by Neva Bell
I give Sherman a hug. “Thank you so much. I feel a lot better now.”
He pats my back. “That’s what I’m here for.”
I walk out into the common area of the Guard’s operations center, but Whitney and James are gone.
“Where is everyone?” I ask Frank.
“They went up to bed.”
“Oh,” I say disappointed.
I guess my talk with James will have to wait until tomorrow.
“What happened tonight?” Frank asks.
“I didn’t mean to, but I froze the entire club. It drained my energy.”
His mouth drops open. “The entire club? For how long?”
I shake my head. “I don’t know. I didn’t realize I was doing it.”
Frank smirks. “Too busy swapping spit with wolf boy, huh?
I slap his arm. “Don’t be gross!”
“It’s about time you guys hooked up.”
“What are you talking about?”
He rolls his eyes. “C’mon Chloe. I may be a highly trained assassin, but I know sexual tension when I see it.”
“Frank, have you been reading Fifty Shades of Grey again?”
He laughs. “Go upstairs. Get some rest.”
I step into the elevator and turn to see Frank making kissy faces at me. I flip him off as the doors close.
Chapter Fifteen
I’m back in the club with James. Our bodies entwined, both feverish with desire. James is about to whisper something when a shrill ringing noise plays over the speakers. It’s so loud, I cover my ears.
“What is that?!” I scream over the music.
Then I wake up. The loud ringing noise in my dream is my bedside phone. I roll over and look at the clock. 5:30 a.m.
What the hell?
“Hello?” I croak.
“Ms. Chloe, a werewolf is approaching your room.”
I sit up, my heart pounding. “Who is it?”
“James.”
I sigh. “Can you please stop calling me when he’s coming to see me? You scare the hell out of me.”
“Ms. Chloe, per Directive Number Five,” the voice starts.
I cut him off. “Yeah, yeah, yeah.”
“Do you need assistance?” the voice asks.
“No, I’m fine. But thank you.”
“Understood.”
I hang up the phone and yawn. What could James possibly want this early in the morning? A deep part of me, a part I’m trying to suppress, is hoping he’s coming to finish what we started in the club.
My bedroom door opens without a knock.
“Chloe?” James whispers into the room.
“I’m here. I’m awake.”
He shuts the door quietly. I can’t see him very well, so I turn on my bedside lamp. He’s still in the same clothes he wore to the club.
“What’s going on? Did something happen?” I throw back my covers and jump out of bed, ready to spring into action.
“Why did you do it?” he asks, his voice hoarse.
I stop short. “What?”
He steps closer. “Why did you bare your neck to me?”
I stammer. “I, I don’t know.”
“Was it to put on a show? To make us more believable?”
“James, what Whitney said in the car…”
“Yes, what my sister said in the car was very illuminating. And you didn’t dispute it, did you?”
I’m completely flustered. He’s upset and I don’t know how to handle it.
I stumble over my words. “I didn’t say anything in the car because I was sick. Plus, I felt like it was a conversation we should have in private. Just the two of us.”
“Tell me, do you understand what that ritual means to my pack?”
“I think so. Whitney told me about it.”
“Then why did you do it?”
I throw my hands up, frustrated. “We were in the club, and we were dancing. And it felt so good to kiss you. I got caught up in the moment.”
“Caught up in the moment?” he barks. “Caught up in the moment?” His eyes are wide and wild. “I should have known better. You are a silly, impulsive woman who acts without thinking.”
“What are you talking about? You’re not letting me explain.”
“Oh, you’ve said plenty.” James turns to walk out.
“Where are you going?” I implore him. “Let’s talk about this.”
“I’m done talking.”
He leaves me standing in my room, my arms hanging by my sides.
What just happened?
I replay the conversation in my mind. A silly, impulsive woman? Screw him! I flop down on my bed and crawl under the covers. I pull them all the way up to my chin. I lay there trying to figure out where this went off the rails.
I should have said something in the car, or at least gone to see him as soon as we got home. Instead, I let it fester and his anger grew. The lunatic had already convinced himself I was putting on a show. Anything I said, he twisted to fit that belief.
Why does he automatically assume I don’t really care? Does he think I’m the type of person who would play mind games? I thought he and I were getting to know each other pretty well. Between the training sessions, and our chats in the library, I thought he and I were on the same page last night at the club.
The only thing giving me a glimmer of hope is the thought that if he’s this upset, he must have feelings for me. Right?
I want to go see James right away and explain everything, but it’s probably best if I let him calm down. If I go now, the same scene may play out again.
I try to fall back to sleep, but there’s no way that’s going to happen. At 6:30 I give up on sleep and take a shower. Then I go down to the kitchen for a bowl of cereal and bring it back to my room.
I stare blankly at the TV, my mind somewhere else. By 8:30, I decide enough time has passed. I take the steps down to James’s floor, practicing what I want to say one last time. I open the door to the 13th floor and tiptoe down the hall.
James’s room is on the left-hand side, the door closest to Whitney’s room. As I approach the door, I hear two male voices. The door is open just enough for me to hear their conversation. I can tell right away it’s James and Ivan.
“You need to apologize to her,” Ivan says.
“No I don’t,” James protests. “She is in the wrong here.”
“You’re being ridiculous. Don’t throw all of this away because your feelings are hurt.”
“It’s more than my feelings. What she did was disrespectful.”
“Do you know what a union with her could mean for us?” Ivan asks in an angry tone.
“Yes, you’ve told me a million times.”
“You could be the savior of the pack. You have the power to ensure our people will be safe for generations to come. With the witches on our side, we will be protected. We will thrive again.”
“I know, I know,” James says.
“You were making such progress with her. You have to patch this up.”
I feel sick, like tiny daggers are stabbing me in the chest. I think back to the first time I met James. He made it clear he was willing to do whatever it takes to protect his pack. I never thought it would include messing with my heart.
I should walk away. No, I should run away. But I don’t. Instead, fueled by my anger, I slam the door open with my hand.
“That’s what this has been about?”
Ivan’s mouth drops open in shock and James jumps up from his bed.
“Chloe?” James asks surprised. “What are you doing here?”
“I came here to apologize, you dick!”
“It’s not what you think.”
“Ha! That’s what everyone says when they’re busted.”
Ivan starts to speak, but I put my hand up to silence him. His mouth closes and his shoulders slump.
I glare at James. “This is why you’ve been so nice to me? This is why you’ve been spending more time with me? So you can win me ov
er? All for the benefit of your pack? So we can be a supernatural power couple?”
I’m full-on enraged now. I feel my fingers tingling with heat, fire desperate to shoot from them.
A dark laugh escapes my lips. “You know what the crazy thing is James? It was working. I was falling for you. I let you have my neck because I wanted to. I wanted it more than anything.” My voice cracks. “Congrats to you, your game worked. Until now.”
I turn to leave. I have to get out of here before I break down.
“Chloe, wait! Please!”
James reaches out for me, but I freeze both him and Ivan. Ivan is leaning on his cane, eyes cast down. James is lunging for me. I take a long look at his face and remember how it felt to kiss those lips. It was all fake, all a ruse.
I run for the elevator, tears spilling from my eyes. On a good day, I’ve got thirty minutes before James is back in motion. But I’m tired from last night and I have no idea how my emotions will affect the power of the spell.
I hit the button for the elevator over and over again, like pushing it a hundred times will make it move faster. I keep checking over my shoulder to make sure James and Ivan aren’t coming after me.
I’m angry, embarrassed and brokenhearted. I’m not sure which emotion to deal with first.
The elevator finally makes its way to the 13th floor and I jump inside. I hit the “door close” button several times, watching for James and Ivan as the doors shut. I look at the number pad on the elevator control panel. There is not a single number I want to pick, no place in this building I want to be. I want to get the hell out of here. Now.
I press the “1” button for the lobby and main entrance. I don’t have a plan. I’ll walk out the front door and go from there.
I’m crying hysterically into my hands as the elevator makes its descent. Who can I trust? I trusted the werewolves, but they were here to play me.
Is Whitney in on this too?
What about Willa? Did she know? She’d love a werewolf/witch union.
My mind is reeling when the elevator doors open. I have to move quickly if I want to make it out of the building. The Guard is probably already watching me and wondering what I’m up to.
I run through the lobby, my eyes focused on the exit. I can see the sidewalk and people walking by on the other side of the glass. I’m so close.
“Ms. Chloe!” a Guard member yells from the reception desk. “Stop!”
I ignore him and run faster. I push the door open and I’m hit with the cool spring air. I don’t have a jacket, but I don’t care. I need out.
I’m through the door and running down the sidewalk. People look at me as I run by, but this is New York City, people run on the sidewalks every day.
Just as I’m starting to feel good about my escape, I turn the corner at the end of the block and run into Bane and Willa. Literally.
I slam into Bane’s hard body and the impact sends me flying backward. I land on my butt and hit my funny bone in my left arm.
“Oww!” I holler in pain.
“Chloe?” Willa asks surprised. “Sweetie, are you okay?”
Bane helps me up.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” I say, rubbing my elbow.
Willa takes a good look at me. “What is going on? Why are you crying? What are you doing out here?”
I narrow my eyes. “What are you doing out here?”
“I’m strengthening the wards. I do every morning.”
“Oh,” I say with less hate.
“Your turn, what are you doing out here?”
I open my mouth, but I don’t know what to say. Instead, I start crying. “Willa, I have to get out of here. I can’t be in the same building as the werewolves anymore.”
Willa pulls me in for a hug. “There, there Chloe. It’s okay.” She strokes my hair and lets me cry on her shoulder.
After a few minutes, I pull away from her. She hands me a tissue from her pocket.
“I’ll make you a deal. If you go back into the building with me, we’ll talk about whatever is bothering you. Then we’ll figure out a way to get you out of here for a few days.”
I wipe the tears from my eyes and sniffle. “Really?”
Willa nods her head. “Really.”
“Okay,” I choke out.
Willa puts her arm around me and we head back to the building together. A group of Guard members is huddled in the lobby when we walk back in.
“It’s alright,” Willa tells them. “I’ve got her.”
We get on the elevator and take it to the Guard’s operations center.
“We’ll go into one of the conference rooms. The werewolves won’t be able to get to you here,” Willa explains.
We take seats at the table in the conference room. By this time I’ve stopped crying and calmed down a little.
“Now, you want to tell me what’s going on?” Willa asks warmly from across the table.
I tell her the story. Every gory detail. How James has been extra nice to me lately, what happened in the club, James coming to my room early in the morning, and the conversation I overheard.
Concern furrows Willa’s brow. “This is upsetting. I’ve known Ivan for years. I would never guess he’d play a game like this.”
I shrug. “I heard what I heard Willa.”
“Hmm…” Willa looks as upset as I feel. “I’ll have to talk with Ivan about this.”
“I figured you would.”
Suddenly, the conference room door swings open. The sound of it crashing against the wall makes me jump.
“Are you crazy?!” an enraged Frank screams as he comes in the room. “You could have been killed out there!”
I shrink in my seat. “I’m sorry.”
“You’re sorry?! You’re sorry?!” Frank’s face is bright red, his flexed arms about to bust out of his shirt. “I spend my days trying to protect you and train you so you can protect yourself! Then your dumbass runs out of the building and comes within twenty feet of being outside the wards! Twenty feet Chloe!”
“Enough,” Willa says softly. “She is safe now.”
I get up and walk over to Frank. He’s taking deep breaths, his chest heaving in and out. I grab him in a big hug. At first he resists, then he relents and hugs me back.
“You scared me to death,” he says, resting his chin on my head.
“I’m sorry Frank. I just wanted out of here. I didn’t think about the consequences.”
“Or who you might hurt,” Willa adds.
I shake my head. “No, I didn’t think of that either.”
Willa stands. “Chloe, tell Frank what you told me. While you two chat, I’ll pay Ivan a visit. We need the whole story.”
I cringe. “Um, about that…”
“Yes?”
“Ivan might still be frozen.”
Willa sighs. “Undo it Chloe.”
“I don’t know if I can from here.”
“Try,” she presses.
I close my eyes and envision James and Ivan the way I left them. I visualize releasing the spell.
“Okay, I did it.”
“Good. I’ll track down Sue. We’ll find out what Ivan has to say about all of this.”
“Definitely bring Bane, I mean Sue, just in case.”
Willa leaves me and Frank in the conference room.
“What’s going on?” Frank asks.
I tell him about my fight with James this morning and the conversation between James and Ivan.
“Makes sense,” Frank says when I’m done. “Shacking up with you would protect his pack.”
I nod. “It does, but I hate the part where he pretended to like me.”
“How do you know he was pretending? He seems pretty into you. Why, I have no idea.”
I sigh. “A man who really loves me is too much to ask for I guess.”
Frank rolls his eyes. “Stop being a drama queen. We need to get to the bottom of this. Now that they’re unfrozen, James and Ivan will want to talk to you ASAP.”
As
if on cue, shouting erupts from the floor of the Guard center.
“Where is she?!” James shouts.
Frank scrambles out of his chair. “Get down!” he hisses. He turns off the light and huddles next to the door.
“I’m not authorized to give you that information,” a member of the Guard answers.
“I need to see her. Now!”
“Not possible,” the Guard member responds blandly.
“Where is Frank?” James demands next.
“Frank is with Ms. Chloe.”
“Is it true she left the building?”
“Affirmative.”
“Damn it!”
“James, you need to calm down.” It’s Ivan. “Let’s go back to your room. You need to rest. We can clear things up when Chloe gets back.”
“Get off of me!” I cringe at the tone James uses toward Ivan. “This is all your fault! You had to go on one of your rants about how great it would be for the two of us to be together. Now she thinks the only reason I want to be with her is for the pack!”
“James? What is going on?” Now Willa is involved.
“Willa,” James’s tone softens. “Please, please let me see Chloe.”
“I’m sorry James, but Chloe doesn’t want to see you.”
“Is she safe? Will you tell me that? I heard she ran out of the building.”
“She is safe,” Willa confirms. “You don’t have to worry about that.”
“Okay, good.” James calms down.
“You look exhausted James. You should rest,” Willa says.
“I can’t. I’m too worked up.”
“Tell you what, let’s go up to my office and chat.”
James gives in. “Fine.”
When we’re sure James and Ivan are gone, Frank stands and turns the light back on.
“What do you think?” he asks.
“James is pissed.”
Frank snorts. “That’s an understatement. I told you he’d want to see you.”
I pick at my fingers. “Of course he does. He has to cover his ass.”
“He sounds genuine to me.”
“I don’t know which way is up.” I lay my head on the table. “The last twelve hours have been a shit show.”
“Do you still want to leave?”
“I think so.”
He frowns. “I’ll see what I can do, but I won’t lie, that’s going to be difficult. We have emergency evacuation plans, but this isn’t an emergency. I don’t want to use all of those resources.”