by Rachel Hera
“Spit it out, Philip.”
“First, can I just say how odd it is that you guys chose this place? Do werewolves usually pick such grimy places as secret hiding spots?” Philip looked around the diner.
“What are you talking about? You were the one that left the note in my locker,” I pulled it out of my pocket, slamming it down on the table.
“I thought you were the one that picked the place,” he frowned, pulling a note out of his own pocket. He unfolded it, laying it beside mine. You didn’t have to be a graphologist to see that the writing was the same.
Jason, who was always more prepared than I was, produced a pen. “Write that same message underneath it.”
Philip took the pen, quickly copying the note. His scrawl was nothing like the writing on the paper.
Getting to my feet, I pulled out a five dollar bill and tossed it on the table. I looked at the two of them, “Let’s go.”
Jason nodded, getting to his feet, ushering Philip out of the booth. I glanced at the clock on the wall as we headed for the door. We’d only been here for fifteen minutes –we could be back in Simcoe by seven-thirty at the latest.
I only knew two people that would want us half an hour away from Eiden. And I had no doubt that this was their doing.
Chapter 34: Maddie
“Is it okay if I head over to the ice cream parlour?” I asked my mom as we walked through the grocery store. “And on that note, would it be okay if I get Evelyn’s mom to drop me off afterwards?”
“I suppose,” she answered, putting a loaf of bread into the cart. “And here I thought you tagged along because you wanted to help me shop for your lunches.”
“But you always pick out such great things on your own,” I smiled. It faded a little as I went on, picking up the sesame seed bagels and handing them to her. “Maybe tacos tomorrow night? Anyway, I need to apologize to Evelyn.”
“Well, then it can’t be helped, can it?” she pushed the cart towards the tortillas.
“Thanks, mom,” I said, taking off before she could change her mind.
Outside of the grocery store, I zipped my sweater up. There was no denying that the weather was steadily growing colder. My lips were also suffering from the change, so chapstick was almost becoming more used than my phone. I pulled out both, checking the time as I pried the lid off the small tube.
Six-fifty. If I walked fast, I could be there by seven. We’d be on good terms by seven-oh-five, and laughing by seven ten. Then it’d be three hours of gossip and stories before she closed and her mom picked us up. We could start planning my birthday party for the end of the month. Maybe she’d realize she’d been in the wrong for hiding secrets from me.
It was going to be a good night. I could feel it. Maybe I’d call my mother later and ask if I could spend the night at Evelyn’s. Although, her dad was going to be home for the first time in a long time tonight, so maybe it was better to give her family some space. I’d ask Evelyn, see how she felt.
Perhaps I could tell her about those odd dreams. I’d finally gotten a name out of them all. Victor. Suddenly, it felt like they were fitting together.
I hummed as I walked down the street, no song in particular in mind. The streets were busier than I thought they would be, between the fair and the setting sun. If Evelyn wasn’t working today, and we hadn’t argued on Thursday, we might have ended up going to the fair today. Maybe we would have even though she was working, even if it was only for the morning.
The ice cream parlour came into view, and I slowed down unintentionally. While I wanted to apologize, there was definitely a battle of pride going on inside of me. Who’d say sorry first? Usually I let Evelyn, but I was going out of my way to see her. Maybe it was time for me to make the first move.
Ahead of me, Cole and Marissa hovered outside of the parlour, just beyond the window, where I doubted Evelyn could see. They were acting suspicious, and I side-stepped between two stores when they looked my way. I slid down the brick wall, peeking around the corner from a lower angle. That’s what they did in movies, right?
Marissa had a bag with her that was uncharacteristically large in comparison to the ones I usually saw her with. Cole said something, and she nodded. Then they strode into the ice cream parlour.
I stood up, stepping back onto the street and walking a little faster towards the parlour. It was clear that they were up to no good, and I’d be damned if I let them do anything to Evelyn. No apology necessary –I’d bitch them out for free.
The rectangles of light that poured from the parlour disappeared. Someone was closing the blinds. I quickened my pace again. When I reached the door, I pulled it open, strolling in with the bells chiming above me. My mouth opened, ready to say something to the two of them, but I froze. Marissa stood by the windows, pulling down the last of the blinds. Cole stood behind the counter, prying the keys from Evelyn’s hand, who released them reluctantly.
The three of them looked disappointed to see me –which wasn’t the usual reception I received when I walked into a room.
But that became irrelevant when my brain started processing everything in front of me…
Was that a knife?
Chapter 35: Evelyn
The bell chimed above the door, and I looked up, hoping by some miracle Blake had gotten my telepathic messages and had come early. I’m sure he wouldn’t be too happy about his mate being held at knife-point… especially when the guy on the other end of the knife was none other than Cole.
I should have been happy that anyone came in at all, if not to throw a wrench into the mix for the two foxes –funny how the term fit them so well after a short period of time –and maybe make them change their minds.
But it was Maddie. That sounds mean, but she was no werewolf. Or demon. Or vampire. And the look on her face, with her jaw hanging open, it was clear that she was as surprised to see the three of us as we were to see her.
“Catch,” Cole tossed Marissa my set of keys for the store. She caught them, strolled through the door, yanking Maddie further into the parlour, and locked the door.
“Let’s get them into the back,” Marissa said, grabbing Maddie’s arm. Even from a distance I could see her nails digging into my best friend’s skin. “I got the confirmation text. Once we get started, we’ll have half an hour.”
“Hey,” I began, but Cole pressed the tip of his blade into my side.
“Into the back,” he repeated.
Maddie came back to life, “What the hell is going on here?”
“Consider it your lucky day, Maddie. You get to learn what real monsters lurk in the dark,” Marissa hissed as she pulled her along. “Unfortunately for you, tonight that does not include vampires.”
“Though it might include werewolves later,” I forced a light-hearted tone.
“Don’t you know? Your prince charming is detained,” Cole threw me down into a chair, which skidded slightly with the force. Marissa continued to pull Maddie along with her. They went to the table where Marissa dropped her bag and started to rifle through it with one hand. When she pulled out rope, she passed it to Cole, then continued to rifle through it.
“And you think he wouldn’t put one of his Pack brothers around here to watch me? Any moment a werewolf could be crashing through the front window,” I lifted my chin defiantly as he approached.
Cole’s hand whipped across my face, the impact driving a gasp from my lips that in turn made him smile. “We’re not idiots. We’ve spent the last five hours scouring the surrounding area for potential places that they could watch the parlour from. And… do you hear that?”
I froze, listening.
He laughed, going around behind me and yanking my arms back. I could feel him wrapping something around them, and I struggled against him for the second time that week. “Nothing. I’m sure if anyone was watching they would be here by now.”
“Half an hour,” Marissa reminded him. She pulled a roll of duct tape out of the oversized bag she had and forced Maddie down in
to the nearest chair. “Don’t make this harder than it needs to be.”
“Screw you,” Maddie spat in her face.
Marissa just rolled her eyes, and rolled out the first piece of tape. She took a little too much pleasure in pressing it over Maddie’s mouth. She shared a smile with Cole, “I’ve wanted to do that for so long.”
“When you’re done, give me a hand,” he’d given up with the ropes for now, but with Marissa’s help I wouldn’t win. Where’d he put that knife? Unless he had three hands, he couldn’t have still been holding onto it.
Marissa got the tape around Maddie three times before I threw myself forward in my chair. Cole thought he had the upper hand by keeping his hold on my wrists. I was certain he thought differently when I pushed off the ground, sending myself backwards. My head collided with his chin and he let go of me.
My head ached, but I pushed myself up to my feet. I could run and leave Maddie, but I could only guess what they’d do to her before I could get any help. And I would die if anything happened to her. So, I did the next best thing: I attacked. I leapt at Cole, knocking him to the ground, wishing that the martial arts Blake promised to teach me were already in my skill set. Since they weren’t, I settled on just punching him with all my strength in the face. And yes, it was satisfying.
Or, it was until Marissa yanked me away by my hair only seconds later.
“You’re so stupid,” she threw me to the ground.
“I’m stupid?” I said, pushing myself up onto my feet. “You guys are starting a freaking war with the werewolves.”
She kicked me, the blow landing straight in my gut and winding me.
Maddie tried to shout through the tape, but failed miserably.
Marissa barely spared her a glance as she crouched down beside me, “As if this is about the werewolves. This is about us. And you. That’s all it was ever supposed to be. And that’s how it’s going to end.”
End? It sounded so… permanent. Just what were they planning?
“Me?” I gasped. I’d been in scraps before. Boys teasing me on the bus had experienced a solid punch in the nose. With Cole, Evan had always been around, and I hadn’t dared to taint the image of me he had. You hear about girls fighting dirty, but you never really expect the things they throw at you. Hair pulling was one; kicking a girl while she was down was another.
I stayed down, taking a moment to catch my breath as Cole pushed himself back to his feet.
“That’s the thing I don’t understand,” I finally got the words out. “What have I ever done to you guys? I’ve only ever retaliated to you guys –you always delivered the first blow.”
“It’s not about what you’ve done,” Cole said, his grip even rougher as he jerked me up to my feet and back into the chair. He picked the knife up off of Harry’s desk, gripping it tightly as Marissa began to tape me to my chair. “It’s about your potential. We of the Fox Clan think about the future in long term. We think about the greater good of all supernaturals. And you? Who doesn’t fit in with supernaturals or humans? Well… as of Wednesday night, I’ve decided that the world would benefit greatly if you weren’t in that future.”
Marissa just nodded along as he spoke while she fixed me to the chair. After she’d wrapped the duct tape around me several times, Cole set the knife back down again and moved to Marissa’s bag. He pulled out a blue tarp. I watched with narrowed eyes as he moved to the center of the room and began to lay it out.
“I’m human,” I said slowly. “Blake would have told me if I wasn’t.”
“Unless he didn’t know,” the corner of Marissa’s mouth twitched. “We might not get the super senses, but we understand how Were-creatures’ senses work. Spell-casters cast spells to discern one supernatural from the next and Were-creatures can sniff them out. And to a young, naïve werewolf like Blake, I can see how your unfamiliar scent could drive him to think that you’re his mate.”
“I am his mate,” I growled, trying to lean forward against the tape. It did its job and held me back.
“Yeah, yeah,” Cole muttered, going to Maddie and lifting her and her chair up, moving it onto the tarp. She kicked her legs, but that did little when he held the chair from the side. I would have been surprised he was able to do it at all if I hadn’t gotten a personal demonstration of his strength only days earlier. I’d never seen Cole lift anything more than his phone to his ear. He set her down roughly before turning back to me. “If you haven’t already guessed, this will get… out of hand. Lucky for Harry, I like him enough to make sure he won’t walk into a mess on Monday.”
Marissa stretched out the tape, bringing it to her mouth instead of kneeling down to tear it. Good call on her part. My head might have been aching between head-butting Cole and Marissa pulling my hair, but I’d do it again if it meant getting her good.
She pressed the torn end of the tape down hard against my shoulder, then glanced at her watch. “Twenty-three minutes.”
“And already you’ve wasted seven minutes,” Cole tsked his tongue as he grabbed my chair. I didn’t bother fighting against it. Seeing how useless it had been when Maddie did it, I figured I’d rather save my strength for when I needed it.
Twenty-three minutes. Until what? Is that when they expected someone to arrive to save the day? Could I stall that long? The longest I’d ever stalled anyone was ten minutes. And that was to keep Maddie from entering her own house on her birthday while her parents threw the finishing touches together. And she’d entered while they were putting the candles on the cake.
Stalling wasn’t my forte.
But that wasn’t a life or death situation. This was. Clearly they liked to talk; therefore, I’d make them talk.
“So what are you planning to do?” I asked. “Kill me? Kill us?”
He set me down and crouched between Maddie and I, “Well, you tell me. This could all stop right now.”
“How?” I asked.
“The entire reason we’re doing this is to see how dangerous your powers are. So, that said, a demonstration may suffice.”
“Which, in turn, will ruin my night,” Marissa said as she picked up the knife, using it to clean under her nails.
“What if I don’t have any powers?” I argued. “I don’t even know what kind of supernatural you think I am.”
“You, my frenzied foe, are an Angel of the Moon,” he leaned in close, his breath hot on my ear as he twirled my hair around his finger. I turned my head away.
“And that’s, like, what? A character in a fairy-tale?” I watched him from the corner of my eye as he pulled back. “I still don’t know what you expect from me? Do I sprout wings? Do I shape-shift? Can I spew fire from my mouth?” Because, in all honesty, that’d be handy right now. “What if I genuinely don’t have any powers?”
“If we knew, that would’ve saved us three years of work,” Marissa let out a heavy sigh. As if this was tedious work.
“If you don’t have any powers, you’re useless. If you have strong powers, you’re dangerous. Either way, the world won’t miss you when you’re gone,” he pushed himself back onto his feet. “So think. What do you think an Angel of the Moon should be able to do?”
Basically, I was damned either way.
“Other than summoning a higher power to strike you both where you stand?” I asked through gritted teeth.
“If you’ve had that up your sleeve, you would have brought it out a long time ago,” Marissa said.
Oh, if only she knew.
“Start thinking –or else we start cutting,” Cole took the knife from Marissa. Maddie stomped her feet, her eyes narrow as she tried to shout at him to no avail. “We’ll start lightly, of course, but keep in mind that the final cuts will be across your throats. Time?”
“Twenty minutes.”
“Perfect. Ten cuts each. We’ll start with Maddie.”
Chapter 36: Blake
“An Angel of the Moon?” I glanced over at Philip who sat in the front seat. He had complained about leaving his car behi
nd, so Jason drove it, following close behind us. Even if we lost him, he knew where we were going. “And you expect me to believe that?”
“You don’t think she’s an Angel?” Philip went for a humorous approach, but sighed when he didn’t get a laugh. “Honestly, your guess is as good as mine. That’s why we’re here, remember? We were supposed to observe her and see if she was a threat or not. If she was, well, the Clan would take preventative measures.”
“They’d kill her.”
“Let’s focus on the matter at hand, shall we? They won’t even have a chance if Cole and Marissa really did set all this up,” he said, voicing my fears.
“Here,” I dug into my pocket and pulled out my phone. “Call Dante.”
Philip swiped his finger across the screen to unlock it, going into my contacts. “You only have… twenty contacts?”
“Just call Dante,” I replied, rolling my eyes. All I needed on my personal phone were my Pack brothers and, of course, Evelyn.
“Am I supposed to talk to him, or –?”
I grabbed the phone back when I heard it ringing, holding it to my ear and focusing on the road in front of me. The thing I had to be the most grateful for in that moment was the fact that it wasn’t rush hour.
“Hey,” Dante greeted. “Is your meeting with the fox over with al—?”
“Get to Evelyn’s work,” I cut him off.
“What’s going on?” he asked. In the background I could hear him moving. I glanced at the time. Seven fifteen.
“Evelyn’s in danger. We’re still twenty minutes away.” Fifteen if I drove even faster. But then the risk of being pulled over was greater, and that would only lengthen the time. Another glance at the clock. Seven sixteen. Screw it –I’d see the cop before they saw me anyway.
“But we live twenty minutes out of town,” Dante said.
“Drive fast.”
Chapter 37: Evelyn
“Stop! Just stop!”
