As I draw closer I see that I am high above a big chamber, it looked like a training room with weapons lining the walls and gym mats on the floor. The demons filtered in from some unseen entrance, followed by Warren.
“We cannot let her escape, she is mine. When you find her you will bring her to me alive. I will deal with her punishment.” I watch as he paces backwards and forwards. Complete and utter fury marring his features. His walk a little strained from his earlier injury.
“How did you let her escape in the first place?”
I didn’t see what happened next only heard, my imagination did the rest.
There was a strangled gargle then Warren said in a low threatening voice. “How she escaped is none of your business, what should concern you is how you will get her back.” There was a pause and then a horrible ripping sound, then a body slumped into my line of vision blood poring from the hole where the head used to be.
He’d just ripped a demons head off for being cheeky, what did that mean he was going to do to me if he caught me after kicking him in his manhood?
“I want ideas not stupid questions. If she makes it past the entrance, send The Fallen after her. But go with them and make sure they don’t rip her to pieces, she’s more valuable to me alive for the moment.” This was from Scar Face.
Another voice says “We already have men on her apartment building, if she gets that far we’ll just drag her straight back to you my Lord.”
Now I know why Joan was worried that someone was watching the place, I mentally kick myself. I should have looked into it myself. Why where they watching me, unless they knew I was looking into Brook’s missing person’s case? I still felt like I was missing something.
“Excellent, she won’t even realise we know who she is and will walk straight into our trap. Update the twins they are going to need to know what’s happening.”
Who the Hell where the twins?
I need to get out of here. They might want me alive but both Warren and Scar Face enjoyed pain and torture and I dread to think what they’d do to me if they got me back. I crawled quickly past and onwards into the dark depths.
The tunnel was long and it felt like I’d been crawling for ages, the muscles in my legs cramped from the position I was in and my knees practically creaked. The cuts I’d recently received opened up and I felt the warm blood trickling down my arms and legs.
I felt like I needed to stretch but I knew I couldn’t, the small tunnel enclosed around me. I knew the moment I started to panic, I no longer crawled but was still, my body frozen, my mind reeling. Would I ever get out? Would anyone find me? My breathing sped up and I clamped my eyes shut. No mater what I needed to keep on going, even though I knew the tunnel wasn’t big enough for me to turn around in. I comforted myself thinking I could just crawl backwards until I got back out. Breathe in and out and then move forward.
With my eyes shut tight I spurred myself onwards until I felt the tunnel change from solid rock to earth lined walls. I opened my eyes and saw little grains of light filtering into the tunnel, my heart beat a little faster as hope flared, was this finally the end of the tunnel? Even if I got out they knew my identity, I needed a plan of action but first I needed to get well out of reach.
Nearing the lights I see that it is an opening covered in twisted vines with sunlight filtering through the small gaps, carefully I peer through the vines. Knowing my recent luck I’d be coming out straight into the latest Demon convention.
At first glance the coast was clear so I pull the vines away completely, I look out onto the forest floor there was a slight drop from where I was but the vines ran to the bottom, thankfully I could see no one about. I grab the vines and climb down as quickly as I can.
My legs protest from the change in position and I almost lose my grip. As I climb the cool damp cave air soon turns into a thick dense heat that feels like it clings to me, at that moment though it just feels so good to be in the out in the open.
I look around and the forest floor is littered with thick rotting roots winding in and out of the ground twisting around rocks and turning the barren floor into a maze. The trees stretch up to the sky their leaves forming a dark canopy against the burning sun.
When I reach the floor I hear the shrill and tortured screams of The Fallen. Suddenly they are rounding the corner, their fangs extended, claws outstretched reaching for me, tearing at my body. I break away from their grasp, not daring to look around as I sprint off into the dark forest and away from the mountains. The sound of their tormented screams growing quieter the more distance I put between them and me.
Chapter Eleven
I was running as fast as I could through the forest, The Fallen were now hot on my heels, they were closing in on me as I grew tired. Dodging the rocks and roots that littered the forest floor, I slipped on a damp mossy incline then scrambled back up but I still kept running. My muscles burn and bones ache from exhaustion, I had to slow, glancing behind me I could see the thick dense trees close the trail but I knew the rabid Fallen were in there somewhere following me, stalking me.
If I wanted to help Brook I needed to get out of here, I would come back with Bryn and Bronwyn, and sneak back the way I had come out or maybe find another less torturous way back in, hopefully finding either Brook herself or some clue as to what they had done with her. There was no doubt in my mind that they had taken her.
I stumble again whilst climbing over a big root. I stop and lean against the tree for a moment catching my breath.
The pain in my legs is now unbearable but I know I must keep going, edging around the tree I hear a twig crack to my side. Spinning around to see what’s there I feel a hand clamp over my mouth then my body is dragged against its owner.
As I struggle against my captor the heat and exhaustion finally claims me and I succumb to darkness.
Cool water, I could feel cool water, it felt like bliss in the thick sticky heat as it dripped slowly onto my lips. I could hear things, footsteps and voices. Realisation hit and I fought to open my eyes, when I would like nothing better than to go to sleep for a few hundred years.
Opening my eyes I see the Hulk bent over me, the forest canopy stretching high above him. He had to be a Lazarus, he had a strong square jaw that was covered in dark stubble just long enough to have been more than a few days growth and his hair was black, the length brushing his shoulders gave him an almost barbaric warrior like look, rugged. His dark Blue eyes that were almost black bore into me as I gained composure. I quickly look at him and see that he was bigger than I remembered even crouched down next to me. I had never seen a Lazarus this ripped before, they where usually tall lean and sinewy but there was no other explanation he’d been dogging my steps through the entire investigation.
He opened his mouth to speak but before he even forms a word I push against his chest, instantly knocking him off balance, I roll away from him and get to my feet in one fluid movement. The bigger they are the harder they fall.
While the big guy gets to his feet, I look around at my options. Great, I was surrounded by four of them. The Hulk looked extremely pissed off. The others were large but nowhere near as big as the Hulk. Could I take them? I’d been in worse situations than this. Hey they might not even be a threat but I wasn’t going back without a fight.
“Was there any need to do that you stupid wench, I was trying to help you.” The Hulk exclaims as he gets to his feet. His voice that deep gravely rumble, that admittedly made me tingle.
“How in the hell am I meant to know that,” I say pointing at the Hulk “you or one of you” pointing at the other three “grabbed me whilst I was running away from those wretched creatures.” Grabbing the nearest weapon I could find, a dead branch, I brandish it like a sword at the four men now closing in on me. “For all I know you’re in league with them.”
The Hulk eyes me with amusement. “You’re either real brave honey, or real stupid.”
I ignore the Hulks words and thrust my branch in the direction of
the oncoming blonde. “Look lady I suggest you put that thing down, you’re hardly in a position to win against the four of us.” He declares reaching out to me and getting too close for comfort.
“You stupid boy, take one step further and ill have this wood shoved so far up your ass you’ll be coughing up sawdust for months.” The stupid idiot kept coming at me.
The one with the short black army cut hair starts sniggering. “Yeah boy! Why don’t you just make matters worse?” Was he honestly amused or just covering?
With my attention on the blonde and the guy with the short dark hair I didn’t see the other guy come up behind me. He grabs me by the waist holding me still whilst the Hulk takes the branch from my hands and throws it to the floor a few feet away smashing its brittle wood into pieces.
The Hulk grabs my arms and holds them still. He looks me in the eye. “Enough!” He says the words with so much command that I feel I need to obey him. “We are trying to help you, even though you have repeatedly told me you can take care of yourself.” He took a breath. “We’re not in league with those vile creatures as you put it. We were hunting them when we stumbled across you, covered in blood and dirt.” Letting go of my arms, he takes a few steps back. “Now I’m going to tell Steve to release you if you promise not to try to harm us again.” He says the words really slow and punctuated like he was speaking to a five year old.
“I am not some stupid little girl and I don’t need to be treated as one, so stop talking to me like I’m an idiot and put me down right now.”
By this point dark hair was bent over howling with laughter, he receives a look from the Hulk. “It’s just so funny.” He says between fits of laughter. “I’ve never seen anything like it; she is the first person I’ve ever seen stand up to you like this and you’ve got to admit its funny. She looks so innocent.” Innocent? I’d give him innocent in a minute.
“I really don’t care if you think I’m funny for trying to protect myself against a bunch of brutes. I just want to get the hell out of here. Now who the hell are you, if you’re not in league with them, I need to know?”
The Hulk turns his attention back to me as Steve releases my waist. “Demanding little wench aren’t you? We are The Pack, does that answer your question or do you want name, rank and number to go with it?”
“That’s what you say you need to prove it.” Before the words had even come out of my mouth the blonde starts to shift into a magnificent golden Bear, then as quickly as he changes he shifts back.
Something clicks into place as I remember a snippet of conversation from back at the caves.
Take the Lycan into the holding area, perhaps his rotting corpse will persuade the Bear and the Puma’s to change back.
If they are Pack then they could help me, I knew where their Pack mates were and they were a race that didn’t run under Guild law.
I smile and say. “Now I know what you are you can help me get out of here. I have information I’m sure you could use.”
“We figured that or we would have left you to them.” Hell, the Hulk was irritating me but at the end of the day I had a better chance of convincing them than I did of convincing The Guild to help me.
“Boy’s I’ll answer your questions if you answer mine.” Suddenly the forest was filled with screams again. “First though we all get the hell out here.”
All agreeing we headed out to the edge of the forest. Walking as quickly as my exhausted legs could carry me. I ask Mr Funny. “What are your names then? If were going to help each other out it would be nice to know who you all are. I’m Scarlet Dawson” I hold out my hand and he shakes it.
“I’m Roan, it’s a pleasure to meet you. This guy here is Steve, but you already figured that out.” All of them were fairly tall and well muscled but each in a different way. It probably had something to do with their Lycan forms. “The Stupid Boy with the blonde hair is Cain and last but certainly not least is his royal highness himself Bastian, Beast Master.”
“The Beast Master!" I choked, Shit! It seemed I was walking into a lot of bad situations lately. I’d heard of The Beast Master, he was praised by The Pack as an excellent leader, but everyone else was terrified of him. He let no one hurt his people without retribution. I also knew some of The Pack having had a few clients come my way when they felt they couldn’t approach the Beast Master for help. It would be detrimental to my health if he found out that I’d been helping his people without his express permission. We already had a hate hate relationship going.
There were certain rules The Pack had to uphold and gaining The Pack Leaders permission for almost everything was one of them. Of course this Pack Leader didn’t just run the Port Vale Pack but was the King. Every Lycan in the World answered to him.
Not only was he King but he is also the most powerful natural born Lycan in existence right now, Pack law means that only the strongest survive. The Beast Master was said to be the only Lycan in history to master all animal forms which is why he gained the name Beast Master and rumour has it in the entire time he has ruled not one person has challenged him. This guy was beyond scary and I’d been shouting at him and threatening him.
“Most people who aren’t Pack have heard of him and fear him but his barks worse than his bite, nope I’m kidding they’re both bad trust me I know. You don’t want to mess with him he’s got a very short fuse. Oh I forgot you’ve already had a sword pointed at his gut. It’s a good job you’re pretty valuable” Bastian shoots him a look of annoyance.
“Valuable?” Hmm this could definitely work out in my favour, it all depends on what they think I know and how it could benefit them and me. I’ll keep what I know to myself until they get me out of here.
“You two keep up, I’ve got questions I need answering and the sooner we get out of here the better.” Bastian growls at us both and hurries along even quicker.
“I am injured you know.” I shout at him.
He turns around to stand in my path. “I can always carry you back to the truck.”
Not happening. I push past him and carry on walking as fast as my little legs can carry me.
Eventually we reach a small clearing in the woods where a huge off road truck was parked. Nearing it I see that it’s parked on an old dirt road.
“We should be alright here for a while there haven’t been any reports of Fallen activity this far away from the mountains.” Bastian says opening the boot and pulling out a first aid kit. Then he turns to me. “Sit, let’s see what we can do with those cuts.”
I bit back a yes sir and sat on the edge of the open boot. Peeling off the tattered shirt, I reveal all the wounds they hadn’t seen yet, from the torturous session I had endured what I assume was yesterday.
Bastian looks shocked at the amount of bruises and bloody cuts that mar my skin. He recovers quickly hiding his expression behind a glacial mask. “So I heard you tell Roan your name was Scarlet Dawson. What are you doing in the woods again, I know you went up a few weeks ago?”
“I haven’t been back they got me a few hours after I decided not to run you through with my sword. I’ve been gone weeks?” I wince as he applies an ointment to an open wound between my neck and top of my left breast, I’d normally have been bothered by any attentions to that area, but strangely it wasn’t bothering me. “Why do you think I have answers for you?”
“A few of my Guardians have gone missing, we suspect it is The Fallen. Since you seem to be lingering about the same places we are, I’m guessing you know something about it and I will get the answers you have by any means necessary.”
The Guardians were a group of warriors that protected The Pack and policed their people. Wait a minute, what did he mean by any means necessary? Have I just landed myself in another hostage situation?
Steve comes around to us from the front of the vehicle. “He doesn’t mean that.” Bastian casts him a look that says otherwise. “Aren’t you that Investigator that lives on the edge of town near The Manor Hotel?” The Manor Hotel was the heart of Pack T
erritory. And my close proximity to it was why I’d had a few Pack clients.
“Busted, how did you know that?” I ask cocking my head to one side so that Bastian could get to the big gash on my neck. Who would have figured the Beast Master to be a good nurse?
“My sister hired you to locate her Husband, against Bastian’s wishes I might add. He’d gone to Faerie on business and hadn’t come back when he should have. You found him, his business had got him killed.” He responded, looking at Bastian.
“So you’re the Investigator my people are going to when they think I won’t help them. Don’t look so shocked I’ve known all along what they were doing, I wouldn’t be a very good leader if I didn’t know. I thought you were a man though.” A man! The insufferable ass applied more ointment to the wound on my neck and asks “Do you have any more bad cuts other than your wrists?”
“Y’all may be good looking but there’s no way I’m getting caught out here with my trousers down and my top off. I’ll take care of the rest of my cuts when we get away from here.” Bastian shakes his head and Roan walks around from the front of the vehicle.
“I like this one, she’s funny and she thinks we’re good looking that’s always a bonus.” Winking he hands me two bandages. “They’re for the wrists.”
He walks back around to the front leaving us almost alone again. Bastian puts away the ointment and dirty cotton he’d been using, while I unravel a bandage and try to put it on my own wrists. I try to work out the intricacies of wrapping the bandage around my wrist one handed but before I can completely unravel it he snatches it from my hand and gives me another look. As he winds the fabric around my wrist he watches me intently. The look on his face completely unreadable so I stare straight back. Once he finishes, he stands up and I follow suit.
“So you won’t give me the answers that I need until you get what you want in return?” I nod and he carries on as he walks around and gets in the back of the Truck. I slide in by his side. “How about I hire you then you can give me what I need for money.”
Hunted (Scarlet Dawson Book 1) Page 7
