Nature of the Beast

by Girl, Breukelen

  “And we all thought your sister was tough. Shit I’m glad you’re not an alpha.” He muttered with a chuckle. “I apologise if it seems like I’ve treated you with kiddie gloves on or something.”

  “Well you know, except for that uh, one time.” Bg smirked slipping in a joke, feeling a tiny bit happier.

  “Well yeah, that was something wasn’t it?” He commented softly down the line at her. “Well since that night, when everything kind of just went…topsy turvey up side down, Conall Wakely has been MIA. Nobody in Brooklyn has seen him or the one of the cars, that ambushed us at Industrial City park. A suv that I saw there. Did I explain this to you already? Cause you were out of it and I’m kind of running on adrenaline here, and not much sleep. Not sure how much of this is making sense.”

  “It got explained to me in detail, about Conall…”

  “So no one can find him,” Booker went on. “He was there at that attack and then, nothing. We sent out a retrieval crew to round up the free roamers and they couldn’t locate him, they did a sweep of surrounding areas too, and got nothing.” Bg decided to listen to him explain it to her. She was tired too. What else was there to do but listen to things unravel anyway.

  “He hasn’t been back to his place, none of his regular lunar week haunts, his friends haven’t seen hide nor hair of him. So initially I figured, he’d probably gone after you again. So we should try to find him that way and anyway, to cut a boring story short, we asked a friend of Nick’s in the New York Police Department to do a search for any unreported, or stolen Brooklyn plated suv’s. We got a hit with a name and licence. So then using up all his favours, Nick asked the officer to see if any suv’s matching our one, turned up in Manhattan.”

  Bg nodded her head. “You found it didn’t you?”

  “Yeah, the address the officer gave us, is the same address we took you to that night you had that shift attack happen to you.”

  “Damon the lycan’s place.” Bg said piecing it all together.

  “Right, wait, how do you know about Damon the lycan?”

  “Paris told me. So what’s the address?” She asked him curiously.

  “Oh don’t worry about it, Bodil and I are on our way there now. Conall’s not the type of werewolf who just takes off and abandons all he knows about Pack life. I think that sometime during the fight, or just after, that.”

  “Paris and Addison grabbed him and brought him over to Manhattan.” Bg finished for him unable to hold on to the information any longer. “What was the address again?” She asked quickly as he blurted out something about the roller door and the address and then stopped.

  “Yeah, how did you...”

  “Short version of the story is, I just found out about it from Paris directly. His warped sense of justice for me or something, can you believe it?” She blurted out angrily.

  “Bg I don’t think you should go there. Or go near Paris, if he’s capable of this, well. I hate to say, I just don’t think it’s that safe right now.” Booker said quickly.

  “Don’t you worry about me and Paris, we’re done. I’ll meet you at the address, my cab hasn’t gone that from there.” Bg replied lying as she signalled to the taxi cab driver to pull over to the side of the road.

  “Bg I don’t think, you should do that. It’s really not safe, Bodil and I are already going to be stepping on a lot of Manhattan Maen toes as it and we don’t exactly want to give them a heads up that we’re dropping in on them.”

  “So this is a surprise, what…kind of reverse kidnap, rescue mission?” She asked curiously.

  “Let’s just call it, a lifeline. If we get Conall Wakely, he gets to live and be held accountable for all his actions over this lunar week.”

  “Right, so no problem, I’ll just kind of wait nearby and then I’ll just grab a ride home with you guys. See ya!” She said quickly disconnecting the call and turning off her telephone.

  The cabbie looked at her. “Change of plans, I need you to take me into SoHo.” She said as the Cabbie turned the taxicab around again, driving back into Manhattan. “There’s some business I’ve got to take care of before I leave.”

  21

  Bg had the taxi driver drop her a block from the address, so she could walk down. She didn’t want to draw attention to anyone who might be around near Damon’s residence.

  Bg looked up at the street sign and noted the alleyway Booker had mentioned to her, she walked down it slowly, looking around her surroundings. One side was all brick wall, the back part of some building, the other side, had a warehouse like entrance, down towards the back of the alleyway, with a roller door entrance. Bg, noted the four-wheel drive parked at the end of the alleyway and walked over to it. She looked inside and then walked back over to the roller door lifting it up quickly and ducking under.

  Pulling it back down, Bg straightened up and stood momentarily still as her eyes quickly adjusted to the dim lighting inside. She glanced around the room. It was large and sparse with not much in it, a chair, a mattress on the floor and Conall Wakely strung up from the overhead rafter beams, in chunky silver chains. He was in only jeans and his head was bowed down. She could not see his face. But she knew his body, and knew it was Conall they had held prisoner there in the Lycan’s loft.

  “Bg, what are you doing here?” Addison said out from the open plan kitchen area, liking nothing was amiss.

  Bg remembered to smile, make everything seem natural. Werewolves could sense feelings if you lied, badly. And the sight of Conall Wakely dragged up in silver, made her a little bit sick in her mouth but she ignored the sensation.

  Bg looked back at Addison and smiled at him, reaching into her handbag. “Paris had to run some errands, so I said I’d come down here in person and drop off your phone. You know, the one you left at my house two nights ago when I scared the crap out of you. Little old me, scaring big old you.” She joked walking towards the area Conall was in.

  “Thanks for that. And by the way, when you’re she-wolf is out, she ain’t so little or so timid. You were trying to rip my throat out.” Addison replied

  “Oh you big baby.” Bg teased him slowly walking closer. Bg said tossing a cellular phone at him. “Anyone would think you’d never seen fangs before or had a rough and tussle with a werewolf. They must breed them soft over this side of the river.”

  “Oh thank dieu for that! You wouldn’t believe how attached you get to these things when you don’t have them anymore.” Addison replied reaching out and catching the phone and switching it on. Bg walked over to where they had Conall strung up.

  “Oh hey, I wouldn’t get too close to him.”

  “Why? He looks harmless enough now.” Bg said coldly, noting the black bruising on Conall’s abdomen and arms. If he’d been wrapped up in silver for the duration of lunar time, it would mean he’d be unable to shift. He’d have experienced something similar to what she must have gone through. Only not nearly as natural in circumstance.

  It looked like he’d been kicked and punched from the inside out. Like his wolf had literally tried to physically get out of his body. That alone would be torture in itself. Bg didn’t know that she felt entirely all that sorry for him, if that was what he’d gone through. It might give him an indicator of what she’d felt when he’d laid into her with his fists.

  Conall’s arms were stretched out to either side of him, wrapped in the silver chains, and his feet dangled, just touching the ground, so he was strained constantly, on his toes. His whole body was taunt from being strung up like meat. She noted his breathing was shallow as Conall tried to lift his head, upon hearing her voice. There was another thick silver chain, looped a few times around his neck that prevented any strength he might have otherwise had, from lifting his head to see her.

  “Not so tough now are you?” Bg commented softly lifting Conall’s head by his hair, tightly before dropping it again. Her heart pounded wildly, it was okay she thought, Addison would put it down to a nervous energy of being so close to her abuser again. Bg thought
she smelt something like aniseed around Conall. After a full moon night of being in chains and with so much pure silver touching his skin, it would be a wonder, that if it wasn’t slowly burning into his body like a slow form of acid, eating him up.

  “Did you keep him like this last night?”

  “Yep, ever since we grabbed the sucker from the ambush and Paris forced him out of his shape shift and brought him back here. He’s been in those things. Serves him right really. He had it coming what with what he did to you, and then causing Kingsley’s death.”

  “So he hasn’t been able to shift?” Bg asked Addison curiously, her eyes darting about over the silver chains rigging system. Noting how it tied Conall up.

  “Nope.” Addison replied with a care.

  “You could’ve killed him.” Bg said as Addison started flicking through the icons on the phone in his hand and frowned. Bg moved to the nearby table beside Conall and slipped on the black gloves on the table.

  “Hey, this isn’t my phone.” Addison, replied looking up, to see Bg with her hands on the one part of the silver chain, pullie system.

  “I know.” She replied looking at Addison. Silver would burn, but not too badly if she was quick about it.

  He looked up at her, surprise showing on his face as he shouted “Don’t” as Bg yanked down hard on the silver chain.

  “It’s mine.” She said seriously. The chains rattled loudly and moved across the beam, falling through to the ground, and weighing Conall Wakely down with it. His tired, body collapsed to the ground, in a heap, amongst the chains, he was hopeless to remove from himself.

  “What are you doing?” Addison yelled at her starting to move towards her. Bg held up part of one of the silver chains.

  “Don’t come any closer or so help me or, I will whip you with this thing.” She replied angrily. Addison automatically took two steps backwards, putting his hands up in a sign of surrender.

  “Get up Breukelen! Get up now! No one else is coming for you!” Bg yelled loudly at Conall in dutch as she unhooked one the chains from his arm, quickly.

  “What are you doing Bg?” Addison asked wearily as she looked over at him.

  “Give me my phone back and the keys to the suv outside.” She replied definitely.

  “Paris is going to be pissed, man.”

  “Phone, keys, now!” She roared at him loudly. “Or I will give you a taste of silver.” She said looking at Addison as she worked on untangling the chain from Conall’s arms. Addison tossed the phone at her and she caught in on hand followed by the keys in the same hand.

  She helped pull Conall to his feet, lifting him by the arm as she left the silver chain wrapped around his neck that appeared to be padlocked at the back on. There wasn’t enough time to figure out how to get it off him. Conall struggled to push up to his feet, but he did so and he staggered, guided by Bg, towards the roller door entrance.

  “Bg you’re making a big mistake here. He’s got to pay for all he’s done.” Addison said, watching her retreat to the front of the room. Bg kicked up the roller door before pulling it up suddenly.

  “And he will. I’m going to make very sure of it.” She replied staring Addison down as they backed out into the alleyway and she moved fast, literally dragging Conall on his feet, to the Suv. Pulling open the door, she shoved as he climbed in, to the vehicle, before slamming the door and racing around to the driver side. Bg started up the car and reversed down the alleyway, hastily.

  Addison stood just outside the roller door, shaking his head, looking at her, as she backed out on to the street, almost hitting a signpost. Bg sped off, not looking behind her in the rear vision mirror, till she the cityscape in the background. She looked over at Conall, slumped, awkwardly between the seat the floor of the car.

  He was moving his lips, his eyes fluttering open and rolling upwards as he tried to look at her. “Thank…you.” He gasped.

  Bg frowned at him and kept looking at the road ahead as she pressed her foot down. “Really don’t. I’m not done with you yet.”

  22

  “You and me, are gonna have words, later.” Paris growled at Addison up in his face. Disappointment didn’t even begin to cover the amount of trouble he was now in for failing to secure their prisoner.

  “She was your girlfriend man, what was I supposed to do? Chain her up too?” He fired back at Paris who moved away and was pacing around in a circle.

  “You could have moved her on, gotten her out of here. Not! Given her the opportunity to free the loup-garou responsible for Kingsley’s death!” Paris yelled back at him angrily as Booker and Bodil appeared, walking into the warehouse room. “Now’s not a good time.” Paris replied barely looking at them.

  “We know. We didn’t come here to party, we came for Conall.” Bodil said in all honesty.

  “And we’re not leaving without him.” Booker stated looking dead serious at his old friend.

  Paris turned to face them fully, his fight with Addison forgotten as Addison fell into line beside him, staring down their neighboring werewolves also. “You think, I’m just going to let you walk into my territory and take, my prisoner from under my nose. That I would ever find that acceptable, because I’m dating one of your own?” He asked curiously.

  “No, I don’t expect you to let us.” Bodil replied. “I expect you to fight us.” She replied solemnly. Paris’s mouth twitched up into a smile at the corner. “Werewolves do not share nicely with others.”

  “I noticed that.” Paris replied back at them.

  “You do realize this is a clear cut defiant act of aggression against the Manhattan Maen?” He went on.

  “You do realize,” Bodil countered back. “That I don’t care for politics. Give us Conall Wakely and I’ll make sure no Manhattan Maen suffer.”

  Paris chuckled back at her. “You seriously have a set of brass ones on you girl. But I think you’re sister’s got you beat.”

  Bodil frowned hard and Booker let out a low menacing growl as he started to rock on his feet. “Leave my sister out of this, or all deals put on the table are off.”

  It was Paris who started to growl through his teeth back at their unexpected and intrusive visitors. “I, unlike that Irish loup-garou piece of Breukelen shit, would never harm your sister!” He yelled back at her. Booker stepped forward and Bodil put out a hand, stopping him. He glanced at her and stepped back.

  “We don’t have him.” Addison piped up finally. “So no harm, no foul.”

  Bodil looked from Paris’s angry face to Addison’s nonchalant one. “What do you mean, you don’t have him? We have it on good authority that you do.” Booker replied.

  “He was here though.” Bodil said pointing to the pile of silver chains further away from them on the floor. She lifted her nose and smelt the air towards the chains direction.

  “It’s like licorice or something.”

  “A common enough smell, when pure silver burns into werewolf flesh.” Booker replied for her.

  “Okay, maybe a little foul,” Addison commented. “Still doesn’t change the fact, that he isn’t here. We do not have your so called, prisoner.”

  “Addison,” Paris said turning his head to his lieutenant.

  “Yes.”

  “Shut up!” Paris yelled at him.

  “Where’d you move him to?” Bodil asked.

  “We didn’t. It would appear, your sister Bg kidnapped him from our custody.” Paris replied smartly watching the surprise flicker across Bodil Sommers face.

  “She did what?”

  “She single handedly, came in here and freed Conall Wakely from our custody. We don’t know where she is now.” Paris repeated as he turned to look at Addison. “As I only just learnt of this news myself.”

  “Damn it.” Bodil swore softly before looking over at Paris. “This is on you, if anything happens to her because of him, I will hunt you down, kill you and bathe in the blood of your death…” She nodded to Booker and they turned to leave.

  “Wait!” Paris cal
led out to them quickly.

  “We’ll come too and help.”

  “Don’t you think you’ve done enough already?” Booker fired back at him as Bodil and he walked back over to the roller door ducking underneath it again. Paris and Addison followed closely behind them. Bodil looked back over her shoulder at them as they all reached the alleyway.

  “Let’s get this straight, right now, so there are no clashes of egos on this mission.” She replied turning to face Paris and Addison. “This goes down in your territory, it’s your call. This goes down in Breukelen territory, it’s my call. Are we agreed?”

  “Agreed.” Both males answered her.

  “How long ago did she grab him?” Bodil asked nodding her head at Addison.

  “She’s got a good ten minute head start on us.” He replied, looking from Bodil to Paris. “And I don’t think she means to set him free.” Addison said as all eyes turned on him.

  “Why do you say that?” Bodil asked him, a slight panic lacing her voice.

  “When she was unlocking him from his binds, she was yelling at him, angrily in your language. It wasn’t like she was fawning all over him when she got him out of here. She was just getting him out of here.” Addison said looking at everyone.

  Bodil shook her head and stared hard at Paris. “You have so much to answer for, but now is not the time. I want my sister back.” She said seething with anger. “If you love her as much as I think you do, then you will make sure she does not cross that boundary and that she comes back to me, unharmed as my sister.” Bodil said directly to Paris, ignoring the other two men. “She cannot be like you and I.”

  Paris nodded his head and slapped a hand on Addison’s chest. “Bring the car round.” He looked back at Bodil as Addison jogged off down the lane way quickly. “I don’t want to lose her either.”

  “Good.” Bodil replied turning around as Booker and her walked back up to their vehicle. “It means you’re committed to the cause now.”

  Addison pulled up quickly in Paris’s Porsche and hopped out of the driver side, as Paris walked around to it. “Where do you think she’d take him?” Paris asked walking past Bodil.