik understood why, of course for an instant, he’d thought the same thing, but he knew she didn’t mean it. Not in that capacity.

  “What did you need the notepad for?” Marik asked. Changing the subject seemed like the best option right now to save them both some embarrassment.

  Releasing the air from her lungs, she picked up the pad. The corners of her mouth curling pinching together.

  “Just a list of some things that I am going to need before we leave.” She said, pushing some of her hair back from her face and behind her ear. “I don’t really know if there is anything left at my house that can be salvaged.” Frowning she still had her picture albums to put back together, and that should keep her mind occupied.

  “Gaerik and I went yesterday and picked up some things from there.”

  “You did?” Elle sat up.

  “Yes. Clothes, your laptop. We found your cell phone but not the charger. I’m actually shocked they were still there.”

  Elle smiled, just staring at him before she put the notepad back down and leaned forward, her arms wrapping around his shoulders quickly in a hug that surprised her once she felt the heat radiating off his body. “Thank you so much.” She held him a moment longer before she released him from her embrace, her hand trailing from his shoulder to the couch once more. “You’re really warm, almost hot to the touch. Is that part of being an alpha or is it just a werewolf thing?”

  Laughing slowly Marik nodded.

  “Yes, it’s part of the being an Alpha.” Sitting up from the touch he stretched slowly, muscles flexing slightly. “Come on. I’ll show you where all your stuff is. I’m surprised you didn’t see it when you woke up earlier.” He commented as he went up the stairs into his bedroom. The bed was messy, Marik had tried to sleep, but that didn’t work. The lamp was on, a cheap paperback novel was laying face down on the bed. It was one of Elle’s that he’d found in his brother’s room. Gaerik had read all of them apparently. Marik was embarrassed to be reading it, mainly because of it’s more sexual content. Elle knew how to paint a picture, a very vivid picture.

  “I set your laptop up on the desk there. I only opened it long enough to get you connected to the wireless network. I didn’t snoop.” He lied. Marik most certainly did snoop, but there wasn’t anything there that was a secret. “What was left of your clothes are in the closet in a duffel bag along with your cell. You can use my charger for now until we get you a new one.”

  Gazing at him slowly she went to the closet, sure enough, that embarrassingly pink duffel bag was sitting at the bottom. Taking it out she sat it on the bed and began to dig through it. She didn’t have a lot of clothes after what Jamal had done to them, but she had some sweats and a few pairs of jeans and sweaters. They would get her through until she could buy more. Elle also had her phone, Marik was right about the battery it was completely dead. Turning away from him sparkling tears were forming in her eyes.

  “I didn’t expect all of this, thank you.” Elle sniffed quickly to recover.

  “You’re welcome.” Marik quickly scratched the back of his neck before clearing his throat. “You have some night clothes in there, and there is a bathroom this way.” He told her, moving around and opening a door that she hadn’t noticed there before. “I stayed with you at night.” Saying that he slept with her sounded sort of like he was doing things to her in her sleep, which he wasn’t. Mostly he’d held her and talked to her while she slept. As the days and nights passed, he began to wonder if she would ever wake up.

  “Elle!” Marik shouted.

  Suddenly Marik grabbed her by the arms and threw her into the door of the bedroom. The reflection of something glowing spiraled through the air outside before the object came crashing through the window and hit the floor.

  Marik’s frame slammed into Elle’s as the bottle crashed onto the rug and shattered. There was a whoosh of flame as the contents of the container ignited, and the fire quickly spread over the carpet and onto the bedspread, smoke filling the room.

  Elle screamed as the heat from the flames erupted. “My laptop!” Struggling around Marik’s frame, she grabbed the computer that sat on his desk, dangerously close to being licked by the flames.

  “Fire! Fire!” Gaerik roared from another bedroom on the second floor.

  Holding Elle against his chest, she would have risked having herself burnt alive just to save that damned laptop. Yanking the door open, Marik saw that the foyer at the top of the stairs was already filling with smoke.

  “Dad!” Marik yelled, handing Elle over to Gaerik who swept her up into his arms, hustling down the stairs quickly as another window shattered on the second story.

  “They’ve got us surrounded,” Gaerik growled, holding onto Elle as a window in Gallen’s study was shattered by a bottle that landed close to the drapes, immediately the flames licked up the tapestries and another bottle came hurtling through the broken panes of the window. Elle could see the heat lines as the fire intensified. Squeezing her eyes shut as it sounded like glass was shattering all around them.

  “Dad!” Marik bellowed once more as he reached the door to Gallen’s bedroom. Throwing it open he was blown a few steps back by the heat. The fire was blazing from within, the bed already wholly engulfed by flames.

  “Boys! Elle! Down here, hurry.” Gallen shouted from the back of the house.

  “Marik! He’s down here come on!”

  “Marik hurry!” Elle screamed as she was turned on her feet, though if they touched the ground, she didn’t know, Gaerik was running with her still in his arms towards the kitchen.

  Marik took the stairs two at a time, bounding onto the landing, the living room was already nearly entirely in flames as was the study and he had to dodge the fire that licked at him on either side as he ran behind Gaerik. Gallen stood at the pantry door, waving them inside.

  “Get her in quickly, Gaerik. Come on. Now, you son.” Pushing Marik inside, breathing heaving before he slammed the door shut behind them.

  “What are we doing?” Elle asked looking around wide-eyed and panicked as she clutched her computer.

  The pantry was a large room, extra supplies cluttering the handmade shelves. They were trapped.

  “Help me move this shelf,” Gallen said, the four of them spinning around as they heard something slam into the side of the house directly adjacent to the exterior wall that they were standing in front of. They were pelting the house now to make sure that it burnt to the ground.

  Together, the three men lifted one of the shelves away to reveal a door just behind it. Gallen put his shoulder into it, forcing it open. It was apparent that access to this part of the house hadn’t been used in ages as Gallen grabbed a flashlight off one of the shelves and flicked it on.

  “I hoped that I would never have to go down into this tunnel in my lifetime.” He breathed ducking down into the dark opening. Elle sandwiched between Gaerik and Marik as they descended the stone stairs leading them further into the unknown.

  Inside the only light was the sweeping of Gallen’s flashlight ahead of them, the darkness threatening to swallow them on either side. They went down one level and then another until Elle wasn’t sure how far underground they were, and her mind was racing to try to keep up. Eventually, the stairs ended, and they stood on earth. Feeling the cold dirt beneath her feet and neither Elle or the twins seemed to know where they were going. Gallen, on the other hand, seemed to be following some map that lived only in his mind and for the time, it looked like the danger had been averted.

  “Where does
this go?” Elle asked, bumping along between the twins as they followed Gallen, but he didn’t speak. He just kept moving forward until they were standing in front of a dead end.

  “Gallen? Should we turn back?” Elle asked, beginning to shiver as the adrenaline wore off and she could feel the cold around them.

  “No, they just sealed the wall.” He breathed out, running his hand along the bricks. “This tunnel leads out into the recess tunnels for the light and cable company, but it’s been so long since anyone was down here that they must have taken this opening for granted and sealed it shut.” Pressing his weight against the bricks, he felt the wall shift.

  “Maybe if we all push, it will open?” Elle squirmed around Gaerik quickly and came up to Gallen, dropping her shoulder into the bricks. They didn’t budge at all where she stood, not until the twins added their body weight.

  “How come you never told us about this tunnel?” Gaerik grunted, leaning down and baring his shoulder into the wall, dislodging a brick that toppled to the ground on the other side.

  “Honestly?” Gallen panted. “I’d completely forgotten it was even here until I heard the crashes from upstairs. It,” He stood, grabbing a brick and yanking it free from the wall and tossing it behind them. “was like someone just whispered in my ear and reminded me.”

  As the hole in the wall grew larger they began to pull bricks, tossing them away until there was an opening big enough for Gallen to climb through, then Elle and the twins.

  “Where do we go now?” Marik looked up and down the tunnel slowly. Each seemingly going on to no end.

  “I remember my father telling me that once you reached the end of the tunnel, turn right.” Glancing back at the tunnel for a moment, Gallen turned to the right and pointed. “It’s as good as google maps is going to get.” He shrugged clasping his hands into the pockets of his robe. His house shoes beginning to scuff along the concrete flooring of the access tunnel.

  “Where does this lead to Gallen?” Elle wrapped her arms around herself and her laptop trying to stay warm, her feet slapping against the cold ground trying to keep up.