by Wilde, Rhea
“What did he look like, Ms. Everhart?”
“He was dressed in a suit. He was young but his hair was white.”
“White hair?”
“Yeah. It didn’t match his face. I… Was he the one firing at us?”
“I don’t know,” Irvine shook his head. “I didn’t see the color of his hair. He was too far and it was too dark. I could only make out the figure of a man on the rooftops before he escaped. But whether or not it’s him doesn’t matter. Rest assured, Ms. Everhart. I will find the one responsible for attacking him.”
“Thank you, Irvine. I-I can’t thank you enough.”
“But like I mentioned earlier, it wasn’t just chance that brought me here. I need help.”
“Of course. But what can I do?”
“Not your help. Vaughn’s.”
“Vaughn? He was just attacked and—”
“Ms. Everhart, I know it’s a lot to take in right now but time is of the essence.”
I sighed and tried to regain my composure. So much had happened tonight but I knew that this was just the beginning. There was a deeper issue here. Irvine’s presence alone was proof of that. My mind hadn’t wandered from Vaughn.
“I want to see him.”
“Okay,” Irvine nodded. “But you have to let him rest. Believe me, if he was able, I would be talking to him right now.”
Irvine and I made our way to the back of the shop. Vaughn was laying on the table unconscious. They had wiped the blood from him but still, I had never seen him like this before. His wounds bandaged and the red covering his body, I broke down immediately and started to cry. I rested my head upon his chest as the tears rushed from my eyes.
Don’t leave me. Please…
I could feel his heart beating faintly underneath my ear. But seeing Vaughn nearly lifeless reminded me that even a man like him was still mortal. And the thought of losing him made me break down even more.
“I’ll be waiting outside, Ms. Everhart.”
I listened to the sound of Irvine leaving me while I rested upon Vaughn’s chest. I stood up straight and looked down at him. I felt helpless. The only place in the world that I thought was ours and ours alone had been invaded. I didn’t even feel safe in Phoenix’s shop.
I made my way back out to the front. Irvine was sitting there and looking out the window. He sipped on a cup of something that Phoenix had prepared for him with a calmness that I envied at the moment.
“So what do you know?” I asked him.
“It’s happening again, Ms. Everhart.”
“What?”
“What happened here is happening again. In New York City.”
“The murders.”
“Yes. Except it’s worse. Much worse.”
“How?”
I gingerly took a seat in front of Irvine, afraid of what I was about to hear. Irvine took another sip of his drink and sighed deeply.
“I told The Agency what happened. I wiped the entirety of the Rucai out because it was necessary. I told them they were murdering women in an attempt to find a new Alpha for their clan. They needed someone to breed with.
“The latest police discovery in New York was similar to what happened here. Too similar. The Agency immediately started keeping tabs.”
“They saw one of the wolves responsible?”
“That’s right. They actually managed to capture him.”
“What did they do to him?”
“The Agency has methods I don’t entirely approve of. They weren’t able to get much out of him until he died. But what they did learn is that he’s part of the Nakas Clan.”
“The Nakas? So you’re going to stop them.”
“No. I’m afraid to admit that even I’m not capable of that. There are simply too many of them.”
“How many?”
“Thousands, Ms. Everhart.”
“Thousands…”
He nodded and confirmed what I thought I heard. To think that there were that many wolves capable of committing those kinds of murders made my stomach churn. I didn’t want to think about what could happen even though the situation was forcing me to.
“Which brings me here,” Irvine explained. “This is unlike anything I have ever done. The Agency is not asking me to destroy them. I cannot. They have sent me to negotiate.”
“Negotiate?”
“Yes. I am to quell any uprising the Nakas are trying to cause before it gets any worse.”
“B-but… They won’t listen to reason. You saw what they did here. What makes this any—”
“Ms. Everhart, I recall quite well what happened here. My official orders are to stop them. Negotiation is preferable simply because of the numbers. But I will do whatever it takes.”
“And how are you going to stop them? How are you going to convince thousands of wolves to stop when you don’t even know why they’re doing it? What if they won’t listen?”
Irvine scoffed as I asked all of the questions. What he was trying to do seemed impossible. The Rucai were small in numbers. Vaughn single-handedly destroyed them. I couldn’t imagine what it would look like if there were thousands of them running over New York city.
“That is where Vaughn comes in,” Irvine explained. “Wolves won’t listen to me but maybe they will listen to their own kind.”
“So you want Vaughn to be the one to talk to them?”
“Not at first. I need Vaughn to talk to all of the other clans in New York. Their numbers aren’t as large as The Nakas but if they were to band together, maybe they could work together and stop this. Maybe we can find out what’s really going on. This behavior is strange. For one clan to go off the rails and break the peace they have with the humans hasn’t happened… well, it’s never happened.”
“Why Vaughn? Why can’t you do it?”
Irvine laughed at my suggestion. Vaughn was in the back room, half-dead. He wasn’t even conscious yet and Irvine wanted him to do an impossible task.
“I don’t have the best reputation with wolves, Ms. Everhart. I carry weapons for a reason. The only negotiation I know involves a crossbow bolt.”
“So you want Vaughn to go out there and stick his neck out for you? He can’t. I…”
The thought of losing Vaughn reentered my mind. I remembered what they did to Summer. I remembered how Vaughn was forced to kill the only family he knew. And I thought about how close he had come to dying just moments ago. Irvine had saved his life but this was too much. I couldn’t let him just run away from me again not knowing whether or not he’d return.
“No,” I shook my head. “You can’t let him do this.”
“Ms. Everhart, that’s not your decision to make.”
“I don’t care! He barely escaped with his life. You saw what happened last time. You said it yourself. There are thousands. You can’t reason with them. They’re just going to kill him and—”
“Ms. Everhart, please.”
I didn’t even realize that I had raised my voice until Irvine put his hands up to try and calm me down. I took a deep breath and tried to gather myself. I collapsed onto the chair in front of Irvine and tried to wrap my head around everything. It was all happening again.
Why did this have to happen? Why did it have to happen now? Everything was so perfect…
“I’m tired,” I muttered.
“I know. Phoenix’s accommodations aren’t much but I’m afraid they’ll have to do for tonight. Please, Ms. Everhart. You need to get some rest.”
“But what if—”
“I had a long nap. Don’t worry. He won’t return while I’m here.”
He winked at me and I felt some relief. Irvine stood up from his chair and slowly made his way toward the front window and stared outside. He looked stoic as he stood there, looking out into the city without any expression on his face.
I made my way to the back of Phoenix’s shop and saw that Vaughn was still resting peacefully on the table they had laid him on. I sighed and sat on the couch along the side of the wall.
I watch Vaughn breathing, waiting for him to wake up. But he didn’t. My eyelids grew heavy…
Chapter 7
I didn’t know how much time had passed when I woke up. Vaughn was no longer lying on the table in front of me. I wished that it was just a nightmare. I was holding onto the slight hope that it never happened. But when I stood up I could see the trail of blood on the ground. It was splattered on the table and my arm was still bandaged and in pain. I sighed as I made my way back out to the front of The Phoenix Tavern. Irvine was still standing there at the same spot I had left him. Vaughn was sitting at the table next to him. I wrapped my arms around him and he looked up at me.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, Ariel. I’m fine…”
His hands trailed along my arms as I held onto him. There was a point when I thought I’d never have this feeling again. I knew what laid ahead for the both of us so I savored this moment for as long as I could. The emotions were beginning to rush through me and I was forced to do my best to hold my tears back.
“I thought I’d lost you.”
“I’m not going anywhere, Ariel. Not as long as you’re with me.”
Irvine slowly turned around and looked at the two of us. He was biting his lips. As he stared at us, I watched his throat shift as he swallowed.
“You guys spoke to one another?” I asked the two of them.
Irvine nodded.
“So, now what?” I asked. “What are you going to do?”
“I have no choice,” Vaughn said. “I have to go with him.”
“But you can’t!”
I walked around and looked down at Vaughn as he sat in his seat. He looked away from me, staring at Irvine while I pleaded to him.
“You remember what happened!” I shouted. “Irvine’s sending you to your death! You can’t expect to negotiate with these wolves. It doesn’t matter how much support you have from the other clans. There are thousands of Nakas. You’re dealing with killers.”
“I know that, Ariel,” Vaughn sighed. “And one of them came here and tried to kill the both of us.”
“But what does that have to do with the murders in New York? How do you know they’re connected?”
“I don’t. Irvine doesn’t either. But what happened to my clan is happening to another. I can’t just leave my own kind to die.”
“But—”
“Ariel, please. Your life is in jeopardy as well. Innocent people are being murdered. I can’t just let this go on and ignore it. I have to do what I can. These murders don’t add up. Who knows when they’ll stop? Who’s to say they won’t come back here and attack you or your friends?”
I sighed because I knew it was the right thing to do. I only wished that Vaughn didn’t have to do it. And I was upset because I felt so helpless.
“Nobody here is taking this lightly, Ms. Everhart,” Irvine said. “There is something happening. It’s bigger than all of us. And something must be done to stop it.”
“Then what about me?” I said. “I have to go with you, Vaughn.”
“No,” Vaughn jumped up out of his seat. “Completely out of the question. I can’t—”
“She’s right,” Irvine interrupted him. “What lies ahead for the both of us is dangerous. But leaving Ms. Everhart by herself just makes her a target. I don’t doubt that the man targeting you may try to use her.”
“By bringing her along, he’s already using her.”
“True. But it’s a hand we’re forced to play. There is no safer place than with the both of us. You know that, Vaughn.”
“Yeah…”
Vaughn sighed a deep breath and looked at me. The blue eyes that always brought me joy were the same ones causing so much strain at the moment. We had already been through so much and now we had to leave the place we were beginning to call home.
“Then it’s settled,” Irvine interrupted my brief moment with my boyfriend. “We’ll leave for New York City as soon as possible. Get your affairs in order. I won’t wait for you.”
“Wait!” I stopped him. “New York is hours away. My car is broken down and you came here on a motorcycle. How are three of us going to get there?”
“I’ll have it taken care of, Ms. Everhart. Just make sure that you’re ready to leave within the hour.”
Irvine left the shop and disappeared. Vaughn wrapped his arms around me and I embraced him tightly.
“What’s going to happen?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” he sighed. “But I’m here. I’ll always be here. I promise you that.”
Vaughn’s reassurance didn’t work as it normally did. I could feel myself growing more anxious as I thought about what exactly we were getting into. But I did my best to remain strong and not let my emotions get the best of me. We were backed into a corner. We didn’t have a choice. There was nothing else we could do.
I pulled away from Vaughn and turned my back to him, trying not to let him see how upset I was even though it was obvious.
“I-I have to talk to May,” I said. “I have to let her know that I’m not coming into work tonight. I… How long do you think this is going to take?”
“I don’t know, Ariel. The clans Irvine is talking about are scattered all over New York City. The only clan that we would be able to track so easily are The Nakas and they’re the last wolves we want to come across.”
“Okay…”
I stepped out into the city with Vaughn right behind me. I pulled out my phone to send May a text message and let her know that I wouldn’t be working tonight. She replied quickly.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I just need to take some time off.”
“Are you sure you’re okay? It all seems so sudden.”
“I know. Vaughn just thought it would be a good idea to take a break, that’s all.”
“Vaughn, hmm?”
“Yeah. We’re headed to New York.”
“New York?! Why do you suppose he’s taking you there? You think he’s going to propose? Are you sure you’re ready for this?”
Despite the current situation, I couldn’t help but laugh at my friend’s texts. I could hear my friend’s voice in my head as I read each one of her messages.
“I’ve been working nearly every night,” I replied. “You’ll be fine. More tips for you and the girls.”
“OK. Stay safe, Ariel.”
“I will.”
I shut my phone off and shoved it back into my pocket. At least they knew where I was going. They wouldn’t be able to help but it provided me with an inexplicable sense of security to know that my friend was looking out for my best interests.
“That’s the good thing about not having very many friends,” I said to Vaughn. “It’s quick and easy to say goodbye to everybody.”
I looked down at the ground as I laughed at my own joke.
“Maybe after this is all done we can just stay in New York.”
I jerked my head up and stared at Vaughn after hearing his suggestion. I laughed again but Vaughn looked like he was serious.
“No,” I shook my head. “New York is too big a city for me. I… I wouldn’t know what to do.”
“Maybe you’re right. But who knows? Maybe you’ll like it. Have you ever been there before?”
“No. Have you?”
I stared at Vaughn curiously. I could see the smile developing on his face and thought his lack of a response was strange. I didn’t know much about Vaughn’s past. It wasn’t that I didn’t care. I just didn’t think it mattered. Whatever happened had no bearing on the man standing in front of me and how much I loved him.
Before I could make any further inquiries, a car pulled-up on the curb next to us. It was a red convertible with its top down. Irvine jumped out of the driver’s seat and threw the keys at me.
“Where did you get this?” I asked.
“Courtesy of The Agency,” he explained. “They have a lot of resources. This is an important assignment. I told them of the situation. They have connectio
ns and so… here we are.
“Are you ready? You’re not safe here. I suggest you get on the road as quickly as possible.”
I looked at Vaughn and nodded.
“We’ll be right behind you,” Vaughn said to him.
Irvine nodded then got onto the bike that was parked in front of the convertible. Before I could react, Vaughn plucked the keys from my hand and leapt into the driver’s seat.
“Hey!”
Vaughn smirked at me as he started up the car. Despite my protests, I knew that it would be pointless to try and argue with him.
“Are you sure you’re okay to drive?”
Vaughn’s arm was still heavily bandaged and blood-stained. After everything that Irvine had said to me, I was honestly concerned about his current condition.
“I’m fine,” he replied. “I can make it.”
“Are you sure?”
“You’ve never been to New York, Ariel. Someone who knows their way around should take the wheel.”
He winked at me and slammed onto the gas pedal. The wheels screeched against the pavement and we sped out of the city. With Irvine just ahead of us, we quickly made our way out of the place I had learned to call home.
I didn’t remember the last time I had been away. My moments with Vaughn gave me an opportunity to get out of the city but it was still only a few miles away. I wished the circumstances for our vacation were different.
It didn’t take long for us to hit the open road. With the top down, I closed my eyes and enjoyed the feeling of the wind blowing through my hair and against my face. I sighed a deep breath and enjoyed this temporary respite. I felt Vaughn’s hand fall upon mine and when I opened my eyes I was greeted with his smiling face.
The day grew old. The hours passed as I sat in the car next to Vaughn, anxiously waiting for us to arrive at our destination. I sorted through some angry messages from Frank on my phone. There wasn’t much to pass the time but I was fine simply being here with Vaughn.
The sun started to set. The sky became dark and the stars populated it. I knew that we were close. The lights that populated the sky weren’t just the stars. There were buildings in the distance. Tall skyscrapers that dwarfed any building in the city I lived in. The lights intermittently flashed from each of the windows. I was a bit mesmerized by all of the lights as they started to grow closer.