A Nightly Howl

by Joanna Mazurkiewicz

  I nodded. "I'm with her."

  Kelsie smoothed her long shiny hair and sat down, pulling a face. She turned and waved to the shifter who was watching her. "But he’s so cute."

  "The one who was flirting with you is married. I saw him take his wedding ring off right before he headed to the bar," Kate said, frowning.

  "See, Kel, you need to chill out. There are plenty more guys that would be interested in you," I said. "We want to get to know you a little better."

  "All right, fine. I guess I didn't like him that much anyway."

  “That's a good girl." Kate smiled. We changed the direction of our conversation and focused on Kelsie. It turned out that our Scottish friend had cheated on her boyfriend. Craig was the leader of the pack, so it wasn't long before she was kicked out. She’d had a job in Glasgow, but her boyfriend made sure she got fired. Her parents were dead, and she didn't have any other family, so she packed her bags and moved to London. Her boyfriend made sure that her reputation followed her; he wanted revenge on her for fooling around with one of his mates.

  "He had money—he sent his people after me to make sure that I couldn’t get a job," she explained. "Paranormals talk and Craig is smart."

  "What did you do before?" I asked.

  "I worked as a PR rep in his father’s company."

  "Hmm, PR," Kate said, raising her brow. "How long have you been looking for a job here in London?"

  "A few months. I had a few interviews, but so far, no one has offered me a job. Craig found out that I worked in a bar a few weeks ago. I took the job just so I could get by. He threatened the owner, so they fired me," she said. “I've done many stupid things, but I wasn't happy with Craig, so I got drunk one night and slept with his mate. He nearly killed me when he found out, and within a day, I lost everything: my apartment, a great job, and an arsehole boyfriend."

  "Hey, don’t worry—everyone makes mistakes," I said, hoping to cheer her up.

  "Yeah, but I never learn. I always get myself into trouble. My mother used to say that it was a curse to be pretty, and I guess she was right."

  "Stick with us and you’ll stay out of trouble."

  "Yes, don’t worry about a job; after all, we’re in the recruitment business," I said, patting her hand.

  "Thanks, Julia, but Craig seems to know everyone in the city. I don’t know anyone who’d be willing to hire me."

  “We'll get you a job. Don’t worry about that," I assured her.

  "That would be great! I'm bored staying at home and I'm not going back to Scotland."

  I was willing to help Kelsie. She had been out of work for a while, but as long as she was keen and ready, we could find her something pretty quickly. We finished our drinks and had another round. So far, the alcohol was doing its job because I wasn't thinking about Nathaniel. He didn't call me again, but I had a gut feeling that he might just turn up on my doorstep if I kept avoiding him. Soon, he’d probably put the pieces of the puzzle together and figure out that Elena revealed his big secret.

  A few hours later the club was getting busy. After sunset a group of vampires approached our table, offering to buy us drinks. We politely refused, and Kel wasn't happy to lose out on another free drink. Kate invited me and Kelsie to a family barbecue, this time without a Sabbath surprise.

  Just before eleven, Kelsie needed a cigarette, so we went out with her to get some fresh air; it was still warm outside. We were in a part of London where humans didn't hang around. I wasn't surprised when Kelsie started chatting away with another shifter. It looked like she’d been coming here often. She even said "hi" to a hot vampire who looked at me like I was his next snack. I looked away, wondering how much it would piss Nathaniel off if he saw me right now.

  I was just about to go back inside with Kate when I saw a familiar face on the other side of the road. He was on the phone, talking quite franticly. I ignored Kate, who was talking to me, and moved forward to take a closer look at the giant I was sure I’d seen before.

  "Oh, my God," I whispered, grabbing Kate’s shoulder. The guy couldn’t possibly remember me, but I recognised him. The colour drained from my face and blood rushed to my ears. It was the giant who’d tried to kidnap me a few months ago. Dad had to let him go due to lack of evidence, and someone had wiped his memories, but now he was standing a few meters away from me.

  Chapter 15

  In too much trouble.

  “What's up, Julia?" Kelsie asked turning away from the shifter.

  "Yeah, that kind of hurt you know," Kate whined. I let go of her arm, keeping my eyes on the captor who tried to snatch me from outside Nathaniel’s building. Another giant approached him. I recognised him, too; he was in the club the same night I was bitten by Daniel. His memories couldn’t be that badly damaged if they knew each other. They exchanged a few words and then they started to walk away.

  "I know those two," I said, pointing at the suspects who were heading towards High street. "One of them tried to drag me into van a few months ago. We need to follow them."

  "Follow who?" Kate asked. "What are you even talking about Julia?"

  "Those two paranormals on the other side of the road!" I hissed. "I'm sure that they’re involved with McGregor!"

  "Slow down and take a deep breath," Kate said quickly.

  "No, come on, we need to follow them. Look, they’re walking away!"

  "We can’t follow them. Don’t be ridiculous, Julia,” Kate cut me off, narrowing her eyes.

  "When my dad gets here it will be too late," I said, raising my voice and dragging her away from the club. "Kelsie, come on."

  The two paranormals weren't paying any attention to us; they were talking loudly, walking alongside each other. Kelsie abandoned the conversation with the shapeshifter, following me and Kate.

  "Julia, just think about what you’re doing. You have to call your father," Kate insisted, walking beside me. She was right: I should call him, but I already knew what he was going to say and by the time he found me, those two would be gone.

  Two minutes later, the two suspicious paranormals stopped in front of a black BMW. I dragged the girls behind me into an alley, breathing fast.

  “There's a taxi, let’s go." I hurried them to the street.

  "Julia," Kate yelled, grabbing my arm, “Don't be silly. You’re going to get yourself into trouble again."

  "Hey, lady, ain’t got time for this. Are you getting in or not?" the obese taxi driver growled. Kelsie stared at me and Kate looked deeply confused.

  "They’re working for McGregor," I shouted back at Kate. "You and Kelsie should stay here. I’ll follow them myself."

  “You're stupid if you think I’ll let you go on your own, but I agree Kelsie should stay here," Kate said.

  "No way," Kelsie snapped, getting into the taxi before I could protest. Kate kept muttering under her breath something about unnecessary danger, but she eventually sat beside me.

  "Where are we heading to, ladies?" the taxi driver asked, looking at Kelsie’s cleavage. His eyes widened, and I wanted to punch him. He was wasting our time; the BMW was stopped at the traffic light ahead.

  "Follow that car," Kelsie shouted. She didn't have to tell him twice because he started the engine and moved smoothly through the busy street.

  "How exciting," the taxi driver said. “I've never followed anyone before."

  Kate rolled her eyes while I kept mine on the car in front of us. My palms were damp with sweat and my heart was jackhammering in my chest. I took my phone out and dialled Dad’s number.

  He answered. "You okay, hon?"

  "Dad, listen I'm in a taxi following that giant who tried to snatch me from outside Nathaniel’s building."

  "What?"

  " I'm going to follow them; they might have information about Rufus."

  "Julia, don’t you dare—"

  I hung up the phone, and Kate looked at me like she was ready to strangle me alive. Dad was going to be furious, but I had no choice, at least he could track my phone. The girls
kept up, giving instructions to the taxi driver. The BMW ahead of us was moving slowly through the London traffic.

  "So, why are we following them?" Kelsie asked, yawning.

  "I think they might lead us to where Rufus is being held," I explained, biting my bottom lip. My phone was ringing off the hook. My father was trying to get through to me, but I kept rejecting his calls. Half an hour later, we were in a part of London where people didn't venture alone at night. It was controlled by vampire gangs and other supernatural creatures that followed their own cruel rules. My stomach flipped when I thought about Rufus. My phone started ringing again; this time I saw Nathaniel’s smiling face on the screen.

  I sent him straight into voicemail. Dad was a powerful elf and he could easily track me down unless there was someone more powerful than him who could strip away his protection spell.

  Right now, he was probably cursing my name. Kate was white as chalk, and I was sparkling with electricity, aware of the danger that I was putting my friends into.

  A few minutes later, Kelsie asked the taxi driver to stop on the corner of a small alley so we could see the car. The BMW drove into a garage between two wrecked buildings. A few minutes passed by, but there was no movement outside. We all waited anxiously for something to happen, but the silence was only making me more nervous.

  "This was my idea, so I’ll go and look around. You two better stay in the car," I said, trying to calm the flames of electric current that began to appear on my fingertips. Kelsie started laughing and Kate was staring at me like I had grown wings.

  "Girl, I'm not staying in this car and letting you walk out onto that death road alone," Kelsie said.

  "Yeah, it's a suicide mission," Kate fumed, gripping her magic wand so hard as if she were trying to burn it with her bare hands, "And I'm the only one who can help you if anything goes wrong!"

  "It was my bloody idea. I can risk my butt, but I'm not going to drag both of you into this," I said, swallowing hard.

  "Shut up, and get out of the car. You’re not going out there alone sparkling like a Christmas tree," Kate yelled as we both exited the taxi. It was already too late. We were risking our lives hanging out in that dangerous part of the city.

  Kelsie looked like she was having a good time. Kate transformed her killer heels into trainers, so we could to keep the noise down. The unnatural silence buzzed in my ears. The smell of mouldy food coursed through the air and I had to breathe in through my mouth for several minutes. I had goosebumps all over my arms. The excess magic returned, pumping power into my veins, spreading throughout my body like wildfire. The building on this street must have been a part of some old abandoned warehouse. I had a gut feeling that Rufus was here, and if everything went according to plan, Dad would show up before someone even discovered that we were here.

  We crept around the building looking for any kind of movement. It felt like someone had sucked all the air out of this part of town, leaving us to the mercy of God. Kate’s eyes moved quickly from me to Kelsie, pointing at the heavy door on our right that was left ajar.

  “Let's get inside and keep close to each other," I suggested in a whisper.

  My pulse raced as I entered into the darkness first. The air inside was dense, brimming with electricity. The tiny hairs all over my body rose as Kate guided us through the narrow, wet corridor. Out of nowhere we heard loud raspy voices, and we stopped, frozen to the spot, listening in.

  "We could have picked that girl up by her house," someone said. "The boss needs her."

  They were far from us, but not far enough that we were safe. Kelsie squeezed my hand, breathing heavily, and Kate looked focused.

  "He’s finished, and the police are after him," another high-pitched voice said, sending a cold shiver down my spine. "I don’t get why we’re even here!"

  "Fuck off! You don’t know shit. McGregor holds half of this neighbourhood," the first voice muttered.

  The girls and I exchanged the same horrifying look. I’d been right all along. Caleb McGregor was still in London and he wasn't hiding from anyone.

  "Julia, this is too dangerous; we have to get out of here right now," Kate hissed, her eyes darting around in panic.

  "No, you both need to leave. I'm going to stay—"

  Kelsie’s terrified shriek pierced through the silence, as a large arm gripped me around my waist while the other clenched over my mouth. A cold breath of fear streamed down my throat.

  Then we all heard a loud bang. Bright green light blinded me for a second or two, but whoever had their grip on me never faltered. Kate roared at the top of her lungs, moving her wand. Fear zipped through my blood stream.

  "Slow down with the magic, darling, or I’ll slash this pretty little throat," the man who was holding me growled. He stunk of whiskey.

  Kate dropped her magic wand, seeing that a large giant was holding Kelsie, too, pressing a sharp knife against her neck. I started to squirm, when someone hit me in the face, bruising my lip. Magic swirled over my head creating a light wind, and I focused on my captor’s thoughts. I desperately wanted to hear what he was thinking right then.

  "Fuck you, you, fat motherfucker. Get your hands off me!" Kelsie yelled, not fearing for her life. I was amazed at her choice of insults.

  "Mica, knock her out good and proper. She’s getting on my nerves," the guy behind me said. I was trying to breathe through my nose, and not concentrate on the pain radiating through my left cheek. My magic was slowly waking up, but I wasn't in control. My energy screamed through me as I imagined hurting those two giants who took us by surprise, but my friends were more important. I didn't want to hurt them. I couldn’t understand how they’d sensed us, attacking out of nowhere.

  "What do we have here? Shifter, witch, and an elf—lovely," the creature behind me spat. He couldn’t be the one that we followed all the way here; he didn't recognise me. Kate shot me a fearful look. Kelsie stopped jerking. For a long moment, they waited for one of us to start talking, but I wasn't going to make it easy for them.

  "Come on, pretty flower with the big mouth; why are you all here?" the larger giant who held Kelsie, asked.

  I jerked, trying to free myself from my captor’s tight grip, but he slapped me hard. This time I saw stars and it took me a moment to shake away the dizziness.

  "Fuck off! You, stupid motherfucker!" Kelsie screamed, kicking the guy between his legs, causing him to drop his knife. The guy behind me pushed me and I crashed to the ground, breathless. He charged toward Kelsie. The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth. Kate screamed. The bones in my left leg felt like they were cracked.

  "If you move, I’ll rip your guts out!" someone in the darkness shouted. The guy who was holding Kelsie by her hair froze, glancing towards the voice. My breath caught as I pushed my weight to the right.

  "Fuck off, mate, this is a private party," the high-pitched voice belonging to one of the giants, barked.

  "I gave you a chance," muttered the voice I recognised. But I shook my head, thinking that he couldn't possibly be here right now.

  A pulse of a red light swirled through the place, advancing toward the giant, but he was prepared. The spell didn't reach him. Giants weren't advanced in charms; in the past centuries they stole magic from other creatures and would pass it to one another for protection. The giant next to me was well aware of what was about to happen. He laughed and smoothed down his jacket. His piercing brown eyes hardened on Kate’s wand that was lying by his feet. I couldn’t see the person who stood on the other side of the corridor, blood was pouring from my eyebrow and I kept getting cramps in my left leg. But I had to stop him before he tried to use Kate’s wand.

  Chapter 16

  Liar, liar pants on fire.

  Despite being in agony, I didn't want to see his filthy hands on my friend’s wand, so I charged towards him. Some unknown power swept me off of my feet and I landed on the ground moaning in pain. Then the entire building jolted, and the girls began to scream. I had no idea what was going on, but superch
arged light shot through the space, hitting the giant in his chest. Part of the ceiling came down crushing him and then he was lifted above the ground; his body twisted at an odd angle. He roared in pain—I covered my ears after hearing his bones crack—and within a few seconds, he was once again crushed on the ground. He lay there, this time not moving or making any sound.

  "Julia, are you all right?"

  Icy fear slithered through me, attempting to concentrate on my breathing, when I realised Jasper was the one who came to rescue me. He moved quickly, embracing me in his arms. My chest heaved, my whole body blazed in pain. My leg was probably broken.

  "Jasper!" I choked "What are you doing here?"

  This was the only reasonable question that came to my mind under these circumstances. Kate picked up her magic wand, her breathing shallow. Kelsie kept cursing off the giant that was now lying dead next to her.

  "Do you really want to kill yourself? Are you fucking crazy?" Jasper asked, holding me, his brown eyes shimmering with dying magic. Questions were mounting in my head and I wasn't sure which one to ask first. I hated his guts, but right at that moment, I had to be grateful because he saved the girls’ lives, as well as mine. I got up feeling nauseous with my head steadily pounding.

  "Hey, you," Kelsie said, "We appreciate your help, but don’t you dare speak to my girlfriend like that." She seemed to be in much better shape than me.

  My ex-boyfriend shot her an angry look, twisting his lips in a sneer. We needed to get out of here alive, so I had to play nice. Maybe he was working with those pricks. He obviously had no idea that I was going to be here.

  "Kelsie and Kate, just wait for me in the car. I’ll be there in a second." My voice cracked from the pain of my swollen leg, but I tried to push through it and concentrate on keeping Jasper away from the girls. I hated the fact that I owed him anything, especially my life.