by Jess Haines
After what felt like forever, Seth looked away and patted down his pockets, pulling out a battered pack of cigarettes. He didn’t offer them to anyone else, just lit up and took a deep drag. Within a few puffs, the others had gotten to their feet and settled down cautiously on big rocks or tree stumps nearby. Seth chose a perch on an uneven slab of lichen-covered granite, his attention firmly fixed on the path we’d taken.
“How long do you think he’ll take?” Gabe ventured to ask.
Seth didn’t bother to look at him. “Fuck all if I know. We left an obvious trail. Shouldn’t take too long.”
I dared a question, meeting his eyes when he glanced at me. “If you want to fight Chaz so badly, why didn’t you do it back at the cabins?”
He smirked at me, shaking his head and returning his attention back to the path. The others gave me furtive glances, but didn’t dare speak.
Anger soon replaced my fear. Who the hell did he think he was? If not for him, Chaz and I could have been busy discussing the terms of the contract. Or busy doing other, far more pleasant, things.
“I see,” I said, taking a few steps until I could assume an indolent lean against a nearby tree. I hoped my expression was as disdainful as I was going for. The trick would be to keep them worried about Chaz without pissing them off enough that they would hurt me. “You’re planning to cheat, aren’t you? You wanted to lure him out here so you could ambush him.”
“No,” Seth said, turning sharply to face me. “Shut up. You don’t know anything about us.”
“I know you won’t win.”
“I will win this,” he snarled, fists clenching at his sides.
“Doesn’t matter what you try. He’ll still kick your asses.” I kept my voice as level as possible, hoping what I was saying was true. My faith in Chaz would undermine Seth’s confidence if I played my cards right. Little enough, but it could turn the odds more in Chaz’s favor once he came to save me. “He’s the only Were to fight Rohrik Donovan and live.”
“Give me a break,” Seth said, his anger shifting abruptly into an amused smirk. “Rohrik didn’t want him dead. Somewhere under the influence of the Focus, he had to have known what you were there for. Why don’t you just sit down, get comfortable, and shut up. We’re not going to hurt you unless you do something stupid, and he won’t be here for a while.”
Cursing softly under my breath, I took a look around, wondering how far I’d get if I bolted. They were alert now, watchful for escape attempts. It wouldn’t do me much good, since I already knew they were faster and stronger than I was. They might tie up my ankles if I ran. Or possibly take a more violent turn. I wouldn’t put it past them, though they hadn’t actually hurt me—yet.
Irritated, I stalked over to a fallen log, sitting down on that instead of in the mud. Wrenching at the ropes around my wrists, I brought the knots up to my teeth to work myself free. Nobody made a move to stop me, and I guessed that they didn’t consider me much of a threat with or without free hands. One of them even pulled out his cell phone and started fiddling with it, like he was playing a game or texting. Genius.
“Why this cavalier shit?” I asked again after the rope loosened and I didn’t need to tug at it with my teeth anymore.
Seth ran a hand lightly over the scruffy stubble on his jaw, not paying me much mind. “I want control of the pack. I won’t get it unless I fight him for it. Too many back there would make it into a bloodbath instead of letting us work out right of ascension.”
“Too many of the pack would try to stop you, you mean.”
He glanced in my direction, giving me a wry grin. “That’s what I said. I want a pack to lead, not a bunch of broken bodies and sore losers who would fight me for right of ascension as soon as Chaz is out of the way.”
I curled my lip in a sneer, taking the rope up into a snarled tangle and throwing it as far from me as I could. “What makes you think you can beat him? He’s bigger and stronger than you.”
“Big and strong doesn’t always equal faster or smarter. We’ve got you. He might just turn over leadership without a fuss if we press him right.”
Meaning, if they threatened to do something to me, he might just give in and turn over leadership without a fight. I rubbed at my chafed wrists, staring down at my hands while I tried to think of how to get away.
“Why are you talking to her? She’s just bait,” Gabe asked, peeling the leaves one at a time off a branch he’d broken from a tree.
“You have anything better to do? I’m bored; she’s listening.”
“She might use it later.”
“How?” The guy who had tied up my wrists earlier asked, looking up from his cell phone. “She’s not going anywhere.”
“She fought Rohrik and that vampire, asshat. She’s tougher or smarter than she looks. She’s dangerous.”
I rolled my eyes, stopping when I saw Seth doing the same thing. Making a little mulch pyramid with the toe of my sneaker, I propped my elbows on my knees and put my chin in my hands, staring at Gabe. He might be a danger to me later. Maybe I could use his wariness of me somehow. That in mind, I gave him a grim smile, narrowing my eyes.
“You afraid of little ole me? Big, scary Were like you? Jesus, Seth, you need friends with backbones.”
Gabe straightened, dropping the branch and clenching thick fists at his sides. “Shut your mouth. Nobody asked you.”
“Don’t talk about me like I’m not here, then. Later, just you and me, we’re going to have a little talk. I’ll make sure you walk away with a lesson in manners you’ll never forget, you dumb shit.” Lord knew how I’d manage, but sometimes the threat was as good as the deed. Royce had taught me as much.
Gabe clenched his fists together so tightly, I could hear his knuckles cracking. He looked at Seth, silently asking permission for something. The other Were shook his head, a smile quirking his lips. “I see why Chaz likes you. You are one brass-balled bitch.”
“Hey, I’m a New Yorker. What did you expect?”
“You should be afraid,” Gabe said, his voice gone deeper, guttural with anger. Seth turned around, watching, but not saying anything. I think he was more curious how I’d handle a pissed off Were than worried something might happen to me or his friend. “You aren’t one of us. Don’t you know what we could do to you?”
“Try me, Fluffy. I’ve fought your kind before. You kids don’t know who you’re messing with.”
Gabe snarled and started closer, but the other guy, the quiet one, reached out an arm to bar his way. “She’s trying to rile you up. Don’t fall for it. We’ll need you later.”
The angry Were stopped, staring back at me, his eyes taking on a subtle greenish luminescence. When he spoke, I took note of the hint of upper and lower fangs peeking between his lips. “You must have a death wish. Keep it up, and I’ll oblige you later, once your boy toy is out of the way.”
“Yeah, right. If there’s anything left when Chaz is done with you, come talk to me.”
I think the fact that I managed to pull off appearing bored, keeping the waver out of my voice, was part of what was making him so mad. That, and because I most likely had touched a sore point with him. He was worried that Seth wouldn’t win, that Chaz would hurt him, and had no one to take it out on. His worry would become their worry. It would eat at them, make them doubt. It would give Chaz a better chance at coming out on top.
As the other two guys looked at each other, I saw the unspoken hesitation there. Even Seth seemed nervous now, absently twining his fingers through a thick chain at his belt, something he hadn’t been doing before.
It was enough to make me smile.
Chapter 11
God, I was bored. The guys had a pack of cards and were playing poker, but wouldn’t let me in on the game. They kept a wary eye on me, staying close, but not bothering or talking to me. Gabe calmed down after a while. The other two, Richard of the near-silent disposition, and Curtis of the Day-Glo Mohawk, had talked him out of his upset, urging him into passing the t
ime with the cards.
All of them had removed their jackets and shoes, prepped for a quick change in loose jeans or sweats and what looked like ratty secondhand T-shirts. None of them seemed to mind the cold on their bare arms or getting mud between their toes, whereas I was freezing my ass off in my damp clothes.
As the minutes, then hours, ticked by, I passed the time bored and annoyed, sitting on my butt staring off into the trees or watching them play. It was eerie how quiet the forest was. The only bird-song I could hear was distant, nowhere close to where we were sitting. No squirrels or rabbits or other small wildlife had come anywhere near us. Guess the wild animals were smart enough to stay away from Weres this close to the full moon, even if they still wore their human countenances.
I hoped Chaz wouldn’t be too much longer. I was bored out of my skull and really had to pee. I wasn’t about to ask the Goof Troop over there to let me hustle off into the bushes. Like it hadn’t been embarrassing enough having been carted off like a sack of grain and then dealing with their snide comments about the scents on me.
I leaned back a little, staring up into the trees. There was one bird up there, a big, scrawny crow. Maybe the same one that had been in the trees the other night. It was staring down at us, watching the little gathering with one bright, beady eye, not making a sound. Probably waiting to see if we’d leave it some food or something.
Abruptly, the four guys lifted their heads in unison, staring back in the direction of the cabins. Chaz, Sean, Nick, Simon, and Dillon were standing in the dappled shadows filtering through the boughs, anger and irritation etched into their features. As soon as they knew they’d been spotted, they came closer, Seth and his men rising to meet them.
I surged up to my feet, intending to run to Chaz’s side. Richard reached out and grabbed my arm before I’d taken two steps. “Not yet,” he growled, his grip tight enough to make me wince.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing, Seth?” Chaz demanded, looming over the shorter teenager.
“Right of ascension. Dragging you out here was the only way to do it without fighting everyone in the pack for a chance at you.”
Chaz shook his head, his frown lessening and a sly, dark smile curving his lips. “If you wanted me to kick your ass, you didn’t have to resort to trashing my cabin or hurting Shia to get it. I’ll gladly take you on, anytime, anywhere.”
Confusion briefly clouded Seth’s features, soon replaced by anger. “I didn’t touch your cabin.”
“Whatever,” Chaz snarled, his gaze shifting in my direction as he barked out a command at Richard. “You’ve done enough. Let her go. She doesn’t have anything to do with this.”
Richard’s grip on me loosened marginally, but Seth twisted back and held up a staying hand. “No! You take your orders from me, not him.”
Richard shifted uncomfortably, looking back and forth between Seth and his pack leader. Eventually, he lowered his head, pulling me closer in a silent affirmation of Seth’s seniority. Chaz growled, the sound echoed by the other Weres at his side.
I simplified the problem by bringing my heel down sharply on Richard’s instep, causing him to let go of me to clutch his injured foot. I followed up with an elbow into his face as he folded. Ducking the grasping hands of Gabe and Curtis, I rushed to Chaz’s side, wrapping my arms around his waist as I slid to a stop. He squeezed my hand reassuringly, but pulled away, taking one threatening step closer to Seth.
Richard was on his knees, clutching his bleeding nose and cursing vehemently as he slumped in the mud. Curtis and Gabe didn’t risk getting too close to Chaz’s enforcers, who quickly stepped forward to shield me from them. Unlike the teenagers, these grown men were experienced fighters. Considering that their eyes were glittering with malice and the first signs of the change, daring them to keep coming, I didn’t blame Seth’s people for backing a few hasty steps away, leaving Seth to face Chaz alone.
“Good job, love,” Chaz said, giving me a brief, fierce grin. I returned it in kind, proud of myself for the damage I’d done. I might not have had the belt with me, augmenting my strength, speed, and giving me tips and pointers on how to fight, but the self-defense classes I’d been taking helped keep me from being entirely useless in situations like this.
The bass rumbling in Seth’s chest was unmistakably a threat, and I noted his eyes had shifted from a deep hazel into an amber color similar to my own. Sean and Dillon pulled me back to shield me from him, and I had to stand on tiptoe to see over their shoulders what happened next.
Between one blink and the next, Seth was shifting. He cried out a challenge before his human vocal cords were too changed by the shift to allow for speech, his last words trailing off into a long, drawn-out howl. “You’re dead! You’re all dead, unless you yield to me!”
I watched, fascinated, as Seth’s chest deepened and his arms grew thick with muscle. The crack of bone and sinew adjusting and reforming was sickening, but fortunately didn’t last very long since he’d forced a quick change. The fur that sprang out of his skin was a shade of deep brown a little darker than his hair, covering sleek muscles and a powerful frame that would rival Chaz for size if he had shifted, too. No wonder Seth thought he was badass. Still, size didn’t necessarily mean one had smarts or skill or experience, things Chaz had in abundance.
Seth wasn’t going full wolf either; he was assuming the half-and-half shape that he would be stuck in again tonight—just like the rest of the Weres—once the moon was full. If he survived, that is.
Doing this now was stupid. Despite the benefit of immense size and strength, he’d be weak for a few minutes from the pain of forcing a quick shift, more still as it wasn’t yet nightfall. Chaz took advantage, stepping forward to clamp iron fingers around the wolfman’s windpipe at the peak of his challenging howl, cutting off the sound with a high-pitched “yark!” With inhuman strength, Chaz slowly pulled the snarling, slavering jaws down until the wolf was eye-level, ignoring the claws that reached up and dug deep into his forearms.
“You made a big mistake, buddy. I’ve been waiting for this for a long time.”
Dillon urged me to back up, and I noted Seth’s boys were moving, too, giving the two men room to fight. Seth was scrabbling at Chaz’s arms, fighting for air as his pack leader’s grip tightened on his throat.
“See, this is why you’d never make pack leader. You’re big and tough, sure. But you don’t think things through.”
Chaz shoved Seth back in a move that looked casual, but had enough force behind it to partially uproot the tree he slammed the shifted Were into. The snap of roots was audible under the mud, and the tree listed dangerously to one side, swaying unsteadily as Seth used it to lever himself back up to his feet. Chaz didn’t give him the opportunity to get his balance, one fist lashing out to punch Seth’s jaw hard enough for blood and a few sharp teeth to go flying into the underbrush and mulch.
“Instead of leaning on low tricks and pranks, you could’ve fought your way up the ranks and gained some respect in the process.”
He kicked Seth in the ribs, hard, as he tried to crawl away, whimpering in pain. Even I winced a little in sympathy at the thud of Chaz’s hiking boot connecting with furred flesh, sure to leave a bruise deep enough that it would probably show even when Seth shifted back into his human form. Seth’s buddies were all looking green around the gills, their gazes creeping up to the canopy above instead of watching their friend get the shit beaten out of him.
“Right now, you’re just pathetic. You will continue to be pathetic until you realize that the pack structure is in place for a reason.” It was painful to watch as Chaz tangled his fingers in the fur at the scruff of Seth’s neck, yanking him up to grind the harsh words home, speaking right into one of those triangular, tufted ears. “You don’t fuck with the structure unless you’re ready to take a higher place in it. You. Are. Not. Ready. You won’t be ready for a long time, not unless you learn some fucking respect. If you start showing me and your superiors that respect, may
be we’ll teach you how to climb in the hierarchy without getting your ass handed to you.”
With that, Chaz let Seth drop to sprawl gracelessly on the ground, tail tucked between his legs as he curled up on his side. Blood trickled down the side of the Were’s jaw as he voiced low, pained whimpers. Throughout the entire fight, if you could call it that, Chaz hadn’t broken a sweat and had barely ruffled his hair. The only signs he’d even taken part in it were the gouges in his forearms and the slightest spattering of mud around the hem of his jeans.
He brushed his hands off, staring down at the fallen Were for a long moment, and I soon realized he was waiting for something. Seth eventually managed to work himself up to a position where he could reach out and lick at one of Chaz’s hands, keeping crouched low to the ground with his head down, looking like a dog that had just gotten a kick from its master. Chaz reached out and absently ran his hand over the silken fur between Seth’s ears, at once a comforting and a warning gesture.
“Let’s not do this again for a while, hmm?”
Without waiting for any sign of agreement, he turned away from Seth and walked over to me. Dillon and Sean moved aside so he could wrap an arm around my shoulders. Though I was grateful for the warmth and protection he afforded, the casual violence he’d just visited on Seth made it difficult to relax against him.
“Sorry you had to see that, love. They didn’t hurt you, did they?”
“No, I’m okay,” I said, glancing back over my shoulder to see Curtis and Gabe moving over to Seth’s side, helping him to stand. At Chaz’s light nudge, I turned my attention back on him, and we started on the path back to the cabins. “What about you? And is Ethan okay? Seth said something about bane… .”