I never knew the jeep could hug the turns so tightly before I got in the car with Sean. I wished I still didn't know. I clutched my stomach and squeezed my eyes shut as another wave of nausea consumed me. I never had been one to prefer sitting in the back seat.
When it, for the most part, went away I opened my eyes again. The city of London was full of tourists, business men and women, drunks, and werewolves. Not a lot of people knew this, but London held the largest pack in Europe. That was a huge part of why I needed to get the pack back home.
Martin, Odolf, and Chris had only been to London once. It had only been a day trip and had ended quickly after Alexander's meeting with the London alpha. They had no reason to be in this city. It wasn't our territory and we needed to get back into ours as soon as possible.
Cassiel nudged my shoulder and I glanced up at him. I could see the panic, the regret, pain, and fear in his eyes. For one second I was just happy that he'd realized what a stupid choice he had made, but my focus returned shortly after I gave him a small grin. He knew the consequences of coming into another pack's territory without their permission just as I did. If we were seen by a high ranking werewolf we'd be in a lot of trouble.
"This isn't that bad, El." Martin told me. He looked like he was going to hang his arm over my shoulders, but stopped once I shot him a look.
"I've been kidnapped, Martin, I feel like I'm about to throw up my dinner, and Sean has decided to play the most dark heavy metal I've ever heard. I think this is pretty bad." Hostile was the only word to describe my tone. I was pissed.
Martin started to laugh, "Do you always see the glass half empty?"
I opened my mouth to retort, but only managed to suck in a gasp as I was jerked forward in my seat. On instinct, I grabbed hold of my seatbelt and was scared when I didn't have the door handle to hold on to.
Cassiel knew me well and took hold of my hand with his.
Odolf, who was in the front seat, grabbed hold of the handle above the door and let out a swear word in German.
"What the hell are you doing now?" I snapped angrily at our lunatic driver.
Sean had done nothing but freak me out during this whole ride. He drove like a maniac! He sped, tailgated, and almost got us into four accidents within the first hour we were on the road.
I was pretty used to crazy drivers. Since werewolves didn't die easily they didn't have anything to worry about while on the road. It was a little different with Sean though. First off, he didn't seem to be worried about any of us who hadn't been through the change.
Sean let out a string of profanities. I looked past him and saw a truck pulling out in front of us. There was an old man in the front seat with a straw had and chew in his cheek. The truck looked older than dirt and should have been in an over grown field instead of the highway.
"Idiot." Chris muttered in the back. I glanced back at him, to make sure he was alright, and saw him gripping the back of our seat with white knuckles. I felt bad for him. He didn't even have a seatbelt.
I spun around when I felt the jeep jerk underneath me.
The truck's speed rivaled one of a snail.
Then, suddenly, Sean started turning us off the road. Swear words were pouring out of his mouth and I turned my shocked and panicked expression into a fierce glare when I caught his gaze in the rearview mirror.
"What are you doing?" I shifted around in my seat to get a better view. The guys looked just as confused as I did.
"The damn thing conked out." Sean banged his fist on the hard plastic above the radio. I winced when I saw a dent the size of my knee cap in the car. That would be hard to explain.
I frowned deeply, "What does that mean?"
Sean didn't answer me. He just kept swearing while turning the key in the ignition. When the engine didn't catch I understood.
"We're stranded here, aren't we?" I asked dryly.
Then Sean whirled around at me, "Will you shut the hell up?" A car drove past us and I saw the gold in his eyes when the light passed over us.
"We're stranded here?" Chris asked in disbelief before pausing, "My parents are going to have my head on a platter if we ever get back."
I would have rolled my eyes if I hadn't been playing a dominance game with Sean. "Stop freaking out, Chris. We just have to find a cab in the city."
"And then what? Have them drive us all the way back to Bewdley?" Sean seethed.
I scoffed at him, "It's not like we haven't done that before."
I felt Cassiel shift in his seat beside me, "She's right. Never underestimate what cab drivers will do for a fifty dollar tip." He was speaking from a memory. He unbuckled himself, pushed open the door, and got out. "We should get going. I don't want to spend the night in a gutter."
Sean was grumbling in the front seat as he turned away from me. I felt a glimmer of pride when I realized I had won the dominance contest, but it didn't last long. We all piled out of the car and started up the highway.
"Do any of us even know how to get to London?" Chris complained behind me, "Or even what we're going to do when we get there?"
I sighed heavily and glanced over at Sean; to make sure there was plenty of space between us. My jaw was still sore from where his rough hands had clamped over it.
"We're not going to do anything." I hissed, "I'm going to get us a cab so we can get home before Gabriel finds out that we're all gone."
Odolf wrapped his arm around my shoulders from behind, "I don't see why we can't hang out for a while. I mean, Gabriel probably already knows we're gone. We should have fun while we can."
"Yeah, because once we're home, we're all going to be grounded for life." Martin came up to me from the other side.
I shook off Odolf's arm and stomped away from them, "None of us would be in this mess if it weren't for you idiots." I started my rant, "You're the ones who waned to come out here. You didn't even have a plan. You just wanted to live like reckless mundanes."
"Elaine, just let it go!" Sean barked.
I spun around to face him, or deck him depending on how close he was standing to me, and glared, "You arrogant, inconsiderate, brainless, lowlife, none of this would be happening if it weren't for you!"
"Do you guys have to fight again?" Chris groaned, "Seriously, it's not going to help. We're going to be lost no matter how much yelling you guys dish out."
In unison Sean and I turned and growled at the boy.
Chris held up his hands in surrender, but, thankfully, had enough sense not to back away from us.
Werewolves are predators and therefore can't resist chasing their prey. If Chris had tried to back away from us, I wasn't sure if Sean would have resisted the urge to pursue him.
I huffed and stalked away. After a few steps I broke out into a steady jog. Sean came up beside me and quickly took the lead. That bothered me. The lead position was reserved from the alpha and I hated that Sean thought himself worthy of the position. Unfortunately I couldn't beat him if we started a race. I wished, again, that I was a full werewolf.
The six of us ran in a straight line down the side of the road. Cassiel was behind me, with Odolf and Martin was next and Chris finished off our line. A half an hour and three miles later I heard the guys' panting heavily behind me and I started to slow down for them.
"What's wrong back there?" Sean wasn't concerned, I could tell by his tone. He was annoyed.
I slowed to a fast walk, "We can't keep that speed up forever, Sean. We need a break." I had started panting too, but not as badly as some of the others.
Sean opened his mouth to reply, but stopped mid breath.
"What?" I kept myself from snapping at him, although my own patience was wearing thin.
His eyes flickered behind me. I was almost afraid to look.
An engine revved in the distance and I winced.
"Holy crap," Cassiel came up beside me. I watched his jaw drop "Is that Gabriel?"
I swore all of us spun around at the same time. I turned more slowly then the rest. Gabriel wasn'
t exactly the person I wanted to come to our rescue. Sure, a ride would be nice, but if he was on his bike than only one of us would get a lift… maybe.
A few miles down the road I saw a motorcycle speeding down the open highway. Even in the night I could see that the bike was black; which was the color of Gabriel's bike.
"I blame you." I rammed my shoulder into Sean's as I walked past him. I followed the bike with my eyes. A mixed feeling of dread and fear settled in my chest as I watched it turn off the road.
When it parked a few feet away from me I saw the blue flames that were painted along the oil tank.
I could tell that I was the only one who noticed, because the guys were still keeping their distance.
With his hands covered in black leather gloves he pulled off his helmet.
"Pavel…"
He cut me off, "What the hell were you thinking, El? I mean, I know you like breaking the rules from time to time, but don't you think this is pushing it a little?" Pavel obviously wasn't here because he wanted to go clubbing in London.
I opened my mouth to explain, but he ignored me completely. Pavel threw his helmet to the ground and stepped off his bike like a pro.
"Do you ever think about the consequences?" Pavel snapped. Anger was practically radiating off him. I involuntarily took a step away from him. "What would you have done if you were attacked?"
I frowned, "I kind of doubt we would have been attacked in London."
"Well you're not in London yet, are you Elaine?" There was another question in that comment.
"Sean killed the Jeep. We're walking to London so we can take a cab home." I explained with more fury in my tone than I had intended. "Look, none of this is even my fault. I didn't want to come here!"
Pavel scoffed and closed in the space between us until his face was barely two inches from mine. "No one forced you into the car! You didn't have to come here!"
"Actually,"
"Shut up Chris!" I barked, pointing my index threateningly at him. I did not want Pavel, or anyone, finding out that I'd practically been kidnapped.
Pavel growled at me, "No Chris, please continue." He was hissing through his teeth.
Chris glanced between Pavel and me. I saw his hesitation. He looked like a deer caught in a spot light. I sighed heavily and turned away from him, "Leave the poor kid alone, Pavel."
"Do you know what kind of position you've put me in?" Pavel's gaze felt like fire against my skin when he turned back to me.
I pursed my lips, "Well, why don't you tell me about it once we get home?" I felt like I was shoved up against a wall. I was trapped with no where to go. Pavel's gaze held me captive and I had the intense need to get away from him. "It might be a while before we get back, but that should give you some time to cool down."
There was only one chance of getting away from him. He was fuming over his anger and I used that as an advantage.
I walked past him, being careful not to bump his shoulder, and grabbed Cassiel's arm.
We both started off at a jog on our way down the side of the highway.
"Elaine!" Pavel yelled.
His tone only drove me to run faster. Cassiel kept up with me for about a quarter mile before he slowed his pace. I glanced back at him and almost tripped over my feet when I saw Pavel coming after us on the bike.
"Do you think we'll have a chance at beating him to London if we bolt now?" I asked with dread evident in my voice.
Cassiel grunted, "It doesn't look like it." He followed the motorcycle with his eyes until Pavel slowed to a crawl beside us.
"Get on the damn bike, El!" Pavel yelled through his helmet. It covered his face, but I saw the rage in his eyes.
"Manners, Pavel, what would your father think?" I mocked him; trying to come up with a plan. I saw the others jogging after us. Sean was at the lead again.
The engine revved, but when I looked he was still there. "What is the plan, Elaine? Are you going to run all the way into the city? Then what? Hail down a cab? Don't you remember how hard that is in this city? Why won't you just get your stubborn arse on this bike?"
"I'm not leaving the pack, Pavel; I thought you'd understand that." I kept walking backwards. My eyes were on Chris, Martin, and Odolf as they tried to prove their strength by keeping up with the werewolf.
"Like you did a minute ago? You left them stranded!" I couldn't tell if Pavel was yelling so he could be heard over the engine and through his helmet, or if he was yelling at me.
I growled, "I wasn't stranding them! I was trying to get away from you!" I paused and grumbled, "Which didn't work out as well as I wanted it to."
I knew Pavel heard me when he jerked the motorcycle out in my path. I jerked and spun around; to make sure I wasn't going to get hit. "Watch it!"
"Elaine Jeannine, I will be waiting at The Calling. If you aren't there, with the guys, in one hour I will find you and take you back home kicking and screaming. Do you understand?" It seemed to me like he was channeling his father as he threatened me.
"We'll be there." Cassiel answered in the same military voice that Pavel was using.
I nodded my head in agreement when Pavel turned his eyes on me.
"One hour." Pavel warned me before pulling out back onto the road. I watched him leave and groaned.
"When did Pavel become my babysitter?" I asked no one in particular. I heard the rest of the pack come up behind us and I immediately started jogging again.
Cassiel came up beside me, "I know what you mean. Pavel isn't usually that responsible." I cracked a grin at the playful comment and glanced over at my friend. He was wearing a small smile, but I still saw the depression in his eyes.
I watched him during the rest of our run, but stuck my foot in my mouth. I didn't feel like getting in another fight that night. All I had to do now was get to The Calling. We'd get a cab, and get back home before anything else happened.
That couldn't be that hard.
CL
London wasn't a place anyone could forget easily. It was one of my favorite cities. There always seemed to be something going on. The streets buzzed with excitement, there was a whole new level of fashion sense in the stores, and the lights could blind you if you weren't careful.
"We have five minutes." Cassiel warned me.
I opened my mouth to complain, but stopped short when someone grabbed my arm. I whirled around and the first thing I saw was a deep scowl on Sean's face.
"I don't see why we have to meet him anyway."
I rolled my eyes. I couldn't believe that Sean was starting another fight with me. I had lost count of how many we'd had in the last five hours. "What else did you have in mind?" I tore my arm out of his grasp.
"How about you take you hands off her…" They way he phrased made it a demand instead of a request or question. Pavel stepped out of the shadows. His broad shoulders were tense and I saw a vein sticking out of his neck. I bit my lip when I saw his eyes.
He wasn't happy.
"Sean, we'll be having a long talk later." Pavel shoved Sean backwards with just a nudge of his shoulder and loosely held my upper arm. "We'll go in through the back. I don't know who tonight's bouncer is." Pavel leaned in and whispered into my ear.
I turned and saw that we had in fact made it to The Calling. It was a bar and dance club that was normally only for werewolves. Of course, humans still go in, but normally don't stay for long.
There was a line going down the block and I forced myself to laugh, "The London pack will be happy. They have good business."
Pavel let out a grunt, "It doesn't matter how many jokes you say, I'm still mad at you."
I huffed, "Pavel, can we talk about this later?"
He gave me a look that said duh.
"So, this is The Calling?" Martin came up and stood beside me. His eyes were taking his surroundings in with awe glistening in his eyes.
I turned on him, "Don't get too excited. We're not staying long."
I watched as the guys exchanged a look. I glanced at Pavel
and for one second I saw his anger leave his eyes. He and I knew what was happening.
"We'll meet you inside." Sean pushed the three boys forward.
"I don't think so Sean." Pavel tried to cut them off, but they were ready for that. They separated and slipped out of his grasp.
"Wait guys!" I took two steps after them, but stopped when they disappeared in the crowd. "I can't believe this." I grumbled, "When my parents come back they really need to teach these guys how to take orders better."
Cassiel laughed at my side, "The only way they'll learn discipline is if Alex throws them into an anger management room and pounds the crap out of them whenever they don't listen to him."
"Do you think he'd do that?" I was only half joking.
"Maybe, if we asked nicely." Cassiel cupped the back of my throat and steered me towards the back alley.
Pavel walked in front of us and then, as we stepped out of the crowd, he stopped. I followed his lead and silenced my breath out of instinct.
"How do you know they'll be here tonight?" A vicious growl thundered through the alley. I shuddered involuntarily. I had never heard a growl like that before. Whoever made it sounded like they were ready to rip flesh off the bones of the next person he saw. His tone chilled me to my toes.
I kneeled down. Cassiel dropped down at my side. Even by being so low to the ground, I couldn't see anything. It was too dark.
"They'll be here. Just be patient." The second voice wasn't as brutal. I could tell that he was an older werewolf. "This alpha isn't one to let his wolves roam free for too long. He keeps them on a tight leash."
The side door of The Calling swung open. The door bashed into the brick wall and I winced at the sound as I rose to my feet.
"I want to see your hands in the air!" Four more werewolves filled the alley. Cassiel, Pavel, and I did as he said. I could hear a struggle, but I couldn't see it. I tried to edge around Pavel, but he kept me behind him.
A cry of pain filled the air and I went into a fighting stance. My eyes darted around, but all I saw was Cassie's panicked filled eyes and Pavel's rigid back.
Howl (Howl Book 1) Page 8