***
My heart was back in my throat. I left Henry in the alleyway, but I'm pretty sure he followed me most of the way back to the motel. I wasn’t scared about the boys or the fact Jonas knew that I was in town. No, I was worried about Rose. It was one thing to believe in werewolves, but another to know that there were people out there who could make me forget something as important as my brother. One person who I’d known for my entire life, and I hadn’t remembered him at all. That was scary. On top of that, there was Colin and his ability to pull out memories with a touch. I shivered in the midday sun.
.
Rose had been the one who’d asked Henry if he’d been sure. If anything, at that time, she’d been on my side. The little old woman who looked as if a strong gust of wind would knock her over was still the scariest person in that motel. At least the scariest one that I’d actually seen.
I stepped forward and rested my head on the cool door panels. Can she turn me into a toad if I annoy her?
How was my life supposed to be ordinary when it felt as if I’d tumbled down the rabbit hole? As I pondered this, the door opened, and I stumbled forward into the air.
"What are you doing back here?" Rose frowned at me. The wrinkles on her face were deep creases that cut across her face.
I managed to get my feet back under me before I face planted the floor. "What? No ‘Hello, Rachel. How are you?’"
The old woman snorted, “Weren't you blonde this morning?"
"I fancied a change." I absentmindedly tugged at a strand of dark hair. It was starting to grow on me.
"Obviously." She moved to the side and gestured me inside. "You don't have witch in your blood, do you?"
I slipped my jacket off. "God, I hope not. Don’t you think that my life is complicated enough?"
She frowned at me. "I've just brewed a fresh cup of tea."
“You’ve got to be kidding.” The sudden change in conversation made my head hurt. "You honestly think I'm going to be drinking anything you put together?"
She shrugged. "Fair point. You can help yourself to water out of the tap then if you want a drink."
I walked back into the kitchen. Hard to believe when I’d woken up that morning, I hadn’t remembered anything about the room, the motel, or the woman closing the door behind me.
"Where do you keep your cups?"
"In the cupboard to the left of the oven."
I helped myself to a cup with a cat on it and filled it with water as Rose made herself a cup of tea.
She sat down with an audible sigh. "Are you going to tell me how you broke the spell?"
I reached down the neck of my top and pulled the necklace out.
Do I tell her and then have her use it against me? Or should I keep quiet?
"My necklace was a gift from my brother. I touched it, and all my memories came back." I hadn’t meant to say that. The words had just come without any resistance. What other little tricks has she left behind in my head?
"A strong reminder of the past. Even my herbs only work so well." She nodded to herself as if it made all the sense in the world. It left me confused, but I wasn’t going to admit to that.
"Have you seen Henry yet?"
There it was again. A pull to her voice. The need to answer her.
I nodded. "He was a little surprised to see me. He told me to come here, to you. Something about needing to run an errand."
The cup was held by frail hands. The smell of ginger was heavy in the air. "Don't blame him too much for his decision. He only wanted to do the right thing, and for him, that was getting you as far away from this as possible."
"It wasn’t his decision to make," I replied as anger swelled to life inside of me. "I can help, but as soon as you saw me, you made a snap judgment, and it was the wrong one." I took a sip of water my hands shaking I'm that angry. "This is entirely his fault. What would he have done if my brother had been killed, for what, a turf war between werewolves? Henry should have sent him home. We didn’t even know if he was alive or dead. "
I glanced down at my glass. My family had been broken for a while and it had only gotten worse when Michael had disappeared. We’d never found ourselves again. I’d fallen off the deep end. I didn’t even recognize who I was anymore.
"Rachel!"
Rose snapped out my name with such force that, if it had been a whip, it would have cut me I looked up, Rose's lips were pressed together in a thin line. I could read the frustration in her light eyes.
"Don’t you pretend to understand what happened, girl. Your brother is a werewolf now, and the best place for him is here, with a pack. It would be dangerous for him to go back home before he’s gotten himself under control. Jonas really did a number on him, and it’s going to take time before he is anything like the boy you knew. He might never be, but there is one thing I know for sure, he isn't the person you remember.” She shook her head. “And if you think Henry just sent him back out there, you’re wrong. Henry and Michael were friends. The boy you’re so quick to judge wanted to send Michael to the pack. Your brother wouldn't hear of it. He knew what Jonas was doing and wanted to stop him."
I wanted to argue, but I knew it was pointless. She’d described the brother I knew and loved perfectly. The brother I'd come to rescue. The one who’d rescued me so many times growing up. The image made me frown. How did I plan to save my brother from the clutches of an Alpha hell-bent on war? One human against so many others? I really hadn’t thought it all the way through.
"I miss him, Rose." A lump grew in my throat and my eyes burnt. "I thought he was dead. All this time, and no word? What were we supposed to think? Then, I see him, a face in the crowd. A freaking miracle. My parents didn’t believe me, and I decided, what the hell? What do I have to lose? I'll come and find him myself.” I closed my eyes. “It didn’t even occur to me that I couldn’t do it. Believe me, my life would be unfolding a lot less dramatically if I'd stayed at the boarding school. I wouldn't know my parents have been basically lying to me for my entire life, for one. He’s my brother, and I'm not leaving him here. I will figure it out."
Somehow, I added silently.
Rose arched an eyebrow silently before she turned her attention back to her cup. "You're an interesting girl, Rachel," she muttered.
I didn’t know what to say to that, so I kept my mouth shut. I needed a plan. There had to be something I could do to save my brother.
There’s a click from the hallway and the sound of the front door opening. After a brief moment, a head appeared around the corner, with a dark head of hair and a smile that did funny things to my stomach. I hadn’t seen Henry's full smile before, it made him look more human.
"Is there any chance of a cup of coffee?"
Rose silently stood and busied herself with the kettle.
I can't pull my gaze away from the young wolf. There were a million questions running through my head, and I couldn’t keep them to myself. "Did you find him?"
The light in his eye seemed to dim slightly. "No, but I have a lead, which is more than what I had a few hours ago. Are you sure you want to help?"
I tried not to frown. "Of course I want to help. What do you need to me to do?"
He folded his arms and leaned against the doorway. “We’re running out of time, and believe me, I wouldn’t ask you to do this if I thought that we had any other option.”
“Henry, just get on with it. By the time you get to the point, I’ll be even older.” The old woman reminded me of my dad. Nonsense would not be tolerated.
“I need you to act as bait."
Rose dropped the spoon she’d been using. The noise was unbelievably loud. "She's sixteen! Six hours ago, you wanted her on a bus out of here. Now you want to use her as bait? Have you lost your freaking mind?"
I would never admit it, but she had a point. The difference was, I wanted to do it. Still, I kept my mouth shut and watched the scene unfold in front of me. I knew Henry was a few years older than me…but the way he leaned against th
e door frame made him appear even older. There were lines around his eyes, and he yawned.
"The only way to find Michael is to get our hands on one of the gang.” He kicked away from the wall. “Damn it, Rose, they're being too crafty. Do you think it makes me happy to admit I can't find their hideout? Jonas will have the gangs out searching for her. It’s a stupid plan, but it makes sense."
Rose picked up one of the cups and put it back down again, hard. "Can you promise me you'll keep her safe?” She rested her hands on the kitchen top. “How are you planning to make sure she doesn't end up on the wrong side of someone's claws?"
Henry closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I said I had a plan."
When he opened his eyes, I caught a flash of soft brown and determination.
"Rachel, I promise to keep you safe. You’ve got my word, and while it might not mean much to you, you’ve got it."
Now you think you can keep me safe? After you were in such a rush to get rid of me?
I kept my thoughts to myself. There was no point in starting an argument, especially since it looked as if I’d won. "Okay, let's get started."
An entirely different smile took his face—one that made my cheeks burn hot. Forget the cute smile, this one was dangerous.
I mentally slapped myself. No, Rachel, you're not going to develop a crush on this guy. You’re not.
***
Anticipation went to war with fear in the pit of my stomach. I was torn between excitement and being sick. Being used as bait for a gang of werewolves? There's no way that would end well. I knew Henry was tracking me from the rooftops in wolf form. I hadn't seen him yet, but that was the point. I needed to look helpless. A human too dumb to live.
I spent half an hour at Trafalgar Square, back to handing out my brother's picture again. All I knew was I needed to get myself noticed. Then, I walked—keeping to the town. Henry seemed pretty sure their base had to be somewhere close. There were a lot of places for them to hide. It didn’t really matter where I went, so I let my feet lead me down one alleyway, up another, down a road, and across a park.
I checked my watch. I’d been walking around for about two hours. Feeling tired, I spied a bench and sat down. A noise made me glance up, and I could see a bunch of boys walking toward me.
All of them wore dark hoodies and had that walk that made them seemed filled with a restless energy like dogs tugging at the leashes—wolves.
"Well, fancy meeting you here. Where's your protector?"
The one leading the pack spoke up, and the voice was familiar. Bill?
"I don't want any trouble," I answered, aiming to sound unsure, nervous, and a little scared. It wasn’t hard.
"Then you shouldn't be out walking by yourself. No need to worry. Jonas wants you alive."
Still doesn't fill me with warm and cuddly thoughts. I couldn’t see any movement in the shadows. Where's Henry? Getting to my feet, I watched as they came closer.
One tugged his hood back. He was close to my age. A scar travelled from his ear to the tip of his lip. "Come on."
A large growl cut through the air. Some of the boys scattered as soon as they heard it, which left three. I started to move away from the group. I did not want to see what played out. Henry resembled a dog—a very large dog that been fed steroids. He was tall enough that the top of his head to came to my shoulders, and his broad shoulders hunched over as a snarl twisted his lips. He was quick too.
The intention wasn’t to kill any of the boys. After all, they'd been brainwashed to work for Jonas. Getting rid of the twisted Alpha meant the hold he had over the boys would shatter. There was a wild flurry of fur. Henry tried to keep them off guard, but one of them turned toward me. His hood pushed back, revealing a mouth full of teeth.
I don't like the looks of this.
Henry was busy with the other two. I didn’t even think he’d noticed the boy storming toward me. He didn’t look happy, and a really bad feeling came over me. There’s something reassuring about the fact he still looks like an annoyed sixteen-year-old boy. At least he hadn’t sprouted fur and howled at the moon.
The walk had now become a run. Dropping onto all fours, he reminded me of a charging gorilla. I hadn’t moved, and if felt as if my feet had sprouted roots, tying me to the spot.
A howl made me shoot a glance nervously over at Henry, his brown eyes framed by fur. I could read the expression— disbelief and annoyance. Do you want him to bite you? Run, Rachel.
I took off at a run, right towards the werewolf. I knew running away from him wouldn’t do me any good. The farther I made it, the less chance Henry could swoop in and rescue me. I'm a twenty-first-century girl, but I'm not stupid. I wasn’t equipped to take on the very sharp teeth located inside a mouth too small to accommodate them that were coming for me.
The closer we got to each other, the more details I could make out. The boy became more and more like a wolf in front of my eyes. Hair erupted out of his body. His arms became longer, more muscularly and his jeans ripped under the strain. His nose extended and distorted into a muzzle. Pain flashed behind his eyes, but he didn’t look bothered by it, more intent on me. The change was quick, and I nearly turned on the spot and ran the other way.
He leapt.
Everything seemed to run in slow motion. I had to time it right, close enough to see jaws. I hadn’t stopped running. Oh, God, this is going to hurt.
I did a forward handspring. The grass was cold and wet under my hands. A fluid motion that would have gotten me an A in gym. I completed the roll underneath the belly of the wolf and got back to my feet.
Henry was finishing up with the other boys. The attack had happened so fast that none of them had had time to shift into huge and hairy. Henry sprints back in my direction. The sight of him was a little terrifying. He looked like the result of a bear and a normal wolf getting up close and personal. The boy who’d chased me down didn’t have an ounce of humanity left in his eyes, but Henry did. The other wolf roars behind me. As soon as Henry gets close enough, I throw myself to the side, not wanting to get caught between two very sharp sets of claws. I landed hard on the ground, knocking the wind out of myself.
Rolling onto my back, I caught sight of Henry swiping the other wolf over the head. I winced. If he made connect with me, it would have sent my head rolling. The sound of the wolves hitting the ground was unbelievably loud.
I quickly scrambled to my feet and glanced down at Henry. He’d taken on three wolves and hadn’t even broken a sweat.
Do wolves even sweat?
He'd warned me about what would happen next, so I pulled my bag off my back and started pulling out the jeans, T-shirt, and shoes he’d asked me to bring. I kept my back turned.
I hadn’t really known what I expected to see when the boy shifted. The change had been fluid. I thought the change would be painful, TV had lied to me.
The sound of clothes being pulled on made my heart race. I was more nervous now than I was with a rampant werewolf chasing me. Well, a little. I didn’t spend any real time around shifting paranormal animals or naked boys.
"You can turn around now."
His unexpected voice made my heart drop to the bottom of my stomach. I turned around and almost made a full circle. Just because Henry was dressed, it didn't mean the unconscious boy had anything on.
"Hand me the blanket?"
I nodded mutely as I pulled the plain blanket out and handed it to Henry.
"Are you blushing?"
Oh, God, am I? "Shut up."
He smiled and got to work. His original plan had been to take him to Rose's basement, but the old woman had stopped that idea dead in its tracks.
"If this plan goes wrong, I will not have Jonas knocking on my door."
Her faith in the plan was awe inspiring. I thought sarcastically.
Chapter Twelve
There was a disturbing amount of derelict buildings in the city. I wasn’t even surprised when nobody commented on the two people walking the st
reets with an unconscious boy lodged between them. Maybe they thought he was drunk and we were taking him home.
The boy probably never wanted to be a werewolf in the first place. Maybe he'd been another runaway. What were the chances that he had a family somewhere worried sick about him like we were about Michael?
After we snuck into a building, I made sure I chose a spot far enough away to make out what was about to happen. Though I was pretty sure I didn’t want to see it. Henry, who had kept the blanket wrapped around the boy's waist, tied him to the chair with cold precision. When he’d finished, he picked up a bucket filled with cold water—thanks to a tap in the room that might have been a bathroom in a previous life.
The boy woke up with a start. A bruise visible across his jaw from where Henry had hit him.
"I’m only going to ask you this once and I seriously hope you don’t lie to me. Where's Jonas." Henry said darkly.
For a brief second, I couldn’t watch. Our captive didn’t meet our eyes. Instead, he moved his head in a rapid motion, his eyes darting from side to side possibly searching for a way out. The only light in the old, abandoned building came through the uncovered windows from streetlamps. I was sure that there were horror films which used the same setup. It's scary, and I was glad that I wasn’t the one in the chair.
"I don't know who you're talking about." The boy tried to be brave but even I could tell that he was scared.
The sound of a punch against soft flesh rang through the air. "I told you not to lie to me. You’re lucky that I need you alive but if you don’t start talking this is only going to end one way.”
Whoever the boy had been before Jonas got ahold of him, one thing was clear, he was young. Maybe younger than me. Sweat trickled down his body. There was rapid rise and fall to his chest.
Henry wanted him scared and unfocussed, making it difficult for the boy to start the shift to his wolf form.
"Henry?" After watching everything unfold, I was more than ready for the interrogation to end. The boy wasn’t going to talk. Jonas had instilled a great loyalty in his pack. I would’ve bet that he used fear more than love. Had he made threats against their families?
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